Chapter 29 #2
“It’s the black SUV in the back,” Raashi heard Krish tell Rhea after they walked further into the parking lot.
There was no one there. It was deserted.
Probably on account of Veejay who must have ensured that the parking lot was cleared of people the moment he had walked outside after seeing Krish with Rhea and her.
Where was Veejay? Raashi thought. He must have prepared his team by now. But there was nothing he could do, not with a gun pointing at her back. She wasn’t even sure Veejay had seen the gun.
Raashi stopped walking when she heard Sameer’s voice from behind.
They all turned as Sameer casually sauntered up to them.
“Where are you girls going?” he asked them coolly and then he looked at Raashi, “Who is your friend, Raashi?”
He was an idiot. The biggest sort of fool to ever walk the face of this earth.
Wasn’t it enough for him that two of them were already in danger that he had to insert himself into the situation as well?
Raashi’s fear for herself had evaporated and multiplied a hundred fold the moment she heard Sameer call out to them.
She would kill him, slowly and painfully just for putting his own life in danger.
That is if they managed to come out of this situation alive first. And where was Veejay when they needed him?
Rishi raced out with Kabier. They had seen the entire scene unfold on the security camera.
They reached Rithwik who was standing hidden behind a few cars.
Rishi watched in mounting dread as Krish shoved the girls further into the car park.
He turned to look for Veejay and found him silently moving ahead with his team, their guns drawn and ready.
He looked for Sameer but before he could ask Rithwik about him, he saw his brother reach Raashi and Rhea.
“What the hell is Sameer doing? Has he gone mad?” Rishi asked angrily.
“I don’t know what he is thinking. Why couldn’t he wait for Veejay?” Rithwik queried.
“The woman he loves has a gun to her back. Do you think he’s going to wait and watch?” Kabier stated.
The two of them gave him a blank stare.
“Seriously, you guys? You don’t get it do you?” When they still looked blank, he said, “Forget it. I’m not even going to try and explain to you what he must be going through right now.” Kabier shook his head and turned back to look at Sameer talking to Rhea’s ex.
Krish stepped forward, his gun pointing at Sameer in the empty parking lot. “So, you’re the elder brother is it?”
Raashi took a step to the side and another as quietly and unobtrusively as she could.
“And you’re the one messing with my sister,” Sameer said stepping carefully in front of Raashi, blocking her with his body. “Is that gun even really loaded?” he asked. “And do you know how to use it?”
Raashi mumbled something from behind him that sounded a lot like ‘Have you gone mad?’
But, honestly, what choice was there? He had died a thousand deaths the moment he had seen the gun pointed at Raashi’s back.
He was horrified when Krish forced the two girls to walk out of the restaurant.
Whatever Veejay planned to do was another matter.
There was no way Sameer would let this neurotic, psychotic person harm his girls.
Raashi peered from behind him and saw the surprise on Krish’s face. His hand faltered.
That was all the encouragement Sameer needed. As soon as the gun wavered, he pounced on Krish and grabbed his gun holding hand, high in the air, tackling him.
“Raashi, Rhea, run NOW!” Sameer yelled.
Krish screamed, “NO!”
Without a word, Rhea ran back towards the restaurant.
Raashi took a step back but refused to leave. She saw Sameer punch Krish with his left hand while his right still held Krish’s hand in a death grip. A gunshot sounded, echoing loudly around them. Raashi screamed and shut her eyes. She fell to the ground in fear.
Strong arms encircled her and held her close.
She took a deep breath and inhaled his woody, musky scent and opened her eyes.
Sameer! He was kneeling next to her. She ran her eyes over him, searching his body for a sign of blood but was relieved to see none.
Her hands coasted across his face, his chest and arms, and she exhaled, convinced that he was fine.
“Hey, baby, I’m okay. It’s all over,” Sameer told her.
Raashi saw Veejay and his team surround Krish. He was gripping his left shoulder in agony and blood was seeping through the wound.
Raashi turned back to Sameer and punched him on his shoulder, hard.
He winced. “What was that for?”
“How dare you put yourself in danger?” Raashi yelled at him. “Who asked you to be superman and come fight with the bad guy? Couldn’t you let Veejay do his job?”
“And how do you think I felt knowing you were in danger?” Sameer asked her angrily. “Should I have just folded my arms and watched while that psycho held a gun to your back? No! That wasn’t happening. And why didn’t you leave when I asked you to? Do you ever listen?”
“You’re mad. You know that. What if something had happened to you?” Raashi said as a tear slid down her face and then she broke down completely. The horrifying events of the last half-hour came crashing down on her and she burst into tears.
“Oh! Sweetheart. Don’t cry. It’s all over now. I am safe, we all are,” Sameer said.
He gathered her in his arms and kissed the tears off her face.
Raashi melted into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
She brought her lips to his and kissed him greedily.
She wanted to wipe away the memory of the agonizing moments they had just been through.
Sameer kissed her back, thankful that she was safe.
“I love you so much,” she said between kisses and tears.
“And I love you, forever and always.” Sameer said.