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CHAPTER - 9

SAVIOUR.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aadya ~

It had been three days since that weird night and Vishesh hadn't even tried to apologise to me once.

No messages, no calls.

Nothing.

And for the first time in all these years, I wasn't getting this urge to talk to him at least once a day either.

I was not going to forgive him without him having to apologise this time, not anymore.

Thankfully, Rajveer Pratap Ranawat too had kept his distance even though I knew he knew that I was still investigating the woman's case.

"Di, kya soch rahe ho? Mujhe pataa hai, jab bhi aap apni coffee ko aise ghoorti ho, kisi ki toh shaamat aane hi waali hoti hai." Aarav teased, making me look at him.

(TRANSLATION - Di, what are you thinking? I know whenever you stare at your coffee like this, someone is definitely in trouble.)

We were chilling together in silence after dinner while Maa had already gone to bed.

"Kuch nahi soch rahi hoon mai, tu bata, internship start ho rahi hai na teri kal se? All prepared and excited?" I asked him, in an attempt to change the topic of conversation.

(TRANSLATION - I'm not thinking about anything. You tell me, your internship is starting tomorrow, right? All prepared and excited?)

"Haan! But I am really nervous too Di. What if I don't have what it takes to be a good doctor?" He asked, keeping his cup on the table.

"Aarav, stop doubting yourself. We all know that you do indeed have what it takes to be a doctor. But if you still think that's not enough, you go there with all your determination and learnt what they have to offer. Do you understand?" I asked, getting up from the dining chair I was sitting on to sit on the couch next to him.

"Are you sure I will be fine Di?" He asked, looking like that same twelve year old Aarav who was scared the night before his first new school day.

"Of course I am. You are the best and remember, no matter what, your Di will always be here with you. Do you understand?" I asked, gently running my hand through his hair.

All he did was nod and hold my hand tightly.

"Hera Pheri dekhega?" I asked, making sure that his thoughts don't further get into self-depreciating mode.

(TRANSLATION - Do you want to watch Phir Hera Pheri?)

"Abhi mood nahi hai Di, I think I should go to sleep." He replied, saying no to watching that movie for the first time ever.

(TRANSLATION - I don't feel like doing that Di.)

My little brother was all grown up and that pinched a little.

Nonetheless, I gave him a smile and a nod before getting up.

"Wait, let me give you a head oil massage, you'll fall asleep quickly." I said and for this, he agreed immediately as I went to my room to fetch some coconut oil.

"Baith." I said, sitting on the couch and tapping the floor for him to sit and he threw he closed his eyes as I begun to massage his head.

(TRANSLATION - Sit.)

"Di, Maa told me not to tell you this but I don't think that I can hide things from you anymore." He said, throwing his head back to look at me after a few minutes of silence.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What is she hiding from me now?" I sighed.

"Papa was here this afternoon." He said and I threw my head back in frustration this time, more in disappointment than anything else.

"What did he want?" I asked, pulling his hair a little harsher than earlier.

"Ouch, Di yaar sach bolne ki punishment toh mat do please!" He exclaimed, scratching his head and I hit his arm slowly.

(TRANSLATION- Ouch, Di! Please don't punish me for telling you the truth!)

"Bata na." I asked again.

(TRANSLATION - Tell me.)

"Just to meet us. He wanted to wish me luck for tomorrow and then Maa asked him to stay for lunch which he did." He finished and I shook my head.

I had no idea how and what to react to that honestly.

"Aarav, no matter what I do, at the end of the day, no one can change this truth that he is maa's husband and our father. Just because I don't see eye-to-eye with him doesn't mean that Maa or you shouldn't or won't either and I have learnt to accept that fact after I found out that you both have been in contact with him forever." I felt a huge boulder kept on my chest as those words left me.

"Di, we never meant to hide it from you because we wanted to go behind your back, you know. We hid it because we didn't want to hurt you. He loves us all and just because he can't stay with us does not mean that he has nothing to do with us." He replied back as I pressed my lips into a thin line.

I had a lot to say, a lot to reply to that but it was his first day working as an intern in one of the best hospital's of Mumbai and no matter what, I wasn't going to ruin that for him.

So, all I did was just nod my head as I continued to give him a head massage.

"Accha di chalo ho gayi ab champi, mujhe neend aa rahi hai." Aarav said after a minute before getting up.

(TRANSLATION- Okay, Di, the head massage is done. I'm feeling sleepy now.)

