Fixation (Fatal Attraction #3)

Chapter 1

1

Fifteen hours later

London

D r. Reina Singh looked around the interior of the dark, windowless van, her heart quaking with fear. Three of her team members sat in a semi-circle beside her in the fast-moving vehicle, their expressions as fearful as hers surely must be. In front of them, two armed men held machine guns pointed at them. She wiped her sweaty brow, the action causing one of her captors to point that scary gun directly at her. Panic washed over her, making her hands tremble.

How had her life come down to this moment of being kidnapped and led to an unknown location? Murder, torture, extortion, slavery, and several awful words had already crossed her mind. Her stomach churned even considering these scenarios—each one worse than the previous. Could she have prevented this situation? No matter which way she thought, the answer to this was a loud NO. She and her team had been trapped, hopelessly ensnared.

Like her, neither of them had thought twice when a nurse had told them that their senior doctor, Dr. Williams, wished to meet all of them in the basement conference room. Once there, they had all been further informed that Dr. Williams was waiting for them outside at the back of the hospital. Although slightly taken aback at the bizarre request, they all had done as told, only to be accosted by four armed men. The men had taken away their cell phones and huddled them into this waiting van. Now, they were being driven to God only knew where.

She observed the two men seated in front of her, their cohorts having taken the front seats of the van.

“Where are you taking us?” she asked aloud. Her voice sounded calm to her ears, even though she was trembling inside.

“You’ll know soon enough,” one of the men replied. “Until then, stay quiet.”

Her friend, Su Min, who was also a nurse in Reina’s department, tugged Reina’s hand and shook her head.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the van began to slow down, and then it stopped completely. The back door opened, and the men ushered them all outside. Bright sunlight hit her eyes. She blinked as she stared at her surroundings.

It took her a second to understand exactly where she was and why she and her team had been brought here. Before she could dwell on that further, the same four men surrounded them all.

One of the men, presumably the leader of this lot, stepped forward and spoke in a heavily accented voice. “Which one of you operated on Mr. Oshnov?”

Mr. Oshnov—he meant Vedant Oshnov.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d managed to save his life. She hadn’t known his name then. She’d learned it much later. Even then, she’d been a tad bit worried because history had proved that the Oshnovs meant nothing but trouble… always. Well, this right now was further proof of the same.

She lifted her hand up.

“Come with me,” the same man said. He addressed his men. “Keep the others outside.”

She followed the man into the house and into an opulent foyer. She barely had a chance to study her lavish surroundings when she was ushered into a room—a care room, specially created for her patient.

Vedant Oshnov.

“Doctor, please check on him,” the man said.

When she walked further inside, the man turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

Reina observed the battered and bruised man who was asleep on the care bed in front of her.

The youngest of the Oshnov brothers had been brought into the emergency room late last night with several injuries, which included a broken rib and two gunshot wounds. If she hadn’t taken the call to operate on him when she had, then he would have died. But she had saved him, and in doing so, had unleashed danger upon herself and her team.

The Oshnovs were known to be the wealthiest and most dangerous men in the world. Her family’s past experience with them had proved that to her already. Her elder sisters, Ananya and Navya, had warned her never to come into the radar of these men, and yet fate had brought her right into their house. Not that she’d had any say in it.

While now she knew where she was, who her captors were, and most likely why they all were brought here, she still wasn’t entirely sure what the future held. And that made her blood boil. No wonder her sisters didn’t like the Oshnovs. These men clearly thought that being as rich as they were gave them the license to do as they pleased. Thus, Vedant had been moved to his own home, and she and her team had been brought here, clearly to look after him, without their consent.

Her fists clenched. Already, her career was going to take a major hit because she’d defied the orders of her senior surgeon and stepped into an operation theatre despite being banned by him. She had enough problems on her plate, and she knew in her gut that this situation was going to be a bigger problem than anything else.

