Part 7:
Arjun had the company of Karan, Simi and Anjali always. He was feeling awkward when they reacted to each sigh or change in expression. It was actually getting on to his nerves.
"relax. Tum logonko aur koi kaam nahi hai kya? Mere pas rukhne ka koi reason nahi hai"
"Mumma told me to stay in this room. So mein tho yahi rukne wali hu."
"Aur tum logonke mumma ne kya kaha hai?"
"hamre mumma ne kaha hai ke har roz dudu piyo" Karan was also getting irritated. "yaar Shera,thera problem kya hai? Aise akele bhatakti atma banke ghoomne me maza kya hai?"
"tum nahi samjhoge, kyunki agar aas pass ek-do ladkiyan nahi hoge tho tumhe chain nahi milege na?"
"are waah!! Apko tho joke maarna bhi athe hai Arjun" Simi was back to her filmy andaaz.
"agar chup nahi hui tho joothe bhi marega" Anjali muttered in her breath only to be heard by Arjun who actually smirked in mind.
"mere phone kaha hai?" Karan hands over his phone. He wanted to call someone but couldn't do it their presence. He kept on fiddling with the phone. They noticed it and knew something was up.
"ek cup chai piyoge Simi?" Karan asked up and she nodded. "oye chashmish, chaloge?"
"mujhe chai nai, milk shake chahiye"
"ji kartha hu there hi shake banalu. Chal..." they walk out. He liked them. They were getting to know his unsaid words. He wished he could say out to them what he wished to say. Many a word he wished to say to others still remained in air. They never stood there to listen. Or when they stood, he never said it loud.
But he needed to clear out a few matters. He dialled Coehlo's number.
***
Rathod had left hospital after meeting Avni and went to Coehlo again. He was going back that evening itself. But wanted some old files. They were talking when Coehlo's phone rang. He took without much change in expression.
"hello..." he knew it was Arjun on the other side. It was tricky now as two logger heads were on his two sides. One sitting right in front of his eyes, the other in the other end of the line.
"why is he here in Mumbai?" Coehlo could get a pitch of anger and something beyond that in that tone.
"tumne pucha nahi?" he could hear an irritated hiss at the other end.
"uska kaam jo bhi ho, usse kaho ke mere aas paas ke logonke zindagi me interfere na kare. Agar koi bhi problem hai, wo sirf mujhse hai, kisi aur se nahi. Mein samne nahi hu iske matlab ye nahi ke kabhi nahi aunga"
"ye sab bath tum khud kyu nahi kehthe?"
Arjun cuts the call very much irritated. Coehlo looked defeated. Sam noticed it. He didn't know who was on line. Coehlo had just spoken 2-3 lines that gave him nothing. But then he stood up. "kaha ja rahe ho Sir?"
"come, we have to go somewhere" he didn't say further and started went to the car. When he told the location to the driver, Sam got it correctly.
"hume hospital jaane ke kya zaroorath hai? Aap jayiye. Mujhe nahi jaana"
"I am not asking you Rathod." They went to the hospital directly. Rathod didn't want to go there at all.
Arjun was soon accompanied by Karan and Anjali. She was playing in her mobile while waiting for her Mumma. Simi had gone for preparing lunch and Karan was informing about the chain snatcher news in town. He was having his pain back, so doctors have asked to stay in the room till evening and can only be discharged then. Sometime back he was given mild pain killers which were already taking its action.
He felt a presence at the door and saw Coehlo and Rathod over there. After the call, he hadn't expected them to be at his door so soon. Karan stopped his talk and Anjali also noticed them. She recognised the man's face from yesterday evening. She looked back at Arjun, who got its meaning.
Coehlo walked in slowly followed by Sameer. He was not actually in good mood.
"kaise ho Arjun?"there was no reply to Coehlo's question.
"chot kaise hai?"still no reply. He didn't expect anything too. He looked at Karan who took the cue. He tugged Anjali and nodded to the door. She got down from her chair and gave a knowing look to Arjun and walked away with Karan.
When they were alone Coehlo moved aside so that Sameer and Arjun were face to face. Nothing much revealed in both the faces.
