Page 1 of Chasing Hope

Chapter One

On a night cloaked in stillness, luminous rays of the moon cast a large shadow across the deserted alley. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the ebony sky split open with flashes of light. A pack of dogs tipped their heads, howling at the full moon. Sensing his presence, they lapsed into pervasive silence as he emerged from the depths of darkness. The hood of his black jacket fell to his forehead and charcoal-coloured eyes sharpened behind a sleek olive-green eye mask.

‘Please let me go, I’m begging you. Please take my money, this is all I have.’ Trembling in fear, the woman wept, hugged her child to her bosom and threw her purse at the mugger.

A snarl left his lips and the thief’s voice raised with anger. ‘Take off that gold chain and those sparkling earrings. Come on, hurry up before I stab your boy.’ His hand shook as he thrust the knife forward; the sharp blade gleamed, startling the woman. She shrieked and stumbled backward

Agonising sobs tore from her chest as she crushed her child in a deathly hold. ‘Please, I’m begging you, this is everything I own. I—’

‘Let them go and I will let you live.’ The chill in the air transported the ominous voice all the way to the end of the darkened alley.

The thief let out an alarmed cry and spun around to locate the source of the disembodied voice. Thinking quickly, the woman made a mad dash towards the opening of the alley. She lost her footing in a pothole and the thief charged ahead, seizing her arm. Her painful cry sliced through the silence of the night. A series of frantic howling exploded in the distance.

‘Not so fast, you bitch. I’m the one holding the weapon, remember?’ The thief slashed the knife before them. The boy in the woman’s arms, who from the looks of it was no more than four, began sobbing inconsolably.

The thief pressed the blade to the woman’s throat and pinned her against the wall. Before the lady could react, a brawny masked figure flew at them, dragged the thief away from her person and slammed him into the concrete wall. Temporarily shocked, the thief panicked and his weapon clunked to the tarred road.

‘I warned you to let them go. Now you will pay for this,’ said the hooded man. A muscle in his jaw tightened and his voice grew heavy with fury. He loosened the grip of his forearm pressed to the robber’s throat and slowly backed away. ‘But not before I give you a fair chance to defend yourself.’ The dimples in his cheeks made a fleeting appearance. ‘Come on, humour me.’

‘You bastard.’ The thief, a tall muscular man, no doubt inexperienced in street fights, lurched forward throwing his fists in the air.

Dimple-cheeked Guy side-stepped, deflecting the thief’s unskilled manoeuvres. ‘Now, now, no name calling, let's keep it civilised.’

The thief’s nostrils flared like an angry bull as he pitched ahead; his clouts failed to land on his opponent and his anger increased ten-fold. ‘Who the hell do you think you are, huh? God?’ He barked and threw another faulty punch.

‘God?’ Masked Man’s face broke into a grin as he easily eluded the blow that was intended to land on his face. Too bad the thief lacked finesse. ‘Funny you mentioned him. I doubt he's going to make an appearance tonight to save your sorry ass.’ His voice tightened and his hands squeezed into fists. At the sound of a shrill cry the masked man’s head whipped around and a fraction of a second later the thief planted a precise blow to his jaw.

‘Son of a bitch,’ Masked Man swore and rubbed his throbbing jaw. ‘That’s it. I’m done playing nice.’ Frantic, the child continued wailing. ‘Leave,’ Masked Man commanded, his eyes fixed on his opponent. Collecting herself, the woman uttered a feeble note of thanks and fled out the alley.

The thief chose that exact moment to show his jumping jack skills and began bouncing all around like his ass was on fire. He came at the masked man grabbing him by the collar. With natural ease the masked man grasped the thief’s wrist, broke that grip and plonked a big right hook on his shoulder. Landing a devastating shot, the masked man settled on his feet and smoothly disengaged.

‘You bastard.’ The thief kneeled over clutching his shoulder. His breath blew out in a wheeze and his face scrunched up in pain.

‘Come on man, get creative with your slang,’ Masked Man chuckled and rolled his shoulders. ‘Bloody hell. Is it too much to ask for one fucking uneventful night?’ All traces of humour left his tone and his eyes burned as he got down on one knee. ‘You are now on my radar. Lay a filthy finger on another woman again and I will ensure you have none left to use.’

A whiff of rain-induced breeze swirled around them picking up dust in its wake. The masked man tightened his fist on the man’s shirt and hauled him to his feet. ‘Let’s hurry up, shall we? The rains in Mumbai can get crazy real quick. Getting drenched will only worsen my mood.’

