Page 79 of Addiction

“First Vedant and now him. Fuck,” Mihir cursed. “How the hell can I be in two places at once?”

Mihir’s words cut into her brain.

“What happened to Vedant?” she asked.

“The same thing that happened to Armaan. Our enemies got to him. He’s been shot and is very critical. He’s undergoing surgery as we speak. I’ve been trying to get a hold of Armaan for the last thirty minutes. My jet is taxiing down the runway right now. I was flying to London to check on Vedant, and now this.” His voice was filled with frustration and indecision.

She understood his concern. For some Goddamned reason, the Oshnov’s enemies had attacked two of the brothers at once. The events of the night finally began to make a bit of sense.

She wiped her eyes. “Go to London, Mihir. I’ll stay with him.”

Mihir stayed silent for a moment before he swore aloud. “Fuck. I have no choice right now. I have to go check on Vedant. His life is hanging by a thread.”

“I won’t leave Armaan even for a minute. I promise.”

“Navya, did your security catch any of the men who tried to hurt Armaan?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’ll find out.”

She’d been too concerned about Armaan to focus on anything else.

“If even one of them is caught then I want you to ensure that they aren’t handed to the police. I need them to be held at some place until I can organize for someone to come fetch them. Can you promise me that?”

“I will.”

“I’m going to send my own security team to the hospital. He needs to be protected at all times. Keep Armaan’s phone with you and answer calls only from me. Am I clear?”

“Yes.”

“And Navya, you better pray to whichever God you believe in that Armaan survives. Because if he dies, then I will kill you.”

She exhaled. “Don’t worry. If he dies, I’ll die anyway.”

There was a pause, and then Mihir disconnected the line.

She pocketed Armaan’s phone. She held his hand tighter. In a few hours, her entire perception of the world had changed. She’d realized she was in love with Armaan, only to be sitting here praying that he survived this ordeal. What she’d said to Mihir was the truth. If Armaan died, then there was no saving her. She knew it without a single doubt that her heart would stop beating if his did.

She pressed her lips to his hand. “You’re going to live, you hear me. You and I have barely begun. I won’t allow you to leave me. You’re strong, and you will survive. I won’t have it any other way.”

She shut her eyes, and then she began to pray.

22

Navya paced the hospital’s waiting room. She’d lost count of the hours that had passed and the multiple cups of coffee that Ananya had put in her hands. Doctors had come and gone as she waited. Ananya remained by her side. In a far corner, Dmitri, Armaan’s butler, had been waiting in silence as well. He’d arrived at the same time the ambulance had reached the hospital. He hadn’t spoken a word to her, nor had he acknowledged her presence. Armaan’s butler had always been tight-lipped, but now he looked even more withdrawn. His concern for Armaan was evident as he sat in a corner, rising only when the doctor had come in to give his prognosis. After that, he pulled out his phone and spoke in rapid Russian to Mihir, she assumed, since she hadn’t received a single call from him so far. All of this had been several hours ago.

She looked up and paused. Shock rendered her still for a moment, and then she ran, flinging herself against her brother’s chest. Her tears came fresh now as her brother held her to him. Just knowing he was here settled her fears. Her elder brother was larger than life itself, and he always made everything alright.

“Hi, little one…” Rajiv kissed the top of her hair. “Quite a mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

She sniffed against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

He held her face. “What are you apologising for?”

“That you had to be dragged here from your vacation, and into my mess.”

“Oh, please. My vacation was long over. I’ve been working from Mumbai since three weeks now. It was high time I returned. Besides, nothing could keep me there after I learned what happened to you and him, that too outside my nightclub.”

“And Sheena and the kids?”

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