CHAPTER 2
Narmada took a minute of the five minutes she had to gather her thoughts. Her body trembled from the memory of his touch that threatened to rip her skin. The guy she had known from years ago was gone and had turned into a monster. She still could not figure out why he held her captive.
She pulled the towel off the rack and spread it on the counter. She picked up the necklace that had fallen to the floor and placed it on the towel. She went on to unclip the other necklaces and placed them on the towel. She ran her fingers over her cheek where her large earring had dented her cheek when she slept.
Narmada realized the jewelry was of no worth to Neil, but she hoped she could use it to pay someone else for her escape. She neatly bundled the jewelry in the fabric and went on to change out of her traditional attire.
She gasped when she looked at the way her blouse was ripped open at the back. He had pulled it with so much force, the silk fabric was shredded. She shook her head to shake off the fear that threatened to envelop her and pulled on the loose-fitting cotton pants and t-shirt. She washed her face and loosened her hair from her hairdo and pulled it up into a ponytail.
She gathered the bundle of jewelry and stepped out into the empty and dimly-lit bedroom. She could hear him right outside the door, and his voice was coming in clusters.
She tiptoed toward his voice and found him standing in front of a glass wall talking on the phone. She took in the broad spread of his shoulders and the thick muscles of his arms and decided not to fight him physically.
“It’ll take me a few more days.” He sounded annoyed.
She stood frozen listening to his conversation hoping to understand who he was talking to and if he was talking about her.
As if he sensed her presence, he turned to look directly at her sending a shiver down her spine.
“I got to go,” he announced and hung up. “What is that?” He looked at the bundle in her hands.
“It’s… it’s my jewelry.”
“Where you are going, you won’t need them.” He walked toward her making her grab the doorframe for support.
“This is not just any jewelry, this has been in the family for decades.” She looked at him refusing to be intimidated. He used to be her friend, and she could not believe she felt threatened.
“Are you going to walk around holding them?”
She looked at him unable to figure out if he was being sarcastic in a weird way.
A knock on the door made her jump.
Did he have an accomplice?
He walked past her toward the double doors. He opened the door, and to her surprise, smiled at whoever was at the door. The sweet smile reminded her of the guy she knew, but she couldn’t let the smile fool her.
She watched as he opened the double doors to let an elderly woman wearing a hotel uniform roll a cart into the large living area.
“Hello, Mrs. Kumar. Good to see you.” She smiled at Narmada.
“My queen just woke up from her slumber,” he winked at her making her wonder if she was dreaming.
“I hope you are enjoying your stay at our hotel. You have the best suite in the entire building.” The elderly woman picked up the dishes off the cart and gingerly placed them on the table.
“I can put the towel in the laundry for you.” The elderly woman smiled at her.
“Oh… no, it’s okay,” she managed to say holding onto the bundle of jewelry. Her mind raced wondering if she should ask the woman to help.
“I do have my traditional outfit in the bathroom,” she blurted, as the woman was getting ready to leave.
“Oh… I will make sure the team takes extra care with it.” The woman walked toward Narmada.
Narmada looked at Neil as his glare burned her skin. She looked away and followed the woman into the bathroom. She handed the pile of silk to the woman and looked toward the door to make sure he wasn’t around.
“Please help me,” she whispered. “I was kidnapped.”
The elderly woman gasped but did not respond. “Mrs. Kumar…”
“No, I’m not his wife. This towel has jewelry in it, a lot of it. Please help me.”
The woman laughed making Narmada wonder what was so funny.
“Mr. Kumar,” the woman called out, continuing to laugh.
Neil showed up at the door, a grim look on his face.
“You were right, I guess I owe you our special dessert.” The woman smiled walking toward him.
“I told you she’s a born actress.” He winked at the woman.
What the heck?
“You win, Mr. Kumar.” The woman smiled at her confused expression.
“What?” Narmada uttered still in disbelief.
Neil walked over to where she stood shell-shocked and put an arm around her. “You did good, baby, Mrs. Sharma almost believed you.”
She winced when his fingertips dug into her shoulders.
“We’ll be waiting for the sundae.” He smiled following the elderly woman to the door dragging Narmada along.
She waited for him to explode and intimidate her the way he did earlier that evening, but to her surprise, he locked the door and walked to the dining table.
She stood in the living area debating about making a dash for the door. He was looking at his phone, and she realized it was her opportunity to run for help. The towel with the jewelry was on the bathroom counter, but she had no time. A few more minutes later, she tiptoed a few steps and made it to the door. She flung the door open and stepped out of the room.
