Link to the 2nd chapter :
https://www.tellyupdates.com/bound-to-you-book-two-chapter-2/
*
“How is this possible? How could you not find anything in his house?”
“Boss, we literally scanned each and every corner of the house. There really wasn’t anything important. And the worst part, even his wife denied knowing anything about him. She kept on reiterating about how her husband was a simple physical education instructor and not any secret agent.”
“You shot the wife?”
“Yes. We had no other option. She was trying to fight us off and was even screaming at the top of her voice. If we hadn’t shot her down, then her shouts would have woken up the neighbours and that would have been the end of us.”
“Hmmm,” said the leader while rubbing his forehead. His eyes were closed and it seemed like he was in some deep thinking.
The assistant decided to speak up, “Boss, what should we do with Kabir now? Neither is he ready to open his mouth, nor did we find anything worthwhile in his house. I think it’s better to kill him off.”
The leader knitted his eyebrows together, eyeing his assistant with contempt.
“There’s a reason why I’m the head and you are a mere subordinate. You know nothing about how this works, right? Kabir is the only way through which we can get to know about the other impostor, who’s living right among us and is passing important information about all our plans to the national security agencies. We need to keep him ALIVE till we don’t find his partner.”
The leader peeped in through the tiny window of the small cottage. Kabir had passed off and was lying in an unconscious state. He was lying naked with all kinds of bruises and wounds on his body.
“He might be quiet for now. But one fine day, he will break down and spit out all the information that we needed,” he smirked evilly.
______________________________________
A gust of warm air hit Angre as soon as he set his foot on Delhi’s soil. And the pollution added even more to the humidity.
He rented out a car and straight away drove to the RAW Headquarters. After a thorough security check with his identity cards being scanned more than once, he was let into the premises.
He just hoped and prayed that Goel Sir, the Chief of RAW, wouldn’t be very busy today and would agree to meet him without any prior appointment.
Once at the reception, Angre was in for a rude shock when he got to know that Goel had suffered a stroke one week back and was in coma since then. The doctors had already given up all hope, and only a miracle could save him. Also there were plans being made for the Assistant Director of RAW to take over the position as the Chief.
Angre exited the office dejectedly. Their only means to obtain some information about Vansh was through Goel.
Goel was the one who had sent Vansh on this mission and when he himself was lying in such a critical state, how would he be able to get any news about Vansh’s well-being?
______________________________________
Riddhima was still reeling from the trauma of losing Ahana. But no matter what how hard the time was, all duties had to be performed with the same proficiency.
Angre had already left for Delhi, and now it was up to Riddhima to look after all matters. The first thing that she did was to hype up the security at VR Mansion by almost tenfold. Many suspicious looking servants and bodyguards were fired off in an instant. Everyone was given clear instructions to not let any unknown person inside the house without her prior permission.
Riddhima even decided that the children wouldn’t go to school for few days at least until this entire mess got cleared up. She even ordered Anupriya and Sia to not venture out of the house at any cost, until and unless in case of any emergency.
Thankfully, Sia had taken up the responsibility of looking after baby Payal. This relaxed Riddhima as she wouldn’t have to worry about the baby as she was in good hands now.
“Where are you going, Riddhima?” Anupriya enquired. “After all that happened, you deserve some amount of rest. Don’t take your health for granted.”
“Mummyji, I need to go to office for signing an important deal. And don’t worry about me, I’m completely fine,” she reassured her. “But please take care of yourselves and stay safe. The danger is still not completely over from our lives.”
“But why would anyone want to harm us, is something beyond my understanding,” remarked Anupriya.
Riddhima silently looked on. There was no way to make her understand about any of this stuff.
*
When Riddhima reached the office and while she was still inside her car, she saw a man creating a commotion outside the building.
The guards were trying hard to tackle that man non-violently, but he was in no mood to listen.
“I want to meet Vansh Raisinghania at any cost, either by hook or by crook. Where is he? I won’t go without meeting him,” he was practically yelling at the top of his voice.
One of the guards lost his temper and shoved him causing him to fall on the ground.
