Chapter 53

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 53 [MEMBERSONLY][NOCOPY]

Arjun knew this was a never ending banter. He quietly left the room. Suryakant fumed behind him. Vedant cleared his throat and conveniently remembered he had to make a call to cancel the evening meeting. He excused himself and ran out……………………

Fortunately for Vedant, he was able to slip into the elevator just the door closed.

Arjun: tum yaha kya kar rahe ho?

Vedant: mujhse kyun naraaz hai aap?

Arjun: naraaz nahi hu, tumhare baap ne dekh liya toh tujhe bhi ulta latka denge

Vedant: humara

Arjun: ya I don’t think he really counts me

Vedant sighed: kaise hai aap?

Arjun: acha hun, maa ka khayal rakhte ho na tum dono?

Vedant: ha par woh aapko miss karti hai (he doesn’t respond) bhai?

Arjun: kya bolu main Ved?

Vedant: aapko ek baar bhi humari yaad nahi aayi?

Arjun exhaled deeply: aisa nahi hai Ved lekin main Dad se jhagad-jhagad ke thak gaya hun.

The elevator dinged at the ground floor and they walked out.

Vedant: par bhai…

Arjun: aur ab toh itne saal beet gaye, aadat si ho gayi hai. Mujhe unki duniya mein koi interest nahi hai aur unhe meri duniya pasand nahi hai.

Vedant: lekin hum bhi toh aapka pariwar hai

Arjun: kya haasil hoga Ved? Abhi main nahi hun, agar tum sab meri taraf aa bhi gaye toh woh nahi rahenge. Har haal mein koi na koi toh alag hoga hi. (He placed a hand on his shoulder) isliye ye sab mat socho, hum sabke liye behtar yahi hai ki main ek kata hua hissa rahu

Vedant tears up and hugs him. Arjun pats his back.

Arjun: aur tu fikar mat kar (separating) main bhai ko dhundh kar hi rahunga, I promise

Vedant smiles: ab toh aap ACP ban gaye hai, majal hai kisi ki aapke pariwar paar aankh uthaye?

Arjun lowered his head: itna bhi confident mat ho

Vedant: kya hua bhai, aap achanak…

Arjun: tu ja isse pehle ki papa ko pata chale, main bhi ye kaam khatam karke aata hun

He leaves before Vedant could ask or say anything else.

The day is hectic for the entire team. Each of them were caught juggling on two sides. All of them except Shree. Shree was juggling all of them together! He sent up silent prayers to thank god for the diligent juniors who were working continuously alongside him.

Ayesha and Riya zero in on Chatterjee’s boss who had tried to hit on his wife many a times. They were almost sure that he had murdered Chatterjee to get him out of the way. They even made a sting to collect proofs that he was a pervert. All they needed was one final link to prove him the murderer.

Arjun’s interrogation of the Mehta family who owned the necklace provided a few suspects. Rathore with the help of Liza had cracked down on two hotel staff that had compromised on security and helped the thief. Chotu found out that the necklace was to be sold in black market by nightfall after which it would probably leave the city or country.

The kidnapper had called Suryakant half an hour ago at 3:30 p.m. He was to pay him the cash at 11 p.m. near the Aarey forest. The technology was a little tricky. Hence, Shree was taking a little time to trace the number. But he was sure he could do it. They would be able to nab the guy even before he’d know what hit him. What was interesting was that a number previously used to make Suryakant a call had also conversed with a business rival of theirs. Incidentally, it was one of the people who had been trying to get the land.

Suryakant was restless, asking Shree about the call after every two minutes. Vedant silently assured his mother about Arjun.

Shree: main kar raha hun sir

He answered for the 100th time without looking up mv “Damn, Arjun sir inse kitna zyaada ache hai.”

A paper bag dropped in front of him. He looked up to see two canteen staff with parcels for all of them.

Shree: ye humne nahi mangwaya

Before the staff could answer, Riya and Ayesha plopped at his station.

Riya: maine order kiya yaar

Shree blew her a flying kiss: you’re a darling

He pounced on the bag and started eating the burger whilst working. They had all skipped lunch.

Riya giggled: thanks!

Suryakant(irritated): kuch pata chala?!?

Shree sighed: ho raha hai

Suryakant: tum aadhe ghante se yahi keh rahe ho aur koi bhi officer mere bete ko kyun nahi dhundh raha?!

Riya and Ayesha glanced at each other. Raima and Vedant felt like banging their heads. They were very well aware of Suryakant’s entitled behavior.

Shree(offended): excuse me! Main bhi ek ETF officer hi hun aur hum sab apna kaam kar rahe hai!

Riya: Shree relax

Shree: are par ye…

Suryakant: Aisa Lag Nahi Raha Ki Tum Log Kaam Kar Rahe Ho Warna Ab Tak Dhruv Mil Gaya Hota!

Riya: sorry sir, aap apni saari complaints commissioner sir ko de sakte hai. I’m sure woh hume humara kaam samjha denge

Vedant pursed his lips to control his laughter. Suryakant glares at her.