The thief snarled and staggered as he took his next step. ‘How many women can you save, huh? You are just one person and there are plenty like us. Theft is an everyday occurrence.’ Instantly his laughter erupted into a deafening cry as the masked man clobbered him on the mouth.

‘Keep that filthy mouth of yours shut if you want to retain this pathetic existence.’ A thick dark eyebrow rose as he wiped his bloody hand down the front of the scoundrel’s shirt. The masked man thrust his hand into the pocket of his black joggers and snatched out a pair of thick cable ties. ‘I wish I could do more than just break your teeth. But I draw the line at murder.’ His jaw clenched as he yanked the scumbag’s hands and fastened the cable ties around his wrists, chaining him to an electric pole. He got on his haunches and wrested the man’s feet from under him, the latter’s ass slamming on the concrete and causing him to bawl in agony. Masked Man bound his feet tightly making sure the man had no way of letting himself free. The thief’s eyes widened as the masked man inched toward his face. He gave the scumbag a disdainful look. ‘Relax. I don’t prey on the defenceless,’ he said, and twice patted the thief’s cheek. ‘Now catch your breath till the police officials come and get you. I’m sure you already have a stellar record.’ A corner of his mouth perked up. ‘Stay put.’ Light on his feet, he jumped up and spun around. The pack of dogs howled again giving him a resounding send off. Lowering his hood to cover his eyebrows, he entered the alley and merged into the darkness.

***

‘Fuck,’ Ethan Jacob cursed and shrugged off his soaked black jacket. He forced himself to unclench his fist to punch in his passcode. The door flew open just as he was about to key in the last digit.

‘Don’t track water into the house.’ Ethan ground his jaw and stepped out of the puddle soiling his doormat. He stormed in leaving a track of muddied water from the soles of his sneakers.

‘Last time I checked, this was my house.’ Ethan slid a glance at his childhood friend, Aarav Taneja, and his lips set off in a grin. A series of happy barks greeted him instantly, lifting his spirits. Phoenix, his four-year-old golden retriever, rushed out of his room and sprang on his master, not caring that he’d get his gleaming coat wet.

‘How you doing buddy. It’s past midnight. Why you still up?’ Phoenix’s eyes glowed as he gazed up at Ethan. ‘I see we have an uninvited guest.’ Ethan remarked, throwing a glance at Aarav. He bent low and ran his fingers over his pet’s smooth coat. Phoenix wagged his tail and slumped on the floor for a belly rub. Ethan laughed and obliged him. Phoenix closed his eyes and whimpered in bliss. Ethan put Phoenix in a state of trance as he rubbed him below the ears. The brat absolutely loved being pampered. He rolled over on a soulful sigh before drifting off to sleep.

‘Weren't you supposed to be on a date with the woman you met on Tinder? Swapna or Sapna, I’m sorry I don’t quite recall. You must have the memory of an elephant to get all their names straight.’ Aarav was a serial dater and couldn’t keep his dick’s emotions under control. His dick basically governed his life. He was currently on a dry spell and his mood was all screwed up. Aarav flipped Ethan the bird and set off in the direction of the double-door fridge. He snatched two bottles of beer and shut the door on a grunt. After another round of thorough dog pampering later, Ethan lifted his bulk off the floor and strolled into his modern-aesthetic grey and white open kitchen. Ethan found immense pleasure in his friend’s plight. To hide his smile, he gathered fists full of his drenched t-shirt and peeled it off his body.

‘Swapna and Samira are best friends,’ Aarav mumbled as he took a gulp of his beer. He glared at Ethan as if he was somehow responsible for his state of distress. ‘Samira fed her friend a load of bullshit about me, and out of sheer loyalty to her friend Swapna threw her drink in my face and barged out of the bar. An expensive glass of Sangria, might I add.’

‘Sorry, keeping track of your one-night stands is not what I bargained for. Out of curiosity, have you covered all the girls on Tinder with the letter ‘S’?’ In reply, Aarav flung him an irate glare. Ethan wrapped his hand around the bottle, lifting it to his mouth. ‘What are you doing sulking here in my apartment?’ He took a long swig and moaned in pleasure.

‘The view is great from up here. Makes you forget there’s a shitty world down there. Besides, you have three monstrous bedrooms. One is yours, one’s Phoenix’s and one’s mine.’ Aarav grinned and rubbed his stubbled cheek. Ethan smiled and ran his fingers through his windswept hair, letting it naturally fall into his typical side -parted style. Ethan’s eyes brightened as they swept around his place.

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