The noise startled the girl awake. She rubbed her eyes and wandered into their room, looking both confused and intrigued by the commotion.
Khusi leaned forward, his tone gentle but curious. "Who are you, and what were you doing at the construction site?"
The girl hesitated, her small frame trembling as she gripped the edge of her frock. "My name is Aashi. I'm from Ozavi village." Her voice broke as she continued. "Some men came... they took me away from my grandpa. When I woke up, there were five other girls in a van with me. One of them—a kind sister—helped me escape. But they caught her..." Aashi paused, her eyes welling with tears. "They slapped her... and one of them took her chain—a heart-shaped locket. I ran as fast as I could and hid in a tunnel for five days. I didn't know where else to go."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Khusi's face hardened. "What? That's not something we can ignore. Those men need to be stopped! Lets file a police complaint"
Aryan, standing by the table, clenched his fists. The sudden loud bang of his hand hitting the wood startled Aashi, and she flinched, her eyes wide with fear. Goosebumps ran down her arms as she hugged herself, stepping back slightly.
Realizing he'd frightened her, Aryan immediately softened his gaze. He gestured to Khusi, silently urging her to translate his thoughts.
Khusi sighed, and then turned to Aashi with a soft smile. "Don't worry, Aryan just gets intense when he's angry. He means no harm. Is she looks pretty? What is her dress colour as you last seen her".
" Its blue colour" she replied with low voice. Its just as Voilet's mom mentioned.
The girl nodded, her eyes filled with urgency. Finally, they had a lead. Violet had been taken by the same people who had kidnapped her.
Khusi, her voice sharp with determination, spoke, "He's asking if you've seen anyone unusual on the road recently. Was one of them him?"
The girl nodded again. Aryan's mind snapped into focus as memories flooded back. He had seen that man before. That same cold, ruthless figure had been part of the group that had once taken him, mistaking him for someone else.
It hit him like a blow to the chest: both Violet and he were victims of the same people. The ones who had kidnapped her and were now hunting Richard—they were all connected.
Khusi, scanning their faces for answers, took charge. "We need to find Violet. Fast."
Richard, his voice tinged with frustration, broke the silence, "So what now? What's the plan?"
Khusi exhaled slowly, letting the tension hang in the air for a moment before responding with quiet resolve, "let's reduce my stress level little."
As evening fell, Richard walked down the quiet road, his mind preoccupied. Suddenly, a sharp blow to the back of his head sent him crashing to the ground. Everything went black.
When he regained consciousness, his surroundings were unfamiliar—dense trees and the distant, eerie silhouette of an old house. The city outskirts, deep within the jungle, had swallowed him whole. He was trapped.
Inside the dark room, a voice came from the shadows. "I sent the picture to our boss. He verified it. It's him. He'll be here soon. Just wait for him, and our work will be done."
Richard's head throbbed as his eyes fluttered open. Groggy and disoriented, he muttered through clenched teeth, "Damn rats. Who the hell hit me?"
The voice, cold and indifferent, responded, "Ignore him. Wait for the boss."
"Who the hell is this beggar boss?" Richard spat, his voice laced with contempt.
Meanwhile, not far from the house, Aryan and Khusi stood hidden, their ears tuned to every word through the microphone cleverly planted in Richard's watch. The tension in the air was palpable, as they listened closely, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Khusi, her voice tinged with frustration, muttered, "This idiot's spouting nonsense. Just stay low and wait until their boss arrives."
Richard, completely unfazed, continued mocking his captors, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Haha, do you really think you can hit me? You all look so innocent, but you couldn't even lay a hand on me."
"It was true. He wasn't a normal person. There was something more to him—an unknown power that pulsed through his veins". Someone said with fear. Another, "don't worry, Despite being bound by ropes made of P-cell material, he is helpless".
With a smirk, he glanced at the ropes that had bound him. "You mean these?" he said, effortlessly slipping free. The ropes fell to the floor, useless.
The room fell into stunned silence. The men surrounding him stared, mouths agape, not knowing what to make of this unexpected turn.
Richard stood casually, grabbed a nearby stool, and sat down with an air of confidence. "Call your boss already. How much longer does he expect me to wait? I have other things to do. I must be going."
One of the men stammered, his voice shaky, "P-Please wait... Don't go! He left us a note. He'll be here soon."
Khusi, her expression cold and determined, whispered, "The situation is under control... for now."
But then, from the shadows outside, someone spotted them. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The two men, noticing the intrusion, started making noise, attracting attention. Before they could shout, Aryan and Khusi moved swiftly. Within moments, they had them both on the ground, their mouths silenced with their own cloths, leaving them incapacitated.
Inside the house, a voice called out, "Hey! Look at this... what happened outside? No one's responding to the note. Even the boss is unreachable. It's already 6:30 PM…"
Richard, lounging nonchalantly, glanced toward the voice before responding, "Fine. I'll wait ten more minutes. After that, I'm getting out of here."