Chapter 3
Arjun felt Riya clutch his arm harder and acting on instinct he dragged her behind a tree next to them. Riya's eyes flew open as her brain tried to register what had just happened. Her eyes darted off to meet his and she saw the familiar 'no-nonsense-look' on his face; and she knew, it meant serious trouble!
They heard rustling of leaves and breaking of twigs; someone was looking for something or maybe someone! Riya had just parted her lips when she saw Arjun shoot a glare back at her. He pinned her to the tree, with one hand still on her unhurt arm, while the other quickly went back and fished out his pistol.
He saw Riya's eyes widen and couldn't help being amused! Curiosity and inquisitiveness defined Riya Mukherjee!
And before he knew it, she had leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "Sir, kaun ho sakta hai? Kahin Rathore Sir toh nahi?"
Arjun gently tugged at her arm, "Pata nahi Riya. Shayad ho bhi sakta hai.."
They both stood still for a couple of minutes and Arjun heard, footsteps stealthily approaching them, he stepped back and looked behind Riya, "Riya, koi humari taraf aa raha hai.. Stay still!"
Just when he had gripped the pistol harder in his palm, fully alert, they felt the footsteps head away from them. Riya shifted her head to peep into the darkness.
Alas! The sun had set a long while ago, they could feel a chill in the air, and maybe it was about to rain! The dark canopy added to their misery!
Arjun moved back, with his hand still supporting Riya. He rolled up his sleeves, "Riya, hum yahan aise zyada der nahi ruk sakte.. We have to make a move.. Agar yeh Rathore ya phir backup team ke log hain, toh theek hai.. Lekin agar yeh koi aur hain, toh we could be in trouble! Tumhe pehle hi chot lagi hai, aur itne andhere mein humein raasta dhoondhne mein bhi dikkat hogi.. But we have to make a move.. Lets go!"
He prepared himself for the run, and looked back at Riya; he let go of her hand momentarily, only to hold out his palm for her.
Riya glanced at him and swiftly placed her palm into hers; she felt him grip it tightly. Unknowingly, a sense of relief flooded over her; she wasn't alone!
Arjun sprinted downhill, being sure that he had come up that way. Riya followed suit, occasionally glancing back, keeping a watch.
They had been running for a good 10-15 minutes, when they heard a few human voices around. Arjun quickly pulled Riya down with him and both crouched on the ground, camouflaging themselves in the dark bushes. Both exchanged uneasy quizzical glances and strained their ears,
'Dhoondho unhe.. Yahin kahin honge.. Woh policewala issi taraf aaya hoga.. Ussne motorcycle bhi yahin khadi kar rakhi hai..'
2nd: 'Haan, aur uske saath jo ladki hai, usko toh goli bhi lagi hai.. Zyada door nahi jaa payenge woh.. Bohot nuksaan kiya hai unn logon ne humara..'
1st: 'Aur kya! Godown ko aag laga di unn logon ne, aur unn ladkiyon ko bhi chuda liya.. Boss bohot gussa honge! Humein unhe dhoondhna hi hoga.."
Riya tightening grip on his palm alerted Arjun; he shifted his head to face her and gave her a reassuring nod of his head. They looked around, the place was dark and surrounded by bushes.
Escaping without being seen was difficult but they had no option. Arjun slowly rose on his knees, and motioned Riya to follow. They saw the men split into two groups of 3 men each.
Arjun glanced at his pistol; he could do it! But a soft tug at his hand reminded him that he wasn't alone. He had to protect her, she was injured!
They both rose to their feet and glanced back; yes, maybe that was the way out. Arjun clutched her palm and tiptoed in towards his left, his senses on high alert. They had walked for a while through the muddy path through the shrubbery, when he heard Riya slightly wince in pain.
His head spun around and saw her arm bleeding; maybe the wound had grazed against a thorny bush. She looked at his furrowed forehead, "Sir! Its okay.. bass thoda sa khoon hi hai.. We have more important matters at hand."
