Page 41 of Chasing Hope
‘Please Grandma, don’t deny him and make him feel like an outsider,’ Ethan said, all faux smiles. Which was of course bullshit. As a matter of fact, Aarav was always welcome at Martha’s place with open arms and a table full of food.
‘Come on Grandma. It’s the least I can do considering all the effort you put in.’ Aarav rose from his seat and wrapped Martha in a long hug.
‘That’s very gracious of you,’ she sighed and kissed his cheek.
What the hell. Ethan’s jaw fell open. Why was the son of a bitch being so agreeable today?
‘Ethan, learn a thing or two from Aarav. He’s such a well-mannered boy.’
‘Well-mannered my as—’ Martha’s eyes narrowed to slits and Ethan swallowed the rest of his insults.
Aarav's lips spread in a triumphant smile. With a sickening enthusiasm he slapped Ethan on his back and went about the task of clearing the dishes. Aarav leaned in and dropped his voice a couple of notches. ‘You ain’t shitting me with that bullshit act of yours. I have a hunch you’re up to something.’ His cold eyes dared Ethan to come clean.
Instead, Ethan shot him a condescending look. ‘What? You a psychic now?’
Gone was Aarav’s cheerful disposition. Ethan pushed back his chair as Aarav looked like he still had an appetite to chew Ethan’s head off.
‘Don’t hold it against me if your eulogy sucks. I won’t have anything good to say about you.’ In the nick of time Ethan ducked as Aarav swung around, nearly slicing Ethan’s throat with a glass plate.
Phew! The guy was throwing all kinds of weird signals today.
‘Grandma, you got a hot date or something? You look chic in that floral top,’ Aarav asked, working hard to school his features in indifference. He shoved up the sleeves of his t-shirt and dipped his hands under the running water. Martha blinked and a flush crept up her face. In a nervous gesture she patted her perfectly set hair.
‘Steven, one of my church friends, has invited me over for coffee this evening,’ she said shyly. She let out a shaky breath and tears shimmered in her eyes. ‘I haven’t been out with any other man since Matthew. I—’ If there was anything Ethan couldn’t bear, it was seeing his grandma sad. He approached her and enveloped her in a strong hug. Martha sniffed and Ethan’s heart chipped a little. Ethan totally understood where she was coming from. New beginnings were so damn tough. Ethan was sailing in the same boat as far as Hope was concerned. Hope made him think and feel things that scared him.
Like thoughts of a happily ever after.
‘Grandma, your happiness is all that matters.’
A rush of love and the undeniable need to feel comforted gushed within him. Sensing her disquiet, Phoenix pressed himself to Martha. All through the afternoon Ethan blocked all thoughts of his impending danger. Martha unfolded her arms from around him and Ethan wiped the tears from her wrinkled cheeks.
‘Son, would you allow me one thing? I would never ask anything else of you,’ Martha asked, her tone subdued.
‘Anything, Grandma.’
Martha nodded and walked up to her altar. Bowing her head, she folded her hands to the picture of the Sacred Heart. Luminous glow from the burning candles illuminated the picture frame. Ethan’s heartbeat slowed to a trot. Martha turned to face Ethan and their gazes locked. ‘My heart has been ill at ease today. I don’t understand the reason, but I just need to do this.’ Transfixed by a powerful aura Ethan watched in silence as Martha uncapped the bottle of holy oil. Hesitation flashed in her eyes. An indescribable force compelled Ethan to grant his consent. Martha nodded and dipped a finger in the holy oil. His breath shuddered as he bent his head in speechless acceptance. Tears rolled down Martha’s eyes as she traced the cross over his forehead.
‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…’ Ethan’s eyes stung as he remembered each word from Psalm 91 – a prayer for God’s protection and rescue from danger. His throat burnt as he whispered the prayer in unison. For reasons beyond his understanding, it came to him as a stab of enlightenment. This time, rather than feeling anger or resentment, a profound sense of inner peace washed over him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Embracing the darkness surrounding him, the hooded man came sauntering out of the mist. His every movement exuded masculine grace. The wind swirled around him with a strange exhilaration as he exhaled a silent and calm authority. Brilliant stars peered from within piles of smoky grey clouds. Luminescent rays of the moon cast down upon him, caressing the contours of his powerful body. The meditative sounds drifting from the sea enriched his soul to a state of contentment. Behind his mask, black eyes blazed with the fire of great purpose. At that moment, he looked dangerously beautiful. Like an angel banished from Heaven for his recklessness.
Tonight was the night Ethan would put an end to Himesh’s crimes. Ethan could feel it in his bones. He received rock-solid intel that something illegal was going down by the docks later tonight. His instincts stood on razor sharp daggers. Without breathing a word of this to anyone Ethan planned to tackle this grave mess on his own. There was no way in Hell Hope would have left him to come alone if she got wind of what was going down tonight. She would be super pissed with him. A corner of his mouth lifted; Ethan was a pro at channelling her anger. Aa a matter of fact, tonight, Ethan needed to be sharper than ever before. Undoubtedly,Himesh’smen were dangerous. And Ethan couldn’t afford to divert his focus. So, he made a conscious decision not to inform anyone – not even Aarav – of his plans.
Ethan had a lot of making up to do to Aarav. The SOB was beyond pissed with him. After their lunch, Ethan ditched him at his grandma’s place and headed straight home. He needed to plan and strategise for the night. And having Aarav around, badgering him with questions would be a waste of his precious time. Aarav would come around. Ethan did not doubt that. But Ethan only hoped he would live to see daylight. Heat gushed through his veins and his heart tossed around like a ball in a tennis match. Ethan sighed, dropping the back of his head on a shipping container. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Closing his eyes he drew in a long breath. A thousand unutterable heartwarming thoughts of Hope flooded his mind. God, he loved her with every beat of his heart. Honour-bound by the promise he had made to her, he needed to do this for her.
Contrary to what people thought of him, he was no superhero. He was a man driven with purpose. Plagued by thoughts of the dangers of this mission, Ethan knew it was foolish of him to come here alone. At the same time, he had to take this chance. There was no way in Hell he was risking anyone else’s life.
Ethan had planned ahead of time. Right about when the tanker was expected to arrive at Himesh’s warehouse, Ethan had scheduled an encrypted email to the Mumbai police commissioner’s ID, with attached proofs – images of the girls from the binder, missing persons reports, and pictures of Himesh's warehouse and location. All of his findings were full-proof which was enough to propel an investigation on Himesh. The bastard was done for. Everything Ethan had done thus far zeroed down to this one single mission. Saving those girls would finally break the shackles binding his heart. Never before was Ethan scared to walk the tracks of the unknown. At the end of the night it did not matter to him if he lived or died. Even though he came prepared for the worst, his heart begged him to seek caution. He needed—
‘Hey, what you doin’?’ Ethan’s eyes flew open and his heart sprang out of his chest.
‘Hope?’ He blinked like a loon, wondering if he conjured her from his thoughts. Baffled, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. ‘How… what are you doing here?’
Hope crossed her arms and annoyance shimmered in her eyes. ‘First, you suck at the superhero thing. I’ve been breathing down your neck for the last five minutes and you failed to register my presence.’ Ethan shook his head to clear out the cobwebs, blocking his flow of thoughts. It was the second time in the day he was being accused of poor instincts. ‘Second, this isourquest, Ethan,’ she whispered his name while she looked over her shoulder. Ethan followed her gaze.
‘You have gotta be shitting me.’
