Hi everyone! Thank you once again for all the support and love you've given to this story, whether it be through likes, comments or PMs! It does mean a lot to me and motivates me to continue writing😳 As a thank you, I've written a somewhat longer part and have finally given you AvNeil's meeting! Hope it lives up to your expectations!😳
Lots of love,
Sanjana
Chapter 2
Hands shaking, I reached for the folder which lay scattered on the edge of my bed. Vidyut was always brief in his descriptions. He would never openly reveal too much about my assignments. He would simply hand me a file which contained important details I would need to know prior to executing any plans. Today was no different.
The file in my hand was thick, and I could see signs of dust beginning to form around the corners. Bracing myself, I opened the folder. As I did so, Neil's photo fell into my lap. It was the same one that Vidyut had shown me previously. He was handsome charming even. I had no doubt in my mind that he would have been a heartbreaker in his college days. I placed the photo aside, my hand already reaching for the next item. It was a single, typeset paper with Viyut's handwriting scrawled messily in certain places.
Important Details Regarding Neil Khanna
My eyes ran over the bulleted points which highlighted each and every aspect of my victim.
Age: 27
- Height: 5'11
- Profession: Assistant Commissioner of Police
I froze. He was part of the police force? And suddenly it dawned on me. This was exactly why Vidyut had needed me on this assignment. He was well aware of my previous successes and knew that I would be adept at handling any situation even if it involved the murder of the Assistant Commissioner of Police. I continued reading.
Family Background: Respectable Hindu family consisting of Neil's parents Shweta and Prakash Khanna and grandmother; extremely well-to-do; Prakash Khanna runs his own steel firm, Khanna Industries; Neil Khanna joined the police force against his family's wishes but has made quite a name for himself (read attached news articles)
Following the instructions, I flipped the page over and noted a series of attached news articles from various dates. The papers had tracked his entire journey beginning as a constable and finally terminating at his latest position as Assistant Commissioner of Police. He had made the transition to such a respectable position in a fairly short time span of only 5 years surprising to say the least. I scanned the headlines, attempting to learn as much about Neil as I could.
'Neil Khanna Supports Truth in His Fight between Right and Wrong'
'Officer Khanna Arrests Industrialist Ashish Gupta for Fraudulent Activity'
'ACP Neil Khanna Receives Medal of Honour for Exemplary Service'
The successes that he had earned at such a young age were admirable. However, I was well aware of the reality of the situation. His qualifications effectively made my task even harder. I sighed. I certainly couldn't reveal to him that I was Avni Mehta. As part of the police force, I had no doubts in my mind that he would have come across the newspapers that had accused me of a crime I couldn't even remember committing. And based on what I had learnt about him thus far, I knew one thing he was rule bound. Regardless of what the situation was, he would look towards the proof the evidence. And he wouldn't hesitate to condemn me...just as I had been condemned so many years before. They're all the same. Every single therapist, news reporter, police...they're the same. They don't care for the truth. They only know as much as they see nothing more, nothing less. I had to take extra precaution for this assignment.
I flipped back to Vidyut's note and continued reading. At the bottom of the page, he had scrawled Neil's address along with a detailed itinerary of Neil's whereabouts at specific times.
I stared at his schedule for a few moments longer, attempting to engrave it into my mind. I would need to know it by heart. Closing the folder, I stood up, finally allowing myself to fall into bed. Tomorrow was Friday. According to Vidyut's research, Neil would definitely go to Club Indigo. I would follow. I wasn't exactly sure what I planned to do. But going there would be a start. I closed my eyes, an agitated and troubled sleep quickly falling over me. I was going to save Neil Khanna.
When I reached the club the next evening, it was bustling with activity. In my isolated life, I hadn't seen this many people, in...well...my entire life. I stepped out of my Mercedes, feeling slightly conscious in my silver high heels and short red dress. It was a one shouldered dress with white gemstones beautifully framing the waistline. To match the sophisticated look of my outfit, I had adorned both my neck and ears with beautiful silver jewellery. I wore minimal makeup, consisting only of eyeliner and a touch of lip gloss. My hair had been curled and pinned up into a loose bun, allowing a few strands easy access to frame my face. I let out a breath. This was it.
As I walked, my eyes quickly scanned for any signs of Neil Khanna. The crowd wasn't making it any easier for me. I could feel myself being pushed and shoved from all directions. "I need to see some ID miss," came a sudden voice followed by two taps on my shoulder. He was a burly man dressed in uniform a guard. Quickly reaching into my purse, I pulled out my Driver's License. "Ananya Verma," I clarified. He examined it, looking at the photo on the card and then at myself and then gave a curt nod. Shoving the card back into my purse, I forced myself inside.
