Crush - KarEena

Chapter 16

All that work and nothing to show for it, Roy thought now. The bitch hadn't died. And Haseena had helped her survive. Why? Why had she saved her? She had been furious with Karishma. She had told her she never wanted to Karishma him again. She hated her.Or did she?

Roy remained in his condo all day, too dispirited to go out. He called his ultra-private voice-mail number and had a message that said a job was his for the asking. The contract was so important to the client that Roy could name his own price. Ordinarily, the prospect would have excited him, but even the promise of a lucrative job with a built-in bonus didn't lift him out of his doldrums.

He was superior to Karishma Singh in every way. He had class. He doubted Karishma could even spell it. He was a millionaire. Karishma scraped by on a cop's salary. He wore designer clothes. Karishma dressed like a hippie. He wanted to place Haseena on a throne. Karishma wanted to use her to get to him.

It simply didn't tabulate. How could she possibly prefer Karishma to him?

He was still sulking when the early edition of the evening news came on. Nothing had happened that day to replace the lead story of Chitra's murder and the near-fatal attack on Karishma. After recapping the morning's events, the talking head said, "A press conference was held today at MGS Hospital, where Dr Haseena Malik answered the questions of reporters"

That moved into a videotape of the press conference. Haseena was standing behind a podium and was flanked by two somber men in dark suits who were probably hospital administrators. She squinted against the glare of video lights as she acknowledged one of the eager reporters.

"Dr. Malik, what's Ms. Singh's current condition?"

"She's stable," she replied, "Which is encouraging. She was critical this morning. She had a penetration wound in her back that did a lot of damage to surrounding tissue"

In the right hands, a Phillips screwdriver would do that to a person. Roy's lips curled into a smirk of gratification.

"Was the wound potentially fatal?"

"In my opinion, yes. Lifesaving measures were taken immediately. Our trauma team did an excellent job"

"Was this attack related to the unsolved murder of Ms Singh's brother three years ago?"

"I don't know anything about that"

"Is Karishma Singh still on leave from the police department?"

"That's a question for the police"

"Is she-"

She held up her hands for quiet, "I responded to an emergency call this morning. For a time, I didn't even know the patient's name. I don't know anything about Ms. Singh's career or her family history. I did my job. Beyond that, I can't tell you anything more"

The video ended there. The talking head returned with a brief summation and then moved on to the next story. Roy switched off the TV set but sat there and thought about Haseena's statement, "I did my job."

Of course! She hadn't saved Karishma because she liked her. She had only been doing her job. Roy had nothing against most of the people he'd killed. He hadn't even known them, but that hadn't stopped him from doing what he was paid to do. Haseena had simply been going about her work with the same professional detachment he had when he went about his day.

And wasn't she fantastic, the way she'd handled the media? Coolly professional, unfazed and unimpressed by the media exposure. She was extraordinary.

Oh, she was tired. He could tell that. He'd seen her looking better. But even dishevelled and fatigued she was still beautiful and desirable. He wanted her. He would have her soon. Surely after this, she would appreciate the depth of his devotion to her.

Suddenly he was ravenously hungry and felt like going out.

He poured himself a tequila and took it with him into the black marble shower. After showering and shaving his head and body, he let the water stream for another ten minutes. Following that thorough rinsing, he disassembled the drain, cleaned every component of it with disposable wipes, and then flushed them down the toilet.

He replaced the drain. He wiped the shower stall dry with a towel and placed it in a cloth bag. On his way out he would drop the bag into a chute that emptied into a bin in the building's basement. A laundry service collected the bags twice daily. He never left a used towel in his bathroom.

He finished his drink while dressing in a pair of hand-tailored linen slacks and a silk T-shirt. He liked the feel of the silk against his skin, liked the way it caressed his nipples, as soft and sensual as a woman's tongue. He hoped Haseena would like his tattoo.

He topped off the outfit with a contrasting sports coat. He was overdressed for the Mexican restaurant, but he felt like celebrating. He called down to the parking valet and asked that his Mercedes be brought from the garage.

Before leaving his condo, he placed one more call.

The valet had the Mercedes waiting for him and was holding the driver's door open. "Have a good evening, Mr. Roy."

"Thank you"

Knowing that he looked great and that the young man probably envied him, Roy tipped him generously.

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Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this is a short one, it's just to give a little insight on Roy's flamboyant personality and his psycho character. Please do share your thoughts. See you soon in the next part. Planning on a little surprise, excited for it!

Don't forget to vote, comment and follow. Have a nice day.