24 Dhiwan Road
Chapter 8.3

The Wind Called Love

'The Hunt'

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~Inakshi~

Inakshi thought of screaming out on top of her lungs but she somehow managed to control her anger and sat back to relax. She was about to put her phone on flight mode and a message popped up. Contents of the message were scary enough to give her severe headaches, because her boss, Mr. A.K Pradhan, who sent her to Surat to handle his international clients and to finalize the deal now wanted to see the full report by evening. It was next to impossible because Inakshi had already made her plans. 

She cursed her job and her boss and took out her workbook to prepare some outline for the report. It was going to be tiring work and that's why she wanted to skip it. 

She was really hoping to meet Kalpit, and although she wouldn't accept, she really missed him. She would remember their late night bridge walks and unexplained hugs. Had he carried some phone, she would have definitely disturbed him all day, but he didn't. 

She knew he would be waiting for her at Owlet Café but there was no way she could finish the report on time, present it to her boss, bear his loud tantrums and then run all the way to the café to meet him.

But she did it anyway. A part of her job was to make perfect use of time, and she was good at it. The report didn't just impress her boss but also raised the chances of her salary increment. She was happy and headed straight to the café with a bag full of cookies and novels. She knew it was late but there were still chances that he would be there.

Surprisingly, he never really asked for his diary back and it stayed with Inakshi, which allowed her to read it in full details during her stay in Surat. It wasn't a regular diary but a collection of unfinished stories and bizarre characters.

A girl in the cafe. A black cat. A crazy landlady. Some detective named Kaizan.

Everything was puzzling and out of order. She concluded that these must be small elements of the novel he was trying to write. Some were real experiences and some were imaginary, and some were just metaphors. There was a mention of talking cat somewhere, which she found really ridiculous. 

However, the black lake was something that still remained a mystery to her. Although Kalpit narrated the story to her, yet it remained like an unsolved puzzle. She had lots of questions to ask him.

The café wasn't really far from her office so she didn't take the cab. It was almost midnight and the road was dark. She preferred walking slow but she hurried up. It was only in midway, she heard a noise and she turned back. She saw a car moving in her directions but since its headlights were on, she couldn't see the driver's face.

"Excuse me, ma'am, can you please help us?"

"What is it?" she asked keeping her voice lower.

"My friend is not well, and I am trying to find a hospital, a decent one, so can you help me?"

"There are many hospitals in this area, but I'm afraid I don't understand what do you mean by decent?"

"We tried in one of the hospitals back there, but they didn't let us in. Because you see, we aren't from Delhi, and the lady at the reception said, we need to bring a local along."

"There is no such rule, Sir, and I am pretty sure you won't face the problem in other hospitals. If it's an emergency, I suggest you hurry up!"

"Can you help us with the directions?"

She was left with no choice. The person was really polite and there was no reason to suspect him. She slowly walked towards the car and looked at the man. He was fair, clean shaven guy probably in his 30s, with a perfectly muscular body and a really attractive jawline. 

The other person was lying at the back, his body covered with a white sheet and his face hiding in the dark. He was breathing unnaturally and his hands were shivering.

"Of course! You just need to go straight and take a left. Then, it's just a 5-minutes drive."

"Thank you so much, ma'am! Is there any other way I could return the favor?"

"Yes, by driving as fast as you can because your friend really needs a good doctor."

"Of course-" he said and took out his hand out the window for a friendly handshake, "-hmm don't mind but may I ask where are you going?"

"Oh," she didn't expect such a question and gesture but she hesitatingly replied ignoring his hand, "Just going over there for a coffee, I guess."

"You must have felt awkward and I understand I should not be asking such questions, but I got really worried. It's just that we saw a couple of drunk people down the road so I just thought I should warn you. This city is not safe at all, especially for girls."

"Thanks for your concern but the cafe is not really far. So, I think I can walk up to there without getting killed. Thanks again."

She turned and started walking. 

"I'm sorry if I am disturbing you but I am not feeling right leaving you like this. In fact, I was a bit surprised to see you walking on the road alone."

"Okay, so what do you suggest?"

"I won't ask you to get in the car but please let me accompany you to the café to ensure your safety."

"That's really sweet of you but I am not sure if your friend should suffer because of me! I can take care of myself but he really needs medical attention."

"Okay let me put this straight. I was only trying to be sweet because I needed a favor from you!"

She stopped walking and gave a serious thought to what he just said. Probably, she heard something else.