She looked around the vast chamber, now converted to resemble a hospital room. If she was being honest, it was better equipped than any hospital room she had seen.

Alone in the room, she removed the thick glasses from her face and got to work doing exactly as she’d been instructed. She checked Vedant’s vitals on the various monitors attached to him. He was stable.

She exhaled. Here she was, checking on the man who would end up becoming her captor, all because she always put her profession over and above anything else. She was a doctor first and foremost and saving lives was her job. And this man here was her patient.

She wound the stethoscope around her neck. A warm hand caught her wrist, halting her. She turned and stared into the wide, open eyes of the man because of whom she was being held hostage.

He spoke in rapid, angry Russian.

“English, please,” she countered.

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice gruff. She tried to tug out of his hold, but he held firm. He began to get up, but fell back on the bed, groaning. His face was contorted in pain.

“You need to rest,” she said curtly.

His brown gaze snapped on her, noting her tone.

She felt a twinge of guilt. The man was unwell and injured, and that was no way to talk to a patient. But she couldn’t bring herself to speak kindly to him. He was the reason she was a captive in his house.

“I asked you a bloody question, da ?” he gritted out, his hand still holding hers caged. “Who the fuck are you?”

Now, his tone and attitude annoyed her.

“Release my hand,” she snapped, the events of the last few hours finally catching up to her.

“And if I don’t?”

She ran a slow gaze down him. “Considering your rather delicate condition, there’s nothing you can do to me. But I can assure you that as the doctor who saved your life last night, I can undo what I did and kill you as easily as I saved you. So, I’m going to ask you again. Leave my fucking hand.”

His brown eyes flared in understanding before they filled with pain. And yet, he refused to leave her hand. He was so weak that she could easily pry his fingers open from her wrist. He gave her a thunderous look. She ignored it and captured his wrist instead, checking his pulse.

“Where am I?” He looked around, his eyes flicking to the window. “I’m at home, da ?”

“Yes,” she replied. “How is your pain?”

“Bad. It’s hard to breathe. My chest hurts, my shoulder is on fire, and my leg is fucking throbbing.”

She quickly entered the details in his chart. It annoyed her to note that it was the same one she had been using at the hospital. Fetching the pain injections from the tray, she got to work administering those to him. He watched her in silence as she replaced the cannula in his hand with an IV drip. His eyes soon drifted close, and he was fast asleep once again.

She rubbed her forehead and pocketed her glasses. What an asshole. Fuck. What had she gotten herself into? Before she could ponder any more, the door opened, and her colleagues filed in.

The three of them came to stand near her. Su Min, her friend and head nurse of Reina’s department, was followed by Dr. Laila Jones, the junior doctor, and Stefan Miller, the intern. Varying levels of fear shone upon all their faces, and looking at them, she, too, was afraid. They had no clue what was going to happen to them. They didn’t have their phones, so they had no way of contacting anyone. All they could do was wait for someone to come and tell them what the hell was going on, and what the fuck was expected from them. One of Vedant’s brothers would come to talk to them, she was certain of that. The Oshnovs were a pack; where one went, the other two followed.

She hadn’t even finished the thought when the door opened yet again, and a tall man dressed in a dark suit walked in. The long scar running down one side of his face gave him away. Mihir Oshnov—the eldest of the Oshnov trio. He was considered to be a dark, powerful king in the jungle of international business. Unfortunately, he was also the man her eldest sister, Ananya, pined over till date. Reina quickly wore her glasses again. She didn’t want him to get an inkling of her real identity.

Mihir Oshnov went to his brother, staring at him for a long time before he finally faced all of them in the room. He splayed a hand to the side, and all of them followed him to the corner by the window. The same security guard who had brought her to this room stood behind Mihir, speaking to him in what she assumed was Russian.

