Karishma smiles a little and shakes her head. "There is someone out there wanting to get to you, Haseena. If you want me to be specific, I think it's your Will Hughes."
"There is no rea-" Haseena sighs and releases her frustration by hitting Karishma's arm. "I find it very funny for everyone to even have this idea in their heads; that I will be randomly grabbed from the streets of LA that always have something happening and someone walking around."
"You were almost grabbed from the elevator." Karishma argues quietly. "Quit proving your point. As long as we haven't got the guy, we aren't going to do anything more than your schedule."
"So, basically, you're saying that after they catch this guy, you'll go on a date with me."
"That's not what I said." Karishma scoffs playfully.
"Wait." Haseena adjusts her sitting posture. She sits up straight on the chair as she has just come up with the most brilliant idea. Her eyes shine the sparkling light as she faces towards Karishma. She leans in a little to make sure that Karishma really listens to what she has to offer. "What if we have a date here? I'll cook. We don't have to go out. We don't have to risk being seen. You don't have to worry about me getting kidnapped."
Karishma looks at Haseena as if she has just said something too ridiculous for her pretty face. She sips her coffee as her eyes fix on the girl who is now way excited about her plan to hear the response. "Have you ever taken a no for the answer?"
"I have. Many times. But you see, Karishma, I'm not... going to take one from you."
"I have no other choices then." Karishma whispers as she fights the stare she is getting and when her eyes unconsciously move from those blue eyes to those soft lips, they manage to land on hers without having to ask.
"I like when you don't have a spy cam on you." Haseena gives Karishma another peck before pulling away to look at her eyes. Then, she realizes. It is not only the sense of protection that she has got from Karishma that gets her to feel things in her chest. It is also the sense of stability that Karishma has come bearing; something that will stand although everything falls.
"A spy cam." Karishma's expression swiftly shifts. Her furrowed eyebrows and her chaotic eyes suggest that her mind is like Santa's workshop before Christmas but not in that much of a cheerful sense. Suddenly, Karishma takes off from the chair to the stove where her suspicion is still hovering. She bends down and uses the flashlight from her phone to examine the loosed knob. Then, there it is; the lens that is hidden so secretly. Her phone quickly serves its initial purpose as she dials her partner.
"Brian, I think we might have a bit of a problem."
"What is it?" Haseena asks and joins Karishma at the stove. Karishma hangs up her phone when Brian says that he would be here in a second and then, she shoots the flashlight into the knob again to let Haseena see for herself. "Is that... is that a spy cam?"
"Did you have a stranger in your house?"
"No! Of course not. You would know."
"Hey." Brian announces his arrival from the patio door. The pair moves their eyes from each other to the man whose facial expression is as "No! Of course not. You would know."
"Hey." Brian announces his arrival from the patio door. The pair moves their eyes from each other to the man whose facial expression is as calm as he always is.
However, the problem is with his standing stance. There is something in his hand; something that should be kept safe and secure by his waist. Before Karishma gets to react, Brian acts first and he acts fast. He points the gun that is in his hand at the pair. "We indeed have a problem."
"Brian. Wha-Why-- What are you doing?"
Karishma looks as confused as she has ever been. She doesn't move in or away as she tries very hard to comprehend the scene in front of her. Her partner whom she would take a bullet for is pointing his gun right at her. He doesn't even have one bit of hesitation in his eyes. In fact, he doesn't have anything at all in his eyes that reminds her of the man she thought she knew. A step is taken forward and another is about to follow when Haseena grabs her wrist and stops her from doing so. One of them doesn't need any explanation of the scene so automatically, she becomes clear eyes to watch over her. Brian still holds his gun as tightly as he has ever been. He points it right at the pair like this is something he has set his mind on for a long long time; like this is something he has been waiting for a long long time to do. He doesn't forget to lean his aim towards Haseena as well. He knows if someone is going to attack him, it'll be Karishma but he also knows that Haseena is no joke and she can pull an unexpected stunt.
"Sit down." Brian waves his gun to gesture the pair to sit back down at the table that the joyful breakfast still lies. The gun in his hand is yet to kill the pair but it has surely killed their appetizes.
Karishma doesn't follow the order right away as she takes her time. She takes her time to piece all the pieces together. She was blinded by the trust she has been giving him. As soon as she sets that aside, her sight reaches 20/20 and her mind lands on the sensible conclusion. Still, there are a few pieces of puzzles that need answers. "Why?"
"Just sit your ass down, Singh." Brian says calmly. His tone hasn't changed into anything else. His tone is still the one Karishma has always heard every day for the past months but now it is given a new interpretation. The tone that used to feel a bit like home takes a massive turn. He still points the gun at them when he moves his sight to the phone in his hand. He dials quickly and keeps his eyes at them again. He smirks and chuckles in his throat. His plan is working perfectly without any flaws and he can hardly wait for the next steps to be proceeded.
Karishma glances at Brian talking on the phone with his accomplice and then, she glances at Haseena who is next to her with worries on her face. Words are not said but looks are shared. They try to communicate with looks; the method they have yet to be best at. Karishma nods slightly to ensure Haseena of her safety and slowly reaches down to her ankle where her sidearm is secured.
"Are you sure about that?" Brian asks and for the first time, his devilish side emerges and the chills are sent down Karishma's spine. She is not afraid of him but she is afraid of the unknown. At this point, everything becomes the unknown for her. "Trust me, kid. You don't want to do that."
Karishma rapidly pulls her gun out of the holster. Then, she pauses before slowly placing the gun on the table; by the plate that is still full of breakfast.
