Bound by Revenge (The Singham Bloodlines) Read online

  She had taken a few steps before she stopped short due to her aunt's next words.

  “If you are going up to look for your phone, you won’t find it. You won’t have access to the rest of the world unless I allow you to.”

  Anika’s legs trembled at the threat, but she stood tall and swung back to face her aunt. “I’m twenty-six-years-old. You cannot stop me if I want to leave. No one can.”

  Her aunt smiled. “Ah. She does have some backbone.” She turned to look at Sabitha who had joined them and was quietly listening. “See, I told you, Sabi. You said you wanted to be the queen because your cousin doesn’t have the guts or backbone to rule next to Abhay Singham. Look at her now. She will definitely be able to tame the ferocious beast.” There was a proud look on Neelambari's face.

  Sabitha didn’t respond.

  Anika shook her head. “I don’t care what you all think of me. This was a mistake and I’m leaving right now.” She began walking towards the stairway.

  “Myra is pretty sweet. Pity her life is going to be cut short at the age of twenty.”

  Anika froze.

  “Just because I haven’t stepped out of my room in thirty years, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid or powerless.” Her aunt spoke in a quiet tone that raised goosebumps on her skin. “If you care about the safety of your mother, her husband, and your half sister, you will do as I say.”

  Anika turned to look at her aunt. “You’re lying. You can’t harm them. I’ll warn them. They are safe—”

  “Safe for now. But for how long…it all depends on you.”

  Anika shook off the threats and turned to leave. This time she headed towards the main door. She had to get out of this house first. She’d come back for her stuff later or send someone to get it from there.

  “She doesn’t believe us, Sabitha. Tell her what little Myra is doing right now.” Her aunt's tone was playful.

  “Myra is with her friends at a party held on her university campus.”

  “And Mr. and Mrs. Patel?”

  “Their cruise ship is docked in Spain,” Sabitha answered in a robotic voice, but it was enough to make Anika freeze on the spot.

  “Ah, she believes us now, Sabi. Maybe if she doesn’t, we should probably bring Myra here to keep her company.”

  Anika swung towards them. “If you harm my little sister in any way, I will—”

  Before she could complete her threat, her aunt cut her off. “Keep quiet! This is the first and last time you will take that tone with me. I didn’t spend thirty years of my life in solitude for nothing.”

  Anika stood still, various thoughts and emotions running inside her head trying to come up with a logical explanation.

  “What if I don’t want anything to do with this?” Anika asked in a calm tone.

  “Oh, you will. And willingly too.”

  “I will tell that man…Abhay Singham that I’m being forced to do this. He’ll refuse to marry me then—” She broke off to her aunt’s loud laugh.

  Her aunt threw back her head while laughing, and then she shook her head in amusement. “My dear niece. Abhay Singham is a beast. He can kill a person with his bare hands, without batting an eyelid. He will do anything for the people living in this province. And the people want… you.”

  Fear locked Anika’s throat at her aunt's words and the description of the man.

  “Three more hours…and you’ll meet your future husband at the Singham temple.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Anika sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around her raised knees. Almost an hour had passed since the revelations. Everything felt surreal, and she badly wanted to wake up from the nightmare.

  Anika’s phone had gone missing, and there were no landlines or computers available. She was completely cut off from her world to be left at her aunt’s mercy.

  I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I need to get help and not drown in self-pity!

  The knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, but Anika didn’t respond. She knew it wasn’t her aunt or Sabitha because they wouldn’t bother knocking.

  “Madam, I brought your lunch.” A soft voice of a woman came through the door.

  Maybe the maid can help.

  “Come in!”

  The maid wheeled in a cart with silver dishes placed on top. The aroma emitting from the food made Anika’s stomach even queasier. She was too nervous to think of eating right then.

  “Do you need anything else, madam?” the maid asked with a polite smile.

  “Yes. A phone.”

  The maid’s eyes fell. “I’m sorry, madam. We were instructed not to allow you to speak with anyone outside this house, or even help you leave.”

  Anika wanted to lash out, but she knew the maid was only following orders.

  She didn’t know whom to ask for help. She only knew Sabitha. Even though Sabitha appeared cold and unfeeling, the fact that they were cousins by blood should somehow compel the other woman to help.

  “Where is Sabitha? I want to speak with her.”

  The maid looked scared and didn’t answer.

  “You said, I’m not allowed to speak with anyone outside the house. Sabitha lives here. So tell me where she is.”

  The maid bit her lip uncertainly. “Sabitha madam is…busy.”

  “Where is she? I’ll go find her.”

  “She’s downstairs in the—” The maid broke off, paling rapidly. “I-I don’t know where she is.”

  Anika didn’t believe her, but she didn’t want to push the maid too much. “Thanks. That’s it for now. Maybe I’ll speak with her later when she comes to me.”

  The maid nodded and left hurriedly with the door clicking shut behind her. As soon as the receding footsteps of the maid could barely be heard, Anika got down from the bed, and moved towards the bedroom door.

  She turned the knob and luckily it was not locked. Her aunt must have been incredibly confident that she wouldn’t try to escape.

