Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 157 - Going Home

The headlights of the procession stretched down the road, transforming it into a river of light.

The quiet Christmas night was suddenly bright with life and excitement.

Shehnaaz nestled her head on Sidharth’s broad chest. Every shred of loneliness within her had vanished. She knew where her past, present, and future belonged—by his side, and in his arms.

Shehnaaz sobbed quietly. In the silent night, her suppressed sobs were as heartbreaking to hear as the plaintive cries of a new-born kitten.

She did not want to cry openly.

Someone might hear her, and laugh at her for acting like a spoiled child at her age.

Besides, she was now aware that her feelings for Sidharth had changed: they had grown beyond the innocent, guileless trust of a young child towards her caretaker.

Once she was done crying, Shehnaaz  buried her head in Sidharth’s chest and took a long, deep breath, as though trying to absorb the warmth of his body.

Sidharth patted her gently on the back. He was soothing her, pacifying her, the way he used to when she was a much younger child.

Shehnaaz closed her eyes and finally lifted her head from Sidharth’s chest. She took a step backwards and broke away from his embrace.

She looked around her, and, for the first time, realized that Sidharth had practically brought an entire procession with him to pick her up.

A long line of military vehicles were parked on the road. The first three vehicles were mine-proof and explosion-proof 4WDs. These off-road vehicles were so sturdy, they would be able to run over a mine field and through a hailstorm of rocket missiles relatively unharmed.

Behind the 4WDs were four identical cars: black, sleek, and bulletproof. They served to confuse the enemy; anyone attempting an attack on the commander would first have to figure out which of the four bulletproof cars he was riding in.

The bulletproof cars were followed by three military pickup trucks, the standard form of military transport inside urban areas. Dozens of fully-armed orderlies rode in the back of each truck.

These were Sidharth’s orderlies, led by Harsh, the head orderly. They were under Sidharth’s direct command, and listened only to his orders.

As soon as Sidharth stepped out of his car, 100 fully-armed soldiers jumped out of the trucks behind him. They
took up stations at every entry into the long street, their guns loaded and at the ready.

Several pedestrians and cars tried to turn into the street, but all of them immediately turned around at the fearsome sight of the armed soldiers and made a detour.

Sidharth and his men had practically taken over the entire street.

Both Rohit and Deepak were dressed in their full lieutenant colonel uniforms. They stood together behind
Sidharth as they watched the surroundings attentively for possible threats.

A short distance away, military snipers knelt in position, behind walls and railings. They covered all the blind spots in the vicinity, defending the motorcade against potential enemy snipers.

Sidharth was the major general and acting commander of the 6th Military Region. It was standard procedure for someone of his rank to move about with a motorcade of this size.

He had rarely done so, however—in the past, he had almost always traveled incognito with minimal guards, all of them disguised in civilian clothing.

So why had he brought this grand procession with him just to pick her up?