BLOWBACK
Page 25
Anbu’s words broke the magic of the moment, in a way he would never have imagined possible. Reality hit Iqbal like a bucket of cold water and a shadow passed over his face.
‘If he stays with me, he is not going to last very long.’ Like his face, his voice was flat and bereft of all feeling. ‘Everyone and everything I have ever loved has been destroyed and taken away from me. I know I am cursed. Take him, sir, I beg you. Take him away from me. No one else knows about him and that’s the way I’d like to keep it.’ His eyes sought and held Anbu’s. ‘Will you keep him safe for me? Please.’
‘Are you sure that’s what you want, Iqbal?’
‘Yes, sir. It would make me happy if you took him and brought him up as your own. There will be no danger to him as long as no one knows he belongs to me.’
‘Okay.’ Anbu nodded unhesitatingly, reaching forward and taking the infant in his arms. ‘If that’s what you want. I promise you your son will never want for anything. He will be a son to my wife and me... and a brother to my son and daughter. He will get the best that I am able to give either of my own.’
‘I have no doubt that he will, sir. But yes, there is one more thing that I will ask of you. Please bring him up as a god-fearing person, but let his god have no name, let his god have no religion.’ Without meaning to, Iqbal half turned to face the love of his life, now lying dead. ‘How could they have done this to her? How could any human being have…’ His voice faded away as his eyes took in her battered body yet again. ‘May I please be alone with Tanaz?’ he whispered finally after a long pause.
Anbu nodded and gestured to the two officers who flanked him. Wordlessly, as one, the three Force 22 commandos made their way out. None of them could push away the thought that they had let them down; the young beautiful woman whose brutally tortured body now lay stiffening on the hospital bed and the tormented young man whose body was alive but whose soul seemed condemned to the uncertainty of festering hate once again.
Some time later, concerned by the prolonged silence within, the three men came back into the room and found it empty, except for the lifeless body on the bed.
Tanaz had been tended to, carefully, lovingly. Her hair had been combed back and her eyes were now closed. All that was humanly possible had been done to erase the evidence of the mutilation she had suffered. The fresh bedsheet that covered her body up to her chin hid most of the horrific wounds that had been inflicted on her. It seemed as though Tanaz was merely asleep.
And Iqbal was gone.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the tremendous support I have received from my family over the years. They gave me the time, space and the encouragement to keep going.
I must thank my comrades-in-arms in the Indian Armed Forces who were kind enough to ensure that I did not make any major blunders while writing about tactics, weapons and weapon systems. However, I must stress that all technical data used in this book is freely and easily available on the internet and has not been provided to me by any person or persons.
A very special vote of thanks to my publisher Karthika V.K. for believing in me, keeping me on track, and for giving final shape to this book and this series. Without her watching over me I do not think I could have ever been able to achieve this incredibly difficult task of getting out each successive book within a year. And to Neelini Sarkar, Amit Sharma, Jojy and the others at HarperCollins India who helped to make this book possible.
Any errors, factual or technical, that still exist in this book are solely my fault or have been deliberately left there by me to prevent any misuse of a technology or an idea.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, the National Defence Academy, Pune, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Mukul Deva was commissioned in December 1981 into the Sikh Light Infantry of the Indian Army. He took early retirement after fifteen-plus years of service, including a decade of active combat duty in India and overseas. Mukul is now an entrepreneur, consultant, Writing, Leadership and Business Coach. He is the author of Time After Time…It All Happened, S.T.R.I.P.T.E.A.S.E: The Art of Corporate Warfare, M.O.D.E.L.: The Return of the Employee, Lashkar and Salim Must Die.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book is a work of fiction although some of the events mentioned here have actually taken place.
All the characters, countries, places and organizations described or mentioned in this book are fictitious or have been fictitiously used and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is unintentional.
The technical details of the various weapon systems, the specifications and methodologies of bomb making and weaponry, as well as the tactics and security procedures employed by any police, military, intelligence organization, airline, airport security and/or militant organization, as also all criminal, forensic and investigative procedures, have been deliberately kept vague, inaccurate and/ or incomplete to prevent any misuse, accidental or otherwise.
There is no slur or malice intended against any religion, race, caste, creed, nation, organization or people.
Praise for Mukul Deva
‘Deva has a Nostradamus touch.’
– The Statesman
‘India’s literary storm trooper.’
– Business Standard
‘Deva comes as a pleasant surprise… it is rare to find a successful, celebrated man who has enough vulnerability.’
– New Indian Express
‘You can smell the gunpowder. Such is the power of the words of Mukul Deva… India’s first military action thriller writer.’
– The Hindu
‘India’s only military thriller writer.’
– The Week
‘Deva needs to be congratulated for being part of the pioneering group in the genre of the Indian thriller novel.’
– The Deccan Herald
‘Mukul Deva wears the crown of India’s premier military thriller writer with great skill and panache.’
– www.indepepal.com
Praise for Lashkar
‘An edge-of-the-seat-thriller.’
– The Hindustan Times
‘Exciting... with some action, some introspection, some retrospection... A racy read.’
– The Times of India
‘For the first time, an Indian thriller set in contemporary times… a gripping tale.’
– Pioneer
‘Lashkar tries to make sense of the terror that surrounds our lives.’
– The Hindu
‘Ludlumesque.’
– Tribune
‘A glance is enough to discover... this is a Tom Clancy on the LOC.’
