The Red Dragon's Lair

Taking advantage

Anya had a busy day. She reached the station after visiting Sushant’s place, just in time for lunch.

Before she could settle down for her meal Eknath, her constable knocked at her cabin door and walked in.

“Sorry Anya, I know you haven’t had lunch yet but we need to go to KEM hospital urgently,” he said.

“What happened?” Anya pushed the plate of food aside, picked her baton and cap. They headed out in a rush.

“A 14 year old junkie is battling for life. He was found in a gutter in the Janata Vasahat (name of the slum) slums,” said Eknath as they drove towards the hospital.

“What else did you get?” Anya asked.

“He resides at Prabhat road and comes from a double income family.”

The boy was in the hospital ICU while his mother waited in the corridor crying hysterically.

“Mam, I am so sorry for what you are going through. Can you help us? Do you have any idea about when your son got into drugs? Who he meets? His friends?  Anything?” Anya asked.

She shook her head. “Ask that rascal Marcus. He is the one. After they became friends my son's behaviour changed.”

“Who is Marcus?  Do you know his address?”

“They moved into our locality recently from Mumbai.”

A young doctor who looked like an intern approached them. “Sorry we couldn’t save your son Mrs Gadde,” he informed the woman. She broke out into fresh hysterics. Anya asked Eknath to give her water to drink.

“Mam, Where is Mr Gadde?” Anya asked

“He is in Mumbai on an official tour.”

“We might contact you again if we need to,” said Anya. “Eknath get Marcus’ address. Time to go, see him.” Said Anya and they headed out.

They did not find Marcus for a couple of days. He wasn't available at his home and his parents did not know about his whereabouts. Finally, they received a tip-off from their informer. Eknath and Anya went to a drug den in the area where Tarun Gadde, the now deceased, 14 years old was found.

The area was like a dump yard with heaps of junk around. A shanty stood at the far end of the junkyard. Gutters of sewage ran on 2 sides of the smelly ground. They heard a boy scream for help. His sound got muffled as if someone had covered his mouth. They split up and started looking around. 

Behind one of the piles of junk, Anya spotted a large man standing behind a youngish looking boy. The man had blocked the boy's cries by one hand and locked his hands behind his back by his other hand. Another man looked shorter. He was trying to roughly shove a syringe up the boy's left arm.

Running towards them, Anya shouted, “STOP! Police.” She mentally calculated her options. They didn’t have their guns on. Only batons. But she was good in hand to hand combat.

The shorter man who was trying to inject the boy turned around to punch Anya. She dodged it and punched in his muscular belly, with her rings on. He fell back due to pain. The other man hit the boy on his head. The boy collapsed and the man ran towards Anya. He held Anya’s hair from behind while the other one walked towards her with a knife. Anya elbowed the larger man one behind her.

He bent down with pain but didn’t let go of her hair. In one fluid motion, she leaned all her weight on the man behind her and kicked in the balls of the shorter man in front of her. He reeled back in pain while she landed unsteadily on her feet. She turned around with her hair still in the large guy's hand and head butted his face, breaking his nose. 

He left her hair and held his nose to stop bleeding. She took the chance to land a solid punch on his face knocking him out. While she was busy with this one the shorter man behind her attacked with a knife, driving it into her left shoulder from behind. He pulled the knife out and got ready to drive it into her again.

“Motherfucker,” she shouted and turned around. He got ready to attack her again when Eknath hit his head with his baton knocking him out.

“Anya, you stupid girl! Why did you take them on without backup? You could have died!!”

“Call the ambulance Eknath. The kid is serious,” she said pressing against her shoulder wound. “I couldn’t have waited.”

Eknath arranged for an ambulance and called for backup. 2 more cops arrived at the scene and took the 2 knocked out men into custody.

The boy and Anya were taken into an ambulance to KEM hospital.

She knew she would survive but the wound was f*****g painful. Once in the ambulance, she let the pain take over and passed out.

