CHAPTER 19 - Part 1
Arjun had to figure this out as fast as possible. Where could they possibly take her? Who could've taken her? There were two people in their suspects list now: Purushottam and Devilaal. They couldn't take the risk of splitting up, the team would be weakened. The number "RJ-01 CA 33.." was echoing in his ears.
"Kahan dekha hain maine iss number ko?" Arjun thought hard. Suddenly he remembered the SUVs he had seen in Purushottam's house.
The images of their number plates flashed in his mind. His eyes fell on them accidentally while returning from his house. "RJ-01 CA 1111, RJ-01 CA 5555.."
That's it!!!
"Shree ye number check karo, RJ-01 CA 3333. Immediately!" Arjun told Shree.
Shree immediately called the regional RTA office.
"Sir, aapko kaise pata hain ki number yahin hain," Chotu asked.
"Purushottam ke ghar pe do gaadiya thi jinke numbers aise hi pattern follow karte hain. RJ-01 CA 1111 aur 5555. Kya missing hain vahan? 3333, 1 and 5 ke beech ka odd number. Aur shayad tum logon ne dhyan nahin di. Wahan sirf do gadiya park ki gayi hain, lekin parking space teen gaadiyon ke liye banayi gayi hain. Teesre gaadi ki jagah pe sirf gaadi ko peeche lete waqt jo tyre marks bante hain, woh hain. Shaayad wahan thel ya aisa kuch gira tha, jiske upar se jaate waqt woh marks bangaye. Matlab uske teen gaadiyon mein se ek gadi ghar se nikali gayi thi, hamare aane se pehle," Arjun said.
"You're right sir. Ye gadi Purushottam Singh Bhati ka hi hain. Uske bete ke naam par register huyi hain," Shree comfirmed that it was Purushottam's vehicle.
"Great, ab tho hamein proof bhi mil jaayega," Riya said.
Rathore was in deep thought. He immediately called his father, "Bhabasa meri baat dhyan se suniye. Aap sabhi issi waqt ghar wapas laut jaayiye. Avantika ki jaan khatre mein hain. Ye baat bahar nikalni nahin chahiye. Agar koi Avantika ke bare mein poochta hain tho unse kahiye ki Avantika mere saath hain. Mein mandir aakar usse apne saath le gaya, case ke silsilay mein. Aur haan, Saumya ka khyal rakhna. Aap bhi apna dhyan rakhiye. Main aapse baad mein baat karta hoon."
He then immediately called Inspector Rathi, "Purushottam pe nazar rakho lekin usse shak nahin hona chahiye. Uske phone lines saare tap karo. Be careful. Usse bilkul bhi shak nahin hona chahiye!"
"Now what sir?" Riya asked and was joined by Chotu, "Woh Avantikaji aur uss taxi driver ko kahan leja sakte hain?"
"Uske out house," Arjun said looking at Rathore.
"Yahaan se tees minute ki doori pe hain. Mandir se bhi itni hi doori hain. We can reach there in time," Rathore said.
Purushottam's out house:
A man dressed in black pushed Aditya Chauhan to the ground, "Ab teri behen bhi hamare paas hain. Sirf tujhe aur tere baap ko maarna chahte the, lekin teri bewakufi ki wajeh se ab teri behen bhi maregi. Kya zaroorat thi chalaki karne ki. Apne bhanji ko laane ki?"
Aditya was badly beaten. The man had his gun pointed at Aditya when he heard commotion outside. He kicked Aditya one last time and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He thought he had bolted it but he didn't. Aditya observed that. After the man left them Aditya dragged himself towards his sister who was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Avantika," he called her placing her head in his lap, "Avantika utho."
He tried to wake her up. Twenty minutes passed, but Avantika wasn't regaining conciousness. Aditya grimaced in pain; he wondered what was happening outside that was keeping Purushottam's men away from them. He saw a water bottle lying near them. He took some water and splashed it on her face. She slowly opened her eyes.
She saw her brother and was now wide awake in shock, "Bhaisa! Aap yahaan??? Kaun hain ye log?"
"Main tumhe ye sab baad mein bataaunga. Pehle hamein yahaan se bhagna hoga."
"Nahin. Aise nahin bhaag sakte hain. Agar woh log hamein dekhenge tho hamein maar dalenge. Sameer, ETF team ke saath yahaan aate hi honge. Main jaanti hoon ki woh kisi bhi tarah pata lagalenge ki mein yahan hoon. Hum kahin nahin jaayenge."
"Police? Sameer? Tumhari wajehse hi hum iss mushkil mein hain. Agar tum Saumya ka lapata hote hi ETF ko na bulaya hota tho ye sab nahin hota. Bhabasa tumhe aaram se sab kuch batate, lekin tum sunti kahan?"
