FF: The Beautiful and the Condemned (Completed) - Page 73

Voices. That's what he heard. Familiar and unfamiliar voices. He was surrounded by darkness, but within it, he heard someone talking. To him? Or to someone else? What was this darkness? Who were the owners of these voices? More importantly, where was he?

He felt himself laying down on something soft. A bed, perhaps? It was cold. Where was he? What had happened? Rudra's mind tried to recover fragments of what had happened in order to help him understand how he entered the darkness. He remembered fighting...men with guns...a dirt road...Tejawat...and...Paro!

As the recollection of Paro being kidnapped struck him, Rudra's eyes snapped open and he shot up, yelling, "PARO?!...Aaah!"

A surge of pain reached his chest the minute he shot up. He looked down and found himself in blue hospital scrubs with his chest bandaged heavily. Tubes and needles were attached to his arms, and the faint sound of the heart monitor made its way to his ear. His eyes scanned his surroundings: a white room, white bed, white sheets, one window, monitor and wires attached to his body. Rudra closed his eyes and focused on controlling the surge of pangs and aches. He held his chest and took deep breaths to ease the pain. Only then did he hear the familiar voice of Aman.

"Careful Rudra!" he said as he made his way to his friend's side.

"Where am I?" Rudra gruffly asked as he opened his eyes.

Aman silently watched his companion try to regulate himself. He was stunned to see Rudra awake already, especially since the doctors had operated on him not too long ago. He could see the distressed look on his face.

"You're in the hospital. You were shot."

"I know! But I was on a dirt road. How did I-."

"I brought you."

"You? Wait. Paro. Aman, where is she? Where is Paro?" The beeping of the heart monitor increased as Rudra's questioning voice escalated.

Aman looked Rudra dead in the eyes and said, "Those men took her, Rudra. She's been kidnapped."

Rudra's pain subsided as the overwhelming flames of rage filled him. He immediately began trying to get up from the bed, despite Aman's futile attempts to get him back in. He pulled the tubes and needles out of him and found some clothes, which Aman must have brought for him, on a metal tray in a plastic bag. He changed quickly in the bathroom and came back out. The wound on his chest was still bleeding, but was healing with the stitches. The pain was there but was put on the back burner. Right now, finding Paro was the most important thing. So pain and feelings would just have to wait. As he headed towards the door, Aman blocked his path.

"Aman move!" Rudra yelled. "I have to go find Paro."

"No you can't go," Aman answered. "Your injuries are still healing. You were just shot!"

"I don't care! If I don't get to Paro they'll kill her!"

As the words sunk in, Aman spoke to Rudra firmly, but calmly, "What is going on Rudra?"

Rudra looked at Aman, but didn't respond.

"Don't you dare say it's nothing. We're like brothers, and as your brother, I'm telling you that you can't say nothing is wrong. For God's sake, Parvati was practically killed a few months ago, and now she's been kidnapped! So, what is going on?"

"Aman you're like family. So believe me when I say I can't tell you. Your life will be put in danger. Pia and Abhi's lives will be in danger. Do you not see what they've done to Paro? Do you really want to see that happen to your family too?!"

"No, but because you and Parvati are family I am forced to watch it happen because you expect me to sit around and do nothing! Three months ago, when Parvati was injured the first time, I didn't say anything or ask any questions. I kept the police out of it and kept everything behind closed doors because I didn't know the whole story. But that's not going to happen this time. Now you will tell me what the hell is going on or, so help me God, I will go out there and search for your wife by myself!"

Rudra had never seen Aman so authoritative before. Today, he was not willing to back down. During Paro's first attack, Rudra didn't give him any answers, and he accepted that. But now that she had been kidnapped, patience was no longer in the cards. These weren't just random attacks, they were well-thought out. This meant that Rudra and Parvati were being targeted. For what reason and by whom? Aman didn't know, but he was determined to get an answer today. As he saw the willpower break in Rudra's eyes, he knew that today he was going to get through to his dear friend.