  Slowly, she opened the door, and looked outside into the empty hallway. She crept through the hall, her bare feet hardly making any sound. And instead of going down the main stairs that led to the large living room, she continued until she saw another flight of stairs that seemed to lead to a lower level.

  She continued down the stairs until she reached the floor that seemed to be at the basement level. The hallway was dimly lit. As she moved along, she could hear the faint sounds of a man gasping, and water being splashed.

  Was that a bathroom? She wasn’t sure because she heard voices of other men and also a woman’s which sounded much like that of her cousin’s.

  Her heart began to beat loudly as she walked closer, and then stopped in front of a door, where she could hear the voices even more clearly. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door a few inches.

  There were four men, along with Sabitha, standing with their backs facing the door. They were watching something. No, not something. Someone. That someone was gasping and coughing.

  “More.” As soon as Sabitha passed the order, one of the burly men moved and picked up a large bucket. As soon as the burly man moved, Anika saw another man, tied to a chair.

  Water was poured on his head, more or less drowning him. Soon there was more gasping, followed by sobbing. “P-please! Stop!”

  “Then give me the name,” Sabitha demanded softly.

  “K-Karunakar Reddy. Please, stop. No more! No more!” The man sobbed and begged.

  Sabitha raised her hand, indicating to the man holding another bucket of water—to stop.

  “P-please, forgive me. Give me a last chance!” The man’s sobs grew in size, even though the torture with the water had stopped.

  “You know I never give another chance to anyone. You make a mistake, you die,” Sabitha stated calmly.

  One of the men handed something to Sabitha. Only when it gleamed in the faint light, did Anika realize that it was a gun. A scream got lodged into her throat with fear.

  “Please!” The man began to beg. “I have
a family. My wife is pregnant. J-just give me another c-chance.”

  Sabitha sighed audibly, and then she fired not once, not twice, but repeatedly, only stopping when the lifeless body of the man slumped in the chair.

  She handed back the gun to one of the men. “Clear up this mess and get ready. We have to leave to the temple in an hour.”

  The men nodded at Sabitha’s instruction. Two men began untying the dead man, and started rolling his body in plastic, while two other men began to clear the blood on the ground.

  The scream lodged in Anika’s throat was finally let loose. She screamed out shrilly and shook violently. She vomited on the floor next to her, but since she hadn’t eaten anything all day, they were only dry heaves.

  She trembled as footsteps drew closer to her. When she raised her bleary eyes, she saw the bloody shirt and trousers of her cousin.

  “Y-you killed him! You killed a man! How could you? How—” Sabitha grabbed Anika’s arms, and shook her until her hysteria died, and only her sobs remained.

  “How did you know I was here?” Sabitha demanded.

  “You killed a man. You deliberately took a life of a person,” Anika whispered as tears continued pouring out of her eyes.

  Her cousin’s eyes hardened. “Not my first time, and it won’t be the last either. So shut up and get back to your room. Come down when you are called. Go!”

  With her body still trembling in shock, Anika ran towards the stairway. She couldn’t recall how she found her room, but as soon as she got in, she shut it and locked it from the inside.

  The scene she had witnessed began to play again and again behind her eyes, especially the part where the man was begging for his life, and also pleading because his wife was pregnant.

  Her cousin was a heartless monster! She killed the man in cold blood.

  Anika cried at the helplessness she felt, being trapped in the hellhole with absolutely no one to help escape.

  *****

  Anika didn’t know how long she lay curled on the bed in a fetal position, but she jerked when she heard insistent knocking on the door.

  “Madam, everyone is waiting for you. They have asked me to help you get ready.”

  Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she curled up even tighter.

  “Madam, I-I was told that if I didn’t return with you in thirty minutes, I will be punished. P-please…open the door.” The woman’s voice on the other side of the door trembled.

  Anika’s heart began to thud loudly. Was there no low my aunt and cousin would stoop to? How could they threaten a person for someone else’s actions?

  Reluctantly, she dragged herself from the bed and opened the door. The same maid who had come that morning, stood with an uncertain look, holding a large bag.

  “I-I brought clothes and other accessories for you to get ready.”

  Anika nodded jerkily and moved away from the door. She didn’t want to change or get ready to meet a man she had no interest in seeing, let alone marry. She wanted to shout out those words, but she didn’t want to get the maid in trouble or even get killed because of her.

  She went to the large bathroom within her room and splashed some cold water on her tear-swollen face. She came out and let the maid help her get ready.

  The heavy ornate lehenga and a cropped blouse with endless buttons at the back did require the maid’s help.

  Anika objected to the styling of her hair, and also to wearing the jewelry that was sent up. However, each time she objected, the maid’s eyes lit up in fear, and she had to just let the maid complete the task given to her.

  “All done, madam. You look very beautiful. The Singhams will be more than impressed.”

  Anika nodded, not bothering to look at herself in the mirror.

  “We have five more minutes. Sabitha and madam are very particular about time. Please hurry!”

  Slipping into comfortable shoes which didn’t match her ornate outfit, but were covered by the long lehenga, Anika followed behind the maid.

