Page 16 of Chasing Hope

To murder the sadistic bastard Aarav.

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This is what he lived for – the sun, the sand and the sea. A refreshing cool breeze picked up the scent of the sea, gliding past him as Ethan sprinted along the shore. Inhaling a deep breath, Ethan watched until distance obscured the endless span of the sea. There was no better tonic than nature at its best. Succumbing to the peaceful mood, the waves gently swished to the shore. The ascent of the golden globe above the horizon pulsed with a renewed energy as an amber glow blanketed the morning sky. An expanse of soft sands shimmeredunder the pulsing luminous haze.

Ethan cherished his early morning jogs. It was the only time when he shut out all his troubling thoughts and hoped to enjoy the serenity of the start of a new day. Unfortunately, for Ethan, today did not feel like a new day. Memories of the previous night shadowed him everywhere he went. Last night was like something out of his worst nightmare. Ethan's gaze turned frigid and the veins in his forearms surfaced angrily as he balled his hands into tight fists. The horrific screams of the woman he rescued still echoed in his ears. Ethan’s feet thumped along the sand as he sped down the stretch. When he’d caught up with the screams, the sight of the woman battered and bruised made his heart lurch and drop to his stomach. Possessed by the demons of his past, Ethan soared ahead and hauled the men away from the crumpled body of the woman. His blood ran cold at the fearful thought of what might have happened to her if he hadn’t found her in time. By the time Ethan was done with the two men they were incapable of standing on their own two feet. Cable tying them to a lamppost, Ethan left them to be discovered by the police.

Ethan’s jaw clenched at the irony of life. Over the years he had saved the lives of countless strangers. Yet, he continued to carry the heavy burden of his past. A fire burnt in his lungs as he heaved in angry breaths. His mind screamed at him for putting it through the same torture day in and day out. What happened to his mother was not his fault. That fact was as clear as day. However, Ethan still blamed himself for not being able to save her. If only he had left the church ten minutes earlier, his mother might have still been alive.

No.

That wasn’t the truth and he knew it. His mother was destined to die at the hands of those criminals. Ethan’s breath exploded as his heart hammered in his chest.

‘Woof. Woof.’ Sensing Ethan’s agitated vibes, Phoenix barked furiously beside him. Two glorious beasts raced side by side. And it felt like they had the entire beach to themselves.

With enormous effort Ethan slowed his pace to a trot. ‘You always know when my mind’s getting ahead of me. Don’t ya?’ Ethan received two loud barks in reply. Phoenix watched Ethan, carefully assessing if he was able to disengage himself from his disturbing thoughts.

‘You know what, you’re right.’ Ethan jogged a few paces more before slowing down to a halt. He crouched and palmed Phoenix’s face. ‘It’s a new day and we need to shrug off the gory images of last night. The woman is safe. I made sure of it. She is on her road to recovery.’ Ethan wasn’t sure if he was convincing Phoenix or himself. Phoenix held onto Ethan’s gaze and nodded. He raised up on his hind legs and enfolded Ethan in a hug that brought tears to Ethan’s eyes. They stayed huddled till their breathing normalised. Phoenix drew away and ducked his head.

‘Putting on the touch boy act huh?’ Ethan swallowed. His throat was clogged with emotions. ‘There’s no shame in showing your vulnerability. It doesn’t make you any lesser of a man.’ Phoenix whimpered as Ethan skimmed his hands along his coat. Ethan's voice was a reflection of the bounty of love he had for this compassionate soul. They plopped down on the sand enjoying the sounds of nature. Ethan’s fingers loosely fisted the smooth-textured sand and his mind drifted. Phoenix sighed and placed his paw on Ethan’s thigh.

‘I have a confession to make.’ Light brown eyes sharp with intelligence gazed up at him. Ethan heaved a sigh. ‘I don’t get why my body reacted the way it did when I had Hope wrapped in my arms.’ Ethan smiled ruefully. ‘And here I thought I hated her guts. She is a real pain in the ass,’ he said in a sardonic tone. Phoenix growled, baring his teeth at Ethan. Ethan threw his head back and laughed, coming to terms with the fact that Phoenix was a lost cause. With a bemused shake of his head, he playfully punched Phoenix. ‘Looks like she’s already cast a spell on you. Whenever she is around you give her the lovesick puppy-dog eyes. And you have her eating out of your paw.’ Phoenix grinned, showing all his forty-two teeth. ‘You conniving son of a bitch.’ Phoenix barked in agreement and laughter burst out of Ethan’s chest.

