Arhi FF : Living and Loving ~Lnk for Thd 2 on pg.1 - Page 81

Originally posted by: -_-harsh42

Will update ASAP!! 🤗

First things first... I don't DO thrillers!! At least, I haven't... Until now! 😳

So if you do not find this thrilling enough, please endure me! 😃

Also, things are falling into places, people. . . .

So you might have guessed that I might end this FF soon too. . .

But lets worry about that later, shall we?? 😛

Here's the long update that I promised! Harshu is anything but true to her words! *Solemn smile* 😉 😛

Part 10:

Ajay ran a hand through his hair, and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself, "Where are you, Anjali?" His phone started to ring at the exact same moment, and he received the call, shunning all the formal talks. He face obtained some color as he smiled and listened to what the caller had to say to him. "Anjali is not very far from us! I am leaving!" Ajay said and had almost reached the door when Arnav stopped him. "I am coming too! Where the hell do you think you're going alone?!"

Ajay took a long, steady breath in, before he explained, "Look! I don't know this Shyam Jha personally, but you can see that I don't want him to have anything with any of us, anymore! He has played around enough! Go to that hotel in Canacona, and kill him if that is the only way to keep him away from us! About Anjali, you know that I would do anything to keep her safe." There was this meaningful pause after Ajay's speech, where Arnav weighed the truth in his words and was intrigued and most definitely tempted by the thought of punishing Shyam himself, and Ajay, being the crazed man that he was, at the moment, waited for Arnav to soon take a decision. But I cannot leave Di too! Arnav thought as he felt torn between the options that he had to choose from. "Dude! I love that woman, and she carries another life in her! You think I would let some son of a bitch hurt her like this?!" Ajay yelled, and Arnav's decision was made. About the love part, he would think later, but for now, he wanted both his women to be safe! He nodded and Ajay sighed, passing a grateful look to him. Before he left in his car though, Ajay said, "Hey Raizada! Top drawer in the shelf in my room. Keys under my bed. You'll need it. . ."

Khushi was amazed to see how easily Arnav had left Di to Ajay's care. Had he changed so much?! She thought as she saw him leave. "I am coming too!" Khushi joined him, much to the annoyance of Arnav. And Shiva too, who had been a silent spectator until then. "Its not safe. . ." Both Arnav and Shiva started telling, when they broke off. "I know there is no need for me to tell this, but please take care of her. . . ." Arnav told Shiva, as he earnestly showed his gratitude for her, as she smiled and replied, "Until you come back!" And just like that there was a truce between the two strong-headed people there. But Khushi was nothing if not strong-headed too. "I am coming and that's it!!" she said, as she glared at Arnav, daring him to challenge her. Arnav let out a frustrated sigh, before he ran to his room, collected the keys to Ajay's apartment that he had kept with himself. Khushi hailed a cab and they now headed towards Ajay's apartment.

"What was Ajay talking about?" Khushi asked, curious to know what had Ajay deemed as the necessary part before they left for the rendezvous with the enemy! Arnav shrugged, thinking deeply. Khushi looked at his face, scrunched up in concentration, obviously to round Shyam up in every possible way. She sighed and wondered how a person could affect so many lives in a single go. She prayed for the safety of Anjali and her child. She was at her prime of pregnancy, and even a slight harm could set things off on a wrong note. She shuddered involuntarily, and Arnav's hand tightened its grip on her waist, even as he continued with his thoughts.

After getting out of the cab, Arnav told the driver to wait and walked through the gates and into the posh apartment. Arnav, as if, it was his own home, and Khushi, a little more cautiously. She realized that even though Ajay's dad had a huge mansion, he had actually rented this small place for himself. She watched Arnav go to a room and followed him. He fished out a single key from under the bed and went to the sole shelf that stood in one of the corners of the room. Opening it, Arnav lifted a few thick black folders, which he was sure was Ajay's assignment and stuff, before a glint of metal caught his attention. He removed the heavy object and immediately thanked his friend mentally for it. It was a small revolver pistol, which was fully loaded. Yes they would need it. Khushi gasped, and Arnav turned to her, looking at her questioningly. "Put it down!" She almost yelled. Arnav gave an amused look to her before he said, "Shyam would definitely not be welcoming us with a red carpet and pomp alike. We have to be prepared for the worst."

