Beauty and the Bodyguard

Chapter 25: Offering

Luca Delgado was not a man to be messed around with. He was a man who kept in the shadows, unseen, unheard - but Ishan knew it was all a facade. Ishan had seen what he could do, saw the trails of bodies he left when something did not go his way, saw the terror in the eyes of all those who met him and lived to tell the tale. So when Ishan saw the devil incarnate in front of him, he did not have to pretend to fear the man. He gulped audibly, the fear for Amu and Shubman spreading like ice in his veins, paralyzing him from making a wrong move. Shikhar would, he hoped, get here in time, otherwise....

"So, boys, I heard you were found in my territory? Hmm? Thought you could just waltz up and stake your claim?"

Luca was asking a lot of questions, but everyone had the good sense to shut up, as he wasn't really asking anything. He walked over to Amu, who was in a state of half-unconsciousness. Ishan hoped he wasn't concussed.

"Robby's brat, I assume? My birds tell me you like to party. Do you want to party with me, little one, or should we wait for dear uncle to get here, hmm?"

This was said with a yank of Amu's hair, and that was all the opening Ishan was looking for.

He whimpered and summoned some tears, at the sound of which Luca turned his sharp eyes over to him, leaving Shubman all alone.

"And who's the pretty boy, huh Amu? This must be one of your rich friends, young one? You want to party as well, pretty boy? Got daddy's credit cards in that pocket of yours?"

Ishan was glad Shubman had relented and given him his wallet (no identity of course; no one wanted to get caught in a foreign city while the media back home were always sniffing for overseas scandals), as Luca's eyes got bigger as he went through the cards.

"Good heavens - we seem to have caught two for the price of one. Well done, boys! I am sure Robby and pretty boy's father will be ready with whatever amount we ask, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun in the meantime, can't we?"

The next instant, Ishan keeled over as a knee was jammed into his sternum. He heard Shubman cry out as if he was the one hurt, and Ishan really, really hoped he kept his mouth shut and not be a self-sacrificing hero.

"Please don't hurt him, I-I—"

Luca took one look at Shubman, assessed his plain clothing and lack of jewelry, and growled.

"Oie! Who caught the bodyguard? They get in the way and do nothing but mewl for mercy. Tsk tsk tsk. Samuel, set up the ransom call. Till then, I think I'll have some fun breaking the pretty boy. My whips must be missing the action."

That was good, Ishan thought, Amu and Shubman will be safe, Shikhar will find them and get them out. He watched through his unswollen eye as Amu and Shubman were led away, Shubman begging to let Ishan go.

And then, the pain began.

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Shubman had no idea how much time had passed; he could feel his throat getting hoarse from crying and begging and calling for Ishan. He focused on the memory of Ishan's warm hands in his, but knew that if he survived, the threat of whips and Ishan's brave smile would be etched in his nightmares.

He was equally worried for Amu, who looked paler by the minute. His only hope was that Shikhar find him soon, and get all three of them out, because hell would freeze before Shubman left Ishan behind, no matter how self-sufficient and brave Ishan was trying to be. He would sooner cut off his heart and leave it at the footsteps of this warehouse.

He concentrated on breathing, and was just about to call for help to tend to Amu, when the door was thrown open and men in ski masks poured in.

90s films, Shubman thought hysterically, as the next moments were full of gunshots and blood spurts. He could only watch in horror as body after body fell, blood seeping through the ground as men came out of doors as rats during the plague. His fight or flight response finally kicking in, he tried to wake Amu as much as he could with his hands tied, but he did not have to struggle for long as one of the men took off his mask, revealed himself to be Shikhar (Shubman will forever remember the shuddering breath of relief he took after finding a familiar face in the face of horror) and untied their hands. Men rushed about and hauled Amu off.