Beware! It's unedited..

At the outskirts of the city, on Bhadbhada dam Laksh was leaning against his Royal Enfield, puffing smokes, eyes on the horizon. By evening he was supposed to meet his buddies of mayhem, smug now he was, gluttonous for applauds and re-acceptance from his peers.

"Sorry, Laksh. Like many of us I had misconceptions about you." Yudh placed a hand on his shoulder. "None of us took you seriously." He patted on his back, dropped on the railing, legs dangling in the air.

The set of eleven sluice gates of the dam was yet to be opened, with hardly significant rainfall Kaliasote river had its regular flow of water. Yet its raging torrents had danger written all over it. Laksh neared the grouchy scarred muscle man, still wary of his mood. "Get down, Yudh."

"Come on, Laksh! Don't be a spoilsport. When have you ever been scared of playing with fire ?"

As if to answer, Laksh mirrored Yudh's position, relieved for he was not mistaken as a treacherous b*****d anymore. Yudh placed a hand around his shoulder like good old days, when they had been close enough to qualify for friendship day celebration. "Scared and me? That I never was. You should know me better." Laksh left a sigh. "Now that I proved myself, I hope there'll be no secrets between us anymore." They would enlighten him regarding Swara's whereabouts probably, he secretly hoped.

Darkness marred the play of twilight over Yudh's haggard yet livid form as he recalled Jaitley's special live press meet.

"Yes, I was well informed way before this attack. Yet I didn't step back, instead chose to face the gun, relying on the protection of our special forces. Those miscreants saw my zero tolerance policy against terrorism as a threat. I assure you, this fear of theirs would not turn out to be baseless. Today they arrested one big fish. Give me an opportunity, together we'll wipe out entire existence of Black Wolves."

"Of course. Everything is crystal clear." His lips twitched. "Right this moment you must be flying."

And the next moment Laksh was flying indeed, chucked away by calloused hands of Yudh, in the mouth of thirsty Kaliasote currents.

**********************************

Sebastian came forward. "I'll come with you."

"Here comes Knight in shining armor, ladies!" Garry winked at the girls,Swara and Anna, a young paramedic with black pixie cut hair. Sebastian chose not to revert and came out, hands raised above his head. LSD mafia' s voice turned grim. "I said nice, not trouble. Send me a girl."

Sebastian was not ready to budge when Anna butted in. "It's okay. You can take me with you."

Amid these convos, Swara was eerily silent. Her rational mind was single driving force behind her abstinence from altruism and proactive self. Black Wolves' key sponsor was breathing fire mere inches away from her. One impulsive move from her side could land Sanskar and their entire mission into jeopardy. Last few turbulent months of her life had taught her how to back off at the right time. Moreover her promise to Sanskar did mean something to her.

The cocky bouncer whispered something to his boss, who slanted his eyes in response. Swara felt unsettled as those eyes with color of rattlesnakes raked her from head to toe. Duncan looked eerily satisfied, even patted his man on the back.

Rock, the bouncer marched towards Anna, smirking all the way, stopped by her side. But his hairy grizzly bear like arm pounced for someone else, snakes tattooed along the length made the swoop scary as shit.

"Too bad I have a thing for famous pretty ones. Nice to meet you, Dr Bose. "

*****************************************************

Sanskar heart lurched seeing the scene before him. The van was dashed the wall on one side, damaged as the spray paint graffiti was on it. Keith was unconscious on the ground, lying on a stretcher, blood still slightly oozing from his wound pressed by thick layers of gauges. Sebastian had lifted his head as additional measures and Anna was assisting him.

His lips tightened in a grim line. Sebastian realized what Sanskar might have assumed. "Not once she acted martyr tonight. Her stars weren't exactly shiny you know. Anyways, I think she left a message for us."

He recalled something Swara had said before her forced departure. "I can't blame anyone if you swore to never help me in future . All I give is crap, and I expect others to grab and clean it. Sorry for being such a selfish b*tch."

***********************************************

Those fleeing smugglers had just taken a turn to the left after passing few zigzag narrow lanes, when the silhouettes of few humans came out of the concealed corners.

"Oops! Busted, aren't we?" Acid king had an acrid smirk, true to his name. He grabbed Swara from clutch of Rock. With her legs and wrists tied behind her back, mouth gagged she was practically defenseless. Skin on her legs had multiple abrasion marks on them, shoulders aching as she had been dragged all the way. The short barrel of Luger LCR poked hard on her neck, just behind her chin and a muffled moan of pain escaped her mouth. Garry's face appeared more vile under the single streetlight, his free hand pulled her head by her thick long tresses.

