FF: Lootera ~ Last Chapter on page- 85~ - Page 28

*Cring* *Cring* *Cring*

Bihaan scowled as the ringing of his phone broke his concentration. He motioned his men to take over his place and took out his phone and moved a bit away from all the blood.

"Bihaan, B-B-Bihaan, where are you?"

The panic in Thapki's voice almost made Bihaan's heart stop beating and drop his phone.

"THAPKI? KYA HUA?"he asked in alarm.

"B-Bihaan, where are you? When will you return h-h-home?" She asked in the same distressed voice.

"WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU OKAY? TELL ME, DID YOU GET HURT?"

"I am okay--but--"

"BUT WHAT? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?"

"B-B-Bihaan woh--"

"For Goodness sake, tell me what happened to you?"

"I am fine...but I just h-heard some people took Shankarji from the v-village."

Bihaan was silent for few seconds while he tried to calm his heart.

"Is this why you called?"

"yes..."

"When I gave you this mobile I specifically asked you never to call me unless something big happens and it is an emergency. Which part you didn't understand?"

"Someone got k-kidnapped...it is an emergency"

"I meant an emergency involving YOU."

"Someone g-got kidnapped Bihaan, you got to h-help him."

"Do you know this Shankar guy?"

"No...but L-Laluji knows him and h-he was upset."

"He must have needed your shoulder to cry on."

"Bihaan, stop b-being so mean. Laluji was g-genuinely upset. Sh-Sh-Shankarji is his friend. I said I will help."

"Help how?"Bihaan asked incredulously.

"By t-talking to you and I know you will h-help me"

Bihaan cursed under his breath.

"B-Bihaan what d-did you just say I didn't get it."

"Who do you think I am?? Superman or Batman?"

"Bihaan y-you have to help. You are 'The Raja Daku'. Everyone is s-scared of you. Only you can find out about h-h-him and save him. I already promised. He has two little k-kids. His wife is a bad woman. She l-likes to beat those ch-children. She will surely beat them to d-d-death in his absence."

Bihaan cursed again.

"What did you s-say? Sorry I didn't get it again. Must be the n-network."

"I am the one who ordered my men to kidnap him. I brought him because I have unfinished business with him."

Thapki went silent.

"Anything else?"

"No"

"Okay don't call me again unless it is an emergency"

"yea...okay"

Bihaan could see her forlorn expression on his mind.

"Okay then...bye." he said feeling guilty for making her sad.

"Are you going to k-kill him?" Thapki asked timidly and he groaned.

"Thapki----do not meddle in my business. Shankar is not as innocent as he seems... In fact none of the villagers are in this forest. Everyone is involved in illegal businesses and drug trafficking."

Thapki remained quiet.

"He will get what he d-d-deserves for double crossing Durga."

Thapki didn't reply.

"Don't worry about him. I will see you soon."

"Okay."

"Will you keep on sulking when I come home? Then perhaps it is better if I stay away..."

"No, No, No come h-home soon please. "

"Then you have to smile for me."

"I can't smile when I am w-worried."

"I just asked you not to worry---"

"B-Bihaan I can't help the way I-I-I am..."

"Okay I promise he won't die... are you happy now?"

"Yes" Thapki replied immediately her voice smiling already, "Come home to m-me, I miss you."

"Okay bye."

"I love you."

Bihaan cut his connection without answering but he couldn't stop a small smile forming in his mouth. He pocketed his phone, and looked up to see all his gang members looking at him with disbelief etched in their face.

"WHAT?" he thundered.

"Nothing Raja Bhaiya" "Kuch nehi" "Nehi nehi, we are not shocked, nothing happened." "We didn't see or hear anything." All the men shook their head suddenly got busy.

Bihaan rolled his eyes at them and called Mirza. "Mirza, get the donkey down from the tree."

"But Raja Bhaiya... we are still--"

"DO IT...and bring him to me.. I want to have a TALK with him..."

Mirza shrugged his shoulders and went to get Shankar down from the tree where he was hanging upside down. He didn't know what happened to Raja Bhaiya recently. Just few minutes ago he was smiling...no one ever saw him smile before...

Next day:

There was a meeting in the den that afternoon. It was supposed to start by now but it was getting delayed because Durga was busy with a stupid pansy who majorly messed up a simple transaction and pissed Durga off big time.

Thapki would be alone...and she would worry...he checked the time again. It was already 4 pm, by the time this meeting wrap up and he reached home it would be dark. She would probably be scared sick by then. Bihaan started to fidget. He checked the time again. Why the hell Durga was not killing that wimp? So that he can start this meeting and Bihaan could finally go home to his wife?

Durga finished at last. Someone took the now unconscious body of the man and everyone settled down. That was when Imli sauntered inside looking very happy.

