This starts after Neil threatens Avni that he will sign the divorce papers if she ever goes to RangMahal.
~~~*~~~
His words rang in her ears, clear and firm as she debated what to do. "Agar tum Rangmahal gayi to mai inn par sign kar dunga.
Avni sat with her group of merry men from Robinhood days as she thought of various plans and discarded each of them one by one. Not that the plans were not good but each and every plan demanded one thing of her to go into the Rang Mahal. And she was loathe to try and test Neil's patience this time. The poor man was already worried sick about Juhi, he did not need to worry about her safety on top of that.
"Didi.. kya decide kiya aapne?
She looked at her comrades with a blank face as she debate with herself.
"Plan to kai sare hain par sabhi plans me ek hi problem hai. Unko safal karne ke liye rang mahal ke andar jana padega.
"Humari maniye to na hi jaiye Didi, wo jagah achhi nahi hai. Wahan na jane kya kya hota hai.
"Lekin wahan jana to padega. Juhi wahan qaid hai, aur shayad Ali bhi. Na jane kitni ladkiyon ki zindagi ko nark bana rakha hai unhone.
The men looked at each other. They knew their Didi. Once she decided something, nothing in the whole world could change her mind. They knew she meant well, but she had this habit of running her head in danger. In the past they had helped her but had made sure that she was safe. So if she was determined to do something this time then they would help her again, along with making sure that she was safe and sound. Their decision made, they nudged Avni.
"Kya socha hai Didi?
Avni looked at the men sitting in front of her and staring at her with questions in their eyes. They were ready to help her in her mission. All that she had to do was to come up with a plan and here she was sitting with a blank mind. She decided to wait for her husband to report of his success or failure before she came up with something.
"Ek kaam karte hain... Neil ke meeting ka intezaar kar lete hain. Agar kuch hota hai to theek, warna hume rangmahal me ghusna hi padega.
"Theek hai Didi... Kuch hota hai to batana. Par iss maamle me akele aage mat badhiyega.
Avni smiled at their concerned filled gazes. "Don't worry, mai kuch bhi akele nahi karungi. With a last smile, Avni walked out of that ramshackle building.
~~~*~~~
"Neil... she called out to him as she walked through the door of the small apartment that Neil owned.
He turned to look at her and the sheer desperation in his eyes made her realize the futility of her question.
"Kuch nahi hua Avni, kuch nahi ho paya. DGP sahib ne Rang Mahal ke liye search warrant dene se mana kar diya kyunki koi proof nahi hai. CM sahib se meeting ho nahi payi kyunki unhe kisi aur meeting ke liye jana pada. Aur unn bechari ladkiyon ka kya jo wahan fasi hui hain. Aur Ali jo shayad wahi qaid hai aur Juhi... Juhi fasi hui hai wahan Avni aur mai kuch nahi kar paa raha hun. Itna bebas mehsoos kar raha hun mai khud ko. Kuch nahi kar paa raha mai. Kuch bhi nahi.
She watched in concern as his emotional outburst turned into rage and he dashed his fist against the wall, smashing the small photo frame which adorned that place. The glass frame broke and a few pieces pierced his skin.
"Neil... she ran towards him, her heart in her mouth. "What the hell are you doing? Baitho... baitho idhar.
She pushed him on to the bed forcibly and took out the first aid box. It was where she had left it the last time they had been here, right there in the cupboard. Luckily the pieces had not embedded in his skin and she just disinfected the cleaned the cut before applying an antiseptic ointment and wrapping the wound with cotton and gauze. Her mind went back to the last time they had been in this same position where she was dressing his wound which had started to bleed after that operation. At that time his eyes had been constantly fixed on her, staring at her without batting his eyelids and it used to make her uncomfortable in those initial days. Slowly, she had started to enjoy his undivided attention going so far to even wait for him to stare at her. He had never disappointed her. His eyes would find her unerringly, tracing every single movement of hers with a hawk like concentration.