Her team stood silently next to her, all of them at the mercy of this dangerous man. The Oshnov brothers—adopted sons of the late Russian oligarch Alexander Oshnov—owned the richest business empire in the world. Diamonds, energy, oil wells—their businesses were vast and spread across the globe. A couple of years back, Mihir had moved their headquarters from Moscow to Dubai, which was also Reina’s home base. And this house in London was one of their homes too. And what a property it was—luxurious and splendid.

Reina looked out of the window. Although this room was on the ground floor, the house itself sat upon a hill. She could make out the sprawling lawns, meadows and the forest in the distance. She had recognised the lawns the second she’d stepped out of the van she’d been brought in.

A few months ago, her middle sister, Navya, and she had attended the Oshnovs’ New Year’s Eve party here on the lawns of this very house, not knowing that Vedant Oshnov and his brothers were the hosts. They had been invited by Su Min and her boyfriend, Vasily, who was the Oshnovs’ Head of Security.

Su Min had told her in the past that the Oshnovs weren’t bad people except when it to their enemies. That’s why Su Min was probably the only one among them all who looked less frightened. But Reina knew more about the Oshnovs than anyone else in this room.

Four years back, Vedant and his brothers had held Navya and their elder brother, Rajiv’s then girlfriend and now wife, Sheena Sehgal, hostage. To be honest that had been because of the utter stupidity of Ananya and Navya. They had foolishly decided to gate-crash the Oshnovs’ yacht party in Dubai, and Sheena had been caught in that nonsense thanks to them. While Ananya had managed to escape, Rajiv had to negotiate with the Oshnovs for Navya and Sheena’s release.

What was worse was that during that time, the second Oshnov brother, Armaan, had become obsessed with Navya. Thanks to Rajiv’s timely intervention, Armaan had backed off from her. But now, after finding Navya at his New Year’s Eve party, Armaan’s obsession with Navya had only grown. Thank God, Navya had decided to stay away from him. Ironically, though, now Reina was stuck here in their house.

“Good afternoon, all of you,” Mihir finally addressed them in accented English. “I’m sure you’re all frightened and confused. Rest assured, I’m here to answer all your queries.”

Bloody hell, he was speaking so casually, as if it was an everyday occurrence for her and the others to be held hostage by armed men and brought to an unknown location at gunpoint. Fucking asshole.

Her anger made her brave, so she stepped forward. “Why are we here?”

Mihir read her name tag. “Dr. Singh? I believe you’re the one who saved my brother’s life, da ?”

“I did.”

“ Spasibo . I mean, thank you,” he said. “I’ve read your notes. You mentioned that Vedant will need a lot of care in the days to come, and he will need intensive physiotherapy to gain full use of his chest, shoulder, and leg. Is that right?”

Reina nodded.

“As you can see. I’ve moved Vedant here to our home, and from now on, you and your team will be looking after him here, where it’s safe for him.”

Shocked gasps sounded from behind her. But Mihir’s casual comment only infuriated her further. “Do we get a choice in the matter, or are you going to decide for all of us?”

Mihir straightened and crossed his arms across his chest. “Does it look like you have a choice?”

“So, you’re holding us captive?”

“Captive?” He tilted his head to the side, studying her. “No. You all are my guests until Vedant has fully recovered.”

“Guests? So we can come and go as we please, then?” Reina queried.

“Unfortunately, no. You are to stay here till the time Vedant recovers and is fully on his feet.”

“So, we are your captives then,” Reina shot back, consumed by rage.

“Consider this as a working vacation, da ? We have a lot of in-house facilities here—a world-renowned chef who can cater to any meals you want, a video game parlour, a pool, a spa, tennis courts, and a well-equipped gym. You are free to use all our facilities while ensuring that my brother gets the best possible treatment. Rest assured, whatever you need to care for him will be provided to you. You only need to ask. My team has already set up this room with all the facilities of a fully-functional hospital. Actually, better than a hospital. The only thing you won’t be allowed to do is step outside these grounds. You will stay here and look after him for as long as it takes to get him back on his feet. However, this also means you cannot have access to your phones during this time, except for twice a day when you can communicate with your families… but in the presence of my men.”