Arjun knew she was right, yet that momentary hurt and the sound of her wincing in pain echoed in his ears. He gently squeezed her palm, "Riya, bass thodi der bardaasht karlo.. I promise main tumhe yahan se bachake le jaunga.. Please bharosa rakho mujhpar."
Her eyes darted off to meet his and she looked at him; every word of his was laced with concern; concern for her well-being. She knew they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a few armed men on their trail. Yet, something at the back of her head told her, that they would make it! She nodded her head and let out a forced smile, "I'm fine Sir.. Aur haan, I trust you!"
Arjun saw her fake a smile and knew she was attempting to mask her pain behind her smile, yet again.
He decided to devise a strategy. He knew it would be risky leaving Riya behind, but then it was the only way out. He let go of her hand and felt her stiffen. She looked up at him quizzically.
He bent forward, "Riya, dekho, tumhe bohot chot lagi hai.. Ek kaam karo, tum kuch waqt ke liye, yahan inn jhadiyon ke beech baith jaao.. Main raaste ke baare mein pata karne ki koshish karta hoon."
His words fell on her ears and she jerked, "Nahi Sir, main bhi aapke saath chalungi.."
Arjun shot her a glare, "Riya, tum meri baat bina behes kiye kabhi nahi manogi na? Maine kaha na tum yahin thehro.. Main bass iss jagah ka jaayza lekar abhi aata hoon."
He saw her shake her head in negative and a slight pout appear on her lips. He threw back his head in frustration, "Fine! Chalo.."
They had resumed walking, when they heard a faint sound of flowing water. They walked further and were stunned at what they saw. It was a giant waterfall.. The gushing water appeared milky white under the moonlight. It was nestled among the tall trees, which seemed to be protecting it from human encroachment.
Riya was absolutely mesmerized by the sight; she took a couple of steps in the direction and felt her step falter. Arjun had held onto her hand tightly. She turned back to face him, "Sir!"
Arjun looked around the place, he was sure he hadn't walked this way. What if they were headed deeper into the woods? He recollected the goon's movements. Yes! They had been guarding the exit of the forest, which meant his suspicions had come true. They were lost!
He spun around and observed the place again, they had to head back now! Riya watched him carefully and saw his face etched with concern; he let go of his hand and stood in front of him. "Sir?"
Arjun blinked his eyes and signaled her to look around, "Riya, I'm sure hum iss raaste se nahi aaye the.. Mujhe shaq hai, ki hum jungle mein aur andar aa gayein hain.. We have to head out. Yeh jagah khatre se khali nahi hai. Jungli jaanwar bhi ho sakte hain." Riya's face fell and she looked around, But it was soo pretty! He saw her in a dilemma and shook his head, Women!
"Riya, chalein?" She nodded and on instinct, held his palm. Arjun turned back to face her and saw her look into his eyes casually. He shook his head and she saw a slight smile appear on the corner of his lips.
She knitted her eyebrows in confusion and was about to question him, when she felt warm fingers wrap around hers. Her eyes darted off to their entangled palms and she understood!
They had walked quite a distance and were really tired. Arjun halted in his track when he realized that Riya was literally dragging herself around. He turned around to face her, she looked really weary. Her wound had stopped bleeding by now, leaving behind traces of dried blood against her skin. He realized it must be hurting her as well.
Riya looked up at him and saw his eyes fixed on her wounded arm, "Sir? Aap ruk kyun gaye?"
"Riya, hum aise andhere mein aur nahi bhatak sakte.. You need rest.", he motioned to her arm.
He saw her shake her head in protest and quickly silenced her with a glare, "Riya, dekho.. we seem to have lost them; for now atleast! Tum ek kaam karo, yahan thodi der aaraam se baith jao."
He let go of her hand and saw it fall to her knees as she sat down and rested her back against a tree. He looked around carefully to look out for any signs of the goons approaching them. But eerie silence echoed through the forest. He finally gripped the gun with both his palms and sat down next to her.
