Chapter 28

[MEMBERSONLY]

Hello Arakshians...back with a new long part...hope u dont get bored!

pls read and reply...errors ho toh maaf kardena...

Thanks for liking and commenting on it! ur comments is my driving force...thanks a ton!

Disclaimer: all characters, situations and names used in the story are fictional...any similarity is purely by coincidence!

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Part 17B:

It was a call from the head quarters about an intelligence report of a possible blast in the city that day…But before he could finish the call, he heard the blasting sound from the direction where he had left Roshni…….

There was chaos and panic everywhere…He ran to the shop which was now on fire……He screamed and tried to venture in only to be pulled and pushed back by some people…………

"ROSHNI……" he screamed as he snapped out from his short nightmarish trance……He had once again seen her death in his nightmare….

For the first time, he felt restless…he felt that he had missed out something….What was that?

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The night, though a long one in the emotional sense and also a disturbed one had indeed made some clearing up of both their minds….

Sakshi firmly decided that she had to tell Arjun about what she knew about Sikandar…..

Her POV:

Nahi, main iss matter mein selfish nahi bann sakthi…..Sikandar ka naam unne mere mission se distract kar saktha hai par phir bhi mujhe bathaana hoga…..and I need to be with him in every step towards his mission against Sikandar as well……I need keep his anger and impulses under control! [Taking a deep breath] go girl, u can do it! Yes if not Sakshi Anand……Arjun ka wrong number can definitely keep his fury under control!

She smacked as she thought that….Arjun ka wrong number??? Was she that?? Had he felt that way for her??? Or will he ever feel something like that for her? She was anxious to know answers to many questions concerning their relationship! But she didn't know what she was hoping for?

She thrashed her thoughts and tried to grip her wandering mind….

She couldn't afford to get diverted by all this now….never!

By morning, both were in a saturated state….no exaggerated emotions or overwhelming feelings…..no smiles, well no tears as well!

Sakshi took a warm shower as if to clear away any further dust which clouded her mind, soul and body!

Well yes, it was dust, rust for her……or perhaps she chose to degrade what she felt for him to that just to console her sore heart which only seemed to beat and yearn for him!

She picked something from her pile of new clothes…it wasn't a perfect fit but it did cover her up fully……she felt grateful and relieved……she couldn't afford another slip from both sides at the moment…….It would kill her literally….

But it was too big…..and she had to keep pulling up the dress which tried to slip off her shoulders……she was ok with it for now….it was any day better than the other dress!

She walked out of the room and found him sitting on the couch and she could see that he was waiting for her….Her coffee cup was on the table and he was sipping his tea as always!

He looked up at her as she neared him………he didn't greet her or smile at her………neither did she……both weren't in a mood to exchange pleasantries for different yet obvious reasons!

She voiced before he could say something "Arjun mujhe…"

He snapped her short and stood up, "Sakshi…….tum teek keh rahi thi…we should set aside our problems and focus only on the mission! We should move ahead!"

Sakshi tried to tell him that she had come to talk about something totally different from what he thought but he snapped her again….

He was noticing her pulling up the loose attire and he could also sense that she was not at ease with the dress being so big…….So he voiced, "Roshni ke dresses andhar hai…….unn mein se kuch pehen lo Sakshi!"

That totally distracted her….no she couldn't wear her clothes……she replied instantly, "nahi…main teek hoom Arjun"

Saying that she once again caught the slipping end right on time and pulled it back properly to rest on her slender shoulder!

He couldn't help chuckle at that contradiction of her thoughts, words and action……he replied sarcastically," I can see that!"

Sakshi didn't miss that sarcastic look in his eyes but she didn't react….She just turned to leave saying, "kahi baahar nahi jaane waali….yahi ghar pe chup beitne waali hoom…so this dress is more than enough for that Arjun!"

Arjun replied stopping her from walking away, "coffee thandi ho rahi hai……"

And in his tone, there was a subtle urge for her to stay there with him for some more time…….yes it had come out of his mouth oblivious to himself!

She turned around voicing,"patha hai par mujhe cold coffee zyaadha pasand hai!"

That made him laugh…Damn she was so stubborn not to let her side down even if it meant drinking a nasty tasting drink!

