by P. G. Van
Survival of love without the presence of my love.
Chapter 7
The sound of a shower running at a distance brought me out of my slumber. I was cocooned by the warmth from the soft sheets. I had no memory of getting under the sheets, and there was only one explanation. I looked at the chair next to the bed, the journal I was reading, the earphones I had on, and the last sentence I read before I dozed off.
Nick had probably found me on the chair sleeping with the journal and put me to bed. I took a deep breath looking at the journal placed on top of the box with the headphones next to it on the table. I sat up asking myself one question.
What did I want to know from the journals, and did I find my answers?
The answer to that is a clear no, and I didn’t know if finding the answers was more important than the person I loved and his happiness.
I took a slow, deep breath before pushing off the sheets and getting out of bed. I walked toward the sound of water in the bathroom running my fingers through my hair. I opened the door to a misty room, and I could see Nick’s tall structure through the hazy glass of the shower.
Nick was standing under the water, and I wasn’t sure if he had seen or felt my presence. I decided to give him his space and walked toward the vanity to brush my teeth. I watched him clean himself as I brushed my teeth. At one point, I heard him groan like he was unhappy about something.
My heart took a nose dive into my stomach when I realized I was the reason for that unhappiness. I washed my face after brushing my teeth. I walked over to the shower and stood for a moment, my fingers wrapped around the door handle.
I owed him an apology, an apology for being emotional and not practical about the trust. I opened the shower door and peeked inside to find Nick looking right at me. A smile bloomed on my face at the sight of the sexy man in front of me looking scorching hot with water running down his smoldering body.
“Hey, you up already?” He smiled.
I smiled and stepped into the shower in my pajamas but stayed away from the water spray.
“Are you going to join me?” he asked in his sleep-sexy voice.
I shook my head, but my body had a mind of its own. I moved closer to him right under the warm water, fully clothed.
Nick smiled wrapping his arms around my waist as his lips found mine. “Still mad at your husband?”
“No, I’m mad at myself.”
“You should be mad at him. Why are you mad at yourself?” He chuckled.
“Nick, I understand why you want to dissolve the trust but…”
He planted butterfly kisses along my jawline. “But what, sweetheart.”
“I don’t know why, but I feel like…” My voice was lost in an uncontrollable sob. I buried my face into Nick’s wet chest.
“Baby, look at me.” His voice was tender but held a command that made me look into his eyes. “Trust me on this.”
“I trust your decision, Nick. I just can’t get the feeling of… I feel guilty for not…”
“What would you have done with the trust if it were up to you?” he asked, running his finger through my wet hair.
“I… I don’t think we should sell anything that is part of the trust,” I managed to say.
“The trust requires someone, someone in India, to take care of it. We cannot manage it from California, and I don’t have anyone to do it.”
“Sanjana may not operate to your standards, but she has been managing it quite well all along.”
Nick took a deep breath. “The trust is running in the negative. I’ve looked at the numbers, and there are too many holes. People are robbing the trust and its beneficiaries of their full benefits.”
“What?”
“Sanjana is good but not shrewd enough to see the parallel processes that are running. I had a team of investigators check on the orphanages, and the cost of running one turns out to be less than the twenty-five percent of the funds currently being released. Someone is filling their pockets.”
“What? Why didn’t you say…” He swallowed my words into his kiss.
“I needed to find out if Sanjana was involved in the fraud, but you were right, your cousin is very serious about the trust. Her reaction matched yours, so I know she is genuine.”
“That’s why you didn’t tell me?”
“You are not good at putting on a fake cry, baby,” Nick laughed.
“Not funny.”
“I’m sorry I upset you to find out if your cousin was involved,” he mumbled against my lips.
I moaned as he devoured my lower lip.
“Nick…”
“Love you, too, baby.”
I pulled back slightly. “Who is taking the money?”
“I’m working on finding out.” Nick pulled me closer.
“Nick… can we go visit the palace?” I asked.
“What palace, love?”
“I want to visit the orphanage especially the one Reetu grew up in. I want to see the painting she talked about and the palace where Rajaram lived.” My voice was shaky with emotion.
“You don’t have to ask, I was going to take you there anyway.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Are you hungry? You barely ate last night.”
“I am.”
He planted a kiss on my forehead. “Take a shower. I’ll have breakfast ready when you come out.”
“I want a Chai, Nick.”
“You got it, babe.” Nick smiled stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around him.
Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large towel around my warm body. Nick walked into the bathroom as I was wrapping a towel around my hair.
“Breakfast is here.”
“I’ll be out in a few minutes. You should go eat.”
He smiled and walked over to where I stood. “I want to eat you.”
I smiled and closed my eyes as his lips found mine. I felt the towel around my hair fall away, and his fingers snake through my damp hair. He angled my face, deepening the kiss, sucking the air out of my lungs.
