Rhea nodded.
“Come on. Let’s go then,” he said grinning cruelly. “Oh and make sure to tell your date that you are ditching him now.”
They made their way out of the rest room into the main area of the restaurant. Sameer spotted them instantly. Their eyes met and Raashi saw a look of horror cross his face when he saw Krish escorting her with his arm around her. He almost took a step forward but Raashi gave a subtle shake of her head that had him freezing in place.
As Rhea walked slowly forward, she noticed Veejay on Rithwik’s table. The two men stopped talking as they saw her. They looked behind her and understanding dawned in their eyes. Rhea nodded slowly at them confirming their unspoken query. Very casually, Veejay stood up, shook hands with Rithwik and left the restaurant ahead of her. Raashi was petrified. One false move and there would be a blood bath in her restaurant.
She watched as Rhea slowly walked up to her table to Rithwik. Krish waited with Raashi within hearing distance as Rhea told Rithwik that she had to leave. Raashi heard Rithwik spend a few minutes questioning Rhea as to why she was leaving early before letting her go. Raashi hoped the delay would be enough for Veejay and his team to act. They needed their help and quickly.
“It’s the black SUV in the back,” Raashi heard Krish tell Rhea after they walked further into the parking lot. There was noone there. It was deserted. Probably on account of Veejay who must have ensured that the parking lot was cleared of people the moment he had walked outside after seeing Krish with Rhea and her.
Where was Veejay? Raashi thought. He must have prepared his team by now. But there was nothing he could do, not with a gun pointing at her back. She wasn’t even sure Veejay had seen the gun.
Raashi stopped walking when she heard Sameer’s voice from behind.
They all turned as Sameer casually sauntered up to them.
“Where are you girls going?” he asked them coolly and then he looked at Raashi, “Who is your friend, Raashi?”
He was an idiot. The biggest sort of fool to ever walk the face of this earth. Wasn’t it enough for him that two of them were already in danger that he had to insert himself into the situation as well? Raashi’s fear for herself had evaporated and multiplied a hundred fold the moment she heard Sameer call out to them. She would kill him, slowly and painfully just for putting his own life in danger. That is if they managed to come out of this situation alive first. And where was Veejay when they needed him?
Rishi raced out with Kabier.They had seen the entire scene unfold on the security camera. They reached Rithwik who was standing hidden behind a few cars. Rishi watched in mounting dread as Krish shoved the girls further into the car park. He turned to look for Veejay and found him silently moving ahead with his team, their guns drawn and ready. He looked for Sameer but before he could ask Rithwik about him, he saw his brother reach Raashi and Rhea.
“What the hell is Sameer doing? Has he gone mad?” Rishi asked angrily.
“I don’t know what he is thinking. Why couldn’t he wait for Veejay?” Rithwik queried.
“The woman he loves has a gun to her back. Do you think he’s going to wait and watch?” Kabier stated.
The two of them gave him a blank stare.
“Seriously, you guys? You don’t get it do you?” When they still looked blank, he said, “Forget it. I’m not even going to try and explain to you what he must be going through right now.” Kabier shook his head and turned back to look at Sameer talking to Rhea’s ex.
Krish stepped forward,his gun pointing at Sameer in the empty parking lot. “So, you’re the elder brother is it?”
Raashi took a step to the side and another as quietly and unobtrusively as she could.
“And you’re the one messing with my sister,” Sameer said stepping carefully in front of Raashi, blocking her with his body. “Is that gun even really loaded?” he asked. “And do you know how to use it?”
Raashi mumbled something from behind him that sounded a lot like ‘Have you gone mad?’
But, honestly, what choice was there? He had died a thousand deaths the moment he had seen the gun pointed at Raashi’s back. He was horrified when Krish forced the two girls to walk out of the restaurant. Whatever Veejay planned to do was another matter. There was no way Sameer would let this neurotic, psychotic person harm his girls.
Raashi peered from behind him and saw the surprise on Krish’s face. His hand faltered.
That was all the encouragement Sameer needed. As soon as the gun wavered, he pounced on Krish and grabbed his gun holding hand, high in the air, tackling him.
“Raashi, Rhea, run NOW!” Sameer yelled.
Krish screamed, “NO!”
Without a word, Rhea ran back towards the restaurant.
Raashi took a step back but refused to leave. She saw Sameer punch Krish with his left hand while his right still held Krish’s hand in a death grip. A gunshot sounded, echoing loudly around them. Raashi screamed and shut her eyes. She fell to the ground in fear.
Strong arms encircled her and held her close. She took a deep breath and inhaled his woody, musky scent and opened her eyes. Sameer! He was kneeling next to her. She ran her eyes over him, searching his body for a sign of blood but was relieved to see none. Her hands coasted across his face, his chest and arms, and she exhaled, convinced that he was fine.
“Hey, baby, I’m okay. It’s all over,” Sameer told her.
