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He refuses the Z+ security option offered by the government. With too many variables trust is hard to come by…
Esha Sinha prepares for her first assignment outside of active army service, oblivious to the fact that she has to baby-sit a man who has no respect for rules or protocol—a man who is headstrong, workaholic and a tenacious flirt. As the attraction between Vikram and Esha simmers and sizzles, another attempt is made on his life.
The killer is resourceful and determined.
The motive is unclear and perplexing.
Will they be able to nab the assassin before he gets to Vikram?
Read and Excerpt from The Bodyguard
"You must have been hurting a lot, I remember my head rammed into your stomach when Nick, the idiot, pushed me down." He lit the cigarette.
"I'm good." Esha tried to shift further away on the sofa, but there was no space and she was already on the edge of the seat.
A ringtone broke the silence in the room. Mahajan handed Seth the first-aid box and moved to the balcony with his mobile phone.
Her gaze flickered from Seth to her watch and then back to him. "Should be going." Get a grip, she chided herself, she was thirty, not thirteen.
"What's the hurry? Someone's waiting for you at home?" Seth opened the box and examined the contents.
She scowled. Was it a deliberate reference to her relationship status or just an innocent question?
"They have an off-the-shelf ointment here. But first, we need to clean it, right?"
"I really don't need anything, it's a minor bruise." Esha stood up ignoring her aching muscles when he picked up a cotton swab.
What was he playing at, behaving like a perfect host in a hotel to a virtual stranger? Shouldn't they be discussing the shooting? He had been shot at in the afternoon and, instead of treating the incident seriously, he was brushing it away like a minor mishap. Maybe he was in denial. Or maybe he didn't trust the observation of a woman. She tightened her lips as the thought invaded her mind. From her point of view, it was wise and professional to come back to the disturbing topic of the shooting.
She cleared her mind, locked her hands behind her back and stated clearly. "I think you should look for a reason or motive for someone to harm you. In my opinion, the bullets were aimed at you."
His eyebrows went up as he scanned her from head to toe, taking in her rigid stance. "You think so?" A corner of his mouth lifted in amusement.
"I don't think so, I'm sure." Her hands fisted behind her back.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I have been trained to assess situations like this one."
"Baggah was not the target?"
"The elaborate way this has been executed—both the sniper and the rifle had to be top class to shoot from such a distance—shows that this was a highly paid or a resourceful and skilled assassin. If I were assigned to kill Baggah, I would have used a motorcycle, shot him at point blank and driven away. He doesn't have the protection you have. Then there is the question of the second bullet. If the target was Baggah, there was no need to fire a second shot."
Vikram Seth sat there staring at her lips, and she knew he had just then noticed her lisp, a speech impediment she had since childhood, a minor movement of her tongue touching her front teeth on certain sounds. She had tried hard to overcome it, but it was noticeable when she spoke at length.
"Mr. Seth?"
To her acute irritation, he chuckled. "You would have killed Baggah just like that?"
"Mr. Seth, I'd like to take your leave."
"I have offended you."
"I have absolutely nothing to lose if you choose to ignore my observations."
"Are you trained to be polite as well? Why don't you tell me to fuck-off? I know you are dying to say that. Come on... say it. You'll feel good."
"Fine, Mr. Seth. You may... ... fuck-off."
He grinned, displaying a carefree boyish charm this time. She raised her eyebrows but it had no effect on him.
Author of the bestselling romantic thriller ‘The Bodyguard’, Ruchi Singh is an IT professional and novelist. Her other notable published novels are ‘Jugnu (Firefly)’ and ‘Guardian Angel’. Winner of TOI Write India Season 1, Ruchi also publishes short stories under ‘Hearts and Hots’ series, besides being a contributing author to many anthologies. For more visit www.ruchisingh.com
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