Thank you for liking Part 1 guys, here's the next one.
Chapter 2:
Rudra ran his fingers through the shawl, it carried her flowery fragrance. In his haste to leave her house he had not realised, her shawl was wrapped around his neck. Upon arriving at the headquarters he was ordered to seek medical assistance before his meeting with Singh Sir. The BSD doctor confirmed how Rudra was indeed lucky to be treated with herbal treatment last night; it had effectively saved his life and prevented him from bleeding out. His palms formed into fists, the feeling of being indebted to a beautiful woman was eating away at his insides. She had no reason whatsoever to nurse him back to health yet she had, why? he continued to wonder.
VK Singh entered the room which bought Rudra back to business. There was illegal weapon smuggling happening right under the BSD's nose and it had to be stopped now. After a long discussion of their action plan Rudra was dismissed.
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Paro strolled around the busy marketplace trying to get an over enthusiastic Bindi to stop loitering at every stall and get a move on. They still had to visit Kesari Ram's shop, pick up Paro's wedding outfit and return to Birpur before dusk came over.
"Come on Bindi!" Paro dragged Bindi away from the bangle stall up to Kesari Ram's shop.
"I've never seen a more restless bride before, what's your rush? Still a day to go until Jeeju-sa comes to Birpur," Bindi teased as Paro flushed.
"Ram Ram Kesari Ram ji!" Bindi greeted in her usual lively manner.
"Ram Ram," Kesari Ram straightened up from behind the counter where he'd placed the heavy bag on the floor.
"We're here to get-" Bindi began getting straight to the point.
"Parvati baisa's wedding outfit" Kesari Ram finished her sentence spiritedly, pulling the large bag from under the counter, "Rani Thukurian picked this outfit herself for Paro," he informed.
Bindi picked up the bag from the counter and staggered back a step, "is it designed with diamonds?" She asked rhetorically, "it seems to weigh more than the bride herself" she exaggerated but took the bag nonetheless.
Kesari Ram received a phonecall at that moment while the girls were examining the other accessories in the shop.
"BSD men are in the vicinity" the man on the other end informed.
Kesari Ram was struck with panic. He had stashed bundles of cash for Thakur Param Singh Tejawat in the same bag as the lehenga, which must not come in the BSD possession otherwise there would be trouble.
"Girls, girls you really need to get going before it's dark" he tried to sound his cheery self as he ushered them out but Paro noticed him shifting nervously, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. She turned around and froze. Men dressed in that dreaded BSD uniform were walking around doing random checks. This was enough to make anyone nervous, Paro thought, she wanted to get as far away from them as possible now. Looking down, she and Bindi hurried out of the marketplace until a BSD officer came up to them. Looking up Paro saw he looked young, maybe just a year or two older than herself.
"What's in the bag?" He asked rather harshly.
"Nothing...just her wed...wedding outfit Sir," Bindi stammered. Paro looked down, her heart pounding.
"Such a big bag for just one lehenga? We'd like to check it" the officer said.
"Sir we are just girls, there is nothing in the bag, just her wedding things, please let us go," Bindi tried to reason with the officer.
"If there isn't anything in there then why are you so worried, if we find nothing we will let you walk away free," Aman said as he held out a hand for the bag. Paro nodded at Bindi to pass the bag over.
Aman rummaged through the bag, underneath the heavy wedding lehenga was another lehenga and under that was a knotted bundled of cloth. He untied it to reveal the cash. Paro and Bindi stared down at the money in horror, clueless as to what it was doing there.
"Arrest them!" Aman ordered. One of the officers took the bag into their jeep which was nearby, while the other handed him two handcuffs for the girls.
Paro and Bindi protested and pleaded that they were innocent but to no avail as they were marched to the jeep and forced inside. Tears trickled thickly through Paro's eyes as she thought of the horrors awaiting her immediate future. Kesari Ram saw the girls being taken away in the jeep, immediately he dialled Tejawat's number to inform him of the developments. Tejawat roared in rage, his plan was going wildly wrong for the first time in 18 years.
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At the BSD headquarters the girls were taken into the dark and dingy interrogation room and locked in while Aman met up with his seniors. Both girls consoled the other, believing their Raja Thakur will come and rescue them.
Aman reported to Rudra's cabin, Singh Sir was away in Jaipur with some important work leaving Rudra in charge. Aman informed him how the two girls possessed lacs of rupees under the pretence of wedding shopping.
"Aman the entire marriage is a sham, it is all a disguise for the weapon smuggling," Rudra concluded, "have the girls said anything?"
"Just that they got the bag pre-packed from Kesari Ram...they deny knowing anything else or even about the money in the bag. Sir they seem sure their Raja Thakur will help free them from our custody," Aman reported.
"Is that so," Rudra said putting his hand on his hips, his brain was cooking up a plan very quickly. He looked through the two sided mirror. One of the girls was short, slightly chubby, strands of hair hung over her tear stained face. Rudra did a small double take as he saw the second girl. Her face had tormented him as he found himself in her debt. Her eyes were blotchy from crying and she was shivering with fright. She was the bride and Rudra was certain this was an act, she must be involved in all the planning along with her Raja Thakur and anger towards this beautiful woman welled up inside him.
He barged into the interrogation room, startling both girls who instantly identified him as the officer they had nursed back to health.
"Sir please let us go we are innocent," Bindi began to beg all over again at Rudra's feet but Paro remained still. Clutching her Rudraksh tightly she remained sitting where she was. She looked through her lashes to see this fierce man towering over them.
"Ok, you are free to go but you will have to take a special message from me to your Raja Thakur," Rudra said slowly.
"Thank you! Thank you Sir," Bindi sighed in relief getting to her feet. Paro's eyes snapped up to look at Rudra in disbelief. Was this BSD beast really showing mercy on us she contemplated internally as Bindi came to help her up.
"Stop!" Rudra barked, "I said YOU are free to go, not her...she stays here as my leverage...she is the beautiful bride-to-be after all...now it's up to your Raja Thakur...whether he wants the bride to reach the mandap or not," he said in a menacing tone. Paro's heart sank to the cold floor again, she was his leverage.
"No! I won't leave her and go, we go together!" Bindi said more confidently now.
"No!" It wasn't Rudra who spoke, it was Paro. She was on her feet, she took Bindi's hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly, "Bindi you go now, give whatever message they want to, to Thakursa, he will come and free me and everything will be fine, have faith in Bholenath, nothing bad will happen...do this much for me please" Paro persuaded Bindi to agree to Rudra's deal.
Bindi hugged Paro and promised to get her out from here soon. She walked past Rudra who locked the door behind him leaving Paro to sink back on the floor against the cool, dirty wall.
Precap: Rudra thrust the red lehenga in Paro's hand ordering her to change into it. Paro looked up at Rudra in surprise.
"It's your wedding, get dressed, I'm taking you back to Birpur," he responded which shocked Paro further. What was this conniving man up to now.
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