After that, not much was said. Jaideep asked if he could drop them wherever they needed to go.
As soon as Shefali saw Jaideep turn the car from the main road onto another street, she was convinced that Sujan's game had begun.
Until now, she had been keeping herself hidden amidst the little traffic on the main road. But on this quieter street, if the taxi driver noticed the motorcycle's headlights behind him, he would immediately suspect that he was being followed.
Jaideep had no doubt that the taxi driver was also working with Sujan.
So, before turning onto the street behind the taxi, he switched off his motorcycle's headlights and continued following using only the taillights.
Then, when he saw the taxi stop at a spot, he also halted his motorcycle. At the same time, he noticed several shadows emerging from the darkness and surrounding the taxi.
Suddenly, the sound of girls screaming filled the air.
At that moment, he sped his motorcycle like a storm and reached the spot.
Before the thugs could properly see him in the darkness, he knocked two of them down with his motorcycle. Then, as the bike toppled, he jumped into the air like a ball, striking two more men's noses with the heels of his boots before landing on the ground.
Shefali had expected Sujan to pick them up from the airport. He must have also arranged for their stay. But Sujan never showed up. So, they decided to stay at a hotel for the time being.
Jaideep took them to a hotel.
Shefali and Sharda sat in the taxi, with Shefali driving it. Jaideep led the way on his motorcycle, ensuring that the distance between the two vehicles never became too great.
Upon reaching the hotel room, the first thing they did was order tea before sitting on the sofa to talk.
"So, why didn't you tell us everything at the airport itself?" Shefali asked as she sat closer to Jaideep. "That way, we could have been more cautious. Or were you just trying to show off your masculinity in front of us girls?"
"It's not like that," Jaideep replied with a hesitant smile. "Actually, I came to the airport intending to warn you. But then I thought, my father and I are practically strangers to you. You might suspect that we were filling your ears against Sujan for our own selfish reasons. That's why I hesitated..."
"I can still think that."
"What?"
"Yes, it's possible that you staged all of this just to gain my trust—that you orchestrated an attack on us with your own men and then arrived as the savior, just like in the movies where heroes pull such tricks to impress the heroine."
"You really think that about me?"
"I'm not thinking it," Shefali said, placing her hand on his knee, but Jaideep quickly pulled away. "But it is a possibility."
Before Jaideep could respond, there was a knock on the door.
Sharda opened it.
The hotel manager entered along with the waiter bringing their tea.
"I heard you arrived in a taxi?" the manager asked as soon as he stepped inside.
"So?" Shefali looked at him questioningly.
"I mean, the taxi wasn't driven by a driver," the manager said.
"Yes, that must have seemed strange," Shefali said softly. "But the driver tried to rob us when he saw we were two girls traveling alone. Luckily, Mr. Jaideep arrived in time to help us..."
"Did you report this to the police?"
"No, we didn't."
"Why not?"
"After a long journey from America, we were already exhausted. On top of that, dealing with that thug taxi driver and his accomplices was another ordeal. We just wanted to have some tea and rest, not get entangled in police formalities."
"But you should report this incident to the police," the manager insisted.
"If you think it's necessary, you can inform the police yourself," Shefali replied indifferently.
"But you will have to give a statement."
"Fine, but can I at least finish my tea first?"
"Alright, I'll make the call."
The manager left with the waiter.
Sharda began preparing the tea.
"Why are you hesitating to report this to the police?" Jaideep asked once they were alone.
"There's no point," Shefali replied. "We can't identify any of the attackers—not even the taxi driver. Can you?"
"No, I can't. But at least we know who was behind the attack."
"Who?"
"Sujan."
"Do you have any proof?"
"No, I don't."
"Then accusing someone without evidence would be foolish."
Sharda handed them their tea.
"There's another reason I didn't want to report it to the police," Shefali said, taking a sip.
"What reason?"
"If Sujan was indeed behind the attack, then by not reporting it, I wanted to throw him off balance."
"I don't understand."
"If those thugs were Sujan's men, he must have already found out that they failed. I thought that by not reporting it to the police, he might get confused—wondering why we hadn't done so. In that confusion, he might make a mistake that exposes his true intentions. That's why I didn't want to involve the police. But since I drove the taxi here, the hotel staff got suspicious. I should have thought of this and abandoned the taxi before reaching the hotel."
"But now we'll have to tell the police everything," Jaideep said.
"I think it's better if we don't mention Sujan's name for now. What do you think, Sharu?" Shefali asked Sharda.
"What can I say?" Sharda replied. "But your point makes sense—accusing someone without solid proof isn't right."