She bent down and picked her cup…….Before she turned to walk back into her room, he voiced pointing to the seat next to him, "yahaan thodi dher beito Sakshi"

She looked at him stunned….did he actually ask her to sit with him there? Did he want her company? Or was he going to talk something important to her?

Whatver the reason was, she couldn't say no to him……

She sat down on the sofa opposite to him…..sipping the coffee slowly, she waited in anticipation trying to judge what he was up to…

She wasn't wrong….he spoke up soon…"Rathod se baat hui…..Aisha ek undercover operation plan kar rahi hai……"

She felt something was wrong somewhere……Sakshi looked at him enquiringly, "kahaan jaane waali hai Aisha?"

Arjun replied soon, "Vikrant Sinha ke party mein"

Vikrant Sinha didn't need more introductions for her…she exactly understood which Vikrant Sinha was he referring to…..and that realization put her out of balance!

Vikrant Sinha the shrewd politician who could do anything for money and power! The youngest of the totally corrupted species!

Blood drained away from Sakshi's face when he spelled out that name….she was pale and her fingers trembled….she would have dropped her coffee cup if he hadn't noticed right on time and caught her trembling hands saving the cup……

He took the cup from her and placed it on the table…..He turned back to her pale form trying to read what that look of hers meant….what did that name do to her? What was she fearing of?

He placed his hand on her shoulders consolingly and voiced, "kya hua Sakshi? Do you know him?"

His touch and those questions snapped Sakshi out from her trembles……she tried to hide what he had already noticed……it was too late but still she tried her best…..Sakshi composed herself and spoke, "kuch nahi…..I have heard of him…..[shrugging off pretending a casual tone] anyways what are they planning?"

Arjun mentally noted to somehow get what was troubling her and then replied to her, "Exact plan ka patha nahi but Rathod feels that there is going to be some illegal dealing there under the faade of a party……unn sab ko custody mein lena aam baat nahi…..strong evidence chahiye…..so we need to catch them all red handed or atleast collect all the clues against them before we take the next big step…..if we manage to hook them up into our custody, phir unnke through woh sab bade naam ko track down kar sakthe hai jo tumaare dad ke against teh aur uss racket mein involved hai!"

Sakshi knew this already….she had once tried to do the same…….yes she had met Vikrant Sinha once while he was on a trip to Delhi…….and her experience was rather bitter……. But she couldn't tell him that now!

She just muttered in tension, "he is very dangerous…..Aisha ko wahaan nahi jaana chahiye"

Her "know it all" tone surprised him…….her statement only meant that she knew Vikrant closely and also knew about his link to her dad's case……..

Arjun: we are cops Sakshi…..such risks are part of our duty…..and Aisha knows to handle such operations well!

Sakshi lost her cool with the realization of what all could go wrong with Aisha when Vikrant and his likes were around…….she flared up and spoke in impulse not thinking what the cop opposite to her can infer out from her out pour, "cop hogi phir bhi ladki hai na? aur Vikrant Sinha jaise log ek akeli ladki ke saath kuch bhi kar sakthe hai…paagal kutthe se behreham hai! Please call Sameer and tell him not to send Aisha there! I cant bear if something happens to her Arjun"

Arjun didn't speak anything and just let her complete what she wanted to vent out……each of her words pointed to something deeper!

She didn't wait for his reply…she just stormed into her room……….tears were already swimming in her eyes and he hadn't failed to notice it……..he felt his heart also shattering seeing her in tears and in such an agonized state…..

He sprinted behind her to find out what was wrong………

She hadn't bolted the door…so he went in and found her on the sit out area……she was crying……

Her thoughts….a tour down the memory lane…….Almost two years back just after her dad's death, she had been routed to Vikrant Sinha once when someone told her that he was the key to track down and open the lock to the mysteries surrounding her father…..

So she had prepared herself for meeting him when she came to know that Vikrant was in Delhi that day…..She wasn't alone……her closest friend in Delhi Varun was with her…….she had posed as an interviewer and he as a photographer who wanted an appointment for an interview with the politician…the ace political manipulator Vikrant Sinha……

Luckily, they got the appointment with him but Vikrant preferred that they do the interview in his special suite of a five star hotel……..They were on time and Sakshi started off with her usual questions for an interview!

