BEHADD

Chaudah

Rudra

I follow her gaze and find her staring at the gun I had kept on the coffee table. Fuck.

"Self-defense", I explain. Sometimes even I am surprised by my glib lying abilities.

"huh?", she jolts and moves aback. "That gun.. is for self defense."

"Uh.. okay, I- I'll get going...it's late..", before she could run away I grab her wrist and pin her.

"Wait", I mumble, "You heard me, didn't you?", I watch her flinch and shut her eyes closed.

"What did you hear, wifey?", I demand her on the verge of losing my patience.

"I- I..", she stutters and my grip on her tightens.

"I was woken up your voice... you were shouting at someone, so I came here to check.."

I pat her head, "It was nothing just some business matter, I'm sorry for waking you up, I'll be careful next time. You should sleep."

And with that I leave her and she runs away. Today I saw fear in her eyes. I hate that.

I avoided her for rest of the stay in England. I didn't want to scare her further, moreover there was a very important matter at hand. Dhruv had called me yesterday to let me know about a rival group trying to attack our warehouse in lonawala, they suspect a certain person to be behind all this.

Although they couldn't succeed in their mission, we had to track them down before it was too late. You can never procrastinate in criminal world. They had caught a person though, he was unwilling to answer, in short, of no use to us. So I ordered him to kill him.

Probably Tripti heard those words. Though she didn't ask anything, I felt an urge to explain her, but I couldn't. She'll eventually know. 

It was time for leaving. I had a meeting in Delhi so we were going to stay there for a day. 

Tripti was not showing any reaction. After that night, she hadn't said anything to me. It hurt me but I couldn't do anything to make it better. How was I supposed to justify myself?

After getting settled in the hotel room, I leave after making sure she ate her medicine and some food. No matter how many times I remind her, she always tries to neglect her health.

The meeting was painfully long. I had left her in the hotel, though she was protected by my guards I couldn't help but worry about her. I hadn't felt this attached to anything in my life.

I was driving back to hotel when my phone went off. "Boss... Miss.... She- she escaped". My hold on the phone tightened, I saw red.

"How! What the fuck were you all doing?"

"She was too slick, but We are following her, her car is in sight"

" Where is she heading? "

" East on Aravali hills"

" I'm driving there, just follow her God damnit! "

With inhuman speed I stop the driver and switch seats. From 60,70,80 to 160 kilometres per hour, I was driving the car like a maniac. Even if I kill someone, I won't care. As long as I get her in my arms again!

The GPS was helpful, I could track the positions of my guard's car and I saw the distance decreasing and decreasing. Why did they stop? Did they get her? 

The thought relaxed me a bit but when I parked the car and came rushing out I saw no sign of her. Just disappointed faces of my guards. My anger had no limit.

"Where is she?", I demand.

"B-boss she... Her car... "

"STOP FUCKING STUTTERING!"

Sensing my agression another guard speaks up," Boss we saw her car roll down the hill and disappear in the forest. She lost control of the car, it seemed-"

And everything was numb.

" You all should leave for Mumbai, I'll be here for a while", I say and then jump across the railing into the forest. I follow the path made by her car and start searching for her.

"TRIPTI!", But I saw nothing nor did she hear me, I suppose.

She can't die, not without me.

I had no sense of time, I searching for her car like a crazy person. And I did find it, but it was burnt down.

With my bare hands I tried searching her inside the burning car. Everything was turned into ashes. This must be some sick joke. It can't be real.

She can't be dead.

After searching for her in the car, all I could manage to get...

The pair of her sandal, and my heart skipped a beat.

"No"