Next 2 days she was in and out of sleep. She knew her wounds were treated and the sleep was drug induced. She hated the f*****g painkiller and why were the motherfucking patient gowns so skimpy? She thought. 

In her sleep, she heard a sexy baritone, “Anya?”

*****

She opened her eyes to see a very concerned looking Andy peering at her. She hated to be seen as vulnerable. Flustered, she tried to get up.

“No! Don’t,” said Andy approaching her. He raised the headboard of the bed so Anya’s back rested on it and kept a pillow to support her back, “how are you feeling baby?” His eyes looked darker than usual. She felt herself getting lost in the depths of those black eyes.

His tender expressions brought out such feelings of warmth and love in her that she never knew of. She had known of love only from her dada.

“I am fine. It’s only a scratch.” She said appearing casual and ignoring the endearment. “How did you get to know?”

“Just a scratch that needed a couple of days of hospitalisation?” He raised his eyebrows, mocking her. “I called your number because you weren’t interested in calling me or messaging me.”

She could see that he was beginning to get angry.

“I waited the whole week to know what happened that day. After I couldn’t take the silence any more, I called. Someone from your office informed me.” Now he looked positively annoyed. “Why isn’t anyone from your family or friends here?”

She looked down at her hands, “cause I don’t have any.”

He was surprised. He hugged her ignoring her discomfort as she winced in pain, “never-ever say that again. I am yours. Call me a friend or family. Whatever you want.”

She laughed. “Okay fucker, now back off. You are hurting me.”

He released her. Stepping back he ran his hand sheepishly through his hair, “sorry.”

“That’s alright. I am fine. Thanks for coming over. I was crazy bored.”

“Happy to be at your service madam. “ he smiled. The glint in his eyes taking her breath away.

She suddenly became more conscious of the skimpy patient gown. Thankfully a nurse entered and asked Andy to leave, “visiting hour is over sir. You can come tomorrow morning at 9.”

“When am I getting discharged?” Anya interrupted the nurse.

“I don’t know. The doctor will tell after examining you. He is on his way.”

A handsome doctor in his late 20s walked in. Andy looked at him with a funny expression. “Anya!! My dashing patient. How are you doing today?”

“I am fine Rahul. Please let me go today.”

“Only if you agree to meet me for dinner tomorrow,” Dr Rahul winked. The nurse appeared busy with her work and Andy stood scowling in the corner of the room.

“Not tomorrow. I have plans with my friend there.” Anya pointed towards Andy, “maybe some other time.” 

Dr Rahul turned around and looked at Andy who stood menacingly. “Ahh! I didn’t see you”. He turned to Anya and said, “Okay, your choice. You have my number. Just call me when you want to have some fun!” 

“Sister, get Anya’s discharge papers ready.” He said to the nurse.

“You are a lucky boy,” he said to Andy before leaving the room.

****

Andy did not know what he was supposed to do next. Anya said, “no one from my office has seen where I live and I want to keep it that way. If you are free, will you drop me home? Please?”

“When you request something with such sweetness, how can a man deny you anything?” He looked her straight in the eye and smirked making her nervous.

‘Nervous? Is Anya Mithra nervous?? How? Why?’ She ignored the fluttering butterflies in her belly and smiled at the man who could make her feel this innocent attraction, “wipe that smirk off and get ready to haggle with a tuk-tuk (rickshaw). I am not going to sit on your bike with that helmet again.”

“Helmet?” He laughed, “you can’t sit on the bike with an arm in that sling”

“Oh, this? These are my injuries of honour. I don’t mind flaunting them.”

His eyes darkened. Funny how black eyes could look so dark when he was annoyed. Looked like a black hole that could suck you in and trap you forever. Anya willed herself out of her crazy thoughts.

“Injuries? How many?” 

“Not enough to kill me,” she laughed.

He moved swiftly to her and held her arms, “never joke about death.”

“Andy! What is the matter with you? It was just a joke.”

“I don’t like jokes about injuries or deaths.” He released her and shoved his hands in his pocket.

“Point noted. Now, can you please drop me home?”

