"Please." Joanne sobs through the cloth that is covering her mouth and looks at Karishma with her teary eyes. She has just learned about the whole truth and although she has a hard time admitting, she can feel how much Karishma is hurting from what Brian has done to her girlfriend. She understands this revenge but it doesn't mean she can sit still and watch her husband getting beat up. "Karishma, please."
"Alright." A man announces from one corner of the storage that slowly turns into a sauna. He takes off his glasses and uses the sleeve to wipe some sweat that starts to form on his forehead. He has been sitting on the floor with a laptop on his lap; hacking and cracking as he always does. "I sent an email from his account to reschedule his counselling session. I wiped anything with Haseena's name from that weird drug case using Brian Park's password. Also, we're ghosts. I wiped CCTVs and everything."
"Good job." Cheeta takes his attention away from Brian and hands it over to his tech buddy that he has put as his carry-on all the way from India.
The man in glasses puts the laptop vertical on the floor before springing up on his feet. "Can we go to Vegas for real now?"
Cheeta swings the bat in his hands right into the laptop on the floor. He swings so hard that the Dodgers scout might want to write his name down on their prospects. The banging sound that comes with the shattered pieces flying everywhere shakes Joanne to the core. That laptop could have been her husband. She shakes even more when she sees how Cheeta turns towards her and then to her husband. Cheeta uses the bat to poke Brian. "My little sister has always been a cheerful girl, you know, with stars in her eyes. When I see her. If the stars in her eyes are missing; even one, I'll knock on your door and those pieces on the floor will be the example of what will happen to your brain. Do you copy, Detective?"
"Yes." Brian whispers.
"Do. You. Understand? Detective." Cheeta doesn't even yell but every word that has come out of his mouth is emphasized.
"Yes." Brian responds louder.
"Alright." Cheeta smiles at Brian and taps the bat on his head lightly; just to scare him and his wife. "Karishma, you give us a ride to our car?"
"Sure." Karishma still has her arms crossing on her chest with her eyes on Brian who is looking at nothing else but his wife. Joanne is his world. He doesn't mind if he dies but this is almost like he is dying with his heart still beating. "Let's go, then."
This time when Karishma turns around, she doesn't look back. She opens the roll-up door and looks left and right to check for anything unusual. It takes a bit before Cheeta and his buddy to step out. The man in the glasses holds a paper box of shattered pieces of the laptop in his arms and carries a backpack on his back while Cheeta pulls the roll-up door closed.
"Are you sure they are good?" Cheeta asks Karishma without leaving his favorite bat behind.
"He has gotten worse." Karishma gives the tall guy the answer that is not directly related to his question but with the nod he gives, it is enough. "I also paid the guy to check later. I paid him enough for him to not call the ambulance or anything."
"You should go with us, Karishma." The glasses man says as they start to walk through the narrow hallway. "It's Vegas, baby."
"What is she going to tell my sister, dummy?" Cheeta slaps his head lightly but loudly. He turns to Karishma and puts his hand on her shoulder. She easily has become Haseena's date that he likes the most. He is not a complicated man. He is willing to pour his love on anyone who loves his sister so genuinely. "You take good care of my little sister, alright?"
"Definitely."
……
"Hey."
Haseena greets as soon as Karishma walks into the dining area of her house. Karishma's steps are immediately paused by the scene before her eyes. On the dining table, there are two dishes of fancy steak and two glasses of red wine along with the bottle. Candles are lit and flowers are decorated in the middle of the table. Karishma finally brings herself to look away from the table to the girl who greeted her. Haseena is in nothing fancy. She doesn't even put her shoes on to go with her ripped jeans and blouse.
"Are we celebrating something?" Karishma asks as she has to divide her attention into two; one for the beautiful girl in front of her and another for the chonky boy next to her.
"Yes." Haseena places the basket of rolls on the table before approaching Karishma with a kiss that screams welcome home. "You're done with your counselling sessions. That's something to celebrate."
Karishma chuckles and leans in for another kiss before Haseena leads her way to the table and sits her down. "This is nice."
"I know." Haseena playfully holds Karishma's head and presses a hard kiss on it.
"Okay." Karishma mumbles in Haseena's arm. Although it's uncomfortable, she doesn't even try to resist her. She loves the love she is getting. "What do you want?"
Haseena pulls away and fixes Karishma's hair. She smirks sneakily. "Nothing."
Karishma glances with a smile. "Whatever it is. If I can, I'll give it to you."
"Let's just eat first." Haseena steps away from Karishma and makes the living area nearby her new destination. She tucks her hair behind her ear and bends down to have a good look at her speakers that she still tries to get on top of. The short chirping sound is made once the speakers are on and again once the speakers are connected to a Bluetooth. "I've just recorded a song."
"You have?" Karishma sips the wine while her eyes are on the girl. "Will there be a music video or a lyric video maybe?"