The unknown man started screaming even more. “How dare you push me? Do you even know who I am?”
Riddhima had had enough of all this. She stepped out of the car and put her glares on to prevent the sunlight from nearly blinding her.
“What the hell is happening over here?” she spoke harshly.
The man turned towards her giving her his full attention. He looked her up and down creepily making her feel uneasy.
He grinned flashing his tobacco-stained teeth and forwarded his hand. “My name is Vasooli. You must be…”
“Riddhima,” she replied curtly, refusing to shake hands with this creep. “Riddhima Vansh Raisinghania. Why are you creating a scene over here?”
“I’m here to meet your husband,” he said with his eyes still leering upon her.
Riddhima felt extremely uncomfortable by the dirty stares he was giving her. He was a well-built, muscular guy and it looked like he was a roadside rogue or something. His upper buttons were open and he wore a silver chain around his neck.
But Riddhima wasn’t going to let him know that she was feeling intimidated by him. She continued showing him her evergreen attitude that she was well-known for.
“Vansh is out of town for some important work. So you better leave now this very minute.”
“What kind of work is this that he has to stay away from his own family and city for whole nine months, I really don’t know,” Vasooli clicked his tongue. “Also, isn’t there a saying about how a wife should fulfill all the duties of her husband in his absence? So shouldn’t you be doing the same?”
Riddhima crossed her arms in front of her. “What do you mean?”
“Hmmm, can you come with me to that corner over there where no one can overhear our conversation?” Vasooli suggested slyly.
Riddhima was weary of giving in to this cheap man’s respect. But what could possibly go wrong in broad daylight and also when her bodyguards were going to keep a watch on her from afar?
Once they were a little away from the rest of the people, Riddhima urged him to go on.
“Bark.”
Vasooli started speaking in a hushed voice making it almost impossible for
Riddhima to hear what he was saying.
“It’s related to smuggling.”
Riddhima glared at him. “You should be knowing that Vansh has decreased his drug smuggling activities. Also, there are many other local gangsters who are involved in drug smuggling. Why don’t you contact them?”
Vasooli said, “I’m not that stupid. I know that drug smuggling can be carried out by any local goon. But I’m not talking about that.” He took a long pause and moved his eyes around to and fro to make sure no one was nearby.
“I’m talking about smuggling of arms and ammunition.”
Riddhima’s eyes widened in shock. “Smuggling of ammunition?” she gasped.
Even though Vansh was working for RAW, but he did have to carry out few drug smugglings here and there to make everyone believe that he was indeed an underworld Don. But arms trafficking was something that even Vansh never dared to venture into.
And this guy in front was demanding exactly that from her.
Vasooli kept whispering, “We want to get few arms smuggled through the Mumbai sea-port and then safely transported to Jharkhand. And this feat can only be done by Vansh Raisinghania, the Lord of Indian Mafia himself. He has so many deep rooted networks and connections unlike the others.”
“B-but…” she stammered.
“Relax Bhabhiji. I’ll give you 24 hours time. Discuss with your sidekick, that Angre, and then think carefully before coming to any conclusion,” continued Vasooli. “It’s a consignment ranging across millions of dollars. Also, the best way for Vansh to fulfill his long-lost dream…”
Before Riddhima could say anything further, Vasooli gave her a quick salute and left from there. She, on the other hand was left pondering about what just happened a little while back.
______________________________________
Angre returned to Mumbai that very evening. When he informed Riddhima about Goel Sir’s condition, she started getting even more paranoid.
“If Goel Sir is in ICU for the past one week, then who will supervise this mission from hereon?”
Angre said, “Relax Riddhima. I’m sure there are quite a few other people who are also involved in this mission. So they’ll look after all the matters in Goel Sir’s absence. But the problem is that there’s no way to know who those ‘other’ people monitoring this mission are.”
Riddhima sat down on the couch, burying her head in her palms.
“Why is God testing us so much? A wife just wants to know if her husband is safe or not, is this too much to ask for?”
Angre felt sorry for her. He really wished he could help her and end her sorrow. But unfortunately, he couldn’t. Just then, something clicked him.