She looked from one side to the other but did not see any other doors. She saw a sign to the elevator and dashed to it and hit the button desperately.
“Really?” His voice cut through her frenzy. “You think it’s that easy to get away?”
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“Not happening.” He grabbed her by her wrist and turned to walk her back, and that did it.
She lost her cool and reached for a small potted plant that was part of the hallway décor and flung it at him. Unlike the previous time, it hit his back right below his neck.
“Let me go,” she yelled unable to contain her anger.
He turned and moved so swiftly, she had no time to react. He pushed her back into the wall, his palm circling her neck.
She screamed in fear but knew there was no one around to hear or rescue her. His spicy cologne filled her nostrils threatening to suffocate her, and his breath felt hot on her cheek.
“It’ll be very easy to break your neck, don’t make me do it.”
“Do it,” she growled.
The pressure on her throat increased slightly before he let her go. She had enough, and she knew she would be dead by now if he were out to kill her.
“It’ll be like breaking a toothpick,” he retorted.
“Do it or let me go,” she yelled pushing him away from her.
Neil looked visibly angry as he reached for something from behind him, and the next moment, she felt a metallic barrel shoved into her mouth. Most girls would have fainted with fear, but guns were not new to her—she grew up with her grandfather and brothers carrying guns.
Narmada was sick of being threatened, and she gathered her strength and pushed his hand away to pull the barrel out of her mouth. She saw the slight shock in his eyes, and before he could do anything else, she threw her hands around his neck and sucked his lower lip between her teeth. She had no idea as to why she had her lips pasted to his, but she sucked on his lips like it was the only thing she could do and couldn’t stop herself.
He groaned in surprise as she pushed her body into his tightening her hold around his neck. She pulled her body up using his neck like an anchor and wrapped her legs around him. She clung to him, kissing him like she couldn’t stop herself. She was angry, and she wanted to show him he couldn’t intimidate her physically.
His fingertips dug into her bottom as he kissed her back nipping her lips. He pushed her back to the wall and held her legs in place as he sucked the air out of her lungs.
She let one arm drop from his neck to cup his cheek with her palm. She moaned in response to the pressure on her lips, and as if in response, his lips softened.
Moments later, the rage and anger with which they kissed were replaced with something else, something she could decipher in the shift, and the moment was lost.
The ring from the elevator door opening brought them back to reality. The elderly woman who had brought them dinner stood in the elevator with a tray. She looked at their tangled bodies and the potted plant on the floor, and her cheeks turned red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Here’s the dessert of the day.” She placed the tray on a side table and was gone in a jiffy.
Her heart drummed a parade in her chest as she slowly lowered herself. He still held her to the wall and looked down at her.
“Neil… why did you kidnap me?”
“I knew it was a mistake to let you wake up. I should have kept you drugged,” he growled turning away from her.
“Neil, talk to me. Please.”
“You are wanted, Narmada.” He was tasked to bring her in return for something he had been chasing the past seven years.”
“Who? Who wants me?”
“My client.”
“Why? What does he want from me?” she asked.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. My job is to get you to him, and that’s it.”
“Is that it? Don’t I mean anything to you? Am I just your job?”
“Why would you mean anything to me, Narmada?” he retorted.
“Neil, we were friends, good friends, and you just disappeared, and now you show up to kidnap me?”
“No, we weren’t. friends,” he growled.
Narmada figured he had turned into something he wasn’t when she knew him six years ago and would have killed her by now if he wanted to get rid of her. He, or someone, needed her alive.
*****
“Who has the guts to kidnap my daughter?” Narmada’s father demanded of his staff. It had been the worst few days of his life. The Singhams and Prajapatis killed his son, Revanth, and his only living child was kidnapped.
“Sir, we thought it was the transporter. He had the ID card from that company,” one of his men chimed in.
“You fool, who checked the ID?” he demanded.
“Sir, the person seemed legit. The arrival and the description of the person matched,” the assistant persisted.
“Stop staring at me and send people out to search,” Narmada’s father’s voice blared in the large living area.
“Yes, sir,” his staff spoke in unison.
“I want search parties sent in every direction. I do not want any media visibility. Find the man who has the guts to kidnap my daughter and bring me his head.”
Sagar Senani watched as his people scrambled out of the mansion. He turned to look at his father who sat on the sofa staring at the pictures of his grandsons, Hemanth and Revanth.
“Are you happy now? I let you influence my sons, and they are both dead, my daughter is missing, and I don’t know if I will ever see her again.”
The elderly man growled fighting back tears—he was not supposed to see his grandchildren die. He didn’t know how, but he needed to get back at the Singhams, specifically their women.