It had indeed been a tiring day for Riya. The pain in her arm was slowly shooting up, she glanced sideways at Arjun and saw his eyes fixed on the muddy path. No! she couldn't tell him. Now as she recollected the past few hours, she realized that it was entirely her fault that they were stuck in the middle of the jungle. She shouldn't have entered the warehouse without informing the rest of the team and only if she had mustered enough courage to shoot, they would've been back there, with the rest of the team members, heading on their way back.
She shuddered at her immature action and felt her eyelids become heavy. She rested her head back against the bark of the tree and shut her eyes, allowing sleep to slowly take over.
Arjun however, had his eyes fixed on the path in front of him; there was no sound of footsteps or any movement at all. He sighed and rested his back against the bark of the tree. His eyelids felt heavy and he realized that he was tired as well; all the running having drained him completely.
He rubbed his eyelids gently, no he couldn't let sleep claim him. He glanced sideways and looked at Riya, she looked at peace, her eyes shut, her innocent face slightly glowing in the moonlight. He couldn't help but smile at that. She looked so serene, innocent and beautiful! His hand moved to her forehead on its own, to slowly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Arjun felt her shift slightly and her head that was resting against the tree fell on his shoulder.
He saw her lips move and heard her mumble something. He strained his ears and slightly leaned forwards; 'Kuch der aur Riya.. dard bardaasht karle.. just some more time!'
He jerked back and his eyes flew to her wound; how had he forgotten about it?
Arjun slowly removed Riya's waist bag, that had been attached to his waist now and glanced at Riya's wounded arm, it needed dressing! It must be hurting. he fished out a painkiller from the bag. Where would he find water now? Water! And then it struck him. There was a lot of water here, just nearby.
He slowly held Riya's head in his hands and rested it back against the tree. He rose up on his feet and had taken a few steps away from her, when he stopped in his tracks! No! He couldn't leave her alone. She wasn't safe here.
He looked ahead of him, the waterfall was just here. He would be back in a couple of minutes. But what if he didn't make it in time?
He shuddered at the thought and involuntarily, his mind drifted to a similar scene three years ago!
***Flashback***
He had just walked into the house after having been away on a mission for about two weeks. He opened the door using his set of keys and put a foot in. He had been dying to meet Roshni. It killed him to stay away from her even for a few hours, and this time, he had to extend his stay by an entire week to bust the criminals.
He frowned, Roshni was going to be mad! Especially since he had missed their first Diwali after their wedding. A smirk made its way on his lips, the very next moment; he knew how to tackle her fake anger!
Arjun walked into the living room and what he saw blew his breath away! The room was in a mess; the sofa cushions on the floor, the flower vases had crashed to the ground and the flower petals were strewn across the floor. His eyes darted off across the living room, it felt as if his house had been ransacked. He had sprinted towards the kitchen and the other rooms, only to find a similar scene everywhere. He looked around and observed signs of struggle; his heart skipped a beat, Roshni!
He ran around the house like a madman, to find any last evidence, a clue as to where she had been taken. He had fished out his phone to call the Commissioner of Police, when he received a call himself;
'ACP Arjun Rawte! Kaisa laga mera surprise?'
He had barked into the phone threatening the person on the opposite side, only to have been silenced by a shrill voice, he knew could only belong to his wife;
'Suna? Teri biwi humare kabze mein hai.. Tujhe kya laga, ki tu mere bhai ko berehmi se maar dalega, aur main tujhe aise hi chod doonga.. Ab tujhe pata chalega, apne ko khone ka dard kya hota hai?'
Arjun's senses had numbed for a while but he had managed to regain his composture and barked into the phone yet again, 'Sikandar! Agar meri Roshni ko kuch bhi hua.. toh main tujhe zinda gaadh doonga!'
