Page 23 of Fixation

“We should also consider the possibility that this JD guy knows where she is and hasn’t told Dorab,” Vedant reminded them.

Armaan continued, “Our guys are still following Dorab. But there’s no news of JD yet. We don’t know if he will return. We are still waiting to see if they launch a search for Karina if he returns.”

“Our biggest fear continues to be Dorab,” Vedant pointed out. “He’s hated us since we were kids, and now he knows we are looking for her. It’s only a matter of time before he or JD realise that she’s our weakness. If they find her, then they can and will use her against us.”

“Which means we need to find her before them,” Mihir declared. “I still have to speak to some of our old caretakers in the orphanage and get an old picture of her. With both of you being targeted, I had no time to do that. But I’m convinced that with all this new AI technology, if we feed in an old picture of hers, then we can get a rough idea of what she may look like now.”

“That will help us expand our search for her,” Armaan sounded excited. “Please let’s get on this right away.”

Mihir nodded. “I’ll also talk to more people from our time in Rishikesh and find out if she contacted anyone, or if she ever returned and looked for us.”

“Discretion is of prime importance here,” Vedant said. “No one can know that we are looking for her. She cannot become a bargaining tool for our enemies.”

“Correct,” Armaan said. “It may take a lot of time, but we will find her.”

Hope bloomed in Vedant’s chest, replacing that constant sadness he’d felt every time he thought of his sister. He had tobe positive that she was alive and well. He couldn’t even fathom thinking otherwise. He and his brothers would find her. And they could find her faster if he could help them.

He looked at his brothers. “If you talk to my doctor and convince her to let me use my laptop, I can help you both. You already have too much on your plates.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Mihir muttered. “Besides, your doctor hasn’t cleared you to use your laptop.”

“If it were up to her, then all I ought to do is sleep the whole fucking day,” Vedant complained.

Mihir grimaced. “I’m sure she knows what’s best for you. Listen to her.”

“And be nice to her, fucker,” Armaan said.

Vedant quirked his brows. “I’m the nice brother, or have you forgotten that bit?”

“Seriously?! You behave absolutely awful with her,” Armaan shot back. “She saved your life. A little kindness won’t hurt.”

“I agree on that,” Mihir said.

“Since when did you both start siding with someone else over me?” Vedant grumbled.

“Since you decided to be a dick to your doctor,” Armaan retaliated. “I’m serious, Vedant. Once Mihir and I leave tomorrow, you’re again going to be back in the hands of your medical team. While we were here, we wanted to spend maximum time with you, and hence, you had limited interaction with your doctors. But after we’re gone, you will have to rely on them again. So please listen to Reina... Dr. Singh.”

Vedant eyed his brother. How was Armaan on first name basis with Reina when he still wasn’t? She washisdoctor, for God’s sake. If Vedant wasn’t certain that Armaan was utterly in love with Navya, then he would have entertained the possibility that his brother was interested in Reina. After all, Armaan had been a known playboy once.

Now, even knowing that wasn’t the case, it still bothered him no end. Which was again very strange. His brother’s interactions with women had never bothered him in the past, so why was this annoying him now?

“You need to get better,” Mihir picked up from Armaan. “Which means you need to do exactly as Dr. Singh says. Do you get it?”

“Fine. But from now on, I need you to leave my doctor to me,da?” Vedant declared. “No more controlling everything from Dubai. If I have a problem, then trust me to figure it out with her. I’m better now, and I don’t want to be managed by either of you.”

Both his brothers nodded. Once they left, he’d once again be spending a lot of time with his medical team. His spirits lifted, and a new sort of excitement filled him. His doctor had been deliberately avoiding him for too long now. It was time to change that, and possibly even learn why he was so strangely fixated on her.

8

Reina woke up to the sound of a loud groan. She jumped to her feet, her heart pounding, and found Vedant Oshnov watching her, a distressed look on his face. Since she’d taken over the night shift from Stefan, she must’ve dozed off at some point.

She hurried to him. “What happened?”

He held the left side of his chest where a small red stain was seeping through his plain white shirt.

“Did you try to get up by yourself?” she asked.

He exhaled a shaky breath. “Yes.”

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