"Goodnight, Aaru and don't worry, you will do great tomorrow." I said and he left after giving me a huge smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning started like any other except for the fact that I hadn't slept, again.

Sujit, my stringer had forwarded me a few leads about the brother of Priya Dahiya, the woman who had tried to burn herself in front of the commissioner's office that day.

His name was Jai and he was a local newspaper vendor who made just enough to take care of his sister and himself.

He was last spotted delivering newspapers in Girgaon before his body was washed out from the sea shore.

Just as I was about to text Sujit about the exact residential address of Priya, he himself called.

"Haan Sujit?" I asked, picking up.

(TRANSLATION - Yes, Sujit?)

"Madam ji, mere paas ek lead just aayi hai. Yeh Jai ka koi dost hai Rahul ko dockyard pe kaam karta hai. Abhi tak police ko idea nahi laga hai iss bande ke baare mein. Humein chal ke milna chahiye isse, shaayad kuch pata chale? Mere akele ke saamne toh muh nahi kholega par shaayad aap pucho toh bata de." He said.

(TRANSLATION - Madam ji, I justy got a lead. There's this guy, Rahul, a friend of Jai's, who works at the dockyard. The police haven't caught on to him yet. We should go meet him—he might know something. He won't open his mouth in front of just me, but maybe if you ask, he'll talk.)

"Ek kaam karo, mujhe location bhej do. Mai directly aati hoon wahan." I told him and he agreed before hanging up and I immediately got dressed in a simple suit because I had a feeling that saree would not be a very wise option today, specially at the dockyard.

(TRANSLATION - Do one thing, send the location to me. I'll reach there directly.)

I quickly had my breakfast, bid bye to Maa.

"Aarav, come on. I'm dropping to the hospital first." I said, grabbing the keys.

"No Di, you'll get late. The hospital is on the other side of the city. I'll take a cab." He said and I shook my head.

"I'm not going to office, I have to do field reporting and I'm going that side so come on!" I said, walking out and making sure that he follows me.

Took us half an hour to get to his hospital and then another forty for me to reach the dockyard on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The dockyard was eerily quiet.

Most of the workers had already left because loading and unloading usually took place at night, leaving only a few scattered labourers, some stray dogs, and the smell of salt, rust, and something foul in the air.

I pulled out my phone just as it started buzzing.

Sujit.

"Haan, Sujit, bolo."

(TRANSLATION - Yes, what is it Sujit?)

"Madam ji, I'm still stuck in traffic. Yeh Mumbai ki sadakein aur mera naseeb, dono kharab hain." he grumbled.

(TRANSLATION - These Mumbai roads and my fate, both are a mess.)

I sighed. "Toh kab tak aa paaoge tum?"

(TRANSLATION - By when will you be able to teach?)

"Kam se kam aadha ghanta aur lagenga par aap akele mat jaana. Yeh area safe nahi hai."

( TRANSLATION- It'll take at least another half an hour, but don't go alone. This area isn't safe.)

I rolled my eyes. "Sujit, I don't have time for this. I have to meet Jai quickly and then rush back to the office for my special report telecast. I'll call you later."

I ended the call before he could argue further. I had a job to do!

I pulled up Sujit's message and opened the photo he had sent of Rahul.

A young man, dark circles under his eyes, unkempt hair.

Tucking my phone back into my bag, I walked further inside.

Five minutes. That's all it took to spot him.

He was standing near a pile of abandoned wooden crates, his posture tense, eyes darting around as if he was already expecting trouble.

I quickened my pace, heart pounding.

"Rahul?" I called out.

He turned sharply. His face immediately paled when he saw me.

"You are a reporter, you shouldn't be here." he whispered, glancing around like someone was watching.

I frowned. "I just need to talk...."

BANG.

A single gunshot shattered the silence.

His body jerked violently. His eyes widened in shock as blood bloomed across his chest.

I watched, frozen, as he stumbled back, his lips parting like he wanted to say something. But no words came.

He collapsed right in front of me.

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. My feet refused to move so that I could check upon him.

I had just gathered some courage to quickly make my way further to where he was lying when there was the loudest blast in the air I had ever heard.

Heat. Fire. Debris flying.

I didn't even have time to react before something, someone, slammed into me, knocking me to the ground.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

The world spun. My ears rang. My breath was trapped in my lungs.

I knew I should be panicking. I should be running. But my body refused to move.

