Gordon walked over to his desk with an angry frown on his face. "What happened in that boardroom was unacceptable."
"I know," Aaron said. "I am sorry I stormed out. I couldn't stay and listen to Boris for a second more."
"The board voted for him to be interim president," his grandfather said with a sigh.
"Until I step down." His father looked at him balefully. "Are you sure that she is carrying your kid?"
"Yes," Aaron said, "I am sure."
"Well, keep us informed," his grandfather said, shaking his head. "This day sucks! Come, Gordon. Let's go have a drink."
Chapter Nineteen
Aaron tried to reach Jayce all day but could not get through to him. On a whim he decided to go by the warehouse. Carson was not in his office. His busy receptionist pointed upstairs, so he headed to the band area using the in-house stairway.
"Look who we have here," Ian said as soon as he stepped into the room. "It's the ex New Song band member."
Aaron looked around; the guys were all sprawled out in various seats, still in their work clothes. "Wait a minute, you are all here. Why wasn't I invited?"
"You claimed you didn't want to be a part of us anymore," Logan said. "You haven't come to practice for one whole month, and you got engaged without telling us. We thought…" Logan laughed, "that we were your best friends."
"By the way, if you are interested," Ian said, "we are here to see Jayce off. He is going to India. Why are you here?"
"I've been calling Jayce all day," Aaron said, sitting across from them in one of the beanbag chairs. "I had a hunch he would be here."
"I lost my phone," Jayce said. He was drinking a soda and raised the can to him. "What do you want?"
"Listen guys," Aaron said earnestly, "don't give me the cold shoulder, okay? I had the sort of day you wouldn't believe. By the way, I am not engaged; my grandmother thought she would help me in the presidential race, which my brother won, by the way."
"He did?" Xavier raised his eyebrows. "Your company is going to go bust with him at the helm. He ticks people off in the worst way. Is your board crazy?"
"No." Aaron sighed. "There was a morality clause; I broke it."
"And Boris, party loving Boris, who can't let anything in a skirt pass him by, won." Carson frowned. "You are sure?"
Aaron smirked. "Ironic, isn't it? He had an ace in the sleeve. It sucker punched me, I tell you."
"What?" Logan asked.
"It turns out that Alka is pregnant with my child."
"Are you sure?" Logan asked, "I mean..."
"Without a doubt, that baby is mine." Aaron nodded.
"So what do you want me for?" Jayce asked.
"You are going to India," Aaron said. "Contact her; ask her what's wrong and why she didn't tell me. Tell me exactly where she lives."
Logan frowned. "Hold on there. You are going to contact a married pregnant woman about a baby that is supposedly yours. You have no legal right there, Aaron. I think you should let this go."
"Not on your life. Never!" Aaron shook his head. "I am not going to know that a child of mine is half way across the world and feel comfortable about it. I need to know why she didn't tell me. I need to know how we can work out this impossible situation; her husband is claiming my child as his and she's allowing it? How bizarre is that?"
Jayce rubbed his belly absently. "My conference is in Mumbai, in a luxurious hotel." Jayce was almost salivating at the thought of the buffet. "The hotel is near the airport. I arrive day after tomorrow."
Aaron nodded and whipped out his iPad. "Her husband owns a production company called Vijar Entertainment. I have the numbers and all the contact details here; got it off the Internet. Play detective and find out his address and let me know what's going on."
Jayce nodded. "I like playing detective. I'll find Alka for you."
"Be careful," the ever-cautious Logan said, then he looked at Aaron. "From the day I saw that girl, I knew she would be trouble."
*****
Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. It is also one of the world's top ten centers of commerce...we have some of the world's best security experts in the field...
Jayce zoned out as the tour operator went on and on about Mumbai. What he wanted to hear about was where the food was. They were in the hotel lobby and he was feeling slightly queasy and more than hungry. Even though he was touching the scale at nearly three hundred pounds, his body was sensitive to the lack of food. At six feet tall, he was more than a hundred pounds overweight and was carrying most of the weight on his belly.
