Chapter 18 #2
Siddhant finally turned his deadly gaze towards Viraj. He began to walk slowly, deliberately into the massive warehouse. His polished shoes echoed loudly against the concrete, sounding like a ticking countdown.
"Stop right there!" Viraj shouted, pulling a dark, heavy handgun from his jacket and pressing the barrel roughly against the side of Poorvanshi’s head.
Poorvanshi gasped, her body completely freezing. The cold metal against her temple was terrifyingly real.
Siddhant stopped instantly, roughly twenty feet away. The muscles in his jaw twitched violently. He stared at the gun pressed against her skin, and for the first time in his life, true, absolute terror gripped his heart.
"The papers, Siddhant!" Viraj demanded, his hand shaking slightly as he held the gun. "Slide them across the floor right now, or I swear to God, I will pull the trigger!"
Siddhant slowly reached into his shirt pocket. He didn't pull out a stack of transfer papers.
He pulled out a small, sleek black device with a single red button.
"You think you are a strategist, Viraj?" Siddhant asked, his deep voice carrying through the empty warehouse with chilling calmness. "You think you can play games with me?"
Viraj frowned, looking at the small device. "What is that?"
"This," Siddhant stated smoothly, holding the device up, "is the detonator to the explosive charges my extraction team just planted around the structural support columns of your primary textile manufacturing plant."
Viraj’s eyes widened in absolute, horrifying shock. "You are bluffing."
"You kidnapped my partner," Siddhant said, his voice dropping to a low, deadly pitch.
"You brought a gun to her head. Do you honestly believe I am bluffing?
If you do not lower that weapon in the next three seconds, I will press this button.
I will completely vaporize your entire corporate legacy. You will be absolutely ruined."
Viraj stared at the small black device. He knew Siddhant’s reputation. He knew the Devil of Delhi did not make empty threats. He was a man who burned things to the ground when he was crossed.
"Three," Siddhant counted, his thumb hovering directly over the red button.
"You can't do this!" Viraj panicked, the gun wavering slightly against Poorvanshi's head.
"Two," Siddhant continued, his dark eyes locked onto Viraj with pure, murderous intent.
"Stop!" Viraj screamed, completely breaking under the psychological pressure. He lowered the gun, pulling it away from Poorvanshi’s head, his hands shaking violently. "Fine! Fine! Just don't press it!"
The second the gun was moved away from Poorvanshi, Siddhant dropped the device.
It wasn't a detonator. It was a simple garage door opener. But the bluff had worked perfectly.
Siddhant moved with explosive, terrifying speed. He crossed the twenty feet of distance before Viraj could even register what was happening.
Siddhant tackled Viraj to the concrete floor with brutal, devastating force.
The gun skittered away into the darkness.
Siddhant grabbed the collar of Viraj’s flashy suit and hauled him up, only to slam his fist directly into Viraj’s face.
The sound of breaking bone echoed loudly through the warehouse.
Viraj cried out in pain, but Siddhant wasn't done. The pent-up terror of seeing a gun pressed to Poorvanshi's head completely unleashed the absolute monster inside him. He hit Viraj again, and again, completely lost in a violent, protective rage.
"Siddhant! Stop!" Poorvanshi yelled, struggling against her zip ties. "Siddhant, you are going to kill him!"
The sound of her voice cut through his blind fury.
Siddhant froze, his massive fist raised in the air, breathing heavily. He looked down at the bloody, broken, unconscious mess of Viraj Khanna on the floor.
Siddhant dropped Viraj, standing up quickly. He turned and rushed over to Poorvanshi. He completely ignored the zip ties on her wrists, instead, he grabbed the heavy metal chair and violently ripped the plastic restraints apart with his bare hands.
The moment her hands were free, Poorvanshi threw her arms around Siddhant’s neck.
Siddhant buried his face in her hair, wrapping his arms around her tightly, crushing her against his chest. He was trembling. The man who never showed emotion, the man who was completely fearless, was physically shaking with the leftover terror of almost losing her.
"I have you," Siddhant whispered desperately into her skin, his voice completely broken. "You are safe. I have you."
"I know," Poorvanshi sobbed softly, burying her face into his chest, entirely anchored by his absolute strength. "I knew you would come."
Suddenly, the warehouse doors burst completely open as Ishaan and heavily armed members of the Chaturvedi extraction team stormed into the building.
Ishaan ran over, looking pale and bleeding from a cut on his forehead. "Boss. Is she okay?"
"Secure him," Siddhant ordered coldly, gesturing towards the unconscious Viraj on the floor. "Hand him over to the police. I want him charged with kidnapping, extortion, and attempted murder. I want his life completely over."
"Yes, Boss," Ishaan nodded instantly.
Siddhant didn't wait. He didn't ask Poorvanshi if she wanted to walk. He simply scooped her up into his arms, carrying her effortlessly out of the dark, dusty warehouse and into the bright, cinematic sunlight outside.
He placed her gently in the back seat of his private car, sliding in right next to her. He didn't let go of her hand. He kept his grip incredibly tight, his dark eyes locked onto her face, completely unwilling to look away.
As the car sped away from the nightmare, Poorvanshi realized that the Devil was not just a title. It was the fierce, terrifying, and completely devoted way he loved her.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.