Ruhanna's POV

WITH every passing minute my heart got heavier presuming the unusual scary things. I searched the house innumerable times but there was no trace of her. Hrishav left early this morning and all I could do was wish if he stayed for the night.

"We will find her soon..." Heena squeezed my hand with a remorse look on her face.

"She never opens the door to strangers." I sniffed.

I looked up hearing footsteps in the house. It was Siddhant and Jaaiz.

"Where is she?" Siddhant asked kneeling down near me.

"I don't know. I searched the entire house." I dug my face in my palms

"Did you call up her friends?"

"Everybody."

"Okay. Jaaiz stay with her. I am gonna look upstairs." Siddhant ordered.

I nodded unable to answer in words as the tears chocked my voice. Jaaiz and Heena exchanged some familiar glances.

"You?" Jaaiz arched a brow.

"I live in the house next door." Heena said softly.

"Oh..."

Their conversation made me predict they already know each other.

My daughter was missing and I was almost losing my mind here. She is the only one to keep the meat and bones intact in my body. God forbid if something happens to her, I will be a living corpse. The thought itself scared me to my grave. I shouldn't have left her alone at home.

Jaaiz kept his hand on my shoulder and assured me, "She will be safe. Trust me."

His blue eyes glittered in the night with a tint of hope.

I blinked.

After a couple of minutes, Siddhant strolled downstairs holding a shoe.

What was with the shoe?

"Is this Drishti's shoe?" Siddhant asked showing us the canvas shoe.

I nodded.

He sat down near me, "I got this under her bed. Does any of you recognise the symbol she has drawn on the sole?"

I looked closely and it was a star. She drew a star.

"What does this mean?" Heena asked.

"I don't know...a tattoo, a sticker, it can be anything" Siddhant shrugged. "But it was drawn not less than an hour ago....see the ink is still fresh...she was hiding under the bed until somebody found her."

"What do you mean somebody found her???" I grabbed Siddhant's collar fiercely, my eyes looking deep into his.

"I fear somebody kidnapped her Ruhanna." He said looking away.

Tears incessantly rolled down my cheeks as I clutched my hands to his shirt.

"You are a police officer....find my daughter. I beg you Siddhant." I broke down completely in tears.

"She will be back to you safe and sound. I promise." He cupped my cheeks in his palms as he kissed my forehead.

"You need to file an FIR about her missing." Jaaiz suggested.

Siddhant asked for my phone. He looked at the call registrar and asked, "Did you receive any suspicious call before or after she went missing?"

"No..." I slouched holding my head.

"I have to call my team. She can't go missing just in the air." Siddhant walked to the porch dialing numerous numbers on his phone.

"Why would someone hold grudge against that sweet child?" Heena queried sadly.

"Enemies hold grudges against adults. Children are a mere weapon." Jaaiz pointed out.

"I don't have enemies. I hardly talk with my own neighbours." I justified.

"Your associates have many enemies." Jaaiz said turning his eyes to the door where Siddhant was standing.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Jaaiz wasn't wrong. Siddhant had enemies more than any man could count. He was an honest man. An honest man bears the most haters.

But what would any of them want from Drishti?

I lost my sleep to the fear and safety of my child. Heena has been there with me through the night, attending to my every need, and trying to make me feel less worse. Jaaiz left in the middle of the night as he had office the next day. And Siddhant, well, the man looked more worried than me as he kept investigating on my neighbours house with his team. He left no stone unturned.

But fear is fear. And this fear ravaging my heart couldn't burn out until I knew Drishti was safe.

After I sent Heena to her house assuring her that I would manage myself, I decided to talk with Siddhant.

"Siddhant I need to talk to you."

He turned back and kept his phone on seeing me. He didn't sleep the entire night just like me. In the midst of crisis, as I glanced into his hollow eyes deprived of sleep I realised no other man can love Drishti so selflessly as Siddhant.

"What happened? Did you get any calls?" He asked curiously.

"No. But you should take some rest now. I have my faith in God. He won't let anything bad happen to her."

"Screw your God. Your God has played enough of his cruel games. I will find those bastards anyhow." He snorted turning his face away.

"Ssshhh....Your temper Siddhant. It is very quick. You need to control it."

"I can't as long as I love people more than my heart can withhold."

I held his hand trying to calm him down and gently rubbed my thumb under his ear. He closed his eyes slowly. I have tried this often when he loses his temper and it calms him down to some extent.

