Killer Moves

by Varsha Dixit

“I want to know you.”

  That earned her a confused glance. “What?”

  “I want to know you, know things about you . . .” Aisha did not hide her vulnerability. She patted the seat next to her, the one he had just vacated. Kabir took his spot back. Their legs were close enough to touch.

  “I have already shared my worst with you!” Kabir’s eyes held torment.

  “I want to know the best too.” Aisha pleaded.

  “What if there is no best, sweet Aisha?”

  Aisha shifted closer to him. “You survived the worst all by yourself and stayed strong and creative.” She gestured at the pictures on the wall. “There has to be good inside you.”

  “You don’t know me!” Kabir rubbed his knuckles under her chin.

  “I want to. That’s what this whole conversation is about.” Aisha caught his hand and brought it on her lap.

  Kabir studied their hands. “You are sure about this? What if I hurt you or you find out things that you don’t like about me?” He turned to her. “I don’t think I could bear you hating me.”

  Aisha wanted to cry but she pasted a smile. “I promise never to hate you, but I might get irritated.”

  Kabir gave a wry smile. “I might too.”

  Aisha rolled her tongue against the soft lining of her cheek. “More than what you usually are?”

  Kabir dipped his head and brought his mouth close to Aisha’s heart-shaped lips. His hot breath grazed the soft pinks of her mouth. “I’m not irritated all the time.”

  Aisha’s eyes flickered to his lips and then back to his eyes. Kabir waited as if asking her permission for the kiss.

  Aisha inhaled a sad sigh. “Can we hold off . . . on this? For a bit?” She saw her disappointment reflected in Kabir’s eyes.

  Kabir pulled back and got to his feet. “Drink your coffee. It’s getting cold.” He grabbed his cup and moved to another sofa.

  “Thanks!” Aisha wrapped her hand around the blue cup with the white patterns. She cleared her throat. “Becoming a mother to Kia when I was fifteen never left me any time for any romanticism—in life or in thought.” Aisha sipped her beverage and met Kabir’s eyes. He was listening. “And no guys wanted to be with me, knowing very well that they would come second to my niece.”

  “It must have been hard.” Kabir responded quietly.

  “On some days, yes. I stopped attending weddings in my late twenties. There were people asking questions and my answers had not changed.”

  “I’m sure there were several men who would have shown interest in you. In the past week alone, you had three men chasing you,” Kabir teased.

  “Three?”

  “The Doc, the cop, and me!” Kabir smiled at her over the rim of his coffee cup.

  “Yeah, but I’m only chasing one . . .” Aisha stumbled, and her cheeks grew heated seeing Kabir’s wolfish smile. “Did I take a name?” She laughed at the sour look Kabir tossed at her.

  “You are such a buzzkill. So, how do you get to know me better? Do you have a plan in mind?” Kabir sat back. There was nothing casual about how he looked at Aisha.

  “The usual way. We spend time together.” Aisha could not meet his eyes. Gosh, when I jump, I really jump in the deep end and that too without a harness!

  “So, when do we start?”

  “Whenever!” Aisha licked her lips.

  “Hold on.” Kabir gave her a calculating look. “You aren’t doing all this to keep me away from Kiara, are you?”

  “Are you interested in Kia?” Aisha spoke slowly, wondering why she dreaded his answer so much.

  Kabir grinned. “I never was.”

  Aisha pulled her neck back. “Yes, you were!”

  “Shreya, a dear friend, suggested it. But I spent a few minutes with Kiara and knew she was too young. Then you came along.”

  “But you did ask Kiara out on a date!” Aisha’s expression was confused.

  “To get you mad.” Kabir kept his cup down. “You are stunning when angry.”

  Aisha, who was glaring at the floor, gritted her teeth.

  “Are you angry now?”

  “No, not at all!” Aisha gave him a tight smile. “Do you like me angry?”

  “Maybe!” Kabir teased. “But I definitely love your voice. It is very attractive. You remember the night on the pier? Your voice was what caught my attention first.”

  “What? You like my voice more than my photography skills?”

  Kabir got up, a broad grin on his face. “So, do you want to hang around my pad for some time? I just need to finish up a few things.”