After a long moment of silence, Rudra relented and began telling Aman everything, knowing that if he wanted to get Paro back, he wouldn't be able to do so alone, "Paro and I ran away from Chandangarh because we had a target on our backs."

"Why?" Aman asked.

"I worked for this man who dealt with the illegal exportation of weapons."

"You smuggled weapons?"

"No. I was his executioner."

Aman blinked a few times before realizing that he hadn't misheard Rudra. The man he considered his brother, the man who didn't seem to have an evil bone in his body, was an executioner for an illegal arms dealer?!

Seeing the stunned expression on his face, Rudra nodded to confirm what he had said, "Yes. I was an executioner. I killed people for a living. I was one of my employer's best men."

"Where does Parvati fit in this picture?"

"Paro was my prisoner. Her fianc at the time had stolen money from my boss, and she was used as ransom. After her fianc was killed, I was ordered to kill her. But one thing led to another, and we fell in love. I tried to send her away, telling her I would fake her death so she could be free. But she refused to go without me. I realized that the safest place for her to be was with me, and we both decided to run away. We tried starting a new life here in Lucknow, but everything came crashing down when my former employer found us. He's the one that hurt Paro and he's the one that kidnapped her. He's trying to teach me a lesson for betraying him."

It took Aman a few minutes to process everything. He couldn't believe what Rudra and Parvati had gone through. Who knew that such an innocent woman had breathed life into a lifeless killer. He had seen Rudra try so hard to start a new life here in Lucknow, and everything was going fine. He had seen that the two of them were truly happy. But this employer had returned and has been making Rudra crawl through the depths of his past to atone for what had happened. In the process, Parvati's life has been hanging on by a thread. Aman could see the pain in Rudra's eyes. He could see the guilt racing through his mind as he knew that Paro was in danger because of him. To Aman, this information about the past didn't matter because it was the past. Right now, Rudra was a good man who needed to get his wife back, and he was going to help.

In a calm, stern voice, Aman asked, "Who took her?"

"Thakur Param Singh Tejawat," Rudra stated.

"Thakur Param Singh Tejawat...of Birpur?"

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"You worked for the thakur? For how long?"

"Eighteen years? Why?"

"I'm going to help you get Paro back, but you're going to have to help me first."

"How?"

"You're going to have to come with me and give a statement, confessing

everything you have done for Tejawat and about all the illegal activity you have seen him partake in for the last eighteen years."

Rudra was beyond confused now, "What are you talking about? Go with you where? Give a statement to who?"

"You're coming with me to the Bharatiya Suraksha Dal Headquarters, where you will give us all the information you know about Tejawat."

"Aman...the BSD? I'm not going incriminate myself! If I go there, then there is no way I won't be arrested for revealing the crimes of my past!"

"You will not be arrested. I guarantee it. I promise that no one will lay a finger on you. I'll get you immunity."

"Immunity? How can you guarantee that?"

"Because I work for the BSD."

Rudra's eyes widened in shock.

Aman nodded, "I'm BSD Officer Amandeep Singh. Some fellow officers and I were assigned to take Tejawat down about four years ago. However, no matter what we did, the thakur was always one step ahead. We don't have enough evidence to arrest him, but with your statement it would be enough to arrest him on multiple charges. If we can do that, then we can question him about Parvati's whereabouts."

As Rudra listened to Aman, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The man who had been his friend all this time...was a BSD officer?! He realized that in the last year, Aman had never disclosed his occupation to him, and now he understood why. More importantly, Aman had been working a case against Tejawat, the one man who was out to get him and Parvati. Who would've known that life's intricate webs would connect two strangers?

Aman broke the silence between them, "You need to testify as a witness against Tejawat. Only then can we arrest him and question him."

"I'll do it, but I need immunity. If I don't have it, I won't say a word. I need to save Paro and I won't be able to do it behind bars."