When the silence was too much, Arjun voiced what he had to. "yaha kyu aye ho?"
"marzi se nahi aya" Sameer shot a look at Coehlo.
There was a heated silence again. "sister Avni ko kyu tang kar rahe ho?"
"why do you care? And since when have you been caring?"
"wo mere sawal ke jawab nahi hai Rathod"
"na tum koi sawal karne ke layak ho, aur na mein koi jawab dene wala hu. You lost that chance long back Rawte"
"tumhe jo bhi problem hai, wo mujhse hai, kisi aur se nahi. So don't you dare..."
"dare?? Huh? Sare daredevil act ke license there paas hi hai. Right?"
"tum kehna kya chathe ho?"
"jo samajhna hai samajhlo. I just don't care. Police force se tumne resign ki hai, not me. I still have authority have to question anyone. Aur ye math sochna ke jo bhi mein kar rahi hu, wo tumse related hai. You are not so important as you think so"
"GENTLEMEN!!" Coehlo had enough. "meine tum dono ko isliye paas bulaya tha ke tum dono koi bath kare, behas nahi."
"bath karne baki kya rakha hai isne sir?" Rathod spat fire in his words. "jabhi koi kaam karna tha, isne apne manmani hi ki hai. Uske wajah se najaane kithne logonko thakleef hua. Pehle apne hi biwi aur fir pure team!!! Gaye ho wapas kabhi uss office me? I did!! The ETF office is no more. Ab wo bas ek sunsan jagah hai. And can you give one good explanation why is it so??"
He say silent and pained for a while. "meine kisiko bhi majboor nahi kiya tha Rathod. Maana ke jaldbazi me decision liya tha. Par wo sab uss waqt mera saath ana chahtha tha. We knew what we were doing. Par..."
"par kya?? patha hai, wo sab kyu aya tha? Kyunki wo log tumpe trust kartha tha. Just like her, just like me... they trusted you. Aur fir..."he stopped to catch his breath.
Coehlo knew this was going in the wrong direction. He cleared his throat to catch attention. Rathod turns to him. "sorry sir. Meeting is over for me. Chale?"
Coehlo looked at Arjun who had stopped all the talking. He was defeated again. Sameer walked to the door and then turned back. "aur ye galath faymi me math rehna ke meine tumhari wajah se wapas aya hu. Jo tumhare nazron ke samne hai, usse ek bar firse dekhlena. Sab waise nahi hai jaise tum soch rahe ho. Mein apne kaam keliye aya tha. And I don't need to explain it to you."
Just then Anjali and Karan reaches the door. Sameer looks at them and walks away. Coehlo stays back for a while. "khayal rakhna" he nods at the kid and Karan and walks away.
Karan and Anjali could gather that something was real off. Arjun had a frown plus pained eyes. They decided not to poke. When food was brought in by Simi, he refused. But then they didn't force.
Avni came by noon. And it was clear that she was not in good mood too. Her eyes were bit red, as if she had cried. Anjali saw it and tugged her hands.
Avni patted her head and smiled painfully. "kuch nahi hua. Bas thode sir dard..."
It was a clear lie. "ghar chale?"
Anjali turned to Arjun. "please khana khao. Apne gussa khane pe math nikalo."
"Aap khana nahi khaya?" Avni was concerned. "dawa right time pe lena chahiye. Aur usse pehle khana bhi. Simi, give him the plate"
"nahi chahiye"
"tho fir ek-do din aur yahi rukna padega"
"mujhe yaha rokne ke koshish math karna. Warna..."
"warna bhi kuch nahi hone wala. Simi plate dijiye. He will have it. Anjali chalo."
She had her rule over the words. Simi handed over the plate of food and he glared at her. Avni rolled her eyes and was about to walk out. "Anjali, mein reception area me hu"
"ACP Rathod ko janthe ho?" she froze in her track and he noticed that. She just had a look at him and then walked away.
Something was definitely wrong. But what?? What was he meaning that time?
Anjali also followed her.
***
He was discharged that evening. He was silent whole day. Karan informed Simi that the visit must be related to his past. So its better to leave him alone as such.
In the evening Sam took his flight back to Delhi with a heavy heart. But then he was keen on something else too.