  “I don’t want to intrude.”

  “Don’t be silly. Give me twenty minutes.” Kabir grabbed a TV remote and brought it over to Aisha. “And my butler’s name is Prakash. Ring nine on the phone and he will answer it.”

  Aisha nodded and smiled at Kabir. Impulsively, he raised Aisha’s hand and planted an open-mouthed kiss on her knuckles. Aisha could only stare at him.

  Reluctantly, Kabir dropped her hand. “I will never get any work done around you.” He said as he went up, taking the stairs two at a time.

  Chapter 63

  Aisha immediately put the TV on and left it on a news channel. Casting furtive glances around, she got up hoping to snoop around the house. Her phone rang.

  Parth!

  “Morning, Parth.”

  “You are fired!”

  “Excuse me?” Aisha stuttered. “What . . . happened?”

  “You lied to me. You are no certified behavioral analyst.” Parth spat out the words. “Your license and degree are as big a lie as you are, Aisha Khatri. That bloody university was shut down six years ago for giving out fake degrees.”

  Aisha kept quiet while chewing her bottom lip. Shit! How did he find out?

  “Do you know what damage you have done?” Parth sounded furious. “These past few days, the CBI, the entire Panaji police, has been focusing on the profile you gave to me.”

  “My brief is accurate.” Aisha protested.

  “Bullshit! The only reason I’m not arresting you and throwing you in jail is because going after you would waste my time. But I promise, after the case is over I’m coming after you, Aisha Khatri. With all the power of the CBI.”

  Aisha grimaced. “Please hear me out—”

  “You are a liar and a fraud. I’m coming after you. Ask your father to take his robes out. His retirement is over.”

  “How dare—” Aisha realized Parth had hung up already. “Bloody hell!”

  Aisha felt her stomach roll and her mouth tasted sour. She clasped her knees. How the hell did he find out? Damn. This is not good. She took hurried steps toward the front door. The tissue in her hand lay forgotten on the sofa.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Aisha glanced up. Kabir was smiling down at her. “I just thought I would . . .” She felt dazed. “Are . . . are you done?”

  “Yes, come on up. Let me introduce you to my family.” Kabir misunderstood the nervousness in Aisha’s face. “I will behave myself. You are safe with me.” He cocked a smile.

  Maybe safe from you but not from a crazy cop.

  Aisha climbed the stairs, trying to shake the melancholy and panic Parth’s threat had pushed her in.

  “You look upset?” Kabir asked, watching from the top of the stairs.

  “I’m fine!” Aisha pushed a smile on her face.

  They entered a bedroom done in gray and blue shades with white accents. The furniture was contemporary and minimalist. Her eyes were fixated on a king-size bed that dominated the bedroom with silk sheets and patterned cushions.

  “Like the bed?” Kabir teased.

  Aisha tossed him an irked glance.

  Kabir stopped next to rectangular dark wood table with several framed pictures. “My family.”

  Chapter 64

  Aisha reacted to the vulnerability on his face. She realized that Kabir did not share this side of him with many.

  Just like me!

  She quickly walked over to K
abir, trying to forget Parth’s threat. “So, who’s who?”

  Kabir pointed at a picture of him and a young woman. Kabir looked much younger in it. The woman’s smile was strained and Kabir sported his usual cagey expression. “That is Lavina and I. This was a week or two before she . . .”

  “She was very beautiful.”

  “On the outside, anyway.” Kabir pointed at a picture of a family with four grown-ups and two kids. “My paternal grandparents, my parents and that,” He pointed to a beautiful teenager, “is, was, Kriti and that’s me.”

  “May I?” Aisha asked. Kabir nodded. Aisha picked up the frame and studied the picture. “Your sister and you resemble your Dad and Dadi a lot.” She put the frame back. “You have a beautiful family.”

  “Had a beautiful family,” Kabir straightened the picture. “Dad passed away a few years after Kriti. Now everyone lives in London.”

  “Do you visit them?”

  “No, but we do talk on Diwali and on Kriti and Dad’s birthday.”

  The coldness in Kabir’s face seared her. Aisha chose to distract him. “So, who is this girl? She is in a lot of pictures with you.”

