Chapter 2

 

"Aacha, a late comer to the party. And who exactly are you, Miss?"

 

Mehek refused to cower, despite the fact the she was staring down the barrel of at least two guns, perhaps three, of the criminals who now had her in their sights. She couldn't afford to, not while the hand that clasped Sara's showed no signs of relenting. She swallowed and raised her hands to show that she was no threat, before she answered. "Mehek...Chef Mehek Sharma," she answered grateful that her voice didn't waver. "I will go in Sara's place, she affirmed, even more resolutely this time.

 

She waited an answer from the man in charge of this plot.

 

"Where have you been all this time, Chef Mehek Sharma?"

"In the back room - the staff room."

"Using your phone," the man asked suspiciously, of the device that the young woman held aloft. "Did you call the police, Chef Sharma?"

"Nahi, I did not," Mehek answered.

The man was quick off the draw, "But they have been called?"

"Haan, I instructed my coworkers who escaped out the back, to telephone as soon as they got out of the building."

The men surrounding the leader uttered their disquiet.

"f**k...we have leave now Boss, they have to be on their way," the one closest to him insisted. He was ignored.

"If there was ample time to escape, Chef Mehek Sharma, why did you not escape with your co-workers? You could have saved yourself."

 

Mehek dared for the first time to glance at Sara, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hide her emotions any longer. Her eyes filled with tears that spilled out in fat droplets that ran down her cheeks, on seeing her friend's desperate state. "Sara screamed. I couldn't save myself knowing that she was in some sort of danger."

 

The man stared at her silently for a minute. "Loyalty is an admirable trait in a man and more-so a woman. So very few of your gender can claim the attribute."

"She's my best friend, I would do anything for her."

"Boss..."

In a flash the man swung his hand around and slammed the muzzle of his gun against the forehead of the man who had interrupted him. "Shut.The.f**k.Up...I am having a conversation. Excuse the interruption Chef Sharma," he said when he turned back to her. "Now where we? Aacha, you the good friend have offered to spend Valentine's with us."

"Haan...if you release Sara."

The gun in his hand perversely stroked Sara's shoulder length hair, when he turned his attention to his hostage. "So beautiful," he murmured.

The young mother-to-be started to hyperventilate.

Mehek panicked, thinking her effort a failure. "Haan Sara is beautiful, she has always been. But what does beauty amount to when the woman in question is unwilling? She will prove more trouble than she is worth."

An arched eyebrow let her know that she had gained the man's attention. He turned back to the chef. "And you are...willing?  Now that is a surprise. I wouldn't have pegged you for the partying type Mehek Sharma."

"I'm not."

"We are bound to be in quite the celebratory mode, my men and I. We have yielded much from such little effort. Are you certain you wish to come with us, Jaan?"

She was already dead inside Mehek thought, so what did it matter anymore. Just as long as Sara and her baby were safe, but even now her friend was shaking her head in denial. "Release Sara and I will go with you."

 

*******

"Stop Mehek, Bhabhi...stop."

Beside him, Shaurya heard his brother's whispered plea, for their chef to stop interacting with the goon whose fixation was slowly, but definitively turning from Sara to her. If even his usually oblivious bhai could see, that then how could she not be aware? Or was her naivety simply an act to buy them time? Either way she was treading on thin ice.

 Vicky called out to him, "Bhaiyaa don't let her do this. You're the only one she will listen to."

 Somehow, Shaurya doubted that to be fact, but he knew he couldn't let things get any worse. It did not bear thinking what would happen should either woman leave the property with the bunch; their leader especially. He had to step in somehow.

 

"You have me intrigued Jaan, but I am a wise man. I can clearly see what I am getting with fair Sara, but that ensemble truly is a bad look on you Mehek. Shall we see what we are working with then? Start with that hat: it does nothing for you, Jaan. Take it off. And then get rid of the coat."

 

It took no effort to jump into the fray, when he heard that demand.

"Bas, enough of this bullshit! Mehek sit your ass down and shut up!  Don't you dare remove a damn thing!"

