Chapter 40: The Fear.

After 2 weeks -

A lot of things have changed in last two weeks. The CID team got to know about ABHIRIKA's past and started working on it dedicatedly coming more close to each other.

ABHIJEET visited TARIKA's place more than often to pick PURVI who after college spend her most of time with RAJAT bringing notes for him from his classmates and sharing her Sanskrit lecture notes with him that he missed. And in between that she has also created a nice bond with TARIKA who is practically her idol.

The only thing ABHIJEET couldn't able to do in 2 weeks was to convince RAJAT for accepting a CID brother-in-law.

Early Morning: Park -

ABHIJEET came to jog at the park to clear his mind of all things and his eyes fell on TARIKA jogging in her track suit.

His smile widened by the sweet surprise from god on such a beautiful day and he joins her from behind: Good morning TARIKAJI!'

TARIKA looking him beside her smiled: Good morning.'

ABHIJEET: Aaj kitne dino baad mausam saaf hua hai.'

TARIKA looking around the weather said: Yes.'

Other side SHREYA again got angry from DAYA as he tried to stop her: Arre… SHREYA!'

SHREYA jogged ignoring him: You don't love me anymore.'

DAYA smiled looking her direction and beautifully sang running behind her:

Jaanu... Meri jaan..

Mai tere kurbaan!

Arre Mai tera.. Tu meri..

Jane sara hindustaan!'

SHREYA stopped in her track as soon as she heard his voice and helplessly turned around. Her smile widened to see DAYA stood there with his arms wide open at her as he flashed his best smile to her.

She shook her head smilingly walking to him and asked: Why do you like me?'

DAYA smiled: You are pretty.'

SHREYA smiled saying: Maaf kiya.'

And the two again happily jogged together to see ABHIRIKA walking towards a bench.

TARIKA sat on the bench and ABHIJEET sat next to her taking a break DAREYA jogged to them.

DAYA: Hey guys it's nice to see you two.'

ABHIRIKA looked up to see DAREYA and greeted them.

ABHIJEET: Kya baat hai tum dono bhi yaha ho.'

DAYA: Kaafi dino baad mausam itna suhana hua hai to jog pe nikal aaye.'

ABHIJEET took a breath saying: Yeah.'

DAYA: By the way, it is ABHIJEET you or TARIKA, the man at your 3 o'clock is following around?'

SHREYA just realized looking at the direction of the tail while TARIKA sipping water from her bottle very casually said: He is ABHIJEET's. Mine is at our 7 o'clock.'

DAREYA looked shocked with open mouth and without making it obvious they saw the guy at their 7 o'clock pretending to exercise.

SHREYA shocked: I can't believe this.'

DAYA: What is it that making them go this far..?'

TARIKA: Mine must be from Mr. Z. He looks like a trained dog of Mr. Z that even I failed to notice him for 2 days. And the obvious one looks from Mr. X.'

ABHIJEET: But between all this chaos, don't you think last two weeks has passed really peacefully?'

TARIKA: More than that it's feeling like the silence before the storm to me?'

The three looked at her and she added: RAJAT was at home for two weeks and today he is getting his cast off. I doubt he will stay still without causing a trouble.'

ABHIJEET: Don't worry! I have talked to him. He won't do anything stupid.'

TARIKA: I just hope so but all this is giving me a very awful feeling just like before the death of my father.'

ABHIJEET looked in her anxious fearful eyes and kept his hand on her as she looked at him.

ABHIJEET assured her: Whatever happens we will handle it together.'

TARIKA looked in his assuring eyes as he added: You are my strength and they say I am their shield. As long as I am here I won't let anything happen to any of us.'

DAYA said: He is right TARIKA. Just like SHREYA is the fighter of our team, you are the strength of our team. We are a team and you are not alone.'

SHREYA added: And you are not just a team member, you are a family now.'

TARIKA smiled looking at DAREYA: I never knew the true meaning of family before meeting you guys. Thank you so much.'

DAREYA smiled as DAYA asked: And do you guys want me to do something about them?'

ABHIJEET: No. Just let them around as long as they are harmless.'

ABHIRIKA stood up from the bench and ABHIJEET said: Let's discuss about it at the bureau.'

All nodded and headed towards their house.

ABHIJEET's flat-

After returning home, ABHIJEET quietly enters a room that was closed for years and brings out a box and few files from a cabinet.

He opens the box and one by one starts to take out things from it. It was the box of his father's belongings.

DAYA's words rang in his ear "What is it that making them go this far…"

And now his inquisitiveness is increasing day by day, what his father wanted to expose that they kill him? Why they are trying this hard?'

He ransacked the papers and things in the box with the hope to find something that can give a clue about what his father was working before his murder.

He heard the door opening sound and froze to see PURVI there.

