It had been two weeks since my stalker tended to my wounds and left me a gift. Since he whispered sweet nothings in my ear and held me while I slept.
It had been a week since I'd seen my loyal customer with a tendency to get on my nerves and who worked hard to get on my killing list. He'd visited everyday of the first week dutifully before disappearing and I couldn't deny the fact that he indeed added some colour to my rather mundane routine.
And I smacked myself right across the face to come back to reality. I had to capture my sitting duck tonight and I was thinking of two men who equally contributed to those chaos of my life that weren't bloodstained. But all the more deadlier.
The Blue Nile nightclub was jewel nestled in the heart of Bombay's nightlife.
I sat by the bar, a world of opulence and hedonism unfolding before me. I was dressed like I was looking for a man or two to spend my night with. If I'd worn my usual saree, I definitely would've garnered unwanted attention. Now now, I did want attention tonight. Of a particular old sewer rat who had a penchant for young girls. I was by no means looking like a young girl but I was showing enough skin to catch his eye. The goal was to get him to take me to his bedroom where I'd show him what hell looked like all night long before sending him there for the real experience.
The club was an intoxicating blend of dark hues, velvet drapes, and soft golden lighting that casted a warm, inviting glow. The centerpiece of the room was the sprawling dance floor and the grand chandelier above it. The air was rich with expensive perfumes and tang of strong liquors. Cigarette smoke wafted lazily, thick tendrils rising and disappearing like spirits. The place was alive with the music played by a live band stationed on a slightly elevated platform. The sultry tapestry of the notes curling and lingering, inspired both nostalgia and a sense of adventure.
"You know, it's quite entertaining watching you squirm every time our charming tea shop visitor comes in." Rishi said from beside me, sipping his drink.
"Oh, please spare me. You're enjoying this way too much."
"I'm just saying, a little birdie told me that the way you two exchange banter is almost romantic." I took a big gulp of my cocktail. The pineapple in it overpowering the alcohol. I needed to be sane.
"Focus that much on our task, yeah ?"
"Ah, but planning our next masterpiece doesn't mean we can't take a moment to appreciate the romantic drama unfolding in your life."
"There's nothing romantic about it. In fact, I'm considering a restraining order." Yeah. To restrain that stubborn, audacious, infuriating man inside the shop for the rest of his life.
"If you say so. But what are we calling tonight's endeavour ?" Pulkit Kumar, renowned cigar manufacturer.
I smirked. We always named our target's death. "How about, Blood on Cigars ?"
"I like it. One for the headlines. And who knows, maybe our tea shop visitor will read about it while sipping his daily dose of your frustration."
"You're incorrigible, you know that ?"
"It's all part of my charm. Besides, it's more romantic when you know who the man actually is." He gave me a wicked smirk.
"Enlighten me, oh bearer of secrets."
"Our charming visitor is none other than the man who holds the reins of Bombay and several neighboring cities. Guess that's why our obsessed stalker backed off ? You're really getting famous, Angel."
My heart stopped, eyes widening. No.
Just no. He was either drunk or pranking me.
"Don't joke while we're on a job, Rishi. About a man so significant, no less." A man so significant and all I ever did was insult him, show disrespect and attitude.
YOU ARE READING
KATHA
RomantikI got a wolf on my back, chasing me through the woods. The forested nights held secrets that whispered through the winds, and I had unknowingly become a part of them. With each passing second, I felt a magnetic pull as the knowledge of unseen eyes b...
