Chapter 24

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 25 [MEMBERSONLY][NOCOPY]

The couple glared at each other before turning away. Arjun twisted the key in the ignition and continued the journey………………………..

Arjun was the first to show up at the office on time the next day. The local police arrived with their criminals and he had them securely locked up in the ETF interrogation rooms. At around 10, Ayesha and Riya reported on duty.

Arjun: tum dono jaldi aa gayi?

They lowered their gaze, thinking it to be a taunt.

Ayesha: woh, sorry

Riya: aankh hi nahi khuli

Arjun: main taana nahi maar raha, aur koi nahi aaya bhi tak

They glanced at each other and heaved a sigh of relief.

Ayesha: waise sir, Liza on the way hai

Arjun nods: in logon ke saath formalities puri kar lo!

They get to work. Liza arrives within the next few minutes.

Liza: sir Rathore sir should be fine in day or two aur Chotu ko I guess hume ek hafta rest dena chahiye, uski injury kaafi strong hai

Arjun: hmm, main uski leave sanction kar lunga lekin Rathore akele ko itne side effects kyun hue? Tum aur Ayesha bhi toh saath the

Liza: ha sir lekin har insaan ki body alag tareeke se react karegi na aur kuch cases mein nitrous oxide zyaada harmful ho sakta hai jaise ki Rathore sir ko cobalamin ki deficiency (Arjun raised his eyebrow) Vitamin B complex mein se ek vitamin hai, uski kami hai, aise mein strong reactions hona normal hai

A girl entered the conference room: normal? Pichle kuch dino mein ETF mein tumhe kuch bhi normal lag raha hai Liza?

She rolled her eyes: main Rathore sir ki kal ki haalat ke baare mein baat kar rahi thi Sakshi

Sakshi: ooh!! Hi Arjun!

Arjun squints at her: hi

Sakshi: kaisa hai Sameer? Aur Chotu?

Liza: sir will be fine, Chotu ko thoda time lagega

Ayesha and Riya enter after finishing the formalities. Riya hands over the official documents to Arjun.

Riya: sir, humari copy.

He places them on the table.

Sakshi: tumhari chot kaisi hai Riya?

Riya sighs: chot ki tarah

Ayesha: kaunsi waali? Dil waali ya fir sar waali?

Riya: Ayesha!

She winks. Riya shakes her head in disbelief.

Arjun: please tell me tum aate waqt doctor ke yaha ho kar aayi

Riya: uh… maine pichli waali prescription follow ki

Arjun glares at her: had hoti hai laparwahi ki Riya! tumhare sar par chot lagi hai aur tum ho ki…

Ayesha clears her throat: don’t worry Arjun sir, hum sab haina? Riya ka khayal rakhne ke liye, aap kyun chinta karte hai?

Sakshi and Liza pursed their lips to control their laughter as Arjun and Riya glared at her. She smirked in reply.

Arjun(sternly): report likhna shuru karo!!! Sakshi inki help karo, apna article baad mein likhna

Sakshi scowled: no!! mujhe nahi pasand tum logon ki reports, itni boring hoti hai, upar se itni details, yuck!

Arjun glared at her: tumhe ETF mein rehna hai ya nahi?

She frowned: are dhamki kyun de rahe ho? kar rahi huna? Ab insaan complaint bhi na kare kya? Huh!

The other girls shook their head as they sat to start writing. Arjun rolled his eyes and took his seat, picking up the documents to go through them. Sakshi looked at the team and suddenly giggled. All heads snapped to her.

Sakshi: dekho Arjun! Aaj tumhe ek all female team lead karne ka mauka mila

Arjun conveniently ignored her chatter, not even bothering to look up while the girls smiled. Sakshi shook her head mv “khadoos!!” She didn’t want to do paperwork. She hated the way the ETF had to document and write case histories. She took a paper in front of her but looked around in an effort to find anything and everything that would disrupt them.