“I think Jenny might know about him,” he said suddenly.
She narrowed her eyes. “Jenny? Who’s that?”
Angre explained, “A bar dancer, whom Boss had saved from getting ill-treated by the goons many years back. Since then, she’s being working as an informant for Boss, helping him to locate and trace important people.”
Riddhima remembered how Vansh had mentioned a bar dancer when he was narrating about his past life.
“Do you think she might be having even a slight inkling about Vansh?” she asked turning doubtful.
He shrugged, “Maybe, or maybe not. But if you want, we can give it a try.”
“Then let’s go and meet her. Right now,” she said determinedly.
______________________________________
A strong whiff of smoke, alcohol and drugs hit her nostrils as soon as she stepped inside the bar, making her feel dizzy and nauseous. Loud music and continuous hooting of the crowd boomed in her ears. Her eyes pained from the excessive red lights being thrown in front of her.
She felt disgusted at the sheer vulgarity and shamelessness of the crowd around her.
Angre observed her expressions. “Told you not to come. But you didn’t listen to me at all.”
Riddhima ignored him and found a table in the corner to sit at. But on her way, she was met with numerous pairs of lustful eyes, the mere sight of which made her insides quiver.
A heavily drunk man literally dragged himself to her table and gave her an ugly, toothy smile.
“How much for a night?”
“The same amount that your mother charges from others.” Saying this, she splashed a bottle of water over his face rendering him almost breathless. “Get lost from the sight you bastard before your face becomes unrecognizable due to my hands.”
The man scurried away in fright while Angre looked on amused.
“It’s good that Boss wasn’t here to witness this scene. Or else, he would have killed this fellow mercilessly right here itself,” he thought to himself with a chuckle.
A girl wearing skimpy clothes got onto the dias and started impressing the audience with her flexible and sultry moves. The men went berserk seeing her perform on stage and cheered and whistled for her. But no one dared to cross their limits. All thanks to the new laws this bar had put out for all it’s customers that forbade them to mistreat any of the staff.
“That’s Jenny,” Angre pointed at the girl dancing in front of them.
Riddhima eyed the said girl carefully. She had a wide grin plastered on her face, but was she really enjoying this process from inside? She didn’t think so.
Jenny’s gaze fell on her and she instantly smiled in recognition. After her dance ended, she moved towards Riddhima’s table, stealthily planted a chit in her hands and disappeared into a passage.
Riddhima opened the chit and saw ‘ROOM NO. 111’ written in bold letters on it.
Reassuring a tensed Angre that she could indeed take care of herself, Riddhima took up the same passage which Jenny had walked into. She came across a large board with ‘ROOM NO. 111’ hanging on one of the doors.
She knocked twice, only for a female voice beckoning her inside.
It was Jenny, who was standing in front of the mirror and doing her touch up.
“So Mrs. Vansh Raisinghania, it’s indeed an honour to meet you. May I ask you as to what brings you here?”
Riddhima was taken aback. “How do you know me?”
“Not that difficult, you see,” she said nonchalantly. “I know Angre. And when I saw him tagging behind you, I at once understood about who you’d be. Not to forget the indiscernible aura that you emanate when you walk past someone. You and Vansh Sir are indeed made for each other. If he’s the King, you are no less than a Queen.”
Riddhima was visibly impressed by Jenny. She was smart, no doubt about that. No wonder Vansh often took her help to succeed in his missions.
She cleared her throat. “It’s been nine months since Vansh has left the city. Did he meet you before leaving, though?”
After a long pause, Jenny said, “Yes, he did.”
A ray of hope began to rise in Riddhima’s heart.
“Do you know if he’s fine or not?”
Jenny was about to say something when her expression changed. Someone was standing outside and eavesdropping upon their conversation.
She dreamily said, “Jungles hide a lot of secrets inside them. They are extremely dangerous places because no one knows, what would happen next…”
Riddhima could not make head or tail of what she just said. “I don’t really understand…”
She let out a sharp wince when Jenny collided with her causing her to stumble on the floor.