 

"Shut the hell up, Shaurya Khanna, you have no rights over me," she retorted bitterly... not any more she thought, as she reached up to follow the command she had been given.

 

"I'm your damn boss, and you know the rules. As long as you are on White Chili's property, you remain in complete uniform."

She paused, and then faced him for the first time. She walked over to where he was trussed. He had managed to get into a sitting position, but was still rendered helpless. "Ah well, that's not a problem...not anymore." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "I had plenty of time to put this together while I was out back," she said. "My resignation in writing Khanna Saab. I quit." She placed the graph paper into the breast pocket of his jacket, securely behind his handkerchief.

"Mehek, if you do this, there is no turning back," he warned her under his breath.

She choked on a sob, that she was unable to hold back, and then dared to look into the eyes of the man who had held her heart captive for so many years.  She knew what she was saying, and his backhanded compliment tore her to pieces.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Seven years ago...

 

...if you are not tutoring me, then how will we meet, Mehek? Unless..." He was comforted by the fact that his words had some effect on her when the morose expression his words had caused gave way to a spark of hope.

"Unless, what Shaurie,"she asked.

"I have something for you: an assignment to complete, he said, handing her a folded sheet of graph paper. "Be prepared to hand it in at my next tutoring session. If the answer is right then we will know what to do next."

He had packed his bag up then, and got ready to leave the library, but stopped in his tracks when he turned to say goodbye to her.

 

"I love your hair Mehek," he said distractedly, suddenly reaching for her. She followed his direction, and their hands collided. He smiled, and she sighed in frustration on realization that yet another of her hairpieces must have snapped and her standard ponytail had been destroyed. Her thick tresses were the bane of her existence sometimes, but that day when he had shaken his head, he convinced her of the contrary. Her hand fell away, and she allowed him to run his fingers through it. He set it so that it framed her face, completely mesmerized by the effect of the glossy almost waist length waves. "Leave it down for today; for me," he asked. "It's only for a few hours more."

She blushed and then murmured that she would, before he left her alone, but not before reminding her again of the work he had assigned her today. She unfolded the sheet of blocked paper wondering what he wished solved...

~~~~~~~~~

 

"Dammit Mehek, don't," he ground out as she stood up next to him and, reached for the hat that for more than hygienic reasons he had insisted she wear in his presence.

 

It was to no avail. She stood and turned away from him, and went ahead: first removing the cap, and then removing the pins and bands necessary to tame the luxuriousness she had been graced with. He watched with trepidation the consequences her actions would bring and saw it straight away, not only in the leader but in some of the others, who had discounted her previously. There was definite interest now. None of the men complained about the need to leave when Mehek reached for the top fastening of her chef's jacket. He did the only thing he could and rolled into Mehek and took her off her feet.

 

Mehek shrieked, as she fought to get up almost as soon as she hit the ground. She managed to land a hard slap to Shaurya's face as she struggled to regain her feet. Didn't the man understand? She could not risk Sara under any circumstances. Her friend had so much to live for whereas she had nothing. Her eyes went back to the door, and then proceeded to complete what had been ordered of her.

 

"Stop...enough!"  

The man who held both hers and her friend's fate in his hands, took what Mehek considered a miraculous step, and walked away from the door with Sara. He reached Mehek and after a moment's hesitation released the tearful woman, ordering her to sit in a nearby chair.

 

Immediately expecting to exchange places with her, Mehek looked to her would be captor for his direction when he didn't immediately do anything but stare at her. "Consider me convinced, not to mention extremely intrigued." He ran his fingers through her hair, and then gripped her nape and brought her close to him. "You are a rare beauty, Mehek Sharma," he drawled. He looked over where the restaurant's owner lay glaring at him. "It's good that you have left his employ. I can't imagine that this was a happy environment for you, Jaan." He released her. "Take care of your friend, get her settled next to her husband. Then change your clothes, and come to me, Mehek."

Shaurya waited for the women to walk away before he confronted the man. "You know that you have little time to escape. Leave now, alone, or I swear none of you: neither you or your men will ever make it to jail; every, last one of you will die before you do! "

 

"You forgot to mention that they will be slow and painful deaths, Shaurya, or is that only reserved for any of us that dare to come close to the delectable Mehek Sharma? But what am I saying, she's none of your concern is she? If I'm not mistaken you were in the midst of proposing to someone-else, when we arrived weren't you?"

"Employee or guest, it makes no difference. I would protect either. Ms. Sharma is nothing special."

*********

 "Thank you Mehek."

"Just promise me that you will take care of her and the baby, bhai."

"Stop talking like that. Help is on the way. They won't be able to leave. You won't be going anywhere," Sara whispered tearfully.

"They're already here I think," Mehek, answered looking at the changed demeanors of the men, who after conferring anxiously with their boss, and had scattered throughout the restaurant. "But I don't think I'm quite off the hook just yet. And I'm afraid that being here doesn't make us immune from bad things happening. Tonight, proved that for sure, don't you think?"

The husband and wife exchanged a look, and realized that she deserved the truth that they had learned not long ago themselves.

 

