Chapter 24
Sidharth
“No fucking way,” I hiss, glaring at Viraj, who lounges a little too comfortably on my living room couch.
He sighs. “Sidharth, you know your men. We’re doing everything we can. But Prakash and whoever this new asshole is, are too damn smart to walk into a trap when they know we’re watching. They need an opening, an opportunity. And that can’t happen if Nisha is guarded twenty-four seven.”
“And you think the solution is to use Nisha as bait?” I snap, my voice sharp with fury.
The nerve of this guy. Doesn’t the fucker realize his damn suggestion is like tossing a grenade right into my sanity?
“I’m not putting Nisha on display like some sacrificial offering just to lure those psychopaths out. End of fucking discussion.”
“I think I agree with Inspector Viraj,” Nisha says quietly beside me.
I whip my head towards her, my eyes narrowing. “Not happening, sweetheart. Don’t even think about it.”
She opens her mouth again, probably to reason with me, but I’m in no mood for that. I cut her off with a raised hand and turn back to Viraj.
“Viraj, you need to come up with something else. I’m not going along with this insane idea.
” I drag a hand down my tired face. We’ve been sitting here for hours, going in circles, trying to figure out a way to track those bastards down.
And still, we’ve nothing except this damn absurd mission he keeps trying to push—one that, no matter how he spins it, is a hard no from me.
Viraj sits forward, locking eyes with me. “You think I don’t know the risks? You think I haven’t weighed them? I’ve been in this game as long as you, Sidharth. Sometimes, the only way to flush a monster out of hiding is by forcing him to act.”
“You mean putting an innocent person directly in a monster’s path and hoping he bites? That’s the grand plan you’re talking about?” I scoff. “Not even on my worst day.”
He leans back with that damn smirk, the one that always means he’s about to say something to piss me off.
“It was your plan once. You suggested it with Kavya.”
“That was different,” I grit out, ready to rip into Viraj for bringing this up. But Nisha latches on to it and speaks before I can get a word in.
“You did?” she asks softly, like she’s trying to make sense of a version of me she’s never known—the kind of man who’d suggest a plan that could put someone’s life at risk.
“I did,” I admit, my eyes locked on hers. “Back when I didn’t have something to lose. But now the tables have turned. Now I do.”
Her eyes glisten as she swallows hard. I hold her gaze a moment longer than I should, then turn to Viraj, my jaw clenched. “To spell it out for you, back then, I was thinking like a detective. With my head, not my heart.”
Viraj arches a brow. “And now you don’t want to put that detective brain of yours to use?”
Fuck! This bastard knows exactly how to push my buttons, like always.
“Now I’m thinking like a man who can’t fucking breathe if something happens to his woman. Is that clear enough for you?” I bite out, my tone low and dangerous.
Nisha places a hand gently on my thigh. “Sidharth, we’ve been going in circles all this while. What if this is the only way?”
I shake my head. “You think I can watch you put yourself in danger again? After everything you’ve been through? After what he did to you?”
“I’m not saying I want to do this. But I’m saying I can, if it helps. Please let me do this.” Her voice is steady, but her eyes betray her fear.
God, this woman! Always so damn stubborn, always ready to protect everyone else, even if it means throwing herself into danger.
I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing against her cheeks. “I don’t want you to do this. Don’t you get it? If something happens to you, I wouldn’t survive it, Nisha. It would destroy…”
She places her fingers over my lips. “Nothing will happen to me. I trust Viraj. I trust you.”
“That’s not the issue.” I let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t trust those sick bastards. Not when I know they’ll come for you again just for the thrill of it. I’m not letting that happen.”
Viraj interjects, rising to his feet. “Sidharth, I’m not saying we put her in real danger. We’ll have eyes on her the whole time. But we need just enough calculated exposure, something—”
“Why the hell can’t you get it that there’s no such thing as ‘calculated’ when it comes to Prakash?” I snap, cutting him off. “You were there the last time, Viraj. You saw what he’s capable of. And now, knowing he’s not working alone, you still want to give him a chance to outsmart us?”
“I’m not giving him a chance,” he says coolly. “I’m trying to force the one move that traps him. You want to protect her, I get that. But we don’t win this by playing scared.”
“I’m not gambling with her life,” I growl, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Viraj exhales harshly, clearly fighting to stay calm. “We really need to stop waiting for him to make the next move. Because the longer we wait, the more unpredictable he becomes.”
“I’ll come up with another plan,” I grit my teeth. “One that doesn’t involve putting her in his line of fire.”
“Fine,” he says, grabbing his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder. “I’ll make a move now.” He walks to the door, then pauses, glancing over his shoulder. “Just remember, we don’t have the luxury of time.”
The door shuts behind him, and I just sit there, staring. My hands curl into fists at my sides, my knuckles bone-white. Every part of me itches to punch a hole through the damn wall just to feel something break.
