Between The Blue

09

Riddhan entered the dimly lit shabby space with furious steps. A group of men followed him close matching his speed, crossing the empty alley which buzzed with hefty-lousy fading rhythms that grew sharper as they climbed the narrow stairs leading to a blotch of a corridor. The place smelled musky and evil. Alcohol reeked through every corner, as Riddhan pushed the door open furiously.

One of the men stepped to hold him back when Riddhan stopped, eyeing his hand sharply.

The man halted abruptly, his hand hanging loosely in the air, not touching him, "Sir asked to wait"

"Then you do"

Pushing the door open, he barged in.

Gautam Chaurasiya didn't stop grinding against the woman that sat atop him. She didn't stop either. Dressed in a shrill satin material, she eyed Riddhan like he was a fresh piece of meat. Gautam spread his legs to sit more comfortably over his swivel chair until the gap between his thighs was enough to pull the woman in.

"Riddhan Nanda, I was expecting you"

Riddhan didn't flinch as he allowed the silence to speak, "I wasn't. Not, this soon" He replied rather coolly.

Gautam stilled, before a sly smirk formed over his wrinkled face, "Here, time works according to me"

"Too bad, mine doesn't"

Gautam didn't appreciate that tone much, "Yet, you are here".

"I heard your brother couldn't even stay in his shell for more than three months. Got involved in a small robbery in Coimbatore, also bribed the forest head for the massacre of twelve deer who were found dead, their horns missing in the forests of Andhra"

The grinding stopped, "Riddhan"

"The footage seems to be a bit low quality. Just HD, not 4K or ultra, low budget I guess," Riddhan continued.

"Nanda......"

Riddhan slowly moved closer, pulling the seat opposite him, sitting across, and slamming the paper bunch at the table. Eyeing the woman, he pointed his finger at the door, when she got up and chickened out rather quickly.

"Nanda if you—"

"—Do not make this a practice to try my audacity, Gautam. I value my time. And I hold no interest in your business. You and your minions can go and enjoy your lousy blackmail schemes for someone who cares—or better with someone who doesn't, at all." In a swift, he got up, "Let me not tell you this again."

Before he could make a turn to leave, Gautam held his hand over the table, "You have some guts lawyer. You come to my place, you tell me about my brother, you back mail the blackmailer"

Riddhan looked at his hold for a moment before slowly removing his grip over his hand. Sliding out a neat white handkerchief from his pocket, he gently wiped his own hand before looking up at the raging eyes, "I do not get involved in petty schemes such as blackmail, I have a standard to maintain. All I am saying is you keep your nose limited to your matters, you were assigned a job, you did it, your job is done, move to the next job, trying to extract fruits from a fallen branch will do you dirty"

"Only I decide when my job is done"

Riddhan scoffed, "Then it's time for you to change your basics, you are growing old for your business anyways"

"Nanda don't forget whom you messing with" Gautam stood up in rage as he bent forward to match his level.

Riddhan didn't flinch, his voice turning ice cold, "Exactly, Gautam Chaurasiya, power with the weak is as useless as offering money to an addict, he will ultimately destroy it. Meanwhile power with the powerful leads to exponential power. Why do you want the spot of black, amidst your white-collared days, let your nights be the only witness of your sins or else, Riddhan paused for a brief moment before bending forward and grabbing his collar in a fist, "or else I will burn your mornings in the dust of your crimes. You wouldn't know what hit you, you wouldn't know why it hit you the way it did, I won't repeat it. It was a deal. I kept my bargain. You keep your end and move out of it. And if you ever try to cross me in the future or hold my money back, remember, I will destroy you and your coming generations, so bad— so bad, that it will hurt." As the drop of sweat trickled down Gautam's forehead, Riddhan let out a small smile, his grip loosening as he fixed Gautam's collar, patting him across the shoulders.