Amidst the jungle: Under a tree: 15th July Friday: 11:15 pm:

"Why have you brought her here? She will be a hindrance in our plan to escape. The forest surveillance force has already caught our guys and I am sure they will take no time to capture our arms dealers. Moreover, the police have been informed too and they are coming to nab us. I had been fortunate to dodge them and come over here. Otherwise, it could have been our doomsday, Harry."

Maddy cautioned while climbing the tree friskily by holding an emergency light. The tree had a small hut type house on its canopy which was neatly snipped. Vulture gang had these kinds of few tree huts in the interior forest which were only known by Harry. These were his hideouts which were not even entered by Maddy.

"But you are free and we are still far away from their reach. Don't be pessimistic Maddy. They have just marred our plan A, not our plan B,C,D and so on."

Harry said with a light tone. He bent down and kept Nina on the floor of the tree hut which was neatly covered by hay. Some wooden packing boxes were kept here and there. The hut had a low roof which was also made of straw when the walls were made of wood. It was a small yet strong hut to stay comfortably. Till then Maddy entered by bending down his head.

"You still didn't give me the answer. Why have you brought her here?"

Maddy sounded vexed.

"Because I wanted. I wanted to get her and I got her. You know me very well Maddy that what I want I get. She is something and I can't let her go like this."

Harry sat beside Nina in a squatting position and said in a deep voice. He roamed his lusty eyes on Nina's unconscious body.

"Sorry to say but one day your hunger for women will kill you."

Maddy said restlessly and hung the emergency light on the wall.

"I would love to be killed like this rather by a bullet...ha...ha."

Harry giggled with a wink.

"Now, stop this topic and listen to me. We can't hide here for long. Till now, our main house would have been traced and police won't leave any stone unturned to find us. Before they come to know more about us, I have to go to the city and contact my other dealers to become inactive for some days until this mess is cleared. Till then, you have to stay here and take care of this girl. As soon as I feel safe, I will come back and we will leave this place at once."

Harry cleared his plan.

"Okay, but what about Tonny? Is he going with you?"

Maddy asked though he knew his answer. He knew that Harry never let anyone know about his home or his place to live outside of this jungle whether it is any gang member or even Maddy himself. He is like a mystery to everyone. This jungle is his territory but out of this place, he remains lost in the crowd of the city like a most normal guy. A predator becomes a decent city dweller.

"Tonny will be here with you but if he becomes a weak link by anyhow, don't think twice to cut it off."

Harry sounded dangerously bleak. Maddy nodded. Harry again leant forward and whispered to Nina.

"Sleep, Baby! Until I come back. After that, you will get hardly any time to sleep."

He touched Nina's lips with his index and middle finger and kissed his fingertips passionately.

....................

Again outside the main house: 15th July Friday: 11: 30 pm:

"Sir, it is a sign that Micky came here. He only cut the wire. Only he can be so intelligent not to be trapped like this. He not only saved himself but he saved us too from this bomb."

Peter said affectionately while the ACP was checking the front door more minutely where the hidden bomb was planted. Two policemen came out of the house along with Alex and Cody.

"Sir, none is here. All rooms are empty. No gadgets, laptops or arms are there. It seems they smartly wiped out everything to clear all proofs against them as they always do but this time it won't be so easy. 5 of the felons are caught and those jerks will spill the bean."

The SP said satisfactorily.

"We threw the arms into the pit."

Alisha revealed meekly.

"That's very intelligent of you all. These can be proof against them."

The ACP praised.

"But Sir, what about our friends, Micky and Nina? None of them is here. Micky came here to save Nina but now we don't know whether he succeeded or not? Are they together or not? If Micky met Nina and both are safe then why didn't they wait for us? Or if Micky and Nina both are captured by Harry then we have to find them out without wasting any time."

Cody said restlessly. His intuition alarmed him.

"Yes, that is the weakest point of this operation. We don't know about their location and condition. That's why we can't take any risk with this operation. We have to be very careful as well as silent about our next move. Any wrong step can cost their lives. They might use them as bait too."

The ACP affirmed.

"Then what to do now?"

Maya asked impatiently.

"We will search the area by small teams. We will split and explore the jungle as much as we can. The forest surveillance force has provided a map of this jungle to us. It would be helpful to save time and effort."

The ACP sounded determined.

"Can we make a team and search individually? I mean all my friends?"

Billy suggested.

"It will be risky, Boy. You don't have experience. Neither have arms to confront the notorious. I can't allow this."

The ACP nodded in a denial.

"But Sir, we know our friends very well. We know their psychology and nature. We know how do they act and react to a situation. Trust me, Sir. We will find them out. It's my gut feelings."

Billy again insisted while all 7 young stars held their hands and made a chain to show their determination. ‘One for all, all for one.’ The ACP thought for a while and finally shrugged.