Jenny bent down to help her and suddenly whispered, “Chiria. Jharkhand.”
Riddhima opened her mouth to ask her what she meant by that. But at that very moment, a man barged into the bedroom looking all angry.
“What are you doing here instead of entertaining our VIP guests, Jenny?” he asked.
Jenny dismissed it, “Oh nothing. It’s just that something had fallen onto this noble woman’s dress, so thought of bringing her here to clean her up.” She cocked her head in Riddhima’s direction. “Isn’t it?”
Riddhima managed to calm herself down. “Yes, that is exactly what had happened. I think I shall leave then.”
Before anyone else could start doubting her intentions, Riddhima hurriedly left from there and returned to the bar where Angre was waiting for her.
“What happened? Got any info?” he asked curiously.
“Yes. But we’ll talk about it in detail after we get back home. It’s not safe here,” she replied, pulling Angre by his hand alongside her.
______________________________________
“Chiria is a small town located in the middle of the southern jungles of Jharkhand. It is renowned for it’s iron supply, for it’s rich vegetation and…for it’s Maoists infiltration,” said Angre slowly.
Riddhima listened to him carefully. “Does that mean that whatever mission Vansh is on right now is somewhat related to the Maoists?”
“Most probably yes. If that’s the place he left for.”
She gritted her teeth. “Jenny was going to say somthing else, too. But that jerk of a pimp came from nowhere and interrupted us. And we can’t even go back again because it will raise doubts in his mind.”
She stopped abruptly as something striked her. Her conversation with Vasooli in the morning!
Her face lit up as she began to connect all the dots.
“Angre, today I met a man called Vasooli. Earlier I tried to dismiss him off as some local goon, but he took me by surprise when he said that he wants our help for smuggling.”
“As in smuggling drugs?” he asked.
“No. He wants to smuggle arms.”
Angre looked at her in horror. “What?!”
“Yes. And guess where does he want us to transport those so-called arms to?”
“Don’t tell me it’s Jharkhand.”
“Bingo! That’s what it is,” said Riddhima. “And it can’t be a mere coincidence that both Vansh’s mission and the need of arms smuggling have a common place in between – Jharkhand.”
Angre had a worried expression on. “I don’t understand as to why these people want to smuggle weapons from outside India? I can already sense that there’s a big conspiracy going on which may even have a drastic effect on the entire country.”
She agreed with him. “I second you on that. And that’s why we need to something quick. We can’t just sit back and spectate the show. I think…” She inhaled deeply, doubting her own thoughts. “I think we should meet Vasooli and try to extract some more information.”
However, Angre didn’t seem very keen on it.
“First of all, this whole fiasco seems so dangerous. And secondly, from what I know about Vasooli, he’s a thorough womanizer. He may end up even misbehaving with you.”
“Don’t worry, Angre. I’ve my own ways to handle such lecherous men,” she smirked. “If throughout his life he has done nothing but disrespect women, then it’s high time that someone ought to teach him how to respect a woman.”
______________________________________
Riddhima and Angre drove through Mumbai’s suburbs to reach Vasooli’s hideout. Once they arrived at the said place, they were directed towards a lonely, poorly built cabin. Few other goons patrolled the entrance.
“Welcome aboard, Mrs. Raisinghania. I knew that you’d come,” Vasooli greeted them warmly. “So do I take this as a cue that you are ready to take up this smuggling consignment?”
She took her seat across him and raised her palm. “Not yet. There are few conditions that we are going to keep forward and you people must agree to them at any cost. Or else, there will be no deal whatsoever.”
Vasooli leaned close to her, actually way too close for anybody’s liking.
“And what is that my Queen?”
Angre got up from his chair in anger but Riddhima instructed him to keep his calm.
She threw a smug look in Vasooli’s direction. “First of all, stop talking and staring at me in this lewd manner. I demand utmost respect at all times and in all conditions. If any time I notice that you are making me uncomfortable by your indecent behaviour, then this deal would be over right then and there. Have I made myself clear?”
Vasooli straightener his posture immediately and assured her with a nod.