Reina gaped at him. From beside her, the rest of her team began to object and protest as well.

“Mr. Oshnov, your brother will take weeks to recover,” Reina spoke aloud, silencing all of them. “Do you seriously expect us to stay here, away from our homes and work, for a month or maybe even two?”

“For as long as it takes,” Mihir replied, his voice cold, unfeeling.

“We have duties and shifts at the hospital,” Laila said.

“Your senior doctor, Dr. Williams, is aware of the situation and has cleared all your schedules accordingly. All you need to do is have a meeting with him once every week to update him on Vedant’s progress.”

Reina stared at the man, unable to believe his audacity. Who the fuck did he think he was? Her sisters were right. He and his brothers were all entitled assholes. And he’d gotten Dr. Williams to release them from their schedules? Agreed, Dr. Williams was a biased twat, but he was also the senior-most surgeon and chief doctor of the hospital. Mihir Oshnov clearly had a lot of influence to get him on his side or he had donated a lot of money to the hospital. It was probably both, she surmised.

The young intern, Stefan, stepped forward, finally gathering some courage to talk. “I don’t agree to this. I have a family at home. Parents, siblings...”

Mihir studied him. “Would one million pounds change your mind?”

“W…what?” Stefan gasped. He shared a shocked look with Laila.

Mihir stepped forward. “One million pounds will be credited to each of your accounts, if you agree to my terms. Once my brother is back on his feet, you will be free to leave, and on that day, I promise you that another one million pounds will be deposited into your accounts. So, now, does anyone else have any complaints?”

Pin-drop silence followed his words. Her colleagues, she saw, were staring at him, their jaws dropped and the wheels of their brains churning, because two million pounds was a fuckton of money. It could change lives, and Mihir, of course, knew that. Hence, he’d deliberately laid the money card out on the table at the end, effectively silencing them all.

“So, if we’re all in agreement,” Mihir pointed to a side table where a few documents were stacked, “then you need to sign some legal documents. They mention the terms of your temporary employment here, that you agree to work for me of your own free will, and that you will never mention how you were brought here, speak of your time here, or file a legal suit against me, my company, or my brothers. Also?—”

“—I refuse,” Reina cut him off.

Mihir straightened. “Dr. Singh, you all are staying here whether you agree or not. I’m just sweetening the pot. If you agree amicably, then all of you will emerge richer in a very short span of time. But if any of you disagree, then the deal is off for everyone else in the team as well. You will all continue to stay here and care for Vedant, but without any money or the comforts I’m willing to give you. And if any of you tries to hurt him, or his health does not improve because of any of your negligence, then… then…” Mihir’s jaw tightened. “I don’t think you will like the consequences of that. So, think carefully about what you want to do.”

Su Min caught Reina’s elbow before addressing Mihir. “We would like a few minutes, please.”

Mihir pointed his chin to the door. “You have ten minutes.”

Once out in the corridor, they all started talking at once.

“Two million…” Laila gasped.

“I can pay off my student loans. I can buy a house…” Stefan said, a dreamy look on his face.

“Two million pounds,” Laila repeated. “It will change my life.”

“We won’t have to worry about a thing after that…” Su Min exclaimed.

Reina held her hands out. “Can you not see how immoral and wrong this is? He brought us here at gunpoint and is threatening us to work for him.”

“And is making us richer in the process,” Su Min said.

“I agree,” Laila concurred. “I can finally travel the world.” She looked at Reina. “Hey, you’re from Dubai, right?”

“Yes,” Reina replied, wondering how that was relevant in this situation.

“I’ve been wanting to visit someday,” Laila said. “Perhaps after this is over, I can.”

“Don’t you need the money?” Stefan asked Reina.

“Everyone needs money,” Laila scoffed. “Anyone who disagrees is only pretending otherwise.”