"Do you even know how to use it?" Khushi asked, as she took small baby steps toward him, doubtful on what, even she did not know. "I have undergone a few safety lessons about these." Arnav said, as he appraised the weapon. Pulling on the safety of the gun, so that it would not misfire, he put it in his front pocket of his jeans and he took Khushi's hand as they locked up the apartment and moved towards their waiting cab.

*****

Anjali had to helplessly bend in front of Shyam, owing to the safety of her unborn child. She had dodged his touch as much as possible, and upon knowing that he was actually enjoying her trying to move out of his contact, she had gone all stiff and cold, and unyielding in every manner. She knew that Shyam was heartless enough to harm his own child, if needed, and she was hardly in a state to fight anybody right now, let alone Shyam. She had her eyes tied, and had to heavily rely on her other senses. She had stopped herself from throwing up, when she had felt his hand on her stomach, a stark contrast to the warm touch, which she had gotten used to, since the past few days and craved for, at the moment. Where are you, Ajay?? she was thinking, as her eyes filled up and she felt the cloth around her eyes become moist from it. She had been roughly pulled from the car and into some sort of building, and she had heard Shyam talk to a stranger. A teenager boy, by the sound of his voice. She heard him promise the boy a hefty amount of money to do as he was told, and also listened, as Shyam handed over a gun to the boy. She sat there, her back to them both, the rough rope chaffing her wrists which where tied behind her back, as she waited for something to happen, hoping that Arnav, Khushi and Ajay were all safe.

After what seemed like hours, her throat felt too dry. "Koi hai?!", she called out. There was no answer, and she called out again, "Hume paani chaahiye. . ." She heard footsteps and flinched as she heard the sickly voice of Shyam very near her ears. "Aapko paani chaahiye, Rani Saheba? Who do you think I am?! Your damned servant?!" He yelled at the end, making Anjali flinch some more and she felt annoyance bubble under the calm mask that her face wore. She was rudely asked to shut the hell up for her own good, and she gritted her teeth to stop herself from snapping back at him. She could easily make out the edge in his voice, before she decided to ignore him and started praying for the safety for the two persons that mattered now, Arnav and Khushi. And she added a third person to the list too, a small smile breaking on her lips, even when she was stuck in such a situation.

Ajay.

What she had not known was that Ajay had heard it too. When he had been called by one of his friend, telling that Anjali had been spotted just outside the city, thankfully noticed by the old man who ran a small tea shack there, and who usually helped them with anything and everything that seemed suspicious, Ajay had felt as if he could practically feel Anjali nearby. But now, seeing the crazed look on Shyam's face, he feared for a second that he might not be able to save Anjali. He knew from all his years of handling crime in his own way, that the criminals would turn into psychopaths, should they feel threatened. They usually would be scared and not knowing what they are doing and their response to a threat could be drastic. Ajay shuddered, and watched as Anjali tilted her head in his direction, as if she had felt a movement right in front of her. She extended her feet further, which were not tied together. It was not like Anjali could run even if her feet were left free. Anjali was surprised when her toes touched something solid. She had thought she had felt Ajay there. It might just be her wishful thinking, she had thought, sighing, and was about to take her feet back, when she felt a touch - his touch - on her toes. She gasped and smiled, now struggling with her tied hands, wanting to remove the cloth from around her eyes, so that she could see him.

Ajay stared through the gap in between the empty carton boxes that he hid behind. He saw Anjali move her feet forward, her petite feet trying to feel something, her face gaining this hopeful look, which he realized even though half of her face was covered with that ominous black cloth, and he worried for her safety again. He saw as her lips turned down in disappointment when she felt nothing there, and she started pulling her feel back. He put his hands through one more gap that he found and touched her toes and saw the happiness enter her countenance.