Sakshi: guys! Tum logon ko aisa nahi lagta hai ki hume Chotu se uska haal-chaal puchne jaana chahiye?

Riya: woh sleeping pills lekar so raha hai is waqt, maine subah baat ki thi

Sakshi bent her head and whispered angrily.

Sakshi: are yaar! Ye baat Arjun ko thodi pata thi?

They giggled softly. And it was all that it took for them to start whispering amongst themselves.

Liza: Sakshi, tujhe kaam toh karna hi padega, bahane chod

Sakshi: mujhe nahi karna, kal kitne late soye hum

Ayesha: tum 11:30 baje hi office aayi ho, zyaada udo mat

Riya: are waise yaad aaya, in dono ko interrogation room mein toh daal diya lekin statement kaun lega?

Ayesha: are ha, sir kyun paperwork bol kar baith gaye?

Liza: aur woh bacha? Woh kaha hai? woh toh mila hi nahi

Riya: oh ya

Sakshi: wahi toh main bhi keh rahi hun, paperwork chodo aur asli kaam karo!

Ayesha dropped her head in her hand: you just want to get out of these papers

Riya: woh bina kisi matlab ke toh aisa nahi karenge, zaroor kuch sochkar hi kar rahenge honge

Liza smirked: Riya maana ki tumhe khadoos pasand hai lekin…

Riya blushed: are chup raho yaar

Sakshi giggled: ha dekho toh bichari kitni laal ho rahi hai

Riya blushed harder: Sakshi!!

Arjun groaned at the murmurs. He slapped the papers on his desk, startling them.

Arjun: Kya Khusur Phusur Kar Rahe Ho Tum Log!?!?

Liza: woh sir Riya keh rahi thi ki use dard ho raha hai

Riya(shocked): kya?!!? Nahi!! maine…maine aisa kuch nahi kaha!!

Arjun(softly): Riya, kyun aayi tum? (picking up his car keys) Chalo main ghar chod deta hun

The girls were having a hard time to control their laughter. Riya fumbled while oscillating between glaring Liza and defending herself to Arjun.

Riya: nahi! sir, main theek hun, ye toh… Ayesha! Rathore sir ko miss kar rahi hai!!

Ayesha’s mouth opened in surprise: nahi, nahi, aisa kuch nahi hai!!!

Riya: aisa kuch nahi hai? pata hai sir? ye abhi yahi keh rahi thi ki bichare Rathore sir akele ghar par honge hai, toh unka khayal kaun rakhega?

Ayesha(shocked): What the hell Riya?!?!

She passed on a not so apologetic look. Arjun looked on in amusement. Sakshi discreetly passed her hand to Liza below the table who high-fived her. However, it didn’t miss the sharp eyes of the ACP. Arjun glared at them.

Liza put a finger on her lips and bent her head, putting all of her so called focus in the paper in front of her. Arjun’s heated gaze continued to fall on her. She subtly glared at Sakshi who was enjoying the drama.

Swallowing her fear, Ayesha tread forward cautiously.

Ayesha: sir

His glare shifted to her.

Ayesha: woh…uh, main.. main..

Arjun(irritated): woh main kya Ayesha?!!

Sakshi: Sameer?

Ayesha glared at her: Sakshi!!!

Sakshi shifted her gaze: are nahi…

She pointed at the door. Their heads turned to the door just as it opened. Much to their surprise, ACP Rathore walked in with a smile on his face.

Arjun stamps his foot and stands up: tum yaha kya kar rahe ho?!!?

Sameer: main yaha ka Chief hu, bhul gaye?

Arjun: Rathore mera dimag mat kharab karo! ghar jao! Tumhari tabiyat theek nahi hai!!

Rathore: Rawte tum chup karo! mujhe bore ho raha hai ghar pe

Arjun grits his teeth: Rathore…

Rathore: shut up warna

He wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully. Arjun bore holes into him clenching his fists.