But things took a complete turn when Varun received a call that his mother was admitted in a hospital…..Sakshi wanted to leave as well but then Vikrant insisted that she completed the interview as he wont be able to spare time again…….She knew that she had to do this for her sake and her dad's sake…..getting Vikrant Sinha before her wasn't going to be easy if she let this opportunity go….Back then, she didn't know the depth of his involvement in all those conspiracies…she just thought that he would be able to help her and give her some vital clues to track down further….so when she decided to stay on, she didn't have the slightest hint of what was going to happen…..

Varun left alone hesitantly as Sakshi forced him to go……..Vikrant got his assistant to handle the camera in place of Varun………

Things were normal for sometime but then Vikrant behaved weirdly after sometime…he sent the assistant out in the pretext of getting some medicines for his sudden head ache…..Then he stretched his hands and legs as if relaxing and almost touching her…..She moved away to the far end of the couch……

She was getting hints of something terrible cooking up in his devilish mind as he passed lusty looks at her…….

But she tried to act normal and continued her questions………when things began going out of what she could handle, she got up, "sir…..I think I am done…….it was pleasure meeting you…..have a good day"

But he was quick to grab her hands voicing, "Aur mera pleasure ka kya??…what is my return gift sweety?" and she landed right beside him on his couch due to his violent pull…..

She yelled, "What the hell are you doing??? Leave me"

She struggled to get up punching him wherever she could but he caught her strongly and pinned her down saying, "haan haan chodh denge…….par jaldi kya hai?? mujhe patha hai ke tum koyi reporter viporter nahi……tumaara yahaan aane ka koyi aur hi maqsad hai na?? khair……jo bhi ho, hum thodi dher baadh negotiate karenge…….tum mujhe woh dho jo mujhe chaahiye aur main woh jo tumhe chaahiye…….baraabar ka deal…fair enough na?……..bolo kya chaahiye??? Paisa ya kuch aur……kisi college mein admission ya koyi naukri, haan bolo bolo??"

Saying that he bent down to kiss her but she kept struggling and punched his face shrieking out, "you dirty devil…..chodo mujhe……tumaare iraadhe kabhi poora nahi hoga…"

He slapped her when she said that and laughed out devilishly, "accha……chalo woh bhi dekh lethe hai……."

Saying that he crushed her hands and fingers stonger and tried to nuzzle into her neck when she freed away one of her hands and pressed the intercom which was placed on the small table somehow………her presence of mind paid off!

He didn't notice it till the door bell rang……

He just turned to the door bell in disgust and she took the opportunity and pushed him off her….grabbing her bag, she sprinted to the door and opened it quickly…….

The room service guy stood outside….she faked a smile and turned around to the angry Vikrant and voiced in the most casual way as possible, "thanks for the interview Mr Sinha….aapka aur waqt nahi loongi……..bye have a great day!"

She glared at him once and left in a hurry mentally thanking the efficient and quick room service system in the hotel!

Though she tried to act normal, that narrow escape and the bitter experience, the close intimate encounter with that devil had left a permanent scar in her…though she was a daring brave girl who was tiding against all odds, internally from within, she was a simple girl for whom such an experience was more than death…….so his name brought shivers in her always…and that was why she never crossed his path again after that…….

She had tried in her own way to nail him by other means but he was too big and escaped each time!

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Present…She quickly wiped her tears when she felt his presence behind her….

He didn't waste a second more…he turned her around shocking her and looked into her tear laden eyes….."Sakshi" he voiced in a soothing voice…..it was just her name that he called but it calmed her nerves!

She looked up to him while he continued, "tum mujhe kuch bhi bathaa sakthi ho……harr waqt harr problem apne aap solve karna zaroori nahi hota…….."

Sakshi protested back,"aisa kuch nahi hai Arjun….."

Arjun: aksar log apne problems mein itna ulajh jaathe hai ke saamne waale se share karna bhi bhool jaathe hai….but humaare beech iss uljhan ki zaroorat nahi Sakshi……you can tell me…..

