Even before he had received the tip off, Randhawa had been putting together a team under the instruction of the State Commissioner of Police to bring to heel some of the gangs running rampant in the city. This was done with great secrecy since the Police Commissioner was under the impression that within Randhawa's own Crime Branch, there were certain police officers who were operating as informers of the mafia. Hence Shinde, Gokhale and the rest working with him were left out of the loop while Randhawa had instead established a network among trusted officers working in the different subdivisions of the Mumbai police.
He now placed a call to Nawaz Shaikh, an old friend and ACP of the Colaba division. His message might have sounded short and cryptic to an eavesdropper but it referred to plans that had already been set in place weeks ago. Randhawa knew that soon he would find his team beside him, ready for the task ahead. Till they arrived, he would have to wait and make sure Pawar didn't get away.
Priyanka meanwhile was in a pineapple filled world. She knew she was high and initially it had worried her and made her stop breathing altogether. Then that voice came to her again, enveloping her in a soft fuzziness. It had made her feel like being tucked inside a warm blanket on a cold winter's morning. It assured her she didn't have to go home. She didn't want to. Not now. Not in this state. Then she had reached out and been held by a hand that presumably belonged to the voice. Following the hand, she had been taken to a car which had the softest seat she had ever sat in. She almost felt like she would drown in that softness but thankfully the pineapples saved her. They lifted her up and made her float in a sea of furry and occasionally prickliness. And the smell! Oh those marvellous creations! So hard and prickly outside and so soft and full of tangy juiciness inside. If only she could get those leaves to stop brushing against her skin!
Ranveer Singh Randhawa had his eyes on the entrance of Jimmy's when a kick landed somewhere close to his ribs. He didn't turn his head around but a brief glance at the rearview mirror revealed to him that the woman now seemed to be in a restive mood. She had taken off her sandals and was now busy stroking the seat cover and occasionally swatting her hands and legs at the air. He was more prepared when the next kick headed towards him and caught hold of her foot. She stilled as his hand grasped her foot. He marvelled at the softness of the skin and the foot itself felt outright tiny in his hand. However, it had definitely packed a punch since he still smarted a bit from the last kick. Inside that delicate shell like appearance of this woman, he felt, there lay pockets of great strength. He suddenly realised he was stroking the soft smooth skin of her ankle. As soon as the realisation hit him, he dropped her foot as if it had burnt him. He fixed his eyes on the restaurant across the street and tried to forget the woman sitting in the backseat of his car.
But this didn't last long as he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He could feel the heat of her palm through the rough cotton fabric of his shirt. And then a voice very close to his ears whispered, "So...prickly...but I...need to...reach...sweetness inside" He felt fingers scrabbling at his shirt trying to get at his skin. Oh god, what mess had he landed himself in. He firmly caught hold of her wriggling hand and turned around.
"Miss Oberoi, you need to stay still." he said, enunciating each word slowly. She sat meekly looking at her feet. He let her hand go and turned his gaze back to Jimmy's as his phone rang.
"Randhawa." the gruff voice of Shaikh spoke from the other end. "I've got a few men covering the back alley entrance. The jeeps have been parked at either end of the causeway." This was a natural precaution taken so as to avoid alerting anyone to the presence of cops in the area. Shaikh continued, "We are now proceeding towards the target on foot. Any further orders?"
Randhawa spoke into his phone even as he reached for the glove compartment with his other hand. "The place is crowded. We cannot make the arrest inside. He is not alone and most certainly, he is not unarmed. We can't risk opening fire."
He could hear Shaikh chuckling before saying, "The press would certainly have a field day if that were to happen. So we wait for him to come outside."
"Yes, get Haider, Singh and Tambe to cover the cronies if they decide to act up. I'll wait near the entrance for you lot" Randhawa said and almost hung up before a thought occurred to him. He looked at the pair of handcuffs he had taken out of the glove compartment. "Shaikh, can you send someone to my car?" he added
"I'll send Savarkar" came the reply but there was a hint of confusion in Shaikh's voice. This wasn't part of the plan.
"Ok" said Randhawa before hanging up. Savarkar would have to do. He turned to the woman who still sat staring at her feet. He couldn't risk having her wander off while he was engaged elsewhere. He reached out for her hand but she flinched away.
"Miss Oberoi, can I have your hand?" he said, trying to keep his voice gentle.
"No!" she said as she turned her face away from him. He saw her brow scrunched up in a frown and even in that tense situation felt like laughing. So much for thinking he had it easy with this one. Her spoilt brat genes were definitely acting up.
"Why not?" he asked, casting a glance around. His men were nearby and he needed to get this done before they descended upon him.
"You didn't let me peel off the prickly bit!" she said with a drowsy petulance.
'That was my shirt you were trying to peel off,you witch!' Randhawa thought to himself even as he tried to come up with ideas to get her to listen to him. Wait a minute! Weren't women supposed to like bangles? Perfect!
"Okay, peel it off" he said softly as he placed her hand on the rolled up sleeve of his shirt. She looked back at him with a smile. He felt her hand slip across the fabric. "Do you like bangles, Miss Oberoi?" he asked as her fingers scratched at the cloth.
"Are they gold ones?" she asked.
Typical rich spoilt brat! Randhawa smirked. "Well- " he began.
"You see I'm allergic to gold." she said bringing her voice down as if revealing a great cosmic secret.
"No, they aren't gold ones,"he said quickly even as he slipped on one of the handcuffs across her wrist. She watched his every move carefully. When the handcuff was fixed, she sighed. However, before Randhawa could attach the other end of the handcuff to a door handle to prevent her from leaving the car at all cost, there was a knock on the window. He turned to see Savarkar peering in. Randhawa dropped the other end of the cuffs believing that he had attached it to the handle and quickly stepped out of the car. The rest had to be done by this officer. He had bigger fish to fry.
"Watch the girl and make sure she doesn't leave the car at any cost" he instructed the fellow before heading across the street.
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