Page 105 of Addiction

"Try and find Rehana’s group,” Armaan said, pausing to look into the laptop screen.

“Already doing that,” Mihir replied.

Rajiv’s phone rang.

“Fuck,” Rajiv swore, rushing to his feet. Seeing Rajiv’s tense expression, Mihir rose to his feet too.

“What happened?” Armaan asked as soon as Rajiv hung up.

“The two bodyguards I’d put behind Navya have been attacked,” Rajiv said, tapping into his phone. “Navya’s phone is switched off.”

Armaan’s heart began to run. Full on panic set in when his call also didn’t go through to her.

“Check with the team you have following her,” Armaan told Mihir. “We need to ensure she’s safe. And where the fuck is Arlo? Ask Vasily to check on them.”

“Vasily’s phone is switched off,” Mihir frowned. “This doesn’t make sense. His phone is never off.”

Rajiv spoke into his phone and then looked at them. “My team is with your other two guards, Arlo and Chekov, they said. They were waiting in the cars just as you left them. Only your head of security is not to be found.”

Terror exploded inside Armaan. His chest was so tight that he couldn’t breathe. He forced himself to exhale and inhale again, yet nothing calmed the panicked beating of his heart. The back of his head began to pound as memories from the night of the attack assaulted him. His vision whitened, and suddenly, the events of the whole night appeared crystal clear in his head.

“I know who’s behind everything,” Armaan said.

“It’s Vasily,” Mihir said at the same time as Armaan. He turned the laptop. The paused screen showed a clear image of Vasily leaning against a railing in the club.

“He was the one I saw hiding behind a pillar that night,” Armaan added.

“Are you sure?” Mihir asked.

“Yes.”

Mihir tapped on his phone and spoke to someone on the other end. “The security we hired to protect Navya says she’s heading toward the Abu Dhabi highway. I’ve told them to move in and check if someone is with her.”

A minute later, Mihir said, “Vasily is in the car with her, and they think he has a gun pointed at her.”

Armaan breathed in and out, calming himself through the fear gnawing inside him.

“We will make him pay; I swear it,” Mihir vowed. “Our guys are sending us a location pin. I’ve mobilised more resources. We will bring her back.”

Armaan straightened. “We bloody well will. We suspected the wrong man. Update Arlo and Chekov; they need to know everything.”

Rajiv’s phone pinged. He turned it around to show them the images sent by Rehana. Sure enough, it was Vasily with her.

Armaan rushed out of the door, Mihir and Rajiv following him. There was no time to lose. A Land Cruiser stopped in front of them.

“I’ll drive,” Rajiv said.

“No, I will,” Armaan overruled. He wouldn’t be able to sit still, knowing Navya was in danger. Rajiv sat beside him, entering the coordinates on the console screen, while Mihir sat at the back. Armaan drove as directed by Rajiv.

His phone rang. It was Navya. His heart pounding, he answered the call on speaker. Before he could say a word, voices filtered through the line.

“So, you were behind everything,” he heard Navya say. “You organized the attacks on Armaan and Vedant.”

“Yes, of course,” Vasily accepted.

Armaan shared a look with Rajiv. Mihir leaned forward and put Armaan’s phone on mute as they continued to listen in to the conversation.

“We would have acted on Armaan much sooner,” Vasily said, “but you distracted him from his routine. All our plans to attack him failed, thanks to you.”

---