Read Online Revolutionary Hearts by Pema Donyo - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Pema Donyo
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pointed to a house in the distance, nestled at the end of the road. The town of Bhargain marked a halfway point between her village of Hathras and the train station of Shahjahanpur, but she hadn’t anticipated stumbling into it. “My aunt lives there.”
“Then that’s where we’re headed for the night.” He ran over to a motorcycle riding by and waved his arms in front of the rider. The vehicle slowed to a bumpy halt. As soon as it stopped, Warren pushed the man off the bike and climbed onto the seat. He motioned for her to sit behind him. “Get on!”
“Sorry!” she called to the rider as she stepped onto the bike behind Warren. Her arms wrapped around his broad chest, and her hands clasped together as she held on tightly.
Once the bike started speeding forward, Parineeta dared to look behind her. The soldiers finally emerged from the forest. She grinned in triumph when they caught her gaze.
You cannot catch us now!
Her smile faded as soon as she saw them knocking off other motorcycle riders on the same road. Curse their luck! It was uncommon enough for
one
motorcycle to be on the road at such a time at night, much less three! Before the drivers could get back on their bikes, two of the soldiers jumped onto the cycles and sped after Warren. They met her gaze this time with smiles of their own.
She whipped her head back around, pulling her loose tendrils behind her shoulder as the wind whipped at her curls. “Warren! They’re still following us!”
He looked down at his mirrors and then back up at the road. She gulped as he revved the engine faster. “Hold on,
pagal ladki.
”
Parineeta wanted to reprimand him for his terrible nickname again, but their motorcycle zoomed down the road with a sudden ferocity that clamped her mouth shut. The roar of new engines edged nearer.
Two motorcycles emerged from both sides of her line of vision as the soldiers tried to approach them. She checked the distance between them out of the corner of her eye, watching with alarm as the barrier of space seemed to close. The night air blew against the folds of her sari. She pressed her arms tighter around Warren until her chest lay flat against his back.
He zipped through the wide entrance of the town and through the narrow alley streets. The soldiers surely could not follow them from both sides as soon as the road tapered. Yet they chased after them through the backstreets, one motorcycle after the other.
Warren skidded against one side of the alley, knocking over a wooden table holding brass pots and tin pans that went clattering to the ground and leaving a trail of metal in their wake. Her own form fell back around the turn and then lurched forward against his body as he settled back into a straight path.
The mess made one of the motorcyclists brake suddenly, which flipped over his bike. The soldier went flying into the air, landing a safe distance from Parineeta and Warren. She watched as the other bike crashed into the one laid on the ground, causing its rider to hurtle off his seat like the first.
She turned back around. “They’re gone.”
The motorcycle screeched to a halt. Parineeta gritted her teeth and struggled to hold on as gravity attempted to pull her off the bike. She leaned her whole body to the left as the bike swerved to a sharp right.
Once the vehicle slowed to a complete stop, Warren inclined his head toward her. “It’s been a while since I could ride like that.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smoothed out the loose
pallu
of her sari. With the threat of capture removed, she rolled her eyes at Warren. “How they teach you that and not how to build a proper fire, I will never understand. Americans.”
One leg over the other and she was off the bike and back on the ground. Warren stepped off the motorcycle after her and then laid the vehicle by a nearby alley wall. The only sounds that could be heard among the alleys were the crunch of their own footsteps against the dirt.
She
“Then that’s where we’re headed for the night.” He ran over to a motorcycle riding by and waved his arms in front of the rider. The vehicle slowed to a bumpy halt. As soon as it stopped, Warren pushed the man off the bike and climbed onto the seat. He motioned for her to sit behind him. “Get on!”
“Sorry!” she called to the rider as she stepped onto the bike behind Warren. Her arms wrapped around his broad chest, and her hands clasped together as she held on tightly.
Once the bike started speeding forward, Parineeta dared to look behind her. The soldiers finally emerged from the forest. She grinned in triumph when they caught her gaze.
You cannot catch us now!
Her smile faded as soon as she saw them knocking off other motorcycle riders on the same road. Curse their luck! It was uncommon enough for
one
motorcycle to be on the road at such a time at night, much less three! Before the drivers could get back on their bikes, two of the soldiers jumped onto the cycles and sped after Warren. They met her gaze this time with smiles of their own.
She whipped her head back around, pulling her loose tendrils behind her shoulder as the wind whipped at her curls. “Warren! They’re still following us!”
He looked down at his mirrors and then back up at the road. She gulped as he revved the engine faster. “Hold on,
pagal ladki.
”
Parineeta wanted to reprimand him for his terrible nickname again, but their motorcycle zoomed down the road with a sudden ferocity that clamped her mouth shut. The roar of new engines edged nearer.
Two motorcycles emerged from both sides of her line of vision as the soldiers tried to approach them. She checked the distance between them out of the corner of her eye, watching with alarm as the barrier of space seemed to close. The night air blew against the folds of her sari. She pressed her arms tighter around Warren until her chest lay flat against his back.
He zipped through the wide entrance of the town and through the narrow alley streets. The soldiers surely could not follow them from both sides as soon as the road tapered. Yet they chased after them through the backstreets, one motorcycle after the other.
Warren skidded against one side of the alley, knocking over a wooden table holding brass pots and tin pans that went clattering to the ground and leaving a trail of metal in their wake. Her own form fell back around the turn and then lurched forward against his body as he settled back into a straight path.
The mess made one of the motorcyclists brake suddenly, which flipped over his bike. The soldier went flying into the air, landing a safe distance from Parineeta and Warren. She watched as the other bike crashed into the one laid on the ground, causing its rider to hurtle off his seat like the first.
She turned back around. “They’re gone.”
The motorcycle screeched to a halt. Parineeta gritted her teeth and struggled to hold on as gravity attempted to pull her off the bike. She leaned her whole body to the left as the bike swerved to a sharp right.
Once the vehicle slowed to a complete stop, Warren inclined his head toward her. “It’s been a while since I could ride like that.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smoothed out the loose
pallu
of her sari. With the threat of capture removed, she rolled her eyes at Warren. “How they teach you that and not how to build a proper fire, I will never understand. Americans.”
One leg over the other and she was off the bike and back on the ground. Warren stepped off the motorcycle after her and then laid the vehicle by a nearby alley wall. The only sounds that could be heard among the alleys were the crunch of their own footsteps against the dirt.
She
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