“We will get her out safe and sound, I promise,” VJ said. “Now listen to my plan.”
Akash listened to him carefully, asking questions, agreeing to his suggestions, and pointing out what could go wrong. As the plan took shape, he hardened both his heart and his mind. He would get to her in time.
Hold on, Shauna, he said silently.I’m coming for you.
He wouldn’t fail her. He would get her back. And he would protect her. This would not be their end. That was a vow.
33
“There’s nothing here.”
Shauna straightened slowly, her back protesting, her arms trembling from the strain. Dirt clung to her hands, her clothes, and her hair. Every breath she took felt heavier than the last.
“Move to the next spot,” Keval said, his voice impatient. “It’s on the east side. I know it. Move to that corner there.”
Shauna followed his gaze, her eyes landing on another patch of undisturbed earth closer to the sunroom. Pain lanced down her back. Hell. The thought of digging again made her stomach twist.
She turned back to Akash’s father, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “If you tell me what you’re looking for, maybe this will go faster.”
Keval’s expression didn’t change. “Just do as you’re told.”
Her jaw tightened. God, she hated this man. He had been forcing her to dig from one patch to another, and the entire exercise had been pointless so far.
“I know it’s here,” Keval said, his voice edged with frustration.
“Do you?” she shot back, straightening despite the ache in her body. “Well then, feel free to dig yourself. I need a break.”
His eyes darkened.
“Start digging,” he snapped.
Shauna didn’t move. Instead, she dropped down onto the ground, breathing hard. “No.”
Keval’s expression hardened. He waved the gun in her face.
Shauna didn’t flinch. She met his gaze, cold and unyielding.
“If you want to use it,” she said, “go ahead. The minute you do, you’ll alert security, who, as of now, think you and I are doing some ridiculous landscaping exercise together.”
She remembered the guards passing by earlier during their routine rounds. Keval had tightened his grip on her arm, forcing her to smile and tell them how they were trying to level out the lawn. It was a pathetic excuse. But they had bought it. After all, they knew her. They knew she was marrying Akash.
Fuck. Even the thought of Akash and how she’d been forced to hurt him stabbed at her chest. What must he think of her?
“Get up,” he said. “We don’t have time.”
“I need five minutes,” Shauna shot back at him. “Can’t you see I’m exhausted?”
“Five minutes only,” Keval replied, his eyes scanning the lawn.
Shauna ignored him. She lowered her gaze to her hands. They were raw, the skin scraped and reddened. Her nails were chipped, and small cuts lined her palms where the shovel had rubbed harshly against them. Dirt clung to the wounds, stinging with every slight movement.
Her fingers trembled as she turned her hand. Her eyes fell on her engagement ring. She brushed the dirt off it gently.
She remembered the day he had given her the ring at that restaurant all those weeks ago. There had been so many words left unspoken between them at that time. And even then, despitehow hard she’d tried to deny it, she had known what she felt for him.
She shut her eyes, her throat tightening.
Fuck. He must hate her right now.