And then I realised that I wasn't on the ground.

A voice rumbled against my ear, low and controlled.

"I kid you not when I say this Miss Sharma, you have the worst survival instincts I've ever seen."

Rajveer.

I opened my eyes slowly only to find myself in his grip, one arm locked around my waist, the other cradling the back of my head as he pressed my body into himself, saving me from impact. He had shielded me from the blast.

I should have been relieved.

Instead, I was furious.

I shoved against his chest. "Let me go."

He didn't budge.

"Let. Me. Go." I repeated, voice sharper.

His jaw tightened, and slowly, he loosened his hold. The moment he took his arms off from my waist, I stumbled back, still dizzy from the blast.

"Are you stalking me or something?" I asked, brushing dust off myself.

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes flickered past me, toward Rahul's lifeless body, then back to my face.

"Oh fuck, Rahul!" I turned around and was just about to knees down and check him for pulse when I was pulled back away, his big hand, wrapped around my wrist, getting me away.

"Dimaag kharab ho gaya hai kya aapka Reporter sahiba?" Rajveer's voice was low, sharp, dangerously close to snapping.

(TRANSLATION- Have you lost your mind, Reporter Sahiba?)

I wrenched my wrist out of his grasp, my eyes blazing. "He could still be alive!"

Rajveer scoffed. "Look at him, Aadya. He's gone."

I turned, my breath catching in my throat. Rahul's body lay motionless, eyes still open but void of life. Blood had soaked into the dirt, and the smell of iron mixed with smoke filled the air.

My stomach churned, but I clenched my fists, shoving down the grief. "This wasn't supposed to happen." I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

Rajveer ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "What did you expect? That you would meet a witness, he will tell you all his secrets, and you walk away unharmed?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "You are more naïve than I thought."

I snapped my head toward him, anger flaring through my veins. "You don't get to mock me, Ranawat. People are dying, and I'm the only one trying to do something about it!"

He stepped closer, his dark eyes narrowing. "And you think you're helping?" His voice was laced with frustration.

"You are not exposing criminals, Aadya. What you are doing is painting a target on your back and believe it when I tell you that Ahaan will miss when he pulls the trigger."

I refused to show fear. "I am not scared."

His jaw clenched so hard, I thought it might snap.

"Of course you are." he muttered, shaking his head. "But you have a death wish."

I exhaled sharply. "What exactly is your problem, Mr. Ranawat?"

His eyes locked onto mine, unblinking.

"My problem," he said, his voice low and deliberate, "is that every time you step into my world, I have to pull you out before you get yourself killed."

I opened my mouth to fire back but...

I didn't know what to say to that.

Because there was something dangerously honest in his words.

He wasn't mocking me. He wasn't threatening me.

He was... angry. Frustrated. And I didn't know why.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I don't need your help, Rajveer Pratap Ranawat. I never did."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Trust me, little dove, you do need my help more than your arrogant self lets you believe."

My breath hitched.

And for the first time in this whole encounter, I felt something unsettling in my stomach.

A pull. A shift.

Like we were standing too close.

I blinked quickly, stepping back. "I have to get back to the office."

Rajveer exhaled sharply, like he was running out of patience. "You are not going anywhere alone."

I rolled my eyes, mocking "Oh, let me guess. You're going to force me into your car."

His lips curved into a smirk. "I don't mind doing that, you should know that."

I glared at him. "I can take care of myself."

He raised a brow. "You just got caught in an explosion. How's that going for you?"

I sucked in a breath, clenching my jaw. "You're insufferable."

"And you're reckless." he shot back smoothly.

I turned away, ignoring him. Ignoring the fact that my heartbeat was still uneven.

I heard him exhale, and then without warning, he grabbed my wrist again.

"Rajveer, I swear to....."

"Keep swearing." he muttered, dragging me toward his car.

I dug my heels into the ground, struggling against his grip. "You can't just keep dragging me around like I'm a damn hostage!"

"You are not a hostage, Reporter sahiba," he said, unlocking the passenger door. "You're a pain in the ass."

"Let me go!"

He turned, his face suddenly too close, too intense.

"Get in the car, Aadya," he said, his voice a quiet warning.

I hated that my body stilled for half a second.

That something about the way he said my name made my stomach flip.

I shoved him back. "You are the most arrogant, overbearing, egotistical....."

"—man who just saved your life," he finished for me.

