The Royal Reservation - A Tale of Love and Deceit

CHAPTER - 12 Testing Times

CHAPTER -12:

The sharp ring of the alarm jolted the young IPS officer from his files. Hurriedly, he looked around and ran towards the control room with his deputy in tow, his thoughts immediately flying towards the well-being of the person who was given this alarm as a safety precaution. ACP Pranav Khanna had been in this job for the past three years, but in this short time, he had made a name for himself in his chosen field.

When he had been given this assignment, he had been warned by his seniors that Kunwar Devansh was a hard nut to crack and he would not take the protection which was being offered to him. What Pranav had never revealed was that Devansh had been a close friend of his and he would not disagree to a logically voiced request. And Devansh had not disappointed him. However, this was the first time in the last six months that the alarm had blared to life.

His heart in his mouth, Pranav began directing his forces as he ordered the position of the young royal to be traced.

"Sir, the position of the tracer is moving towards the city hospital." A young constable informed him from his position in front of the computer system.

Officer Khanna scrunched his forehead and ordered for the entire route to be cordoned off. The constant movement of the GPS denoted that the young prince was on move, and either he was okay or else he was grievously injured. And most certainly, he was not alone.

Some instinct told Pranav that he had to be there in the hospital. Without wasting any time, he rushed out of the office with his deputy on his heels. He had to be there in the city hospital before Kunwar Devansh.

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The highly powered SUV rushed through the streets cutting at odd angles. The driver was white-faced, her long hair had come undone, her grip on the steering was punishing but she never wavered in her concentration. She noticed the hurrying form of the police as they cordoned off the area. Before she could understand, she had been directed towards the back gate of the hospital.

As she pushed the brakes, a tan-faced officer pulled the door open.

"Are you all right?"

His genuine concern touched her to the core, but she had no time to dissect his behavior. She nodded towards the back seat and within minutes the situation was taken out of her control.

As she watched transfixed, a team of doctors and other medical staff had pulled Devansh out of the car and had carried him inside the hospital. She had no idea what was happening around her. Everything seemed surreal and she could not find it in herself to deal with this situation.

A touch on her shoulder awakened her from her stupor. She turned to look at the now stone-faced police officer who ushered her towards the hospital and directly towards the wing where the young royal was being treated.

"What... I mean...!" she trailed off and the young officer nodded. She noticed his height, but being petite herself, every male person seemed tall to her.

The city hospital had developed a lot under the young scion of Madhavgarh but she still felt if it would be sufficient to save the young prince. Arna sank down on one of the steel chairs kept in the wing and watched the entire proceedings as if in a trance.

A tap on her shoulder made her turn her eyes towards her left. The officer looked at her and asked softly, "Are you all right, ma'am?"

She just nodded once and he asked her to be careful as he went ahead to coordinate the security arrangements. She just managed to murmur softly, "His family... they need to be informed."