Midnight Whispers (short stories collection) - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Vanraj Rajput
My gun clicked once... twice.... before I shot the man dead on the ground. Not only he kidnapped my own Nephew, kept him hostage for a whole fucking month, but he also has the audacity to ask me to forgive him!
I checked for CCTV footages, but these beggars had not had that even! I asked my men to pull the CCTV of fifteen kilometres radius area.
I was not a ruthless Mafia or something. I was a politician who was involved in a few activities related to Mafia. So my name was big in that field too. When I had been declared the major minister of my state, the first thing I wanted to stop was human trafficking, as it was something I hated this with guts. My sister and her husband --who was an orphan and a doctor-- died in a car accident, and I took Ved's custody.
My family lived away from me in a different mansion, and my father was a former politician and a businessman. I had a huge family, had many uncles and Aunts and cousins, and that was exactly why, I had a different mansion. Ved lived with me there only!
And now, even he was kidnapped. Not only it was a huge stigma on my image, but it was really worrisome. I had confirmed that the man had treated my nephew right, but still, he did a grave mistake to even look at him that way.
I looked at the recordings in front of me. Apparently, they had kidnapped some girl along with Ved so that this looked like a mass kidnapping. She was the teacher at one of my properties. And that girl had picked Ved and walked for ten kilometres with him in her arms.
I saw as she looked at him tenderly and hailed a taxi. However her face was not clearly visible. I got up from my chair. It had been one month and five days since I had not seen Ved. I got to my car, and signalled the driver to hand me the keys. On my way I got her address and rushed my care there. My whole family was in panic mode every since Ved had been kidnapped.
I parked my car in the small street. The house were all small but they had the warmth. They had this aura, that families were living in them. I got inside the house, whose lock was easy to decode. I looked around if there was some trap set for me. And since there was not I went inside. One by one, I checked the room of the small house and finally I opened the last room.
A petite woman was sleeping on the bed, covered with the heavy blanket. I walked over to her and looked over her on the bed. Ved was sleeping nuzzling to her, his hand tight around her waist.
Ved was a closed off child. That was the reason he preferred to be with me instead of my family of twenty people.
I slowly went to the girl who was sweating and removed to hair strands from her face. A bolt struck me as I looked at her face. Damn! She was beautiful!
I smiled and then scowled. Wait! I am finding someone beautiful?
I went back to my angry mode as my mood soured that I felt something... anything for someone. Taking I never feel something for anyone except for my family. I walked out and sat on the chair of the dine. An hour later the woman came and drank some water. It was only then she noticed me. I watched her like a hawk. In the dimly lit room, she was looking stunning. And in a few strides I pinned her to the slab of her kitchen. My hands itched to run on her beautiful face which was showing how scared she was. I raised my hand to do as my heart wanted, but the sound of steps stopped me.
She got more scared and told Ved to go back to the room. She thought I was threat to him. She was about to push me. I locked her leg with mines and grabbed her neck.
"Sleep." I said before pressing on her never making her unconscious. I caught her before she could slump to the ground. Ved ran up to me. I took her in my arms and asked Ved to follow me. He jumped on me.
"Mamu." He said, in a voice which was telling me he was about to cry. I looked at him, but since I already had a lady to handle I asked him to follow me to the car.
"Are we taking Tamsa didi with us?" He asked in all his innocence.
Tamsa
"Yes." I said. I made her lie on the back seat of my car/ And then bent down and hugged Ved. Relief washed over me. Finally, he was back where he belonged to. Ved started crying, talking incoherently. I soothed him. Ved was more than a responsibility. He was my life. He was the last essence of my sister.
"Everything is alright now, Ved" I rubbed his back. In contrary to the ruthless and emotionless image, I had a great bond with Ved. We shared a lot of thing, and Ved was a secret keeper. I asked him to get into the car.
Ved used to love sitting on the front seat. But to my surprise he went on the back seat and kept Tamsa's head on his lap. I sighed and took the driver's seat and drove both of them to the mansion. Whole throughout the ride, Ved was all about Tamsa. Tammu this, Tammu that. I felt Jealous of her. She definitely formed a bond with him. I looked through the back mirror, to find Ved stroking Tamsa's hairs with a small smile on his lips. I was too stunned to speak.
Ved was way too reserved to do something like this. He never smiles to anyone, not even mom. After his parents death, everyone tried to make him so happy, but he was least interested in them. He never smiled.
I know I should not say this but, had this kidnapping did something good to Ved?
I did not wanted Ved to have a image I had right now! I did not wanted him to be known as ruthless emotionless man I was. I pulled in the driveway of the Mansion and opened the backseat to pick the woman up.
"Careful" Ved said. I raised my eyebrow at him, he shrugged innocently.
"Can we take her to my room?" He asked.
"No Ved, she will be in guest room, you should sleep in your room. You are tired after all that happened!" I said. Even though, This woman, Tamsa was still a suspect, I did not want Ved to be upset. So I'll just keep her hostage in the guest room, and after everything is clear, she is free to go wherever she wants.
"No, I'll stay with her." Ved said. His voice filled with resolve. I took her to the room and made her lie down on the bed. I covered her with blanket and Ved was on her side in a minute. He was looking at her as if she was some fallen angel. I knew she had saved life of Ved, while keeping hers on bay, had walked such a long distance only for him. Ved must have formed an unbreakable bond with her.
I took the chair and sat near the bed as I saw Ved kissing her cheek and then lying near her.
It looks like I had staring problems
Bad staring problems
I was gawking at Tamsa's face for past an hour. She was beautiful, no doubt. But I had seen so many beautiful woman in my life, but none interested me even a single percent of the way Tamsa did. I saw as she started sweating. She was having a nightmare again. Ved looked at her concerned and I looked at her, as worry filled my heart.
Why the hell I am worried for a stranger??
And within a minute she woke up with a jolt.
"Ved" she shouted before looking for him. She pulled him to herself and checked him twice for a sign of injury before finally letting him go and hug him. She had not noticed me. But as soon as relief washed over her, realisation struck her hard. Her eyes snapped open as she slowly turned to me.
Her brown eyes struck against my grey.
"So Tamsa..." I said she gulped.
"Should we talk for why my nephew was with you in your house?"