Aman whipped out his phone and dialed a number. Rudra watched him talk to someone at the BSD, probably his boss, and demand immunity for him. He explained the entire situation calmly, as if this sort of thing happened everyday. After a few nods, hmms', and yes sir', Aman hung up and told Rudra that he was given immunity. But they had to go to the BSD and give a statement now. The faster this was done, then the sooner they can arrest that wretched thakur and search for Paro.

After forcing the doctors to discharge Rudra, the two men made their way to the BSD. As he stepped out of the jeep, Rudra felt all eyes lock on him. It was as if the hundreds of officers knew who he was and what he had done. He didn't react however. Right now, he needed to do what had to be done in order to get Paro. So their looks and his injuries would have to wait. He strode in alongside Aman to a cabin at the very end of a long hallway. Aman knocked before entering and Rudra followed behind him. What shocked him was the person sitting in the administrator's seat: VK Singh.

"Singh saab?" Rudra stated rather shocked.

"BSD General VK Singh," Aman corrected.

The General looked at Rudra and said, "You seemed surprised. You can't imagine how I feel knowing that someone who I trusted had worked for the man I've been trying to take down for over a decade."

Aman intervened, "Sir, we have given him immunity and he's willing to tell us everything he knows. We have to work fast."

"And why is that?"

Rudra spoke, "Tejawat has kidnapped my wife, and knowing him, he won't let her live for much longer. I wasted enough time while I was incapacitated in the hospital. I'm not going to waste any more."

VK Singh was surprised to know what had happened to Parvati. He had met her a few times before and took in her innocent nature. She was a kind and gentle being, completely opposite of Rudra. To know that Tejawat had taken Parvati and was planning on killing her troubled the General greatly. He couldn't even imagine what was going on in Rudra's mind. He stood up and walked to him.

"We're going to record your entire statement," VK Singh said. "After that, we'll arrest Tejawat. We'll go from there. But Rudra, we can't kill him yet. Not until we have our information and you have Parvati. So you will have to stay back while we bring him in."

"Understood," Rudra said firmly.

There wasn't any time to argue. Rudra just did whatever the General ordered him to do. Rudra was taken into interrogation where he gave a full and detail account of everything he had witnessed while working for Tejawat. He made sure not leave out anything. He even explained his part in everything, much to Singh saab and Aman's surprise. It had taken a little over an hour to complete the entire process. As promised, Rudra was given complete immunity. No charges were brought on him. With evidence compiled, the BSD officers now had enough to bring Tejawat in. As a group of men were preparing themselves, Rudra was forced to stay in VK Singh's cabin with the General. Everyone knew all too well that if he went out there, he would murder the thakur, no questions asked.

However, this decision to take a backseat didn't take long as Aman came barging in to the General's cabin. He stated that they found out from border patrols that Tejawat was heading back to Chandangarh. Rudra knew all too well that this meant that Tejawat was going to kill Parvati back where everything had started: his Chandangarh home. Aman was ordered by the General to take Rudra along, as he would no all possible locations where Tejawat would be. Rudra didn't need to be told twice. He dashed out of the BSD with Aman and was now in the jeep, blazing down the streets back to Chandangarh. He gave Aman directions to where they would definitely find the thakur. There was no question about where he would be. The entire time Rudra was praying that he wouldn't be too late and that his Paro was safe.

"Just hold on," he whispered softly. "I'm coming, Paro. I'm coming."

**********

Quick Note for those of you that might be confused: If you remember, Aman was also in town. He was actually a few blocks away and also witnessed everything that happened between Parud and Tejawat. However, he couldn't do anything because 1) the men were blocking everyone off, and 2) He was with Pia and Abhi. Therefore, he was helpless and had to stand by. He didn't want his wife and son to get caught in the crossfire. As much as he is committed to his duty, he is also committed to protecting his family.

Okay so, anyways, tell me what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below.

Next update: Paro and Tejawat conversation...this is one you do not want to miss!

Thanks for reading!