Now though, she feared to look at him afraid of what she might find in those deep pools of molten chocolate. She had been his world but now, she wasn't sure what to expect. What with Juhi being back and all that, she had no idea where she stood now in his life. It seemed as she was at a crossroad and had no idea which road to take.
Road be damned, her first priority now was to get Juhi back in this normal world, away from the hell in which she was living. Juhi was Neil's first love, his heartbeat and if getting her back was the only way to ensure Neil happiness then so be it. She would do everything in her power to save Juhi. Her mind went into overdrive as she thought of plan after plan and discarded everything until something came back to her her conversation with Neil last night. That was now the only way out. And anyways, when Juhi came back, divorce was but a formality. She would never come in between Neil and his love. So yes, she would do exactly what Neil had asked her not to do enter Rang Mahal.
~*~
His eyes never wavered from her face as she disinfected and bandaged his wound. He knew she was thinking something very deeply, he could see that on her face but he had no way of knowing what she was thinking. But knowing her, she was surely on the wrong track.
"Ye ladki kabhi kuch siddha nahi soch sakti. He thought to himself, frustrated beyond belief. "Na kuch bolti hai na kuch jatati hai. Kab bologi tum kuch Avni. Kab bologi? he thought to himself.
She bandaged his hand and then got up, or rather tried to get up but he was faster. He held her wrist and made her sit next to him on the bed.
She stared at him quizzically and he heaved a deep breath trying to keep his frustration at bay. "Kya soch rahi ho tum?
"Kuch nahi. She denied, and it was perfectly normal. Had it been anybody else, he would have been convinced, but this was his wife and with her little things spoke volumes. Like the fact that she looked perfectly normal but was trying to avoid his eyes, which meant she was hiding something, lying through her teeth.
"Avni... tum jaanti ho na Rang mahal me jana khatarnaak hai tumhare liye? I hope tum kuch stupid nahi plan kar rahi ho? he asked her with as much patience as he could.
"Nahi... nahi to. Maine to aisa kuch nahi kaha. She tried to get up but he held her wrist and forced her to sit back down.
"Agar mai sab kuch tumhare kehne ka intezaar karta to aaj ho chukka hota. Mujhse jyada achhi tarah se ye kaun jaanta hai ki tum jo bhi karti ho usme risk to hota hai, that too with a capital R. To sidhe sidhe batao ki kya chal raha hai tumhare dimag me.
~*~
Avni looked away for a moment, trying to decide how much to reveal. It was as if she was back in her vigilante ways and had to be careful while imparting information. Her husband was a trained police officer and too good at sniffing out her lies. So if she had to do something, she had to keep him in loop but she also had to make sure that he did not stumble onto their entire plan. Her mind made up, she turned towards him.
"Ab tak to tumhe bhi samajh aa gaya hoga ki iss system ke sahare baithe rahoge to kuch nahi ho payega. Kabhi nahi chuda paoge tum Juhi ko uss narak se. Jaante ho na?
"Haan Avni, mai jaanta hun. But still, mai system ke khilaf jakar kuch nahi kar sakta. Mai uss kaanoon se bandha hua hun jiski hifazat karne ki kasam maine khai hai. He pointed out in a reasonable voice.
Avni knew she had to tread carefully. Neil did not believe in the maxim of "An eye for an eye. If he did, her task would have been easier but since he did not, she had to find a way to make him understand her point of view.
"Mai tumhe kanoon todne ko nahi keh rahi hun. Kanoon ki hifazat karo, jarur karo par agar yahi kanoon unn logon ko nuksaan pahunchaye jinki hifazat ke liye ye bana hai, to kya karoge Neil? Rules logon ki safety ke liye hote hain, unke protection ke liye hote hain par aaj yahi kanoon na kewal Juhi ko balki aur na jane kitni masoom ladkiyon ki zindagi tabah karne ja raha hai. Agar isi bharose baithe rahoge ki sab kuch system ke hisaab se hoga to kabhi Juhi ko nahi bacha paoge. Aaj to bahut umeeden lekar gaye the na tum? Kya hua anjaam? Neil, try and understand. Mai maanti hum tum bahut honest ho par iss system me har koi tumhari tarah nahi hai. Corruption is a part of our life, it's a part of every single system jisme hum jeete hain. What's more it follows a top down approach. Iss baat ki kya guarantee hain ki jinn logon ke saamne tum sar pair maar rahe ho, request kar rahe how wo log Ragini Pandit ke sath involved nahi ho? After all jis aasani se wo jail se aana jaana karti hai, jab tak koi top level se involved nhi ho aisa nahi ho sakta. Mai personally jaanti hun iss baat ko ki agar paisa ho to iss system ko kharidna kitna aasan hai. Money is capable of buying everything. To iss baat ki kya guarantee hai ki Raagini Pandit ne top pe logon ko kharid nahi liya hoga.