When he looked relaxed, I asked, "Tell me how many enemies you have got?"

He opened his eyes looking at me completely astonished.

"A many....outnumbering the people in this city I suppose."

"Find your enemies. My daughter is with one of them." I stated looking him in the eye.

"How can you be so sure?" His brows arched.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He rubbed his face and said looking outside the window, "I should be leaving now. There will be two police cars guarding outside your house. Take care."

I held his wrist before he turned back. He raised his eyebrows as if asking why I stopped him.

"What if they hurt her? What if I don't see her again?" I squeezed his hand tight as a tear trickled down.

"Don't you ever say that.." He stepped in front of me pinning me to the wall. His strong biceps held me stiff to the wall. I lifted my eyes up to look at his tall structure.

Keeping his hand on my cheek, he assured confidently, "I will give my everything to bring her back. And the man who brings a scratch on her skin, I swear to you that I shall make him rot till death. I consider her as my daughter too. I have failed as a father once. Not again Ruhanna."

He then wiped my tears and left the room. I looked through the window as he got inside his car with a stone cold look. That arrogance and fierce anger was a menace building a castle of rivals for him. But it was nothing compared to his compassion and generosity.

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Siddhant's POV :

AFTER taking a bath at home, I dressed up in fresh clothes and went to office to complete the pending work at my desk. I asked my subordinates if they got anything on Drishti's case and to my utter disappointment the answer was no, again.

I had only 5 days left in this office. Something needed to be done very soon. I couldn't let this case pass to another officer who doesn't even know what Drishti's life means to me.

"14 hours? You people couldn't get a suspect in 14 hours???" I shouted at them.

"Sir, nobody has claimed charge of the kidnap. We don't even know if the girl is actually kidnapped." Gautam, one of the subordinate spoke.

"All you need to know is that a 12 year old girl has been missing since last night yet you could do nothing to collect a damn clue!!!"

"Sir, we are still working on it."

"I need actions not words. Go and find every tattoo shop who draws this star symbol. Go!!!" I slammed my hand on the table, caught in the heat of the moment. In rare cases, I lose calm on my subordinates and when I do, heavens save them!

"I heard he is having an affair with that girl's mother, a very beautiful widow. How disgraceful!" Somebody's audible whisper in my cabin reached my ears. I turned to my right and saw the man who was still busy chattering with his colleague.

"Mr. Kaushal." I called out his name in front of all the officers. The man stood straight hearing his name.

"Yes Sir." He responded firmly.

"Do you know the meaning of an affair?" I gave a crinkly smile.

The other officers immediately stared at me as if I sentenced this man to death.

Kaushal hung his head low, knowing his whispers reached my sharp ears.

"Pardon me officers, but an affair is a short romantic relationship with a person usually hidden from others." I said serenely and glanced at him.
"What I have with this girl's mother is called love. An age old love and there is nothing for me to hide about it. And I can give up everything for my duty and love. Am I clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Of course, she is a beautiful widow. If you find it disgraceful then please enchant me with more of your gossip tales after I am done with this case." I bitterly looked at him as he hung his head low and shouted, "Move now."

They left one after the other as I sat back on my chair pressing my temples. My head was burning like fire. I never like to be cranky with them but some people get on nerves during odd hours. Somebody barged through the door without even knocking.

"Sir."

"WHAT!!!" My voice rose as I lifted my eyes.

It was Mukesh. He stood there terrified at my angered mood.

"Any information?" I asked, this time a little gently. I didn't intend to scare people like this. It is just that my head gets heated every time I hear people talk like that without knowing anything.

"We have traced a black SUV on the outskirts of the city. It has a star symbol on it." He informed."The car was left in the middle of the road."

Last night I learned from one of the neighbours that he noticed two men in a black SUV car parked outside Ruhi's house. Unfortunately that man did not see their faces. All he noticed was a short man.

"Good. On whose name is the car registered?"

Mukesh was silent.

"Tell me the name officer." I strictly looked at him.

"Your brother." He replied looking straight.

"What nonsense? My brother has got only one car and it is in some Toyota servicing centre right now."

He passed a paper to me and said, "It's on your brother's name, Sir. The car was purchased 6 months back."

I looked at the ownership certificate and it was on Jaaiz's name. This was getting more tricky now. Every step of mine is now as prominent as the knight's move in a game of chess.

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Getting tricky? Is Jaaiz really a changed man?

This will end in another three or four chapters. Keep reading till then.