𝟏𝟑: 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

"rakh loon chhupa ke main kahin tujhko."

I opened my eyes when I heard the door knocking. I sat up straight and found myself on the couch with the journal on my lap.

I fell asleep after I finished reading the journal, and I didn't even realise it was time for lunch.

I stood up and hid the journal in the wardrobe, and went towards the door to open it.

"Aakriti, were you sleeping?" Anandi Malhotra stood at the door, while I nodded.

"Yeah, mom. I fell asleep."

"Okay, come down for lunch beta," she said, while I nodded before she left.

I yawned and looked at the time, two in the afternoon.

Did Nirwan ji have lunch?

Where is he and what is he doing?

I sighed and went downstairs, getting welcomed by the other family members at the dining table.

Ashish Malhotra smiled at me, while I sat down on the chair placed opposite him, "Aakriti, I wanted to talk about something to you, beta."

"Yes, dad?" I asked, while he cleared his throat before continuing.

"Nirwan told me that you wanted to continue with your studies for law," he started, while I nodded slowly as the servants served us the food.

"So, you can continue with your studies. Nirwan said he will take charge of your graduation and future training of you at the court," he said, while a soft smile crept on my lips.

He kept his promise to not let my dreams shatter.

But why didn't he say this to me himself?

"Shaadi ke baad lawyer banke kya karegi yeh?" Bua's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, while I looked at her with a disgusting expression.

[What will she do by becoming a lawyer after marriage?]

Oldie is jumping in my business again.

"Smita, shut up! It's her dream, we won't stop her from achieving what she wants even if she is our daughter in law," Ashish Malhotra snapped at her, while she rolled her eyes and continued eating.

"Keep your mouth shut in businesses you aren't involved in, Smita," Nirwan ji's youngest chachu spoke up, while she glared at him.

I started eating as well; I can't sit here and listen to her taunting me and my dreams again.

She herself doesn't have kids so she is targeting others.

Now I know why her husband divorced her, and why nobody ever married her.

Thank God that man saved his own life.

"Aakriti, one more thing, beta," Anandi Malhotra spoke up, settling down beside me.

I nodded, while she continued, "There is a maha aarti at the Shiv temple today. Smita and I are going there, you can also accompany us if you want."

I gave it a thought - maybe going to my Mahadev will relieve the stress and shock I'm suffering from?

Bua is going to come with us, but if mom is there, I don't mind. She won't let her target me.

I nodded, "Of course, I'll come."

She smiled, "Okay, so get ready by six."

I nodded and finished eating, before standing up and going back to the room.

I had nothing to do now. I just typed a message to Surbhi saying that I didn't find anything else suspicious from Aakriti Sharma's journal, and took out my books before settling down on the couch to study.

Enough of chaos, I will talk to Nirwan ji about this if I ever get a chance. I don't know how I am going to tell him that I read his late wife's journal, but he needs to defend himself and punish Aryan bhaiya if he is behind this.

He is the elected MLA now, he holds all the power.

I flipped through the pages of my books and started making side notes, which I may need while giving my exams.

I need to prepare for exams now, I don't have much time left. Just these exams, and then I'll be physically practicing in the court.

And maybe, I can open the case file of Aakriti Sharma and reveal all the truths to the world.

☆

I stuck the small bindi between my eyebrows, before covering my front with my dupatta.

I was wearing a blue kurti. Blue - the colour associated with Lord Shiva, as it reflects the infinite, the divine, and the cosmic.

My Mahadev is the only one who gives me peace. I place him before the entire world, he is the only one who stayed with me when my own family ditched me.

I made sure the mark on my neck was hidden by the foundation, before walking out of the room.

I descended the stairs, spotting mom standing at the door wearing a blue saree, looking absolutely gorgeous.

"Wow, you look so pretty," she complimented me before I could compliment her.

"You too," I said with a smile, looking at the side where bua was busy talking over the call slowly, wearing a dark brown saree.

"Smita, we are getting late," mom called out to her, while she nodded and walked towards us with her foolish smile.

She stuffed her phone inside her blouse, chewing on something I don't know.