Riya: lekin tab tak toh hum nahi sudhrenge

Just as she bit into her frankie, Shree’s laptop beeped.

Shree: Ri, location. Uh…. Subah se stable hai. Aarey ke aaspaas hi hai

Devansh: ma’am, aapne jo list banane ko kaha tha uske hissab se inka ek business rival Zorawar ke touch mein hai. woh bhi land ki deal karna chahta tha

Riya nods: Ayesha tum Rathore sir ko developments bata do, main ise dekhti hun zara

Ayesha nods. Riya stood up and peeped into the laptop.

Riya: agar rival ka kaam hai toh woh paison mein kyun maan gaya? I mean use toh zameen chahiye thi na? aise kidnapping karwa ke use kya milega? (turning to the family) zameen ki keemat kya thi?

Vedant: 50 crore

Riya: hmm, iska matlab usne 25 crore zyaada maange hai

Shree: ya toh paise Zorawar ko jaane waale honge ya fir woh admi bas badla lena chahta hai. tumne zameen le li, main usse zyaada paise tumse lunga kind

Riya: possible but weird

Shree(softly): ye itne weird hai, kam hai kya?

Riya smiled: shh

She fished out her phone and called her informer. She asked him to check Zorawar’s location. And then, she called up Arjun.

Arjun: ha Riya?

Riya: sir woh Zorawar….

Arjun: office mein ho?

Riya: ha kyun?

Arjun: bas pahunch raha hun 5 minute mein, aa kar baat karte hai

Riya: ok, bye sir!

Arjun: bye!

Call Disconnect

Shree: kya hua?

Riya: woh aa rahe hai

Arjun shows up after a few minutes with his cutting.

Riya: sir woh…

Arjun: driver bhi mil gaya, Inspector lekar aa raha hai

He settles in a chair and Riya fills him in.

Riya: bas ye samaj nahi aa raha hai ki rival ne kyun kiya? ya fir woh koi aur hi chakkar hai. At the same time, itna coincidence ki woh bhi usi zameen ke peeche tha?

Shree: unless use zameen mile woh kyun kidnap karwayega?

Arjun: kya kaha tumne?

Shree cowered: kuch nahi sir bas…

Arjun: nahi, you’re right

Shree(surprised): I am?

Arjun turned to his brother: zameen bhai ke naam par hai?

Vedant: ha

Riya: iska matlab woh paise aur zameen dono…

They are interrupted by an Inspector bringing along D’souza with him. He salutes the lot.

Inspector: Jai Hind sir! yahi John D’souza hai

Riya: thank you

He nods and leaves. John looks at Arjun and gulps. Arjun leans back in his chair. His gaze fixed on him as he sips his tea.

Riya: kal raat ko kya hua?

Suryakant(irritated): ab isse kyun puch-tach kar rahe ho tum log? Zorawar mil gaya toh Jao Jaakar Mere Bete Ko Lekar Aao!!!

Riya: sir, saare angles investigate karna humara kaam hai (turning to John) bolo

John: woh… main, saab ko, Dhruv saab ko ghar lekar jaa raha tha. tabhi raaste mein ek gaadi ne ek gaadi ne (sweating) ek gaadi ne humara

Ayesha realizes his gaze was falling back again and again to Arjun. She looks behind and sees him having a stern expression on his face. The kind of face he made when he knew exactly how to intimidate a person while interrogation. With every sip he was taking, it felt like he was cutting off a body part of the victim. She rolled her eyes at his attitude.

Ayesha: aap kya kar rahe hai sir?

Riya turns to see him.

Arjun(naively): main toh bas chai pee raha hun

Riya crossed her arms in amusement realising what was going on. Arjun winked at her. Ayesha and Shree gasped.

Riya turns to John: kaun ho tum?

John: main… John

Riya: ok!

She stepped forward and punched him in the face. John fell at Raima’s feet. She reached for his collar as she apologised to the frightened Raima.

Riya: sorry about that… ab bol

John(fumbling): madam woh, main, maine sirf paise…

Behind her, Arjun set down the glass albeit harshly. His eyes widened in surprise. Arjun stood up. John fell at his feet.

John: maarna mat saab, main sab kuch batata hun. Maine kuch nahi kiya, sach mein

The officers hid their giggles while Arjun’s family watched the scene in shock.

Arjun picked him up with the collar: Nathan, daadhi much badha kar insaan ka chehra nahi badalta

Nathan: saab, maine kuch nahi kiya. Mujhe toh bas paise diye the, ki us road par gaadi rok ni hai aur saab se bolu ki engine mein problem hai. Aadhe ghante baad waapis aaya toh Dhruv saab gayab the.

Riya: paise kisne diye?

Nathan: basti mein ek admi hai, Rajesh, usne. Woh mila tha gaadi ke paas, usne mujhe ghar par jo kahani ko kaha maine wahi kaha… maine aur kuch nahi kiya saab, sach, main toh jail se chutne ke baad ye sab chod diya tha, aapko toh pata hai, woh toh bas…

Arjun: bas laalach mein tune mere bhai ko agwa karwa diya

Nathan gulped. Dhruv was his brother? Nothing could save him now. Arjun gritted his teeth and punched him!

