Pride vs Prejudice

Chapter 11

Ria's phone rang. She scrambled to find it in her bag and pulled it out as soon as she could. Before she could do anything with it, a hand snatched it from hers.

She turned to see Shiv disconnecting the call and turning the phone to mute. She tried to take it back, but he tried to hold on to it. The phone almost slipped from their hands for a second, between their tussle, before Shiv caught it, just as it was about to drop down.

They sat frozen for a second.

In a distance someone yelled "I heard something. I think they are here"

Shiv looked at her. His jaws clenched. He was definitely angry. Ria could see it in his eyes.

They could hear footsteps moving towards them.

She quickly pulled the phone from his hands, trying to avoid his eyes. Just then the phone rang again. Thankfully silently this time. She saw the name flashing. It said 'Mom'

Her mother had the worst timing of all! The call had to come right when Ria was perched dangerously on a high branch of a tree. Trying her best to be silent. And most of all hiding.

1 hour ago

Ria had tried to hail another car – quite unsuccessfully. It seemed that no one had been willing to give her a lift to the nearest town. She was struck. In every way possible. Stuck in middle of no-where.

Standing on her feet in the hot afternoon sun for the past hour and half, in her 4 inch Louboutin stilettoes, had been more exhausting than she had first imagined. She sat down on a milestone marker that she saw a few feet away from her, resting her head on her hands just for a second.

She was disturbed by the sound of a car stopping nearby. She looked up; hopeful. She shouldn't have; because the moment her eyes fell on the passengers inside the car, she knew it would only spell trouble.

It was a jeep and inside it were 4 men who would have best been described as bulked up goons with gold chains dangling down their necks.

Ria's hands immediately went to her handbag, searching for her handy pepper spray. Shit! That was the only thing going through her mind the second she realized that it wasn't there and also the reason why. She glanced over to the direction where she had last seen Shiv. He had her pepper spray and he was no-where to be seen. Double shit!

"Come with us" one of the men said

"I don't want a lift" Ria told them firmly. She knew she had to be firm. She couldn't afford to show fear.

"You didn't hear us properly" another one said "we were telling you, not asking you"

"My answer is the same" Ria remained firm, but she knew she had to do something. They weren't just going to go away.

Taking a chance, she took a few steps back from them. They got down from the jeep. She expected that. She stepped back some more, still keeping an eye on them, before she ran into the forest a few steps.

Ria's eyes scanned the surroundings for something, anything, to use as a weapon before they fell on what looked like a sturdy branch. She threw her handbag a some distance away and picked up the branch, turning to face them.

"Come with us. Fighting is futile. It will hurt you more than us" one of them warned her

Ria took a defensive stance, holding the branch firmly in her hand, ready to hit anyone trying to come close to her.

"And I am telling you, back off!" Ria warned them. She knew she might not necessarily be able to stand against 4 hefty men, but she would be damned if she gave up without serious damage to them. "You don't know what I am capable of"