by Ruchi Singh
No, no, no, he shouldn't panic. He should keep his cool.
Probably he needed another distraction to free his mind from the depressing chain of thoughts. He got up, opened his laptop, and searched the Internet.
* * * *
October 16th
Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai
16th October, 4:30 PM
Esha tried to open her eyes but her eyelids seemed to be glued together. A machine beeped at regular intervals placed somewhere to her left. Opening her eyes was an effort, so she didn't bother. A shadow moved in the periphery of her vision then disappeared. She heard the door close, then silence reigned in the room. She drifted off to sleep again.
The next time Esha woke up, she could open her eyes. The room looked surreal. Every horizontal surface in the room had a bouquet on it. A nurse stood near a chest of drawers with her face in the blooms.
"Aren't we spoilt?" she said sheepishly when she turned to find Esha's gaze on her. "Look at all the flowers! You are one lucky woman. He adores you." She wheeled in the breakfast trolley near the bed and cranked up her bed.
Esha frowned.
Though she wanted to be left alone, she had many questions and wanted detailed information, so she tolerated the nurse fussing around her.
Two cars had crashed on the curb when Nikhil ran on the road, but no one else was hurt. It would take at least two weeks for her wound to heal, she was told. The flowers, all of them, were sent by Vikram or his family, and the best room had been arranged by his orders. The nurse chattered away cheerfully going about her chores, not mentioning anything else about the incident.
Esha was given her medicines, a sponge bath, and her hair was brushed. All the things were brand new and classy, brought in by Seth sir himself, she was informed. It amused Esha to know that she was under security with two guards stationed in front of her room 24 X 7.
"Can you get me a newspaper?"
"No, we are not allowed newspapers here. Doctor's order."
Someone knocked. The nurse opened the door to find Mrs. Seth standing with her secretary close behind. Hesitant but smiling tentatively, Mrs. Seth entered the room. It seemed she had aged by years in a couple of days. The secretary handed a basket of fruits to the nurse.
"How are you? Are the doctor and staff treating you well?"
"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Seth. You shouldn't have bothered."
"Of course, I had to come. I... I don't know how to thank you. You have been so brave. He would have died, if—" She held Esha's hand and squeezed it. "The threat has always been there, for us, his father, for him... but two attacks in a month..."
"Nick will find out who is behind this. You needn't worry."
She smiled. "Yes... er... The doctor told me about your injury. Luckily, none of the bullets touched your bone. If you want we can go for a plastic surgery as well. Then there would be no scar, and you'll be able to wear sleeveless dresses."
'Dress? Sleeveless? What was she talking about?'
"No... no, that won't be necessary."
Mrs. Seth sighed. "Vikram tells me that you have no one to go to at the moment. I have come to invite you to Alibaug for the coming weekend. We have a pre-Diwali bash there every year. Some traditions have to be followed, no matter what. They keep us anchored. It will be a good break for you too. I'll be happy if you decide to join us."
"Thanks a lot." Esha smiled. Goddamn! She was sure he must have ordered his mother to invite her. She then wondered about the man himself. Was he so busy that he couldn't find time to visit her?
"Okay then. The doctor said not to tire you too much. Esha, our entire family will be indebted to you forever."
Esha inept at taking compliments and following social etiquettes, smiled and nodded.
"Nick is waiting to meet you too. Please rest and call me or Reema if you want anything." Mrs. Seth nodded at her secretary. "And I mean anything. God bless." She smiled and left the room.
"So how is my Xena?" Nikhil entered immediately after Mrs. Seth went out. Sitting beside her on the bed, he picked up a grape from the basket.
"Hey, they are for me."
"Is that so?" He picked up another and took it to her lips.
"It's not washed!"
"Xenas of the world do not eat washed fruits." He rubbed the grape on his trousers and forced it into her mouth, then the laughter faded away from his eyes. "You saved him, Major."
"Ah, not you too!"
"Yes, you did. It was your shoulder or his heart."
"Get over it." Embarrassed, Esha changed the subject. "Any clue?"
"Nope. We thought someone in the car took a shot, but it was not the vehicle. He was high up on the top floor of the three-story building across the road. The weapon has been abandoned again. Customized, like in Delhi. The guy knows his guns. Have to give him that. No fingerprints, not a bloody strand of hair. He comes well-prepared. Has loads of money too."
Nikhil brought her up to speed about the entire private investigation that his friend and renowned investigator Uday was conducting and the status so far. The likely people who could identify the killer were not many and the one who could, had been eliminated.
"He is a pro. A steady shooter, level headed," she said, glad that Nikhil trusted her now. Though she had kept her sentiments hidden, it frustrated her when she didn't have the complete picture. "Both times, the shots didn't vary much as far as the distance in concerned. Ask me." She smiled glancing at her bandaged shoulder. "Search for someone with an army background."
"Yeah, we are doing exactly that. I'll keep you posted."
The nurse coughed somewhere from the corner of the room indicating that visiting time was up.
He stood up. "You take care. I want to see you soon, lying above me."
