Between The Pages

Chapter 12

Though the room was engulfed in darkness, the little light from their TV was enough to reveal the nerves on his boss' face. They weren't the usual stern and confident ones, but for a change, there was a hint of tension evident in them. And why wouldn't it be? What they were watching on TV was nothing less than a miracle. That reporter's girlfriend was alive!

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I Anjali Sharma welcome you all to this hour of news at nine."

Raghav's eyes were focussed on TV as he watched the girl being shown from another angle. As she turned to face the other camera, he could see a knowing look in her eyes.

"The big news that's coming in today is about the robbery at the Emirates Bank. It's believed to be executed a couple of nights ago when the robbers managed to steal ten crore rupees from the bank's vault. Surprisingly though, the bank officials had chosen to remain quiet for a whole day. The real reason behind it is still unknown, but speculations are already being drawn around the missing bank manager. While many people believe it's an inside job, the big hole in the bank's vault defies that logic."

That was exactly how the boss wanted it to be. The vault they broke required two keys to open it. While that bank manager had one, the other was with someone else. Before heist, Raghav had proposed they make the manager steal the other key. Their job would've been so easy after that. But boss rejected it.

He had said he couldn't afford to risk it again. Already their plan had to be altered because of that manager, and he had said he didn't want any more hiccups. That was the first time Raghav had seen his boss play safe.

He could feel that boss was hiding something from them, but he dares not say it out loud. For he knew the consequences which would follow.

He glanced back at the TV to find a male anchor take that girl's place. He started to read some news but Raghav never heard them. Right at that moment, boss' voice thundered across the room.

"It's a recording. His girlfriend, she's still lying on a hospital bed. THIS WAS A BLOODY RECORDING."

Anger evident in his voice, boss paced the room in darkness.

"What do they think of us, huh? Do we look like some fools to fall for such silly traps? There's a reason we escape unscathed every time Raghav. There's no one in the police department who's smart enough to match our wits. Dumb rascals. And they think of us as fools too. Me? A fool?"

A confident laughter echoed in the room. But it didn't last long. The next news which played on TV snubbed it all to plunge the room into silence.

"A breaking news is coming in on the Emirates Bank robbery case. The police department has just now released a statement confirming the arrest of bank manager Deepa Narayanan. Here's what DCP Natasha had to say on this."

They heard the DCP's statement which was nothing more than what the anchor had already told. The birds in uniform had managed to snatch their puppet.

Raghav wasn't much worried though. He had faith in his boss. But what worried him more was the boss' reaction to it. He wasn't angry. He just sat there with his fingers caressing his forehead.

There was just one question which was nagging the boss' mind.

"Why did that manager got herself arrested? Why didn't she reveal the truth?"

***

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Dev rushed into their ward when the nurse came to inform him. As he opened his door, his happiness knew no bounds. There she was - the love of his life - giving him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Just her smile was enough for Dev to forget all the tensions crowding his mind. He was lost in her and she was lost in him.

As soon as the doctor left, Dev took her hand in his and sat beside her. It had just been a day, but it felt like an eternity since she had laid her head on his shoulder. As he leaned his head on hers, both closed their eyes to just take in the moment. It was nothing less than magic for them.

"Thank you for coming back Anju," he whispered in silence.

She opened her eyes and stared into his. In that split second, their eyes exchanged a million thoughts, but what she spoke literally left his speechless.

"Their bullets aren't strong enough to take me away from you."

All Dev could do was cuddle her again and get lost in the moment. He wanted to preserve every second of this silence, for he knew that what followed next was only chaos.

***

21st June 2017

"Truths should be revealed, but only at the opportune moment."

***

Since this last couple of chapters, I don't know why but I don't have any words to say to you.

I just feel like getting lost in the story and let my characters talk to you.

So till I find some words, chat with my characters.

And ya, stay tuned to find out those secrets...