PURVI looking at him there asked: What are you doing here?'

And looking at the things around him she asked: Aren't those father's belonging?'

ABHIJEET faltered not knowing what to say. He never mentioned to his sister that their father was murdered.

He quickly started to collect all the scattered papers keeping them in the file and box hastily trying to hide them from her saying: Nothing. It's nothing. I was just cleaning them.'

PURVI: It's ok. I have grown up now. So you don't have to hide it from me anymore. I know our father doesn't die in an accident. He was murdered.'

ABHIJEET looked at her in utter shock: How do you know that?'

PURVI walked inside and sitting beside ABHIJEET on floor answered: I got to know it a long time ago. You always feared that I will be shocked to know about our father's murder. So, I didn't want to make you worried. That's why I never asked or told you about it.'

ABHIJEET smiled a bit: I thought it will be a disastrous scene to handle you but you surprised me handling the truth better than me.'

PURVI too smiled: We don't hide things from each other. I am sorry I hid this only thing from you.'

ABHIJEET side hugged her: It's ok.'

ABHIJEET looking at her asked: You were with father in his last moments. Do you remember anything about that day?'

PURVI thoughtfully nodded negative: However I try, I don't remember a thing of the day.'

ABHIJEET: Do you know with who you were that day?'

PURVI without noticing ABHIJEET's expression nodded in no saying: I often use to have a dream where I had my grip on someone's hand and was just running without looking back though I don't know who it was. But I never had that dream again after RAJAT held my hand and ran in the jungle.'

ABHIJEET smiled: May be because you found him again.'

PURVI didn't realize before and then looked at him confused: Found him again?'

ABHIJEET tell her everything as PURVI looked shocked asking: RAJAT? He was RAJAT?'

ABHIJEET nodded in yes at surprised PURVI who is still not able to believe it and said: I think you two are destined to meet each other.'

PURVI: Does RAJAT know it?'

ABHIJEET: No. He will get to know it soon. By the way, aren't you going to college today?'

PURVI: I am going hospital with RAJAT. He is getting his cast off today. Won't you get ready for bureau?'

ABHIJEET: Oh yeah. Let's go.'

Afternoon: CID Bureau -

All the officers gather in the conference room.

ABHIJEET: How far we have able to find about the past case?'

DAYA: Mr. Z is just like a shadow as TARIKA said before. We almost got him but never got him. He plays so well in hiding.'

SHREYA: About KRIPAL SINGH, he was the active gangster of the town at that time. His wife was brutally murdered by the rival gang and he also had a son name SHAKTI.'

NIKHIL continued: He was active till 16-17 years ago but was caught in a case and after coming out of the jail, he lived a very low profile life. Now no one knows where he is now or his son.'

ABHIJEET nodded and asked: What about journalist PRAKASH's case?'

FREDDY: Sir, after sorting all of his articles we found that his last article was about how illegal distribution of alcohol took place in the locality right before the elections.'

PANKAJ: The article was targeted about bribing the voters by alcohol.'

NIKHIL: And the people close to him believe that while finding out the source of those illegal alchohal supplies, he ran into something and stopped writing in the newspaper. He vanished suddenly from the town while investigating something by himself and when he returned to the town he was murdered.'

ABHIJEET held himself tight and TARIKA added: And co-incidentally it has connection with NILESH case.'

ABHIJEET looked at her and she said: The election was related to NILESH's family.'

SACHIN: 18 years ago DEVRAT stood in election in place of his deceased elder brother INDAR.'

TARIKA: INDAR was local leader of the town who was praised and loved by the local people for his contribution towards the betterment of their area but he was died in a car accident.'

SACHIN: And taking the advantage of that DEVRAT won the election out of public sympathy and after that he didn't looked back in his career.'

DAYA: The only common thing around all this happenings was election.'

TARIKA added: Except VASUDHA. She had nothing to do with all this still she was killed on the day she was leaving the town.'

ABHIJEET: There has to be some connection between all these.'

The phone rings in the bureau. NIKHIL picks it up and after disconnecting it he informs the team: Sir, there is a case. A dead body has found in the dump yard.'

ABHIJEET looking at the team: Good job everyone! We will discuss it later. Let's solve the case first.'

All nodded and went out to investigate the new case.

On the way:

RAJVI were walking out of the hospital after getting his cast off where PURVI 7th time warned RAJAT from morning at the step: Careful!'

RAJAT: it's ok PURV. It was just a hairline fracture that healed a week ago and I am fine now.'

The result of spending this much time together with RAJAT, PURVI nagged like a wife: I know... I know… you can run in a race and even won the first place.'

RAJAT looking at her: Why are you behaving just like your SHREYA bhabhi behaves with DAYA bhai?'

PURVI eyed him angrily and RAJAT lowering his tone a bit said slowly: and now you are just looking like angry TARIKA sister.'