"Stop making a din, or I will shoot!" Shyam shouted, and she stiffened immediately. And Ajay stiffened too, behind the stack of the empty carton boxes. He was waiting for the right moment to attack him, when he felt the stack come down, and his eyes met the enraged ones of the Shyam, and he was suddenly standing at point blank, a 9mm pistol staring at him threateningly.

*****

It had been an hour's journey, give or take a few minutes. He had thought Khushi would doze off, but he found her wide awake and staring out of the window, anticipation, concern and so many other emotions in her eyes. They soon reached the hotel which Shyam had told Khushi to come to. Arnav had ordered the driver to stop a little away from the hotel, not wanting to risk being seen. As soon as the cab moved away, they walked towards the hotel silently. Arnav saw a curtain move in one of the windows in the first floor of the building. Had someone already seen them? If so, it could and would be dangerous. He quickly put Khushi behind him as he entered the deserted hotel and climbed the stairs. He slowly walked towards the single door that had been left open, Khushi behind him, both moving as softly as they could.

Arnav could hear someone murmur, a boy by the sound of it. "She is not alone, boss." A pause. "I should shoot them?! But this was not we had talked about!" Another pause, where the boy finally made up his mind, "Y. . . Yes! Double the amount and this will be done!" Silence after that. As if the boy waited for Arnav and Khushi to enter. "I will triple the amount!" Arnav yelled and he heard the breathing hitch. "You know that Shyam does not have any money right now. He had wanted me to get the money, but I have none at the moment. Let us go, and I will neither press charges against you nor will you go empty handed!" He saw the boy come in front of them, a gun in his young, shaking hands as he looked at them both with scared eyes. Khushi, who had been standing silently until then, hugged Arnav's arm to her chest and looked straight into the boy's eyes, feeling bad for the boy for being in such a situation. He was hardly seventeen, she could see. "Aap humpe vishwaas kar sakte hai. This man has loads of money. I will make sure that you will get whatever amount of money you need." Khushi said, and they both saw the uncertainty in his eyes become even more prominent.

"Sooner or later, Shyam will kill you too. . . . He has kidnapped his own wife and child to get back to us. And you think he will spare you?" Arnav said, and pointedly looked at the boy and started to keep his gun down. The boy put his gun down, and looked at Khushi as he asked, "Sach, Didi??!"

*****

"Shut up and do nothing! Or else I will shoot!" Shyam yelled, and Ajay raised both his hands to make him feel relaxed. Ajay himself had a gun too. A much better than the one that Shyam pointed at him. And disarming the snake and holding the gun to his head was not a difficult task. But he was unwilling to take any risk at the moment, and he slowly stood up, not wanting to startle the already frightened maniac. "I am not here to harm you. Calm down." He said in a low tone, and saw that the hands which held a gun pointing at him shook. "I will give you twice of whatever amount you asked. There won't be any criminal records against you too. Just let her go." Shyam's face gained a sneer as he murmured in a disgustingly smooth voice, "We have fallen in love with the rich bitch, I see! She's good, let me tell you that!" The way he said Anjali was "GOOD", made Ajay's blood boil with rage, and he was barely able to contain it, before Shyam continued, "And what did you say?! Money?! I would have actually taken you on that, dog! But this is no more about just money! These rich Raizadas think they can do anything just because their bank accounts are filled with rotting money! And Khushi?! Even she turned out to be a bitch who had developed a good taste for that bas***d's money!" There was a rush of footsteps at that exact moment and it did not take a moment for the Shyam to panic, and he yelled, "You brought company!"