– Time Out
‘A real page-turner… a riveting read.’
– Business Standard
‘Written with style and panache.’
– Sahara Time
‘A real-life take on how the so-called jehadis are picked up from anonymous Indian streets… Lashkar tells many tales with great ease.’
– MetroPlus
‘Lashkar is gripping... racy and visually captivating.’
– Indo Asian News Service
‘A compelling read.’
– Govind Nihalani, film-maker
Praise for Salim Must Die
‘Deva is back and how! Uncannily prescient. Unputdownable. Salim Must Die enthrones Deva as the undisputed Master of Thrills.’
– Sarthak Dasgupta, film-maker
‘Taut and gripping... technical knowledge and research are remarkable, as is the plotting and the premise. Great read for the fans of Tom Clancy.’
– Delhi Times
‘A ripping, edge-of-your-seat, burn-the-midnight-oil, good read. Deva sets a frenetic pace. The author’s attention to detail and prodigious research skills are evident.’
– www.indepepal.com
‘After his much acclaimed Lashkar... Salim Must Die continues its Tom Clancy-eqsue (run). Deva scores... you can sense the passion.’
– Mail Today
‘Finally, an Indian thriller of quality... where neither the tautness nor the pace collapses. Here comes India’s Clancy or Ludlum or Forsyth.’
– Outlook
‘Deva is an equal with the likes of Robert Ludlum and Sidney Sheldon… a tight plot bound together by intricate but brilliant narration leaves the reader in awe.’
– Deccan Herald
‘A prescient tale… racy, keeps you hooked… definitely written for the movies.’
– The Hindu
‘India’s answer to Tom Clancy… Salim Must Die is as real as it gets… gut wrenching action and a deeper look into the terrorist’s psyche.’
– Khabar Dilli Se
What Readers Have to Say
‘Both Lashkar and Salim Must Die are serious pageturners. He is one of the best authors that I have ever come across.’
– Sayan Acharya, acharya.sayan@gmail.com
‘The sharp zigzags of the plot kept me on edge and made for a very racy pace.’
– Amit Kumar Bose, bose.amitkumar@gmail.com
‘Lashkar and Salim Must Die will find an answering chord with many and both are bound to be made into films and have multiplexes filled with patriotic cheers.’
– Anjana Basu, anjanaorama@gmail.com
‘Every scenario described here is realistic and scary. I truly enjoyed it... I feel that Salim Must Die should not only be read by every Indian but also be read the world over.’
– Shailesh Karkhanis, shaileshkar@gmail.com
‘Reality, Thriller, Action – Lashkar and Salim Must Die present an amazing vision to see the reality, on such sensitive issues.’
– Sadiya Khan, sadiyakhan@hotmail.com
‘Finally, an Indian writer who keeps you on the edge and wanting more. Go, Mukul, go; let your pen flow!’
– Hari Kumar, harismind@gmail.com
‘I still remember my first thriller, an Alistair Maclean, which I read twenty-nine years ago. Reading Salim Must Die gave me a similar high.’
– Ashish Kumar, ashish.kulshreshtha@gmail.com
‘Gripping storylines with excellent coverage and explanations of the global geo-political scenario. Mukul Deva is probably amongst the best authors globally.’
– Monish Navlani, monishn@live.com
‘Laskhar was pacy, tight, well-knit and pleasantly vindicating. Mukul deftly blends his knowledge of military operations with his knack for thriller writing.’
– Gul Panag, gulpanag@gmail.com
‘I put off everything once I started reading Mukul Deva’s series and then I told all my friends. Clancy, sure, but I’m thinking the next Ken Follett.’
– Fran Lebowitz Rittman, flebowitz@yahoo.com
‘Had the pleasure of reading Lashkar and Salim Must Die and am thrilled to see this kind of a writing from a fellow Indian. I read that people are comparing your writing to Ludlum and Clancy but in my eyes you are way beyond them… somewhere close to Mathew Riley and Allen Folsom... Cheers and keep ’em coming!’
– Anunay Shrivastava, anunay.shrivastava@gmail.com
‘While Lashkar is unputdownable, Salim Must Die takes the thrills to the next level! Current themes about proliferation and “non-state” actors make the story very relatable to anyone who reads the newspapers regularly.’
– Deepak Subramanian, Deepaksub@yahoo.in
‘Mukul has a very definitive style of writing and it makes the reader literally feel like he is part of the entire plot, witnessing each and every thrill in real time.’
– Arijit Sen, arijit.sen@kotak.com
‘Mukul Deva’s writings are a sure recipe to entertain. Salim Must Die catapulted me into a virtual world of action where I smelt gunpowder, felt the shocks of mortar and grenade explosions, and survived the labyrinthine espionage of the next-door enemy all of us love to hate.’
– Kulpreet Yadav, kulpreetyadav@gmail.com
First published in India in 2010 by
HarperCollins Publishers India
Copyright © Mukul Deva 2010
ISBN: 978-81-7223-921-3
Epub Edition © February 2013 ISBN: 9789350295939
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Mukul Deva asserts the moral right to be identified
as the author of this work.
This is a work of fiction and all characters and incidents described in this book are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under The Copyright Act, 1957. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers India.
Cover design: Riti Jain Dhar
For sale in the Indian subcontinent only
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1 Told in Salim Must Die (2009).
2 Told in Lashkar (2008).