PURVI gritted her teeth before walking away: Batati hoon mai ghar ke…'

RAJAT realized and hitting his own head walking behind her quickly apologized: Sorry… sorry… sorry!'

A passing by old man consoled him: Hota hai… hota hai beta. Shaadi ke baad yahi hota hai.'

RAJVI dumbly looked at the old couple walking up the stairs as RAJAT subconsciously said: Par wo to huyi nahi.'

PURVI dragged him along with her saying: Nahi huyi to ho jayegi.'

In the car:

RAJAT looking at PURVI staring him with deep yearning eyes on the driver's seat asked her: Tum subah se mujhe aise kyu dekh rahi ho?'

PURVI dreamily said followed by a quick kiss on his lips: Kyunki mai tumhe yu hi dekhna chahti hoon.'

RAJAT kept his hand on his lips shocked saying: Tum aise bina permission ke baar-baar mujhe kiss nahi kar sakti.'

PURVI started the car driving off: Of course kar sakti hoon. Mai is duniya me tumhare liye aayi hoon. Aur bhagwaan ne tumhe mere liye banaya hai. Tum sirf mere ho aur mai jo chahu wo kar sakti hoon tumhare sath.'

RAJAT maintaining a little distance from her nervously said: Tumhare iraade thik nahi lag rahe mujhe.'

PURVI smiled flirtiest: Sahi pahchana!'

RAJAT stammered: kk.. kya… karna kya chahti ho tum?'

PURVI: Karna to mai bahot kuch chahti hoon tumhare sath.'

RAJAT mumbled quietly: PURVI sharif nahi rahi.'

PURVI: Kuch kaha tumne?'

RAJAT: Agar aise hi drive karti rahi to kal ke headline me humara naam jaroor hoga. RAJAT and PURVI died in a car accident because of drivers careless driving.'

PURVI pulled the break swerving the car aside and pulled RAJAT by the string of his hood shutting his mouth with a kiss and said looking in his eyes: Abhi to mile ho… tumhare saath abhi jeena baaki hai… I want to grow old with you… Aur tab tak mujhe tumse koi alag nahi kar sakta, maut bhi nahi.'

RAJAT stared her dumbly as she looking up in his eyes asked: Kya tum mujhse pyaar nahi karte?'

RAJAT: Karta hoon. Par mai thoda... Old... fashioned hoon.'

PURVI smiled at him: Isiliye to bahot jyada pyaar aata hai mujhe tumpe.'

RAJAT smiled at her as she happily drove off with him.

Suddenly PURVI pulled the break in the middle of a isolated road as an open jeep came across there.

RAJAT looked at the people and recognized one of the brown hair man from the men came with NILESH at college to threaten him. PURVI tried to reverse the car but another car from behind blocked their way.

Looking at the seriousness of the situation RAJAT unlock his seat belt and said to PURVI: Whatever happens, just don't come out.'

PURVI: But…'

RAJAT: Please…'

RAJAT gets down the car walking in front of those men.

PURVI's heart drops as the man punched hard RAJAT on his face saying: Kaha tha na tujhe khudko aur apni bahen ko humare kaam se door rakhne ke liye… samajh nahi aayi na tujhe humari baat.'

Two people held him from two sides and RAJAT struggled before elbowing the first person to his right and kicked the person to his left and was about to punch the first person who advance towards him again but stopped just an inch away hearing: If you want to see the girl alive, stop right there.'

RAJAT's fear turned into reality as he turned around to see a man with his face covered with a black cloth looking like the leader of the gang held PURVI from behind with a knife on her throat.

RAJAT looked up to see tears brimming up in PURVI's fearful eyes and it broke his heart.

He looked at the man and requested: Please… don't do anything to her. Your problem is with me. She has nothing to do with it.'

RAJAT sees a light cut on her bare skin where the man held the knife.

RAJAT didn't have any choice as tear went down his eyes. He helplessly looked at the man and went down on his knees requesting him with his heart: You want me. I will come with you but don't involve her between using her as my weakness. Be a true man, keeping the fight man to man... If you let her go, I will respect your thought as a man all my life. Please…'

The man looked still for a moment and then removed the knife from PURVI's throat saying his men: Ladki ko jaane do.'

RAJAT felt himself alive as he thankfully looked at the man but tears went down PURVI's eyes looking at RAJAT as if he betrayed her.

The men pulled RAJAT up as he looked at PURVI and said before leaving with those men: I am sorry.'

PURVI stood still for a moment and then run to him pulling him around abruptly and just embraced him tightly with tears helplessly going down her eyes surprising all the goons.

Note:

Song: Jaanu meri jaan from Shaan movie.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to All!

Thank you, Dieheartabhirika for liking the story.

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And also thank you to all the Readers.