Ajay watched as Shyam made up his mind to pull the trigger. But the thought which stood out in his mind was what how Shyam would harm Anjali if he were to be removed out of the path. And that thought was enough for him to pull the gun and use his golden-medal-winning shooting skills to kill the bane of his life. Of all of their lives! He watched as Shyam was pushed back by the force of the bullet which made a hole right in the center of his forehead, and he was pushed to the ground, where the cops had surrounded him too, five or six guns pointing at him too, which was completely unnecessary at that point. Ajay had now turned towards Anjali as he heard her shout his name.

*****

"You brought company!" That was the last thing Anjali heard, before the sound of a gunshot echoed around, and she heard more yelling as a group of people entered the building too. "Ajay??!" She yelled, dying to know whether he was alright. Her heart started to race and she felt a pang of hurt somewhere in her belly, which her mind registered in some corner. But right now all that seemed to matter was Ajay. What had happened to him?! She was about to hysterically call out his name once again, when someone removed the cloth off her eyes, and she blinked a few times before her eyes took in the sight of a smiling Ajay. She bent forward as much as possible, ignoring the spasm of pain in her stomach. She felt his arms go around her, straightening her so that she was not bending so much, before she felt her arms come free. She hugged him back, sobbing like a hysteric woman and there was another spasm in her stomach which just refused to be ignored by her. She pulled back and clutched her stomach, a yelp of pain escaping her lips.

Ajay was now trying to make her stand straight, knowing fully well that it was time for the baby to come out. She clutched his shoulder, her face scrunched in pain. Ajay yelled in the direction of the few policemen, who had arrived on the scene, and who had Shyam surrounded as he breathed his last, a bullet searing right through his brain. The Superintendent of Police, who was Ajay's friend too, ran to him, helping Anjali to the back seat of Ajay's car where he sat too, as the cop started the car and drove towards the nearest hospital. He murmured in her ears continuously, telling how much he loved her, asking if she loved him too, trying to distract her. She nodded her head fervently in answer, panting as the spasm receded. She squeezed his hand, and heard him murmur, "I want a girl just like you, Anjali!" She smiled too, nodding her head. She had always wanted a daughter too.

"Aditi! Anjali is under labor! We're coming!" He had just yelled into the phone, and within minutes they had reached the hospital. Anjali was immediately shifted to a trolley and taken inside the hospital as she promptly started to writhe in pain. Ajay ran beside her too, holding her hand, letting Anjali to squeeze the life out of his hand, as he chanted either, "It'll be fine in a while. . . .", or a "I am here, Anjali. . ." He received a call then and it was Arnav's he noticed and received it. Arnav heard his sister shout in pain and felt the blood drain from his face and Ajay informed him that Anjali was under labor. "Ugh!! AJAYYY. . . . . ." Anjali yelled at that moment, and that was the last Arnav heard as Ajay had cut the call and gone to attend his sister.

*****

Arnav and Khushi had started running out of the isolated hotel now, the boy in tow, as he informed about the car that he had parked nearby. Khushi thanked him as he ran to get his car. They were in the car when the boy again asked, "I will not be punished na, didi?" Khushi smiled reassuringly and Arnav almost smiled at the boy too, as the boy informed them that he had to take care of his sick younger sister. Khushi watched as Arnav's eyes gained a little more of warmth, as he asked, " What is your name?" The boy answered, "I am called Arjun."

"She will be treated by the best of the doctors, Arjun." Arnav reassured, hearing which the boy had become ecstatic and sped even more quickly to the hospital, which Khushi had told him to drive to. They ran into the hospital, inquiring about Anjali. But the receptionist had no idea about any Anjali. Khushi asked if there were any labor cases and the receptionist promptly answered there had been only one, "Mrs. Bharadwaj. I had never known he was married!" she said in a conspiratorial voice and Arnav and Khushi exchanged a wry look. They ran to the ward where Anjali had been shifted to, and gasped in shock. . . . . . .

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I wanted to stop right when Shyam met Ajay! But that would not make a long update, would it?! Hence I stopped here! :D

READ AND REVIEW, BUDDIES!!

gr8 update.