Chapter 17: The ones who couldn’t be saved

Morning haze filtered through the blinds as the team gathered around the conference table, tired-eyed but tense. The air was heavy with urgency.

Shree sat in front of his laptop, scrolling through lines of code and security logs, while Arjun stood beside him, arms folded, jaw tight.

“We’ve traced two additional dummy accounts—money was transferred in parts to Shambhu from them. Whoever’s behind this, they made sure nothing traces directly.”, Shree handed Arjun some papers.

“Which means he was definitely being used. The question is—by whom… and why use Riya as bait?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And where is she, by the way?”, Arjun asked as he glanced at the locked door of the record room.

Just then, Chotu barged in—out of breath.

“Sir!”

“Shambhu’s gone!”

The air in the room froze.

Arjun’s voice sharpened like a blade.

“What do you mean—gone?”

“I had one of my guys tailing him outside his residence. He slipped. We checked CCTV—he’s not home, his phone’s been off for hours. He’s… absconded.”

“Riya is also not here!”, Shree added, worried.

Arjun’s hand hit the table with a thud.

“Damn it, Shree! You were supposed to keep surveillance on him—tight!”

“I did! But the leave trail he submitted was a decoy. He’s smarter than we gave him credit for.”

Arjun’s fury simmered, eyes darkening with every second. Just then, his phone rang.

Unknown number.

No ID.

No trace.

Just static.

He pressed answer.

The room stilled.

“Rawte.”

A chilling voice, too familiar.

“Ahh… the infamous protector. The lion who roars, but somehow… always arrives a few seconds too late.”

Arjun’s blood ran cold.

Pathan Lala.

The entire team froze.

Shree’s fingers paused mid-keystroke. Chotu straightened.

And suddenly, all the missing pieces stated to fall into place.

“Where. Is. She?”, Arjun’s voice was cold and deadly.

Lala chuckled on the other end, slow and mocking.

“Still the same temper, Rawte. But don’t worry—your girl’s safe. At least… for now. I haven’t even touched a hair on her beautiful head.”

Arjun’s jaw clenched so hard, the vein on his neck bulged.

“Though I must admit, she’s quite the fighter. Curious. Sharp. Brave. She managed to reach me on her own, a little too curious, I must say. A little like Sakshi… a bit Ayesha, and a little Lisa? Oh yes—and Roshni. But more beautiful, than each one you’ve had!”

The room went dead silent.

Arjun’s fingers curled into fists.

“Tell me, Arjun. How does it feel?

To fail again?

To be the reason another woman will bleed for you?

History repeats, doesn’t it?”

“If you touch her—if you breathe near her—”, Arjun growled.

“Relax, Raute.” Lala laughed. “I’m just the messenger. I wanted you to know… the security breach? The money trails? That sweet little mock drill gone wrong? All of it—was us. Just smoke and mirrors. A perfect little circus to distract you boys while we plucked the flower from your garden.”

“Sir… they have been playing mind games with us.”, Shree whispered on disbelief.

“And now you’ll come crawling, won’t you? Just like last time. Trying to fix what’s already broken.

You want her? Come and get her. But by the time you are here, she’ll know a bit more about ETF, your dead colleagues and your past.”

Click. The call ended.

Arjun stood frozen, phone still to his ear. His mind raced. Heart pounding.

“We need to trace that number—fast!”,Chotu shouted to Shree, to bring him back to reality.

Arjun didn’t hear them. He was still staring, lost somewhere between rage and terror. Between now and then.

The last time this happened… he had lost his team mates and before that, Roshni.

Just then, his phone beeped with a message, which they could now see on the screen:

“Factory 17B, Dockyard Road.”

“Sir, he has sent the location, himself.”, Shree shouted.

Shree’s voice brought him back.

“Sir!?”

Arjun turned. Voice low, dangerous, trembling with fury.

“Gear up.

Because if we don’t move now… we’re going to lose her.”

Shree and Chotu exchanged glances. This wasn’t just a mission anymore. It was personal.

And as Arjun walked out, his eyes burned with something deeper than rage—guilt, desperation… and something he had no name for.

--

A chilling wind rustled the rusted tin roof of an old, deserted factory on the city’s outskirts.

Riya sat on a broken chair in the centre of the room, her wrists untied but her path blocked by Pathan Lala, Sikander’s right-hand man.

He circled her slowly, predator-like—but not violent. Not yet.

“Curiosity is a dangerous thing, Ms. Riya Mukherjee. Especially when it walks straight into the lion’s den.”, Pathan Lala grinned.

“Say what you brought me here to say.”, Riya tried her best to stay calm.

He chuckled and stepped forward.

