Teri Lakeerein

9. Third time's the Charm

Haseena drove her Sedan carefully through the dark roads of Bedelia, GPS guiding her to the location of factory where she suspected Suresh could be. Cheetah kept an eye on the path ahead, for the road was narrow and this area of the village was eerily desolate.

Pulling the car to a halt about 500 meters from the factory, the two officers disembarked, and Haseena immediately equipped her pistol while Cheetah brandished his rifle.

The duo slowly inched ahead in the cover of dark, Cheetah watching Haseena's back.

Once the factory gate finally came in sight, a lone bulb could be seen twinkling under which laid an asleep guard, his body barely confined to the chair.

However, seeing that the entrance was locked, they went around the sides of building searching for a way in, where cheetah managed to identify a spot where few rows of bricks had been knocked off the walls. Assisting his senior, Cheetah soon followed and at last, the two managed to slip inside the confines of factory.

Gingerly, Haseena reached for the front door and winced when the door creaked eerily at the slight push. The door creaked yet again as Haseena slipped inside and stuck to the wall, feeling abysmally blind in the dark hall.

Gesturing cheetah to take the other side, Haseena started ahead, passing between a row of machines. This was apparently some sort of automobile part manufacturing unit. Taking the guidance of machines, Haseena inched forward, searching for any sign of disturbance.

Suddenly the row of machines ended, and Cheetah had about shrieked in surprise before Haseena clasped his mouth shut and stilled, when faint click of boots echoed in the distance.

A minute later when there was no indication of anyone coming, she stepped away from Cheetah and started moving towards the source. Turning into a corridor on right, Haseena noticed light spilling out from the door at farther end and raised her fist, signaling cheetah to stay put.

Stealthily then, she carried forward, and finally reached the door. Peeking through the crevice, she saw a group of 5 men raucously laughing over beer bottles. However, what caught her attention was the wagonR that SI Suresh had been kidnapped in.

Sending a quick message to her team, she slipped into the cabin unnoticed, hiding behind a stack of kraits near the entrance.

The cabin where she was currently standing, was well lit and small. And she saw none of a man awaiting rescue. But a rope pooling loosely at the base of a poll across from her, caught her sight and Haseena found herself moving closer, in search of a clue.

"Vese manna padega thakur sahab ko. Uda diya unn police walon ko!"

Haseena's blood curdled at the careless abandon of their words and her hold on the pistol tightened.

Taking shelter behind the wagonR, she decreased the distance between her and the pillar, searching for any other evidence.

"Uss policewale ka toh maar maar ke halwa bana denge waha sab!" And they all chortled again, while Haseena stilled.

'These guys knew where Suresh is!'

She glanced around the men to see if any of their phones could be swiped but there was not much leeway for that. Neither could she get close enough to put a tracker on them. Her only option right now was to tail them, whenever they would go to reconvene with the mastermind.

'That is too uncertain'.

Haseena too lost in the circle of her mind maps, didn't watch her back while retreating out and as she slipped out of the door, she found a knife pressed to her back.