The Hidden Knife

CHAPTER 15: YOU ARE CRAZY!

'I suppose you would be begging from me?'.

'What?'. I'm perplexed whether I heard her correct or not.

'Yes'. She cracks into a laugh. She is joking. I too realized the simplicity of the situation and let out a smile.

Suddenly I hear some footsteps. Footsteps are getting closer and closer.

'Rhea, I hope we are the only ones supposed to be here'.

'Yes'.

I turn around on the other side. There's a dark shadow lunging towards us. He doesn't look like my sort of man. He is walking in somewhat an old fashion with long strides. He looks like some sort of villain coming straight out of a horror movie. He is wearing a mask. Black mask. Just like an assassin who is on a mission to kill someone. I turn back towards Rhea. I try to act as if I'm normal. Have not seen anything. Rhea's eyes widen in fear as she catches sight of the shadow approaching us. I can feel my heart racing as I try to maintain my composure. The figure moves closer, his steps deliberate and menacing. I can't help but wonder what his intentions are and if we are in any danger. My hand instinctively reaches for Rhea's, seeking comfort and reassurance in the face of this unknown threat.

He stands in front of me. I'm holding Rhea's hand.

'Leave her and surrender yourself,' the muffled voice speaks. I have heard this voice before. I can't remember the voice exactly. Something is off here.

'Didn't you hear me?' he asks angrily this time.

I can feel her hand trembling. I'm definitely not going to be listening to some randow assassin or whoever this crap is.

'Why' I demand.

The man takes a sharp breath. He slowly starts walking around me. He is analyzing me. I have seen these eyes. These eyes remind me of.

'Anand?'. I realize I had said it loudly. But what if I'm correct?

The man slowly opens his mask. I can recognize the face very well. Those features. That beard with a sharp jawline. The man standing in front of me is none other than Anand. My heart races as I struggle to process this unexpected revelation. Anand looks at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and disbelief.

"It's really you, isn't it?" Anand nods, a small smile playing on his lips as he pulls me into a tight embrace. He is still walking around me.

'I thought it had been better to meet you today at this time'.

I can feel the anger starting to build inside of me. I don't want to fight with him right now. Anand is smiling as if he has much more information to add.

'How did you know I had been here?' I demand of him. Anand strokes his chin.

'You are so idiotic yet you wish to call me so'.

'What made you think so?'.

'Mr. Brenett told me to do so,' he pointed out.

Mr. Brenett? Why did he do so? Why did he want to cause trouble for Rhea and me? No. I surely don't believe my ears. Anand's words hit me like a ton of bricks. Mr. Brenett, Rhea's father, had always been cordial and supportive of our relationship. Why would he want to cause trouble for us now? The anger inside me flares up even more, and I struggle to keep my emotions in check. I need to get to the bottom of this to find out what is truly going on behind the scenes. My mind races with questions, and I can feel the tension rising between Anand and me. It's clear that this situation is far from over.

I can feel Rhea's hand separated from mine. I can feel the weight of guilt surrounding me as I trusted those wrong persons. It feels as if I'm the Earth, surrounded by the atmosphere. But I have everything I need to have. Why do I need to be scared? I know. Maybe Anand wants some money. He's quite poor in it.

'What do you want from me? I ask without making any possible expressions.

'Nothing. I just want to let you know everything before you depart from this world'.

'Ah! Sure. You think you could succeed in it? Perhaps not'.

I take my folding phone and tap the emergency button. I am not wearing my special watch today. Thanks to Rhea. My watch had been in sync with my phone. I click on that app to see the possible locations of my men. But there is a tiny problem. Oh no. That's a vast problem. There's a no internet signal knocking on my door. Server down. Ah, not now.

'Why? Shocked?'.

'Wait a minute'. I can feel my nerves beginning to tense up. I dial the lieutenant's number, but in vain. He's not picking up the call. Or rather, the call is not reaching him. I tried to call Sergeant Nishan but again failed. Now the only option I'm seeing left right now is to run. But Anand wants to say something.

'I have pinned your server down'.

'Seems so,' I reply rather tidily. I want him to begin with his works or whatever nonsense it is.

'Let me explain to you everything before you die'.

'Go ahead'.

I can feel something being stuck on my back. Holy molly. That's a gun. In Rhea's hand. No. That's not possible. I can't believe it. But first, let me hear Anand's stories.

' See this,' Anand shows me his thumb, his hand having a cut mark. I was correct. Everything was correct. Every piece of evidence was correct.

'That's definitely so cool'.

'I hope you understand everything'.

'Go ahead'.

'Not more. I had leaked more information than I should have'.

'What do you want to do now?'.

'I want to shoot you'.

'Go ahead, Anand. But remember, bullets have a way of ricocheting back to those who fire them'.

He shoots.