Page 24 of Empowered
“Let him enjoy it,” I replied. “His time is running out.” We were ready. I balled my hands into fists at my sides, preparing myself for what was about to come.
Jai covertly pulled his phone out, waiting for my signal. His finger hovered over the button to detonate.
My gaze focused on my target under themandap. I nodded my head once before Jai’s finger made contact with the button.
BOOM.
The first bomb went off, sending flowers and shards of clay from the containers that held them flying in the air. Screams blared around the courtyard. Tipsy guests did their best to scramble to their feet, shoving each other in a hoard of chaos to escape for safety.
BOOM.
Another explosion. The crowd was a stumbling mess, crashing into tables and blocking Tarun’s men from running to their boss’s aid. Their judgment was skewed, so they were bewildered as to what was happening. They were clearly drunk themselves, their reaction times slower than what would be expected.
As the venue emptied of guests and workers, my line of sight to the stage cleared. Tarun was huddled in the corner of the stage as three of his men lined up in front of him with their weapons drawn and aimed, ready to fire. He cowered in fear like the pussy that he was. He knew we would be making an appearance, but the explosions had scared him so much that he did what he knew best—hide.
More of his men ran to the stage to protect their master as soon as they were freed from the crowds rushing out. This was working out better than we had planned. All that were left were the two armies and their commanders.
When the smoke cleared from the explosions and all fell silent in the courtyard, Tarun straightened up and caught my stare. Recognition dawned on his face. With one look, he knew the cause of the explosions at his wedding. He continued to stare down his nose at me as his men moved in formation alongside him.
My men followed suit, forming lines on the battlefield behind me. To my right was Jai and to my left was Zayn, both with guns in hand. I had yet to draw my weapon as a show of my power. Guns would be necessary in a moment, but right now, words needed to be had.
“Ah, the Sethi brothers. I see you still know how to make an entrance,” he said and snickered.
“I see you still know how to hide like a bitch,” Jai retorted, spitting the venom he had been holding in for years.
“You call it ‘hiding,’ I call it ‘luring the snake out oftheirhole.’ And what a fancy hole it is—that company you run in New York. It’s like you almost forgot your petty roots from your trashy mother.”
Jai started toward the stage, ready to rip Tarun to shreds for speaking against our mother. I put my arm out to stop him, not taking my eyes off the enemy.
“Oh, did I upset baby Sethi?” Tarun sneered, his tone making a mockery of my brother. “Your mother was a whore. She proved it by taking our dicks repeatedly. She could go hours without tiring—the mark of a seasoned harlot.” He rubbed his hand over his crotch, as if reliving memories. It made me want to wretch where I stood.
I felt Jai’s hold on my forearm tighten with rage. I grabbed his wrist and squeezed it before letting go to warn him not to react hastily. Tarun was baiting us and we couldn’t give in. We needed to maintain the upper hand and remain clearheaded.
“I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time today, gentlemen,” Tarun said, waving his wrist in the air as if he were the Queen of England shooing us away because he was bored. “I already own the empire and nothing you can do can reverse that. You lost.”
“That remains to be seen,” I said, my voice echoing through the courtyard as I removed my sunglasses and placed them in my jacket pocket.
“You have never been one for optimism, Shyam. What has changed? Oh—I know. ‘Love,’ is it?” He danced back and forth, joining his thumb with the rest of his fingertips in the air as if he were tying an imaginary bow out of ribbon.
He was referring to Amelia. Thank God she was safe and away from this nut job.
I kept my expression flat, not showing any emotion at his reference to the only thing that mattered to me.
“I have to say, your girl is a smart one. Wherever did you find her?” He stepped closer to the edge of the stage, cocking his head to one side.
Amelia was my trigger, and if he didn’t stop pressing, I would lose it. “Cut the shit, Tarun. You know why we’re here. Surrender yourself.”
One of his men whispered something to him. His lips slowly spread into a devious smile—the kind that signaled nothing good. “Looks to me like I still hold all of the cards.”
Zayn tightened his hold on his rifle, shifting slightly in his spot. Tarun glanced at him. “Drop your weapons and I’ll consider leniency.”
Not a chance. “It’s too late for negotiations,” I said. There was no way he was getting away this time.
His smile widened, showing teeth. He clasped his hands in front of his chest in excitement, like a child in front of a Christmas tree. “From the way I see it, it’s never too late to negotiate.” He stared off to the side.
A guard came forward, dragging a disheveled woman by a chain around her neck. The woman struggled forward as she was yanked along, her feet unsteady on the ground. Oily red hair formed a curtain covering most of her face.No.
My heart stopped as I searched for a hint of her face to prove my theory wrong.Please, God. No.