She could see the gears in his head turning, as he tried to comprehend her words. He tried to come up with an explanation to her logic but failed every single time
Finally, he was forced to admit that she did have a point. Giving in, he sighed and said. "Theek hai, bolo. Kya soch rahi ho tum?
~*~
As Avni outlined her plan, Neil felt like banging his head against the wall with each passing second. It was exactly as he had said last night; the scheme was fraught with risk. Oh sure... his wife was a genius coming up with something so daring and unconventional something he would have tried only under the most dire circumstances; she was good at strategizing something which he had always considered was his forte; she had a good grip on the thinking of criminals that was probably due to her close contact with Dayavanti Mehta and her vigilante days; but she also had zero sense of self preservation. She did not care about her own safety, all that she cared about was how to keep her team safe and rescue Juhi and other girls and that frustrated Neil to no end. God damn it, how could she be so careless? Did she not realize how perilous this entire thing was and how everything could backfire if a single step went wrong? He could lose her for ever she had no clue.
"Avni... Sheer desperation laced his voice as he tried to halt his scheming wife.
She looked up at him, probably surprised at the tone of his voice. Pure, unadulterated worry gnawed at him as tears welled up in his eyes. How could she be so selfless? She knew what position Juhi had in his life and he realized with a pang that he never did explain to her what would be her situation now that Juhi was back. As his mind went back to the events of the past few days, he realized that never had he cleared his stance with her. Never had he bothered to explain to her that she was his very life his lifeline. Was it any wonder that she had no sense of self-preservation?
He could see the exact minute the gears in her mind started turning and knowing her they would surely turn the wrong way.
"Stop... stop right there. He commanded her in a firm voice.
~*~
"Avni... the sound of her name, uttered with so much desperation halted her in her tracks. She looked up from the plan that she had been outlining to find Neil staring at her with bloodshot eyes full of tears. That he held those salty droplets at bay was a testament to his inner strength. Normally, Neil did not shy away from sharing his emotions with her. He would let his tears fall even as he stood by her side like a rock After the initial hiccups in their marriage and a few incidents here and there, she had seen Neil grieve, had seen him weep and she marvelled at the ease with which he accepted his emotions. She admired his resilience and appreciated how sorted out as a person he was.
But this Juhi issue had resulted in turning him into a pendulum one minute he would be grieving, another minute he would start raging. She understood his deep sense of guilt, and his love for Juhi. Any sane person would go mad under these circumstances.
His voice halted her train of thoughts.
"Stop... stop right there.
She looked back at him to find him staring straight at her, without batting his eyes. Suddenly, she was transported back in time when Neil used to stare at her and it used to make her uncomfortable. Strangely there was no discomfort today. Instead, a strange sense of peace stole all over her being.
"Do you even realize how dangerous this plan is? One misstep and this entire thing would blow up right in our face and we would have nowhere to go. Ye kanoon ke khilaf hoga, illegal hoga.
"Aur ye illegal tab hoga Neil jab hum kanoon ke khilaf jayenge. Par hum ye plan to tabhi execute karenge na jab tum Magistrate se search warrant hasil karoge. Aur uske liye Rang mahal me cameras install karna zaroori hai. Aur agar mai Juhi se mil paayi aur usko uss device ke bare me bata paayi to maybe wo bhi hume kuch information deti rahe
"Iss plan me risk bahut hai. Upar se DGP sir ne mana kiya hai ki search warrant nahi milega, not without proofs.