"What did you just say? What favor?"

"I think I made a very wrong impression, but we both really needed your help. I am an Idiot I just thought by offering you a safe ride to your destination, I would be able to ask for something in return."

She was intrigued the way he approached the whole conversation. For a moment, the possibility of Kalpit waiting at the café slipped from her mind, and she became more interested in knowing the intentions of this mysterious good-looking man.

"You are trying to confuse me. Why don't you just tell me what you want?"

"It was not just one hospital but three that denied us entry and medical examination. The only reason I can think of is that we both aren't local or maybe we are mildly drunk. I am feeling so terrible and very ashamed but I need your help in getting us a doctor."

"How can I help in that? Even I am not from this city?"

"You can help us in getting the entry pass and that's all. I understand your concern but I guess you work here in Delhi, don't you, so the authority won't have any problem. See, I can not inform his parents, you know, they are paranoid and I don't know-"

"Okay calm down," she couldn't think of any other way to dodge this situation so she decided to help them, "Follow me! I'll take you to the hospital but I-"

"Do you know how to drive a car?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Look at my hands," he showed his bloodied hands, and white bandages around his fingers, "I am not able to drive and if the police would find us in a drunk state, everything would just go wrong. My friend back there, oh how do I explain this, but we just got ourselves out of a very difficult situation."

"What situation?"

"The group of thugs I told you about actually wanted to rob us, so they injected some heavy drugs and took almost everything we had."

"But allowed you to run away with this car-"

"No, we had to fool them, but my friend got really injured. All I want to do is to save him. Will you please help us? I am not really able to drive, my head is spinning, and I am feeling dizzy, the car-listen-"

Before she could say anything, his head hit the steering and the car almost lost control. Luckily, he pulled the brakes at the right time or the car would have hit a tree. 

"Okay wait wait, come out of the car. Go to the other side. Let me drive or you will get everyone killed."

He controlled his heavy breaths and thanked her. He quickly sat on the other side and checked if his friend was alright. She entered the car and took a deep breath.

"Okay, last time I drove a car, it wasn't a pleasant experience."

She looked around carefully and drove, at first, it felt strange but then she remembered her friend's driving lessons. Akanksha was her classmate, and an old friend, who helped her a lot when she moved to Delhi. Ikanshi didn't want to fill her head with the past memories, but they still haunted her. She had to run away from her family and the whole marriage business at Bhopal. It was Akanksha who handled her in those times. Inakshi lived with her for two months and when she got a good job, Akanksha helped her in finding a good apartment. 

Since then, she got so caught with her work and night shifts that she forgot to call her. She felt really bad about it. 

"I am sure you know how to drive, and we are glad you are here to help us. We really are-" he turned his face towards her, "-and by the way, I am Rahul Kashyap, what about you?"

"Oh, Hi Rahul, I am Ikanshi and I am not sure if I can talk while driving."

"You said you aren't from Delhi, so where are you from?"

"That's none of your business!"

"I can take a guess if you like."

"Go on!"

"Bhopal?"

"Holy Jesus," she exclaimed, "did you stole my Id card or what? How did you know?"

"A magician never reveals his tricks but I can give you a hint, I have direct contact with the god, so I almost know everything about you, Miss Ikanshi Chauhan!"

She slowed down the car and tried to register what he really meant. There was no possible way he could have known her full name. She looked at him but his blank face hinted nothing.

"I don't understand how-"

"Don't panic. We aren't the bad guys. Just keep driving. It's going to be a long journey."

"But the hospital is right at the corner-"

"Oh, we don't need to go to the hospital, just keep going straight."

"Why should I follow your instructions, man?"

She was getting scared but she couldn't afford to reflect her nervousness. They were on the main road, but it was almost empty. Most of the shops & cafes were closed, so even if she screams for help, there would be no one to intervene.

"Because you want to know the truth about your friend, Akanksha!"

"Who the hell are you? How do you know about her?"

She wanted to stop the car and get out of it, but the mention of her friend numbed her senses. She had no idea who these people were and how did they know so much about her and Akanksha. 

"Relax," he said and put his hand on her shoulder and she flinched, "don't try to act like an idiot, and let me warn you, the moment you decide to do something stupid. I'll send a text to the butcher, and do you know what the butcher would do with your friend? Oh, you don't wanna imagine that. Wait, are you crying?"

"NO," she yelled with full confidence.

"Hey man, look, your girl is sobbing. Come on, have a look at her."