His belly growled uncomfortably. He wanted to eat and sleep and then find Alka. Maybe in that order.
He looked at his companion, Brett, who was a master hacker and who had boasted to him for close to eight hours on the plane how good he was at finding data.
Maybe he didn't have to go through the trouble of finding Alka himself.
"Say, Brett," Jayce, said as the tour guide drifted closer to the check-in line with the sign: Welcome To The Security Conference, Welcome To Mumbai.
"I have a friend here in Mumbai; her name is Alka Singh. She is a doctor. Her husband runs a production company called Vijar Entertainment. If you can find her home address, phone number, or any other data, I will be grateful."
Brett smirked. "I'll give you that info by the time we reach the check-out line." He pulled out his iPad and in no time he was emailing Alka's data to Jayce.
"No charge," Brett grinned, "just admit that I am the greatest."
"You are the greatest," Jayce said almost weakly. He needed food, and he needed it fast.
*****
Only after visiting the hotel's buffet line three times did Jayce have the strength to call Alka. Her number rang several times before a man answered.
"Madam's phone."
Jayce put on a fake British accent and asked, "Is this Dr. Singh's number?"
"Yes it is." The man answered in heavily accented English.
"I am calling on behalf of a colleague of mine," Jayce said, getting into character, "re her last assignment."
"Excuse me, what?" the man asked, puzzled.
"This is medical business, my good man. Can I speak to Dr. Singh?"
"Who is calling?" the man asked.
"This is Sir Jayce," Jayce said, almost laughing at himself. "You can call me Dr. Jayce."
"Oh." He heard rustling and then the man's voice came on the line again. "I don't see your name here on the approved list Sir, er, Dr. Jayce."
Jayce stopped laughing long enough to feel puzzled. Why did Alka have an approved list of callers? Was she that important over here in India?
"What list is that, my good man? I am not a patient; I am a fellow doctor. Could you ask her about the, er..."
He searched his mind for something that would alert Alka that he was Jayce. He hadn't really spoken to her in the past and she knew nothing about him.
"Tell her it's about the Turks and Caicos affair. She'll know which medical procedure I am referring to."
He almost breathed a sigh of relief when the man said, "One moment," and put the phone down. Alka came on the line, her voice sounding cautious. That's when Jayce picked up that something was wrong.
"Dr. Jayce, how are you?" she asked almost breathlessly.
"Alka, is something..."
"Where are you?" she asked before he could finish asking the question.
"At the Peninsula Hotel near the airport," he said slowly.
"Well, well," she said, so bright and cheery that he was shocked by her forced brightness. "Is that where you are doing the procedure?"
"Yes," he said. "Are you coming by?"
"I would love to see the T and C procedure," she said loudly. "What time is it scheduled for?"
"Five o'clock this evening," Jayce said quickly.
"Where should I meet you?" Alka asked, still in that high, fake cheerful voice.
"In the lobby," Jayce said.
She hu
ng up on him abruptly and he looked at the phone frowning. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong here.
*****
Jayce made sure that he was in the lobby area by five o'clock. He glanced at the door every second to see if he could see Alka.
He wasn't disappointed when at two minutes past five she walked through the doors flanked by two fierce looking guys. She looked around and then headed toward him with her personal entourage in tow.
"Dr. Jayce," she greeted him loudly.
"Dr. Singh." He held out his hand to her and the two men drew closer. Alka was frightened; he could see it in her eyes.
He released her hand quickly and then asked the men, "Could you excuse the doctor here for a minute?"
"No," one of the guys responded harshly.
"But we need to discuss a very sensitive case file," Jayce said, frowning.
The guy shook his head.
"Well, can we at least go somewhere quieter?" Jayce asked. "Over there." He pointed to a quieter section of the lobby where not many people were sitting.
