Page 73 of Born in Ruin

The echo of those words sent a chill down Ishaan’s spine. Hadn’t Dhrithi told them that Varun had once claimed something to that effect?

The speedboat came to a slow halt, the motor cutting out. Silence descended upon them.

Naveen pointed to the house. “Let’s go,” he said.

Ishaan didn’t argue. He already knew there was no point. He only hoped Virat truly was tracking him or this looked like a one way ticket to nowhere. He got out of the boat, sloshing his way to shore, Naveen beside him.

As they approached the house, three figures detached themselves from the coconut trees bordering the property. They all wore black hooded robes that covered them from top to bottom. Ishaan stopped at the sight of them, standing silently to one side. Where the hell had they come from? There must be road access to this place then. His gaze scanned the area but it was too dark to see anything.

“Keep going,” Naveen said, giving him a slight shove from behind.

“What is this? Some kind of cult?” Ishaan asked, allowing his unease to percolate through his voice.

“Should have snorted the shit I offered you, man.” Naveen smiled, his teeth a flash of white in the darkness. “It makes this all even better.”

Ishaan hesitated on the step of the house, his heart beating like a war drum in his chest.

“Go ahead. We’ll be waiting for you out here.”

Seeing no other option available, Ishaan opened the door and stepped into the dark house. He walked through silent, empty rooms that smelled of dust and disuse, making his way slowly towards the room at the back, the only one with a light on. His instincts were screaming, his inner voice telling him to run and to keep running. Whatever was in that room was nothing good, nothing he wanted to see. And still, he kept walking, his step sure but hurried.

Then he opened the door, the sudden light blinding him. He blinked and cleared his vision getting his first good look at what lay in that room.

And his heart stopped.

Mayukhi sat, naked, blindfolded, gagged and bound to a chair, her head drooping against her chest, her entire body slumping forward.

Beside her feet lay a single, black mask.

FORTY

Mayukhi

Mayukhi shivered, her hands and legs cramping, as someone moved them around. A soft coat was wrapped around her, her hands pushed into the sleeves, the extra-large material cocooning her. She opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light. Everything around her looked hazy, like she was looking through a grimy filter. She blinked and tried to wipe her eyes but her hands wouldn’t cooperate. Her body felt like a lead balloon.

“Yukhi, baby, can you hear me?” Someone was saying desperately, the words choppy to her ears. Her brow furrowed. That voice sounded familiar. Why did it make her want to cry?

She sniffled though she tried to stop it. Mayukhi Chatterjee never cried. A tear dripped down her cheek, trailed over her chin and on to the soft coat she seemed to be wearing. Was it a new look for the launch? She would never do something as tacky as put a coat on a woman and nothing else, would she? She was losing her touch. More tears streamed down her cheek. This was embarrassing.

“Baby please no. Please don’t cry. I’m begging you.”

She felt herself being lifted off her feet, cradled gently against a hard chest as she was carried out of the room. She was being carried again. Again! Something tugged at her memory, a sliver of warning, here and then gone before she could grab hold of it, examine it, and make it make sense.

Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing.

Another voice joined the frantic one. This one was more steady, measured…calming even. Mayukhi’s tears didn’t stop. They continued down her cheeks, a steady drip.

“They’re gone. The staff at the house are claiming they haven’t been here in over a month,” the calm voice said.

Whoever was carrying her was running now. Fresh air slapped her cheeks a moment later. Was that the ocean she smelt? What a nice dream this was. She’d always loved the ocean. She could spend hours on vacation, just sitting on the beach and staring out at it.

“We’ll go there soon. You can sit by the ocean for as long as you want. I’ll charter a yacht so you can sit on it.” That frantic voice promised. Huh! Had she said that out loud or was Frantic Voice reading her mind? It was a puzzle…

“I’ve called Amay. He’s waiting for you at the hospital.” Calm Voice sounded pissed. She didn’t know how she knew that but she knew. Calm or not, this voice was a raging volcano.

“Where did they go?”

“We don’t know, Ish. It’s like they poofed into thin air.”

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