Chapter 26 | Him
The morning air hits you differently when you wake up next to the most gorgeous thing in the world.
Disha sleeps peacefully tucked inside our bed when I wake up and get dressed in my tracks. Her face glows even when we spent almost half the night talking about random things from our past lives to the present.
Although I can’t promise to have listened much of it between her hearty laughter and sweet smiles. For the first time I felt like everything’s right in place. Like where it was always meant to be.
No more hiding... or pretending.
I wonder how my live was basically meaningless before her. How I was only committed to wasting my life away. How it never crossed to me that there could be a lot of different colorful possibilities. That there could be an end to my sufferings. That I would finally, recover.
Her face is the definition of new beginnings in my life. Beautiful beginnings.
Placing a gentle kiss on the forehead, I lightly brush the silky locks from her sleepy face. Making sure she doesn’t wake up so soon, I leave the room; shutting the door noiselessly behind me.
Before I manage to walk to the front porch, my phone starts buzzing on repeat. The bastard is interrupting my running playlist.
“Why are you calling so early Black?” My voice less irritated, and more concerned. Because it’s highly unlikely for him to call without a reason this early in the morning. It’s hardly dawn.
“I have news. And it’s not good.” The seriousness in his voice is unmistakably alarming.
“Spill it... fast!”
“Jessica is missing. She went out last night for chores. Not back till now.”
“Did you check all the cams?”
“I did. Every single one that we placed before dropping her there. Nothing on any of them.” Heavy concern marking his words. “I’m afraid it’s some kind of trap.”
I can picture the look on his face, sweat ridden and alcohol laden.
“Disha joining office today?”
“She’s supposed to...” I pause calculating what our next move should be, “Let’s send her. See what they’re up to.”
“You sure you want to risk her? I mean we could come up with something else...”
“I won’t risk her. I am in fact trying to pull out what these people are up to. Something tells me this is about the video tape they made with them that day. And I want to know their next move.”
“Think about it again. What if –”
I retort harshly, “You think they could touch her. What am I here for then? I’ll rip them open before they’ll think of touching her hair.”
“As much as you’d hate to hear it Mr. Hero, these people are not your regular drug peddlers. These are probably very high-profile drug mafias. So, you shouldn’t send her in without a plan. I’m coming over. We’ll need to come up with something solid before she leaves.”
His concern is irritating the heck out of me, she’s my girlfriend and I know where I can and cannot put her. That being said, he still has a point that I can’t overlook.
What ifs can’t be ignored... they are in fact, the most dangerous parts of our normally well-planned steps.
And the last thing that I’d want is to do something foolish in the name of bravery.
I need to run and shake this feeling off.
There’s no danger out there for her... none that I can’t take care of.I repeat it like a mantra while the music plays in the background, making coming out with a solution pretty easy.
Morning is the best time for planning a mass murder. Perfect!
WHEN I RETURN BLACKis already seated on the stool beside the kitchen island where Disha is busy with her back towards us.
“Hey dude, we were just talking about you. What did you tell her about the Walk to Heaven incident? You liar –”
He continues his ranting, when Disha turns around. I can’t risk her. I won’t risk her.
Her wet hair is still dripping at the ends, making her tee shirt wet in the place where the droplets meet. Theres a faint blush on her cheeks when her eyes catch mine and a beautiful smile spread on her face like butter on warm bread. I nod in response, returning the smile; though mine can never compete with the shine she radiates.
When she turns back again, I quickly take the opportunity to nudge Divit, pulling his attention from my girlfriend to me.
“Hey. Don’t tell her about the kidnapping. Okay?”
“Do you think I’m foolish enough to not know that? Of course, I want her to react naturally if any shit goes down at her office. Which most probably, is going to be the case.”
Disha walks over to hand us a plate each, “Get yourselves whichever dip you like.”
“Well, you are a lucky bastard Nakul. She’s good at about everything.” Divit says taking a mouthful of first bite.
My eyes drift from him to my muffin’s, “Yes. She’s fantastic. Can’t deny I got lucky.”
The deep crimson in her damp cheeks fades faintly when I change the topic.
“So, what time is office?”
“My shift is at twelve. I’ll leave at eleven thirty.” Her voice gentle.
“I’ll take you there...”
“No. I can manage. Thanks.” And that’s how easily gentle vanishes.
She may be brave but the people out there are cunning; to the point that the bravery will end up being rendered useless. But she doesn’t know that. And as much as she believes to be knowing enough, she does not know what we know.
Ever since she had that conversation with Jessica about the drinks being spiked, we were on the lookout for any suspicious activities concerning the company and the office in particular that she’s working with.
It has taken two months of rigorous effort to deduce that it is one of the six main investors in an off shore firm that seems to be suspiciously growing. Of all the previous ventures that one or the other of its acquisitions has been investing in, some have been extremely vague in terms of profitable business.
In fact, on further digging, we found that almost twenty-two of them in the past five years have been either written off suddenly, or have shut down completely without explanation. No bankruptcy. Six others have changed names, shifted locations and done similar weird activity for no possible reason other than possibly covering tracks. What else can it be?
Before the last raid we did in the art festival four days ago, we did almost a week of brainstorming about the possible reasons behind these abnormalities. It still is in progress, but the weekend has gotten the best of us.
Something slowed us down. Maybe the fact that we did a meaningful amount of progress with blocking a huge quantity of class A narcotic drug assimilations. It was an achievement in the seven years of our existence as a group.
What we shouldn’t have overlooked was the fact that such a big progress for us meant a huge loss of the suppliers or the tops. Which in turn meant that they would be pissed more than ever, meaning they could do two things to get back in line.
First, pull business back to balance in another way. We obviously know now how this drug problem is closely connected with the trafficking network, be it for the blue filming or private escorting business.
Second, they could be tracking our whereabouts. Not that I doubt that we take the highest level of care when it comes to covering our tracks.
Of course, that has played along well or every one of us would have been charged with multiple mass murder and put in the prison forever, even if most of us were kids of people influential enough to get us out and away from a sentence.
But an extra vigilance on the part of a cover for our identities, would be the most logical thing to do, considering now that we are almost closely playing the game with the largest fishes in the ocean.
At about ten she comes out in her usual office attire, a grey tailored shirt with black pencil skirt. Who told her to wear the damned skirt, so not ready to freaking fight if needed? Adjusting the dial of her watch, she comes over to where I am seated with Divit, his back towards her.
“Uh-mm you wanted to talk?” she says.
Seeing Divit busy on a text message with Rayan, I signal her towards my lap, “Come sit...”
She glares in response, to which I grin and almost groan on the inside. Teasing her is a compulsory part of our interaction every day. But she’s a fast learner, so provoking me is the new way to silence my mischief.
“Yes, so did I miss anything?” She asks Divit, getting a seat beside him, eyeing me braggingly.
I give her the I’ll-teach-you-a-lesson-later look, tilting my head side to side smirking and I know that it incites in her the right kind of uncomfortable excitement looking at the way she quickly looks away.
I chuckle in my seat, coughing as Divit looks up from his phone all of a sudden.
“What’s going on between you two? Nakul, at least have some patience till I am here.”
He turns to Disha, “Don’t mind his threats D, I have some things to discuss with you.” He pauses, eyebrows furrowed, “But we can’t do that here. You’ll have to accompany me to my surgery room.”
“What? You have a surgery room?” she looks confused.
Divit and I exchange amused glances on her innocent question. What do you know, sweetheart?
“See for yourself...” Divit says.
Her bewildered gaze meets mine questioningly. I shrug in response smirking.
She knows how thoroughly I am enjoying the fear making its way in her veins.