"Ha, ha." She snorted.
He grinned, winked at the nurse who turned red, and left the room picking a bunch of grapes from the basket.
* * * *
October 18th
Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai
18th October, 11:30 PM
Bullets rained everywhere. Someone ran with her—a friend. She could hear the panting but couldn't see anyone. They had nowhere to go in the dense fog surrounding the city. It was the end that was certain. Where was he? She couldn't see him. Was he safe? She had to find him. His safety was the only thought that plagued her, as she ran through the maze of buildings. The concrete structures with no doors or windows were both high as well as low, but there was no respite. Whosoever wanted them dead was going to succeed. He was going to win! A bullet whizzed past, narrowly missing her head.
She sat gasping for air and then doubled up as her brain registered the pain in her shoulder. Someone enveloped her in a bear hug. She struggled against the light embrace. "Let go... let me go... let me..."
"Esha, hush. You are safe." Vikram held her, murmuring something incoherent and soothing. Even in the haze of pain, she knew it was him—the subtle whiff of his customized cologne was unmistakable. When the spasm of pain eased and her breathing returned to normal, he loosened his hold and gently rested his chin on her forehead.
"What are you doing here?" she asked when she was sure that she would not sound breathless.
"Visiting you. During the nights... past few days. Couldn't come during the day."
Goddamn! She closed her eyes.
"Should I call the nurse? They can give you something for the pain."
She shook her head. "No, I can't think with all those meds running in my blood."
His lips touched her temple. "You are not supposed to think. You are supposed to rest."
"Oh God. You shouldn't be here! Where is Nick? Guards!" She pushed at his arms, looking around frantically.
"Shh... shh... relax, they are all out there, I wanted to see you... to just look at you." He caressed her cheek, his eyes all tender, his breath on her face making her insides squirm and melt. "I have always wondered about the motivation behind Nikhil's manic dedication to me after that accident in the mountains
. But now... now I think I understand him. It is like a life-long debt, one that can never be repaid."
Pushing him away, Esha lay back on the bed to escape the need to hug him back, to feel him. "I never thought you would be the philosophical kind."
Vikram chuckled. "You can quit acting like a distant employee. Do you want me to call any of your family members?" He held her hand and made circles on her skin with his thumb.
"No," she blurted, then realized the need to defend her statement. "I don't want to blow my cover. It's not serious. I don't want to worry them unnecessarily."
He nodded, looking so handsome and alive that her pain and the ordeal lost it relevance. She suppressed an urge to straighten her hair. Why should she worry how she looked? 'Esha Sinha, you are in a serious mess'.
"What's the day today... time...?" she asked to cover her bare emotions.
"It's Monday, midnight. Three days since you were brought here." He continued to look at her in the same endearing way as if she was God and his only love rolled into one.
"Now that you have seen that I'm alive and breathing, I think you should go. It's quite late." She tried not to squirm under his gaze.
"Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?" He lifted her hand and kissed her wrist.
"I don't want others to be out of bed on my account." She closed her eyes and tried not to respond to his touch.
"Others... huh?" He chuckled shaking his head. "You go off to sleep, don't worry about the others."
"Oh, for God's sake it's just a flesh wound. You are making it sound like I have woken up from my death bed."
"Well, it appeared like that that evening. Do you have any idea how I felt when I saw your blood on my shirt?" His grasp on her hand tightened. "I can't even explain what I went through when you collapsed in my arms, Esha. I went berserk when you went limp... fu—" He cursed under his breath as his phone rang. "Yeah... yeah. I'm coming."
Disconnecting the call, he sighed. "I have to go to Singapore for a few days, then to the US. Just hang on, okay. We'll talk when I'm back."
"You are going abroad? Who is going with you?" She scowled.
Vikram smiled. "Don't worry, this time I have accepted the Z-plus security from the government. You take care of yourself. I want you up and about when I am back." He gave her a light peck at the corner of her lips and left, making the room cold and colorless.
* * * *
Suburbs, Mumbai
18th October, 6:30 PM
Sitting in his room, he watched the footage of the shooting outside the CNBC event for the nth time. Someone had recorded the video and he had downloaded it immediately before the Seths could put a media gag on the clip. His whole focus was on the PA who had stepped forward in the nick of time. She had spoken something rapidly, spurring Nikhil into action. How could she be so alert? So vigilant?
Alert like a bodyguard!
His hands started trembling. He replayed the clip and his hunch became a reality. She definitely had that smart, crisp demeanor about her—the aura of someone who had gone through a rigorous physical regime.
The thought brought a wave of panic and impotency. Who was she? When was she recruited? Was she undercover? He'd have to get more information on her. How did she skip his radar!
Damn! Damn! Sonofabitch!
* * * *
October 19th
Seth Towers, Mumbai
19th October, 8:30 AM
Uday's reports were on Nikhil's desk that morning when he reached office. With Esha in the hospital, he had had to be with Vikram all the time.