"Hey Imli looking good" "Imli you are looking very beautiful today." "She looks beautiful everyday duffer." Imli didn't reply to the compliments but looked at Bihaan who was sitting in the corner looking surly not paying her attention. She simply went and sat beside Durga.

"Dad I brought some good news. We are going to be rich...all of us" She looked at everyone.

"Really?" Everyone looked excited.

"Yes have a look at this." She handed a poster to Durga who took it and seemed to freeze.

Imli looked at everyone and continued. "We are about 14/15 people all together; just calculate how much we will each get if we divide 10 lac."

A murmur of appreciation went around. She looked at Bihaan who was still looking disinterested. He checked his watch.

"We will each get about 70 thousand at least---"

"IMLI SHUTUP." Durga barked.

"Why daddy?" She asked innocently.

Durga looked uncomfortably at Bihaan and looked at his daughter. He knew his daughter loved Raja and wanted him for herself. But this was not the way to gain love...what Imli didn't understand was that if she gained Raja by force she would still not be happy. Love has to be given free...it can't be forced. And living with someone who doesn't love you back is pure hell. Imli would be more miserable with Raja than she was now without him. That was why he never forced Raja to marry his daughter even knowing her love for him.

"Meeting is cancelled" Durga roared and everyone looked unhappy. Few brave ones tried to say, "But Durga, about the money Imli was saying..."

"I SAID LEAVE EVERYONE...Raja you stay."

When the den became empty Durga handed Raja the poster he was holding.

It was a missing person's poster offering reward of 10 lac for Thapki's information. What really caught his eyes was the man who was standing beside her in the picture really close to her and both of them smiling at the camera looking cosy. Bihaan started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He would ask about this man first thing after he reached home.

Durga turned to his daughter, "Have you gone crazy Imli? You are thinking of betraying one of our own? Raja is our own so is his wife."

"WIFE?" Imli said shrilly and began to laugh. With a triumphant look at Bihaan, she took out the local newspaper.

"Look here, she is no wife of our Raja, she is Dhruv Pandey's wife, he is a very rich man and he owns news channel 365"

Raja snatched the newspaper from Imli's hand and began to read the article about the missing wife of famous business tycoon and tv celebrity Dhruv Pandey. There was a picture there too. It was a wedding picture of Thapki and that same man from the poster. Both of them were smiling. Bihaan felt gobsmacked, knocked off his feet. Out of all the pictures Thapki showed them of himself and her as a proof they were married the first day, there weren't any wedding photos of them. There were selfies and random photos of them together. She only said Bihaan was her husband and everyone believed.

Imli turned to Bihaan, "I told you , don't be fooled by her innocent looks, she is evil...she is playing with your emotions, making a fool out of you and YOU fell for her...you allowed her to make you her lap dog---"

"ENOUGH IMLI" Durga roared. Raja had not said anything yet but his shattered expression was telling enough. He was feeling sad for Raja. It was evident he was already in love with that girl. Durga remembered the love he himself lost once. It hurt like hell.

Bihaan tried to rein his emotions, the betrayal, the rage and mostly the hurt... He pocketed the newspaper and ran his hands through his face rubbing his eyes feeling helplessly desolate.

"Why enough?" Imli shrieked, "I went to him to warn him off but he gave ME, IMLI RANI a cold shoulder treatment for that bitch. He deserves what he is feeling now. I say daddy, let the boys have some fun with her and then return her to her husband and get the money." Imli said with a gleam in her eyes.

"Durga" Bihaan croaked finding it hard to speak. "Can I--- can I get some time? Before you take her?"

Before Durga could speak Imli screamed, "You want time? For what? Haven't you been a fool long enough? She will tell you some lame story and you will fall for her trap again."

Bihaan ignored her and looked at Durga.

"Thik hae Raja take your time"

"Take your time? You are allowing him to go back to her??? How long can he hide her dirty little secret? Her face is plastered all over the town with announcement of the reward. If the boys know about this they will definitely try to poach her. They will not spare her now that she is not Raja's wife or anything...she is a liar and nothing better than a s**t...they will not ---"

"Durga?" Bihaan asked again cutting her off.

"Go, Raja...think wisely before taking a decision." Durga gave him permission to leave.

--------------

The moment Bihaan stepped into his hut it began to pour as if the heavens opened up. He entered the room and saw Thapki running towards him.

"Tum agaye?" she said happily stopping inches away from him. "I thought you will be l-late because of your meeting." She smiled. "So what do you t-think?" She asked eagerly.

Bihaan's mind had stopped working long before. He kept staring at her beautiful face thinking how such an innocent, beautiful looking person can be so ugly inside. Did she really love him as she said all the time? Or was he a just plaything for her. Did she laugh at him behind his back?