The man who was lying on the back seat removed the white sheet and sat comfortably. She could see in the mirror that he was looking straight at her. The moment their eyes met, she felt a ghostly grip around her neck and a wave of terror swept across her face.

"Oh, so you guys know each other, what a bad luck,-" Rahul shook hands with the man sitting behind, "so, Miss Ikanshi, tell me one thing, 25 lacs mean nothing to you? I was surprised when he told me that you declined his offer, and ran away from Bhopal?"

"You son of a bitch, why did you bring Akanksha into this?" she lost her temper and looked at the man directly in his eyes. There he was, Rajan Singh, the man who threatened her and her family and offered them a matrimonial bribe of 25 lacs. Even looking at his face, made her blood boil but she knew she couldn't do anything. They were powerful people and extremely rich. 

They ignored her question and asked her to drive silently. They were on a lonely road, which would eventually take them to Old Delhi. She couldn't think of any way to escape and then she saw a group of policemen standing around the corner.

She quickly turned the car towards them to get their attention. One of the policemen saw the movement and ordered them to stop. He carefully examined them, one by one, and asked for the license.

"Sir, please, listen, I am in trouble-" She tried to whisper to the policeman and thankfully he understood the situation. He looked at Rahul and asked him to get out of the car. 

It didn't affect Rahul at all. He dialed a number on his phone and handed it over to the policeman and smiled sharply.

"Ji Janab...ji Janaab...okay, Sir Ji, no problem."

The policeman talked over the phone and handed it back to Rahul and apologized. Rahul slapped his face funnily and asked Inakshi to continue driving the car. She had no choice left. 

"Did you really think the police would help you?" they both laughed, "Darling, we own this city. Do you know who is Romil? He is the only son of Ustaad, oh wait, and don't tell me you don't know who Ustaad is?"

"I read about him in the newspapers!"

"Rajan, she read about him in the newspapers," they again started laughing which disturbed her, "Romil is my best friend and as long as he is alive, no one in this city can touch us, except you!"

"I swear-"

"Shut up," he grabbed her neck strongly and smelt her hair, "I said shut up, and now listen. We told Ustaad what you did with Rajan, and do you even know how angry he got. Look at my friend, he genuinely loves you, girl, and he wants to marry you. I understand you are educated and all, but 25 lacs is not an amount you should decline."

"Leave me alone!"

"Here is our final offer to you, and don't worry, we aren't doing anything to you. We will leave you alone, because we understand you need some time to think, so just listen carefully-", he removed his hands from her neck, "We showed your pictures to Ustaad and he wants to offer you a job, a respectable job, and you will be pleased to know that it's holy work. You will see, just in a few days, Ustaad is going to reveal the biggest secret of our generation, and he wants you to be a part of it. Trust me, it's a lifetime opportunity. Look, I am sorry that things didn't go well with you two last time but now we can work it out. So take your time, think about it, and once you are ready, give me a call on this number, and yes, if you really care to save your friend Akanksha than do what we are telling you to do."

"It's a Blackmail!"

"Call it whatever you want that you are going home alive and not in pieces. Now stop the car."

She pulled the brakes. Rahul got out of the car and ran to the other side, opened her gate and asked her to come out. She was so scared but she didn't lose her courage. She got out of the car and Rahul took the seat. 

"I'll wait for your call, Miss Ikanshi, and yes, next time when we will meet, be more graceful. Goodnight."

She looked around the road, which was almost empty except a few dogs who were barking at her. She took deep breaths and sat on a nearby rock to relax. She took a few moments to fully understand what really happened. She never felt so scared before and all she wanted to do at the moment was to run to the Owlet Café and tell everything to Kalpit.

She literally had no one else. 

To be Continued...

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Author's Note

Hey Guys, how was this chapter?

It surely reveals a lot about what's going to happen and most of it, you already know because of initial chapters. I hope you realize that Kalpit and Ayush's timelines are different. 

I am going to post a recap chapter which will summarize the whole story (till this chapter) quickly and from the next chapter, I'll continue Ayush's timeline.  

So are you enjoying this twisted tale or not? If yes, don't forget to press the vote button. 

Okay, so what do you think? Will Kalpit trust her story if she chooses to tell him?

Should she take his help or simply do what she was told?

Can she fight against these rich brats who are trying to hunt her? 

What exactly did she learn from Kalpit's diary? 

Keep Guessing. Keep Reading. 

Bye. Bye.