“Sidharth,” Nisha says softly, her hand tightening against my thigh. I turn my gaze to her, hoping the storm inside me will calm, but the rage still boils under my skin, especially when I see the fear in her eyes.
“I can’t live like this in fear. And for that to change, Prakash and whoever’s helping him need to be behind bars. And if I can help in any way, I want to.” She makes another attempt to break through the decision I’ve already made, like her hope alone might be enough to change my mind.
“I said no. I’m not leaving you exposed like that.” My voice carries a protectiveness I can’t switch off, no matter how ready she thinks she is to take this risk.
She sighs. “Sidharth, stop thinking with your heart for just one second and start thinking like the detective you are. Think about what catching Prakash and finally ending this would mean. For me. For all of us.”
My jaw ticks as I hold her gaze with a stare sharp enough to end this damn argument right then and there. “You think I don’t want this nightmare over? I do. More than anything. But not at the cost of you.”
Her chin lifts in quiet defiance. “It’s my choice.”
Then, without waiting for my reply, she stands and walks off towards the kitchen as if the conversation’s over. Like she’s the one calling the shots now. Like hell she is.
My temper spikes, rising fast and hot. Why the hell doesn’t that stubborn woman see it? Doesn’t she get that I can’t risk her life? The very idea of her stepping into harm’s way, even with a dozen men guarding her, makes me want to tear the damn walls down.
I continue to sit there, trying to compose myself. This woman has a real knack for infuriating me, testing every ounce of my patience, but damn it, I still love her more than I know what to do with.
Seconds tick by, but I still can’t bring myself to calm down.
Especially knowing that she won’t listen, and there’s no way in hell I can just let it slide.
So I make up my mind. I jump up from the couch, my fists clenched, and storm into the kitchen.
If she thinks I’ll eventually back down while she throws herself out there like bait, she’s dead wrong.
When I reach the kitchen doorway, I find her standing by the counter, staring blankly down at the glass of water in her hand. As if sensing me, she lifts her gaze and meets mine.
“Sidharth—” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.
I close the distance in two long strides.
I take the glass from her and set it down harder than necessary, the clack echoing in the quiet.
Then I plant my hands on the counter, one on each side of her, caging her in.
Not to frighten her, but to make sure she can’t walk away from what I’m about to say.
“Listen to me, Nisha,” I grit out. “I’ll find a way to put those assholes behind bars. I swear I will. But I’m not using you as bait. Get that through your thick skull.”
“Sidharth…”
“Don’t,” I snap, my eyes locked on hers. “Don’t you dare open your mouth and try to convince me because it’s not helping. It’s only pissing me off. We’re doing this my way. And that’s final.”
Her lips part, trembling, but she doesn’t look away. And I’m not done.
“Tattoo it in your damn mind, Nisha, if anything happens to you, it’ll destroy me.”
Her eyes glisten, and for a beat, she doesn’t move. I drag in a deep breath, trying to steady the chaos clawing at my chest and press on.
“When I lost my sister, I buried myself in work. Hunting down criminals was the only thing that distracted me, that dulled the pain just enough to survive. But then you came into my life, and you became more than a reason to survive. You became an obsession, Nisha, something I just can’t afford to lose. ”
A tear slips from the corner of her eye, then another.
“You have no idea what lengths I’ll go to just to make sure you’re safe,” I finish.
I wait, hoping she’ll finally say she agrees with me, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she leans in and presses her lips to mine. For a heartbeat, I freeze, caught off guard. Then, my instinct takes over, and my hands find her waist, pulling her flush against me.
The kiss is soft at first, gentle, like she’s pouring into it everything she can’t bring herself to say. But then it shifts. Her fingers slide into my hair, tugging me closer, her lips growing more urgent, more desperate. And I kiss her back like a man who’s been starved for far too long.
Her taste, her breath, the small whimper she lets out when I tilt her head, it’s too much. It’s all-consuming, enough to make me forget everything but her.
I slide a hand to the nape of her neck, while the other stays locked around her waist, keeping her caged against me, exactly where she belongs.
She pulls back, her eyes dark, her chest rising and falling in need. “Make me yours, Sidharth.”
My breath catches. “Nisha…”
She nods, her eyes hazy with desire. “Please, Sidharth. I want you.”
Her willingness to give herself to me, the trust she places in me, putting my need above her hesitation, knowing exactly how much I need her close, wrecks me in the best damn way.
I scoop her into my arms in one swift motion, and she immediately wraps herself around my neck, her cheek resting against my shoulder.
I carry her down the hallway, my heart pounding.
I push open my bedroom door and kick it shut behind us.
There’s only one thing on my mind now… one damn goal burning through me.
To make sure she knows, without a single doubt, that she’s loved and protected in every way I can show her—body, heart, and soul.
She’s my reason to live… the one thing I can’t afford to lose.