Sakshi tried to tell something when he added as if to comfort her, "ek dhost samajhkar…"

She snapped him assuming what he was going to tell her, "hmmm……ek dhost ki zaroorat toh hai mujhe….there are lots to tell a friend……par filhaal bas ek baat kehna chahthi hoom…….Aisha wahaan akele nahi….."

He snapped her realizing what she was heading to, "Aisha akele nahi jaayegi…Rathod hoga usske saath………..Rathod pe toh trust karthi ho na tum?"

Sakshi felt a bit relieved hearing that…….She wanted to tell him about her past experience with Vikrant but she felt tongue tied all of a sudden…..but she didn't know the reason for that!

Arjun noticed that she had unsaid words clogging her mind now and enquired, "aur kuch bhi kehna chahthi ho na?"

Sakshi looked at him intently…….their eyes locked and he was damn sure that there was something more she wanted to pour out to him………..

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Aisha came out of the dressing room in a flimsy glittery saree………

Sameer raised his head up hearing the sound that her bangles and anklets made…….even in that cheap class avatar, she looked beautiful and pretty….the class in her never degraded down……

Sameer's heart lurched to tell her that he didn't feel so fine about letting her go to that lion's den and that too in such a disguise…..she was walking into a danger where not only her life but also her virtues and morals were at stake….

He felt overly protective for her and it was the first time, he felt such a prick in his heart for anybody……He didn't understand the meaning of it…..

He very well knew that she was capable of protecting herself…she wouldn't allow anyone to touch her…she was a cop and she was used to all these dangers but still his heart literally weighed down and pulsed harder when he thought about sending her away to a lusty bunch of people and that too as a call girl who would full fill their lust, desires whims and fancies…She would be going as a girl at their call to satisfy them to the fullest extent…...

He looked away in disgust even at the thought of some guy looking at her with such intensions!

Meanwhile,her heart was playing with her big time…she felt butterflies in her stomach for the first time in life………her heart skipped beats and did 360 degree somersault when she felt his warm gaze on her…for the first time, she felt shy or may be embarrassed before a guy!

She didn't know what was special about him…..she seemed concerned about what his opinion would be for this form of hers……she didn't know why his gaze or his thoughts for her impacted her so much!

She felt like hiding away from him……but she couldn't…….she looked at him and could see the fury and disgust in his eyes…..no, it wasn't for her…..it was something else….may be he didn't want her to go but she knew that they were duty bound and couldn't back out of this….

She walked further closer to him and he noticed that as she came closer, she wasn't that comfortable before him….she was trying her best to cover herself up with that delicate transparent saree draped on to her….

He tried to comfort her, "Aisha, lets drop this if you aren't comfortable…….I mean you don't have to….."

Aisha shook her head in denial and snapped his words short," no sir…I am fine…..I am used to such operations…..so don't worry!"

She had everything with her which would be required to safeguard herself…..So she was confident! And Shree had given her a cctv camera which was fixed to her pendant which hung from a chain around her neck…….

They set out together to the party which was in a private hotel well outside the busy city limits……

She had her contacts with agents who supplied dancers and also call girls to such parties……so with their network, she got herself invited to this party…….Just to make sure nothing leaks out and none suspected their intentions, Sameer dressed up as one of those contacts who was there just to drop her off at the party and he refrained from using the SUV…instead took Shree's bike…….

The onward drive was a rough one as both their minds were in no better state than a rough tide…..They were anticipating the harsh realities which lay ahead of them…..

Even the intimate closeness with which they sat together on the bike did no good to their preoccupied disturbed minds……

Shree, Chotu and the additional back up if in case needed were ready and were stationed at a safe distance away from the hotel…

As he dropped her, he voiced slowly placing his hand on hers, "take care Aisha!"

Aisha nodded and gestured that she would be fine by cupping his hand with her other hand….."don't worry sir……I will be fine!"

He let her go reluctantly and turned his bike to the parking area….he told the security guard about the purpose of visit and stationed his bike there…….He tried to strike a conversation with the other drivers there and the security guard just to get a hang of the parties there organized before this one…..and also from the drivers, he was able to get information about who all were inside the party!

[TO be continued]vidya.anand2013-08-12 04:23:12