Reprisal

by Mark David Abbott

  “You know my drink.”

  “You were so particular when you ordered it, how could I forget?” She held up her own glass. “I even made one for myself.”

  “You won’t drink anything else after this. Trust me.” John raised his glass. “Thank you. Cheers.”

  Maadhavi raised hers in salute and took a sip. She raised her eyebrows and nodded in appreciation, then leaned her forearms on the balcony rail and stared out across the city.

  “It looks so peaceful when you see it like this.”

  “It does.” John leaned on the rail next to her.

  “Don’t let it deceive you, though. It’s not peaceful at all.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t mean the traffic.”

  John sighed. “I know.”

  John sensed Maadhavi looking at him.

  “Why all the secrecy tonight, Maadhavi?” He didn’t look at her when he asked, keeping his gaze on the cityscape. “Does the bruise on your cheek have something to do with it?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  John turned to face her. “I have all evening.”

  “I don’t know you well enough.” Maadhavi shook her head and took a big sip of her drink.

  “Maadhavi, whether or not you know me well is irrelevant. Maybe I can help you. No one has the right to hit you.”

  “Oh, so we have dinner and a few drinks together, and you think you’re my protector?” Even in the dim light on the balcony, her eyes blazed. She turned and walked back inside, draining her glass as she did. John followed her in and watched her as she fixed herself a fresh drink. She glanced over at him, and he shook his head. He still had half a glass and wanted to keep his head clear. Taking her drink, she sat down on the sofa and stared at the floor. John moved over and took a seat in the armchair opposite. Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, he fixed her in his gaze.

  “You are a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman with her own career. You don’t have to allow someone to have power over you, to abuse you. Why?” He gestured around the suite. “For this?”

  “Don’t you dare judge me. You don’t even know me.” Maadhavi looked up, her eyes on fire, her face flushed.

  John held up a hand. “No, no, I will never judge you.” He sighed and sat back in the chair, staring at his drink as he swirled the ice in the glass. “You’re right, I don’t know you.” He looked up. “I’m just trying to understand.”

  “You’ll never understand, William. You come here from another country, spend a little time here, and think you know how everything works. Life here is not that simple.”

  “You’re right.” John stood and moved to the bar. His drink wasn’t finished, he just needed space and time to think, to think about how far to push the conversation. At the end of the day, he wasn’t here to counsel her. He was here to get close to Patil. But at the same time, he needed to treat her right, or he was no better than men like Patil. He added more ice to his glass and topped it up with tonic. Glancing over at Maadhavi, who was staring out the open balcony door, John moved back to the chair and sat down.

  “Maadhavi, people only have power over us if we give them that power.”

  Maadhavi snorted. “Ha, nonsense. You’re a man. You’ll never understand. Have you any idea what it’s like to be a woman in this industry?”

  “No.”

  “Exactly, so don’t go spouting your wisdom at me.”

  John held up both hands. “I’m sorry.” He paused, “Should I go?”

  Maadhavi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I’ve had a rough couple of days, and...” She raised her head. “To be honest, I feel comfortable talking to you. You’re not from here. You’re not in the industry. I don’t believe you will judge me... which is why I got angry before.”

  John smoothed an imaginary crease from his trouser leg, took a sip from his glass, then looked at her again.

  “The reason for the secrecy tonight is the staff here report everything I do to a very powerful man. A jealous man.” She waved her hand at the suite. “He pays for all of this.”

  John raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting her continue.

  “He found out I had dinner with you and confronted me. We had an argument.” She pointed at her cheek. “He hit me.”

  John thought fast. The staff would have given his description to Patil, who may or may not have passed it on to Rajiv and the police. He would have to be even more careful.

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “No,” Maadhavi sneered. “But I am his mistress.” She looked up, challenging him. “Are you disgusted? Is the glamorous movie actress you met just a whore now?”

  John sat forward in his seat.

  “Maadhavi, I said I wouldn’t judge you. We all have to make decisions in life... to survive.”

  “My decisions were taken from me.” A single tear trickled from the corner of her left eye. “And now, I have to suffer for the rest of my life.”

  John frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Maadhavi took another drink and studied her hand. When she looked up, the tear had been joined by another.

  “I was raped by this man...”

  “Fuck.” John’s fingers clenched.

  “Yes, fuck. And since then, he has claimed me as his own. He controls everything I do,”—again, she gestured around the suite—“where I live, and what work I get. He controls it all.”

  “Surya Patil?”

  Her gasp was audible as she looked up in shock.

  “How do you know? Has the hotel staff said something?”

  John took a deep breath of his own. It was time to come clean.

  “Maadhavi, I can help you.”

  She looked at him, confused.

  “I know all about Patil. He’s an evil bastard.”

  “How do you know him?”

  John sighed and reached out for her glass.

  “It’s a long story, and you’ll need another drink.”

  76

  “I’m not who I said I was.”

  “What?” Her eyes raised in alarm. “Who are you?”

