Where Ever You Go I Am There

Part 12

Arjun found himself melting from deep his heart hearing her out and seeing her flooded eyes....

He sat closer to her and patted her shoulders consolingly. She looked at him as the restrained tears flowed out.

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A few seconds pass by and then she wipes her tears, a little embarrassed of having become so weak before him. She just muttered as her eyes alternated between her hands on her lap and then to his hand on her shoulder.

He moved his hand away wondering if she felt uncomfortable when he did that. An awkward moment passes away and then he urges her to continue, "phir kya hua? Tumaare papa ko mil payi?? "

She remained silent trying to calm herself and then nodded, "hmmmm dho din baadh....ghar pe ek constable aaya....he told me that papa ko hospital mein admit kiya hai.....yeh nahi bathaaya ke kyun aur maine poocha bhi nahi....I rushed to the hospital not even knowing what the reason was....wahaan se patha chala ke papa ko major heart attack hua tha.....unnse yeh saare sadhma bardaash nahi hua shaayad...."

Arjun flinched at the mere thought of the pain that the girl before had gone through. He felt sympathetic for her. She continued, "mere paas kuch nahi tha...na hi contacts na koyi bada sa savings....jo bhi medical insurance tha usse toh itna bada karcha utaa nahi sakthi thi....but I had to save my papa, hospital se bhi aur uss gunah ki saza se bhi jo unnone kiya hi nahi....maine harr darwaaza khatkataaya but koyi help nahi mili....sab darrte teh ke agar help kiya toh uss jurm mein phas jaayenge.....I cant even tell you in words what I went through.........tabhi ek din ek aadhmi aaya....usske saath ek law firm ka lawyer bhi tha.....He didn't tell me who sent him but he had made all arrangements for the bail and also paid hospital bills.....papa ke major open heart surgery bhi fix kiya...I wanted to know who was doing it and why but uss time pe, woh sab utna important nahi tha.....bas papa ke bacchna important tha.....I silently agreed to everything and signed every paper...."

When she became silent, Arjun probed, "bail milaa?"

She nodded after a deep sigh, "hmmm parr bohat mushkil se.....uss case ka officer in charge bohat hi shaatir tha....case mein koyi loop holes nahi choda ussne.....saare sapoot aur saare links papa ke khilaaf teh....He had literally trapped my father in it.....but the person who sent the lawyer was a big shot.....He drew the strings perfectly aur mere papa case se baahar aagaye....."

Arjun heaved a sigh of relief thinking atleast someone helped her at the time of such a crisis. She continued, "uss time pe main bohat khush thi aur uss insaan ko bohat dua bhi diya....parr usska inn sab karne ka peeche ek khaas matlab tha.....but mujhe uss waqt woh matlab patha nahi tha....aur naa hi patha lagaane ki khoshish kiya kyun ki papa ko waapas paana hi sabse badi khushi thi mere liye.....ussne jo kaha main karthi gayi.....galath laga toh bhi....."

Saying that, she looked at him in guilt. Arjun could understand what she went through and he couldn't point a finger at her for that.

"I felt that I should do it all in return of his big favors....I joined a newspaper based on his recommendation.....parr dheere dheere usske maang badhthi gayi.....Main kuch bhi kar sakthi thi par ussne jo keemat maanga woh dena mere liye possible nahi tha....Main apni jaan deh sakthi thi parr jaan lena...."

Arjun was a little shocked at that. In an instant, the person who had come as an angel to her life had become a devil. He was also a little more anxious now. He hid it and asked, "kya tumne usse dekha hai?"

"Nahi.....sab instructions phone mein dehta hai.....he knew every move of mine....mujhe usske haathon ka katputli banaa diya....."

Sakshi went on, "Maine saaf inkaar kiya toh ussne papa ko maarne ki dhamki di....papa ke zindagi usske haathon mein thi aur mujhe na chahte hua bhi haan bolna padha....."

Arjun was silently listening to every word keenly. She turned away from him and asked, "Don't you want to know who his target were?"

He looked to her side and his sixth sense had already given him the answer to that but he nodded, "hmm...bolo...kisko maarne kaha tha ussne?"

She sternly voiced, "ETF ka chief officers, Sameer Dhaamsingh Rathod aur Arjun Suryakanth Rawte....ETF ka barbaadhi chahta tha....sab kuch plan karchuka tha.....usi ke kehne pe maine ETF join kiya...."

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Meanwhile in Vrindavan...

"But why me? Why ETF? Sakshi ko inn sab se kya milthi?"

Kishore was quick to reply, "Sakshi ke peeche koyi aur hai jo aap sab ke mauth chahta hai...He wants all of you dead Sameer...."

Sameer probed in suspicion, "Who is that?"

Kishore merely smiled and then replied, "I can't reveal that to you now but just assume that he is a big shot...."

Sameer smirked, "agar itna bada big shot hai toh phir ek ladki ko saamne rakh ke yeh sab khel kyun? Aamne saamne bhi khel saktha tha..."

Radhika was the one to reply now, "He doesn't believe in such games Sameer...He wants to keep this dirty side of his under strict wraps....ETF ka naam aur nishaan mitt jaatha toh bhi hum sirf Sakshi tak paunch paathe.....usske aage koyi link nahi miltha....isiliye humein bohat carefully deal karna padega....Sakshi ke through hi uss tak paunchna padega...."

Kishore added another reason with a grin, "ek ladki ko apne haat ke khilona banaana, aur aap jaise top notch officers ko marwaana......shaayad inn sab mein maza aata hoga! Woh apne shikaar soch samajh ke chunntha hai.....sab kuch khatam hone ke baadh, Sakshi ko bhi ek fake encounter mein maar dehta ya poori conspiracy mein main accused banaa dehta.....poore police force Sakshi ko hi gunehgaar maan leti kyun ki usske paas Sameer Dhaamsingh Rathod ko maarne ki strong wajah thi..."

That alerted Sameer, "kya wajah? Sakshi ko mujhse kya dushmani hai?"

Kishore replied with all smiles vanished from his face, "teen saal pehle ki baat hai.....usske papa ko fake case mein phasa diya tha ek khaabil officer ne...Dont you want to know who he was? "

Sameer nodded and Kishore replied, "Woh officer aur koyi nahi tum teh Sameer...."

Sameer was about to refute as he knew for sure that he had done nothing like that but Radhika was quick to throw the file before him. The name on the file read "Pratham Anand"

That struck chord somewhere....He remembered the case and also the innocent face of the person who was brought before him as the main culprit. Sameer shook his head vigorously in denial, "nahi....yeh toh...."

His words trailed off a little as he went into a deep thought. He now knew why he had felt a strange familiarity when he saw Sakshi for the first time...She had changed a lot but now he remembered the girl who stood at his door seeking permission to see her father whom she claimed as innocent.

He was confused by the sudden turn of tables at him. He had believed that he had done nothing wrong. All proof was against her father but.......

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"Haan.....Sameer Rathod hi tha woh shaatir cop jissne mere papa ko uss case mein phasaa diya tha jisske kaaran mere poore life barbaadh hui"

Sakshi spat out accusingly remembering all the torture she underwent and still undergoing due to that fake case.

Arjun scowled back angrily, "Aisa kabhi nahi ho saktha Sakshi....I know Sameer...woh aisa kabhi nahi kar saktha..."

[To be continued]