by Kishan Paul
“No, it hadn’t occurred to me.” His words cut at her. “All I knew was you needed me to save your lives.”
“Maybe the truth is you needed us, not the other way around.”
“I did need you.” She rested her back against the chair, watching him. “You and your brothers helped me survive one of the worst traumas of my life.” She searched for any semblance of the boy he once was in the man he’d become. “You’re not a little bird anymore, and I can’t help you. If they catch you, you will spend the rest of your life in jail. They might kill you for things you’ve done.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It was always a risk, wasn’t it? But if things go the way I’m anticipating, you will wish you’d left those baby birds to die.”
The swell of regret rose in her. Her lips parted as she tried to find the words, but her explanations sounded weak. “No matter what happens to me, I want you to understand my love for you and your brothers has not and will never waver. I still see you, the good and the bad. I see the boy you once were and the man you have become. The fact you survived the orphanage is itself a miracle, and you wouldn’t have done it without your brothers. Don’t allow just the painful experiences to define you. Remember the good ones. Your past is evidence of your strength and your pain. Proof you overcame despite it. Don’t forget who you are, Adil. Don’t choose this path.”
“Choose this path?” He laughed. “I created this path. As far as who I am…” He positioned his mouth near her ear. “There are close to twenty men entering this building as we speak. None of them are part of Icom. Want me to tell you who they are?” His breath hit her cheek. “They are part of Avinesh Mafia, one of the biggest mafia groups in the country. See that one over there, Varun?”
She glanced at the man with the thick mustache.
“He’s the Don’s cousin. Curious why the Don sent his own blood here?” He paused a beat before answering his own question. “Because I asked him to. Just that simple. One call, and here they are ready to kill anyone I ask them to kill.” He squeezed her arm. “Here’s another question.”
“Who do you think really runs Icom?” This time his words were whispered in English. He nudged his face in Wassim’s direction. “I’ll give you a hint. It’s not him. He thinks he does, and I am okay letting him believe as much. In other words, the answer to your question is you have no idea who I am and what I am capable of.”
“Then you’re responsible for stealing the child too.” Her disgust evident in her voice. “What happened to you?”
Adil shrugged and rose to his feet. “Like you said, I let my past define me, and now I am my father’s son.”
Before she could push further, the door in the back slammed open. A guard entered, an injured Rafi leaning against him. His eye swollen and lip bloodied, the right side of Rafi’s shirt was stained red. He scanned the room until his gaze landed on her. “That woman is a monster.”
CHAPTER FORTY
HOPE
“Vans have been swapped and the men are on their way up to you now with the supplies you requested.”
Eddie paced as he listened to Sin’s details. The bed in the room squeaked.
He glanced over at the woman secured to it. She sat on the mattress with her back against the headboard. If there were any doubt as to the purpose of the room, the handcuffs hooked to one of the posts at the head of the bed erased all of them. Handcuffs that had come in convenient for securing the sheer-shirted woman they’d apprehended earlier. He eyed her, aware she was listening to his side of the conversation.
“I haven’t gotten intel on the IEDs yet, but they’ve been disabled.”
They’d managed to get the van full of IEDs safely out of the building and in the hands of the bomb squad. Managed to terminate most of Wassim’s and the AM’s guards. Managed to get Tay out of the building and to the hospital. All good things, but the items they hadn’t managed to accomplish preoccupied him. “Any intel on Sam or her new accessory?”
“Yes. She’s beat up but alive.”
Of course she is. Wassim would look for every opportunity to torment her before killing her. He rested his head against the wall as hostility vibrated through him.
“Haven’t gotten a visual of the device she’s carrying but should soon.”
His eyes burned with untapped emotion. He blinked them away and focused on the intel. “Give me your take on the room.”
“No windows. They are in the bridal department of the store. Four hostiles in there currently, including Adil, plus our operative, a child, and Sam. Five more on the floor above and the floor below. But there might be another way in there. His men removed all the valuables and loaded them on a van. We managed to seize the vehicle a few blocks away from the property and squeezed the occupants. I’m being told there’s a tunnel.”
The tension in his back intensified. “Tell me more.”
“That’s all we got so far. I sent a few of my boys to hang out with the owner of Palaza Jewelers and see what he shares. Turns out he has a fear of drowning. They’re taking him for a swim. I’ll be in touch as soon as I find out more.”
Eddie released the button on his radio and seated himself on the edge of the bed. The positives: Rafi made it to Alisha, and she was alive. Now he just needed to make sure she stayed that way. Rafi was the last person he wanted to trust, and yet here he sat needing to do just that. He scanned the clock on his burner. According to the message Wassim sent back with a wounded Tay, they had to meet the fucker in forty minutes. Forty minutes to figure out everything they could about the belt Tay saw them wrap around her. Forty minutes to save her and the others. He rose to his feet and exited the room.
Eddie made his way to the room a few doors down. Arms crossed, Raz stood against the wall staring at the stranger who sat on the bed under the dim glow from a flashlight. The man’s attention was at the far corner. Eddie followed it until his gaze landed on the crumpled body of a naked woman on the floor.
