IPKKND FF: Masquerade [Chapter 18] Updated 10 Sept - Page 39

Khushi stared at the file before her. Her head was spinning after reading its contents. She heard a noise outside and quickly returned the file to its original location and closed the drawer. She hurried out of the room and almost bumped into Kushal. He held her steady and looked at her with an amused expression.

"Whoa there hurricane. Take it easy."

Khushi didn't like the feeling of his hands on her shoulder. She was instantly reminded of another person who had grabbed her numerous times in the same way. But that gave her a completely different feeling. She couldn't really describe it but it wasn't like how she was feeling right now. She quickly shrugged off his hands and tugged her kurta down.

"Were you just in that room?"

Khushi looked towards where he was indicating and nodded.

"Damn it. Looks like I've messed up on the first week itself."

Khushi frowned and looked at him quizzically. He grinned at her good naturedly.

"That room's is out of bounds actually. I'm not supposed to let you go in."

He scratched the back of his head and looked at her guiltily, a half smile on his face. Khushi had a strange feeling when she heard him say those words. That room was out of bounds...Which meant that no one knew about the existence of the files.

"Are you allowed in there Kushal?"

"Nope. Strictly off limits."

Khushi nodded her head as the contents of the various files swam through her head.

...

Khushi walked through one of the less crowded streets of Delhi. Her mind was in a mess and she didn't know what to think. She went over the contents of the files over and over again and Kushal's words kept playing in her mind. What was the deal with all the secrecy anyway? She clutched her head in her hands and groaned in frustration. Her life had way too much in it than your average nineteen year old.

She sighed heavily and looked ahead of her. She had walked a long way and was now currently on some deserted road. It was very wide and there were forests flanking it on both sides. There wasn't anyone else in sight and she shivered despite it being the middle of July. She rubbed her palms across the length of her arms and started turning around when she heard the sound of someone's voice. She turned around and saw a distant figure walking towards her. As the person came closer, she could make out the faint outline of a man. For some reason he looked very familiar. Then it dawned on her. It was Kushal! He was talking on the phone and was looking in front of him. Khushi waved her hand enthusiastically and called out to him. He lifted his head and his face broke out into a smile. He waved back and quickened his pace towards her.

Khushi waited for him to come to where she was standing. He was a little distracted by the phone call so his pace kept fluctuating. She suddenly caught sight of a car on the road. So this place wasn't deserted after all. She checked the time on her watch and looked up once again. She frowned as she watched the car coming closer. Something about it was a little odd. The screens were black and she couldn't really make out how many people were inside. What was more surprising was the pace at which it was moving. In a matter of seconds it had traversed a distance of almost a kilometer. Khushi frowned as the car got closer and closer. Kushal was busy on the phone and he hadn't realized that there was a car on the road. He was walking slightly towards the middle of the road and Khushi called out to him and asked him to move to the side. He didn't hear what she had said and put up his hand asking her to wait. The car was pretty close by now and Khushi could make out that it was travelling dangerously close to the side.

Before she could think any further the car was upon Kushal and he flew into the air at the tremendous force of impact. A terrible screech was heard from the tyres while he was just too shocked to make any sound. His phone slipped out of his hand and fell onto the middle of the road and was crushed to bits as the car drove over it mercilessly.

Khushi stared dumbstruck as the car whizzed past her kicking up clouds of dust along the way. She turned around trying to gather some information about the make of the car and realized a startling fact.

The car had no number plate.

A muffled thud and breaking of leaves and twigs were heard and Khushi's mind returned to Kushal. She ran towards the edge of the road and looked around frantically for him. He couldn't be in very good shape after the collision and she needed to get to him as fast as possible. She saw tracks leading down a cliff and figured that he must have rolled down there after hitting the ground.

She tied her dupatta securely around her waist and carefully made her way down the steep edge. When she finally got to the bottom a horrifying sight caught her eye.

Kushal was lying at the base of a tree, bruised and battered, blood covering many parts of his body. She rushed over to him and shook him hard.

"Kushal? Kushal open your eyes! You're going to be fine. I'll take you to the hospital immediately. Just stay with me here."

She frantically dialed the hospital's number and realized that she didn't know where she was. She dropped her phone with shaking fingers and shook him once again. His eyes were closed and she took his wrist in her hand and checked for a pulse.

Her hands went cold as she registered the absence of it. She hurriedly put her finger under his jaw and checked there as well. But again she got no beat, however faint. She let go of him and got up slowly. Walking slowly, she climbed up the cliff again and reached the road where the fatal crash had occurred. She looked at the spot where Kushal had been standing and tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and looked around for a way to go back home. Just then her eyes spotted something. Or rather the lack of something.

The remnants of Kushal's phone were nowhere to be seen. She searched and searched and searched but found nothing. That's odd...

Then it struck her. She turned around and started running as fast as her legs could carry her. After a good half hour, she spotted a familiar house. She was finally back to the area she knew well. Heaving a sigh of relief, she picked up her pace and ran towards the Delhi office. The combination lock was hanging from the bolt and Khushi began working her way through it. She tried numerous combinations and finally heard a faint click from inside the lock. She pulled it open and put it inside her jhola. Stepping into the huge interior, she made a bee line towards the restricted room. Rummaging through the files she finally found the one she was looking for. She quickly opened it and her breath caught in her throat as her worst fear was confirmed.

Kushal's file had a large red stamp on it. The ink was absolutely dry which meant that it had been marked at least a few hours ago. But Kushal had been struck only an hour ago. So did that mean...

Khushi began sifting through the files again and her hands shook as she took out the thickest file of the lot. Her face paled as she read the contents of the first page. Her heart was thudding against her chest and she felt sick. She fingered the picture in the file and read the heart stopping line once again.

Arnav Singh Raizada - TERMINATED.

...

"Anjali ji, are you at home?"

"Yes Khushi. Did you need something?"

"No err- yes- I mean, is your brother at there?"

"Chote? No. He left for your house fifteen minutes ago. I've sent some clothes for you and Payal to try on. Please let me know how you like them."

"Oh thank you. But I'd rather you saw me wearing the clothes yourself."

"That's fine then. I'll ask Chote to bring you back with him. Are you at home?"

"Yes Anjali ji. In fact I think he's already arrived. Please call him and tell him about the change in plans."

She disconnected the call and rushed out the front door. A familiar gust of wind blew through the air and Khushi felt her heart beat accelerate. She looked around and spotted the large white SUV standing a little bit away from their house. Her breathing quickened as she caught sight of the owner of the car. Dressed in an immaculate three piece suit, hair gelled back and classy shades gleaming in the sunlight - Arnav Singh Raizada was walking towards her with a couple of large bags.

Her face broke out into an automatic smile and she released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Before she knew it he was standing in front of her, looking at her with a slightly confused expression.

"Get out of my way or I'll just have to run over you."

"Sorry what?"

"I said, get out of my way or I'll bump into you."

His face had a very annoyed look on it and Khushi jerked back to reality. She nodded her head but didn't budge an inch. He lifted his eye brow and considered her warily.

"What? Why aren't you moving?"

"I-I wanted to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"I-I -"

"What?!"

"That is, I mean... You... I..."

"Just get to the point already!"

"Your life's in danger!"

...

Told you so! It's just going to get better from here. And don't think that because this is a thriller of sorts that there won't be any romance. In fact this type of romance is the most exciting. Not the fluffy kind which you'll adore in Walking On Sunshine but some full on heated moments which will make you go 'Ooh!' ☺️

So please like and comment 😊

Chapter Twelve