Chapter-5

Next morning, Riya opened her eyes and the sight in front of her kind of scared her, four men standing around her bed, three completely new faces while one grumpy face she had a hazy memory of. She shifted uncomfortably in her bed, and in no time the men understood her discomfort.

Arjun stepped forward for introduction.

“They are Sameer, Chotu and Shree. And I am Arjun. You remember?”

She managed a weak smile and looked at Arjun to continue.

“We actually,… we are!”
Rathore interrupted him.

“Raute, come with me for a minute.
Excuse us, please.” Saying so, Rathore dragged Arjun out of the room.

“He actually knows how to listen to people?”, Riya commented and earned a glare from Arjun who she thought by now was out of the room while Shree and Chotu chuckled at her remark.

Outside the room, Rathore asked Arjun not to disclose any of their plan to Riya.

“Let’s not tell her anything right now!”
Arjun wasn’t convinced.

“But, how can we execute our plan without letting her know. She needs to know..”

“Know what? That we plan to use her as a bait to bring a most-wanted criminal out of his hiding? I said NO.”, Rathore answered back in a commanding voice.

“What if she asks?”, Arjun reasoned.

“We'll tell her as and when, whatever is required. But only when time comes.” Rathore ended the conversation.

“You take her home. We'll head back to the office. We need to wrap up all the pending work and hand over the files to Commissioner Sir, before we take up Sikander’s case officially.”

Arjun nodded his head while Rathore took Shree and Chotu to the office with him.

In the afternoon

The ETF SUV stopped at the gate of Ravi Lodge. Arjun got down and helped Riya get down too.

Hearing a car stop at the gate, Mrs. Wadekar rushed outside. Seeing Riya, she took a sigh of relief. She rushed towards them.

“Say that it was an accident. I told her so", Arjun whispered in her ear.

Arjun held her hand and helped her walk. He helped her climb the first stair, when Riya cried in pain. Arjun and Mrs.Wadekar panicked.

“I can’t!”, Riya refused to take another step. Arjun looked at her bandaged feet and guilt took over him again.

“Can we…um..  make her stay at your house… I mean downstairs?”, Arjun looked at the lady in hope of a positive response.
She agreed hesitantly.

Soon the two of them helped Riya settle in the guest room.

“I'll get the two of you something to eat.”, Mrs.Wadekar moved out of the room.

Arjun sat beside Riya and placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Riya was startled at his action. She removed his hand.

He quickly moved out of the room and came back in no time. He eyed her intently.

“WHATTTT?”, An irritated Riya had just opened her mouth to speak when Arjun quickly placed a thermometer inside her opened mouth and closed it with his palm.

Riya struggled for a while in his hold until she saw the mischief in his eyes. She gave up instantly.

He smiled at his victory, and she couldn’t believe it. There eyes met but she looked away when the thermometer beeped. She removed it carefully from her mouth but Arjun snatched it away in no time, adding to her irritation.

He observed it carefully, thought something, pulled out his phone, and texted someone.

“Stay in bed! I have my eyes on you!”, saying so, he left the room.

Riya rolled her eyes in disbelief. Before she could spare another thought, he was back again.

“What’s up with you? Chot mujhe aayi h yaa tumhare sir pe?”, an irritated Riya finally spoke up.

Her patience had finally given up. The arrogant man she knew was acting so weird. The man she met few days ago at the stairs was not the one standing in front of her today. This man’s shoulders were dropped in guilt.



A glass suddenly appeared in her vision, and she jerked back to reality. There he was, the man himself, shoving a glass of water in her face.

“Ab kyaaaaaa!”, Riya was as annoyed as she could ever be.

“Gulp it down, without arguing”, he spoke in an authoritative tone, showing the white pill in his other hand.

She, for once, did obey him, much to his surprise.

Knowing her obedience wouldn’t last long, he quickly took the glass of water from her, pulled a pillow behind her back, and asked her to sleep.

Riya too needed some time alone, so she happily obliged.

Arjun switched off the lights of the room and walked out shutting the door.

Five minutes after confirming that he was gone, Riya gathered courage and removed the blanket.

“Ouchh!”, she cried in pain, putting one feet down. She tried to suppress her moans, tears forming in her eyes.