“Secondly, I demand a payment of twenty million dollars with 25 percent of it paid to me in advance.”
Vasooli pursed his lips. “But that’s too much. I think ten million dollars would be more than enough…”
Riddhima cut him. “I want only twenty million dollars, not a penny more, not a penny less.”
Having no way out, Vasooli resignedly agreed to her.
She continued, “And my last condition is that, I want complete information about the arms that we will be helping you to smuggle. What kind of weapons are those, how many in number, etc.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“Well, if you are sorry, then I am sorry too. Sorry, but there isn’t going to be any deal,” she said firmly.
Vasooli pondered for a while before giving into her demands.
“This is to be kept extremely secretive. If word leaks out, then I’m not lying when I say that you both would be essentially dead.”
“Don’t worry about that. You can trust me with all the information,” she ‘promised’ him.
“It contains 5 suicide vests, 5 M67 hand grenades and 10 TAR-21 rifles. RDX and ammonium nitrate too.”
Riddhima and Angre gaped in terror. These people were planning a full blown bomb blast! If not stopped in time, this could lead to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. And from the likes of it, it appeared that this was going to take place very soon. Maybe by the end of this very month.
Riddhima checked herself in time to make sure that her horrified face did not give any doubts away.
“Where are all these explosives and rifles coming from?” she enquired trying hard to keep her shaking voice in control.
“From Israel. It will be arriving by sea at the Mumbai port within a few days. Your job would be to safeguard it from the seaport’s security check, and safely smuggle it into the city. And then, you finally need to deliver it all the way to Jharkhand.”
“Where in Jharkhand?” she asked holding her breath.
“Chiria. You must have heard about that place.”
Chiria! The same place where Vansh had supposedly left for his mission. Now there wasn’t any doubt left in Riddhima’s mind that these two situations were related.
But now, she wasn’t worrying only about Vansh but also for the impending attacks. If she refused this deal, then Vasooli would give this consignment to someone else. And then there will be no way to prevent this disaster from occurring.
Instead of that, if she took this deal up, then she’d automatically get an entry into the Maoist infiltrated town of Chiria, where she could not only look for Vansh, but also she could dig deep into this matter and stop the attacks from happening.
“It’s a deal then,” she uttered much to the chagrin of Angre, who was completely oblivious to what was going in her mind.
______________________________________
It was late at night and for some reason was eerily quiet today. Everybody was sleeping soundly, with some of their snores echoing throughout.
But someone was wide awake. It was Vansh.
He slowly got up from the cot and tiptoed his way to the door, making sure to not wake anyone up. He took several turns and finally landed in a room with a large ‘NO ENTRY’ board outside it.
He switched on his torch light to locate the almirah. However, there was a lock hanging on it’s handle.
He put his hand in the pocket of his kurta and pulled out a key. He remembered how he had to steal the original key, take an imprint of it, and then put the original key back in it’s place. Using that very imprint, he had manged to create a duplicate one.
He unlocked the almirah and rummaged through a set of unimportant papers. Finally, he managed to lay his hands on a map. This map showed the way to an underground basement where perhaps these people stored their weapons or even held their training camps.
Suddenly, the door of the room was thrown open and in entered another person who looked absolutely aghast to see Vansh there.
“You are a traitor. I’ll tell everybody…”
But he didn’t get any chance to tell anyone. Because with one swift moment, Vansh had pinned the man to the floor and strangulated him using a cloth. Next, he sat on top of him to compress his chest and further interrupt his breathing. The victim struggled for some time before closing his eyes shut. Forever.
Aah! This was Vansh’s favourite way of killing his enemies, because often no voice came out from their mouths which could attract someone else’s attention.
Vansh was tall and had a broad personality. He also had those biceps and those abs that used to make his sweetheart swoon over him. So it was no surprise that he could easily lift the dead body over one of his shoulders.
He carried the body to a far off place and after making sure that no one was watching him, began burying him deep in the mud.
He clicked his tongue, “Sleep well my dear friend.”
*
Hello everyone! That is it for today guys. Do comment.
Peace out!