Kissing A Devil (Complete and Continuing In The Sequel)

Chapter 69

Sidharth returns to an empty home. He looks around and goes upstairs. The pup, Simba sleeping on its bed at the corner of the room, gets up and comes to him whining. She had not taken it as it is too young to travel. Perhaps it was fate as he was left to give him some company in his lonely life. He picks it up and starts rubbing its head. "Tu aur main akele hain.. do you miss her? I do.. the mansion has again become a graveyard without her."
As if replying, it whines.
"I know, I shouldn't have let her go. But I had no other options. I had to send them somewhere safe. I spoke to her and Mumma rudely. I had to.. I had to."
Simba makes a sound.
"I want to say sorry but she isn't picking up my calls. I miss her.."
He lies down on the bed, placing it beside him. Simba snuggles near him and lies down with its head on his arm. Tears roll off his eyes as he closes them.

"Baba, aap ne kuch khaya hai?"
Kabir asks as he comes into the office. Sidharth ignores the question and keeps staring at the screen of his laptop, typing something all along.
"Martha behan, used to ensure you eat. She is not here. Bahurani is not here as well. I am sure you don't eat anything. You look tired which means you're not catching any sleep. You will fall sick like that."
"Enough Kabir chacha! Stop bothering me with questions. I am not a kid. I can take care of myself. I don't need anybody."
Kabir nods his head, "You are not a kid but you need people to take care of yourself. I will not say anything more to irritate you. But you need to understand, you have to stay strong for the imminent war coming our way."

Sidharth runs his fingers through his hair and turns to face him.
"I.. didn't mean to.."
"I know. Did you talk to them?"
"She isn't picking up my call. And Mum's phone is switched off. Papa asked me to give them some time."
"Hmm.. She will call you back."
Sidharth lowers his head but doesn't say anything.

"What's the next step? When are we going?"
Sidharth looks up, "We will go in a few days. First we need to meet him."
"Are you sure he will be of any help? He has denied having any information earlier."
"I know. But he can give me something by staying with David. I need to try."
"Hmm.. What do you think will be David's next move? He could not get into the Syndicate. "
Siddharth looks away, staring at the window, he says, "His ultimate goal is to kill me, end Raichand name."
Kabir says, "I will never let that happen."
"I know. The enmity that Surinder Raichand had started with David's father William Pedro will end with someone's death. Only time will decide who will die, him or me."
"It will be him, Baba. I promise."

Sidharth smiles, "Why do you love me so much?"
"Aap ka dil jo bahut pyara hai. Aap ko jo ache se jane ga, khud ko aap se pyar karne se rok nahi payega."
"Hmm.. agar main unhe taklif dun, phir bhi?"
"Hum unhe hi chot pahunchate hain, jinpe hume sab se jyada pyar hai aur unpe haq hai. She will understand. They both will. Relax."
Sidharth nods his head.

He is walking alone in the dark. It's perhaps an underground tunnel. He has no idea how he came here. The last thing he remembers was that he was on his bed. It's so dark that he can't even see his own hands. He just touches the wet brick walls and continues walking. His heart is beating fast and it's so loud that he can hear it too.
"Raichand! You are here! Come."
He hears the voice coming from far ahead. He starts walking towards it. He can see light at the end of the tunnel. The sharp light blinds him for a second and he covers his eyes with his hand. A little later, he removes them and tries to see. He sees a silhouette of a man sitting on a chair and a few others standing behind him. The light is behind them, making it impossible to see their faces.

"What happened,Raichand? Are you confused about how you are here?"
"David?"
He asks.
He hears a thunderous laugh and the man stands up.
"You can never forget me. Can you? Bring him here."

Immediately a few men grab his arms and push him on David's feet. Sidharth tries to get up but he finds his hands tied up at his back. David clutches his hair and makes him kneel in front of him. He can now see his face that bears that devilish smile.