Page 21 of Born in Sin (Phoenix #3)

Chapter Eleven

VIRAT

His gritty eyes scanned the screen of the laptop he was hunched over.

He sat on the ground, a bottle of scotch by his side, and a devastating loneliness clawing at his insides.

As deep as he’d gone, as hard as he’d searched, he’d still found nothing.

Nothing. His gaunt face was lit by the glow of the screen, the only illumination in the entire space.

Virat’s phone rang, the sound startlingly loud in the quiet of his empty, dark apartment. He picked it up instantly.

“Tell me.”

He listened carefully to the update from his team lead.

The investigation into the Dusty Devils was personal but there were other ongoing projects that still needed his attention.

Even as he reeled off instructions and outlined strategies, his gaze went back to the lit laptop screen.

Cara’s laughing face stared back at him.

He disconnected the call just as he heard the code being inputted and the front door opening.

Ishaan walked in, stopping when he realised the entire place was in darkness.

He reached for the light switch, but Virat barked, “No.” Ishaan’s hand froze just before it made contact with the switch before dropping to his side.

“I’ve checked everywhere,” Ishaan said roughly. He came to sit on the ground beside Virat, his long legs extending out in front of him. “I swear to God there isn’t a corner of the internet that I haven’t torn apart looking. There is nothing about her and Kabir Raizada anywhere.”

“They’ve been careful,” Virat said, the words flat and toneless. He hadn’t known. If he had, he’d have been better prepared for this gut searing agony that swarmed through him.

“Or it’s not true.” Ishaan grabbed the bottle of scotch and took a large swig, wiping the little that dribbled out of the side of his mouth with his sleeve.

“It’s true.” Virat took the bottle back, holding it close to his chest as he thought it all through.

“How do you know, Vir? She could be just-“

“Celi won’t lie to me.”

Ishaan fell silent. Then he exhaled hard and said, “Like I said earlier, Cara might.”

Virat let his head fall back against the wall. “It doesn’t matter, Ish.”

“It matters. It fucking matters.”

The door beeped and opened again, Amay stepping in. He didn’t bother with a greeting, just walked in and sat down on Virat’s other side.

“This flat is a regular fucking thoroughfare tonight,” Virat grumbled.

“I just got home from the hospital,” Amay said in response. “Or I’d have been here earlier.”

“Don’t you guys have women to go home to?”

“Dhrithi wanted to come with me.” Amay massaged the back of his neck with one hand, groaning slightly. “I told her not to.”

Virat rolled his head towards Ishaan who shrugged. “I don’t tell Yukhi what to do. I like having my balls attached to my body. She said she’d give us boys some time before she came down and solved all our problems.”

Virat shook his head in defeat. “Honestly guys. I’m fine. What I’d really like is to be left alone for a bit.”

“So, you can brood and stew over that?” Amay asked, pointing a finger at Virat’s screen.

A still from Cara’s upcoming movie covered the majority of the page. Kabir had his arms around her, his face bent towards her tilted, smiling one, his lips hovering over hers. Virat stared at the image, allowing it drive red hot pokers through his brain.

“Vir-“

Virat shut the laptop screen before Amay could finish whatever he was saying, plunging them all into darkness. They sat in silence for a while before Ishaan said, “She had good ideas.”

“Yeah.” Virat agreed.

“You got the burner she needed?”

Virat nodded, the gesture almost invisible in the dark. Amay sighed.

“So, we’re doing this?” Ishaan asked.

“Yeah, we are.”

Amay rubbed a tired hand over his face before turning to Virat. “I don’t know if this is worth it,” Amay said abruptly, angling his body to face the two of them.

“Not worth it?” Virat repeated slowly. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Everything we’ve done, everything we’ve worked towards, has been taking these assholes down. There is no cost we weren’t willing to pay for that!”

“There is.” Amay’s lips flattened into a thin line. “For us there is.”

Virat stared at him, flabbergasted. “What the fuck are you talking about? Have you forgotten what they did to Dhrithi?” He looked at Ishaan. “To Mayukhi? To us? What they’re doing to all those poor women every two weeks? We have nothing to lose here.”

“We do, Vir,” Amay said gently. “We can’t lose you. We won’t lose you .”

“You’re a cost we’re not willing to pay, my friend,” Ishaan added, meeting his shocked gaze.

“Me?” Virat asked, forcing the word through numb lips.

“Vir, you’ve spent a lifetime taking care of all of us, protecting us. Allow us to do the same for you.”

“I’m fine,” Virat interrupted. “I don’t need-“

“If you have one weakness, it’s her. It’s always been her, Vir. This.” Amay pointed to the laptop. “Is going to break you in ways we don’t even want to imagine. It’s not worth it. We’ll walk away, all of us.”

“For me?” Virat asked, looking at his best friends.

“For you,” Ishaan said. “And for us. There is no us without you, Vir. Nothing is worth doing this to yourself. Let’s call it.”

Virat stared at them, allowing their words to seep into him chasing away the numbness that had stolen over him in the last few hours.

“It’s always been her,” he said, meeting their gaze.

“It’s, also, always been you guys too. The three of you, you’re all I have, all I’ve ever had.

And I will give all I have to see that you get what you deserve.

What we all deserve. We’re going to end this.

We’re going to end their sick games. We’re going to set fire to their world.

And then, only then, are we going to walk away from it. ”