No thanks to his grandma who had taken a serious liking to Hope – God knows why – she seemed to be everywhere Ethan went. They had an upcoming event at the church, and with regard to that planning, Hope had regularly eaten dinner at his place all through the week. Ethan would not hesitate for a second to fight a lion in a cage for his grandma. Loyalty-bound, Ethan couldn’t bring himself to tell Martha that she could very well conduct the meetings at her place. No doubt that would break her heart. But somehow sitting across Hope, watching her share stupid-ass jokes with Aarav, made him want to jump off his balcony to escape the web she threatened to spin around him. For crying out loud, Martha had even shared his home security code with Hope and she breezed into his house as and when she pleased. Ethan’s chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Despite his resistance, his mind tracked back to that night in the darkened alley. Even now, six days later, the rosy scent of her skin and the feel of her soft body in his arms tormented him.

Phoenix barked, giving a pointed look at Ethan’s swollen crotch. ‘What?’ Ethan narrowed his eyes. Phoenix barked in a pathetic attempt to erase his smug look. ‘At least I don’t hump every damn thing around me.’ Clearly offended, Phoenix growled. Ethan chortled and leapt to his feet.

‘How about we take a dip in the sea?’ Phoenix didn’t need to be asked twice. He darted towards the waves, his tail wagging enthusiastically. If there was anything Phoenix loved almost as much as food, it was playing in the water. Grinning ear to ear, Ethan toed off his shoes and slipped out his socks. Ripping away his sweaty cutoffs he dove into the crashing waves. As soon as the cold water wrapped around his heated skin, Ethan moaned in pleasure. Water trailed down the Phoenix tattoo on his magnificent chest. The sun’s warm rays, thumping with vigour, danced along the glistening water. Piles of golden clouds peered over the horizon. Mighty waves forged ahead. The soul of the sea scintillated with a dominant passion. Ethan’s eyes drifted close and he breathed in the wild spirit of the sea. His heart beat in tune with the roar of the sea. An inexplicable sense of wonder filled him to the depths of his being. Head tipped back, arms spread wide, he waited. Glorious waves slammed into him, sucking him under its influence. Soon enough, Ethan’s powerful body tore out of the water, accompanying the sun as it broke through from behind the clouds.

Chapter Ten

‘SOT one stand by,’ Hope said, adjusting her headphones. The buzz in the control room quietened down as the countdown toprimetimenews began. Hope’s astute gaze captured Ethan’s through the transparent glass partition. Monitors hummed in the background while Hope announced her presence. ‘Raksha had to leave to attend to an emergency. I’m filling in for her,’ Hope said. Raksha was their executive producer.

Ethan’s agitated sigh flowed through her ears. ‘What about Ameera?’ he growled.

‘She is on maternity leave.’

‘And Moksh?’

‘He’s on sick leave.’

‘Swapna—’

‘I’m all you’ve got, Ethan. Take it or leave it,’ Hope said, her voice threateningly cold. His shift in demeanour exhibited signs of unease.

‘Don’t screw up,’ he warned. Hope lifted her chin and the glass seemed to frost from the chill in her gaze. Why did he distrust her so much? Hope clenched her fists. On the other hand, she had herself to blame. She did everything in her power to make sure he continued to hate her.

‘Four, three, two, one,roll in.’ Hope screeched the last words into the mic.

‘Fuck,’ Ethan roared. It took him a moment to recover from the shock that he had just cursed on live television.

‘Apologies to your beloved audience.’ Hope's voice was a hoax of sweetness. Ethan’s jaw clenched hard enough to cause permanent damage. Hope’s lips drew back in a snarl.

Ethan’s handsome face split into a devastating smile using his dimples to the best of his advantage. Packing that kind of lethal charm, he could easily get away with murder. ‘Apologies folks, I think I just made national headlines by swearing onprimetime.’ The guy working the switching boards chuckled. And Hope was certain the audience too would have had a good laugh. She bit her lip to incarcerate her smile.

‘Guess you dodged a bullet there,’ Hope said, her voice dripping with scorn. ‘Hold onto that smile. We can’t have Mr Impeccable scowling on screen, now can we?’

Ethan seized her gaze and Hope’s skin burned with the intensity of his wrath. ‘Jaikrishna Pandya, a social activist …’ Regaining his composure, Ethan breezed through the headlines. ‘Who exposed the sensational stamp paper scam last week was attacked yesterday in Jaipur—’

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