by Ruchi Singh
"Another broken heart that you have left somewhere?"
She took another deep breath and concentrated on the soup. "Where is Kishore dada?"
He shifted her wine glass towards her bowl. Feeling that she would need the alcohol to get through the evening, she took a sip and served the fish-finger cutlets on both their plates.
"Who was he? Sounded desperate."
"Do we have to do this?" She lifted her eyes to look at him and caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting a direct approach. She had had enough and could never play blind.
"What?"
"This flirting and all..." She waved her spoon around.
"Deny that you aren't attracted to me."
"I won't. Yes, I am attracted to you."
His eyes fluttered at the unexpected confession, but he recovered in a split second and smiled. "And I am to you."
Her heart skipped a beat. "So? That doesn't mean we need to give in to all our whims."
"Why not? As long as we aren't hurting others or breaking any rules, I don't see why we should hold back."
"I'll be breaking a rule."
"Which rule?"
"Mine. I don't get involved with my... er..."
"Package?"
She shook her head. "I was about to say employer. Keeping you safe is my responsibility and these things... the emotions, they distract. We are talking about a life here... There are too many variables and we shouldn't add another one to the equation. This is serious."
Vikram looked at her for a long moment then nodded. "Now that you have put it like this, it makes sense."
She remained silent.
"So what do we do about this attraction?" he asked.
"We don't give it any importance."
"Pretend that it doesn't exist?"
"Yes."
"I think it is a bad idea, but we'll play by your rules Major. Let's see where this takes us."
Astounded, she watched him serve the salad. She had never thought it would be so easy. Never thought he would be so reasonable.
It took Esha a few minutes to get over her surprise as he continued to tell her about his family—things mainly related to security and a few mishaps that had happened due to a lapse in the security or their own mistakes. Some of these accounts were hilarious, while some scared her.
The rest of the meal was completed in total truce. The undercurrents were there every time their eyes met or hands touched, but not at the forefront anymore. Esha admitted to herself that he could be a pleasant man to talk to if he chose to be.
* * * *
Versova, Mumbai
13th October, 7:30 PM
Aaryan rushed towards Vikram the moment he entered his sister's apartment. It was Aaryan's birthday. The kids had left and now the celebrations continued with only close family members.
"Where is my gift, Vikram?"
"Gift, what gift?" Vikram teased the little bundle of energy. But the smile vanished as he spotted Urvi's mother deep in conversation with his own on one of the sofas. He cringed at the thought of meeting Urvi, but didn't spot her in the hall. He couldn't understand his mother's affection towards Urvi and persistence to push them towards a reconciliation. More than her mother's motivations, he wondered at his own wisdom in marrying Urvi. He had been dazzled by her on-screen persona when he had come back from the US and had went along with his mother's enthusiasm of seeing her son married to her childhood friend's daughter.
"Gift! It's my birthday, Vikram!" Aaryan tugged at his trousers.
"Aaryan, he is your mama!" daija said from the dining area.
"No, he is my buddy, and one calls their friend by their name. It's cool. Isn't it Vikram?" Aaryan said.
"Yes, totally." Vikram lifted him up. "Where are your other buddies?"
"Vikram, you are spoiling him." Vandana shouted from the kitchen.
"They are gone, now the party is for big people." Aaryan twitched his nose. "Now it is a boring adult party, but we'll have fun. Won't we?"
Vikram and his mother laughed at the disdain the little one showed to the adults.
"Where is my gift?"
"It's on its way. Have patience, young man. It's a surprise!"
"I don't like surprises." Aaryan pursed his lips.
"Don't make faces like that! It's not fitting for a prince like you," daija said, placing the smaller, eggless cake at the center of the table, which was for the family.
"Am I really a prince, grandma?"
"No, I think daija said that... because you know... since you are such a cute little boy."
"No, I'm a prince. And mom is a queen."
"And papa is a king, right?" Meera Seth chuckled.
"No, he is an ogre."
The silence that filled the hall had frozen the entire adult population, which meant everyone other than Aaryan. "What is an ogre, Vikram?"
"Who told you that?" Vandana asked keeping an amused expression on her face.
"Daija said that to you when she thought I was sleeping," Aaryan revealed with a sheepish smile.
Luckily Jay arrived with the gift that Vikram had ordered. Aaryan's enthusiasm distracted them from the awkward moment but the underlying tension amongst the adults remained throughout dinner. Their mother complained about daija's influence over Aaryan and Vandana giving too much leeway to daija, which made Vandana irritable.
Urvi's mother kept whispering into his mother's ears whenever she thought people were not looking at them, but everyone knew. Daija tried to make herself inconspicuous by remaining in the kitchen the entire evening. The fact that Jindal arrived after the dinner was over and Aaryan was put to bed, added to their angst.
Thank god, his mother had to leave for the airport else she would have accompanied Vikram back home and would have complained throughout the way.