"Stop right there, Duncan." Ayaz pointed his Smith and Wesson, his teeth clenched grip on the butt of his gun hardened seeing Swara's harsh treatment. Behind him Zack, Ryan and few others had taken position.

"Can't really do that. I've got my VIP pass, see?" He was about to move when blaring noise of weapon shot whizzed past him.

A bundle of nerves though he was, yet Ayaz stood threatening. His stance said, those scoundrels would not see another day, had anything happened to her. In turn Gary wiggled his eyebrows, unlocking the safety catch he pressed his finger on trigger, posing silent challenge.

You are in no position to bargain. The message was loud and clear. Frustrated AK raised his palm nevertheless, a signal for others to back off. He was almost the last one to leave, when a thudding sound compelled him to stop midway.

Turning to them, sight of Swara landed on the road left him shaken. Curled up in fetal position, eyes bulging out of the sockets and her chest was heaving violently. He rushed to her, pushing Rock out of his way he grabbed the collar of Mafia king. "What the f**k you've done with her?"

*******************************************

Signs of struggles. Few drops of blood on the ground. A broken thin silver bracelet with stone embellished charms dropped all the way.

As stealthily Sanskar kept moving, more of her trails came into his notice. She did her best to be found, he thought. His ears perked all on a sudden, the receiver on his magnetic ear stud came into life.

Gary's slithery voice took a panicky route, in between someone's labored breathing and groans. Sanskar frowned as he could heard Ayaz uttering some really colorful expletives for that mafia guy. He barked back, denying any responsibility for the condition Dr Bose was in and ordered someone to remove the gag from her mouth.

Sanskar froze on the spot. All he could gather that Swara was having a severe asthma attack, triggered by stressful condition she was in, fatal enough to unless she got nebulized bronchodilator* within minutes.

******************************

Gary Duncan was not ready to back off. Cocky him cocked the trigger of Luger, bolt pulled to the rear end, just this close to fire. His lips twisted in satisfaction as Ayaz bounced back. Was that a stance of compromise?

This extremely handy woman , better she'd survive this round.

"Please."Speech was a Herculean effort for Swara, thanks to her ragged , worsening respiratory status. Earnestly so she pleaded. "Don't make this difficult for me." Having no alternative, Ayaz went for retreat, leaving her at the mercy of the Devil.

No longer had been he out of the sight, she went limp and numb. Eyelids clamped shut, giving away to oblivion.

Gary cursed his stars and lean over the lady on whom so many people's fate had been wagered.His gaze fell on her hands, turning bluish with time. He untied them, giving massage for better circulation. Those knots were tricky though, both of his own hands got engaged during detangling process.After all, that bouncer of his had spent his earlier life on docks like a crude animal and learnt all those neat sailors' tricks.

He grumbled and spat profanities some more as he unfastened the trucker's hitch around her feet, one of the tightest knot among all. Someone must have got seriously pissed off at sparing usage his filthy tongue, because next moment a hard blow attacked him from nowhere, knocking the air out of his windpipe.

Like a snake flaring hood,'near dead' Swara kicked below his chin, where her instep landed harsh blow over his trachea. Not letting to recuperate her offender she spinned on her bum like Potter's wheel, spread leg kicking Gary's Luger from his reach in the process and bounced back on her feet.

****************************************
Ideally a Black Wolf would have left any ailing person to die, never minding how high the hotness female quotient was. But Swara Bose was a fine goose with promises of golden eggs.

Hell that untimely asthma attack and that Goddamn machine called nebulizer! Figuring outs all those plugs, mask, air filter, glass cover and other few bla bla staffs was simply not his cup of tea. Why couldn't she ask for inhaler or something?

Better he call for expert hands. Those docs perhaps?

"And leave him to die?" Sebastian was rude, much to his surprise. He was still working on that unconscious guy, alone. Of course, only this guy had Knight in shining armor syndrome, unlike others who had left the scene at earliest possible moment.

"Excuse me. Someone called for an anaesthesiologist?"

A relieved sigh escaped from Rock's nicotine stained lips, as he looked at the new entrant in scrubs and mask. "Hey, you! Come with me."

****************************************

Acid king let out an animalistic growl, his eyes widened in shock and pain as more of well calculated kicks landed on his stomach and groin one after another. He sprayed his arms in an attempt to grab her ankle, but his poor visuals betrayed him. Swara's very last on spot kick on his male pride showed him twinkling stars before his eyes.

Swara almost smirked at screaming drug lord as she picked up the gun on her way. On the very next moment that elvish grin faded away. Who was she kidding? That guy was no petty goon. Garry with his stoic physique recuperated the blow pretty quick and jumped on his feet. Eyes flaring red with menace, he went for her neck right away. She leapt back, hands on the gun and fired.

