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WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ/CAUGHT UP WITH THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES.

Hey everyone! Welcome to the third book in the 'Unconditionally' series. Most likely, it won't be a stand alone novel, and you need to read the first two books first.

1) Unconditionally: Anabia Zohaib & Rehan Tariq

2) Irrevocably: Hooriya Rehan & Farhaan Faiz/Haya Rehan & Aariz Abdullah

3) Rohaan Rehan Tariq and...? (Yet to be determined!)

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DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY IS ABOUT MUSLIM CHARACTERS, BUT THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE CHARACTERS MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT REFLECT ISLAM. AS ALWAYS, I'LL CLARIFY AS MUCH AS I CAN WHEN IT DOESN'T.  ISLAM IS PERFECT, MUSLIMS ARE NOT.

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Rohaan Rehan Tariq

"You're nothing like your father!" The man spat out.

"You're damn right, I'm not. He never crossed his limits, but I am willing to cross any and every limit to punish the ones who hurt my loved ones." I leaned forward, intimidatingly.

31

Detective for the Criminal Investigations Department.

Hot-heated, courageous, yet soft hearted when it comes to family.

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Yamna Yasin

"I am not that hamster that you used to be mean to all that time anymore! Don't treat me like a naïve little child!"

21

Had her first young-adult novel published under a pen-name.

Engaged to Yusuf Shafi, Rohaan's best friend.

Rohaan's Yasin Chachu's daughter.

Sweet, shy, kind-hearted, caring.

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Amira 'Mira' Shafi

25

Social media content creator for major fashion brand/travel vlogger. 

Sister of Yusuf Shafi, Rohaan's best friend.

Feisty, bold, confident, but with a likable and loving personality.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SCENES CONTAIN VIOLENCE, SHOOTING, FATALITY. 

Rohaan

With a frown on my face, I stepped hard on the accelerator causing my car to practically fly down the motorway. All I could think was of the message I'd received from the anonymous number.

<UNKNOWN: Your friend will pay for the little raid. A life for a life.>

"Hey Siri, call Yusuf." I muttered from between gritted teeth.

The call connected via Bluetooth, and the car echoed with the sound of the ringtone.

"Answer, Yusuf!" I snapped. I took a deep breath and paused. "Hey Siri, call Yamna." 

Today of all days, Yamna Yasin, my cousin was in the car with Yusuf, her fiancé, as well as Yusuf's sister, Amira. Mira had taken Yamna on a shopping trip, and Yusuf had picked them up.

And then a motorcycle zoomed past me, following Yusuf's car, and I just knew. "No, you f**ker. Not on my watch." I was breaking all speed limits, but I was thinking of sweet innocent Yamna, my best friend Yusuf, and his innocent sister Mira. None of them deserved this.

And then there was the gunshot.

F**k.

No. F**k.

I thought of Yasin Chachu's devastated face. Yamna was his only child.

I thought of the almost one decade old friendship with Yusuf. 

And I thought of the girl that I had an undeniable crush on, Mira Shafi.

In front of my eyes, Yusuf's car lost control, crashing into the barrier at the side of the road.

"YUM-YUM!" I shouted out automatically. I stopped my car, pulling my gun out off its holster and getting out of the car. With quick reflexes, I raised the gun at the motorcyclist who had probably stopped to take another shot.

Bang.

Perfect shot.

The motorcyclist let out a startled yelp, before falling off the bike. 

I ran forward, towards the car and stopped by the driver's side, closing my eyes in pain as I saw the shattered glass and the lifeless body of my best friend. Beside him, Mira lay unconscious, her hair covering her face. My gaze went to the back and my heart almost stopped.

Yamna had her hands pressed to the glass and she was sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at me. "Rohaan..." She mouthed.

I opened the back door with a trembling hand. Yamna still had the habit of wearing her seat belt, even in the back seat. I crouched down on the ground. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" 

I started hearing sirens of the emergency services.

Yamna shook her head.

I held out my hand and she unbuckled her belt, before placing her hand in mine. I helped her out of the car.

A groan from the motorcyclist made me turn.

"Ro!" Yamna clutched my arm, peeking out slightly from behind me, clearly terrified.

I heard the sound of my radio, and I grabbed it before speaking into it. "I was too late, I'm afraid. They got him."

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"I'm very sorry." The doctor informed us of the news that I already was well aware of.

Yusuf Shafi, my best friend, was dead.

Yamna, who sat on some chairs nearby, was already trembling so much. The moment she heard the news, she threw up right there. The man she had been engaged to was dead.

"Nurse," The doctor immediately gestured for a nearby nurse to take care of Yum-Yum.

I walked forward and sat down beside here. "I know it's a tragedy that cannot be expressed in words, hamster. I'm so sorry that you had to experience this. I'm so sorry that I couldn't stop this."

She took her glasses off, shaking her head. "How are we going to tell Mira?" 

The nurse came and helped her up. "Come with me, sweetheart." She turned to me. "You her husband? Boyfriend?" 

"I am her cousin" 

"And how are you related to the other young lady?" The doctor questioned me.

"Yusuf was my best friend, and she's his sister." I took my badge out. "I'm actually here on duty though. I'm Detective Rohaan Rehan Tariq." 

She nodded. 

My phone rang and as I reached into my pocket to pull it out, my keys fell out. I glanced down and saw the lion keychain. 

I have to be brave. I have to be strong. I chose a career that requires me to supress my emotions.

But constantly, the image of Yamna crying through the window kept flashing in my mind, and it weakened me. 

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Yamna Yasin

These things don't happen to people in real life.

I just life witnessed an action film, except that there were no cameras, no directors, no actors. It was all real.

And Yusuf, my fiancé was gone.

I had barely come to accept the fact that he had brought a proposal for me in front of my parents, and I'd barely gotten used to the fact that he had become my fiancé (with my consent, of course), when this happened.

"You okay?" The nurse smiled kindly at me after helping me clean up.

I nodded. "Thank you." 

My legs shaking, I headed out of the room she had brought me into and I stopped. Across the room, I could see Mira on the bed, and Rohaan standing beside her. They both were in a grim conversation, and suddenly Mira burst into tears. I saw the pain on Rohaan's face when he saw her tears, and I felt a similar pang of it in my heart.

Or maybe it's jealousy.

Jealousy? Why? I was engaged to his late best friend! 

Oh my God, Yamna, look at the situation! Stop thinking these things.

I turned to head towards the exit of the hospital, when Rohaan looked up and saw me.

"You okay?" He mouthed.

I nodded before continuing down the hall.

What has just happened? I was in a state of disbelief as I walked out of the unknown hospital of the unfamiliar town. What have I just witnessed?!

The images of the shootout kept running through my head, and I knew that I was going to relieve this nightmare for years to come.

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Okay, yes, first of all, this is the darkest book of the series. However, it will lighten up eventually.

Secondly, no, it's not a love triangle. There's only one girl for Ro, and there won't be a competition, but I haven't decided who it is yet.

If it's Yamna, I might be about to write a cousin marriage for the first time, but Islam allows it, and this story is of Muslim characters (even though they're imperfect).

Which team are you guys on? Team Mira or Team Yamna?

Thoughts and comments?

Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote!