The perfect groom ||

48. Risk it all

The precinct was now a shell of the building as fire brigade worked all around it.

Two policemen and all the prisoners were being searched in the rubble of the building.

"Sir, Thank you..." a constable says falling on my feet.

"Get up. Be grateful to God." I say and my dog, I think to myself. I pat his shoulders as he gets up with tears in his eyes.

"My wife is supposed to give birth in a week. If I have a son, I'm naming it after you sir." He says as I nod curtly. I had been in the place where he was.

I had a tear in my eye as I hugged Samayra and told her how much I loved her. She could have adopted a dog, horse or an elephant and I would still love her.

But please don't adopt an elephant, I had also added and she told me, it wasn't legal to keep them as pets, which I knew but... it's her we are talking about.

She was on the call with my parents as they had seen the news on the TV when I left for this place. She had made sure, I wore a bullet proof vest underneath, even though I don't feel he'll attack right after.

"It was a time bomb. Not like the ones controlled from outside from phone or other devices. They are easy to trace but this..." the man from the bomb squad informed me.

"Any evidence of where it was manufactured. Special materials used and..."

"The CBI crime branch will take this over. Vansh is now a national threat." An unknown man about 5'7" stood by me, informed.

"Who are you?" I asked and he showed his ID card. I narrowed my eyes to read it.

"We can discuss this over tea?" he asks pointing to a file cover in his hand as I hold his collar and take out my revolver pointing to him.

"I never told another soul that Vansh did this or that I suspect him... Until it is proved Vansh is behind this, you can't call him a national threat." I say as the constable beside me interferes.

"Sir, but bombs are usually..."

"Viewed as terrorist activity and it's not CBI that investigates them at the ground level. There's a separate agency for that." I say completing his sentence.

"So, I'll ask. And I'll ask once. Where is Vansh?" I say as his eyes widen.

"I did fell for your email, I'm not falling for this. But here's what I'll do. I'll bring you to the secretariat building, which is our new makeshift police station. Then, I'll pull your fingernails out one-by-one like they are pulling out the dead bodies from the rubble. Then..."

"Sir... Sir... He's... He's leaving India." He says as my eyes widened.

"Where?" I ask as he shakes his head.

"You can just walk away and no case will be registered against you. You just impersonated a govt. agent. Big crime, but not as big if I tell them there's a deadly poison on you that you wanted to kill me with. Or... that you are an accomplice to... 'THE NATIONAL THREAT'." I say as he gulps on his saliva.

I wasn't sure he had a poison, but that's all I could think of. He asked me for a cup of tea. He wouldn't kill me with a weapon in the area surrounded by high security right now. I was short of time and willing to risk it all.

"Ne.. Nepal." He says as I call my men handing him to them. I call Ekansh and ask him every way he can get out and every route taken or man whose help he could have taken.

This man, Prashant was a coward and was send by Vansh because he was the only one educated in his circus and hoped to fool me. Prashant had studied Law, but failed to make a mark in the court, frustrated by the legacy of young lawyers inheriting from their grandfathers and fathers... That's what Vansh thought they had similar and used this rage to make Prashant work for him.

I was on the way to Nepal border within half an hour. Leaving Samayra was hard, but Ekansh had his men around for her safety and I trusted him enough.

The next 15 hours were spent questioning, investigating and beating the shit out of some people.

Until we finally saw him. 200 meters from the Nepal border, buying a cigar on a roadside stand. He wore his burberry shades and Tommy jacket. He looked like just another tourist going to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath temple.

"Sir, we can..." my inspector goes to say.

"Shhhh..." I say as I make the car hault. My men go further and surround him. I sent a warning to close the exit of the border. They were reluctant as I had no authority or written circular, but when I told about the guy linked to the bombing of the station. They agreed. I ask the inspector to hand me the rifle. I adjust, sighting him in the rifle scope and...

Fired.

He fell on the ground after a shot to the side of his spine. My men surround him taking into custody, nursing first aid as they took him to the hospital.

"Sir, we don't have proof for..." he says, knowing I could lose my job if I don't prove him guilty.

"His men will turn against him. Just wait for him to be powerless." I say, and looked at the sky in hope.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

He was paralyzed, like I hoped.

He wasn't dead. That would have caused me trouble, If I killed a civilian near the border.

He wasn't able to run, blackmail or agitate more trouble. That was enough for me.

I made him shift to the hospital in our area, as we travelled back by police helicopter.

I landed as they set him up, and I arranged things. I drove home, having had just a 2 hour nap in the past 26 hours.

I parked as Samayra came running to me, along with Pluto.

She hugged me tight, with tears under her eyes as I smiled.

"I'm safe." I say as she feels the bullet proof vest still under my uniform while the puppy laps around us in excitement.

"Happy new year." She says as I smile and whisper it back, over her lips.

"I love you." She says as I lift her up in my arms.

"I love you too." I say taking her plump lips in mine.

"Ahmmm." We hear someone clearing their throat as I turn to look at Ekansh.

I place Samayra down as I turn to look at him, extending a hand for shake.

"There's this invitation for the winter ball. We host it every time it snows here. It's a black tie event because um..." Ekansh says hesitating.

"Your great-grandparents ass-licked British and wanted them to feel at home, while they gave you huge amounts of lands?" I say as he chuckles.

"Yeah..." he says and nods.

"This palace of ours is on the other side of the mountain. I'll make arrangements for you to stay the night, if you'd like." He says as I look at Samayra, who had her face buried in my chest, embarrassed at being caught in a heated kiss.

"Sure, we'd love that." I say as he turns to leave. "I would like you to stay, but I really need a nap." I add as he nods.

"I understand. Take care." He says, waving and walks out of our yard and out from the main gate.

"Let's go in." I say as small white flakes of snow fall over her open hair and red nose.