Chapter 19

Jai Shree Ram

@Aquabutterfly

[MEMBERSONLY] [NOCOPY]

Chapter 17

The juniors relaxed in their chairs, grimacing as their sore muscles protested against the movement. They heaved a sigh of exhaustion and mentally prepared themselves for yet another all-nighter.

"I really feel bad for Arjun sir," Shree piped up after a few moments of silence. 

All heads turned to stare at him in apprehension. Understanding their confusion, he continued, “I mean jab jab wo apni wife ke qaatil ke nazdeek pahunchne ki koshish karte hain, wo usse utni hi door ho jaate hain.”

The meaning behind his words pinched their hearts. He was right because had it been a normal man in Arjun’s place, he would have certainly lost his senses by now. In the slight second of hesitation, they allowed a question to haunt their thoughts: what if the man they were chasing was not a man but a shadow? However, they shook off the suspicion as soon as it came.

Riya, on the other hand, was troubled by the statement. She felt bad for him, yes, but she would rather him be oblivious than know the entire truth. It’s better for him if he stays away from his wife’s murderer. If he found out the reality of the incident...she shuddered by the mere imagination of his reaction. If there was one thing she genuinely feared, it was the defeated expression on her boss’ face.

The myriad of emotions on her face, unfortunately, did not remain unnoticed as Aisha piped up, “Riya, is everything alright?”

Before Riya could mask her furrowed eyebrows, the remaining friends read through her. She mentally swore at the great observational skills of the officers she shared the workspace with and tried to form a plausible excuse. “Yes it is. Actually, you know aaj ka din bohot busy tha. So I’m just feeling a little under the weather,” she muttered before excusing herself and scurrying out of the conference room. 

However, unknown to her, two suspicious eyes of her best friend were following her retreating figure with doubt reflecting clearly in them. Shree understood her strange behaviour, and now she had slipped under the radar of the tech-expert along with her hot yet akdu boss.

Riya slipped into an isolated corner, ready to dial a memorized number on the phone in her hand. Hands clammed, her fingers punched in the digits and she waited impatiently for the bell to ring. Her erratic heartbeat pounded in her ears as the person on the other end picked up the call.

“Hello?”, spoke the person into the receiver.

She sighed in relief, glad to hear his voice. However, the recollection of past events ignited her temper. “Maine tumhe kaha tha ki mere team members ko sirf darana hai. Fir tumhari Aisha pe goli chalane ki himmat kaise hui?”, she yelled at him.

The man shivered at the unmasked fury in her voice. “I’m sorry madam ji. Lekin unka dhyaan bhatkane ke liye maine yeh kiya.”

“Agar agli baar tumne meri instructions ko follow nahi kiya, toh main tumhara encounter kar dungi,” she threatened the person, malice dripping from her tone.

“Samajh gaya madam ji,” his voice quivered, “Kuch aur bhi baat hai?”

Riya breathed, exhaustion catching up with her. “Ek problem ho gayi hai,” she mumbled under her breath.

The person, on the other hand, audibly freaked out. It seems like she only called him when there was trouble. With urgency evident in his voice, he spluttered, "Kya hua madam ji?" 

"Arjun sir ne mera tattoo dekh liya," was all she offered as an explanation. 

A thoughtful silence followed as the person was left speechless. She could hear his heavy breathing and wondered when will they be free from the web they were entwined in. Each secret they were hoping to safeguard turned out to be the spider that was ready to swallow them alive. 

Understanding that he wouldn't be speaking, she continued, "Itna hi nahi. Wo chahte hain ki main unhe uss tattoo parlour ka address doon kyunki Sikandar ki back pe bhi same tattoo hai." 

“Par hum kaise-” he began before she rudely interrupted him. 

“Jaanti hoon ki hum unhe sach nahi bata sakte. If he reaches that tattoo-maker, unhe tumhare sir ji ke baare mein sab pata chal jaayega and then everything we’ve worked so hard for will be over. Isiliye tum kuch bhi karo, lekin wo tattoo artist unke saamne kisi bhi haalat mein nahi aana chahiye. Use maar do, zinda gaad do, ya fir gayab kar do, I don’t bloody care. Aur agar tum aisa nahi kar paaye, toh meri agli goli ka shikaar tum hoge, samjhe?” she threatened him, a vile tone in her voice.

The man gulped, terrorized by the mere imagination of his death. He knew she wasn’t joking, she never was when her plans were concerned. Mustering up the courage, he managed to squeak out, “Samajh gaya madam ji,” and quickly hung up.

Releasing a tired breath, Riya closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. Ever since she had returned following the x-zora II fiasco, her plans seem to go haywire and it was exhausting her, mentally and physically. All she needed was a moment of serenity to herself. The wound on the back of her lower neck was pricking her as a bead of sweat rolled down.

Suddenly, she was startled out of her reverie at the sound of a deafening crash. Fear gripped her heart as worry crept into her mind; the source of the noise was Arjun's cabin. 

Unable to resist the urge, she sprinted towards the cabin of the second-in-command and ceased her movements in the doorway. Drawing in short, deep breaths, she lifted her gaze from where it was resting at her feet to scan the premise for any concerning imagery. 

The sight that met her eyes, however, was bemusing, yet expected. 

Facing away from her, her boss stood supporting a slumped posture. His broad shoulders rose and fell rhythmically, mimicking the heavy breathing. In spite of his eyes not being visible, she knew he was seething in rage and the white was tinted with crimson, a colour that resembled his emotions and the situation.  

Her brown orbs shifted slightly to the left, where she noticed the shattered fragments of a clear glass lying against the frame of the wall. Words stuck in her throat, she stepped backwards and collided with the door, injuring the spot at the lower back of her neck which was previously bleeding.

The sound of her almost silent wince caught his attention. His head snapped in her direction, so fast that she feared he might get a whiplash. Eyes colliding, they froze in their positions along with the time. Arjun was glaring daggers at her while Riya was attempting to maintain her calm composure. However, only she was aware of how badly she was trembling, internally. 

With each step in her direction, her heart seemed ready to sprint out of her chest. She wished she could disappear in that moment, even though his red eyes begged for her sympathy.

Silently, he grabbed her forearm and guided her towards the empty chair in the four-walled quarter. Gently pushing her into the chair, he rounded his desk and retracted the first-aid kit from one of the drawers. 

Eyes widened, Riya could merely watch as he removed the bandage and wrapped her red-tinted wound. His soft and careful hands on her skin sent shivers down her spine. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as the reality slowly registered in her mind. 

She shifted in her seat, slightly uncomfortable with his touch. It was invoking feelings in her; feelings she wanted to forget. She wanted to push him away, wanted to run from him and hide. 

However, he beat her and broke the silence, “Roshni kehti thi ki samay kabhi sahi ya galat nahi hota. Sirf insaan ki niyat sahi aur galat ho sakti hai. Agar sahi samay pe galat niyat se sahi baat kahi jaaye, toh wo bhi saamne waale ko tod dene ki taaqat rakhti hai.”

Riya wasn't an idiot. She knew what he was asking albeit in the form of a statement. And she would give him props for wording it so eloquently. But she wasn't ready to let him in. And she certainly was not going to fall weak to his charms, not again. Reading her eyes, he sighed tiredly, knowing that he wouldn't be getting through her walls any time soon. 

"I r-remember," was all she managed to croak out.

Eyes widened in genuine surprise, he merely asked, "Where?" as he was already aware of her reference. His heart thumped against his ribs as he accidentally allowed hope to bubble in. 

She smiled ruefully, her eyes closing and lips parting, "Kolkata."

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