Detached

CHAPTER 56

(short chapter)

*RIYANSH'S POINT OF VIEW*

“Riyansh, help me please!” she begs. I can hear that she’s crying, her breathing is hitching somewhere off in the darkness, but I can’t see her. I turn, running in the direction that I think she is, but I can’t find her. Doors and corridors stretch off into the distance, and her crying seems to echo from the walls so I can’t get a sense of direction. The place is like a maze. “Please, he’s coming. Please help me!” she screams.

Desperation makes me feel sick as I run and run, crashing through door after door, trying to get to her. “I can’t find you, Meera! Where are you?” I shout, spinning in a little circle as I grip my hands into my hair, totally panic stricken.

“Please help me,” her voice is a whisper and it breaks my heart as I start running aimlessly again.

A wicked laugh echoes down the corridor and my hair stands up on the back of my neck as I hear his voice. “Well hello, Baby girl, long time no see.”

I jerked up, gasping for breath as my hand shot straight down to my ankle, fumbling as I reached for my gun. But it wasn’t there, my holster was empty. I’d had to check it in, so it was locked in a little box in the cockpit with the pilot because of the standard air travel procedure. Sweat beaded on my brow as I looked around quickly, realising that I wasn’t in some darkened maze trying to find her; I was, in fact, still sitting in first class. Meera looked up at me worriedly, her sketchpad balanced on her knees.

“Riyansh, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Princess. I just had a bad dream.” As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn’t.

“Really, what about?” she asked, snuggling against me. Her touch made my panic fade marginally.

I grasped wildly at anything that wasn’t to do with Smith. “Car crash.”

She recoiled, scrunching her nose up. “Maybe I should drive when we land,” she replied, raising one eyebrow teasingly.

I shook my head and laughed, feeling my tense body relaxing. “No. You were driving in my dream.”

She slapped my chest playfully. “I’m not a bad driver!”

“Yeah right, I won’t trust you to drive our kids around,” I joked.

She poked me in the side playfully. “I’m not having your babies, Pretty Boy.”

I shrugged casually. “Hopefully you’ll change your mind. I still have time to make you fall for me. I predict we’ll be engaged within a year,” I teased, pulling her body closer to mine, noticing how she tensed at my words.

Her forehead creased with a frown as her eyes tightened. “You still under the impression that I’m gonna fall in love with you?” she replied sarcastically.

“I’m hoping.” I smiled and couldn’t help but laugh; if she knew I was serious, she’d freak the hell out! Knowing I needed to change the subject before she saw though my playful joke that wasn’t actually a joke, I nodded at her sketchpad. “What you drawing?”

She smiled and turned it around so I could see. On the page was a perfectly drawn portrait of Jush and me sitting on the sofa in my apartment.

“That’s incredible.” What she could do with a piece of paper and a pencil amazed me.

“Thanks,” she nudged my shoulder with hers. “So, that girls’ night…” she trailed off, looking at me hopefully.

I suppressed my groan and forced a smile. I had agreed to it after all, so there was no backing out now. “Yeah, whenever you want.”

She beamed at me and her whole face seemed to light up. “I’ll talk to them about it tomorrow then, maybe we’ll arrange it for Friday night?” she suggested, watching my face.

I nodded and looked away so she didn’t see that panic that was starting to burn inside me at the thought of leaving her alone. Technically, I wasn’t allowed to leave her alone if there was someone else with her, but I would be right next door. I could maybe have a background check done on them before they came, just to make sure nothing flagged up. Today was only Sunday, so I had a few days to get some searches run before Friday. I’d definitely keep that secret though, she’d probably kill me if she knew I was screening her friends.