Liza: but sir, aapko sach mein rest ki zaroorat hai

Ayesha: ha sir, aap aise kaise aa gaye? Arjun sir sahi keh rahe hai, aap please ghar chale jaayiye. Agar aapki tabiyat zyaada bigad gayi toh? aise zid mat kijiye

Rathore smiled: are yaar, main theek hu

Riya: lekin sir…

Rathore: acha do din field par nahi aaunga, theek hai? lekin mujhe ghar par kaid mat karo tum log. Woh sab chodo, police Riddhima aur Tarun ko le aayi?

Riya: ha sir, unhone hume handover kar diya hai

Rathore: statement liya?

Arjun crossed his arms: nahi

Rathore: kyun?

Arjun: kyunki hum dono mein se ek ko interrogation mein hona hoga

Rathore: ha, toh? tum toh yahi the na?

Arjun: agar main andar gaya toh unka khoon kar dunga, chalega?

Rathore is taken aback and amused at the same time. He just shakes his head. He turns to the girls.

Rathore: Liza tum yaha kya kar rahi ho? tumhe post mortem karna hoga na Shree ka

She froze momentarily. Although they had gotten used to the idea of him being a hard-core criminal. The idea of slicing him open was not very pleasant. Ayesha placed a hand on her shoulder. The second in command frowned at her plight.

Arjun: baahar se nahi karwa sakte?

Rathore sighs: I would Rawte but tum jaante ho government labs kaise function karti hai, aur main is case ko stretch nahi karna chahta

Arjun: Liza, apne juniors se karwa lo, tumhe jaane ki zaroorat nahi. waise bhi koi murder body nahi hai ki hume clue chahiye, we just need a report.

She nodded: thank you sir, main unhe instructions de deti hu. I can supervise them, shouldn’t be a problem.

Arjun gestures to grant permission and she departs to her lab.

Rathore: ok! Ayesha, Riya, mere saath aao hum statements le lete hai. Sakshi tab tak report shuru karo

Sakshi(scandalized) :KYAAA?!?!!

Rathore raised his eyebrow: is there a problem?

Sakshi: of course there is a problem! Ye mera kaam nahi hai! mera kaam article likhna hai!!

Rathore sighed: you can irritate Rawte for details.

Sakshi lit up while Arjun looked at Rathore in horror. Ayesha and Riya somehow managed to suppress their smiles. Sameer winked at Arjun in response. Before he could come out of the shock, the chief left with the two girls.

The husband and wife were in two different rooms. The trio grilled them for the next 2 hours but they did not utter a single word. After all, Riddhima was Shree’s sister. After the first arrest, he had told her exactly what to do when being investigated by the police. As much of an emotional turmoil it was, Riddhima had plans to put the entire blame on Shree in court. Tarun on the other hand was more or less around her finger. She had instructed the same thing to him on the way.

The officers came out of the rooms in frustration.

Rathore: Dammit! Ye dono toh kuch bol hi nahi rahe!!

Ayesha: sir, aap permission dijiye, do haath padenge toh apne aap inka muh khul jaayega

Rathore: tum jaanti ho Ayesha, civilian crimes mein 3rd degree se liya hua statement weak evidence hai

Riya(thoughtfully): ek aur idea hai sir

Ayesha: kya?

Riya: inka beta

Ayesha: lekin uske baare mein toh kuch pata nahi chala na?

Riya: ha lekin…. In dono ko ye nahi pata

Rathore: so exactly kya?

Riya smiles: Riddhima ko main itna toh jaanti hu ki woh Shree ke jaisi hai, she will be tough to crack lekin Tarun nahi. Upar se uska is sabse sirf isliye lena dena hai kyunki uski biwi aur biwi ka bhai ka kaand hai, uska faayda hum utha sakte hai

Rathore: tum use emotionally blackmail kar paogi?

