Page 4 of Wicked Trap

She wore a plain t-shirt and jeans. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her face was completely devoid of makeup. Her eyes blazed with anger and passion. She was surrounded by a huge crowd which included police personnel. There was tear gas and smoke, which made people around her cough and choke and cry out in agony. But the woman stood rock solid. Her eyes watered, but determination shone though.

Her voice cut through the chaos around her.

“We won’t back down!” she shouted into the camera held by a coughing reporter.

“You can break our bones, but you cannot break our spirit!”

“You have no right to poison us!”

The information under the video stated it was a protest led against an industrialist who wanted to build a factory close to the city where thousands of families lived. The water and air would be polluted according to the plan.

The protest was one year ago, and it successfully stopped the factory from being built in the area. It was shifted elsewhere. Tanvi Shetty, the daughter of a top criminal lawyer turned politician, had led the protest.

“Come on, get me first!” she thundered as several cops surrounded her and the crowd.

Aryan felt a strange thrill running through him looking at her. It was a feeling he had never felt before. Along with the strong need for revenge, he also felt the burning need to capture the passionate woman.

Laying out a trap for someone like her would be far from easy, but he was looking forward to it.

“Come on, get me!” she goaded again, looking straight at him towards the camera.

Aryan’s mouth slowly twisted. “I’m coming, princess. And I’m going to get you soon.”

CHAPTER 2

Tanvi Shetty crossed the road while giving instructions to her friend on the phone. “Yes, I’m on my way there. Don’t worry about my security. Just upload the pictures I send to my social media handle.”

She spotted a lone taxi waiting in front of a shop where the driver must have gone to buy something. She had been searching for a taxi for the last thirty minutes. But since there was an ongoing bus strike, most taxis were taken.

She somehow managed to cross the road and not get hit by the two-wheelers that had illegally jumped the red signal.

“Finally,” she muttered and stood by the taxi, waiting for the driver to come out from a shop.

Meanwhile, she pulled out her phone and went through her mental checklist.

Placards—check.

Slogans—check.

Location messages on social media—check.

Messages to the media—check.

She had everything ready for a protest she was leading that day in front of a corporate building. It was a protest against an international corporation that was planning to raze out the only green forested area in the middle of the city to build a massive mall.

There were several dozen malls in the city. But the green forested area was one of the last areas remaining. It was more or less the lungs of the densely populated city, and the ruthless billionaire was planning to destroy it.

Never! I won’t let them get away with it!

She would have to find more information on the company to dig up dirt, so she could send it to her friend who worked in the media.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the taxi driver. She took a few steps towards the store to check inside when she saw an old man in a taxi driver’s uniform.

“Is this your taxi?” she asked him.

The old man nodded. “Yes, miss.”

“Thank God! I need to go to the downtown area urgently.”

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