“She’s dead,” Raz stated when Eddie started toward her. The kid shook his head, disgust etched in his features. “They broke her neck.”
“They broke her heart first,” the stranger added.
Eddie planted his hands on his hips and stared down at the man in a dress shirt, slacks, and bare feet. “You knew her?”
He nodded. “She was Tanu’s mother. One of us.”
“Who are you?”
The man in question rose from his seat and faced Eddie. “Khalin.”
His response did nothing to answer Eddie’s question. “Nice to meet you, Khalin. You helped a member of my team today. Why?”
Khalin grinned. “He was a friend of Ally’s.”
The mention of her had Eddie inching closer to him. “What do you know about Ally?”
“That she has many names.” Khalin took a step back, his eyes locked with Eddie’s. “She prefers Ally because it was what her dead husband called her. That she came here to save Wassim’s son. A suicide mission really, because from what I’ve heard of the man, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. That she knew you would come for her.”
So far, he was on point. “And you’re aware of all this because?”
“We spent some quality time together in my room earlier today.”
Suspicion shot through him. He narrowed the distance between them. “What exactly did you do with her in your room?”
“Naughty things,” Khalin winked. “Like talked. Well, mostly listened. She had a lot to say.”
Thus far, the shoeless man’s story hadn’t changed since he’d shared it with Raz. “How did you get out, and how did you get the key?”
“Ally.” Khalin patted the bulge in his shirt pocket. “After unlocking me, she slipped it under the door.”
“Why?”
“She wanted me to hope.” He shrugged. “And I think she knew I’d help the others.”
Eddie watched him, deciding he was worth trusting. He pulled out his phone and showed him the picture of the woman they tied up in the next r
oom. “Do you know her?”
Khalin nodded. “Her name is Navya. She’s Wassim’s personal girl. No one is allowed to touch her.”
“Can she be trusted?”
“We trust few people.” Khalin mused. “When you’ve seen what we’ve seen, we know better than to take people at their word.”
“Then why are you talking to me?”
He glanced over at Raz. “Aside from the fact the gun your friend pointed at me was quite convincing, I trust Ally, and she trusted you would come for her and help us. Which you have done.”
His words made Eddie pause. The meeting with Wassim could end with an explosion, possibly destroying the building they stood in and the people inside. There were close to a hundred victims locked upstairs, all of whom needed to get out quietly and quickly before the meeting went down. A daunting task for his now team of four. “Will the other residents listen to you?”
“More than they will you.”
Eddie let out a breath. Trust appeared to be the theme of the day. “Then I could really use your help.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
NIKKI
Ally sat on the edge of the chair, careful not to lean back. Rafi’s arrival sent a flurry of activity around her. Two of the men tended to Rafi’s bullet wound while he provided his depiction of events. She listened to his rendition, trying to figure out the truth to his words.
“I was downstairs with the two guards and your woman, getting ready to leave for the garage when the shots started. It happened so fast.”
“And the others?” the mustache asked.
Rafi shook his head. “Dead. All of them.”
Wassim cursed and paced the side of the room, the remote control tucked in his pants pocket. “One of the bodies fell on me, covering me.” Rafi’s eyes widened, and his hands shook as he spoke.
“They didn’t check to see if I was alive. I waited for them to leave before finally shoving him off me, and then I ran.” He turned his back, displaying the blood staining his bare skin and jeans.
Adil circled him, inspecting his wounds, appearing unconvinced by his story. “Did you hear anything?”
He scanned the room until his gaze fell on Ally. “They said they are looking for her and the soldiers they sent with her.” He pulled out his phone. “I tried to call you, but they shut down the lines. I ran upstairs to warn the others, but the prisoners were screaming from their rooms, I couldn’t hear myself think. I kept running and ended up here.”
“If they only shot you, then what happened to your face?” Adil’s question had Rafi’s gaze flickering on her.
“That bitch. Wassim Bhai granted me permission to spend time alone with her. She fought me, and before I could teach her a lesson, the lights went out.” Every set of eyes in the room fixed on her. “So, I left in search of the rest of you.” The tale Rafi wove appeared to be believed by the attendants in the room. The tension had multiplied from when he’d begun his story to when he finished. Orders she couldn’t make out were growled, and the handful of Wassim’s guards rushed out of the room to comply.
“Your people are incompetent.” The mustache cursed out loud and tossed his phone across the room after several unsuccessful attempts to make a call. He stroked the hair above his lips and paced.
Irritation flashed across Adil’s face, but he didn’t argue.
“But it’s fine,” the man continued. “Fourteen of my best men are on their way. They’ll take care of your little problem.”
Rafi stormed toward her. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled at it until her head tipped back and she gazed up at him. “Do you remember what happened in the room earlier today?” He snarled loud enough for the others to hear. “I’m going to do the same to you again.”
The gaze of onlookers bore into her. He released his hold, wrapped both hands around her neck, pretending to squeeze.