"Tum iss case ki sari files lekar ek baar commissioner Sir se kyun nahi milte. Maine unke bare me kaafi kuch suna hai. Apne time me wo kaafi famous the. Aur unke honestly ke kisse bhi bahut hain.
"Agar search warrant milta hai to iss plan ki zarurat nahi padegi. He pointed out.
She just smiled at him and said, "Search warrant tumhe tabhi milega Neil jab tumhari wife wahan fasegi. Warna nahi.
"Tum samajhti kyun nahi ho Avni, mai tumhe wahan jane ki izazat nahi de sakta. Tumhe kuch ho gaya to?
"Neil, tum Juhi ko chudana chahte ho ya nahi. She was forced to hit him where it hurt the most.
"For God's sake, Avni... samajhne ki koshish karo. Mai Juhi ko bachane ke liye tumhe danv par nahi laga sakta. Juhi ko bachane ke liye tumhe bali vedi par nahi chadha sakta. Why don't you understand? Kuch nahi samajhti ho tum, aakhir kyun yaar?
"Neil... kisi na kisi ko to wahan jana padega na. Aur fir mai akeli thodi ja rahi hun. Madan hoga mere sath.
"Aur tum aur tumhare group jo karenge wo illegal hoga.
"Hum job hi karenge wo khud ki hifazat karne ke liye karenge. Aur khud ko bachane ki izazat kanoon sab ko deta hai.
"Mai jaante bujhte tumhe maut ke muh me nahi dhakel sakta. Ye plan execute nahi hoga and that's final. Meri baat yaad rakhna Avni. Tum Rang Mahal me jaogi to mai divorce papers pe sign kar dunga.
And with that final threat, he walked out of the room leaving Avni in tears.
~~~*~~~
"Sir... Neil Sir... aapko bhabhi ji par itna gussa nahi karna chaiye tha. DD handed him a cup of steaming black coffee, just the way Neil preferred as he broached the topic hesitantly.
"Wo kuch sunne ko taiyyar hi nahi thi DD. Dekha na tumne use... kitna khatarnaak tha uska idea. Honestly... Rang Mahal me bhes badal ke jana... wahan cameras fit karna and all that nonsense. Bina permission ye nahi kar sakte hum. And meri wife hone ke naate uspar jyada scrutiny hogi. Agar wo fass gayi to mai usay bacha nahi paunga. Neil vented out his irritation on his Man Friday.
"Haan mai manta hun... par search warrant haasil karne ke baad Rang Mahal me raid karne ka plan to achha tha na, Sir. Aur fir Juhi madam se help lena.
"Aur Juhi ko ye batane ke liye ki wo humse contact kar sakti hai, kisi ko Rang Mahal me jana padega. Kyunki Juhi ko nahi pata ki uss Ganesh ji ki murti me kya hai. Even that would be risky.
"What option do we have Sir?
"Mujhe nahi pata DD. I have no clue, par mai ek cheez jaanta hun... I am not ready to put Avni in any danger just to crack this case.
"Par kya Bhabhiji ye baat maanengi, Sir? Aap hi kehte hain na ki aapko bachane ke liye wo kuch bhi kar sakti hain?
And as Neil stared at DD, dread pooled in his stomach as a single statement rang in his ears loud and clear.
"Search warrant tumhe tabhi milega Neil jab tumhari wife wahan fasegi. Warna nahi.
Blood drained from his face as the magnitude of problem came crashing down on him. Once again Avni had successfully managed to hide the most important fact from him by dropping crumbs of her plan here and there. And he had been so irritated that he had failed to notice it. Good heavens... why in the name of Seven Hells did he believe that the threat of divorce would keep her away from Rang Mahal.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket to dial her number.
Just then the door to his chamber burst open and an havildar stumbled inside.
"Sir... Avni Madam kidnap ho gayi hain.
~~~*~~~
TBC...
Anupamaa
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