  Kabir’s mouth softened as he gazed at those pictures. “That is my childhood friend, savior, shrink, and family all rolled into one—Shreya Kulhar.”

  “Your savior?” Aisha ignored the stab of jealousy that pierced her.

  Kabir sighed. “After Kriti and then Lavina, each time I went to a very dark place and each time, Shreya was the one who pulled me out. She saved me every time. Even though I always told her that I wasn’t worth saving. I—”

  Whatever Kabir was about to say was interrupted as Aisha clasped his hand, her expression earnest. “You are worth saving. Every life is worth saving.”

  Kabir tugged her close. His gaze roved over Aisha’s face with a deep hunger.

  “Thanks to social media, the world will always need good photographers.” Aisha tried retracting her hand from his.

  Why do I get so carried away around him? I must keep this light.

  “I want to see the other pictures.”

  “Sure, you do!” Kabir held her hand for a second longer but then let go.

  Aisha picked up a picture placed in the back. “Hey, I know this guy!”

  “He’s Shreya’s ex-husband. How do you know him?”

  “Isn’t he the channel head of Vision TV?”

  “Yes, the same. Cheated on her after marriage. They divorced around two years ago.”

  Aisha nodded. “Poor Shreya. He’s known in the industry as a creep. Hits on anything female that moves.”

  “Let me know if he ever bothers you.”

  “Okay!” Aisha quashed her pleasure at the possessive note in Kabir’s voice. “Why do you have a picture of him though?”

  “We all had gone to Maldives for a vacation. Look at the sky in the picture, how stunning it is.” Kabir said.

  “Unbelievable!” Aisha rolled her eyes at Kabir’s unrepentant smile.

  She leaned toward the wall focusing on a large picture on it. “What is this? The population of a city?”

  “Nope, that is the entire royal family. Aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces. . . everyone.”

  “Hmm! You know I visited your palace a couple of years ago.”

  “The hotel?”

  “Yes, we stayed in the hotel. We wanted permission to shoot in the residence, but we were denied.”

  “No visitors are allowed in the residential side. I don’t go there much. It’s quite neglected, I have been told. And I want to keep it that way.” Kabir’s expression was grim as he rubbed a hand over his eyes as if he was trying to forget something painful. “After Kriti’s death, that place was tainted for us.”

  “Understandable! But it is a beautiful palace.” Aisha sighed. “So, no one lives in the residence?”

  “A few caretakers and their families.”

  “Where is Shreya based?”

  “She lives a few kilometers away. But right now, she is attending a conference in the US. She will be back soon. You’ll like her.” Kabir reached out and again took Aisha’s hand. “You are so open, so easy to get along with, sweet Aisha.”

  No, I’m not! Aisha felt her heart dip, yet she tried to smile.

  Chapter 65

  Kabir took a step closer to her. Aisha moved back, her glance surprised. She couldn’t help but inhale his spicy musk. Kabir rubbed her cheek with his callused thumb.

  Aisha closed her eyes, letting the delicious sensation wash over her. It felt like hot suede against her skin. She felt drenched with desire.

  “Open your eyes, Aisha,” Kabir’s voice was husky.

  Aisha opened her eyes, her gaze heavy. Kabir rubbed her lower lip, back and forth, back and forth, like the penetrating strokes of a brush on a canvas. His eyes became hooded.

  Aisha felt her flesh throb under his fingers with a yearning that mirrored the desire in Kabir’s dark eyes. It made her feel oddly powerful.

  “Whenever you are ready to take this, take us . . . to the next level, you let me know.” Kabir’s voice was hoarse.

  Aisha felt her body tighten in response and a soft mewl escaped her lips.

  Kabir crowded Aisha against the wall. He put his arms on the wall next to her, trapping her between them. Aisha’s eyes became large. “I’m so already there,” he said, dipping his head to nudge the base of her neck with his nose. His warm breath fanned her fast heating skin.

  “Where?” Aisha lashes fluttered against her cheek. Unknowingly, she tilted her head to the side giving his lips more access to move over her.

  “A very hopeful place!” Kabir spoke every word slowly against her skin. It was like every word became a kiss.

  Aisha felt her breasts ache as her nipples tightened, her body pining for his touch. She wanted to wrap every inch of herself around him.

