Chapter 14 #3
Before Raghav could argue, Akhil turned around, pulled his heavy tactical jacket over his shoulders, and walked out into the pouring rain, stepping into the lead black SUV as the engine roared to life.
***
Meanwhile, inside the dark, cavernous expanse of Sewri Warehouse Nine, the atmosphere was freezing, damp, and terrifying.
The abandoned warehouse sat on the edge of the dark, roaring ocean at the Sewri Docks.
The rusted corrugated iron roof leaked heavy streams of rainwater onto the concrete floor, creating deep puddles.
Rusted shipping crates, broken wooden pallets, and heavy iron chains hung from the high steel ceiling beams.
In the center of the vast, empty concrete floor, illuminated by two harsh yellow halogen work lights, was a heavy wooden chair.
Tied securely to the chair with thick industrial ropes was Shruti.
The chemical fumes had finally worn off. Shruti opened her dark eyes slowly, coughing as her senses returned. Her head throbbed with a dull, painful ache, her wrists were tied tightly behind her back, and her ankles were bound to the chair legs.
Standing twenty feet in front of her, holding a glass of scotch while leaning against a metal shipping crate, was Reyansh Khanna. Surrounding him were six broad-shouldered, armed mercenaries holding submachine guns.
When Reyansh saw her open her eyes, a cold, mocking laugh escaped his lips.
"Welcome back to the real world, Miss Malhotra," Reyansh sneered, stepping closer until he was standing right in front of her chair.
Shruti took a long, heavy breath, clearing the haze from her mind. She looked at the ropes binding her wrists, looked at the armed mercenaries surrounding the room, then looked up into Reyansh’s arrogant face.
She didn't cry. She didn't beg for mercy. She raised her chin, her dark eyes flashing with pure, fearless defiance.
"You really are a pathetic coward, Reyansh," Shruti spoke, her voice steady and clear despite the throbbing ache in her head. "Cutting the power, sending mercenaries to kidnap a woman in the dark... is this how Mumbai's big corporate tycoon operates?"
Reyansh’s smiling face instantly thinned into a tight, furious scowl. He stepped forward and slapped her sharply across the cheek.
'SMACK!'
Shruti’s head snapped to the side, her golden cheek turning bright red. But she didn't let out a single cry of pain. She slowly turned her head back to face him, spitting a drop of blood onto the concrete floor, her dark eyes glaring into his with pure contempt.
"Is that the best you've got, Khanna?" Shruti smirked fearlessly.
"Shut up, you little brat!" Reyansh snarled, grabbing her jaw in a painful grip.
"You think you're brave because you traveled around tropical mud huts?
You have no idea what is happening here!
You saw what I did to Kapoor at the gala.
You thought you could run to Italy with Akhil Raheja and hide behind his wealth? !"
"Akhil will destroy you for this," Shruti stated with absolute, unwavering conviction.
Reyansh threw his head back and burst into a loud, maniacal laugh that echoed off the high iron roof.
"Akhil Raheja is finished!" Reyansh declared triumphantly, releasing her jaw and pacing around her chair.
"His business reputation in Europe is ruined by my media leaks!
His stocks are crashing! His best friend's family is being investigated for fraud!
And now... he thinks you walked away from him! "
Reyansh stepped closer, leaning down until his ugly face was just inches from hers.
"Do you know why you are here, Shruti?" Reyansh whispered maliciously. "You are not just a witness I need to silence. You are the final trap. I sent an encrypted message to Akhil’s personal phone five minutes ago, letting him know I have you here at the docks."
Shruti’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart did a sudden, terrifying leap. "What... what did you tell him?"
"I told him to come alone," Reyansh smirked darkly, pulling a heavy tactical detonator switch from his pocket.
"I told him that if he brings a single police officer or security car, I will execute you on live video.
And when he walks through those warehouse doors alone...
my men will shoot him full of lead and dump his body into the ocean. "
Panic spiked through Shruti’s heart, not for herself, but for Akhil.
"No..." Shruti breathed, her voice trembling for the first time. "Reyansh, don't do this! He won't come alone, "
"Oh, he will come alone," Reyansh interrupted with a vicious, confident grin. "Akhil Raheja is a reckless fool when it comes to you. He loves you, Miss Malhotra. And that love is going to be his death sentence."
Outside the cavernous warehouse, the heavy monsoon rain slammed against the iron roof.
Shruti closed her eyes tight, her heart aching with pure, agonizing terror. She had pushed Akhil away that afternoon. She had broken his heart and told him to leave her life. But deep down in her soul, she knew the terrifying truth.
Akhil Raheja was coming for her.
He was walking directly into a deadly, fatal trap, and he would burn down the world just to reach her side.