“You’ve been digging. Thought I’d save you the trouble.”

He pulled out a knife.

“You won’t risk hurting me.”, Riya was calm outside, but her inner feelings were a mess.

“Hurting you physically? No. But words? Words cut deeper, don't they?”, Lala chuckled.

He crouched beside her, pulling out a crumpled photo—the three women - Lisa, Ayesha, and Sakshi, their names labelled, the same photograph she received in the envelope.

“They were your victims?”, she was curious.

“No. They were ETF’s.”, Lala shook his head dramatically.

“They were brave. Too brave. Just like you.

Held hostage... for hours. ETF couldn’t save them. Or maybe... they didn’t try hard enough.”, he spoke in a low tone.

“You’re lying.”, Riya froze.

“Ask Arjun. Ask Rathore. Ask Shree and Chotu.

They were there.

They heard their screams.

And your mighty team?

They were late.

They hesitated. They broke.”, he moved closer.

A long silence followed.

“And history repeats. Every woman who comes close to them—especially Arjun Raute—ends up destroyed. Roshni, Lisa, Sakshi, Ayesha… and now, you?”, he walked around her.

Just then, Lala’s phone rang. He answered with a sly grin.

“Yes, ACP. She’s safe. No bruises. Just truths. Come fetch your ticking time bomb.”

He tossed the phone to the ground.

“Your hero’s coming.”, he said smirking.

--

Screeching tyres tore through the air as ETF jeeps skidded to a halt outside the abandoned factory..

Before the dust could settle, Arjun was out, leading the tactical team with Shree and Chotu flanking him, weapons drawn, breath sharp, hearts pounding.

They had expected bloodshed, maybe even screams.

What they didn’t expect—

Was Riya.

She emerged from the shadows.

Dishevelled.

Silent.

Unharmed.

But utterly… changed.

Her eyes were vacant. Her movements stiff. Her lips pressed tightly together, as though she were holding something dangerous from spilling out.

And Arjun—Arjun stopped breathing for a second.

In three swift strides, he was in front of her. His hand grabbed her arm, pulling her gently but firmly toward him.

His eyes scanned her, wild, desperate, searching for injuries.

“Are you okay?” His voice barely made it out—rough, strained.

She only nodded.

Not a word.

Just… nodded.

Arjun clenched his jaw. Something twisted inside him—relief and rage clawing at each other.

“What the hell were you thinking, Riya? Alone? Here?” he barked, voice sharp enough to pierce the tense air.

Her eyes didn’t meet his.

Her body flinched just slightly.

But she didn’t speak.

Because right then—Pathan Lala stepped out from behind the rusted gate, a smug grin playing on his lips, hands raised in mock surrender.

“Relax, gentlemen,” he sneered. “Your doll’s safe. Untouched. Well, maybe not untouched by truth.”

His gaze flicked to Riya.

“She was curious. I just… delivered.”

And then, he leaned close as he walked past Arjun.

“I told her everything,” he whispered, the venom in his voice enough to make Arjun’s hands curl into fists.

Shree’s face turned pale. Chotu’s jaw locked.

No one moved.

Arjun didn’t even blink.

He just watched Riya.

Still silent. Still not crying. Just… burning.

She began walking again—past Lala, past the team, past the guns, and past Arjun.

“Riya—” Arjun called out again, softer this time. But she didn’t stop.

Not a single glance.

Not a single word.

Not even a tremble.

That, more than anything, terrified him.

Behind him, Shree shifted uncomfortably.

“We should’ve told her… everything, ourselves,” he murmured to Chotu.

“We could’ve stopped her,” Chotu said. His voice was low. Regretful.

They all turned to look at Arjun.

But Arjun… he just stared at Riya’s retreating figure.

His hand was still clenched around air, where her wrist had been.

His heart—clenched somewhere worse.

Because silence like that… it didn’t just mean anger.

It meant a storm was coming.

And this time, he didn’t know if they’d survive it.

--

Inside the ETF SUV, the silence was suffocating.

The soft hum of the engine was the only sound between them.

Riya sat with Chotu in the backseat, her hands clenched in her lap, her face turned towards the window, as though the world outside could offer her peace.

Arjun was in the passenger seat, body stiff, jaw grinding in fury, trying to process the chaos of the evening—and the deeper chaos raging inside him.

“That b*****d Lala,” Chotu muttered, his voice barely controlled. “Parole or not, I could’ve snapped his neck right there.”

“He knew we wouldn’t touch him,” Shree added, fuming. “That’s why he ran his mouth. He wanted to hit us where it hurts.”

“I told you to drop it,” Arjun finally snapped, twisting in his seat to glare at Riya. “I told you.”

