Page 80 of Every Move You Make
The doorbell rang. Akash glanced toward the entrance as Janak’s housekeeper moved to answer it. A moment later, Kabier’s friend Viraj Jaisinghania or VJ as they called him, stepped inside.
Tall, composed, and observant as ever, VJ gave a brief nod to everyone in the room. Even after stepping into his role as a prince and leaving the uniform behind, the ex-cop still carried an unmistakable authority. He still maintained strong ties with his police contacts, and when things went wrong, he was always the first person they all turned to. And he never failed them.
“I asked him to come,” Akash said, addressing the others. “I sent him the footage.”
VJ inclined his head slightly. “I ran the picture you sent me through a few contacts in the police department. Your father, Keval Karia, has been in prison.”
The words stilled the room. Akash shared a shocked look with Keya.
“For what?” Janak asked.
“Manslaughter,” VJ replied. “A violent assault that resulted in a man’s death. It happened shortly after he disappeared from your lives. He was sentenced to twenty years.”
Keya’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Akash froze.
Fuck, he was the son of a murderer. Shame and disbelief warred inside him, tightening his lungs until breathing felt like an effort. Keya looked at him, her eyes wide and stricken, and he knew she was grappling with the same horror, the same awful, creeping question of what that meant for them.
“Akash, Keya,” Janak called out. “Whatever awful thoughts are spinning through your minds, just remember his actions have nothing to do with you. His sins are his alone. Neither of you need to carry the burden of them.”
“He’s right,” Shauna whispered. “What he did is not on you.”
The tightness in his chest eased slightly. They were right. His father’s sins weren’t theirs. Their father’s actions weren’t a reflection of who they were.
“And honestly,” Janak continued, “I’m not even surprised by this. You couldn’t put anything past that man. His greed had always been too great. I’m sure there is a reason he committed that murder.”
Shauna moved closer to Akash, slipping her arm through his. Her touch instantly soothed him.
“He was released two weeks ago,” VJ continued. “Early release for good behavior.”
Two weeks. Akash felt the timeline click into place. The disturbance inside the house. The intrusion. It had been his father. He voiced that realization aloud.
Shauna looked at VJ. “Why is he returning to the house? And why did he look… angry?”
VJ shrugged. “It could be anything, really. He may have gone there looking for his children and found the house empty. Maybehe assumed it had been sold. That someone else owns it now and got frustrated.”
“Which means, he’s trying to find you both,” Kabier said.
“No,” Akash said, his voice hard. “I don’t believe he wants to find us. He abandoned us years ago. There has to be another reason.”
“Maybe he regrets his behavior,” VJ suggested. “Prison tends to change people.”
“Not him,” Akash said without hesitation. “He was the worst sort of human being.”
“I agree,” Keya said, her voice steadier now. “We were little, but we both saw what he was capable of. That man was a monster. He hasn’t come back to find us.”
“Let’s move to the den,” Janak said. “We all need a drink.”
“And food,” Shauna added. “Akash and I haven’t eaten.”
Janak immediately began instructing his housekeeper. Once they were all seated in his den, he opened a bottle of single malt and poured generous measures into crystal glasses, passing them around.
Shauna declined when the glass was offered to her and sat beside Akash instead. Akash lifted the drink and downed it in one swallow. The alcohol burned its way down his throat, settling hot in his chest. For a brief moment, the edge inside him dulled. The relentless churn of thoughts slowed just enough for him to breathe properly.
Janak poured him a second round.
“What do we do now?” Keya asked, sipping slowly from her glass. “I don’t want him finding us. I’d prefer it if neither of us had to deal with him again.”