Riya: uh… I was hoping one of you would do it

Rathore chuckled, making her avert her gaze.

Interrogation room-

Tarun was handcuffed with his hands on the table. He had never wanted to be involved in such scandals. He had turned a blind eye to the kidnapping despite being aware of it. He hadn’t even bothered when they shifted homes. Shree was smart enough to handle all of it. It wasn’t until the duo got arrested that he had to pipe in. He did not particularly want to go against the law but hey! He wanted his wife back. And for that, he had to dance on Shree’s tunes. He is snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Although he managed to stay mum so far, he was not sure how long he would be able to take if the officers started their 3rd degree.

Rathore and Ayesha enter the room. Tarun mentally groaned on seeing them. A the same time, his pulse quickened.

Rathore sat in front of him: Tarun, main toh aakhri baar puch raha hun (glaring) tumne Shree aur Riddhima ki bhaagne mein help kaise aur kyun ki?

He stayed mum.

Ayesha: rehne dijiye sir, ab puch kar koi faayda nahi hai (balling her fist, she punched her palm) ise main maza chakhati hun

Just as she steps forward, the door opens and Riya comes inside hurriedly.

Riya: sir, Avinash mil gaya

Tarun(shocked): What?

Rathore smirked: good job Riya, ek kaam karo use yaha lekar aa jao atleast woh aakhri baar apne parents se mil lega

Tarun: Aakhri Baar? Aakhri Baar Ka Kya Matlab Hai Officer? And What The Hell?!!? Tum Log Avi Ko Beech Mein Kyun Ghasit Rahe Ho? WOH EK BACHA HAI!!!

Ayesha smirks: woh ek criminal ka bhanja aur beta hai!!! aur I am sure use ye jaan kar bahot khushi hogi

Tarun: Nahi!! tum log use kaise…Nahi!! tum jhoot bol rahe ho!! Avi toh mere parents ke saath hai! Toh Tum Log Kaise Us Tak Pahunch Gaye? I Refuse To Believe This!!!

Rathore(bored): hum ETF hai, hume jo chahiye woh hum paa kar rehte hai! Riya lekar aao bache ko

Riya: ji main..

Tarun pleaded: nahi!! dekho… aisa mat karo! uski kya galti hai? woh hume aise dekhega toh…nahi please aisa mat karo

Ayesha: ye sab tumhe pehle sochna chahiye tha, jao Riya

Tarun: NAHI!! Please, don’t do this, main… main sarkari gavah ban jaunga! Main sab kuch bataunga par please, please Avi ko involve mat karo!

The trio exchanged meaningful glances.

Riya: toh shuru karo!

Tarun nodded frantically: main Riya ki kidnapping ke baare mein jaanta tha lekin maine dhakal nahi di, jab woh dono arrest hue tabhi mujhe dar laga. Jab main unse milne gaya toh Shree bahot gusse mein tha, woh aap sabse badla lena chahta tha. Usne mujhe kuch contacts diye. Humne plan banaya unhe jail se bhagane ka aur tum sabse badla lene ka. Shree chahta tha ki uske aane se pehle uske raaste ka kaanta hat jaaye aur is liye maine Sanjay ko hire kiya…

Ayesha’s eyes widened on understanding where this was going. She subtly nudged Rathore who was busy in listening. Rathore looked at her quizzically. However, it was too late.

Tarun: usne parso raat hi Arjun par attack kiya (A bolt hit Riya) lekin woh waapis aaya hi nahi, hum samaj gaye ki uska plan fail ho gaya aur Arjun ne use pakad liya hoga…

Riya: ARJUN SIR PAR ATTACK HUA THA?!!?

Rathore winced. Shit! She wasn’t supposed to know yet!

Tarun: ha

She froze. Rathore and Ayesha glanced at each other in worry. He promptly stood up. He extended his hand to place it on her shoulder. Coming to her senses, with fury in her veins, she stamped out the interrogation room………………………..