When Bihaan kept staring at her blankly, Thapki gave a little twirl for his benefit."So w-what do you think tell me? How am I looking in this d-dress? Bolo?"

Bihaan looked at the green and black Ghagra-choli she was wearing. He brought it for her yesterday because she was upset about that silly Shankar business. She twirled again and he could see the expanse of her milky white back, the blouse was almost backless. Sexy...he thought...she was a mixture of innocence and sexiness, like a drug...lovely...she was looking so lovely...

Thapki was now looking at him with concern at his silence. She came closer and put her hands on his chest, "Bihaan, did you have a bad d-day at work? Do you have a migraine?"

Bihaan shook off her hands and walked away.

"Thapki" he said calmly, "Tell me about myself, who am I?" This was the first time Bihaan wanted to know about himself from her. He had asked how they met, he had asked her about herself even asked about themselves but never about himself. He could see Thapki's surprise at his question.

"Oh good, f-finally you want to know... Where to begin..." She sat on the bed. "You are Bihaan Pandey, son of B-Balwinder and Vasundhara Pandey. You live in a b-big mansion of a house in Delhi, Noida, your favourite t-thing in this whole wide world is your m-motorbike...and your guns. And you have lots and lots of guns, knives and other d-disgusting weapons believe me...I have them under my lock and key... You work with your d-dad and help him in his business...You are d-dadima's laadla...and you---"

"Tell me about my brother."

For a second, Thapki became silent. She could sense something was off about Bihaan today. Maybe he was getting his memories back? It was a good thing but all she could feel was dread at the thought. At the pain he would go through at his brother's betrayal when he would remember finally. She quickly tried to hide her panic, but it was not fast enough...Bihaan saw and off course took it the other way.

"Your b-brother...Dhruv Pandey, hmmm...what to say about him...he is older than you by t-two years, he is owner of channel 365 and has some b-businesses here and there...he is very self sufficient..." Thapki stopped, thinking what to say more...she didn't want to say things about him which were not true...praise him which she didn't felt like doing...

"Is he married Thapki?"

Thapki was surprised by the question. Shraddha had left Dhruv after he kidnapped her and went all crazy ...their divorce probably had been finalised by now... Thapki didn't know...

"erm..."

"Is it so hard to answer?"

"No...I mean, he was m-married, but not anymore."

"Why is that? Did his wife runaway?" Thapki was thinking what got into Bihaan today.

"It is complicated."

"Tell me... I have all the time of this world."

"Why do you suddenly w-want to know about Dhruv and his wife?"

"Do I need a reason?" Thapki was now genuinely getting scared at Bihaan's weird behaviour.

"Bihaan are you g-getting your memories b-back?"

"Why?? Are you scared of me getting back my memories?" He countered her question with his question.

"What kind of t-talk is that? Why will I be s-scared?"

"So tell me about Dhruv and his wife."

"There is not much to t-tell, I was not close to t-them much...so I don't know what went w-wrong or what their s-story is." Thapki tried to prevaricate.

"But I know their story."

"You do?"

Bihaan slowly came close to where she was sitting in the bed and sat squatting in front of her so that they were face to face.

"Yes. Once there was a very pretty girl. Let's call her Thapki. She used to work in a very rich man's office. Let's call him Dhruv Pandey. The girl had problem speaking but her brain was sharp as a needle. She knew how to utilise her other assets well to hide her problem. So long story short, she trapped Dhruv Pandey in her web and married him. Now enter Dhruv Pandey's younger brother, who was a very stupid, illiterate wimp. Let's call him Bihaan Pandey. The girl saw another conquest in him...she was not happy getting only one brother and thought of trapping the younger one too. She began to start using her feminine wiles on him. And believe me she didn't have to try hard I know firsthand. Pretending to be innocent; acting helpless comes naturally to her. She was such a good actress, still is...and she is a beautiful liar. The younger one fell for her too...then one day, Dhruv got to know about his wife's and his brother's betrayal. Then he beat the crap out of his younger brother Bihaan and threw him off a cliff ...how is that for a story?"

Thapki was crying by then hearing Bihaan's distorted version of what he thought happened and seeing the disgust in his face for her. She shook her head, thinking from where to begin...Bihaan was sooo wrong...She tried to cradle his face and was viscously pushed away. He stood up.

"No Bihaan l-listen to me..."

"And one can't really blame Dhruv for beating the crap out of his younger brother. If anyone, especially someone I trust had an affair with my wife, I would have done the same maybe worse...No wonder no one tried to find Bihaan Pandey once he fell off the cliff... he was such a disgrace, shame to his family. He was better off dead."

"No Bihaan No...just listen to m-me..."

"That's what I have been doing so long...listening to you and believing every crap coming out of your sweet mouth."

