Arranged by the Stars (10 page)

The kick to her shin
didn’t hurt, but it showed curiosity. “You make no
sense.”

Ash’s eyes closed as she
tried to picture Alok and his perfectly combed black hair. With the
neatly pressed kurta, he wore every day, and his moustache that had
to be measured with a ruler every morning, Ash could see her future
laid out for her. “I am going to marry a very nice man and live a
very stable life.”

If she was, why was
Kieran filling her thoughts?

Her companion laughed.
“Is that it? Did anyone tell you, that sometimes you could be a
drama queen?”

Ash nodded. “Miss
Tasmania told me that once. I never paid much
attention.”

The voice next to her had
a sombre quality. “You’re weird.” She let out a huff of air. “We’re
not getting out, are we?”

It hurt when she sighed.
“I don’t know. I’d settle for knowing who these goons are and how I
can get out.”

The girl moved. “Drug
dealers. They were stealing from the clinic I worked in.
Unfortunately to feed my habit, I was helping them. I changed my
mind, was going into rehab, they didn’t like the change in plans
and so threw me in here to rethink my decision. They aren’t exactly
the hospitable kind.” She coughed again.

Ash couldn’t see anything
that looked like a water bottle around her so she could help the
girl. They hadn’t let her keep her purse. Not that it would have
mattered, aside from her nailfile; there was no gun in there. “How
often do they bring water?”

She croaked the next
words. “Twice a day.”

“
Do you know
where we are?” Any information would help. Even if she couldn’t
figure out how to develop
Spidey
powers, just yet she could think of a way to get
them out.

A sniff this time. “I
think we’re somewhere near the clinic. I used to buy drugs around
here, but I can’t be sure. It smells the same.” She paused. “I’ve
really done it this time, haven’t I?”

Ash kicked back this
time. “You better not be crying. I don’t know you, but we need to
get out of this because I don’t want to die here with you. Please
don’t take offence to that last part. I would say the same to
anyone I was about to be buried alive with.”

This time her companion
laughed. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Ash closed her eyes as
the distant sounds of seagulls and waves washed over her senses.
This grave wasn’t big enough for two people. It was covered with a
thick plastic cover and at any time their captors could decide to
fill the hole. So they could die at any time because they were in a
hole that was at least six feet deep.

She turned to the woman
next to her. “Why not? I don’t have other plans at the
moment.”

The girl who bathed in
cinnamon essence laughed again. “You don’t strike me as the sort of
person who would do the stable marriage thing.”

The muscles at the back
of her neck tensed. She’d never thought about it before. “I don’t
understand.”

“
Don’t get me
wrong. I only met you, but I can tell that you’re strong and
confident.” The very intelligent girl next to her paused. “I didn’t
think strong-willed girls married boring men anymore.”

We do, when
we’re too scared to be alone.

“
I can hear
lots of movement above. Something is happening out there.” The
hesitation in the girl’s voice sent a sliver of unease down Ash’s
spine.

The raised
voices caused the bumps on her skin to lift. The sound of people
running from one end of whatever enclosure they were in, to the
other meant something was not going as planned. It meant trouble.
It was easy enough to fill the hole they were in and move on. If
she was going to ask the question—
why
didn’t they
—out loud, she knew the person
next to her might freak.

“
With all
this time we’ve been spending together, I haven’t introduced
myself. I’m Ash.” She knew better than to twist around in the
awkward position they were in, and try to extend her hand. This
wasn’t the time for niceties and manners.

A weak laugh sounding
more like a puppy’s squeal filled the air. “I wouldn’t want to be
buried with a stranger either. I’m Latha.”

Ash swallowed her next
breath with the shard of information. The alarm bells were a
screeching clanging sound in her head. This was Kieran’s Latha. As
much as this piece of the puzzle fell into place, it also didn’t.
But she had to be the same person. Yet she was here and a drug
addict, not the doctor and an old friend. Her presence brought more
questions than answers.

The noises above them
escalated. “Does that sound like a tractor starting to you?” she
asked. It was definitely a loud sound that had bursts and bangs
mixed with screeches and screams. “I don’t know what language that
is.” Ash felt Latha’s hand clutch her arm at the same time she
realised someone was up there barking orders that could mean their
death.

“
They
wouldn’t bury us alive. They are drug dealers, not murderers,”
Latha’s death-like grip pinched her wrist. Ash heard her kick
against the edge of the grave and more dirt fell into the
hole.

The thudding in her ears
and her chest accelerated in such a way that she imagined her heart
would explode from beating so rapidly. She elbowed Latha. “You’re
going to bury us if you continue to kick against the edge like
that.” When she swallowed, her throat ached. The screaming was so
loud that she wasn’t sure where she was. Her eyes closed and there
was darkness. Darkness and screaming.

A large chunk of dirt
fell over them and more screaming and even louder voices followed
this. “We’re dying, aren’t we?” Latha said.

Ash opened her eyes
realising the screaming wasn’t her. What she could hear was choking
sounds and rapid breathing. The smell of sweat mingled with rotten
fish and wet soil heightened the pounding of her heart echoing in
her ears. Isn’t this where you saw your life flash by?

The one question that she
kept asking herself was, what would she change? What would she have
done differently? Would she have married Alok years ago? If she
had, she wouldn’t have been here. Wouldn’t have met Kieran or been
a fake bride-to-be. The thought caused a slowing of her pulse. She
shifted awkwardly.

She expected more dirt to
be thrown over them, but the tractor stopped. Silence gripped her
attention with a lot more force any loud bang would, she stilled
and tried to listen for any change above. All the noise had
stopped. The thick, heavy curtain covering them started to lift.
Her eyes hurt when the light filtered in, and her hand went across
her face as her chin lifted towards the sky. The voices above
sounded familiar.

