Chapter 23
23
B right lights hit him the second he opened his eyes, making his head pound. Armaan closed his eyes again. When the pain still didn’t subside, he forced his eyes to open despite the pain. He looked around. Pale light poured out of the single window of a dull hospital room. A monitor beeped to his right. To his left, Mihir slept on a chair, his head tilting at an odd angle. Armaan took in the tubes and pipes connected to him. The various aches and pains in his body made their presence felt. He must have made a sound because Mihir’s eyes popped open. Seeing him awake, his brother leapt out of the chair and rushed to him. Mihir looked worn and tired. His clothes were wrinkled, and his usually clean shaved face was now fuzzy with God only knew how many days’ worth of scruff.
“Armaan, are you okay? How do you feel?” Mihir asked.
His shoulder hurt. The side of his chest also throbbed, and then there was the back of his head that ached like the bloody devil.
“Everything hurts,” Armaan complained.
“Let me get a doctor,” Mihir said.
“Wait. What happened, Mihir?” Armaan asked.
Mihir frowned. “Don’t you remember?”
“Uh, I remember those men coming to attack me. I remember fighting them, and then… and then… I don’t remember anything.”
Mihir’s eyes widened. “Think Armaan. One of the men hit you on the head. You’ve been in the hospital for two days now. Try and remember more. There could be something vital you are forgetting.”
Armaan suddenly jolted upright. His whole body protested the sudden movement, throbbing painfully. “Navya was with me. We were in a private parking lot. I was fighting with some men, and she was standing right behind me. And then…”
His memory was a blank after that. The more he tried to remember, the more his head pounded. He pressed the back of his head. “Oh God. I can’t remember what happened after that. Is she okay? Mihir, tell me she’s safe. If something happened to her, I’ll destroy?—”
Mihir caught his elbow. “Hey, she’s fine. She’s been by your side throughout. She’s just gone to freshen up. She’ll return soon.”
He dropped back in relief. Navya was safe. Thank God. Slowly, he recalled more about that night.
“He’s everything I don’t want in a man.”
“He’s a known philanderer, a heartbreaker.”
“Of course, he will cheat on me. A man like him doesn’t know how to be faithful.”
“I can’t fall for him. I won’t love him. I am not in love with him.”
Navya’s words hit him in the center of his chest. So this was what she thought of him. He had a vague memory of Navya trying to convince him that he’d misunderstood her before they were attacked. But no. He was certain of what he’d heard. His heart now hurt more than the rest of his body. He’d been falling in love with her, and she’d been using him for his body and looks.
Fuck. He was disgusted with himself and with her. He’d been an utter fool over her. She’d made her position quite clear to him from the beginning, but he’d stupidly thought that she was beginning to care for him. Such an idiot he was. It was his own fault for hoping that she reciprocated his feelings. His love had been one-sided. Completely unrequited.
He turned to Mihir, who was observing him.
“Mihir, I don’t want to see Navya,” Armaan said.
Even though it would hurt him to do so, he would stay away from her. He deserved better than someone like her. This was the right way forward for him and for her. His family was clearly being targeted by Ivan, which meant that Navya would also be safer away from him.
“What?” Mihir looked stunned. “Why? I thought you were in love with her.”
“I am, but she doesn’t love me.” He told Mihir all that he’d heard her say to her sister about him. His brother’s face became grimmer with every second.
“I fell in love with her, and she…” Armaan let out a painful sigh. “She’ll be safer this way as well.”
“I cannot believe that you’re still thinking about her first!” Mihir shook his head. “Falling in love sucks big time. It only causes pain and heartbreak, and I hate seeing you in pain. I hate that you’re hurting so much.”
“You did warn me, brother. You were right. Despite that, I need someone protecting her all the time, but discreetly.”
Mihir nodded, and then his face turned serious. “I have something important to tell you.”
Armaan frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“The Estonians launched a dual attack two nights ago. One here in Dubai on you, and the other in London… on Vedant.”
“Oh God.” Fear exploded inside him. He tried getting off the bed, but Mihir held his arm and shook his head.
“Don’t. You’ve barely recovered,” Mihir said.
Armaan reclined on the bed again. “I thought Vedant was flying out to Dubai that night. What happened?”
