Siddharth

I tried to open my eyes. They were heavy and I struggled to open them. After few moments of trying I slowly opened my eyes and the bright light in the room made them go blind again. I blinked my eyes few times to get adjust to the light before I could open them again.

I frowned staring at the white ceiling above me and then I felt a prick at the back of my head. My hands automatically went to cup my head and I realize my head was covered in bandage. I groaned scratching the bandage and tried to get up. My head was hurting and I closed my eyes tightly to relieve the pain.

That's when everything happened crossed my mind and my eyes shot open and a gasp escaped my mouth. I sat straight ignoring the pain my head causing me. "Sid, what are you doing? Lay down man. You need rest." I heard Josh's voice.

I tilted my head to my left and saw him getting up from the couch and walking towards me with a concerned look. "What happened? How did I get here?" I asked him.

"I should be the one asking you that. Someone hit your head and you passed out on the corniche. It's your luck that your security people found you on time and brought you to the hospital. Your brother woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me to come to the hospital and didn't even let me close my eye even for a minute because I was getting calls from him for every fucking ten minutes even though I told him that you are fine and is under sedation and will be waking up soon. So now you tell me what is going on? Who hit you and why were you in the corniche at that time?" He asked me and sighed heavily.

"What time is it? How long I have been asleep?" I questioned him instead of answering him. "It is half past eleven and you have been out for nearly 12 hours." He said.

"Shit. I should go. I have to find her." I said while removing the sheet covering me and the panic rising inside me. I hope Aami is fine. I flinched at the thought of her getting hurt. The cold stare of that monster flashed in front of me. I gripped the bed tightly and tried to get up from it ignoring the pain at the back of my head.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I said you need rest." Josh shouted at me and tried to push me back to the bed. "No. No. You don't understand Josh; I have to go before it's too late. Otherwise they will kill her. I have to find her as soon as possible." I said the panic hitting on my nerves.

I struggled to get out of his grip but he was not budging. I pushed him back with force. "I said leave me. I have to go. Don't you get it?" I shouted at him and my blood boiling in anger and frustration. I glared at my best friend lying on the floor on his back with a startled look in his face, gritting my teeth I looked away to clam myself. I closed my eyes tightly trying to even my breath.

"Let him go, Josh." I heard the voice that gave me the most secure feeling. I opened my eyes and looked at the figure of my brother walking inside the suite.

He walked towards Josh and lends his hand to him. He took it and stood up from the floor. Then he looked at me. His eyes filled with unreadable emotions. "Your discharge papers are ready. We are leaving soon." He said with authority looking at me. I looked at him unable to read what is going through his mind.

"What? But the doctor said he should be kept in observation for one more day. Then why are you getting him discharged?" Josh asked with confusion written all over his face.

"Because, we are going to get his back." He said with his steady glare. A gasp left my mouth and looked at him in shock. He knew, but how?

He must have noticed my confusion because his glare turned towards the door of the room and my gaze followed his. I saw a person standing there looking at me, the same person who received a punch from me yesterday, Gautham.

He gave me a small tight lipped smile and nodded his head. I sighed and looked away. I couldn't meet his gaze. I feel irresponsible. I took her from his home and I couldn't even protect her. I don't know in what condition she is in. I fisted my fingers and closed my eyes tightly. I could feel my nails digging my palms and I tried to gulp down the lump forming in my throat.

Suddenly I was engulfed in a tight embrace and the familiar smell of cologne hit my nostrils. That's when I let my guard down. I hugged him back and buried my head in the crook of his neck and a sob escaped my mouth. Tears that I didn't know existed, flow down from my eyes wetting his shirt.

He rubbed my back in a soothing way and held me tightly. "I want her back Ved. I can't lose her." I said gripping his shirt tightly. "You won't. I promise." He said and patted my back.

I let him go and looked at his face. He gave me small smile and cupped my face. He wiped my tears with his thumb and patted my face. "Come let's go." He said walking out the room and I followed.

"Wait. What is going on? Whose wife? Where are you both going?" We stopped and turned around when we heard the confused voice of Josh.

"We tell you everything once we come back. For now I need you to handle the office till we come back." Ved said with his serious voice and Josh sighed and looked at me. I nodded at him and for my relief he didn't push further and agreed with us.

I sighed and turned around to go. Aami, please fight it. Be alive I will come for you, no matter what.

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I throw the glass in my hand in anger, breaking it into pieces and sat on the couch placed in the hotel room. I rubbed my face in irritation. It's been hours we landed in Bangalore and we couldn't get any help from the police.

"They are really influential Ved. I am trying my best but I am bound to the law. We could ask for a search warrant if we have the evidences but you said you couldn't find it." Harsh said with a sigh.