“
Ash, are you
okay?” The voice sounded exactly like Kieran. But it couldn’t be.
Right. Why would he be here?

With a head full of lead,
there had to be shards of glass mixed with it inside because each
time she moved, it hurt and rattled. It couldn’t be real, she must
be dreaming. Kieran was a doctor, a man in a suit. He would be the
last person to come to the rescue. Especially her rescue. His tie
would get in the way and he would trip on his perfectly polished
shoes.

Did she know she was
being unreasonable? Of course. But she was making a
point.

Yet in the next moment it
was his face that peered from above. The brightness of the sunlight
didn’t matter. Just knowing he was right in front of her was enough
to leave her pulseless for a millisecond. But then his gaze didn’t
find hers first and she had to blink back the burning behind her
eyes.

“
Latha? What
are you doing here? Are you okay? Papa said you were in rehab.”
Ignoring her, Kieran lifted Latha up to safety. First.

Still lying in the grave,
with the lead filled head and heart, Ash watched Kieran pull Latha
into his arms and give her comfort. Her insides turned out and the
twisting in her tummy made her sick. As much as she wanted to be
the one in his arms, she couldn’t deny it. They looked good
together. As a couple. She could see why Julie would want Latha as
Kieran’s wife.

“
Let me help
you up,” A voice from above said.

She had barely noticed
the man until his bronzed well-muscled arm was extended towards
her. The khaki outfitted man was square-chinned and classically
handsome. Very unlike the sexy-I-don’t-care attitude that Kieran
wore like a quarantine suit.

“
Thanks.” The
man lifted her out of the grave with little effort.

A quick look around her,
and she acclimatised to her surroundings. She was on a remote part
of the Island. “Was this the base of operations?” she asked the man
who helped her.

“
It was. We
have handed everything over to the police. You two were very lucky
they were holding you as a bargaining chip. They could have killed
you.” He motioned to his colleague to bring water.

“
The thought
did cross my mind when they started filling the grave with soil.
That was a telling sign.” she looked around the compound and a cold
shiver sliced through her. Being this close to death was not
something she was comfortable with.

Her rescuer gave her what
appeared to be a smile, but she wasn’t sure GI Joe was actually
capable of smiling. Or that he had a heart. “Kieran did say you
were feisty.”

Her gaze went to the man
in question who was busy tucking Latha’s hair behind her ear. She
grabbed the bottle of water, tipped her head back as she drank.
They might belong together but she didn’t have to watch
it.

Water from a bottle had
never tasted so good. She’d been in an actual gravesite. When she
quenched her thirst she surveyed the area. The dark cover was a
blue tarpaulin. That’s what they had over their gravesite. The kind
they had on boats. That’s why it was always so dark and it stank
like rotten fish.

“
It’s better
not to think about the what ifs.” Her rescuer was a very large
capable man and, if he were in that hole, he would have had
the
Spidey
powers
to get out.

“
I hadn’t
scheduled being buried alive by drug dealers into my day.” She met
his gaze and gave him a salute. “But thanks for the rescue. I might
have to sleep with the light on for a few days.” Ash wasn’t sure
when her voice had taken on that throaty quality. She didn’t like
the vulnerable edge it showed.

Kieran’s gaze found hers
and her heart fell to the bottom of her gut. His gaze narrowed and
her blood heated in such a way that all the heat rushed to her
midsection. For just a moment time stopped, and she forgot to move
her chest out. She forgot the movement was required to breathe, to
move air in and out, to get oxygen to her body.

Her heart raced, it
floundered in her chest, hitting from side to side in a restless
movement. Her instinct was to run. It was wrong to feel this. Wrong
on so many levels that no matter how many ways she told it to
herself to make it seem right, it would always turn out wrong.
She’d seen the way he was with Latha, so why put herself through
this?

Kieran’s gaze didn’t
leave her as he took a step towards her. The world started closing
in. For once Ash had to stand there and make this choice that maybe
there was a possibility that everything she believed was wrong.
Maybe there was a way that marriage was not a prison or an end to
freedom of choice. Maybe fairy tales were real. If Kieran took
another step, then maybe she could take a step towards him too.
Maybe they could work together.

There was an aching in
her heart that was so real, maybe all it needed was that one step.
Those whiskey brown eyes had a smile she couldn’t turn away from.
It couldn’t be imagined. His lips twitched and she saw the corners
of his mouth turn up. His hand lifted towards her and he took
another step.

“
Kieran,”
Latha pulled his arm and turned him towards her.

Her shoulders dropped as
heaviness settled in her gut.

First she heard a bang.
There was a ringing. Burning. Sharpness. Then screaming. Movement
all around. Darkness descending. Then light in the distance. Her
name was called, of that she was certain. Then nothing.

*****

The air tasted of dust
and sweat. There was nothing nice about this part of the Island and
Kieran didn’t want to be here. He was ready to go back to London
now. He was ready to go to any major city and close any major deal.
As long as he wasn’t here, in this place. In this situation. The
police were grappling with the shooter who was now surrendering.
His gaze didn’t want to move to Ash. What if she was motionless?
What if she was dead?

“
Dammit
Kieran, get that medical kit and get over here.” Rohan shouted as
he skidded to Ash and leaned over her. Kieran swallowed and looked
at the tent covered police van they came in. It had the basics when
it came to medical equipment. Did Rohan think they were on some
mission and they could close her wound with a staple gun? They were
not in Afghanistan or Doctors without Borders. He couldn’t play
hero here. More importantly, he could not do this.