* * * *
KEM Morgue, Mumbai
13th October, 7:30 PM
"This way, sir." The policeman led Nikhil to a small room off the main morgue. "The body was found today on the beach, washed by the morning tide. The rot is yet to set, but it is bloated. Not a pretty sight," he warned and pulled the sheet from a body laid on a stretcher.
An unexpected wave of sympathy overwhelmed Nikhil as he lay his eyes on the young girl. She had been tortured brutally before her life was taken. The open wounds and the burn marks told the story that her last hours had been horrific. A life snuffed out just for helping and trusting a wrong man.
"How do you know she is Debbie?"
"Her friend from Kamathipura has identified her by a birth-mark and a gold ring."
"So he didn't take the ring. Do you have the friend's name and contact details?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ask her to see me in my office, immediately."
"Yes, sir."
* * * *
October 14th
Seth Towers, Mumbai
14th October, 4:30 PM
The girl looked totally out of place in his plush office. Nikhil studied her from the one way glass door. It had taken his team two precious days to locate her. Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a skimpy pink top, she looked not more than nineteen years of age. She looked nervous, yet stood confidently in the lobby. He opened the door and called her in.
"Sit down," he ordered.
She obliged.
"How long have you known Debbie?"
"You call me to talk about Debbie?" She pouted. "I tell everything to thee police. I thot—"
"Shut up." He banged the table.
Startled, she sat back looking at him with large moist eyes.
"I ask questions and you give answers, that's it."
She looked positively agitated after a few seconds of stunned silence.
"What's the problem?"
"I thot I get some work here, big people, big money."
"What kind of work do you do?"
To his irritation, she gave him a coy smile and said, "I do naughty, naughty things to men and they give money. Loads of money."
At fir
st, Nikhil thought she said something in Marathi but the next second it hit him that she was talking about sexual favors.
"I'll give you money to give me honest answers to my questions."
"How much?"
He smiled. She was a tough one. "Depends on your answers. You have to make me happy. Honest the answer, more the money."
"How you know I give honest answer?"
"I'll know."
"Okay." Nodding her head, she got comfortable in the chair and said, "Let's play."
He almost laughed at the child-woman.
"How do you know Debbie?"
"She and I doubled up sometime. She an honest girl."
"Doubled up?"
"You never doubled up?" Before he could reply, she leaned forward and whispered. "Some people like sandwich kind. Much fun with two girls, not much when there two mans. They get rough sometime." She wrinkled her nose.
Gosh, who was he dealing with?
"So, she was your friend?"
"Yes."
"Did you know who all she met in the last two-three weeks? Anyone new?"
"She meet many mans."
"I mean anyone who came frequently, more than once? Someone who was friendly?"
"Yes. There was a man who loved Debbie, she said. She tell me, he loved her not her body. Asked her to leave everything because he has lots of money."
"What was his name?"
"Lakshman"
So she had given him a name, but it meant nothing. "Have you seen him?"
"No." She shook her head, then immediately nodded. "Yes, once actually. Not like face to face, but in the window pane. He very secretive. Say from good family, but love Debbie."
"Okay, can you describe him?"
"Gora, like Nepali peoples. Saw his nose, very nice, straight nose. Always wore full-sleeve checked shirt."
"Is that all?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes... they both very secretive." She nodded.
God! Either she was a simpleton or a consummate liar. Nikhil was leaning towards the former. "Okay, so can you sit with an artist and help him get a sketch?"
She nodded. "I honest. My money."
He took out a wad of five-hundred-rupee notes and tossed it on the table. She shrieked in delight and pounced on the bundle.
Nikhil dialed the number of the artist while the girl counted the notes.
* * * *
October 15th
CNBC Event, Trident Mumbai
15th October, 4:30 PM
Esha scanned the hall once again. The master of ceremony was closing the event with the last speech. Some of the guests were moving towards the bar area.
She roamed around, casually sipping the ice-water while keeping Vikram in sight. He stood talking to an elegant woman in a sari. Esha stiffened as she spied the woman's hand on his arm. He listened to her with undivided focus, a part of his personality. With extreme effort, she peeled her gaze off him and scanned the hall, mentally noting the exits, observing people, and relaying any important information to Nikhil, who was downstairs, over her phone. Her glance went to Vikram again. She sighed. He had moved to another group. Her jealous state of heart was not good for the grave responsibility she had been given, Esha reminded herself.
Her senses went into an all alert, as she saw a burly man standing close to him. A little too close. Her hand went to her pocket and she took a step forward. The man moved and she relaxed. Nikhil, who had come to the hall by now, stood in the opposite corner talking to a tall, handsome man she had never seen before. Every now and then one of them would glance at Vikram.
She glanced at the master of ceremony, and spotted Urvi with her. Her presence at a corporate event surprised Esha. Urvi's hands flew all over as she spoke, her face animated. They both laughed and glanced at Vikram. It seemed he was the center of attention for not only Esha but for everyone present in that room. And then she noticed Karisma entering the hall.