Limping, she moved upto the table where her clothes were kept. Drawing support from the side wall, she searched her blood stained clothes and found her phone. Without wasting another second, she dialled a number.

Man: It’s been so long. How have you been?

Riya: Alive, but I feel like a bird in a cage. The ETF has turned hyper vigilant since that day. I have not been alone for even a second.

Man: Have you found someone suspicious?

Riya: No! Not yet. But you know about him. Don’t you? Tell me, who is he?

Man: That’s a test of your capabilities. Find the MOLE.

Riya: Another test? (in an irritated voice)

Man: Drop it. What’s the update?

Riya: Arjun claimed to have seen Pathan Lala and Shamsher leaving that day from the college. He seems convinced. So, they are ready to sacrifice me without letting me know about it.

Man: Good for us. Just don’t let your guards down. We’ll stick to our plan.

Riya: What about..?

Man: Not right now. What ‘s the update on Arjun. Is he still using his brain or has his heart taken over?

Riya chose to keep mum at the question.


Man: I bet. You can try him if you want! 

Sensing some footsteps approaching the door, Riya panicked and quickly hung up the call. Arjun was in the hallway, she needs to get back to bed, but the words she just heard, stopped her.

“YOU CAN TRY HIM IF YOU WANT!”

She looked at the door one last time.

Convinced that there was still some time, she pulled her T-shirt up, took a vase lying on the table, and hurt herself exactly where the wound was.

An unbearable pain numbed her senses. Clinching her fists, she calmed her racing heart, put the vase back and turned towards the bed.

It was then, she heard the door open.
She prepared herself for what was about to follow.

Not hearing a word from the other end of the room, she dared to look back.

Arjun stood there with folded arms across his chest, cautiously observing each of her move.

Like a baby caught in the act of stealing candies, she turned herself to face him, drawing support from the bed.

“Why?”, he asked sternly.

She showed her phone in response.

Angry at her audacity, he moved to her in two quick steps and snatched her phone away.

She tried to protest, but in vain. Instead, losing her leftover strength, she descended on the ground by the force of gravity.

Arjun nodded his head in disbelief, and bent down on the floor to reach her level.

“What? Who was missing you that bad and dying to talk to you, that you had to crawl all the way to this damn mobile. Let me check! Boyfriend?”

“Yessss", she shouted and snatched her phone back. Arjun checking her phone was a risk she couldn’t afford to take right now.

Arjun’s face fell instantly. What if the man in her life comes to know about her state. What if he comes to know that he was using his girlfriend for his revenge. And most importantly, the fact that there was someone in her life was just sufficient to sting his heart.

“Ahh!”, Riya's moan jerked him back to reality.

He immediately brushed his annoying thoughts aside, and got up.

“Give me your hand!”, he stretched his hand towards her.

She placed her shivering hand in his., while getting up.

“You have temperature!”, his concern clearly dripping with each word he spoke.

“Main to paida hi hot hui thi!”

Riya managed a sarcastic reply even in her pain-ridden shivering voice . Arjun just shut his eyes in defeat.

This girl was clearly impossible and totally unpredictable.

“Get in bed now, before I…”, the following words never left his mouth, the sight in front shook him to the core.

She was bleeding! Her wound….Her abdomen where they made a cut and left a mark… Her white Tshirt was now soaked in blood near the wound.

He sweated profusely, hands shivering and legs trembling. Not knowing how to end his sufferings while the sight in front of him clearly killing him with each breath, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Sorry, I'm so sorry!”, he repeated in a breath, never stopping, while crying and crushing her bones in the hug. Riya was numb at the sudden outburst of his emotions.

She remembered those words again,

“Is he still using his brain or has his heart taken over?
I bet. You can try him if you want!”

“You won!” she gave a sarcastic smile and spoke inaudibly.

Just then, her eyes fell on the door. A shadow watched over them secretly.
“The mole!”, she whispered.

But before, she could do anything about it, her vision blurred due to weakness and she slowly fainted in Arjun’s arms.

Note:
Sorry people, to keep you waiting. I was super busy with exams and stuff. Now that I'm free and in such a fun mood, I promise regular updates.
Much love
A🖤 

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