PART 23

''Hai rey Nandkishore,Surinder babua is so lucky to have such polite and obsequies cent son!That boy is one in a million.''Buwaji was continuously rambling about Shyam ever since they stepped out of the house.

Just in a matter of few hours,he had become buwaji's golden boy.She had been relentlessly gushing about him,especially in front of khushi to see whether she reciprocated the feelings that he had developed for her in first sight,but till now she had only been disappointed.

Buwaji's jabber about Shyam got on khushi's nerves,annoying her to no ends.

''Buwaji,stop singing ballads in his glory.We all have had it memorized by heart till now!''she said irritably.

''Oh Shut up Sankadevi!It won't get into your brain!I'm thinking about the girl whom he will marry.She will be the luckiest girl in the entire world!''Buwaji said pointedly.

Khushi blanched.She had no problems in recognizing what buwaji was insinuating at.

''Whatever!''she muttered and stalked off to her room in great dudgeon followed by Payal.

''Oho khushi don't be so upset.I know what's cooking in buwaji's mind but that's nothing to worry about.Nobody  will force you!''Payal tried to mollify her.

''Jiji,its not that!Its..I don't know,but that Shyam guy didn't appear to me as a neat one!''Khushi voiced her confusion,remembering the manic glint that had come in Shyam's unfathomable eyes when she had told him about her being a S.T.F. officer.

He was very keen to know the nuances of the drug racket that they were currently dealing with,though rather tactfully and inconspicuously to not to show his apparent interest.But he hadn't manged to fool khushi.

''Which crime thriller are you reading currently khushi?''Payal asked innocently.

''Jiji!''Khushi chided her,pouting her lips.

''Ok!But jokes apart,don't think about him.Who knows,maybe we won't even meet him ever?So,relax and go to sleep.You need rest khushi!''Payal said lovingly,pulling duvet over her sister and caressing her hairs gently.

Khushi wasn't gratified.A nagging voice in the back of her head kept whispering her doubts.

Thoroughly angry,khushi stared at the moon peeping from behind a  fleece of cloud until sleep took over her.

Her dreams were eclipsed by dark,vicious shadows......

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Far from the restless slumber of khushi,sat a man in a dark room watching T.V. He kept on replaying the news clipping.

''...speculations are doing round that drug peddlers were behind the attack on ACP Arnav Singh Raizada and officer khushi gupta.

As soon as khushi emerged out of the hospital,covered in blood and thoroughly exhausted followed by Akash,she was besieged by the paparazzi.

''Is this attack somehow connected to that drug racket ma'am?''

''What does the investigation say?''

''Who were the assailants?''

Media bombarded her with questions.

''We're probing into the matter and....''

But the man concentrated on her mellifluous voice instead of her words.There was a gentle fragility as well as a wild strength in her,which appealed  him.

He stared hungrily at the girl,imagining running his fingers through the silken mahogany of her hairs and cupping her cherubic face.

His spun webs of fantasy,smitten by her charm and tenacity.She was his type!

''Khushi,I'll make you mine!''he whispered.

His words hung ominously in the air.The nightmare was going to begin......