Chapter 16
Sidharth
“My team and I haven’t found anything substantial yet. The only solid lead we have is that Constable Bahadur was the one who helped Prakash escape,” Viraj says in a clipped voice as he sits across from me in his office.
My jaw tightens at the news that we’ve got nothing solid. And just like that, my mind shifts into overdrive, strategizing every move I need to make to ensure Nisha’s never a target again.
Damn. Every second she’s out of my sight feels like a risk I can’t afford. That’s why I brought back Karan Singh. He was guarding Kavya before, and now he’s shadowing Nisha.
Nisha doesn’t have the slightest clue about it.
And that’s intentional because the last thing she needs is more fear.
She’s already tense with Prakash escaping jail and now this new asshole in the picture.
Knowing there’s someone shadowing her every move would only make her feel like she’s living in a cage.
And I don’t want that for her that’s the reason I didn’t discuss or tell about Karan.
“You’ve got fucking rats in your system,” I finally speak, pulling my focus back to the conversation.
“Every system does,” Viraj counters, taking a slow sip of his tea before setting the cup down. “Our job isn’t to complain about it, but to hunt the bastards down and make them pay.”
Viraj’s right. We need to catch these bastards.
And now that I know it’s not just Prakash, that there’s someone else out there trying to hurt Nisha, everything changes.
And I’ll be damned if I let them walk free.
Whoever’s involved is going to regret the day they even thought they could come after her.
This isn’t about justice anymore. This is personal.
“How’s Nisha holding up since you told her Prakash escaped?” Viraj asks.
I drag a hand down my face, the image of her terrified expression flashing in my mind.
“She had a panic attack when I told her, but she pulled herself together.” There’s a beat of silence before I add, “And the way she still shields Kavya and Sunita Aunty, burying her own trauma to protect them—that takes a strength most people don’t have.”
“You sound like you’re completely taken with her,” Viraj says bluntly.
I level him with a glare. “That’s none of your concern. You’re here to catch criminals, not play shrink.”
He leans back, his eyes steady. “Touchy. Must’ve hit a nerve.”
“Stop acting like a damn detective with my personal life and do your actual job.”
“Well, I’m a cop. It’s literally my job to notice when something’s off,” Viraj fires back.
“Then focus on the real threat and not on me.”
He huffs, shaking his head slightly. “Look, all I’m saying is, with my experience, I can tell. The way you want to protect her, it’s not just duty. It’s personal. And no matter how good you are at your job, when emotions get involved, they turn into a liability.”
I lean forward. “You think I don’t know that?
You think I don’t feel that risk every damn second?
Yes, it’s personal, and I’m not apologising for it.
But that doesn’t mean my feelings for her will make me weak when it comes to protecting her.
” I pause, my eyes locked on his. “I’m fully aware my feelings aren’t the priority here. Her safety is.”
Viraj raises an eyebrow. “Does she know how you feel about her?”
“She does,” I reply, my tone clipped.
“And how does she feel about it?” Viraj asks, his voice a little more measured now. “Given everything she’s been through, waking up from a coma and carrying all that trauma, how’s she handling the weight of your feelings on top of it?”
God, this man is clearly on a mission to get on my nerves with his constant questioning. Can’t he take the damn hint that talking about Nisha is off-limits and just shut up?
I narrow my eyes. “Why do you care, Viraj?”
“Will you stop lashing out?” Viraj states plainly, then exhales again before continuing.
“I’m not trying to step on your toes. But somewhere in the middle of all this, I started to care about Kavya.
And maybe that’s why I feel a sense of responsibility towards Nisha too.
” He holds my gaze. “And whether you agree or not, handling the Prakash case has pulled us in deeper. We’re not just two men working a case anymore.
We’ve started to actually see each other as people, not just professionals. ”
Now I feel like an ass for snapping at him.
The truth is, what he said isn’t wrong. When we first started handling this case, it was strictly business.
No trust, no personal talk, just two men doing their jobs.
But somewhere along the way, that changed.
Now we talk about things beyond the case. There’s an understanding between us.
I run a hand through my hair and sigh. “Look, with everything going on, I’m just worked up. I didn’t mean to come off like a jerk.” I glance at him, my voice lower. “You didn’t deserve that. You’re right. We’ve come a long way from just being two guys stuck on a case. So, yeah. My bad.”
Viraj gives a slight nod, the edge in his eyes softening. “Fair enough. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, will you finally tell me? Is Nisha okay with you?”
I let out a slow breath. “She’s still hesitant and guarded,” I admit, a small smile playing on my lips. “But she’s willing to take a chance. She’s agreed to have dinner with me, and I’ll take that as a positive start.”
“Well, no matter what kind of asshole you can be at times,” he says with a smirk, “you’re still a gem of a person underneath all that brooding. Reyansh and Kavya, they’ll be happy to know that you and Nisha—”
I cut him off before he can finish. “Reyansh and Kavya shouldn’t know about it,” I say firmly, the edge back in my voice.
His brows draw together, confusion flickering across his face.
“Why would you want to hide it?” he asks, his tone more curious than confrontational.
“You really think they wouldn’t be happy for you both?
It’s not like you’re doing something wrong.
” He leans forward slightly. “After everything, a little happiness is the one thing they’d want for her. ”
“If it were up to me, I’d shout it from the damn rooftop and let the whole world know what I feel for Nisha.
I couldn’t care less about people’s opinions.
” I let out a quiet breath. “But this isn’t about me.
It’s about her. She’s not ready to voice it yet, and the last thing I’d ever do is pressure her or take that choice away. She deserves that respect.”
Viraj leans back again and folds his arms. “You remind me a lot of myself back in the day when I met my wife.” His eyes soften with nostalgia.
“There was this one time when a guy tried to get a little too friendly with her at a café near her college. She didn’t even know I was around, but I’d made it a habit to swing by and keep an eye from a distance.
The moment I saw that jerk grab her wrist, I didn’t even think twice.
Walked straight in, pulled him off, and nearly broke his jaw.
The owner had to step in before I went too far.
” He laughs under his breath. “She was furious with me and called me dramatic. But later that night, she held my hand and said she’d never felt safer in her life. ”
A faint smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “Your wife is lucky to have someone like you watching her back.”
He looks at me, the smile fading into something more serious. “When you love someone like that, it’s not about control. It’s about knowing when to stand back and when to step in. And that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
I glance away for a second, then meet his gaze again.
“Maybe. But it doesn’t make it any easier, standing back and giving her space to catch up, especially when every part of me wants to pull her close and never let go.
It hurts like hell. Nevertheless, if time is what she needs, then that’s exactly what I’ll give her. ”
Viraj lets out a low chuckle. “You’re quite an intense man.”
“I’m,” I admit quietly. “But with Nisha, I don’t know how else to be. All I can hope is that one day, she feels for me even half of what I feel for her.”
Viraj nods slowly, a quiet respect settling in his eyes.
“She will,” he says simply.
I glance down at my watch and rise to my feet. “I should get going. Can’t be late for my first date,” I say, adjusting my jacket with a faint smirk.
Viraj grins and stands as well. “Have a great time.”
“I will,” I reply as I head out.
By the time I slide into the driver’s seat, my heart’s pounding with the thought of our first date.
Fuck, I’m acting like a damn teenager on his first ever night out.
But with Nisha, it feels like the first. I’ve been on dates before, sure, but none of them ever meant something worth counting.
That’s what makes this whole damn thing matter so much.