His voice was colder than it had ever been.

“You think this is a game or a joke?”

His words stung, but Riya didn’t look away from the window. Her voice was low, trembling… but each word was sharp.

“And you think hiding truths will save anyone?”

That did it.

Arjun turned fully in his seat, eyes blazing, fury barely held back by self-control.

“Yes! Because knowing the truth doesn’t save lives, Riya. It gets people killed!”

His voice boomed in the enclosed space. Chotu flinched. Shree went still.

Riya slowly turned her face towards him now, tears pooling but not falling, anger blazing beneath the surface.

“You think you can save everyone? You think just because you shut your eyes to the truth, it won’t come back to destroy you?” she asked, voice low but intense.

“What does that make you, ACP Arjun Rawte?”

A pause.

“God?”

The words cut through the tension like lightning in a storm.

Arjun stared at her, breathing hard, something flickering behind the rage in his eyes—something fragile. Broken.

But he didn’t reply.

He couldn’t.

Because deep down, he knew her words weren’t just defiance—they were true.

The car fell into a deafening silence once again.

Shree stared out the windshield, hands firm on the steering.

Chotu’s eyes were on the floor.

And Riya?

Riya turned her face back to the window, her reflection barely visible in the dark glass—eyes shimmering, lips pressed tight, like a woman who’d swallowed fire but wouldn’t let it escape.

Arjun didn’t turn again.

But in his mind, her words echoed louder than any gunshot ever had.

And he didn’t know if the damage was reversible.

--

The ETF headquarters was quiet by evening.

The corridor lights flickered faintly, casting shadows on the walls—shadows that felt far too familiar to him now.

Arjun Rawte stood alone in the locker room, the door slightly ajar, his figure hunched over the sink. He gripped its edges like it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

His chest rose and fell in jagged breaths. He splashed cold water on his face, but it did little to douse the fire inside him.

”You think you can save everyone? What does that make you, God?”

Riya’s voice rang in his ears again, sharp and clear. It wouldn’t stop. Her words… her defiance… her eyes. They were seared into his mind.

He looked up at the mirror.

His reflection stared back at him—wet strands of hair falling across his forehead, jaw clenched so tight it ached, eyes bloodshot from everything he had buried inside for years.

He slammed the sink with his fists.

“Damn it!”

The sound echoed against the cold tile walls.

It wasn’t just about her recklessness.

It wasn’t just about her going to Lala.

It was about how scared he had been.

He hadn’t felt that kind of fear in years—not since Roshni.

The memory of carrying Riya’s injured body during the mock drill… her blood on his jacket… the hollow look in her eyes earlier today…

And yet, she still walked into fire again.

“You’re a liability, Riya.”

He had said those words to her—but the guilt of them now clawed at his insides.

“Then why the hell does it feel like you’re the one breaking me?”

He sank down onto the bench, elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face.

Every emotion he had locked away—grief for Roshni, his helplessness during the old missions, the ghosts of the women he couldn’t save—all came rushing back in her face, in her voice.

He remembered the priest’s words from Roshni’s shraadh ceremony—

“Someone will walk into your life… not to replace the one you lost, but to remind you you’re still alive.”

He had scoffed at it then. But now?

Now he hated how those words lingered, slowly etching into his heart.

Because when Riya stood in front of Pathan Lala today…

All he saw was the possibility of history repeating itself.

And that… terrified him.

“I can’t go through it again. I can’t lose someone again. Not her.”

He sat up, blinking rapidly, pushing down the lump in his throat. His breathing evened.

His grief solidified into resolve.

He stood up, walked to his locker, and pulled out a fresh shirt, putting it on like a soldier arming himself.

No more weakness.

No more distraction.

No more Riya Mukherjee.

Not in this team.

Not near him.

Not if it meant keeping her alive… and keeping himself sane.

He turned toward the mirror again—his expression now cold, unreadable.

“She doesn’t belong here,” he whispered to himself. “Not just for her sake… but mine.”

And just like that—

ACP Arjun Rawte locked every trembling piece of his heart behind the steel walls of duty once more.

Because that was the only way he knew how to survive.

--

The ETF office was quieter than usual.

Riya had spent the entire day alone in the record room, but while she was leaving, she stood at the doorway, hesitant.

Her heels clicked softly against the tiles as she stepped in, only to find Arjun Rawte seated alone at the head of the table, surrounded by old files, disheveled papers, and silence.

He didn’t look up. His voice was flat, but laced with something darker—controlled fury.

“You really don’t stop, do you?”

Riya swallowed hard.

She had expected this—his reaction. She had prepared herself. But now, standing here, the weight of his words pressed down heavier than she’d imagined.