What a bizarre world they lived in? Existing together, in the same social circles, seeing each other, vying for the same man's attention, fanning his ego. Each driven by their wants and desires. Urvi, Esha knew, wanted his money. What did Karisma want? She was jealous about Esha the other day. But was it just her ego or did she have genuine feelings for him?
Wouldn't it be demeaning meeting each other and pretending to be friendly in light of their relationships? Esha could never dream to be in the same social circles as Samar. The thought reminded her again how different her world was compared to theirs.
* * * *
'The whole visit was a waste,' Vikram thought.
The CNBC event hadn't lived up to his expectations that year. The organizers were more concerned about the TRP instead of substance. Lost in his thought, he walked behind Nikhil as they exited the building. Esha and two of the guards were behind them.
"Why is the car not here?" Nikhil frowned and stepped forward. "Where the hell is Jay?"
"What about the other car?" Esha asked, moving forward, making Vikram come to an abrupt halt as he collided with her.
Another visitor stepped down on the last step as the valet brought his car.
"Nick, something's not right. Someone's watching us. I can feel it. Check out the car at 2 o'clock."
When she stepped right in front covering him, Vikram's brain caught the urgency in her voice.
"The windows are dark and one of them is slightly open. No, someone up, on the roof... ah." She jerked against Vikram as her right hand went to her left shoulder.
The briefcase slipped from Vikram's grip as his arms went around her. She faltered as he supported her. Then he heard the familiar whistling sound and felt her jerk again and this time she went limp against him. Nikhil shouted. The two guards converged on him.
Darkness of fear swam in front of Vikram's eyes as her body went heavy in dead faint. He staggered with the thrust of her weight and sat back supporting her. "Esha!" his own voice echoed in his ears.
"Nick!" Vikram shouted, as Nikhil took out his gun and ran towards the traffic exposing himself. The cars screeched. There was no way he could help Nikhil with Esha lying dead in his arms. His shirt stuck to his skin and he touched the moist patch on his chest and looked at the maroon-red blood on his fingers.
* * * *
Esha wanted to go somewhere. She opened her eyes but a sharp pain made her close her eyes again.
A car screeched.
Trying to reach out to someone, she willed her eyes to open but could not against the bright blinding sun shining in her eyes. Breathing brought excruciating pain around her chest. She wanted something that she couldn't remember and became restless. Fighting the pain, she thrashed against the hands holding and poking at her. Her hands entangled into something that felt like a wire, she jerked away from it. Her head went here and there, trying to locate something, someone, whom, she wasn't sure...
"She's coming around..."
Someone spoke on her right, and then Vikram called out her name. A hand held hers in a firm grip. A familiar scent hit her nose. The white light around her faded a bit and she could make out a figure frowning at her. He was all right. He was breathing. She exhaled, but couldn't understand who was holding her though. She stopped thrashing as the pain to her shoulder registered and took deep breaths. It felt her left side had been severed. She tried to hold her shoulder with her right hand, but couldn't feel her fingers. A second later, as her fingers encountered something hot and sticky, there was complete oblivion.
* * * *
Suburbs, Mumbai
15th October, 7:30 PM
He lifted the trapdoor and stepped down into the stair well. Rage burning strong in his chest, he wanted to smash everything to smithereens. More than that, he wanted to put the barrel against his temple and pull the trigger.
Luck. That was the only thing that came to his mind. The bastard was damn lucky!
How could he have known that the secretary would step in front of him at the last moment? A woman! A woman again. Damn, damn, damn!
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Seth, it seemed, had got nine lives.
He loaded the .45, his favorite weapon and touched the muzzle of the gun to his temple.
His phone rang with the customary two rings, then became silent. The sound doused away the fire in his mind and he was left panting under the shroud of his anger. The phone beckoned him and he picked up a random SIM and inserted it in a random phone set.
"Hello."
The silence at the other end brought another wave of disappointment.
"Never mind." The voice on the other side finally spoke.
"I need money for the next round. This time, there will be no expenses spared."
"Yes, I know. I have arranged for it, the usual way. You can pick it from the locker. Is the man in the taxi silenced?"
"Yes."
"Are you okay?"
He wasn't. He was bruised all over and a shard of glass had pierced his thigh when he was scaling the boundary wall of the building. "I'm fine," he lied.
The line went dead. Time was up.
Hell!
When will you stop testing me, Maa? How many failures can your devotee take? I have sacrificed my life to you and this mission. I have sacrificed everything—my family, my heart, and my soul. Why is my sacrifice not enough? What else do you need?
His grip on the gun tightened again. He wanted to go to Seths' residence and gun Jr. down then and there. So many times, he had wanted to poison him, but after doing that no one could have escaped, such was the security net laid down by Nikhil.
The sonofabitch was on his trail like a blood thirsty nagin, still sniffing around Debbie's rooms and that stupid friend of hers.
What if someone else had seen his face? He had been extremely careful, but there could always be someone lurking in the corners, keeping an eye on everything and everyone. There was no dearth of people fishing for information to sell. The risks were mounting and the end was nowhere near.