I clung to him as his lips trailed lower. “You should stop me if you want to eat.”
I laughed pulling him closer. “I’ll be fine.”
He pulled away to rub his stubble along my cheek and chuckled. “I want you to eat. We have a long drive.”
“Drive? Where are we going?”
“To see the palace. Isn’t that what you wanted to do?”
I looked at him unable to believe my ears. “We are going today?”
“Now, right after you are done eating.” He smiled.
“You could have told me that. Why are you being so secretive about our plan?” I planted a kiss on his cheek.
“I like to give you surprises, love… you know that.” He laughed.
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll be out.”
“I don’t mind watching you while you get dressed.” He winked, stepping away from me.
“Silly, Nick.”
“Silly in love, baby.” He took a step toward me and pulled me into his arms, his lips finding mine. I took in his musky cologne and floated into his arms riding his desire.
A couple of hours later, I sat next to Nick in a different SUV with a different man behind the wheel. We were away from home, and I knew we wouldn’t have the same cars for travel, but something was odd about how the cars we used had fully-tinted windows, and they were different for every ride.
I was excited about our trip to my ancestor’s hometown especially after an exciting morning with Nick. I didn’t know when we had stopped being a couple that we were before we had our children. He set my being on fire in the bathroom making me lose my bearings.
“What’s with the change in cars and people behind the wheel? The Nick I know does not change cars like this.”
He laughed almost trying to downplay any concern I showed in my tone. “I’m not as difficult as I used to be. This is the transportation my friend arranged for our trip.
”
“Will you tell me how much longer you are staying in India?” I asked softly.
He planted a kiss on my temple and mumbled, “Not going anywhere without you.”
“You’re staying for the whole week?” I was taken back.
“Make that two weeks. I extended our trip, so we can go see Jasleen’s palace which is also your palace now.”
“Nick,” I squealed and threw my arms around him excited about our time together, but it was short-lived. “What about the girls and what about work?”
“The babies will be fine. They are having a ball with their lovely aunt and grandma, and CEOs need time off now and then.”
“What about the Brazil project?”
“Ann’s got it, and Sam is helping her with the legal process.”
“Nick, this is so awesome.”
“Yes, baby. I have you all to myself.”
“Nick, I’m yours always and forever.” I brushed my lips against his in a quick motion.
“I think we should get a limo for next time,” Nick whispered making me wet deep inside.
Chapter 8
“Sameera,” Nick’s voice brought me out of my oblivion. I was still in the back seat of the SUV we were in that morning.
“We are here, let’s go. I can carry you inside if you don’t object.”
I laughed, slapping away his hand. “I can walk, Mr. Bhatia.” I smiled remembering the time when he was ready to carry me into the hospital during my full-term pregnancy with twins.
I stepped out of the SUV and looked around. I was surprised to see darkness—the only light was from the vehicles. “Where are we?”
“We are at the palace. There is an issue with the power, and it is being worked on as I speak.”
“Oh.” I followed Nick and a few men carrying flashlights along a narrow, sandy path. I tightened my hold on Nick’s arm as we walked through a hallway with high ceilings. The rusty metallic smell hit my nostrils causing an eerie feeling.
“Nick.” My voice was shaky.
“It’s all good, love, almost there.” His arm around my waist tightened.
I walked with Nick by my side hearing the echo of our footsteps as we walked the hallway. A few turns and a few staircases later, we stopped in front of what seemed like heavy wooden doors behind a metallic door.
“We will be stationed outside the main entrance to this level. The bedroom, patio, and the library are at your disposal,” one of the men stated. Nick thanked them and slid his hand down to the small of my back and led me past the heavy metal doors.
I knew something was off when the entire area was illuminated with bright lights the moment the heavy doors closed shut behind us. I looked around the large area that appears to be a living room with a few doors on both sides. The room had high ceilings mounted on thick walls.
Nick was walking to the far end of the open area toward a set of French doors.
“Nick, wait.” I walked over to where he was when he stopped and turned to look at me.
“Do you want to go check out the patio?” His tone was cool.
“Nick, I don’t have a good feeling about this… what is going on?” My fingers fisted on his chest, the silk of his shirt gripped between my fingers.
“What? This is the palace you wanted to see, and it is beautiful.”
“Nick, what are you not telling me?”
“Sameera…” I didn’t let him finish. “Nick, I know something is off. Why do I get the feeling you are hiding something?”
“Come with me.” He took my hand and led me to the French doors. He opened them, and the doors creaked open to a large balcony with a garden.
“Nick, this reminds me…” He finished the sentence for me. “Home.”
“It’s amazing the layout of our home is very similar to the private suite of Rajaram,” Nick stated.
I gasped when I realized I was in my ancestral home. “Nick, this is surreal.”
“Yes and…”
“Nick… what’s wrong?” I looked up into his eyes.