The guys followed them as they walked. "I am under house arrest…" Alka whispered. "Rajiv has hidden my passport…Is Aaron married yet?" she asked in one rushed sentence.
Jayce shook his head. "No, that was a stunt put on by his grandmother for the presidency of the Palm group."
Alka exhaled in relief and then whispered, "I am going to find a way to get back to Jamaica. It is dangerous for us to be even talking. Rajiv will check this out. I am going to leave now."
She stopped when they were midway to the lounge area. "You know, Dr. Jayce, I think that is not my field," she said loudly. "You have a good evening."
And then just like that she was gone, leaving a bewildered Jayce looking on as she headed through the door.
He considered going after her and asking her to explain but the fierce look of the guys flanking her made him stop. He went up to his room and called Aaron instead.
Chapter Twenty
"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" Rajiv said, coming from his office and locking the door. He pocketed the key as usual but Alka knew that Abhijit had another set of keys that he used to open the door to clean the office.
Since seeing Jayce last night and finding out that Aaron wasn't planning to get married, she had extra impetus to seek her freedom from Rajiv. She was more determined than ever to escape.
Rajiv sat before her at the breakfast table. "I am so happy that you are not suffering from morning sickness."
"Yes, me too," Alka said, sipping a cup of Darjeeling tea.
"Who is Dr. Jayce?" Rajiv asked as he bit into a piece of toast.
"A former colleague," Alka said easily, castigating herself for needing to lie.
"Your encounter last night was strange; your security detail said you spent less than two minutes with him," Rajiv said distrustfully.
"It was not my field of study that he was enquiring about," Alka said. "He was wasting his time contacting me."
"Is that so?" Rajiv wiped his mouth and stood up. "Alka, today I am going to find out who Dr. Jayce is. Tell me the truth now. Is he your lover from Jamaica?"
"No!" Alka gasped.
"Well then, who is he?"
"I already told you," Alka said fiercely. "Why are you asking me again?"
"Because you, my dear wife, can't be trusted."
"You are the one that can't be trusted," Alka said fiercely. "You told me that every five years I would get the chance to be free."
"That's water under the bridge." Rajiv got up. "By the way, we are going to the temple as a couple to thank the gods for the fortunate conception of your baby. It is time we start practicing the religion of our parents."
"I am not Hindu," Alka said, getting up too. "I learnt a long time ago that there is only one God. I am Christian."
"In this house you are Hindu," Rajiv said, looking back at her angrily. "It is time you start acting like a good Hindu wife. Your ancestors would turn in their graves if they heard your blasphemous utterances."
Alka gritted her teeth.
"Have a good day." Rajiv headed through the open front door as Abhijit bowed and scraped as he sauntered through the house, confident that he had Alka exactly where he wanted her.
She had to get the keys. Abhijit kept them on his belt and he was a hard man to fool. He had been with Rajiv's family for years before he came to Mumbai. He was loyal only to the Singhs. His only redeeming feature, in her eyes, was that he was so happy that she was finally pregnant that now and again she was seeing in him glimpses of tenderness toward her. Abhijit thought she was finally carrying the Singh heir.
Alka slumped in her chair and then started to groan.
Abhijit looked over at her, concern potent in his gaze. "Madam, are you okay?"
"Not sure, Abhijit," Alka groaned, "I seem to have a pain right here." She pointed to her belly.
Abhijit opened his mouth in shock. "That's not good, madam."
"I know," Alka said weakly. Her performance was good enough for any Bollywood production house. "Er...you know that Rajiv keeps my medication in the office safe."
"The safe?" Abhijit blanched. "But why, madam?"
"Do you know the code?" Alka groaned.
"He wouldn't tell me that, madam," Abhijit said pacing nervously. "I have to call him. If you lose the baby he'll be mad."
"No," Alka said. "I think I know the code."