"Bihaan I don't know who t-told you what...I never m-married Dhruv, you are my husband..."

Something hit Thapki's face. It was a crumbled newspaper Bihaan threw at her. She opened it and saw a picture of hers and Dhruv. It was an old picture of the day when she almost married Dhruv, after they exchanged bar-mala. She began to read the article...THAPKI DHRUV PANDEY it screamed at her. She threw the newspaper away and stood up and ran to where Bihaan was standing. A thunderstorm was raging outside the hut and so was one inside.

"BIHAAN, THIS IS ALL F-FALSE...LIES...HE IS NOT MY HUSBAND. I d-don't know why--"

"False? And so is the picture of you looking so happy with him in wedding attire?? This too???" he threw the reward poster at her, where she was smiling with Dhruv again.

"Bihaan...these are lies... I never married Dhruv. Yes, I almost did but--"

"LIES LIES LIES and more LIES---" Like a maniac Bihaan swiped the vase of flowers Thapki kept in the table to the floor. He picked the table and threw it aside with incredible force.Next, He went over to the mirror, picked it up from where it was hanging in the wall and threw it in the ground, shattering it into pieces. Still not happy, he stomped over to the almirah and pushed it over to the ground...then he went to the bed and turned it over and threw it aside. In minutes the whole room was demolished into a wreck. Thapki could only stand covering her both ears, crying and shivering in fright seeing such rage in Bihaan.

He came to Thapki then and took hold of her shoulders. He began to shake her like a rag doll and screamed, "TELL ME WHY? WHY ARE YOU HERE? DID YOU STILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH?? DO YOU PLAN TO FINISH ME OFF COMPLETELY?? IS THAT WHY YOU CAME? TO KILL ME COMPLETELY...AM I A PLAYTHING TO YOU?? DID YOU GET BORED LIVING A RICH LIFE WITH YOUR RICH HUSBAND AND THOUGHT OF HAVING FUN WITH A EMOTIONALLY CRIPPLED POOR MAN WITH NO MEMORIES...who kept believing everything you say...kept falling in your trap...kept falling for you." Bihaan's screaming words ended in whisper...

"No Bihaan No...how can I m-make you understand, I d-don't know why D-Dhruv told the local n-newspaper I am his w-wife... I am not...He is evil--"

"UGGGHHH" Bihaan pushed Thapki away from him. He was having a panic attack and he could understand it...and he was helpless in controlling his rage.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A LIAR, CHEAT AND ADULTRESS." He screamed. "You are already a married woman and ready to sleep with me? CHI"

"No Bihaan please..."

Bihaan kicked a broken piece of furniture.

"IMLI WAS RIGHT... YOU ARE EVIL...YOU MADE A FOOL OUT OF ME AND WAS LAUGHING AT MY BACK, SEEING ME HOP AROUND YOU LIKE A LOVESICK PUPPY"

"Bihaan..."

He began to laugh maniacally after that..."That's the thing. I am not Bihaan anymore. I am Raja. If you think you can get away so easily after deceiving me, you are wrong. I am your worst nightmare"

He came close to Thapki and ordered. "Get out of your dress"

"Bihaan--"

"What? Don't you want to sleep with me anymore? I thought that is what you always wanted. You love me sooo much..." He started to get her clothes off himself. Thapki began to fight and Bihaan seemed to get madder with every resistance he countered from her.

He finally got her dupatta off her and threw it aside. Thapki began to cry louder by then and stopped fighting and stood limply in his cruel grip.

"OHHH STOP IT...STOP THIS RELENTLESS PATHETIC CRYING." Bihaan threw her away and she fell on the ground hitting her head in a broken piece of wood. "YOUR CROCODILE TEARS WON'T WORK ON ME ANYMORE...JUST STOP CRYING" he shouted."If you don't want to lie with me anymore its fine, Durga's men are there, I will give you to them...after having your fun with them, you can go back to your husband. I don't care..."

"Bihaan l-l-l-listen to me only once---"

"AHHH STOP...YOUR VOICE MAKES ME WANT TO MURDER...maybe I should kill you ...that is a good idea." Bihaan said like a mad man tears running through his own eyes. He started to look for something amongst the debris. Thapki got up and ran to him and hugged him tight from his back.

"Bihaan, calm d-down baby...you are having a p-panic attack...you don't know what you are d-d-doing or saying. Let me help you calm y-you down."

Bihaan first froze at her hug then he slowly twisted and got hold of her arms and brought her in front of him.

"It will be a cold day in hell when I will need help from a woman like you...who only knows how to lie, break hearts and play with emotions...I don't want to see you in front of me even for one second anymore." Saying that, he dragged her to the door and threw her outside in the dark under the pouring rain.

Chapter - 9