"Maine itne saalon se kiya hi kya hain? Sirf aapke baatein sunti aayi hoon. Lekin ab nahin. Aapne ek insaan ki jaan li hain, Bhaisa. Aapko uski saza milke rahegi."
Aditya was furious but was helpless, he was badly hurt and couldn't move even an inch without support. Just then they heard gun shots near their room.
Thirty minutes before:
Arjun stopped the SUV at a little distance from the out-house. The team ready with their guns entered the fort like out house.
No sooner had they entered than the firing started. All the guards became alert. The team split up. Shree and Chotu, Arjun and Riya, Rathore parted ways.
Arjun was attacked as soon as they reached the first floor. Arjun tackled the guards while Riya started searching the rooms. Half the rooms were locked from outside. While Arjun was busy, a guard tried to attack Riya from behind, "Riya!"
Riya ducked immediately and the guard stumbled. She took the opportunity and attacked him. She kicked him in his legs and hit him to the wall. Arjun punched another guard in the face, kicked him in the belly and hit his head to the pillar behind him.
Riya and Arjun nodded at each other and ran towards the other end of the corridor.
Meanwhile Shree and Chotu were having fun, playing with the guards. They extract fun out of practically anything. Shree's gun slipped from his hand while dodging a guard and was now left without a weapon to protect himself.
"Chotu! Mera gun!" Shree said and ducked immediately to dodge bullets aimed at him. He hid behind a wall and tried to reach out for his gun but in vain.
Chotu joined him a minute later and shoved Shree's gun back into his hands, "Ye lo!"
"Itna gussa kyun yaar?" Shree asked.
"Tujhe bhi apne gadgets abhi test karne the?" Chotu asked irritated.
"Woh guard tho gaya kaam se right? Mera remote controlled stun gun kaam kar gaya. Aur woh bhi kitna chota aur compatible hain," Shree started boasting about his creation.
"Tu tho aisa bol raha hain jaise tu ne usse invent kiya hain."
"Yaar, lekin maine usse redesign tho kiy na? Uska kya?" Shree asked and turned sideways with his hands folded, angry with Chotu for not giving him the credit for his hard work, completely forgetting that his back was now no longer hidden!
There were gun shots and Chotu pulled Shree just in time, "Ab main tujhe nahin khichta tho tub hi gaya kaam se."
Shree gave him a sheepish grin, "Thanks yaar."
"Thanks baad mein. Ab inn guards ka kaam khatam krana hain hamein," Chotu said and the both of them got back to work.
Rathore tackled the guards and was desperately searching for Avantika. He saw a door partly open and a guard trying to close it; Rathore shot the guard immediately. He was only a few feet away from the room when a guard ran into the room.
Avantika saw a guard come into the room. He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her out of the room.
"Chodo usse," Aditya yelled behind the guy.
Rathore's mind went blank all of a sudden when he saw Avantika being dragged out of the room with a knife on her neck.
"Teri biwi ko bachana chahta hain tho gun niche kar. Abhi!" the man warned Rathore. But Rathore didn't lower the gun. He was about to shoot the man when, the man actually did what he just said. He made a cut on the side of her neck, which started bleeding. Of course, the cut wouldn't kill her, but it did horrify Rathore.
"No! Main gun niche rakh raha hoon usse chod do," Rathore said as he lowered the gun.
Suddenly the expression on Avantika's face changed, "Sameer! Aapke piche.."
Rathore turned around a bit too late and the guard behind him hit him hard with a rod! His forehead started bleeding and he fell to the ground. The man hit him again. "Sameer!!!" Avantika screamed. She tried to free herself but in vain.
He tried to get up but couldn't. He saw the man holding Avantika, remove the knife from her neck and turn it around; the sharp edge of the blade pointing at Avantika. Rathore understood what the man wanted to do; stab Avantika! Rathore gathered all his strength to get up but in vain. The wound on his head seemed to paralyse his body too. The feeling of helplessness was worse than hell. How would he survive if anything happened to her? He would lose all his sanity!!! He felt dizzy, as he saw his life fading away right in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything.
That was when he heard a gun shot that forced him back into this world.
The man who was about to stab Avantika had a bullet in his head, which killed him instantly. He collapsed on the ground revealing Arjun standing behind him holding the gun.
Avantika was safe!!! Avantika's knees buckled under her and she knelt down crying. She was about to run towards Rathore when she saw the guard who hit Rathore pointing his gun at Arjun and was about to pull the trigger.
Another gun shot was heard and the guard was dead. Riya had pulled the trigger before the guard could.