  “It’s better you don’t know... not everything.” John raised a placatory hand as he saw the worry on her face. “But don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you. I’ll explain.”

  Sipping his drink, he wondered the best way to start. He had to maintain his anonymity but also gain her trust. Taking a deep breath, he put the glass down on the table in front of him.

  “Four years ago, my wife was kidnapped, gang raped, murdered, her body left to rot in a ditch.”

  Maadhavi’s hand went to her mouth. “Oh my god!” She leaned forward and reached for John’s hand. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  John looked down at the table as the memories came bubbling up. His chin trembled as he stared at his hand held in Maadhavi’s.

  “Surya Patil’s son, Sunil, and three of his friends did it.”

  “Oh, William, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry.”

  John slipped his hand free and sat back in his chair. His jaw clenching, he willed himself to relax. Maadhavi still sat forward, studying his face. Her eyes narrowed.

  “Wait, I think I remember that. I remember seeing it in the news, but... they never caught the people who did it.”

  “No, and they never will. Because people like Patil control the police and the media.”

  Maadhavi sat back in her chair and stared at the table between them.

  “The bastard,” she muttered. Then she frowned and looked up. “Didn’t Sunil Patil commit suicide?”

  John said nothing, watching her, waiting for her to connect the dots. He saw her expression change, from a frown to slow realization.

  “It wasn’t suicide?”

  John still didn’t say anything. He leaned forward, picked up his drink, swirled it around, listening to the ice tinkle against the glass. Taking a sip, he held the liquid in his mouth for a moment, savoring the taste before s
wallowing.

  “The world can be very unfair. Some people have all the power, all the money. They could do so much good with it, but instead, they use it for their own means—to control others, to skirt the law, to do whatever suits them. People like Surya Patil.” He took another drink while he gathered his thoughts.

  “There is a legal system in place, a police force, but when they fail to deliver because of powerful influence, what do people like us do? Do we accept it and try to gather up what’s left of our lives, move on, knowing we will never get justice for our loved ones?” John shook his head. “No. That’s not right. I say it doesn’t have to be that way.”

  “But, William, you say this as if it’s easy. As if you are a crusader for justice...”

  “No.” John shook his head. “I’m not. I’m just an ordinary person. But if I can do it, anyone can. Or at least try. Why give up? Why continue to let these people have power over us?”

  Maadhavi shook her head, not convinced.

  “Surya Patil raped me, destroyed my innocence, my dreams. That... bastard... has since controlled every aspect of my life. If I had fought back, if I had gone public, I would have no life, no career. I wouldn’t get work anywhere.” She waved her hands as she became more animated. “I have two elderly parents I support. What could I do? It’s not as easy as you make out.”

  “It’s not easy, I agree, but I couldn’t imagine living a life where I had sat back and done nothing.” He waved his hand around the suite. “How long have you lived like this? As a prisoner in a gilded cage?”

  Maadhavi’s eyes widened in indignation. She began to protest but realized he was right. Slumping in her chair, her shoulders folding in on herself, she looked down at her hands in her lap.

  “Three years,” she whispered.

  John sat forward and leaned his arms on his legs, lowering his head, so his gaze met hers.

  “That’s three years of your life he has taken from you.”

  Maadhavi nodded slowly, her eyes tearing up.

  “I hate him.”

  “I hate him too, Maadhavi. I hate all people like him who play with other’s lives.”

  She looked up and regarded him with misty eyes,

  “But why do you hate him so much? It was his son who did it.”

  John gave a grim smile.

  “I’ve only told you half the story.”

  John explained how he had met someone. Someone he loved dearly and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. How Surya Patil had hired mercenaries to hunt him down, how they had taken Adriana hostage. He explained, leaving out the gory details, how he had dealt with the men, how he had discovered who was behind it all.

  Maadhavi listened with rapt attention, not moving, concentrating on every detail. When John finished and sat back in the chair, she just stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and admiration.

  “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through so much, William. He’s an evil man. But why are you telling me all this?”

  “Because I can help you, Maadhavi. I can help you be free. Do you want to be free?”

  “Yes, William, I do.” Maadhavi nodded slowly at first, then faster. “I really do. I can’t go on like this. I’m living a lie.”

  “Good. But first, I need you to help me.”

  77

  Maadhavi ordered room service, and John hid in the bedroom when it was delivered.

  She had brightened up significantly after the conversation, and as they sat down to eat, John started to plan.

  “Do you have somewhere you can go for a while? Somewhere you can lie low?”

  Maadhavi thought for a moment, her mouth full of food. She swallowed.

  “I suppose so... but Surya has eyes everywhere. I’m well known in Karnataka. Someone will see me wherever I go.”

  “Hmmm, in that case, you will need to go further afield.”

  “In fact, I was already planning to leave. I’ve been putting money away. I’ve paid off my parents’ house, but it would mean giving up my career...” She trailed off, looking down at her plate.

  John reached for another piece of Tandoori chicken. He was starving.

  “Maybe you don’t have to?”

