Chapter 51 #5
They were Zaviyar's men. Several of them stood ahead, holding a few injured and restrained men. Safiya brought the car to a complete stop.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, both she and Zaviyar let out a breath of relief. Safiya climbed out of the car, only to immediately spot the police standing nearby.
Her blood ran cold. She instinctively moved behind Zaviyar, using him as a human shield while her mind began frantically constructing an explanation.
What exactly was she supposed to tell the police? That she had shot a man? That she had thrown him out of a moving car? That she had somehow survived a fucking ambush?
She was already mentally preparing her defence before anyone could even question her.
Zaviyar sensing her tensed state, wrapped his arm around her waist, " I'm here. "
One of Zaviyar's men stepped forward.
"Boss, it was Agha's son, Kausar. We caught him from one of the cars", Safiya's eyes widened at the name. She had heard it before. Zaviyar clicked his tongue, his expression darkening.
"Like father, like son." His lips curled into a cold smirk. "The father tried to burn my factory, and his son is here to kill me." He stepped forward and seized the man by his collar, yanking him upright.
Safiya remained behind him, still trying to comprehend how her life had somehow gone from crying over her father to surviving a fucking mafia ambush on the road to Azamgarh.
"Namak harami toh tum logon ki fitrat mein hai."
(Betrayal is simply in your nature.)
The words made Kausar look up.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face flushed, and the unsteady sway of his body made it obvious taht he was intoxicated. His gaze wandered across the men before finally landing on Safiya, standing behind Zaviyar in her jumpsuit.
A crooked smile tugged at his lips.
" My wife drank poison after you exiled our family. ", He let out a low, humourless chuckle. "Main uski aakhri khwahish poori kar raha hoon-tumhari biwi ko maar kar."
(I'm fulfilling her last wish-by killing your wife.)
His eyes travelled over Safiya again, lingering in a way that made her stomach churn.
"But now that I've seen her... it would be better if I have a little fun.", His smile widened.
"I'll make her bear my children in place of my wife, and then I'll kill her ", Safiya's eyes widened.
For a moment, the world seemed to go completely silent. Then Zaviyar moved.
"Agar marne ka itna shauq tha, toh mujhe bata dete." His voice was frighteningly calm.
(If you had such a death wish, you should have told me. I would have killed you in a better way.)
There was no anger in it, not the kind Safiya had heard before. This was colder, way cruel. Almost demonic, as though whatever humanity existed inside him had been buried beneath something far darker.
Safiya stepped back, watching him silently. She was scared, but the burly men standing infront of her seemed way more scared then she was.
Zaviyar released Kausar's collar only to seize him by the hair, wrenching his head backwards. Kausar cried out, the sound tearing through the night, but Zaviyar barely seemed to hear it.
He dragged him across the road, Kausar's knees scraping violently against the rough surface. Then, with a sudden, brutal movement, Zaviyar slammed his head against the wooden edge of the car.
Once.
Twice.
Again and again. The sickening sound made Safiya recoil.
Blood began to trickle down Kausar's forehead, then spilled freely, streaking across the pristine white hood of the car. A deep dent had formed beneath the repeated force, permanently marring the metal.
When Zaviyar finally released him, Kausar crumpled onto the road. Somehow, he managed to drag himself away, his movements weak and desperate.
Zaviyar simply watched. Then he opened the hood of the car. Safiya's breath caught.
Before she could understand what he intended, Zaviyar seized Kausar by the hair again and hauled him upright. He slammed him against the car, forcing his face down onto the exposed engine.
A scream ripped through the night. Safiya stumbled backwards, horror flashing across her face as she watched the man writhe beneath Zaviyar's grip. His cheek burned, as it was in contact with the engine.
She couldn't look away. And yet she couldn't bear to look. He deserved this, but the sight made her stomach churn.
She stared at Kausar, at his bloodied face and desperate eyes. He was still looking at her as though he expected her to save him.
"s-save me-e"
The words barely left his lips before his struggle abruptly weakened. Zaviyar's hand had tightened around his throat.
Harder and tighter, until Kausar's body went limp. His hands fell uselessly to his sides, and a moment later, his body hit the road with a dull, heavy thud.
Safiya gasped. Zaviyar slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes found her trembling figure.