"Chalo chalo, mere liye kyun ruk gaye?" she asked, while I rolled my eyes and started walking outside.

[Let's go, why did you stop for me?]

It was evening, so we didn't take any guards with us. Plus, the locals here didn't mind it much when they saw the Malhotras roaming outside, they just greeted them and left.

Maybe it was regular for them to spot the ladies of the family going to the temple.

We were almost at the entrance of the temple. I bent down to remove my sandals from my feet, when bua's voice startled me.

"Oh no, I forgot to buy flowers and garlands for the aarti," she said, looking between me and mom.

"Oh God, Smita. You can't do a single task properly!" mom taunted her, while I sighed.

"Aap log yahi rukiye, hum lekar aate hain," I said, while mom shook her head.

[Wait here, I'll get it.]

"No, beta. How can we let you go alone-"

"Arey dukaan toh paas mein hi hai, aur kya hi ho jayega use? Bacchi thodi hai!" bua cut her off, while mom nodded slowly.

[The shop is nearby, and what will happen to her? She is not a kid!]

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back in five minutes," I said, before turning to walk towards the road.

The flowers and garland shops were lined on the street behind the temple for the devotees, so it wasn't a big task to walk there and get some.

I turned to my left to take the turn towards the street, when I suddenly halted seeing a van stop in front of me, approaching me at a rapid speed.

I kept my hand on my chest, feeling my heart pounding in my chest really fast at the sudden incident.

I frowned when the van's door opened and a masked man stretched his hand out.

Before the realisation could creep in, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside the van, his other palm wrapping around my mouth.

I tried to shout, but I was inside the van, sitting between two masked men in the seat, the door of the van shutting smoothly while the man driving the van started driving it at a faster pace.

The man removed his palm from my mouth while I gasped for breath, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Who are you all? Leave me!" I shouted, while they all broke into laughter.

The man who pulled me inside, who sat on my left, seemed to be silent and only death staring at me. I felt a shiver run down my spine at his glare.

His eyes seemed familiar, so familiar as if I had looked into these eyes many times.

Do I know him?

The other man on my right, and two men sitting behind us, continued to laugh.

There were a total of six men in the van, and there was no chance I could escape.

"Bula na apne uss hero ko, hum bhi toh dekhein kaise bachayega woh tujhe iss baar," the man on my right said, clutching my right arm tightly, causing me to hiss in pain.

[Call your hero, we wanna see how he would save you this time.]

"I don't know who you are talking about, please let me go!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face. They continued to laugh like maniacs, and I spotted the Shiv temple outside from the front window of the van, and also mom and bua standing outside.

I turned around to shout, but the windows of the back seats were covered.

Please save me, Mahadev.

"Where are you taking me? What do you need from me?" I shouted, and the man sitting on the passenger seat turned around this time.

"Don't ask us this question, we are just ordered to take you to him, so keep your mouth fucking shut and stop minding us!" he snapped at me, while I wiped my tears from the back of my hand.

"Oh my, what is this, sweetie?" one of the men sitting behind spoke up, touching the love bite on my neck.

He scratched it with his sharp nail, causing my foundation to wipe off, making me hiss due to stinging pain.

They laughed again.

"Looks like she had it with that asshole last night," the other man on the back seat said aloud, and the man on the driver seat laughed as well.

But not the one sitting on my left.

I held my dupatta and tried to cover up the mark along with my front, but the man sitting on my right snatched it away from me and threw it behind before I could snatch it back from him.

"Please, don't do this," I begged, crossing both my arms over my front to hide my front.

"Kuch naa kiya toh kis baat ke maze, jaaneman?" the man on the passenger seat spoke up again, and extended his hand behind to touch my front.

[What's the fun if we don't do anything, sweetheart?]

The men on the back seat grabbed my hands and held them above my head, while the man from the passenger seat nearly brushed his fingers on my breasts.

I closed my eyes tightly, constantly taking Mahadev's name under my breath.

I was feeling so disgusted in the moment that I felt like shitting and throwing up on their faces.

But I'm alone and so weak to fight them.

My breathing became heavier while I slowly opened my eyes when I didn't feel his hand on my body.