  Maadhavi looked up in surprise. “What do you mean? What’s your plan?”

  John smiled and took a bite of chicken, chewed for a while, then swallowed.

  “I’m still working on it, but let’s see.”

  “He’s threatened to harm my parents.”

  “Prick.”

  Maadhavi raised an eyebrow.

  “Sorry.”

  “He is, though.” She grinned shyly. “A small one.”

  John almost choked on his chicken, and they both burst out laughing, the tension of the previous hours dissipating with humor.

  They continued with their meal, avoiding the topic of Surya Patil, discussing travel and Maadhavi’s work, but John’s mind was only half on the conversation. An idea was forming, an idea that would help both of them.

  At the end of the meal, John pushed aside his plate and dabbed his mouth with his napkin.

  “Do you have a passport?”

  “Of course.” Maadhavi looked surprised and a little indignant at the apparently random question. “Why?”

  “Good.” John smiled. “An Indian passport?”

  “Obviously.” Maadhavi looked more confused than ever. “I am Indian, in case it escaped your attention.”

  “I had noticed.” John grinned. “But nowadays, people have passports from all over the place.” He frowned. “Unfortunately, an Indian passport makes things a little more difficult. There aren’t as many options for a visa on arrival.”

  “Can you please explain where you’re going with this?”

  John nodded, only half listening to what she was saying.

  “How about visas? Any valid visas?”

  “I have a Schengen and a U.S. visa.”

  “Hmmm...”

  “John?”

  John looked up, noticing her expression.

  “I’m sorry, just thinking. You will need an alibi, and the best one is to be out of the country. I’m just thinking where you can go.”

  “Go? I can’t just jump on a plane. I have commitments.”

  John fixed her in his gaze.

  “Do you want to be free of this man? It’s your choice.”

  Maadhavi exhaled, the fight quickly going out of her.

  “Yes, yes, I do.”

  “Then you will have to make some decisions quickly. Make some sacrifices. Freedom isn’t free.”

  “No,” she sighed. “Okay. What do I have to do?”

  “Think where plausibly you can go by yourself, so if you are questioned later, people will believe it.”

  “Hmmm...” Maadhavi stared out the window as she considered her options. “Europe is too far and a little hard to explain.” After a moment, her face lit up. “Dubai! I go there often. I have a U.S. Visa, so they grant me a visa on arrival.”

  “Great.” John thought for a moment. “In fact, excellent. I have a contact there who will look after you.”

  “I don’t need looking after.”

  John sighed. “I know you don’t. It’s just for safety. Just in case. Patil hired the mercenaries from there. He has contacts there. If he has you followed, I need to know.”

  “Okay.”

  John stood and paced around the room, thinking as he walked. Maadhavi bit her lip as she watched him. John stopped and spun around.

  “Do you have your own credit card? One that doesn’t go to Patil?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Use that and book yourself a ticket on a flight tomorrow to Dubai. The earlier, the better.”

  “I think there’s one around ten in the morning.” Maadhavi sat up.

  “Perfect.” John walked over to the armchair and leaned on the back of it. “Book a hotel, and... a spa treatment, anything like that, so you can document where you have been.”

  Maadhavi frowned. “Why do I need that?�
��

  “Because Maadhavi, whatever happens here, it must never track back to you. You need a cast-iron alibi.”

  “What are you going to do?” Maadhavi looked worried.

  “It’s better you don’t know the details. That way, you can always deny everything. But I plan to put a stop to him.”

  Maadhavi screwed up her face, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She fidgeted with her hands, then looked up again.

  “Are you going to... hurt him? Or...?”

  John stared at her sternly.

  She looked away. “Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll get my laptop.”

  John nodded, his expression firm.

  “And book a hotel car to take you to the airport.”

  78

  John stepped onto the balcony, slid the glass door closed behind him, then pulled out his phone, removed a business card from his wallet, and dialed.

  “Hello?”

  “Steve, it’s John.”

  “John, mate. You’re back in Dubai?”

  John smiled at the familiar Australian accent.

  “No, Steve, just using a Dubai SIM. It’s a long story, I’ll explain later.” John turned to look back inside. Maadhavi sat on the sofa, typing away on her laptop, giving no sign she could hear him. She must have sensed him looking because she looked up and smiled. John turned away, facing out over the balcony rail again.

  “I need some help, Steve. I’ll pay your usual rate.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about all that. What do you need?”

  “I need you to keep a discreet eye on someone. Make sure she’s not followed, protect her if necessary.”

  “For sure, mate.”

  “Thank you, Steve. I appreciate it. I’ll explain everything later. She will arrive tomorrow on the Emirates flight from Bangalore.”

  “Bangalore?”

  John could sense the raised eyebrows.

  “Yeah.”

  “Say no more, mate. You be careful.”

  “I will. I’ll text you the flight and hotel details and her photo. I owe you, my friend.”

  Steve chuckled on the other end. “The tab’s running mate. You still owe me the beers from Oman.”