The murderous intent was still there, dark and unmistakable, but for the briefest moment, something else flickered behind it.
He walked towards her.
Safiya instinctively stepped back, but Zaviyar reached into the front pocket of her shirt and pulled out the white handkerchief she had tucked inside.
Without a word, he wiped his bloodstained hand against it. The white fabric turned red almost instantly. Safiya grimaced.
Zaviyar tossed the ruined handkerchief aside as though it meant nothing, then wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his side.
She was frightened. More than frightened, perhaps.
Her entire body was trembling, and the sight before her had left her nauseous. Her head felt light, her stomach twisting violently as though she might be sick at any moment.
Still, when Zaviyar began walking, she followed.
She leaned against him, her fingers trembling against his clothes, trying desperately to steady herself.
" Sir, we apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. ", Safiya's eyes widened. She looked towards the policemen.
They weren't from Azamgarh.
Yet they were standing before Zaviyar with their heads bowed, their voices carrying the unmistakable respect and fear of men who knew exactly whom they were standing before.
Behind them, the remaining officers began removing Kausar's body, dragging it away from the road.
Zaviyar's gaze swept across them. His voice was authoritative when he finally spoke.
"Yeh koi badle ki saazish nahi thi. Security ko highway se divert karne ke liye yeh sab kiya gaya tha.", His eyes moved slowly from one officer to another.
(This wasn't a revenge plot. All of this was done to divert the security from the highway.)
Then they stopped. On a particular policeman. And the man standing beside him.
Both the meb looked tense. Like men who had just realised that their secret had been discovered.
"I'm sorry for doing this here, sweetheart. If you're scared, just close your eyes."
Safiya looked at him, confusion clouding her features. She didn't understand what he meant until Zaviyar slowly lifted his hand towards her face. His fingers brushed over her eyes, shielding her vision.
She flinched as the gunshot reverberated through the air. Her entire body jolted against him.
Then came another and another.
Each shot seemed to tear through the silence, making her tremble harder in his arms. She could hear the chaos unfolding around her, but even with his fingers covering her eyes, she could still see fragments of it through the tiny gaps between them.
Blood. There was so much blood.
It spilled onto the ground, spreading beneath their feet as the gunshots continued. Zaviyar didn't move, his arm remained firmly around her, keeping her close while the violence unfolded beyond his shoulder.
When the final shot echoed into the night, silence descended almost as abruptly as it had been shattered.
Slowly, Zaviyar lowered his hand.
Safiya's throat went dry. There were fewer men than before.
A pool of blood had gathered across the road, dark against the pale surface, and one thin stream had travelled far enough to brush against the sole of her white heels.
She stared at it, frozen.
"Find out who actually did this,", Zaviyar ordered, his voice cold again.
The men immediately nodded. Before Safiya could process what had happened, Zaviyar bent down and lifted her into his arms. She instinctively clutched his shoulders.
He carried her towards the fresh line of cars waiting nearby. One of his men hurried forward and opened the door. Zaviyar carefully lowered her into the back seat before climbing in beside her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then his voice softened.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that."
Safiya only nodded. She couldn't forget what she had seen.
Couldn't forget the man standing before her now was the same man who had ordered those shots without even blinking. Her fingers tightened around the gun he had given her.
Zaviyar opened the window and leaned slightly towards Waqas, who was standing outside.
The partition between the front and back seats had already been raised, shielding the back from their view. Waqas couldn't see Safiya.
She looked down at the weapon in her hands. Slowly, almost without thinking, she lifted it. The barrel pointed directly at him. Waqas finished speaking, and he walked away.
But Safiya still didn't lower the gun. She didn't know why.
Perhaps she was trying to understand how much power a weapon could give her.
Perhaps she was wondering what would happen if she actually pulled the trigger.
Zaviyar's gaze shifted towards her.
"Tilt it a little to the left, and you can kill me in a second. Miss the chance, and I'll strangle you to death."
There was something mocking in his voice. Safiya's finger tightened.
Before she could even push the barrel forward, Zaviyar moved. He lunged at her with the speed of an eagle diving for its prey.
The gun disappeared from her hand in an instant. Her back struck the car window as he pinned her against it, one hand wrapping firmly around her throat.
Safiya's breath caught. Zaviyar's face was inches from hers.