  “Where it’s just you and me,” Kabir’s lips kept pressing on her skin, growing more demanding.

  Moaning, Aisha slowly rubbed her cheek against his soft thick hair. Her body arched against the wall.

  Kabir’s lips traveled from her neck to her chin. His head nudged Aisha’s face back as he pressed urgent kisses on her soft chin. Restlessly, Aisha clenched her fingers in his shirt and pulled him close. She thought she would go mad if she did not touch his hard body.

  With a groan, Kabir fell into Aisha and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her in a possessive embrace. Slowly, his hot lingering kisses moved from Aisha’s chin to the side of her mouth. “I want you so much, sweet Aisha.”

  “Umm!” Aisha moaned restlessly, moving her face, eager to taste Kabir and to be tasted by him. Her breasts strained against his chest. It felt so good that she rubbed her hard nipples against his chest.

  Kabir groaned and pushed his pelvis into her soft stomach. His hard arousal thrust against her. “You were made for me, Aisha,” he whispered hotly against her lips.

  “Kiss me already.” Aisha turned her mouth into his. She was done waiting. Her hand slipped from Kabir’s back and fell on the table with the framed pictures. Her fingers touched something circular, something metallic.

  A pendant.

  The light around her changed suddenly.

  Aisha felt herself pushed into a heavy and dark storm. Rain and winds howled around her. She felt herself plummeting back from a height. As she fell, her crazed gaze fell on her legs. They were not hers; neither were the thin, bony arms. Suddenly, her body broke in two. The pain was excruciating!

  Aisha saw herself rise above her still body and then she turned down to look at herself. The face that stared back at her wasn’t hers. Nor was it alive.

  Aisha screamed.

  Princess Kritika’s lifeless eyes stared back at her.

  #

  Kabir rubbed Aisha’s hands anxiously.

  “Wake up, Aisha. Wake up, sweetheart.” He sprinkled water on Aisha’s face.

  Aisha winced and moved her head.

  “Prakash, why isn’t the doctor here?” Kabir
addressed his butler, standing behind him.

  Aisha clutched her head and got up slowly. She was lying on Kabir’s bed.

  “I’m fine,” her voice was hoarse.

  Kabir wiped her forehead with a cool cloth. It was sticky. “We were about to . . .” he paused because of Prakash’s presence. “When your body turned ice-cold and you fainted in my arms.”

  Aisha shifted back on the bed and reclined against the pillows. She was shivering. “I haven’t eaten anything since last night and I went for a run today morning.” She inhaled deeply. “I think it was low blood sugar.”

  Kabir covered her with a thick soft quilt and tucked it under her chin. “You scared the life out of me.”

  Aisha felt some color return to her face.

  Kabir’s knuckles skimmed her cheek. “Prakash, let’s make a tray of food for Aisha madam.” He got up. “I’ll be right back with some juice.”

  Aisha’s eyes wandered to the table with the family pictures. “Oh, something dropped on the floor.”

  Kabir walked over and picked it up. It was a gold necklace, the kind that opened.

  “Whose necklace is it?”

  Aisha wasn’t asking, just confirming.

  “Kriti’s. She always wore it. It has pictures of mom, Dad, and me. I kept it. This is the only thing I have of her.” Kabir gazed at it.

  Aisha nodded understandingly. Keeping the pendant back, Kabir left the room followed by Prakash.

  Aisha stared at the pendant.

  That is not the only thing left of Kriti here. There is a whole lot more. Like a whole freaking ghost.

  Chapter 66

  By the time Aisha and Kiara reached home, it was close to eleven p.m. They let themselves in quietly. The living room was dark because the ex-judge retired to his room every night at 10:00 pm. Not 9:59 pm, not 10:01 pm, but exactly at 10:00 pm!

  “Are you going to sleep?” Kiara whispered.

  “Uh, yes, genius!” Aisha kept her voice low. They made their way quietly with hands outstretched.

  “Why was Kabir giving you such hot intense looks and why were you blushing so much around him, Boo?”

  Aisha frowned and muttered. “Next time you are not coming with us.”

  “Oh, there is going to be a next time?”