He took a deep breath. “There’s nothing wrong with anything but just being cautious.”
“Cautious?”
“There are way too many people out there who want a piece of the trust.” Nick’s voice was soft.
“I don’t understand.”
“Let’s go back in.” Nick led me back into the living area and closed the French doors. He silently took me toward a set of double doors to one side of the living room. He pushed open the doors like he knew where he was headed.
“Have you been here before?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been to the palace before, and you didn’t tell me?”
Nick turned to look at me. “Remember the time I stopped in India?”
I nodded remembering the longest time he spent in China while I was still pregnant.
“I visited the palace when I visited India to bring you the journals. That’s when I realized there was more to it than we thought.” Nick’s voice was steady, but my stomach coiled up in anticipation of the unknown.
“Why didn’t you say something? I would have never made the plan to go if it weren’t safe for us.”
“I’m not saying it’s not safe here. I just don’t know what people want, yet.”
“What could they want from the trust? The money?” I shrugged hoping it was all the people Nick was talking about wanted.
“It seems to be more than just the money.”
“What else is there that is of value for people who care only about money?”
“Something of far more value, something intangible?” I asked. “What would that be? Royal status or power… like what Reetu hoped to get by taking back the chain?” I wondered out loud as Nick led me past another hallway to another door.
“We’ll need to find out. When we have so many unanswered questions, it’s best to be cautious.” Nick pushed open the heavy door that creaked open revealing a massive room with walls lined with bookshelves. Straight ahead on the wall, almost fifteen feet from the floor hung a painting of a man in royal attire. I looked up at the life-size oil painting taking in the command the man held in his eyes even as a smile played on his face.
“Sameera, meet Rajaram Vaasi, Raja Vaasireddy Ramachandra Naidu.”
I swallowed looking up at the painting and taking in the intensity of the moment. The moment I had waited for from the time I found out about my ancestry. The moment I had imagined to be a heart-racing and exciting moment was more soul-touching and invigorating.
“Finally,” I managed to say as I walked closer to the painting. I scanned the painting taking in its magnificence. The artist had used vivid colors to capture the background and the rich silk attire the man wore. The hilt of the sword the man held shone like it was under bright lights, but it was the artist who added the shine to it in the painting.
My eyes trailed up the painting when something else caught my eye—the chain around the man’s neck and the chain that hung around Nick’s neck.
“Nick… this is probably the painting Reetu had seen. Look at the chain, the artist did a good job.”
“Sameera, look closely. It’s not the same one.” Nick smiled.
“The pendant is slightly different, but the chain…” my voice trailed off when I realized the pattern was different on the gold chain that adorned the chest of the man in the painting. “It is a different chain, so why did Reetu want the chain?”
“The biggest mystery here is how Reetu fits into the big picture.”
“Reetu… she just happened to be at the right place at the right time to have noticed the chain.” I looked at Nick, and I could tell he wasn’t buying the theory.
“There has to be a reason why Reetu did not take up the offer to get out of jail,” Nick stated taking my hand in his.
“Guilt?”
“There’s more than just guilt… Sam and I are convinced she works for someone, and she was there on a mission.”
“A mission to
do what?”
“On a mission to find the chain and the pendant that’s on it.”
My head started to spin. “Why is the chain so important? To claim the trust?”
“From the surface, it seems that way but…”
“But what, Nick?”
“I’m convinced there’s more to it.” Nick wrapped his arms around me protectively.
“What else could be her reason?” My head was starting to spin with the newfound information.
Nick held me by my shoulders and turned me to face the painting. “That sword Rajaram is holding has been missing for the past hundred and fifty years, and the British empire was accused to have taken it along with many other artifacts that were acquired as part of a treaty.”
I looked at Nick wondering why he was giving me a history lesson on a sword. “Nick, what is the significance of that sword?”
Nick pointed to the painting and whispered. “Look right below where his hand is on the hilt. The grayish blob you see is the twin of the Koh-i-Noor diamond that was found in this region many decades ago.”
“What?”
“You are looking at a twin to the world-famous Koh-i-Noor diamond that the Vaasireddy empire has been protecting,” Nick stated.
“Oh…”
“For the longest time, everyone who knew of the existence of the diamond thought it was with the British, undiscovered, but it turns out the British Empire knew nothing about the sword or the diamond.”
“Wait… Is the sword here?”
“I don’t know, all I know is that this painting was created in the 1940’s, and the last time anyone saw this sword was in the late 1800’s.”
I let out a gasp when I realized Rajaram would have known where the sword was, and it really hadn’t gone missing.
“Where is the sword? And how do you know about the diamond?”
“The artist who painted this very painting talked about seeing the sword, and the word got out years later. I get the feeling that’s what people are after. What I can’t figure out is how the trust is linked to the sword.” Nick looked up at the painting.