Harsh Rana, is one of the few closest friends Ved had. He is an IPS officer and is currently serving as ACP in the city.

"What about her parents murder case? Didn't they find anything against that ashram in their case too?" Ved asked.

Harsh looked a little hesitant. "Actually there is no such case has been filed." He said and looked away.

I frowned and looked at him. "What do you mean by that?" I asked confused.

He took a deep breath. "There has been no murdered reported like that Sid. When Ved called me I enquired about it and what I have been told is that Mr. Ranganath and his family left city because of all the unfortunate events happened to him and his family." He said in an impassive tone. His lips curled into a tight line.

"What the fuck? How is that even possible? She saw them getting killed in front of her eyes and there has been no case on it? Then what hell the cops are doing?" I screeched at him while getting up from the couch.

"Sid." Ved held my shoulder and tapped it to clam me down.

"Sid, I don't know much about it because I have been here for only four months and this happened nearly a year before. And there has been no dead bodies discovered and identified as them. There were no complaints about them missing or getting killed. The only witness who saw the crime was in hiding. Then how do you expect the police to do something? I am trying to crack this case but I couldn't get any hold because they seem so influential. If everything you are saying is right then we need really hard evidence to raid that ashram and expose everyone behind it." He said still sitting on the bed with a cold expression.

I gritted my teeth and looked away. I hate this guy and his attitude. I am tolerating him only because he is Ved's friend. "Did Gautham called you? Did he find the evidences at his home?" Ved asked.

I shook my head. "No he couldn't find anything. I don't know where she kept that. Josh searched her cabin it was not there also. Only she knows where it is." I said rubbing my forehead.

"Sid. Just cool down okay, we will find her." Ved said with a concerned look.

"Cool down?!!! You are telling me to cool down at this situation? She is kidnapped by a psycho to where no one knows. I don't know in what condition is she in and what they are doing to her. And it's been a day since she is missing and police couldn't even file a complaint against those mother fuckers and you want me to cool down?" I asked him furiously.

"Sid." He called softly while gripping my shoulders tightly. I pursed my lips and pinched my nose. I looked up and sighed heavily.

I looked at him. "I am scared Ved, like really scared. What if... what if they do something terrible to her? They are so brutal in their ways of tortures." I said defeated.

Ved looked at me worried and I knew he too was not so confident. "I hope they won't do anything to her till they get the evidences. Because only she knows where it is?" He said mostly to himself.

The night was restless. Sleep was nowhere near me. I was trying to figure where she hid the evidence but there was no luck. Twisting and turning me somehow managed to make it to the dawn.

I was walking towards the restaurant downstairs where Ved and Harsh was waiting for me. I entered the restaurant and looked around for them and spotted them at a corner table and walked towards it.

I sat down next to Ved and Harsh was facing us. He cleared his throat and looked at me. "So I was saying that it will be better if work on our own so here is the blue print of the ashram I managed to get and I think we should just go in ourselves and try to find her." He said and gave a questioning look.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. He mirrored my expression and continued talking. "But the thing is the ashram is really large for just three of us and we don't even know where they have being keeping her captive so this is a Himalayan task." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Ved sighed beside me and gave a squeeze on my palm. "Let's do this." He said looking at me and I nodded.

"Okay so we are doing it tonight. We will sneak into the ashram and will search for her." He sighed before telling the thing I dreaded the most. "I hope we are not too late."

I fisted my fingers and took a deep breath. Ved tapped my shoulder and rubbed my back to calm me down. That's when we heard someone shouting from a nearby table. A young couple was arguing about something with the waitress and she was trying to calm them down. The young waitress was on the verge of crying when a lady walked towards them and intervene their conversation.

Her back was facing us and she was wearing a black pencil skirt and a black blazer. I could see the white collar of her shirt behind her neck. Her brown straight hair falling down to her hips and the way the young couple listening to her and nodding their heads made me realise that she handled the situation well.

I saw her shaking hands with them and whispering something to the young girl. She gave her a grateful smile and walked away. Then she turned around facing us and that's when I saw her face. I gasped in shock and looked at Ved.

He had his eyes fixed on her face without wavering. So many emotions going through them and I could sense them becoming glassy and he was gulping nervously. I looked back her and saw the same expression mirroring her eyes. But unlike Ved her eyes couldn't hold back the tear rolled out from her eyes.

I could see her struggling to compose herself while biting her trembling lips and gulping down the sobs and then she turned around and stormed out of the restaurant.

I heard the screeching sound of the chair beside me and saw Ved running behind her, calling out her name. "NIHARIKA."

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