"Okay, if you all are insisting. But only one condition. You all will remain together. You all will keep us informed about your every movement through the walky-talkies and if whiff any danger you won't take any step without my permission. Commissioner Fredrick has given the responsibility and duty of this operation to me. Your safety is our priority when Micky and Nina are still missing."

He elaborated on the gravity of the situation.

"We promise, Sir, we won't do any blunder. Thank you so much for relying on us."

Alex affirmed.

"Okay, so let's start. Remember one thing, if it looks right but feels wrong; it's fear. If it looks wrong but feels right; it's intuition. Never ignore your intuition."

Said the ACP. Concern etched on his face.

...................

Inside the tree hut: 16th July Saturday: 12:05 am:

Nina was still lying unconscious on the floor. Tough the legs were free, her tied hands were rested on her stomach while the mouth was gagged by a tape. Tonny entered with a plate having some food. He glanced at Nina and turned to place the plate on a wooden box. Out of the blue, he felt a thwack behind his knees and fell flat on his face. Before he could rise again, something heavy hit on the back of his head which made Tonny have a blackout for a minute. Nina threw the packing box aside which she just hit on Tonny's head and pulled up the tape from her mouth with the help of her tied up hands and proceeded to untie the hands by loosening the ropes with teeth.

"Ahhhh...It's paining."

She complained while rubbing her wrists.

"I have to get out of this place before that Maddy comes. Thank God they left my legs untied. Otherwise, it was impossible to knock him out. But Tonny can gain his sense soon. And this time he won’t spare me."

She muttered in mind when stormed to the half-closed door. However, her steps stopped when a hand grabbed her ankle tightly.

"You little imp. Today I will show you hell."

Tonny hoarsed out and held her ankle more tightly with both hands. Nina couldn't even move a step forward. She struggled helplessly for a while. Suddenly, she saw the plate on the floor that Tonny brought. Though most of the food spilt on the floor; a small bowl still had some broth in it. In a flash, a thought ran through her mind. She scooted forward and picked the bowl up. In a bat of the second, she splashed the hot broth on Tonny's face. Due to the sudden attack, Tonny instantly loosened his grip and yelled in pain.

"Ahhhhh......God...it's burning...You BITCH..."

Tonny was writhing in pain by covering his face. His eyes were burning like hell. Nina got scared as his scream might make Maddy alert and he may come at any time. She turned to leave but a strong hit on her cheek made her stumble back. She briefly felt giddy.

"Not so soon, Baby. You have to pay something for this over smartness."

Maddy's crooked giggle hit her ears.

...................

Inside the tree hut: 16th July Saturday: 1:35 am:

Nina was lying on a side curled in a fetal position. This time Maddy didn't make a mistake by leaving her legs untied. Rather he tied her quite mercilessly. Nina's full body was aching. The ropes left impressions on her soft skin. Her eyes were brimming with tears not just because of the physical pain but a horrible sight that left her in shock. She was staring at the corner where the lifeless body of Tonny was lying. His stiff open eyes were gazing at the ceiling. A trail of blood oozing out from the hole on his forehead stained his half-face made his not so pretty feature scarier. A stone voice was still echoing in her ears.

"You are lucky to die like this. Otherwise, you know, Harry loves to make deaths painful and he never spares the second mistake. So, goodbye."

The bullet shot made Nina shut her eyes in fear. For the last 1 hour, she had been staring at Tonny's motionless body. Some flies were buzzing around his lifeless bluish lips.

"They don't value anybody's life. If they can kill their partners so brutally; how will they behave with me? That bastard Harry. His eyes shiver me to the core. I just hate his touch on my skin. Will he spare me by any means? I have to escape at any cost or I will die before any humiliation."

She continuously murmured in her mind. Suddenly, something shining caught her eyes. A fruit knife was lying on the floor. Maybe Tonny brought it to cut the fruits for her. Poor guy. He was killed because of her. Nina felt guilty. But she has to get the knife. A drowning man catches at a straw. The knife seemed like the last hope to her. Nina rolled herself on the floor and tried to reach the knife laid on the ground. Suddenly, the wooden door opened with a thud. Maddy again entered holding a plate. He placed the plate on the ground, untied Nina's hands and made her sit forcefully.
"Stop trying to run away from here. You can't. Have this and sleep peacefully. Who knows, what will you get tomorrow....."

Maddy said with a sly grin.

"Finish this. Harry doesn't like weak women in bed."

He added with a wink and turned on his heel.

"I will die before that."

Nina yelled. Her eyes were spitting fire. In a blink of an eye, something hit on Maddy's face. He was catapulted to the nearest wall.

"Touch her, hell you get...."

A known voice made Nina leap up in shock.