She let out an agitated breath. Of the three of them in front of her, Su Min was the only one she called a friend. The others were work acquaintances, and they only spoke a bit during the shifts they had together. Hence, she didn’t know Laila and Stefan all that well. However, since Reina went to Dubai on several of her vacation days, everyone in the hospital knew her family lived there. What they didn’t know was who they were and how rich she was.

Reina stared at them as they revelled in this new stroke of luck and how it would change their lives for good. Thanks to her family background, she didn’t need the money, and hence, she was the only one seeing this situation for what it was—dangerous and unpredictable. The rest of them were only thinking about the money.

Her colleagues only knew her as Dr. Reina Singh. No one, not even Su Min, knew that she was the adopted sister of the billionaire tycoon Rajiv Mehra, owner of the Poseidon Shipping Corp.

Having faced a lot of judgement in college due to her wealth and status, Reina had changed her last name from Mehra to Singh before joining the hospital. She’d taken on her biological father’s surname after a whole lot of deliberation and angst, but it had been the right way forward. She’d worked too damn hard to become a surgeon. She was well-known and well-respected in her fraternity. And she didn’t want her last name to take away all the credit for her success.

In her profession, prejudices and biases could make or break careers. Everyone around her would look at her differently once they knew she was a Mehra heiress. No one would think she was serious about her profession. Everyone would assume that she’d succeeded only because of her family’s wealth and influence. The word ‘nepotism’ would be linked to every success of hers. Thus, she had become invisible. She had become Dr. Reina Singh.

“I don’t like this one bit,” Reina said, finally. “We have to find a way to get out of here, and not simply agree to his demands.”

“Look, Reina,” Laila said. “He’s dangerous, and I don’t want trouble, either. But if he is paying us what he is and giving us the luxuries that he mentioned, then I’m all for it. We all have been overworked, underpaid, and sleep-deprived for years. On most days, we barely have time to eat. I don’t mind having some time for myself. Besides, we are in this position because of you . The least you can do is help us get rich.”

“I dislike being put in this position,” Reina said.

“Then you shouldn’t have chosen to operate on him,” Laila shot back. “Stop making a fuss. Everyone needs money. So, get off your high horse, Reina.”

Oh, this woman was beginning to annoy her now.

“Look, ladies, let’s put our differences aside,” Stefan placated everyone. “Reina, if not for yourself, then do this for us. As it is, we have no choice. I’m going inside to tell him that we agree to his terms.”

Without waiting for her reply, Laila and he returned inside the room.

Reina looked at Su Min. “This is wrong, and you know it.”

“Reina, what will you achieve even if you convince Mihir to let us go?” Su Min asked. “Dr. Williams had banned you from the operating theatre, and yet you went against him and operated on that man inside.”

“Did he expect me to let a patient die?”

“No, he expected you to wait for him to arrive.”

Reina clucked her tongue. “You and I both know that Dr. Williams wasn’t available last night. He wasn’t answering anyone’s calls.”

“Then you should have let another surgeon operate.”

“Who?” Reina shook her head. “There was no time to even think in that moment. He was dying in front of me. Dr. Williams ought to appreciate that I saved that man.”

“Like that makes a damn difference to him,” Su Min scoffed. “He was waiting for an opportunity to fire you, and he will do exactly that now.”

It was true. In saving Vedant Oshnov, Reina had signed the death warrant of her career. Disappointment and hurt washed over her. She was a good doctor and a brilliant surgeon. Unfortunately, she was on Dr. Williams’ shit list. Just last week, he had banned her from the operation theatre and shifted her to ER duty because she hadn’t agreed with his diagnosis on her patient. Instead of disagreeing with him, Reina should have kept her mouth shut. Unfortunately, sitting quietly when the life of a patient was at stake wasn’t in her nature. Things had only spiralled thence.

He’d threatened her with dire consequences if she disobeyed him again. And yet, she had gone against his orders to save Vedant.

Reina pursed her lips. “Dr. Williams is a prejudiced and biased man.”

