Page 247 of The Redemption
The next instant Raghav lifts his foot and drives it straight into my chest. The impact sends me flying backwards. The gun skids away across the rocks, and I crash hard onto the ground, coughing as I struggle to breathe. Rage explodes through me as I stagger back to my feet with a growl and charge at him.
My fist connects with his jaw, and his elbow slams into my ribs. I grab hold of him, but he shoves me backwards. I charge at him again, and this time, he meets me halfway. We crash into each other like two wild animals, fists flying as years of hatred finally find an outlet. Every punch carries history. Every blow carries vengeance.
We fight our way across the stone pathway, onto the grass, and against the railings. Neither of us is willing to yield. Neither of us is willing to fall. But gradually, the balance begins to shift. Not because he’s stronger than me, but because my men are disappearing while his seem to be everywhere.
I throw another punch at him, but he dodges. I reach for the fallen rifle lying a few feet away and lunge for it, my fingers almost closing around the weapon before Raghav kicks it away. The weapon slides across the ground while he picks another gun lying nearby.
As I look up, the barrel is already aimed straight at my forehead. Everything stops, and only then do I realise what has happened around me. The few men I have left are on their knees, their weapons kicked away from their reach. His men have guns trained on every last one of my men. The rest of my army is gone. Either dead or lying somewhere across the estate we fought so hard to enter.
We are surrounded, disarmed, and outnumbered.
One wrong move would get the remaining ones killed. Just as one pull of Raghav’s finger on his gun gets me killed. Raghav can end this war right here if he chose to. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The tide has turned. I came here with an army and with two other mafia empires backing me to destroy Raghav. Instead, I am standing in the middle of his kingdom, with the Dark Prince’s gun pointed at my head.
Raghav tilts his head slightly, a mocking smile touching his lips. “What happened?” he asks smugly. “You look surprised.”
I glare at him, but the b*stard smiles wider.
“So, am I,” he adds, taking a slow step towards me without lowering the gun. “I had no idea you were this good at imitating me.”
My hands curl into fists.
“You replicated my Cape Town stunt almost perfectly. The split assault, the attempt to surround the estate from multiple directions, the dramatic entrance.” He laughs. “You even came at sunset.”
I spit the blood pooling in my mouth onto the grass, but Raghav isn’t done.
“I always knew you didn’t have the courage to come alone. You needed two other empires to back you up.” His gaze drifts lazily over the bodies scattered across the grounds before returning to me. “And yet, it seems even that wasn’t enough. You still failed.”
The words hit harder than the punch he threw earlier. I force a smirk onto my face.
“You think you’ve won?” I laugh.
Raghav says nothing.
“I haven’t failed, Raghav. You’re standing here pointing a gun at me while Michael is tearing your resort apart.” I lean forward slightly, my grin widening. “You heard those gunshots, didn’t you? Those are your guests dying. Your precious RK Estate is already burning.”
I wait for him to react. Instead, Raghav smirks.
“I heard the gunshots,” he says calmly. “Every single one.” Something in the way he says it makes my smile falter. “But don’t worry. Not a single guest has been harmed. Because right now, there are no guests at RK Estate.”
“What?” My brow furrows.
Raghav’s smile turns colder.
“RK Estate has been closed to visitors for the past few days.”
The ground beneath me seems to shift.
“The people inside the resort aremymen, disguised as guests. Seems like your sources never got a whiff of that, did they?” he mocks.
A chill crawls down my spine.
“You came here to wage war, Samarjeet. Did you honestly think I would leave innocent civilians here for you to slaughter?”
I stare at him in disbelief as he continues, “The people getting shot inside the resort tonight aren’t mine.” His eyes harden as he holds my gaze. “They are yours.”
For one horrific second, all I can hear is my own heartbeat.
“And Michael is already dead as we speak.” His gaze drifts towards the few of my men still standing. “My man, Haider, killed him the moment he entered the resort.”