His threat was returned with a mocking laugh, 'Rawte! Kuch nahi karenge teri biwi ko.. Bass tu apne aap ko humare hawale kar de..'
Arjun had reached the decided place within a few minutes, to find atleast 50 guns pointed at him, while Roshni sat tied in front of him.
He had raged like a bull, only to have been shot in both his knees, making him fall to the floor.
Next, Sikandar had yanked Roshni by her hair and before Arjun could move a muscle in his body, he saw the gleaming metal enter Roshni's body!
All he remembered was Roshni's painful screams as her body slumped to the dusty floor. Arjun had managed to drag himself a few feet, when he felt iron chains gripping his ankles and his body being pulled by several men. He growled in frustration and was struggling to rise to his feet, when he saw Sikandar shove the knife into Roshni's stomach once more!
Arjun's eyes darted off to her outstretched hand that was trying to reach out to him and her quivering lips which were constantly calling out to him.
He screamed in agony and tried to drag himself helplessly, his pain having being long forgotten.
Suddenly, he felt his feet being freed and without a second thought, Arjun rose to his knees, stumbling. But it was all over. Sikandar had fired a last shot straight through Roshni's heart. He saw Roshni's body slump to the floor and her last screams echo in the valley; his name being the last word on her lips as she had breathed her last.
Arjun had finally managed to drag his body to hers after much effort. He had cradled her limp body in his arms, kissed her forehead repeatedly trying in vain to revive her and had wailed hysterically for hours.
His world had turned upside down in a matter of few minutes! His Roshni, the light that illuminated his life was gone! Sikandar had killed not one, but two people that dreaded evening.
***Flashback ends***
He shuddered at the thought and was brought back to the present, when he felt a cold palm entwine with his. He spun around with wide eyes to find Riya staring at him with red eyes.
And without any second thoughts, he had held her by her head and crashed her body into his chest, nestling his head in the crook of her neck!
Riya had opened her eyes, when she felt unbearable pain shoot through her wounded arm and had been scared out of her wits on not finding Arjun next to her! She had managed to walk a few feet, when she saw him standing right in front, with his back towards him. As she neared him, she saw his clenched jaw, his balled fist and his shut eyes and immediately knew something was wrong!
Her hand had instinctively moved to his shoulder; she couldn't see him like this. He was in a great deal of pain; she could sense it, Maybe he was reliving his painful past, she thought.
She would've left him alone, had it been a normal situation. But today, a lot of unsaid words had been spoken between them!
She had always been attracted to Arjun since Day 1, soon to realise that it wasn't a schoolgirl crush! His painful eyes and his reclusive life had drawn her towards him. She had yearned to take away his sorrows and to drive away his pain.
She had always wanted him to know that she wasn't just one of the others who pitied him, but she was the one who wanted to heal him!
And today, when she had been on the verge of dying, only to be saved by him, she had realized how unpredictable life really was! However, his almost confession in a fit of rage had stumped her and rendered her brain into hibernation.
She still remembered that look in his eyes, when he had held her by her shoulders and said, Tumhe andaaza bhi hai, ki tumhe uss halat mein dekhkar mujhpar kyaa beeti thi? Agar tumhe kuch ho jaata toh'..
His eyes and his unsaid words had conveyed his emotions, something which his words had failed to do. He had been gazing at her as if she was his world!
She knew she had to face the harsh truth someday; he might never love her back!
He might even push her away from himself and that would kill her. But now, she wouldn't be able to survive a day, if she didn't confess her feelings to him.
She knew she had to; maybe there was a slight chance that he would reciprocate her feelings!
She glanced at him with tender eyes once more and decided against it, No, she wouldn't! He already had a lot of troubles to deal with; she couldn't burden him with unnecessary baggage!
She stared at his immobile form with tears rolling down her cheeks; how she wished to gather him in her arms, to hold him close to her bleeding heart and to kiss away his pain!
And before she knew it, he had turned around and crashed her petite body to his and held on to her as if he wasn't ever letting her go!
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