My hands intuitively grabbed his back out of fear; he glanced back at me in a split second as I clawed on his jacket. There came another gunshot and Manik dodged dragging me down along with him. It was his turn to fire and he immediately pulled me behind the wall to escape the reciprocating gun shots.

"Don't move from here", he warned me pressing me behind his back and the wall.

I was numb and upon that the deafening sound of the bullets had locked my senses to react. I couldn't understand what was happening and most importantly why. I was almost in a trance as I gaped at his back as Manik swayed invariably with the gun in his hand. I had almost lost my thinking abilities, at a moment I thought I should run from there but there was danger everywhere and I was clinging to one as well.

"Now do you know why I avoid you in public...it is dangerous to be seen with me", he actually flashed his teeth in that situation and I didn't know how to react to his statement. Of course it answered one of my questions but most definitely this was not the reason I was waiting to know.

I saw a few doors opening to the sound outside and immediately closing. No one dared to come out as they heard the gunshots. Two people probably the hotel guests tried to hide behind the vases in the hallway.

"So..so you are a criminal", I still wanted him to confess it even after getting all the possible evidences of the world.

He laughed a little, "You still have doubts in that", he grabbed a vase from the hallway and tossed it on the direction the assailant was and it was shattered into a hundred pieces by another bullet. Now Manik was sure about the position of the man. Most probably there was only one man.

Manik wasn't even looking at me. He had pushed me behind him and continued aiming at his target. Manik aimed and fired once again and I heard a loud shriek from the other side which just meant he had hit bulls eye. He peeped a bit and then came out inspecting the hallway.

"Come out", Manik held out his hand for me to catch but I was almost paralyzed to react. He shook his hand once again before me then himself grabbed my hand and pulled me out. I saw the man lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He was the same French cut man I had seen with Manik in the morning. He was whimpering in pain holding his leg. Manik walked up to him in slow strides and shot his other leg too so that he couldn't move even if he wanted to and snatched his gun too. My eyes shot up in fear and agony at the ghastly sight in front of me. Manik turned back to look at me, his evil stare ran a sense of fright down my spine. I took my steps back as he came closer to me. I turned back and ran to save myself from this nightmare in broad daylight. But he was fast, faster than me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.

"Wh..whe... Where are yo..you taking me?", I tried not to move holding the pillar.

"Not a single question more", he hushed me placing his gun on my lips.

I was struggling with words to come out, "I won't co...come with you..le..leave me please.."

"Do you think you have that choice now?", his eyes had fire in them.

"What do you want from me?"

"You..I had told you not to get me addicted', he traced my face with the gun.

"Listen you can't do anything... My family is here now", I was not sure but I think I was trying to threaten him.

He laughed out loud for a moment and quickly gathered himself, "You really think they can help after seeing this gun in my hand"

"You are a criminal a murderer and and a liar too", my eyes began clogging with tears because that was the only thing I could do after my faith in him was broken into a thousand pieces.

He read the regret in my eyes, regret of trusting him and regret of loving him, "My lips do lie but my kisses don't", he fisted his fingers in my hair and tilted my head up and smacked his lips onto mine ruthlessly. I pushed his chest with both my hands to separate but he was forceful. He left me after I purposely bit his lower lip. A stream of blood dripped from his lips.

"It's not my fault...your plum rose just drives me crazy", he smirked rubbing the blood off his lips.

"Leave me you rascal", I scratched my nails on his knuckles as he held me tight.

"You only didn't want me to leave you alone...you love me right", he mocked at me and I hated myself for having confessed my love for this jerk.

I screamed out loud for help as Manik yanked me with him but no one had the guts to come to my rescue. The two guests hiding behind the vases stilled at the position as they saw the gun in Manik's hand and none of my pleas seemed to be important than their own lives. As we proceeded a little further we heard someone's eager footsteps towards us. Manik alarmed in a second had held me captive even more tightly.

"Di!!!!", Rishab screamed from the other side.

A sense of relief struck me to see someone come for my help but the moment I realized the danger attached to it made me react otherwise.

