Tycoon's Twisted Woman

4- Attack

The only good thing is that the government didn’t stop the trains midway. The next morning, around 6 am, we reached Andheri station in Mumbai.

According to Aunty, we need to reach Malabar Hills in South Mumbai, which is about a thirty-five-minute drive via the highway.

Her grandson is coming to pick us up from the railway station, and thanks to his connections, we went to Malabar Hills, where the Rajvansh mansion is located. It’s a very posh area with wealthy neighbors.

One thing I understand is that Aunty comes from a wealthy and elite background. “Aunty, let me help you,” I said and held her bag, along with mine, on my right shoulder. My left shoulder is injured, and because of my mistake, it’s bleeding a little. I need to change the dressing.

“Thank you, my child.” We exited the train, and the whole station was surrounded by military and police.

“There he is,” Aunty pointed in one direction, where a tall man stood with a serious expression, looking for someone. Behind him stood several guards with guns, a setup straight out of a mafia movie.

“Ansh!” Aunty said, and that’s when his eyes met his grandmother’s.

His serious expression softened a bit when he saw her. “Grandma!” he exclaimed and walked toward us with long strides, taking her in a tight hug. “Thank God! You’re safe. Now let’s go. We need to get home soon,” he said, breaking the hug.

“Your bag?” he asked, still not acknowledging my presence beside Aunty. She pointed at me, and that’s when he saw me with his deep black eyes, which had a hint of blue in them.

Without a word, he grabbed the bags and started walking toward the exit, holding Aunty’s hand. When Aunty stopped him, he turned to look at her. “Ansh, hold on. She’s coming with us,” she said in a slightly commanding tone.

“Grandma?” he asked, his expression unreadable, as if warning her.

“How can you ask some random, unknown person to come with us? This could be a security breach. What if she’s a terrorist? Or a psycho killer? Even if she’s normal, it’s still a no,” he accused, clearly cooking up scenarios in his head.

“Ansh, I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. She helped me, and she’s coming with us. I also sent you her details. She’s the one I asked you to interview. After this curfew, she has nowhere to go in this big, unknown city—the city of dreams and evils. Think of her safety too,” she said, her tone sharp but ending in a gentle plea.

He looked at her and then turned his gaze to me. His intense stare sent a shiver down my spine as his black-blue eyes met my honey-brown ones, as if trying to read me. I held his gaze without breaking eye contact, and after a minute or so, he finally said:

“Okay. Now, let’s go. It’s not safe out here.” He signaled the guards to surround us.

Soon, we were in a car. He asked me to sit with the guards, but Aunty declined, insisting, “She’s coming with us in the same car,” to which he reluctantly agreed with an irritated sigh.

He sat in the front passenger seat while Aunty and I sat in the back. Once everyone was seated, the cars sped off toward our destination along an empty highway. There were hardly any vehicles around except for ours and the occasional police or military van.

“Where did the attack happen, Ansh?” Aunty asked, breaking the silence.

“In a few areas of South Mumbai—Taj Hotel, nearby local markets. Many people died. And according to sources, the attackers are hiding nearby, which is why we’re...” His words were cut off by a loud explosion.

The deafening sound caused the car to swerve as we were speeding. Glass shattered and pierced my face, right hand, and neck, causing blood to flow. Everything became disorienting, the noise fading into a high-pitched ringing.

“Ahhh...” I screamed. It took a few minutes to realize we had survived a bomb blast.

I opened my eyes, which had closed from the shock and pain. Blood dripped from my forehead onto my eyelids and face. Through my blurred vision, I saw Ansh, injured, checking the bullets in his gun.

I then turned to look at Aunty, who was also hurt but less severely since my side of the car had shielded her from the worst of the glass.

“Grandma, are you alright?” Ansh asked, turning to her.

“Yes, Ansh, I’m okay! Are you alright? Oh my God! Mishthi is bleeding, and what about Bahadur Singh? Is he okay?” she asked, concern in her voice.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m fine, just a little injured,” Bahadur Singh replied, his voice laced with pain.

“Hey, are you okay?” I heard Ansh’s voice, but before I could respond, guards surrounded the car. He stepped out without waiting for my answer. I looked out to see several men pointing rifles and guns at us, their faces covered with cloth.

“Ma’am, take this gun, and here’s one for you too,” Bahadur Singh said, handing us both firearms.

“I don’t know how to use it,” I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“It’s just for safety. This is the safety lock, and it’s already loaded,” he explained, showing me how to unlock the safety.

The phrase ‘it’s ready to fire’ sent a chill down my spine. I wiped some blood from my face with a tissue and looked at Aunty, who was more tense than in pain, staring outside.

“Aunty, don’t worry. It’s going to be okay,” I reassured her, just as we heard the rapid sound of gunfire. Some of our guards fell, and some of the attackers did too.

Suddenly, one of the attackers opened Aunty’s car door. “Hey, leave her!” I yelled, gripping Aunty’s hand as they tried to drag her out. The chaos around us made it impossible for our screams to be heard. I opened my door and ran to the other side, where they were pulling Aunty out.

There were three of them, armed with rifles and knives in their pockets. I pointed my gun at them, my hands trembling as I shouted for them to let her go. “Mr. Rajvansh!” I screamed.

Before they could fire at Aunty, I pulled the trigger, releasing a loud bang followed by a scream. The bullet hit the man holding Aunty. Once she was free, she grabbed her gun and shot the man aiming at me.

The third man, who was about to shoot Aunty from behind, made me rush toward her. I dodged his bullet, but it grazed my left shoulder, causing it to bleed.

Before he could fire again, I heard multiple gunshots, and everything went black as I lost consciousness.

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SAnshi ❤️