"ARGH!You bloody-" Blood spurted from one of his outstretched arms and Gary hollered like a wild boar. His other hand grasped the back of her neck in spite of his pain. Swara, a combat rookie was no match for him. Desperate her aimed a straight knee strike, he ducked really smooth and dunked her in a water filled barrel kept outside a diner, closed for the night.

Never fake an illness. So says wise men. You never know what will hit you. This time she was really breathless.

Not for that long though.

***************************************

Sanskar's steps came to a halt. Swara was lying still on the ground, that Devil's sibling in disguise looming over her. Did he fail to beat the clock?

Never was he aware of her physical condition. How dare she never thought it was worth mentioning? He was regretting for getting her in his turbulent world once again. But her next course of action made him smile. Nope, the correct term would be his face widened as he heard sound of struggle.

He was so proud of her! His kickass, feisty Nymph.

SSR sprang back to life, he pounced on currently livid bouncer, tackled him to the ground, hands immobilized by his long flexed knees. Sanskar went for nutcracker's choke, grabbing on the side of collar, closing in, crushing Adam's apple with knuckles of trigger fingers. Wiggling was all Rock could do, his legs battled against his ambusher's rear bearing latter's upper body weight and finally giving into darkness.

Splash!

Sanskar looked up, over there tables had turned again. He grabbed the weapon, a Smith & Wesson handgun, left behind the shadowy corner of alley and fired. Once. Twice.

The vicious grip on her was suddenly loose. Her limbs wobbled, her head submerged deeper. A feeling of deja vu, a blast from the past. Regardless of haywire situation she had a premonition, that something was about to change soon. Was she paranoid? Maybe she was, one of a good kind. She was confident. Every time angel of doom paid a visit, her own guardian angel never failed to come and lured her back into life.

She could still reel the feel of his warm lips moulded over hers, on the bank of Shivanasamudra, sincerely they gave her at first, only to rob her senses moments later. That night she had forfeited herself to one caramel eyed enigma, unknowingly even to herself.

Just not her both first kisses, be it therapeutic or erotic.

A pair of arms circled around, pulling her weakened body from liquid hell. Placing her belly on knees, they pressed her back, water spurted of her mouth. Life was calling.

Sanskar was calling. She could never brush aside that, even supposing the paradise was on the other side of the fence.

Her good senses chose her Sun, with all mortal and shiny prospects of life.

*****************************

Sanskar kissed his girl on the top of her head once more as he cradled her in his arms. The night had been weary enough, scary enough. An epiphany hit him suddenly.

Life was too short, too unpredictable to waste any of it. There is no right time to grab happiness. He wanted Swara, all of her. Nothing would change this and he could wait no more.

A black sedan was parked beside the ambulance. Sanskar mentally thanked AK for the small mercy. He placed Swara on passenger seat and called for Sebastian, "You've got some prolene over there?"

Swara couldn't tear her eyes, melting and mushy inside, from her by default personal superhero. Her fingers caressed his bullet injury on his arm. Bandage, that he should get one, but she didn't think stitching up would do it any real good.

But Sanskar had other plans. He was down on his knees, her left palm into his, smoothly wrapping unpacked prolene thread in loops with other one.

"Quite a handful to deal, pricey, ready to snap in the hands of fool. This blue thread and you are so similar, do you get that? Still I want you at the end of the day, at every waking second I want to see you are in front of me." His eyes shifted to her, warm and intense. "No more I can sleep just assuming or knowing you exist somewhere, albeit it's down the hall. I want you wrapped around me without losing yourself.Obviousness of yours is what I wish, to hold me together in distress, to heal me by your mere presence."

"You're not letting me to heal you, Mr boyfriend." Swara's hand went up to his arm, where a bullet had brushed past his skin, admonishing him. "This, needs attention. Not me. I'm already blessed with loads of it."

He stopped her in the midway. His voice was ragged, breathy. He left her stunned for a split of second, until beautiful reality dawned upon her as she looked down.

That deep blue surgical suture was hugging her left ringer in knots, the most bizarre yet adorable blue ring ever.

"Try Mr Husband... and I'm all yours." His lips touched hers to seal the deal. "Marry me, Nymph."

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⭐️⭐️ Author's note: (Added later)
Long time no see, huh? I'm extremely sorry for keep you guys waiting. My schedule alone is crazy, and 2 back to back weddings in my family made things worse.Thank you for some nominations in different awards. I should have reply them personally, but you know... Also I missed to some updates of my favorite writer cum friends especially Charmash -Nynaeve LostInFictions GS_Stella . So, the list goes on and on.

Please vote and comment if you feel this chapter deserves it. Thanks for being with me.
Anahita