Little Book Of Red Lies | Shubman Gill ✓

36. Do Pal

Sundarbans, West Bengal.

The entire Sundarbans were full of wild animals. White tigers. Slithering snakes. Squeaking birds. But no animal interested Shubman except the beast that had taken Kavya away. Ever since Shubman had cut the call, he had been working on calming his mind. Angry thoughts flowed in as if a dam had been broken but he knew he had to put a stop. Anand would be here any minute now.

He studied the thick green canopy above him. It somehow comforted him when he imagined it to be Kavya, protecting him from the heat of his own thoughts.

Elsewhere, Kavya toiled hard to keep that smile away from her face. She was not oblivious to the conditions under which she was going to see Shubman. She knew the danger that lurked around her, she knew that she was soon going to enter a forest full of wild animals. Yet, the primary focus of her consciousness was the anticipation of sighting Shubman.

She had to see him. She had to know that he was there. Alive. Safe.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Anand's bewilderingly bold baritone, "You see that speck of dot, darling, over there, that's your guy." Kavya follows his index finger to see a tiny frame. The word tiny made her silently chuckle. Thanks to the huge distance between them, Shubman appeared small. At least for once, she thought. If only she could move close enough to get a proper glance of his face.

"Oh honey, I know what you're thinking. You want to move closer don't you?" He seemed to have read her mind. Or expression. Or both.

She swallowed. It was a trap. If she said yes, he was sure to ask her to stand where she was enjoying her misery and if she said no she would risk contradicting him. She remained still, praying that if there was any ounce of humanity in him, he would let her get to a distance where she could at least register Shubman's body language if not his face.

Anand smiled a lopsided smile.

"Now, we don't want your guy to know that you're here, are we? You can not be deft enough to believe that you will escape with him, are you sweetheart?"

Kavya shook her head. Of course she wasn't. The thought, however exhilarating, was out of bounds. She hadn't forgotten what he had said before coming here.

"If you try to flee, Shubman dies. And eventually. Sachin. And Rahul. And Arjun. And Sara. All of them die. But first Shubman will die the most painfully slow death if you try escaping."

And Waheguru knew she would never risk Shubman's life. Or the life of her loved ones.

"I am not going to move from here or try anything of that sort. But you have to keep your promise of not hurting him."

"Oh I will, honey. As long as you're with me, Shubman is safe."

"Good." She found herself saying. It was anything but good. It was agony. But if it meant safety for Shubman then be it.

"Okay then. Sorted. I'll be back in some time. Can't wait to boil your boy's blood."

Kavya had no idea what he plotting. He had skillfully decided to keep her in the dark. Anand worked on making people suffer. He wanted Kavya to suffer by snatching her sleep away as she laid awake in bed wondering what he had talked to Shubman about. But Kavya was determined to find out.

Swallowing the dread rising within her, she took a step forward, careful to avoid stepping on the dry leaves.

*****

A gust of strong wind blew as Anand made his appearance in front of Shubman. The wind brought a fragrance to Shubman. His forearm hair rose. It was Kavya's scent. She was here!