"Rishab...Rishab go away... run"

"Stay right there kiddo if you don't want your sister to be hurt", Manik warned placing the gun on my head. I looked into his unapologetic eyes. If in my dream I had thought of giving him a benefit of doubt then he had crushed that too.

Rishab squealed and begged Manik to leave me. I felt so helpless to see Rishab like that

"Rishab run and inform Appa.. he won't do anything to me", I don't know why but I said confidently, "He can't kill me so don't be afraid"

Rishab looked at Manik trying to be sure of my words and Manik just dazed at my confidence in him and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"You are right I can't kill you...you are too precious for me right now but I wouldn't have any qualms in shooting that lad down the hall way right through his head", he shifted his target from me to Rishab.

"No you can't do that...he is my brother Manik"

"Oh should I care...come with me right now or you wouldn't have time to regret either"

I was still in two minds whether to give into his demands. Manik saw Rishab move a little from his place at fired in his direction. The bullet missed Rishab's ear by an inch and hit the portrait behind him that fell onto the floor with a thud.

"Rishabbb", I shrieked in my loudest tone.

"You really wouldn't want to piss me off right now", Manik warned me again.

"Why are you doing this Manik?"

"It is because of your stupidity that I am in this mess and I will need you to get out of here...so come with me if you don't want any more bodies sweeping the floor."

I let him drag me out of there while Rishab had frozen there in shock. Nobody dared to cross our path looking at the gun in his hand. We reached downstairs hiding and confronting. We came to the lobby. The staff at the reception counter hid themselves wherever they could and none dared to come out of their rooms. Manik hurried with me outside. All the way he dragged me with him I could have tried to escape but I was so lost in the incidents that had just happened that I found it difficult to react or protest. I was still trying to poke me that it was happening for real. Just as we had reached his car, he left me to open the door and I tried to make a run as he was about to put me in his car.

Manik glared at me angrily, "I knew it is difficult for you to understand simple instructions...you have to make me do things I don't want to", he hit me around my nape and I passed out. He pushed me inside the car and drove off.

***

"Shit guys we gotta get out of here...the cops will be here any moment and we can't risk it staying back", Cabir panicked at Mukti and Abhimanyu's room

"I knew it he will screw it because of Nandini", Mukti punched her fist on her other palm

"Come on yaar even her life is in danger", Abhimanyu tried to sound fair

"Stop it guys and let's get out of here fast...don't use your normal numbers use the private ones and don't try to get in touch with Manik, I will do that when needed okay and now disperse", Cabir left watching out around him.

***

After some time in the hotel

"Kishore please get my daughter...I want my Nandini back please...its been 5 hours now please do something", Mom begged Appa as she held a trembling Rishab in her arms.

Rishab was left in a state of shock after seeing what he saw after a while, an almost dying man in front of him, his sister held at gun point and the sudden shot that he escaped by a millimeter. All of this was too much for a 15 year old teenager and he shivered at the thought that he could have just died.

"Ragini please be strong...Nandini will be with us I promise just take care of Rishab and I am going to talk to the cops, we will surely have a lead by now ", Appa consoled Mom who was crying hysterically now after what Rishab managed to narrate them.

***

In a shabby and disoriented room

"You guys are safe na?", Manik spoke over the phone.

"Yes I am fine...I have asked Mukti and Abhi to reach Mumbai asap so that is sorted...Manik do you have the chip?", Cabir asked from the other side of the phone.

"Yes I do but not the circuit and the chip is useless without it...damn the whole plan is spoiled due to a stupid mistake of Nandini", he threw his hands in air in despair.

"Where is she?? Is she okay"

"Yeah she is okay...sleeping", he looked back at me as I slept on an old rugged bed.

"I know Nandini will be safe with you around ...Manik what are you planning to do now?"

"I don't know I have to get out of Goa asap and then there is Nandini now...these guys are on our prowl?..", he scratched his head and got irritated.

"Manik just a piece of information Nandini's Dad is a renowned research scientist..he has very good contacts with the Ministry as well and now even the cops will be hounding for you."

"Yeah I was expecting that too..don't worry so far Nandini is with me they won't do anything stupid... okay so you be careful and I will get in touch with you when I need.", he hung and turned to me.