~~~~~~~

Seven years ago...

 

Sara had squealed in delight for her friend when, Mehek had come home to show her what she had been given by the boy she had at first admired from afar, and then had fallen completely in love with. He was her first love and incredibly, inexplicably he felt the something for her too.

"You don't think it's a prank or something?"

Sara answered honestly which Mehek appreciated, "Maybe if it was from some other guy, but not Shaurya Khanna. He doesn't joke. He's like super intense. OMG I can't believe that you being such a brainiac would be so useful in catching a man!"

"You're making it sound like he's ancient, Shaurie is only a year older. But you have a point. It's like so simple and sweet and child-like. Why would Shaurie ask this way?"

"Shaurie is it," Sara teased wiggling her eyebrows. She looked at her friend and then down at the paper. "My guess is that that he sees you for the sweet girl you are, and knew you would like it. He's just romantic." 

The two girls studied the simple but, oh so meaningful question: "Now, how are you going to answer?"  

 

Mehek, will you be my Valentine?

  ____      YES

  ____      NO

 

 

"That's my business," Mehek answered.

 

The two girls were interrupted when Shruti burst into the bedroom. Mehek automatically lost her smile, and slipped the paper between two pages of her text book. Sara's older cousin didn't stay long, but it was enough to raise Mehek's suspicions. Sara immediately noticed the change in her friend's mood. "What is it; what's wrong Mehek?"

"Tanya saw us, saw us in the library today. We weren't actually going over any work."

Straight away Sara understood why Mehek was upset. It was a known fact that some of the older popular girls made it their personal quest to go after guys they knew girls not in their clique liked. How they went about it though was the stuff that fed the rumor mill, some of it pretty scandalous. Both Tanya and Shruti were part of this elite grouping, and for some unknown reason, did not care for Mehek at all.

"Shruti wouldn't allow it this time, cause you're my best friend. You're practically her little sister."

Nothing she could ever say would convince Sara, that Shruti couldn't stand her friend, so Mehek didn't even bother trying. "You didn't see Tanya's expression though," Mehek said, even though it was the other girl she feared more.

 

"Wait, Sara said. I have an idea. "Let me call my friend Trey, he will help you out for sure."

~~~~~~~

 

"Bhaiyaa, something's wrong with Mehek bhabi."

Shaurya did a quick headcount and saw that all the gang were accounted for. He then sought out the leader, as saw that he too was there. Mehek he noted was nowhere in sight. He looked over to the married couple who although comforted to be together, looked alarmingly upset. And then he saw her coming out from the back. She had changed into the clothes she had arrived in. He noted at the same time that she was deathly pale. Her eyes looked enormous against her pallid complexion, but he could not see any other ailment affecting her. He could only think that the stress of everything had caught up with her. But then he watched her slide down the wall she stood beside onto the floor and begin crying uncontrollably. He looked at Vicky in question.

"She's taken a knife from the kitchen. Probably the sharpest one from the block."

Chapter3

 

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2018-02-20 22:39:35