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“Aww,” Raashi chirped. “We’re embarrassing him.”
“Why are you embarrassed?” Keya asked him. “You’re so cool, and always want to know if we have someone special in our lives. Now that one of us has found someone, you are behaving conservative?”
“Enough, okay?” her grandfather said. “I am very free-minded. But discussing your sex lives is an absolute NO for me. So please, show some restraint in front of an old and tired man.”
“Old and tired?’” Sheena rolled her eyes. “You use the old and tired card only when it suits you!”
Her grandfather ignored her words. “Now, getting back to you. You said you think he loves you. Why? Has he not told you what he feels about you?”
“Yeah,” Keya checked her watch. “It’s about quarter past eleven there. Why are you sitting by yourself all alone on a Saturday night when you should be with him?”
“Why is he not with you?” Raashi asked. “And please don’t tell me it’s some important work because if he’s in love with you, then he’d want to be with you on the weekend.”
Well, it was a Saturday night, and… She sat up straighter, suddenly remembering something. Shit. It wasSaturdaynight, one week after the incident on the yacht. How could she have forgotten? No wonder Rajiv wasn’t meeting her.
“Guys, I have to go,” she announced.
And before they could protest, she disconnected the line and called Rajiv. His phone rang and rang. Her heart began to thump as fear for him settled in her belly. She leapt from the couch and went to her wardrobe, calling Navya on the way.
Navya answered on the first ring.
“Where are you?” Sheena put the phone on speaker as she began changing.
“I’m at home, just about to hit the bed. What’s up with you?”
“Where is your brother’s sports club?” Sheena pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt.
“Why?” Navya asked, her tone serious. “What’s wrong? Isn’t he with you?”
“No. He’s supposed to fight Armaan Oshnov tonight.”
Navya was silent for a long moment. “What do you meanfight?”
Sheena swept her hair into a ponytail and gathered her bag. “How the hell am I supposed to know? It was one of the conditions of their negotiation that night. I just know that Armaan asked to fight Rajiv, and Rajiv agreed on the condition that if he wins, then Armaan will never come near you, ever.”
“And what if Armaan wins?” Navya asked carefully.
“Shit. I can’t believe Rajiv kept you in the dark about this, and to be honest, I’d forgotten about this damn fight until right now.”
“Sheena, what happens if Armaan wins?” Navya asked again.
“If Armaan wins, then he gets to spend a night with you.”
“That fucking bastard,” Navya yelled. “How dare he? I’m not an object he needed to barter with my brother. I’ll kill him. I swear I will,” she breathed out. “I’m sending you a location pin. The sports club is close to you, but it will take me thirty minutes to get there. Maybe more. I’ll be there soon. And Sheena, don’t tell Ananya. She needs to be far away from Mihir Oshnov, and I’m pretty sure all the brothers will be present for the fight.”
Sheena disconnected the line and ran out of her house, her heart beating in a frenzy. Fear made her nervous and anxious. Did Rajiv even know how to fight? How could he have not told her about tonight? How could she have forgotten about it? But she knew it in her bones that he was at the club, getting ready for the fight, which, if she remembered correctly, was to start at midnight—in exactly twenty minutes from now.
She sat in the cab praying that he’d be fine and that she’d reach in time to stop him from this nonsense. In today’s day and age, which businessmen fought like this? Anger swept through her, aggravating her. Knowing him, Rajiv wouldn’t back out of a challenge. Armaan Oshnov was a monster, and she didn’t want Rajiv facing him at all. Thinking about the chaos in that man’s eyes made her shudder with fear. She steeled herself. She’d do what she could to stop this fight before Rajiv got hurt. She just hoped she would reach on time.
28
Rajiv gave his right hand to Aaryan to wrap. Already finished with Rajiv’s left hand, Aaryan began wrapping Rajiv’s other hand, right from his knuckles to his wrists. Vihaan was watching them. Both his friends’ expressions were hard and stilted. They were in the changing room, helping Rajiv get ready.
“Have some faith in my fighting abilities, guys!” Rajiv joked.
Aaryan glared at him. “We know you can fight, but Armaan Oshnov is a machine. I asked about him after he challenged you to this bout. He fights mean, plays dirty, and you need to be careful of his right hook. He goes on an attacking spree when you least expect it.”
Rajiv nodded.