“I have a bomb wrapped around my waist. You might want to be careful.”
Rafi’s eyes flitted to the belt. He released his hold, a smile replacing his scowl. “Excellent. Who has the transmitter? I want the honor of killing you.”
“I do,” Wassim answered. “And you’ll have to take it from my dead body for that honor.”
Ally lowered her head until her hair covered her face. “Right front pant pocket,” she whispered.
He squatted beside her. “Do you know what will happen to your body when this goes off, because I would love to tell you.” Rafi leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. “They’re in the building. He’s coming for you.”
She feigned disgust at what he whispered. “The little girl in the corner…”
“I’ll take care of it. Now lean back, I need to get a visual of the belt.” Rafi rose to his feet, smirking down at her for a beat before he finally joined the others.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
OM
Arms crossed, Eddie stood in the big room with Raz at his side. Guarding the exit door leading to the garage, impatience strummed his veins.
Things were going according to plan, he reminded himself. A hard concept to accept when Alisha struggled to survive on the other side of the building. So close, and yet he couldn’t go to her. Not yet.
The remaining two new members of their team were upstairs with Khalin and Wassim’s girl, preparing for the next stage of the plan.
The back alley had been secured by the counter-assault team and nondescript Interpol vehicles. As promised, they provided him with backup and resources. He scanned the space. The yellow glow of a dozen carefully positioned flashlights illuminated the path the victims would walk to their escape. The only window in the room was taped up to ensure no one could see the happenings inside.
As expected, the door they guarded opened. Moose appeared on the other side. A large duffel filled with supplies hung over one of his thick shoulders. His other hand gripped the arm of a blindfolded Om as he guided him in.
Om’s arms hung in front of him, secured by handcuffs. Ari followed behind, gripping Om’s elbow. And like Moose, another giant bag slung over his shoulder.
No one spoke. The entire length of Om’s trip to this point was probably spent in silence with him being handed off from one operative to the next until now. Eddie reached for the man’s arm and guided him on the final leg of his journey.
Ari handed him an electronic device and the keys to Om’s cuffs, both of which Eddie promptly slid in his pocket. Raz led the other two brothers to a different location to go over the details of the next part of their mission.
Eddie escorted Om to an empty room, switched on the flashlight he gripped, and shut the door. He watched the younger man, standing in the center of the space. Shoulders high, his head down, he read the environment, gleaning as much as he could in spite of his lack of vision.
As angry as he was at Om, disappointment was the emotion that took center stage. Om had been one of his best. An excellent operative and loyal to a fault. His betrayal wasn’t only disappointing, it was an indication how wrong Eddie had been.
He thought about Alisha’s explanation of how their brains weren’t fully developed until twenty-five. She had been right. He should have known better. These kids were too young. They needed more training, more time to grow up. His impatience to fulfill his dream of a strong team of operatives had caused him to push them into roles they weren’t ready for.
Eddie moved behind Om and removed his blindfold. The young man blinked a few times, adjusting to dim light. While he acclimated to the world around him, Eddie pulled out the keys and unlocked the cuffs.
“Where is she?” Om asked.
He slipped off the restraints and tucked them in his back pocket. “Well, it depends on which she you’re talking about.” He flashed him the device Ari provided. “If you mean the woman Adil claimed was your sister, take a look.” He messed with the handheld camera until images popped up and handed the device to Om.
The kid went through the clips of the girl in the cage, of her being removed, of Sin’s team escortin
g the victim out the building to a vehicle, finishing off with her in a hospital bed. He took in the reactions flashing across the kid’s face in the dim light. The way the strain in his body eased as he scrolled frame by frame.
“You found my sister.” His voice cracked.
Eddie shrugged. “Yes, we found a girl. Maybe someone’s sister. Maybe yours, I have no clue.”
Om scrolled through the same set of images a few times before finally fixing his attention on him. Emotion glistened in his eyes. “Thank you.”
The relief he saw in the man eased Eddie’s suspicions. “You need to be aware, we found her in Adil’s apartment. In a cage. And from what I understand, that motherfucker did sick things to her while he had her.”
Om’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not surprised.”
“I’m telling you this because one”—Eddie put up an index finger—“she’s not okay and two”—he added a second digit to the first—“I need you to see the difference in how I and how Wassim take care of your family.”
Om met Eddie’s gaze. “You are my family.”
Eddie dropped his hand. “That time’s passed.”
The kid lowered his eyes. “I screwed up. I should have told you as soon as I started getting messages. I went a little crazy.”
“You should have told me. But that’s not something we can change. What we can fix…” Eddie wandered over to the dresser and picked up the gun lying on it. He took the weapon and seated himself on the foot of the bed. “Is what’s happening now.”
Om positioned himself beside Eddie. “How can I help?”
The question he hoped the kid would ask. “Tell me what Wassim and Adil know about our team.”
Om rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Adil. I never spoke with Wassim. He asked things but I never told them who was on the team. He knows you, Hassan, are part of it, as are me, Raz, and now Sai.”