“Yes”. He headed out.

Anya completed the formalities, relieved Eknath and stepped out. She was surprised to see a car instead of a tuk-tuk. She raised her eyebrows, “what’s this?”

“When in an emergency, we don’t trust a tuk-tuk. It’s an Uber (rented car rides provider) and we will go home comfortably.” He opened the car door for her.

“You are spoiling me!” She got into the car.

On reaching her society he helped her out of the car and accompanied her to her flat. 

“Come in, I will prepare some tea for you.”

“I will enter your house only on one condition.”

“What?”

“I make the tea while you talk. And by talk, I mean serious talk. I want to know about your family.”

“Ok.”

Andy was happy. Her kitchen had everything for a good chai (Indian tea latte with spices), but very little for anything close to food. He could still make some fritters from whatever he found. While he toiled in the kitchen, Anya freshened up.

****

Andy brought the snacks and tea out into the living room. Anya sat on the couch and Andy sat next to her handing her the tea and holding the plate of snacks, “where is your tea?” She asked.

“I am more of a coffee person,” he shrugged. “I can see that you don’t expect any visitors here. Not even a coffee table! But you are ready to kick ass with your gym!!”

She gave a sheepish smile, “I am not much of a people’s person. Frankly, this is the first time this couch is being used!!” She saw the snacks and her grey eyes lit up, “when did you order those?”

“Ouch! That’s an insult!” Andy feigned grimace, “your kitchen inventory sucks, but I put this together.”

“Are you serious? You ARE a gem!” saying she picked one pakora (fritter) and placed it in her mouth. As she chewed on the soft deep fried onion pakora, she let out a moan of pleasure, “you are an awesome chef. You must come here more often.

Andy watched her, happy that she liked what he had cooked. The ringing of his phone distracted him from his object of interest, “hello,” he barked a little rudely into his phone.

“Asshole, where are you?” His friend Ali chided, “Seema and I have been waiting for you at the study room for over an hour!”

“f**k! Got stuck with an emergency and forgot. Please manage today guys. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, bro. Take care.” He disconnected.

“What happened?” Anya asked.

“I had a group study session planned & forgot. Have my exams next month so we are putting in extra study hours.”

“Oh! Sorry. Because of me!” She sighed, “I constantly forget that you are a student. You should go, study.” Patronised Anya.

“Don’t you use that tone with me!” He got up from where he was sitting and turned around to face her catching her unawares. Locking her against the couch with his arms on either side of hers, he bent down and reduced the distance between them. When his lips almost touched hers he said in dead seriousness, “I am not a child. I can prove it to you anytime you wish.”

He stayed in the same position a little longer breathing in her fragrance.

She looked into his black eyes, losing herself. His warm breath mixed with hers and aroused feelings in her that she didn’t know ever existed. She wanted a taste of those soft lips. His mild masculine chocolaty smell, similar to his jacket, filled her with images of them romping in her bed. She wanted to run her fingers in that silky hair of his but the stupid fritter was still in her good hand and her left hand in the sling was useless. She stayed mesmerised in that position, feeling her heart race at an abnormal pace. Unable to deny her something that she craved so badly, she kissed him.

It was as if the entire world ceased to exist. She moaned as his tongue explored her mouth.

He groaned with wanton pleasure. She tasted like vanilla on a brownie… hot and cool at the same time. Her uneven breathing and soft moans aroused the beast in him. It wasn’t enough! He wanted more, his body wanted more. He wanted to get rid of the barriers of clothing and make this woman his. His hands moved from the couch to her shoulder and she winced.

He suddenly realised that she was in pain with her injury. How stupid of him to get carried away. He pulled back, “sorry, I shouldn’t have.”

It took time for her to realise that their connection was broken. She wanted a lot more from him. Why did he stop? “It’s ok.”

“No, it isn’t. I took advantage of your vulnerability. You get well soon. I will see you later.” He patted her head. “I need to leave now. Before we both do something that we might regret.”

He left her frustrated. Both of them wanting more than what they got today.

****