Reshimbandh~Silken Threads

8. Lonavala #2

On train, en-route Pune,

Maulik and Neha boarded the third-AC, which was crowded due to the holidays. They stood near the door, bantering as usual. Neha got a text message, which she read and quickly deleted, "I'll just be back, stay here."

She walked through a compartment and reached the end where an old ragged man was waiting for her. She sat down next to him.

"It is His factory, he earns a lot of profit through it. Jonny is very important to him and us. Use and treat him well. But don't kill." He cautioned.

"Should they know about his connection with the factory?"

"No. If they get close to knowing it, throw anything at them. And keep that emotional fool under check, he shouldn't know this connection at all. He will ruin it all in is rage."

"It's difficult to manage but I'll do it." She gave an assuring smile.

"You have to." He told her a few more details and slipped in a pendant, "take care!"

"You too." She held his hands and looked at him, each drawing strength from other. The train honked loudly, breaking their trance. She locked the pendant carefully in one of her chains and walked back to Maulik.

~

Past midnight,

Jonny's place

A shadow made way into Jonny's bedroom by tracing the walls and jumping in through window. The shadow injected a serum in Jonny's arm, and sat beside him, "Who is your boss?" asked in a cold, menacing voice.

Jonny woke up alarmed, blinked his eyes to adjust to the twilight. He could see a hooded figure in front of him, with a mask on face, and peculiar green eyes that stared at him. "R.r.rricky." he answered in a trembling voice.

"Not him, the real boss."

"I..I don't know." He tried to move but the hooded figure had overpowered him and placed an ice knife on his chest that was hurting him steadily.

"You know him very well, you talk to him regularly, now tell me his name."

"A..azeem.."

"How do you contact him?"

"Calls mostly."

"Where is he now?"

"Singapore."

"When is he coming back?"

"I don't know, but soon."

"Good boy. Thanks."

The shadow left the room through the same route it had come in. Jonny tried getting up but realized that he couldn't move his limbs, they were numb.

~

Next Morning, Sameer, Aisha, Sakshi, Chotu and Karan reached DRINKS Beverages Co.'s office and got to know that Jonny has a paralysis attack last night and was hospitalised.

"A dead end, what now?" Aisha sighed.

"We question the manager and then decide." Sameer ordered.

Chotu went in to bring Ricky.

~

Rawte House

Arjun was busy working on the board with his theory. DRINKS' he spelled these letters individually and stared at them, SIKNDR, he finally cracked it. "How could I miss something so simple?" He was furious at his own stupidity.