“I didn’t mean to… not like this. I was curious. I just—I needed to understand. I thought I could, but with those threa—”

SLAM.

Arjun threw a file onto the table with such force that a couple of loose papers flew free.

She flinched.

“You thought, Riya? You thought this was some personal puzzle to solve?”

His voice cracked—not with volume, but with something far more dangerous. Emotion.

“There. Read it. Since you have the right to know.”, he said sharply.

She stepped forward. Her eyes fell on the file.

CASE CLOSED –File #E739: Hostage and Ambush –ETF FEMALE OFFICERS – MARCH 17, 2024.

Riya’s fingers trembled.

“I forgot you were curious. Like a child poking around fire… unaware of how bad it burns.”, Arjun mocked her.

“That’s not what…”

“What?” he repeated with a hollow chuckle, standing slowly.

Then he looked at her.

Really looked at her.

And it hit her like a storm—the anguish in his eyes, burning beneath the anger.

“You went to Pathan Lala on your own. Do you even understand what that means?”

Riya opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off.

“No! You don’t. Because this isn’t theory, Riya. This isn’t a controlled experiment. You’re not in some lecture hall analyzing trauma. This—this is blood. Death. Loss.”

He stepped closer, voice low, but shaking.

“And you walked right into it. Alone.”

Riya’s voice was small, uncertain.

“I thought I could handle it. I didn’t expect—”

“Exactly,” Arjun snapped. “You never expect it. None of them did. Lisa didn’t. Sakshi didn’t. Ayesha didn’t. And now—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

The silence was deafening.

He turned away abruptly, running a hand through his hair.

“I carried your bleeding body out of that goddamn warehouse. Do you know what that felt like?”

Riya froze. She hadn’t expected him to say that. Not like this.

He turned to her again, voice breaking.

“Do you know what that does to someone who’s watched it happen—again and again?”

There it was. A flash of something raw. Something he couldn’t name.

He masked it with venom.

“You’re reckless, Riya. You’re not made for this. You’re not ready. And I won’t stand by while history repeats itself.”

“So you’d rather push me out?” her voice trembled.

“Yes.” His answer was instant.

He walked towards her again, gaze hard.

“You’re a liability, Riya. And I will not let someone like you stay in this department long enough to become a casualty.”, he said in a low but threatening voice.

And then… softer, almost a whisper.

“Because I can’t watch another one die.”

Riya’s eyes widened. Her chest tightened.

“Why do you hate me so much?” she barely managed.

His lips parted. No sound came.

He held her gaze for a second too long. Something flickered in his eyes—grief, fear, something heartbreakingly human.

Then—he looked away.

Just turned and walked off, shoulders tense, fists clenched.

And Riya… Riya was left standing there, the case file still unopened because Pathan had already answered the questions she held inside her for all these days. But, her heart now carried questions it never had before.

--

She left ETF with her heart in tatters. The weight of secrets, failure, pain… crushing.

As she crossed the building's gate, her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She picked up, voice hollow. “Hello?”

“Ma’am,” a calm voice said, “This is from Mumbai Military Hospital, Colaba. Captain Kabir has been admitted with injuries sustained during a covert operation. You’re listed as emergency contact.”

Riya’s legs buckled. “Kabir… Kabir’s what…?”

“Ma’am? Hello?”

But Riya couldn’t respond. The phone slipped from her hand.

Her breathing hitched. Her chest tightened. The world blurred. Panic set in.

She collapsed to the pavement outside, struggling to breathe.

Just then, a screech of brakes—Shree, heading home, stopped inches from her. Annoyed at first, he jumped out—only to find Riya sobbing uncontrollably.

“Riya? Are you—what happened? Did Lala do something? Did he say something else? What’s going on?!”

No response. Only tears.

“Okay. Breathe. I’ll drop you home. Where do you need to go?”

Through gasps, she barely whispered, “Colaba.”

Shree didn’t ask more. He helped her in and drove like hell.

--

During the drive, Shree kept stealing glances at her every few seconds. She looked utterly lost, like a child separated from her parents at a fair—tears streaming, inconsolable. His heart ached with worry, but no words came; he didn’t know how to ask what was wrong.

Then, as the car halted at a red traffic signal, Riya suddenly glanced at a direction sign board and, without warning, stumbled out of the car.

“Riya!” he called after her, reaching out instinctively, but she wasn’t listening—her mind was elsewhere, lost in chaos.

Shree sat frozen, watching her run, torn between confusion and rising panic.

As the signal turned green, the cars behind him started honking, bringing him back to reality.

He didn’t move until she disappeared from view.

“I never should’ve let her leave on her own,” he muttered, guilt tightening around his chest.