“He went for that meeting he’d been talking about that night without Tyrion. They attacked him in a basement parking, the same modus operandi they used with you. Vedant got shot in the shoulder and his right leg,” Mihir said. “I was with him for two days. I returned early this morning after moving him home.”
Terror coated Armaan’s mouth. “And?”
“Luckily, Tyrion realized Vedant had gone out alone and rushed to him. He helped him fight the goons. They killed three of those men before the fourth one shot Vedant and ran.” Mihir swept a hand through his already mussed hair, looking disturbed. “Vedant survived, but barely. If the bullet had been an inch lower, then we… we would have lost him, Armaan. In one night, that fucker Ivan targeted both the people that mean the world to me.”
His elder brother looked shaken up. Armaan was too.
“Tell me about Vedant,” Armaan said. “What are the doctors saying?”
“He was unconscious for a long time after the surgery, just like you. It’s going to take him a while to regain full use of his shoulder and leg. But that is a problem for later.” Mihir pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “The second he regained consciousness and his vitals were stable, I moved him to the mansion in London. I’ve doubled the security around him. The mansion is locked tight like a fortress. No one can enter and exit without my knowledge. I couldn’t leave him alone in the hospital while I returned to check on you here. At least now I know he’s safe. Here, Dmitri was there by your side, and Navya was too. Also, Rajiv Mehra put additional security around you, probably because of his sister.”
Armaan grimaced. Even hearing Navya’s name made him want to scream and hit something. Hard.
He composed himself. His love life wasn’t important right now. Vedant was. “What about the doctors and care staff for Vedant? He must be in pain, and being immobile will make him grumpy as hell.”
“The doctor who operated on Vedant is looking after him 24x7 in our London mansion now. So are a few nurses.”
Armaan blinked. “How the hell did you convince the doctor to do that?”
“I gave them no choice.”
Armaan nodded. He knew how determined Mihir could be when it came to their safety. In fact, had he, too, listened to Mihir and not gone out that night, then they wouldn’t be in this situation at all. But what was done was done. Now, they had to move forward, which meant finding that bastard Ivan and making him pay. Anger raged through him.
“What’s the news on Ivan?” Armaan asked.
“I’m sure he’s lying low after failing to kill both my brothers,” Mihir replied. “We will find him. Dmitri is holding three of the men who attacked you in our warehouse. I will interrogate them once I leave the hospital. Unfortunately, the leader of the gang, who attacked you in the end, managed to get away.”
Armaan lifted his jaw. “Those men are mine to interrogate. I will get answers from them. What about the men who attacked Vedant?”
“The only one alive in that group was the one who shot Vedant and fled. The dead men had no IDs on them, not even mobile phones. Security footage of the basement where Vedant had parked the car is also blurry. We have no leads on that front.”
“Shit,” Armaan said. “Once I’m out of here, let’s see what we learn from the guys who attacked me.”
Mihir nodded.
“And any update on the search for Karina?” Armaan checked. “We can’t lose focus on the hunt for her.”
“Honestly, I haven’t checked in the last two days.”
“Then, I’ll look into it as soon as I’m back on my feet.” Armaan looked around. “I need to get out of here.”
“I’ll look into her. You need to take it easy. Everything can wait. I need you fully recovered. Vedant is going to be out of action for a while now.” Mihir squeezed his shoulder. “It’s up to you and me to hold the fort everywhere. I need you, Armaan, now more than ever. And I need you to be very careful. No taking risks with your life anymore. Promise me that you will be careful. Promise me.”
Mihir’s eyes shone with unshed tears. For the first time in years, Armaan saw his brother’s composure waver. Armaan could make out the tremble in his hands that Mihir was so desperately trying to hide. His brother was scared. So was he.
Armaan pulled him in a hug. “We’re going to be fine. All of us. We will find out what went wrong the night Vedant and I were compromised as such. We will get to the bottom of this. I promise.”
Mihir held him tightly for a moment longer before he let go.
The door opened. Both of them turned as Navya entered. Her eyes widened when she saw him awake. His gaze met hers and his heart rate began to escalate. He hungrily took her in. She looked worn out. The urge to capture her in his arms ran through him, but he shot it down. She didn’t love him. He had to remember that.
However, right now, nothing mattered more than ensuring she was safe. And for that, he would stay away from her. This was the best way forward for both of them. His heart clenched in pain. Not all love stories had happy endings.
Perhaps, this was the way his love story had to end.