He had asked Uday to give him a report on people who had been fired from the army or had taken voluntary retirement and were in the age bracket of twenty-eight to fifty. Uday had segregated the reports based on who had been fired from the army and the ones who had taken a voluntary retirement.
Nikhil needed someone to help him to zero down the bastard—someone whom he could trust to sift through the thick reports with a cool head. Esha was his best bet, since she couldn't be on the field anyway till she was recuperating, but he'd have to discuss the situation with Vikram, who didn't want her under any stress at all. But knowing Esha, Nikhil was sure she would love to crack the puzzle. She had earned the right to be involved in all the details.
"The motherfucker is in Mumbai." Vikram stormed into his office. "Nick, who had the means to buy the parts of a gun and the skills to assemble it? Whoever he is, he shouldn't be able to hide from us."
"Don't worry, a contact has been made with someone in the underbelly of Mumbai."
"I want to personally find him and beat him to pulp." Vikram paced the length of the room.
"Vikram—" Frowning, Nikhil watched him agitated and worried for the first time in so many years.
"I can't rest till he is caught. I'm worried about mom and di too. I wish I can get involved in the investigations." He raked his hair with his fingers. "I wish there was someone to handle the business so that I can play an active role in hunting the bastard down. And I don't want to go and leave her here. Nick, I—"
"Relax. Just relax. I'm here." Nikhil stood up knowing who he referred to. "Everyone is under our radar and protection. Have I ever let you down? Uday and I are on top of this, we are definitely going to find some weakness in his armor." Nikhil somehow pacified him and took him to the airport.
Later in the evening Nikhil contacted the artist who was working with child-hooker.
"Has she given anything?" Nikhil asked.
"No sir, I'm still working with her." The artist sounded harassed and tired. "She is so fickle minded, keeps changing and adding her own imagination, and keeps propositioning me. I'm not too hopeful."
"Okay."
"Though I don't think she is lying."
"Yeah, right. Arrange for another session, if nothing comes out, it's okay. Give her the money and let her go."
The trail was getting cold. The arms-dealer lead had to be relentlessly pursued. What can be done to trap him? Nikhil's hands fisted and his eyes took on a steely glint as an idea began to sprout and slowly take shape. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
* * * *
October 28th
Outhouse, Seths' Residence, Mumbai
28th October, 9:30 PM
Esha came out of the bathroom with only a towel around her and found Nikhil lounging in the easy chair in her room. She pursed her lips and arranged the towel more securely around her torso.
"Oh, sorry!" Nikhil said without any remorse and continued to sit, watching her with his habitual relaxed smile.
She sighed. "Why did I expect you to look away? There is a knocker on the door I believe."
"The door was not locked, Xena."
"So—"
The door opened again.
"Esha, how are—" Vikram stopped short as he took in the scene.
He was back!
Esha’s face went warm at the sight of him. "Fine come on in, we are having an orgy out here. What do you guys have against knocking?" She turned to take out her clothes, the process slower with one hand holding the towel to her chest.
"The door wasn't locked," Vikram said.
Nikhil began laughing and couldn't stop.
"Don't look away or go out on my account, please make yourself at home." She went inside the bathroom, muttering to herself, "Now I'll have to buy a bathrobe."
When Esha came out, dressed in blue track pants and a white sleeveless tee, Nikhil was nowhere to be seen and Vikram stood looking out of the window that faced the boundary.
"Don't stand in front of the window." The words were out before she could stop herself.
"It's bullet proof."
"Oh... Still, why should we let anyone know which part of the residence you are in?" She pulled the curtains closed.
"You suffer from paranoia."
"Why do you always resist my... my..."
"Commands..." he supplied the word, moving towards her. He traced her lower lip with his thumb and her heartbeat started trott
ing at an uneven pace. "You know half of the people I meet become tongue tied in front of me and almost all the people in my family are afraid of me. And here you are. Leave aside fear, you order me around."
"It must be because I don't need anything from you except to... you know... to follow orders." She couldn't help as a smile sneaked on her lips at the last phrase.
"Are you sure?"
"Huh...?"
"That you don't need anything from me."
"Can we be serious on this subject?"
"I'm serious. After all it's my life. Isn't it?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"I understand what you are saying, sweetheart. But you know I'm not afraid for my life now. I used to be once, when there was all kind of security around me in the boarding school, in the US. Cowering behind other people. Risking the lives of people assigned for my security. But one day I thought what was I, Vikramaditya Seth, doing about my fear? What was I afraid of? They are also human beings... the criminals, aren't they? They are strong so I made myself strong. They have guns so I got a gun too and made it a point to excel in shooting."
"But they have the element of surprise on their side."
"Yes, for that I have Nikhil and... you." Vikram smiled. "You know the other thing that I have on my side? I have done everything in my life. There's nothing I haven't done. And don't think I'm suicidal. I have that primal instinctive caution to preserve my life, which keeps me safe from tripping down the stairs, but I'm not afraid. But no, that's not entirely true..." He stepped forward and pulled her by the waist in intimate contact from toe to chest. "I'm scared, not for my life but for the people whom I love."