Haseena looks up from the search of the audio file on her phone and looks at Karishma with a bit of the eye rolling. "So that you can post plenty of comments?"
"What? No." Karishma chuckles nervously.
"You're saying that the account named 'KS Singh' is not you? Karishma Sharma?"
Karishma tries to hide her mischievous smile and shrugs. "Just someone who appreciates music and... you, I guess."
Haseena scoffs and turns back to the speakers that chooses to stay silent although she repeatedly presses play on her phone. Then, she presses a button on the speakers again. The speakers finally make a sound but it is not the sound Haseena has been trying to turn on.
'We. are going to walk from everything, Singh. I know people. Clearly, you also know people. People whose names can flip everything. You just saw it...'
Karishma immediately goes into a panic mode like she has never been before. Somehow, the speakers have picked up the Bluetooth from her phone; not from Haseena's. By pressing the button on the speakers again, Haseena accidentally and automatically plays the last thing Karishma listened to. The wine glass makes a rattle sound as it unintentionally hits the plate. Karishma is in a rush to put a pause to the sound and by the time she manages to do so, Haseena already shoots her with the puzzled eyes and the furrowed brows. She knows Brian's voice although she doesn't want to. His voice is still sometimes loud and clear in her head although she doesn't want it to.
"W... Would... Would you mind putting that back on?" Haseena says underneath her breath. She needs to hear more of it because from what she has heard, it is about to lead to something important.
"It's nothing." Karishma straights up lying without really trying to cover it. "Haseena, I—"
Haseena stumps her feet towards Karishma while Karishma gets up on her feet; not to get away but to be prepared for what to come. "Give me your phone."
"Haseena." Karishma says her name so gently and whispery.
"Please give me your phone." Haseena holds out her hand. Now, her eyes don't even meet Karishma's. She wants to meet nothing but the truth. Karishma sighs before unlocking her phone with the face ID and handing it to Haseena. Haseena quickly continues playing the audio.
...So. We are walking into the sunset. If I were you, I would suggest your girlfriend to save her time, energy and money for something else. Her lawyer will never get me. She will never get me. And. You. Singh. will never get me. This is not a Hollywood movie. There aren't only black and white, kid. The hero might not get all the glories and the villain might not get all the punishments. We're all standing in between to make sure things go our ways; even you.'
"This. This could be a confession." Haseena looks up from the phone to Karishma with the ray of disappointment. She knows that Karishma intends to stand on Brian's side but she doesn't anticipate that she would go this far. She doesn't anticipate that Karishma would hold on to something that can turn everything around for her. "I could get him with this and you kept it from me?"
"You can't get him with this." Karishma argues quietly. She knows she will only be pouring the fuel into the flame but it is the truth that Haseena needs to hear. "He has his ways to prove that this is not him or he wasn't discussing your kidnapping. He didn't even mention you."
"He said your girlfriend. I am your girlfriend." Haseena raises her voice.
"You know what I mean." Karishma tries to calm Haseena down by placing her hand on her arm but Haseena shakes it away. "Look, Haseena, I love you and I have taken-"
"Ooh. Don't you dare saying it now." Haseena takes a few steps away as she is about to burst from anger that is boiling so fast and so strongly. "Don't you dare saying that you love me now. If you love me enough, you won't help him and turn your back on me."
"I don't turn... I have taken care of this."
"How?"
Karishma keeps her silence although her voice is about to leak through the cracks of her heart. It hurts her that Haseena looks at her with such teary eyes. It hurts her a little too much but she can't lay all the cards on the table.
"You are not telling me." Haseena crosses her chest and forces her smile with feelings overwhelming her soul. She doesn't know how to feel anymore. "Can you leave?"
"Haseena, I'm not lying to you or anything." Karishma explains herself as best as she can; as much as she can. "But I can't let you in on it for your own's sake."
"Karishma, please just leave." Haseena can't hold her tears anymore but she wipes them away before they are evident on her cheeks. She doesn't want to hear anything anymore.
Karishma takes her deep breath and feels all the pain she has caused Haseena. She steps towards her and reaches for Haseena's hand. Haseena tries to pull away for a bit but Karishma wouldn't let her. She grabs her wrist and forces the phone in her hand to face her. She wakes the screen and unlocks the phone again. "You should disable the face ID thing. And. I don't know. Do whatever you want with it."
"Take Jabba with you. He probably wants a car ride."
Karishma nods and grabs the leash from the kitchen counter. She whistles for Jabba and once she gets the leash on him and takes a few steps towards the door, she turns. "Do you want me to come back tomorrow?"
"No." Haseena says with a crack in her voice. "I don't want you to come back tomorrow."
________
Everyone: Finally Brian saga is over now time for peace
Writer me: Only in your dreams😈
Take care
Bye you'll 👋 👋