Under the Stars

Ajay's end ?

" End is just a new beginning."
 
                                  -Again me. ________________________________________________________________

Mohit and co had checked in at Hotel Park plaza, on the outskirts of Panjim, the capital of Goa. It was calm and beautiful in this part of the city.

More than beautiful, this part was the backbone of Goa. Any lead regarding Aahana's case, circled this place.

And due to the courtesy of transfers, Ajay had been in these parts before. He was quite familiar with the people and police over here, which he thought would be an advantage during the  investigation.

But presently, he was strolling around a few kilometers away, at Deltin Royale market, with Nikki by his side. They were on a vigorous shopping mission.

Ajay smiled as Nikki lead the way for him, chatting endlessly, with much of her talk revolving around her friend Cody.

"Who's Cody?" Ajay asked after a while, his interest piqued.

"He's very cute, he cares for me soooo much, I think he likes me, we play..."

"Ok ok relax, I understand you like him a lotttt," he taunted, suppressing a chuckle.

Nikki blushed at this remark, but keeping quiet was not something she was accustomed to. So, she again started to chat excitedly.

"Don't you like someone?" she suddenly asked, clutching Ajay's shirt.

"Hmmm..."

"You like hmmm?"

"I like chips," Ajay said, after thinking for a while. Girls were complicated, chips were not.

"Noooo not like that," she protested, clearly unhappy with the humourless answer.

Ajay couldn't resist but ask the question that bugged him for quite a while now.

"D'you think Mohit likes Diya?"

"Oh, yes. They like each other a lotttt, they always fight and I know that we fight with people we love the most."

"And, how do you know all this?"

"Movies, Ajay. You should see the movies of Shahrukh khan, they tell you all about love."

It felt like Nikki was the grown up, while Ajay the pestering little kid, who constantly asked questions.

The conversation between them could've been mistaken for a one between two adults, Nikki was way ahead in terms of maturity.

Thus, she was charge of selecting gifts, with Ajay only her mere assistant.

They went from one stall to another, selecting things. Nikki bought a toygun for Cody, a locket with M engraved on it for Mohit, and a funny looking goggle for Diya.

Ajay gazed at her intently, while she selected gifts for her family.  Suddenly, she came running to him, with a spongebob cartoon frame in her hand.

"Hey, I'm taking this for you. Do you like it?" she asked, handing it to him.

"I love it, but what would I do with a frame?"

"When we reach Shimla we would take a group photo and you can put it in that frame. You'll not forget us, then," she said, with sparkle in her eyes.

Ajay could feel himself being drawn to this little girl more and more, she was now family.

"You're my best friend, Nikki," he said, ruffling her hair affectionately. Nikki smiled in return, adding the frame to her list.

While they were at it, two odd looking men stood there in the shop, intently observing them. They were tailing Ajay and Nikki all along waiting for the right moment to strike....

Nightfall had already taken a rough silvery tint, by the time they finished shopping. Glancing at his watch, Ajay saw that it was almost 10pm. Time sure flies when we're having fun, he thought.

Nikki was feeling drowsy by now, but still she requested to visit the beach once, before returning. Ajay tried to reason her, but to no avail.

Finally, losing the argument, Ajay and Nikki headed towards the beach, and along with them headed those two people.

They were silent and discreet, making it impossible to tell that they were following someone.

Nikki was almost on the verge of falling asleep, so Ajay took her in his lap, moving along the silvery coastline.

They enjoyed the cold breeze that drizzled past them, as the night turned a shade darker. While aimlessly tracing the sand, they suddenly came across an old abandoned house facing the sea.

Nikki by now was fast asleep, but Ajay felt wide awake. His breath was heavy from carrying her for so long, and he was glad to accept some rest.

Crowd had almost thinned out, with a few people here and there. The atmosphere felt calm, just like it feels before the storm.

Only if...

"Turn around!!" suddenly boomed a baritone voice, just a few feet away from Ajay.

Sensing danger, he slowly turned, just to be greeted by two men aiming revolvers at him.

"Give us the kid or we'll kill you and take her by force," said the younger looking man.

"Well, you will eventually kill me, even if I handover this girl," Ajay said, with no sense of fear in his voice.

"Fine then, we'll take both of you to our boss and then you are free to live a life worse than death."

"Tempting offer, yes, but I refuse." Ajay replied, with an evil grin spreading all over his face.

It was enough for the two men and they didn't bother giving anymore warnings.

Suddenly, two damped gunshots in the heart of the night, and everything felt silent...

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