The case that he left long back... is it time to recheck on it? Should he inform anyone about it?
Why should I? Aur kisse? Koi zaroorath nahi hai!
***
Few days later:
The wound was getting better, though he needed a dressing once in a while. All these time he was pondering over what was the topic that was relating Avni and Rathod. He didn't want to interfere in their life, but something told him that something real big was going on behind him.
Years back, he had known Sam as clear as an open sky. Was there something he said back then? Or was it in the later years?
Racking all those memories was still painful. Be it those happy times, or later the sad of the further later not-meeting-the-eye days. Still he was missing something very deep, which made him more eager to know.
***
Few days further later: Singapore:
In the alleys he ran faster. He was constantly looking behind him while running away. Fear was a terrible motivator. It made his run for his life.
He reached the closed godowns. He opened up the trapdoor and went in and hid behind the crates. He looked around. Yes it was a perfect hide out.
His breathing was hard. He gulped down and tried to compose his high speed beating heart.
The wait seemed like for ages. But it was just minutes back he was sitting there.
He knew the chance of escape is very low. He is been marked by him, and that too for playing double game. "what did I think back then? Was I such a stupid, to imagine that I won't be caught?" he cursed himself mentally.
He never knew someone was behind him. Only what he felt was someone grabbing his collar from behind and the pulling him up from the ground and pinning him face down on the wall infront of him.
He felt a cold metal behind his neck and he knew it. This was the time. He never knew how he caught up with him. He didn't even hear him. Well, that was his trademark. None knew his presence until he decides to play the death himself.
"dhoka diya!!" he hissed from behind. It sent a shiver through the spine. Death would be welcomed compared to the fear that he was evoking.
"And I hate back stabbers. Dhande me ho ya zindagi me... never ever try to backstab!! And you will never forget it." The victim closed his eyes.
A pain shot when the bullet passed through the silenced gun. The victim falls down and he walks away. There will not be any evidence for what he did. There never was and never will be in the future too.
Outside the building his men were waiting. They knew the work was done. Any work given to him is never left open. He closes it in record time. And that's why, even the Boss never tried to step in his ways. Work was given to him and Boss try to forget it. Be it anyway he will get it done.
He drove to the safe house. There was nothing to worry there. For the world, he never existed. For the one who see him, he is just another local. For his men, he was the second-in-command. And as the Boss is away, he was the acting chief.
A call came from a non traceable number. He knew it was the Boss.
"its done" he never went to the formalities.
"I knew it, even before you planned it, Kiran!!"
He closed his eyes. Only his Boss reminded him of that name. And he couldn't stop him as it was he who gave him shelter at his hard times.
"Ab kya karna hai?"
"aaj rath relax karo. Club jao.masti karo"
"you know I don't do it"
"Kyu Kiran? Na nasha, na ladkiyan, aur na masti!! Akhir kab thak aise ek pinchde me rakhoge tumhe? Ya fir abhi bhi tum uss aurat ke yaad me ho, jisne tumhe dhoka diya?"
"mujhe kisike yaad me nahi jeena sir. Aur ye bath aap janthe ho. Maana mere dhanda apke sath hai. Par na meine kabhi apke uss nasha ko hath lagayi hai aur na lagayega. Mera kaam bas wahi hai... jo apke raste me aye use hataana. Isse aage mujhe kuch aur nahi karna. Agar nahi chahiye ye seva... tho keh dijiye. I am good to go. Aur ye fiker bhi math karna ke mein kisike samne muh kholega. Dhoka dena mere kaam nahi hai"
The Boss was angry. None would dare to raise his voice to him. But Kiran... he was different. There was a different fire inside him. And he doesn't care to say or do what he wishes. He doesn't fear death or does care anything under sun. But he was a jewel in his team. He can't lose Kiran. So he gulped down all the irritation and spoke softly.
"Kiran... naraz math hona yaar. I was just kidding. Ok tum aram karo. We have bigger work coming ahead. And for that you should be ready. Shayad jald hi tumhe kahi jaana hoga"
"kaha?"
"back to Mumbai!!"
He felt his world slipping away below his legs.
Why now??
Edited by kunchu - 11 years ago
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