He fell to the floor with blood and a tooth falling out. He howled in pain.

Arjun: Lekar Jao Ise!!

Ayesha obliged knowing that Arjun would murder him if he stayed in fornt of him any longer.

Riya: maine ek admi ko Zorawar ke adde par bheja hai, thodi der mein information pakki ho jaayegi

He nods. Around half an hour later, Riya’s informer confirms the location of Zorawar. She and Arjun head out with Shree keeping a track on the location.

Zorawar’s hideout-

It was an abandoned warehouse in the Aarey forest. About 2 kilometres away from where Suryakant had been called for payment. There weren’t many guards. In fact there were none outside. The overconfident Zorawar hadn’t bothered to fortify his place. He wasn’t expecting anyone.

Arjun and Riya sneaked in. They quietly silenced the men inside. One by one, they fell. They advanced to the talking voices.

Man: Zorawar bhai, Khanna (business rival) ne kaha ki unke admi aayega kaagzaat lene ke liye

Zorawar: use kaho ki jaldi kare, paise lete hi hum log shehar chodkar chale jaayenge

Man: ji

The corridor forked. One of them led to Zorawar. The other, hopefully to Dhruv. He gestures to her. She nods. Arjun advances towards their target while Riya continues to search for Dhruv.

Her gun was up. She cautiously tread forward. There was light coming from a room up ahead. She stuck to the wall and inched forward. Pausing, she gathered herself at the doorway. Gripping her gun, she barged in. Somebody jerked her hand, making her drop the gun. She attacks immediately. 3 men pounce on her.

Dhruv was tied and gagged to a chair. He felt a ray of hope seeing a gun come in. But it quickly died once it fell. Again, he was proved wrong. The girl punched and kicked the hell out of the men. His eyes widened in shock. He saw her face as she turned swiftly too wipe at a goon’s feet.

Guns shot in the distance.

Dhruv was still fixated. His eyes followed her as she moved gracefully. Her hair bounced every time she turned her head to look at the situation. There were stars in his eyes as he looked at her in awe. Another punch and the last man fell out cold.

She turns to look at him: Dhruv, right?

Her voice was as sweet as she was deadly. He swooned hearing his name from her mouth. She came toward him in confusion. He stared at her. She opened his gag.

Riya: sar toh hila hi sakte the, tum Dhruv hi ho na?

Dhruv: huh? Ha, main, main Dhruv hun

Riya: ETF!

She quickly untied him and picked up her gun. The gunshots from the other corridor had ceased by now.

Riya: mere peeche rehna

Dhruv nodded mv “zindgi bhar!”

Still holding her gun up, she tread forward. Dhruv was more than happy to follow her. As they reached the fork, she heard footsteps and held up her hand. Gesturing to him to step back, she swerved ahead.

A familiar face raised his eyebrow.

Riya: aap hai

Arjun: tumhe kya laga? Woh 4 log mera mukabla karenge?

Riya: prevention is better than cure

Arjun: yea right

Dhruv: Arjun? Tum?

Arjun looked behind. He was delighted to see him. Grins forming on their faces, the two of them hugged each other.

Arjun: aap theek toh hai?

Dhruv: are main theek hun, tu bata, kaha tha itne saal? Koi phone nahi koi message nahi, ek baar bhi yaad nahi aayi tujhe humari

Arjun: hume yaha se baahar jaana chahiye pehle

Dhruv: tu baat mat…

Arjun dragged him by the hand: chaliye

They went back to their SUV. Arjun pulled out a roll of papers which he had tucked into his back pocket and gave them to Riya.

Riya: main local police ko bhi inform kar deti hun

Arjun nodded. She placed the legal papers safely. They would be a good evidence against Khanna in court. She called up the control room.

Arjun placed a hand on Dhruv’s shoulder: aapko chot toh nahi lagi?

Dhruv looked back flatly: meri shakal kaise dikh rahi hai?

Arjun raised his eyebrow. His clothes were dishevelled and muddy. His skin was sweaty. There were gag marks near his mouth and a few bruises on his face.

Arjun: ise chot nahi, kharoch kehte hai

Dhruv: mere liye ye bhi chot hi hai (Arjun rolled his eyes) toh tu bhi ETF mein hai?

Arjun smiled: ACP Arjun Rawte, second-in-command

A spark of pride fluttered in his eyes: Arjun!!!

He hugged Arjun tightly who chuckled.

Dhruv smirked: toh tune apni man maani kar hi li

Arjun: of course, baap ka beta hun

The brothers share a laugh. Riya and Shree exchanged updates over the phone. He was complaining about Suryakant.

Dhruv’s gaze faltered back to her. She was pacing up and down as she talked. His breath hitched on seeing her giggle.

Dhruv: acha Arjun

Arjun: ha?

Dhruv: ye officer bahot achi hai, I have never seen a woman hit so beautifully