“Fucking wanker,” both of them said at the same time. They burst out laughing, the joke commonplace between them.

They looked at one another once again, allowing the reality of the situation they were in to wash over them.

“Reina, please accept that we are in this situation because you took a call to operate on Vedant. I’m not saying it was wrong. But now that we are being pushed to the wall, why not be free from the wrath of that wanker Dr. Williams for a while and emerge richer? I’m aware of how he cancels all your leaves, gives you the worst shifts, rejects all your suggestions even if they are brilliant, and picks on you all the time. And he does this because he got away with?—”

“—I know Su Min. I know.”

Su Min shook her head. “You should have registered a complaint against him with the management.”

“Unfortunately, he is the management, and the board listens to him. Do you think they would have listened to me if I’d told them that their senior most surgeon, trustee, and generous benefactor bumped me off his team because I threatened to file a sexual harassment complaint against him? They need his money more than they need me. And now that door is forever closed for me. If and when he decides to fire me, which he will at some point, then any complaint I make against him will sound like that of a disgruntled employee. He will invariably get away scot-free, and I will forever be that woman doctor who claimed sexual harassment against her boss just because he fired her.”

Anger at her situation gnawed at her insides. A year back, Dr. Williams had joined the Princess Mary Hospital as the chief doctor. She’d thought herself lucky that she’d caught his favour right from the beginning. Initially, he used to call her to assist him with all the operations he performed and during all his routine patient visits. Dr. Williams was a brilliant surgeon and she’d been delighted to be a part of his team. It was only several months later that he’d made his move and told her that he expected repayment in sex for all he was doing to advance her career.

Appalled and disgusted, she’d rejected his offer immediately, and they’d had a massive fallout. She’d even threatened to complain about him, but he had brushed it off confidently stating that he was the management. He’d further kicked her off his team and put her under Dr. Banks, another senior surgeon, but one less experienced than him. And then he’d gone on to make her life miserable. After she’d openly disagreed with his assessment of a patient under her care during a staff meeting, he’d shifted her to the ER and banned her from the OT. That vile, horrible man.

“Let’s leave that problem behind for a while,” Su Min suggested. “We have this opportunity handed to us; let’s run with it. Besides, if Mihir is here, it means that Vasily will be here too. I look forward to spending some time with him. As it is, we have so little of it. This has been a rather fortunate occurrence for me, don’t you think?”

“Why are we forgetting the fact that the Oshnovs are dangerous?”

“Because, like I’ve always said, they only hurt people who mean them harm, and none of us fit into that category. Hence, we are safe.”

With a happy smile, Su Min entered the room, leaving her behind alone. Reina understood why all of them would want to do this. She sighed. Perhaps, her friend was right. Maybe this was the break she had been craving for a long time. Perhaps this opportunity would be good for her as well.

A lone thought crossed her mind. She could announce who she really was to Mihir Oshnov. He would have to let her go then, wouldn’t he?

However, considering the past, he may just use her to gain leverage over her brother, and that was the last thing Reina wanted. Rajiv was happily married now with two adorable kids, who she loved dearly. She and her sisters had decided years back to never do anything that would compromise Rajiv’s happiness. And she knew Rajiv would move heaven and earth for her, which meant she didn’t really have a choice. She was going to have to do this.

Vedant was her patient, a deep inner voice said. When she’d become a doctor, she’d pledged to look after anyone who came under her care. She’d saved him, agreed. But he did have a long road of healing ahead of him. Might as well stay and ensure he fully recuperated. Besides, she was being given a breather from the clear dismissal Dr. Williams had surely planned for her, which meant she had a few weeks to plan the next course of action for herself.

She straightened her spine. Okay, she was going to do this. She was going to stay and care for Vedant Oshnov, even if her gut was warning her that he was going to be the most difficult patient she’d ever come across so far. She pursed her lips. She could handle anything if she put her mind to it.

Including him.