"Great," I muttered. It was dark too. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to find Neil. It had also turned out that wearing these heels was a bad move on my part not 15 minutes in and my feet were already feeling sore. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come to a club in the first place. I had never been much into this kind of socializing. My life had always been too complicated to sit back and have fun like everyone here seemed to be having. Even now, you're not here to have fun, I thought to myself. This is part of an assignment. I scanned the club, looking for a place where I could both relax my feet and keep a lookout for Neil. My eyes stopped at the bar. There were several stools still free. That was probably my best bet. Limping over, I pulled myself up on the bench and looked at the crowd.
Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to lie to myself. I was jealous of every damn person in this room. I could bet my money that none of the people at this club had seen their family members brutally murdered in front of their eyes. If they had, they wouldn't be here tonight, laughing and smiling freely with their friends. Friends; another relationship that I had missed out on in life. A sudden voice shook me out of my thoughts.
"What's a sexy girl like you doing all alone?" I whisked around to face a man. He was big...and drunk very, very drunk. And he was standing way too close to me. "Need some company baby girl?" he slurred. He turned, motioning to a few of his friends who appeared to be equally as drunk and out of it. My eyes hardened. "No. I need to be left alone." I stated. But the man showed no signs of wanting to back off. He leaned in closer. I felt his hot breath against my neck causing me to stiffen. "Why don't we take you home? We can give you a great time..." He ran his hand across my exposed shoulder. I turned, my eyes locking with his. "Get the hell out of here before I beat the crap out of you." He seemed startled at my harsh comeback. But his shock was quickly replaced with anger. "You b**ch. No one uses that tone with me; no one. Tonight, it's me and you. Get up."
His hand flew to my arm, gripping it hard. I flinched in pain. This would leave bruises. He pulled me off the chair, beginning to drag me. Thinking quickly, I picked up a glass from the bar and hit him as hard as I could, straight to the head. He groaned, leaving my arm to clutch his head in pain. That was the moment I needed. I pushed my knee upward, hitting him straight in the groin. He grunted, doubling over in agony. Seeing their friend in such a state, two other thickly built men raced up to me. Two men Avni, you can do this. Remember your self-defence training. The man on the left of me threw a punch, aiming straight for my face. I ducked, hitting him, instead, right in the stomach. I turned towards the second man, anticipating the punch he threw at me. I spun around, avoiding the hit and clocking him directly in his head. By this time, I had attracted quite the attention. The music had stopped and all eyes were on me. The three men were now lying on the ground, screeching in pain. I ran towards them, kicking them each, one at a time. "Think twice before you mess with a girl next time you bast**ds." I yelled.
Suddenly, I heard a thump behind me. I turned around, prepared to face the next attacker. But it turned out that I didn't need to. My eyes widened as I noticed Neil. He was staring intensely at a man behind me who had attempted to hit me on the head with a metal bar. Neil had blocked the hit, holding the bar firmly in his right hand and maintaining distance between myself and the man with his body. Without looking away, Neil slowly lowered the bar. His muscles flexed and I could feel the anger emanating from his body.
"If you want to fight," he began, "why don't you fight like a man...up front. Attacking from behind is a sign of cowardice." He took the metal bar out of his hand and threw it to the ground with a loud clunk. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. "I have four men here who badly want to spend some jail time. Could you do the honours?" Saying so, he cut the call. "You're under arrest for assault and attempt to rape. There's a police car coming to pick you up and lead you directly to your new home." Saying so, he grabbed the four men by the collar and pushed them towards the exit. Sure enough, as Neil had promised, I heard the sound of police sirens within the next few moments. I stood still, near the bar, shocked at the events of the night. The whispered murmurs across the room and the wide-eyed stares were making me nervous. I usually tended to stay away from people and attention. And now, I was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. I could feel the seven-year old Avni emerging once more within me.
Hide. I need to hide. It was the only thought in my mind. But where could I go to hide? There were people everywhere. Before I could contemplate any further, I felt a warm hand grasping my own. It was Neil. "Let's go," he whispered, as if he had read my mind. Without questioning, I followed him out.
EndSo that's it for this part guys! Please let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed the read!😳 Lots of love and hugs!!!!🤗
Edited by -Sanjana- - 7 years ago
Indian Mythology
Sampoorna
CID
Current Affairs
