Page 3 of Twisted Sins

“Yes, sir. In fact, they lost two heirs.”

The man froze. “Two? What do you mean by two? Was Mihir Thakvar with his brother? Did he arrive in Singoor?”

“No, sir. Nandini Thakvar died in the accident along with her brother. She had joined him to go to the clan meeting.”

Breath got knocked out of the man’s chest, and his world turned into a hazy red. An agony he had never felt before filled him from the inside and out.

No. No. No!

Nandini… my Nandini…

The loud, anguished cry Tantra let out came from the depths of his soul.

CHAPTER 1

Present day…

It was a couple of hours after midnight when Nandini Thakvar shifted restlessly in the back row of the SUV while it sped by on the outskirts of a city.

“Are we almost there?”

“Not yet, Miss Thakvar,” the security head seated in the front row of the SUV replied. “We will be nearing soon.”

There was a small chuckle.

“Patience, Nandini,” the man seated next to her said.

Nandini turned to look at the handsome, smiling man. She and Rahul had known each other since they were six years old. They studied in the same school, went to the same university, and graduated together. So, Rahul knew quite well that she wasn’t exactly known for her patience.

“It’s barely been a few hours since we landed in India,” he reminded.

“I know,” she said with a sigh.

After the Thakvar private jet had landed at the airport around midnight, Rahul and she were received by an army of uniformed security men who led them into a fleet of SUVs that were headed to the destination.

“Maybe I should insist on driving the SUV,” she murmured. “We’d reach faster.”

Rahul laughed. “No way! These narrow roads and nighttime traffic can’t handle your crazy driving. And besides, I want to reach our destination in one piece.”

Nandini let out a laugh, knowing Rahul was terrified of her driving even though he had been her partner in crime several times whenever she snuck away and drove borrowed cars without private security tailing her.

Her three older brothers gave her a tough time whenever she tricked their private security. She knew they wouldn’t be happy if she did the same again. Although her brothers doted on her, they were also overly protective. Being the only sister of three billionaire brothers came with several pros and cons.

She craved independence and freedom, but she also loved and respected her brothers, which was why she had remained in the United States even though her parents and brothers had been in India for the past year. She had missed all three of her brothers’ weddings and had not even met two of her sisters-in-law. Although she begged often, she was told to remain in New York for safety reasons.

“It’s not safe here yet. You can come once it’s safe.”

Her parents and brothers had repeated those words over the past year.

Her mother’s phone call the previous day changed it all. During the brief video call, her mother asked her to join an important temple ceremony at her father’s native place.

Although Nandini didn’t know the details of the ceremony or what it was being held for, she jumped at the chance before her parents or brothers changed their minds. Arrangements were made, and she landed in India within the next twenty-four hours. She didn’t even pack enough clothes since her mother said everything would be taken care of.

“Maybe I should have changed after landing,” she said. She was wearing a pink cropped top with loose-fitting cream linen pants, which were comfortable during the long travel. She was too excited and had no other thoughts than reaching her final destination. But now, she realized that she would be meeting her two sisters-in-law and many other people for the first time.

“You look pretty,” Rahul said.

She laughed. “You have to say that because you are my boyfriend,” she teased.

---