My eyes widened slightly when I saw the man sitting on my left holding his hand, stopping him from touching me.

"Kya kar raha hai bey? Pehle tujhe maze lene hai kya?" the man on the passenger seat, the one about to touch me spoke up with a smirk.

[What are you doing dude? Do you wanna have fun first?]

The man on my left glanced at me one last time, while I looked into his eyes with tears in mine.

He looked back at the man who was going to touch me, and within a second, he twisted his hands 360° from his wrist, causing him to scream loudly in pain.

The men behind holding my hands left me, while the man on my left wrapped his arm around my waist securely.

I know who he is.

The driver stopped the van with a jerk, while the man on my left opened the door of the van and pulled me on his lap.

"Run," he whispered in my ear, and I identified his voice immediately.

Nirwan ji.

I didn't react and immediately hopped out of the van, running away on the empty street without glancing behind me.

Vihaan's fingers clicked the keys of the keyboard at the fastest pace — the pace at which a cheetah runs for its prey.

He had been the most skilled hacker in my contacts. He had been working for the FBI for the past four years, and he never stepped back to help me.

He had been my classmate since high school, and we had been in touch all the time.

He is currently trying to hack into the Arora mansion's cameras to check if Aryan Arora had ever made a visit to his house, and we found out that he didn't.

He probably kept his bail a secret from his own family, or maybe, his family is involved in his games too.

"There's a location where I can trace him. An abandoned hospital building in the West, and he is probably hiding here right now," Vihaan said, while I stared into his computer's monitor.

"Are there any other people around him? His guards or men?" I asked, while he nodded and clicked somewhere with his mouse, causing multiple arrows to appear on the screen.

"These arrows are all the devices present over there, probably the phones of his men," Vihaan replied, while a smirk plastered over my lips.

"Text me the location," I replied and patted his back twice in a thanking gesture, before walking out of his house.

Nikhil caught up beside me, who had been waiting for me outside Vihaan's house, "Sir, where are we going?"

"Vihaan tracked the location where Aryan is probably hiding. I need to get there," I replied, settling down in the car and ordering the driver to drive towards the location, showing him the location on my phone.

Nikhil settled on the back seat beside me, "It's not safe for you to go there alone, sir. Should I call more guards?"

"Call more guards and let Aryan know that I found him? And then later help him escape without getting caught?" I asked in a sarcastic way, while Nikhil gulped.

"But going there alone is not a good idea either," he said, while I smirked.

"I want to hunt him down while he plans on destroying my reputation, and also Aakriti's life."

☆

I step inside the building, the dead leaves on the floor crumbling beneath my shoes. I walked deeper inside, looking around alarmingly for any sign of human presence.

This building is from an abandoned hospital, there are several floors in here and there's no definite location of Aryan here. He could be on any floor, hiding in any corner.

A wave of chills ran down my spine when I heard footsteps descending down the staircase situated at the other side, while I reached out to my pocket and pulled out my safety revolver.

I hid behind a wall, watching a middle aged man approach towards the entrance of the building, a cigarette between his fingers.

I smirked and jumped on him from behind, covering his mouth with my palm. I pointed my revolver to the side of his head, dragging him to the corner.

"Stay silent or else give up on your life. You better know who I am," I whispered in his year, removing my hand from his mouth.

He gasped for breath, "Y-you? What are you doing here?"

"Where is Aryan?" I asked him, while his eyes widened slightly.

"I can't t-tell you that-"

"Answer the damn question or else beg for your life," I threatened with my jaw tightened in anger, while he gulped.

"I-I don't know where he is...we all don't know where he is hiding. He left this place a while ago," he replied.

"What do you mean by 'we all'?"

"We...t-the men who work for him," he replied, tears spilling out of his eyes. He seemed seconds away from passing out of fear.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked, piercing the tip of my revolver into his flesh.

He stuttered more, "W-we are ordered to kidnap h-her..."

"Kidnap who?"

"Y-your wife...A-Aakriti Arora."

In liner comments are highly appreciated! Do like and leave comments instead of being a silent reader!

Love y'all,

Your pretty Ayra (hehe)