Riya and Arjun had entered the corridor from opposite sides just in time to save Rathore and Avantika.
Shree and Chotu, who were rushing upstairs saw a man stealthily, trying to exit the outhouse. They decided to follow him. Before the man closed the door behind him, they saw his face, which gave a completely different angle to the case. It was Vikram Rajawat, Devilaal Rajawat's son! Thanks, to Riya's complete research on the families that Shree and Chotu recognized him.
Shree and Chotu chased after him, as Shree called up Arjun and told him what they just saw.
"Vikram? Usse iss out house se nikalne mat dena! Main aa raha hoon," Arjun said and cut the call.
He helped Avantika to stand up. They went towards Riya who was helping Rathore. Rathore was bleeding but he was still conscious. Avantika knelt down beside Rathore and put his head in her lap.
Her tears were uncontrollable.
Arjun knelt down beside Riya, "Rathore, main abhi.."
Rathore slowly placed his hand on Arjun's hand and said, "I'm..sorry..Rawte."
Riya was confused. She wondered if it was the effect of the wound that Rathore was saying a sorry instead of a thank you.
However, Arjun seemed to understand why Rathore apologized to him. He placed his hand on Rathore's hand and nodded his head. Apology accepted.
Arjun then said to Riya, "Chotu aur Shree ne yahaan se Vikram Rajawat ko nikalte huye dekha hain. Already woh dono uska peecha kar rahe hain."
"Kya? Main abhi Inspector Rathi ko phone karke situation inform kardungi," Riya said as she and Avantika helped Rathore to get up and rest against a wall.
"Avantika, Aditya kahan hain?" Arjun asked Avantika.
"Ussi kamre mein. Woh bahut ghayal hain. Bhag nahin paayenge. Fikar mat kijiye," she said as she settled down beside Rathore.
Arjun went to the room and saw Aditya unconscious on the floor. He closed the door and bolted it from outside. Meanwhile Riya called Inspector Rathi and informed him the situation. She walked towards Arjun, "Sir, Purushottam ko giraftar kiya jaa raha hain. Lekin solid proof ke bina, uske khilaaf ek strong case ban na tho mushkil hain sir. Aur ambulance and police ke pahunchne mein kuch bees minute lagne waala hain."
"Proof tho hamein mil jaayega. Ek baar woh Vikram pakda gaya tho," Arjun said, "Aditya hamara sabse bada proof hain. Lekin ye ek khuni hain. Iske bayaan ka koi mulya nahin hoga."
Arjun then looked at Riya, "Gadi mein first aid box hoga. Pehle Rathore ke ghaon ko clean karna hoga."
"Yes sir. Lekin inhe yahaan akele chodke tho nahin jaa payenge."
"Tum log jaao. We'll be fine," Rathore said as Avantika handed him over his gun, "Vikram ko kisi bhi..haal mein..bhagne mat dena."
"Lekin Rathore.." Arjun was about to say something when Rathore said, "I said GO!!! It's an order!"
Arjun and Riya looked at each other and decided to go after Vikram.
In the hall of the outhouse:
"Kahan gaya hain?" Shree said kicking a stool out of his way, in frustration.
"Wahan!" Chotu said and ran in the direction he saw Vikram escaping.
In a few minutes they were joined by Arjun and Riya.
"Kahan hain Vikram?" Riya asked Shree.
Shree pointed at a small passage that was probably the exit. Arjun signaled everyone to be silent.
Redy with their guns, Arjun and the rest of the team, followed the path that led to the exit.
They reached the end of the passage, and finally exited the out house. But they couldn't find Vikram anywhere.
Arjun suddenly heard some movement above him and shot turning around. Vikram was shot, his hand was bleeding. Vikram started running. They found the steps that led upstairs. The other side of the outhouse had the cow shed, and there were huge hay stacks everywhere. It would be pretty easy for Vikram to jump onto the hay stacks and escape. Or there could be another way downstairs.
"Shree, Chotu tum outhouse ke piche ki taraf jao. Riya, tum mere saath upar chalo," Arjun ordered and started upstairs.
"Yes sir," the three said in unison.
15 minutes later:
"Ye Arjun sir ko kuch hua hain yaar, keh raha hoon na," Shree told Chotu as they waited for Vikram behind the outhouse near the hay stacks.
"Haan yaar, subah tho unhone Riya se prasad bhi liya. Ye kab se shuru hua hain?" Chotu said recollecting the prasad scene in the morning. They were too shocked to say anything at that time.
"Pata nahin yaar, mujhe tho lagta hain, uss island pe kuch hua tha. Tab se hi tho ye Riya se aur bhi achese pesh aa rahe hain," Shree said.