"Karishma." Haseena exclaims whispery with her wide eyes. She knows deep in her soul that Karishma can protect her; with or without a gun, but what Karishma has just done appears a bit nonsense. She has just listened and complied to what her partner has said. Karishma had her chance and she intentionally blew it. "What are you doing?"
"Yes. Karishma. What are you doing?" Brian repeats after Haseena word by word with the mocking tone that cuts through Karishma's soul. He knows exactly what Karishma is doing but hearing it from Karishma's mouth would be so satisfying.
Karishma takes a deep breath that turns to be a big sigh and turns to Haseena without really looking into her eyes. She feels ashamed. She feels like she is letting Haseena down with her recklessness. "My gun is unloaded."
"I'm sorry. What was that again?" Brian puts his hand to his ear and pretends like he didn't hear a word that has come out from his partner's mouth.
"You've unloaded my fucking gun." Karishma lets out her frustration that somehow has a mixture of disappointment; not entirely in Brian but partially in herself. She bashes her fist on the table and spills the coffee out of the cup. She is furious.
"I've unloaded your fucking gun." Brian chuckles in his throat as he occupies the empty chair next to Karishma. He uses the gun in his hand to tap on Karishma's shoulder to get her attention. "How many times have I told you to not put your gun in the glove compartment? It. Is. Not. Safe. It is called a sidearm for a reason. To be on your side, Singh."
"Detective Park." Haseena calls his name and immediately gets a shoo from him.
"Please call me Brian." Brian smiles at her withhis kind and comforting self. It is the front he always uses when he is with others. It is the front he always uses to fool people.
"Detective Park, we all can pretend this has never happened if you just... walk away." Haseena suggests something that makes Brian become hysterical.
"I like you, Haseena... Do you mind if I call you Haseena?"
"I do mind."
"I like how you hadn't really given a damn about you being kidnapped. And now, you're actually about to be so kidnapped and you still don't really give a damn, do you? Well, I guess that is a perk of growing up in a cop family. Haseena." Brian emphasizes her name just enough to piss her off.
As soon as Brian finishes his speech, two muscular men make their way through the hall with the door that leads to the garage. They look more like thugs than anything else but with Karishma's sigh and disappointing eyes, it is clear that they are more than thugs. They are traitors.
"Officers." Karishma whispers when the two men land their steps in the dining area.
"Detective." One of the men smirks. He is enjoying the scene although they have nothing against each other. They have not even been on a case together. Their relationship is so distant that Karishma wouldn't dare calling any of both men by their names. "Let's get going, shall we?"
Brian stands up and puts his gun into the holster by his waist. He uses a piece of cloth to handle Karishma's gun that is placed on the table. Whatever his plan is, he makes sure that he doesn't leave any trace; that nothing can come back and bite him. Then, he places a pair of handcuffs in front of Karishma. "Cuff your girlfriend, please."
Karishma glares and stays still. She refuses to follow his order. She refuses to hear any more of his words.
"Okay then." Brian gets the message that is hidden in Karishma's silence and he doesn't even push her. Instead, he nods towards one of the thug-looking men. "Cuff her."
"Wait." Karishma grabs the handcuffs right before the man. Her mind is changed so suddenly because as one of the cops, she knows that he is not going to be gentle. He is going to make them so tight that every single movement Haseena makes will cause her pain. Karishma sighs and hopes that at some point, she would wake up from this terrible dream. This can't be happening. This can't be happening with Brian behind it. She grabs the handcuffs and leans closer to Haseena who has her hands out so willingly. Haseena nods. She wants Karishma to know that it is okay to do this. Gently, Karishma puts them on her wrists and lingers her hands on hers. "You're okay."
"Don't hurt her." Brian points at Haseena and gives his first order. Then, he points at
Karishma and gives his second. "Knock her out. I want her to be a bit... you know... surprised."
The orders are given and followed at the drop of a hat. One of the men grabs Haseena by the arm and pulls her up on her feet. She tries to drag her feet but the man drags her equally as hard. He doesn't care if she hurts. He doesn't care if Brian precisely told him not to hurt her. He will if he has to. Karishma watches her without being able to do anything and it breaks her into millions of pieces. As soon as Brian nods, another man pulls Karishma up and sends her down on the floor by her own gun that is neatly wrapped in the white cloth. He hits it hard by her eyebrows and what she can see from then is darkness. Then, she is carried to a van that finds its way into Haseena's garage without being noticed. The men who were supposed to notice it entering her house are here and already ready to look away. He throws Karishma into the old sloppy van where Haseena is already sitting on the floor. She wasn't that scared before but now that she sees Karishma being unconscious and bleeding from the cut at her eyebrow, she certainly is.
After the door is slid close, the three men are talking outside the van for a good while. They are talking about something that cannot be heard clearly and Haseena doesn't really pay any attention to those words. Her attention lands directly on Karishma who hopes and prays unconsciously that this is all just a dream. With her cuffed hands, she tries to shake Karishma back to the reality but the more she tries the more she sees failure. She pushes Karishma's hair out of her bleeding wound and caresses her cheek with little tears starting to form ponds and lakes in her eyes. A few seconds later, Brian occupies the passenger seat while a thug takes the wheel and another is nowhere to be seen. Brian watches her through the rearview mirror.
"She is fine." Brian says as the engine starts to make its ignition sound. "She has gotten worse."
"What do you want?" Haseena asks with a shake in her voice as she acts brave through her frightening eyes. "Money?"
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I'll be uploading 2 updates per day as I want to complete the story ASAP.
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