  Sabitha was already waiting downstairs, dressed in a similar outfit. Anika was shocked at her cousin’s transformation. The woman in front of her barely looked like the heartless monster that had killed a man in cold blood.

  Sabitha's eyes scanned her quickly, probably making sure she had followed the orders. “Let’s go. Neela is already in the car. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

  Anika quietly followed behind her cousin. Right outside the main door, there were two SUVs parked, packed with men. In the middle was a luxury car, where her aunt was waiting impatiently at the back seat.

  “Let’s go. I don’t want the Singhams to think that Prajapati women are tardy.”

  The door was held open, but Anika hesitated.

  Neelambari held a large silver tray with things one carried when they visited temples.

  Instead of snapping at Anika to hurry, Neelambari smiled widely with an approving look. “You look radiant, my dear. You will knock that Singham warrior off his feet.”

  “Come.” Neelambari patted to the empty seat next to her. “Sit next to me.”

  Neelambari spoke in a sweet tone. The same tone she had used when she had called Anika a few weeks ago. But instead of affection, all Anika felt for her aunt was fear and disgust.

  Not having a choice, Anika slid next to Neelambari and sat stiffly.

  Sabitha sat in the front, next to the driver, even though there was enough room in the backseat.

  “To the Singham temple.” Neelambari’s voice hummed with excitement.

  CHAPTER 8

  The ride to the Singham temple was mostly quiet. Apart from “A lot has changed in the last thirty years,” comment from her aunt, there was no other talk.

  An hour or so later, after staring blindly at the scenery outside, Anika noticed that the car was slowing down. There were dozens of people fleeing something.

  “What’s happening?” Neelambari asked. “Sabitha, go check.”

  Sabitha stiffened at the order, but she got out of the car. Anika could see a gun in Sabitha’s hands that she was trying to conceal behind her. But considering Sabitha had worn ethnic wear with no pockets, it was impossible to carry a concealed weapon. Soon, Sabitha disappeared behind the crowd.

  When most of the people had fled, Anika could see dozens of people fighting right outside the temple entrance.

  The sight in front of her was brutal. Anika’s eyes fell on a tall man whose features she could not see from the car. He was pounding someone. The other man fell, but the beating continued until a splatter of blood fell on the tall man's face. He then moved on to the next man who came at him. The tall man grabbed the other man's head and banged it against a boulder, until the blood ran over the stone.

  Anika gasped out loud watching the brutal scene.

  “What is it?” She heard her aunt ask, but the bile threatening to shoot up didn’t allow her to answer.

  “What did you see—” Her aunt’s voice abruptly broke off as she stared at the sight in front of her. “Vijay…” That name came out of her aunt’s lips like a prayer. The rapt, proud and satisfied look on her aunt’s face made Anika even sicker.

  The large man was now tackling yet another person. He grabbed that person by the neck and beat his face repeatedly to the side of a car, until that person had either died or fainted.

  “Vijay Singham…”

  Slowly, Neelambari blinked as though she was coming out of a trance. “No. Not Vijay. That must be his son—Abhay Singham. Your soon-to-be husband.”

  Anika was sure she was going to throw up.

  One of the men who had driven her from the airport, ran towards their car, and got in the front seat where Sabitha had been sitting. He was bleeding profusely.

  “Madam, we are under attack from the Senanis. They found out we would be meeting the Singhams here. We have been asked by Abhay Singham to leave. He has informed us that he will come to the Prajapati house tomorrow for the wedding preparations.”

  Small pingi
ng noises sounded as something hit their car and the windows.

  “We are being shot at! We have to leave right now, madam.” “Let’s go!” Neelambari instructed.

  The car began to drive away.

  “What about Sabitha?” Anika asked in a panic. Even though her cousin turned out to be a cold-blooded murderer, Anika cared for her in the basic human sense. Being a doctor, she only knew how to save lives, not take them away in senseless violence.

  “Sabitha will have to get back in the other cars,” her aunt casually stated as though she gave a damn about her other niece.

  “But people have guns. She must need our help—”

  Her aunt turned towards her, watching in amusement, even as Anika’s panic grew. “Don’t worry. Your cousin is not that helpless. She’s going to live.” The smile turned into mild admiration. “If that girl weren’t born a mongrel, she would have been the right fit to carry the Singham bloodlines. Unfortunately her father, my youngest brother, chose to slum. Not that your father did any good, b But the only saving grace was that your mother was at least a high-born, even if her family line is not in the least impressive.”

  Anika didn’t understand half of the things her aunt was saying to her. The only thing on her mind was to focus and plan on getting away from the hell she was dragged into.

  CHAPTER 9

  The tall figure approached her slowly, not caring for the guns firing in the background. The air was muggy from the bloodshed, and so dusty that she couldn’t see the man’s face.

  She couldn’t see her aunt or Sabitha either, and her first thought was to run.

  She gathered her energy, preparing to escape, but she was stuck inside a car that was locked from the outside.

  The man was getting closer. She could see his crisp white long shirt smeared with blood. She knew it was the blood of the people he must have brutally killed with no conscience.

  She didn’t want to be anywhere close to him. She had to escape now!