Chotu looked at Shree with widened eyes, "Lekin tumne tho kahan tha Riya ne abhi bhi Arjun sir ko apne feelings ke baare mein nahin bataya hain. Tho phir kya ho sakta hain?"
Shree and Chotu kept quite for a moment, "Iska matlab.." Shree started, "Arjun sir ko Riya se.." Chotu and Shree said unison looking at each other their eyes wide in shock!
Suddenly they heard Riya scream and somebody fell onto the huge hay stack beside them. They immediately looked up and pointed the gun at the person, who fell on the hay stack. They lowered their guns as soon as they realized who it was and grinned at each other.
15 minutes earlier:
Riya and Arjun ran upstairs searching for Vikram. There terrace was a small one, with one room at its centre. But the terrace didn't have any walls.
Out side the room was Vikram with his gun pointed at Aditya's driver. He was badly beaten.
He could be their witness too! Moreover he wasn't involved in any kind of crime! Arjun couldn't let anything happen to the driver. He couldn't let an innocent man die. Vikram started moving towards the stairs, "Jaane do mujhe!"
Arjun and Riya didn't say a word. They patiently waited for the right moment.
Arjun was stalling for time, "Ye sab kyun kar rahe ho Vikram?"
"Aur mein batadunga? Bilkul nahin!" Vikram said and smirked, "Main yahan se nikalne wala hoon iss gavah ke saath," he said and tightened his grip on the driver's neck.
"Koi faida nahin hain Vikram. Purushottama aurt tumhara baap, dono ko humne giraftar kar liya hain," Arjun said.
"Bina koi sabut ke aap log kya bigadenge hamari?" Vikram said confidently.
He knew the law, Arjun thought. They had to be careful.
"Police aagayi hongi," Riya whispered to Arjun. Vikram started moving towards them and they had to move back towards the edge of the terrace. One wrong step they would fall down.
"Piche jao aur woh gun niche!" Vikram yelled and pressed the gun into the driver's forehead.
Just then the police entered the scene. Inspector Rathi shot Vikram in the leg from
behind. Vikram screamed in pain. Arjun shot his hand and the gun fell from his hands.
The driver was safe and the police arrested Vikram. Arjun and Riya were still at the edge of the terrace.
Arjun stepped forward and when Riya was about to move, she stumbled over some rod and lost her balance.
"Sir!" Riya screamed as she fell backwards. Arjun turned around to catch her and managed to catch her hand. Unfortunately(or fortunately 😉) he slipped over the same rod and lost his balance too. They both fell down together and ended up on the hay stack.
Shree and Chotu had a stupid grin plastered over their faces as they saw Arjun on top of Riya on the hay satck.
Riya had closed her eyes in fear, and when she realized that she was still alive, she slowly opened one eye to see something that stopped her heart beat.
Arjun was on top of her, one hand around her waist and the other brushing a strand of hair from her face. She opened both her eyes now and looked at his hand that was playing with that was now near her ear.
"Tum theek se chalna kab seekhogi Riya?" Arjun asked.
"Main..main?" Riya was fumbling, trying to get up. Staying so close to him even for another moment would kill her. She was going to hyperventilate any moment now. She needed to breathe.
For the first time, even Arjun could feel his temperature rise. It's been so long since he had even felt that way. Being so close to her was rekindling the sleeping fire in him.
He realized her feminity, how beautiful she was. Until then he loved her as a person, a person who understood him, respected him and cared for him. But now he could feel the woman in her. Now, he could see her blush, at his touch. He could see the panic in her eyes. He could see how clumsy she had become all of a sudden. He smirked.
Riya had become scarlet now.
She happened to see his smirk and her eyes widened in shock. He was enjoying this? He was enjoying seeing her panic? Seeing her blush like that? "Did I die and go to heaven? Or am I hallucinating?" Riya wondered as she tried to push him away.
"Riya stop!" Arjun said and got up. He held out his hand to help her up. But she refused it and got up on her own. She was about to stand up, but slipped. Arjun caught hold of her, "Pehle theek se khade hona seekho, uske baad chalne ke baare mein sochenge."
Riya frowned.
"Oye! Wahan se utarne ka koi plan hain ya nahin?" Shree asked, now not even fearing Arjun. He was now sure something was going on between them.
Riya and Arjun snapped back into the present and got down.
Arjun just walked out of there leaving Riya at the duo's mercy.
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Hello guys!!! Lots of fun and thrill waiting for you guys with a big twist coming up!
I've decided I'll complete my FF no matter what happens. I hope you guys will support me!
Thanks a lot for all the support and appreciation so far…
I'll update ASAP as promised… Will complete the case before I go dormant.
P.S. There's lot more after this case also, which you'll definitely enjoy!😉
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Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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