I clenched my fists. "I hate you."

"Fantastic." He opened the car door, grabbed my wrist again, and forced me inside.

The door slammed shut before I could protest.

He walked around the car, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine, not sparing me another glance.

I crossed my arms, fuming. "You're a kidnapper."

He let out a low chuckle. "And you are a fool."

We drove in silence for a few minutes, the tension thick and suffocating.

I refused to look at him.

He refused to look at me.

The only sound was the hum of the engine and my own thoughts spiraling.

Then, finally, I couldn't hold myself from saying -

"I have to get in touch with Rahul's family. I have to tell them that he is no more." I muttered, my fingers tightening around my bag.

The weight of everything that had happened in the last hour was heavy, but I refused to let myself break down. I didn't have time for that.

His family deserved to know the truth.

Rajveer let out a sharp, humorless chuckle.

"You will do no such thing."

turned my head sharply, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, the muscle in his jaw ticking. "You heard me, Aadya. You will not contact his family."

Anger flared through my veins. "Are you serious right now?"

Rajveer finally turned to glance at me, his expression cold and nodded in a yes.

I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. "You don't get to decide that for me, Mr. Ranawat."

His smirk was bitter this time. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" I snapped.

"If you contact his family, they'll be next." His voice was low but it sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to let him see the way that truth unnerved me. "His family deserves to know."

He exhaled sharply, "And what do you think will happen when you call her, Miss Sharma? They will start crying? They'll ask you what happened? And then what? You tell them the truth?"

I lifted my chin defiantly. "Yes."

His hands clenched around the wheel so tightly, I thought it might break in half. "And then what, Aadya?" His voice dropped even lower, sharper.

I stared at him.

"You think Ahaan is just going to let them grieve in peace?" He turned slightly, his eyes dark, unreadable. "You think he won't be watching them to make sure that they don't say something that expose him to someone like a journalist who is always sniffing for crime leads? That his men won't follow them, won't kill them before you even get to their door and ring that bell?"

I swallowed hard.

Rajveer let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "They won't even make it to his funeral before they are dead too."

My heart skipped a beat.

I hated that for a second, just a second, I felt... uncertain.

I hated that Rajveer was making sense.

"And what happens when they go around to find their son or the police finds his body?" I ask him, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Ahaan will take care of his body. He has already dug half his grave when he was careless while disposing the body of the man whose sister tried to burn herself, he won't risk this one." He said as if he was talking about packets of chips which children try to hide from their mothers instead of actual dead human bodies.

This was scaring me.

"You think this is normal, don't you?" I muttered, staring out of the window. "Bodies disappearing like they never existed. Families left wondering. Living in fear."

Rajveer's fingers tightened on the wheel once again. "It is not about situations being normal, Aadya. It is about survival."

I turned to him, my voice rising. "And what about justice?"

His jaw clenched. "Justice will not bring him back."

I let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head, "You are right, I am a fool because no normal person would talk about justice with a man who himself has blood on his hands.

He kept quiet as if my words had no impact on him.

I turned my head towards him again, narrowing my eyes at him. "How did you know that I was in trouble, Mr. Ranawat?"

He didn't even blink. Instead, he leaned back against the seat, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel as if he wasn't the least bit affected by my accusation.

"It was a coincidence." he said smoothly.

I scoffed. "Oh, really? You just happened to be at an abandoned dockyard in the middle of nowhere at the exact moment a bomb went off?"

He shrugged, his expression annoyingly calm. "Wrong place, wrong time."

"Bullshit." I countered.

"You think that you are a good liar but umm....news flash....you are not Rajveer Pratap Ranawat!" I said again when he did not say anything.

His smirk deepened, lazy, confident, infuriating. "What I think Reporter Sahiba, is that instead of asking those ridiculous questions to me, what you really should be doing is thanking me for saving your reckless self."

"I'd rather die." I replied, glaring towards him while his eyes were still on the road ahead.

Once again, he said nothing but continued to smirk.

In another five minutes, he pulled in front of my apartment, I was tempted to ask how exactly he knew where I stayed but I knew better than that.

He was the mafia.

As I opened the door, he spoke finally.

"This is the last time I have pulled you out of the fire, Miss Sharma."

I didn't look back.

Because something told me we both knew that was a lie.

Hey guys! This is the next chapter. I hope you all like it. To unlock the next one, at least 90 comments are required on this one.

I love you all. Until next time. Byee!!