She watched as Abhijit hurried to the door and opened it wide. He came to assist her to her feet and she allowed him to. She headed to the small safe that Rajiv had hidden behind his books.
She bit her lips. "You better turn your back, Abhijit. I wouldn't want him to think that I gave the code to you."
Abhijit nodded and turned around, facing the door.
Alka punched in the code: Vijar2000. It was the business name of Rajiv's production company. She remembered the day he had proudly announced it to her. Back then he was such a nice person.
She turned the dial slowly, praying fervently that her guess would be right. When the safe opened she breathed a sigh of relief. Rajiv was refreshingly unoriginal.
She saw her passport and a brown paper bag of money. She took those out. She also saw some tablets, which was surprising because she was not expecting tablets. She pushed the money and her passports in her bosom and then took out the tablets, which had a note attached.
When Abhijit heard the jingling of the tablets in the bottle, he turned around. "You found it?"
"Yes," Alka said faintly. She closed the safe and then looked round at Abhijit. She didn't want him to see the documents bulging from her bosom.
"Could you get a glass of water for me Abhijit?"
He nodded and scurried out of the room quickly.
Alka ran to her room and pushed everything but the tablets and the note in her handbag.
When Abhijit returned she had barely made it to the hall. She made a show of taking the tablet and then she lounged on the settee, spitting it out into her palm as soon as Abhijit turned away.
"Maybe I need to see the doctor after all," she said to Abhijit.
Abhijit nodded. "Yes, madam. I will call the car."
*****
"Lila," Alka whispered, when she was finally allowed into Lila's office. Her security guards were stationed at the door as usual. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. Is there a back door out of here?"
Lila nodded. "Yes, there is. Why?"
"I need to leave Mumbai," Alka said, a jittery feeling encasing her body. She was not the adventurous type. All of this cloak and dagger stuff was making her extremely nervous.
"You are finally escaping him." Lila whispered. "Good for you."
"Your car, can I borrow it?" Alka asked. Adrenaline was pouring through her. Her hands shook nervously and she took a deep breath. "I'll leave it at the airport. Give me thirty minutes’ head start and then tell the guys at the door that I am heading home."
Lila squeezed her hand. "Fine. Let me show you t
he way out…Here are the keys to my car. Don't try to open the passenger window; the glass is stuck."
Alka breathed in deeply. "Thank you, Lila. I won't forget this."
Lila smiled. "I am happy to help. Come on."
She led Alka toward the back of the building and showed her to a burgundy Honda Civic, an older model that had a few dents in the side.
Alka took a breath. She couldn't tell Lila that she didn't know how to drive well. Rajiv's driver had always chauffeured her around. She couldn't even contemplate the idea that she had to maneuver her way through the narrow streets of Bandra. She was relieved beyond relief when she saw that the car had an automatic transmission because she had no idea how to drive a stick-shift car.
She got behind the wheel and her heart nervously thumped against her chest. "Jesus take the wheel," she whispered. "Please and amen."
*****
"What do you mean she's missing?" Rajiv roared over the phone to one of the security guys. "Where did she go?"
"The doctor said she left the office to go to the bathroom and didn't return. She told us that forty minutes ago. We came back to the house and she is nowhere to be found."
Rajiv gritted his teeth. "I knew she was lying to me. That guy that she met at the hotel last night must have helped her escape. He called himself Dr. Jayce. I can bet he is Alka's lover."
"The fat guy?" the security man asked incredulously.
"Yes." Rajiv felt a heat creeping up his neck. "Find him and kill him."
"What?" the security man asked. "When?"
"Now." Rajiv growled. "I bet you he is hiding her until they escape. Find him fast."
"Okay boss," the security guy said reluctantly.
Rajiv hung up the phone and rubbed his hands together. At least then she'd have to run back home to him and when she came back this time, he was not going to let her out of his sight. He would chain her to his office if he had to. Obviously, having her watched by anybody else was not going to get the job done.
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