I was sleeping like I was having the most peaceful nap of my life unaware of what mess my life was in right now. He walked up to my bed and looked at my face carefully. I had a small cut on my head. I had got it when he had pushed me into the car forcefully. He sat down beside me and tried to caress the wound. I writhed a little in sleep and he immediately moved his hand. I slowly opened my eyes to see him leaning on me.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Get off me", I shouted pushing him with both my hands. I felt a strong catch around my neck as I tried getting up.

"Wooo relax", Manik tried to guard to lie down again and I jerked his hands off again.

"Where the hell have you got me? What do you want from me Manik? Oh wait are you Manik or even that is a lie"

He got annoyed at my chain of questions and got up. I followed him down the bed and stood up. I limped a little trying to watch my steps and held him by his sleeves for support as well as to make him face me.

"Where do you think you are going without answering me...So my first impression about you wasn't wrong...you are actually a criminal and I like a fool believed you...come on tell me everything that Mukti said about you...about Prateek...drug peddling...mafia...all of it was a lie right...answer me dammit", I grabbed his collars to draw a reaction from him but he kept quiet. "All those night that we spent together in each other arms, kissing each other was a big fat lie...you being insecure about Dhruv, being possessive about me all of it was a lie...how could you this to me? You very well knew that I had started feeling for you and all this while you were pretending to care for me to be worried for me...I was so stupid such a big fool I was"

"Yes you are a fool a very big one on top of that...you really thought you can fall in love with someone you know for 2 days...like seriously how stupid can you really be and you went heights when you confessed that you love me that too in front of a complete stranger and right now we are in this shit because of you"

"Because of me??", I really couldn't believe he was blaming me for everything he did.

"Yes you...it was you or else I would have achieved everything I was here for but only because you were involved things got messed up"

"You go on lying to people, killing people, threatening them and I messed it up...listen Mr. Manik Malhotra or whoever you are if you think I am scared of you then you are highly mistaken...so far unknowingly I was your bait but no more..I am not going to be a part of this ploy anymore", I said it right on his face and stepped back. He didn't let me take another step away before which I felt his strong clasp on my arms and I crashed against his chest brutally.

"Listen very carefully Ms. Murthy willingly or unwillingly you are a part of this chase now so it's not a choice for you anymore... by now you must have understood that I am literally talking about life and death here and not some silly feeling of yours", his jaws clenched in fury.

His words hurt me to the core; my feelings were silly for him and what more was I expecting from this heartless being.

"Right now as much as I need you to get out of here ....you need me to be ALIVE", he bulged his eyes to scare me with his words and actions

"Then I prefer being dead", I spat out not being afraid of the consequences.

Manik nodded his head and gave up the argument, "Fine then I was trying to be a little lenient with you but I guess you don't want it..so be it", he dragged me to the bed and tied my hands to the head rest pole with my scarf. I protested and fought and physically I was no match for him and mentally I was too drained. He left me for a moment and came back to another cloth and some tapes. He tied my legs and stuck the tapes on my mouth to refrain from shouting.

"Amm well this is not much of a place where you will shout and people will come running to save you but still it is better to be careful with you around..you are nothing but a walking talking problem", Manik smirked a little while I frowned at him comment, "Hang on", he pulled the tape aside and delved his lips on to mine and came off after giving a quick peck before I could make myself react, "I needed that...I will be back in a jiffy sweetheart", he gave a devilish smile and vanished.

Finally I got some alone time to think what mess I had got myself into. There was no point on crying over spilt milk. He had hurt me, played with my feelings but that was a different ball game all together. Now I knew he was involved in unlawful activities and had to be punished for what he had done. Suddenly I remembered I still had that pouch in my pocket. All this while I had completely forgotten about it but thankfully in the fit of rage I had not mentioned it to Manik because if I was not wrong that was the thing Manik was after me for. I felt a swirl of loath and hatred as I thought about the moments I had spent with him willingly. I had let him touch me and kiss me whenever he wanted and I felt disgusted about it. Now all the more I wanted this man behind the bars for all the crime that he had done otherwise and the game he had played with me. But for that I needed to inform the cops and for that I need to get out of there. Manik was nowhere there and I had to cash on this opportunity.

Comments please :))