Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

39) The Parting

Maurya, who was waiting in the car at the airport, jerked open his eyes at the hum of his phone. He winced in pain as he stretched his taut neck and stiff limbs. He had dozed off after checking the arrival time of Dharma's flight. He hadn't realized that he was so exhausted.

"Hello..."

"Hi Maurya, we have traced Chaitanya through his wife's call. One of my men went to Bilaspur to talk to her. We have got his exact location. He is moving towards Index Fashion House."

"Great! But be careful. He is very clever and he might discard his sim card."

"Don't worry, some of my officers are already approaching him. He wouldn't escape this time."

"Good!" Maurya sighed in relief. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was time for Dharma's flight. The sudden buoyancy of his mood rushed him towards the arrival gate.

*************

When Chaitanya answered the call, he instantly knew something was wrong. It disconnected as soon as he received it. Either someone had forced Arjun to contact him or the police had traced him. If they had traced him, they would arrest him soon. Hence, he decided to leave his current location. He had been hiding in the business district since he escaped from custody. Thankfully, no one had found him so far.

He marched towards Index Fashion. The hood of his oversized jacket hid his face from view. Half way to his destination, his phone rang.

"Hello..."

"Thank god you are fine. I was so worried...."

"What do you want?" Chaitanya asked his wife. He was puzzled by her call. Only Arjun had this number and that too because he had tailed him.

His wife was in a disgruntled mood, "What do I want? Don't you care that I have been ill and that I have been admitted in the hospital. Not once did you come to visit me. Where are you?"

"Listen, I have to go. I am in a hurry. I will visit you later." Thinking hard about the call, he made a guess that someone was tracking him through his wife. The wisest thing to do would be to take out the sim card and toss it away. Nevertheless, he didn't do it because he was still waiting for Rashika to contact him about Dharma.

Checking both sides of the road, he crossed, heading towards the opposite direction. All of a sudden, he heard police sirens. He saw two police vehicles coming towards him. Startled, he swung to the other side of the road. Again, he encountered police cars. His alarmed gaze drifted around the area. There was a guard at the entrance of a building. Thinking quickly, he took a step towards the man to use him as his cover. However, before he could do any such thing, he was surrounded by officers pointing their guns at him. Ordering him to kneel, one of the officers approached him with handcuffs.

He refused to accept his defeat. He vaulted across, to grab the man guarding the building.

At once, the policemen fired at him. Bullets hit him from all sides and he fell down.

His final thoughts embraced Dharma before he gradually went still.

****************

Dharma was shocked to learn that Rashika had not been alone during the accident. Dharma also gleaned from Pooja that Maurya had not left Rashika's side even for a moment.

Hauling her suitcase, Dharma exited the terminal. While Dharma waited for a taxi, someone greeted her.

"Hey..."

Dharma blinked at him in confusion. Amused, Maurya tugged the suitcase from her hand. She detected the lines of fatigue on his face. It occurred to her that he was probably losing his sleep over Rashika. The green-eyed monster raised its head even though she tried to suppress it. It reminded her of his departure from Anuragnicheri.