‘I can show you my passport.’
She pulled it out from her backpack and offered it to him.
‘Why did you say you’re Kiran Walia?’
‘I’m being followed. The man in the next coupe, in the grey safari suit…I heard him talking to someone on the phone and he was describing me. I got scared. And I didn’t know what to do.’
‘Do you want me to call the police?’
‘No, Sir. I’ll just go back to Delhi. When is the next train?’
After giving her the details, he left.
It was dark outside and the station was now deserted. It was a small station and only a few trains stopped on their way to different destinations. She had no clue if Safari Suit was lying in wait for her. Now that the TC had left, she couldn’t wait in the office for much longer. The other officials were giving her strange looks.
For a moment she wished she could call up Kabir and ask him to come get her. Sweeping the thought out of her head, she dug into her backpack and pulled out a scarf. Tying it around her head and face in the manner she had seen many young women cover themselves, she hoped she would be able to slip away unnoticed by Safari Suit and any accomplice who may be out there looking for her.
Stepping out of the office she walked down the platform, staying as close as possible to the shadows. Fortunately the station was not very well lit. Her heart thudded with every step she took.
At a stall a couple of men were drinking tea and smoking cigarettes. They glanced her way and she quickly walked past keeping her head down.
Further down, a man stood in the shadows. He was carrying a briefcase. Was it Safari Suit? She stopped in her tracks, swallowed the bile that rose to her throat and turned away.
Heart in her mouth, she wondered if she should make a run for it. A quick look confirmed he was looking at her. She increased her pace and started walking towards the exit.
Just then a train pulled in and a wave of commuters surrounded her. Keeping herself bang in the middle of the crowd, she hurried along.
Ahead of her a bunch of girls were laughing and talking among themselves. She tagged behind them, looking around nervously. The man with the briefcase had gone. She exhaled and adjusted the scarf around her head.
Kabir was slowly going out of his mind.
He’d been riding non-stop for hours at breakneck speed. A couple of times he’d narrowly missed running over people, especially in the densely populated stretches. He’d stopped just once to fill up on fuel. He knew he’d badly over-estimated his ability to make it to Bandikui Junction. There had been huge tracts of potholed roads he hadn’t factored in. And now here he was, at the station, an hour and a half after the train had left. Frustration and fatigue made his shoulders and neck throb painfully.
Ever since Qiara had put in an appearance, his entire life seemed to be spinning out of control. It had taken him a long time to keep the lid tightly shut on his memories and his single-minded focus on work had helped. Over the years, the feeling of inadequacy had lessened, but ironically, his colleagues had misread his aloofness as arrogance. He wondered how they would react once they realized how badly he had goofed up.
He couldn’t go tearing after the train any more – there was no way he would be able to catch up. His only option was to call up Zayed, inform him about Qiara’s disappearance and get him to alert the police at Jaipur. Perhaps they could coordinate with the railway authorities at Jaipur and keep her safe till he arrived. He could almost hear Zayed gloating at his monumental goof-up. He would rather face the flak than risk Qiara’s safety any more.
Embarrassment was only a small part of the whole sorry tale. The thought of letting down Aman Sir was like a dull throb in his chest that wouldn’t go away. He should have informed Aman Sir about his personal connection with Qiara, who was now under investigation by the ED as a representative of Girls Rock! Talk about conflict of interest. He also had no doubt that if push came to shove, he would not blink an eyelid before protecting Qiara, professional integrity be damned!
He headed to the bank of taps that stood on the platform. He opened the faucet, cupped his hand and drank thirstily for a long while. Sticking his head under the gushing water, he let it flow over his head. It felt heavenly as the water washed away the dust and grime and relaxed the tense muscles of his shoulders.
Shutting off the water, he flopped down on the stone bench and held his head in his hands. Fear for Qiara and anger at himself mingled in his bloodstream, making him edgy and restless. He shook the water out of his hair trying to clear his head and plan his next move.
The sound of girlish giggles caught his attention and he looked up to find he’d sprayed water on a bunch of girls who were walking past.
One of them wolf whistled and remarked, ‘Oye hoye, yeh toh bilkul hero hai. Dole-shole dekh toh uske.’
The other girls burst out laughing as their eyes roved over his drenched black T-shirt clinging to his muscular frame.
He couldn’t hide his grin at their appreciation. His eyes strayed towards a girl whose head was covered with a red bandhni scarf. She was the only one who wasn’t looking at him. Something about her seemed familiar. His heart tripped a beat. It couldn’t be – fatigue was making him hallucinate.
She put her hand up to adjust the scarf and he noticed the thick bangle on her left wrist. It was exactly like the one Qiara wore.
He leapt to his feet.
At the same instant she turned to look at him. Her scarf slipped and her large brown eyes, full of fear and apprehension, locked with his.
The next moment, she was dashing down towards him. She threw herself slam-bang into his hard chest. He closed his arms around her, rocking on his heels, at the impact of her small, flying form.
Flinging her arms around his neck she locked her lips with his. The girls’ cat calls were drowned out by the sensations that swirled through him. His breath mingled with hers and his lips crushed her soft, wet lips in a scorching kiss that had the firepower to melt their bones.
Six
Qiara dragged her lips away from Kabir’s, taking in a big gulp of air. Disentangling her fingers from his hair, she brushed them against his chest and felt his heart thundering beneath the wet T-shirt. She wasn’t sure if her knees could support her if she pulled away. But Kabir kept his grip on her waist, and it didn’t seem like he would let go in a hurry. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to, either.
The last person she had expected to see at the station was Kabir. Trying to make herself as inconspicuous as ever, and avoid Safari Suit, she had been shocked to find herself staring at Kabir – looking smoking hot in a black T-shirt that was sopping wet and showcasing his ripped body. The shock was quickly replaced by relief. Then, she’d taken complete leave of her senses, sprinting straight into his arms.
He cupped her chin with his long fingers and raised her face to look deep into her eyes.
‘That was some welcome,’ he whispered huskily.
But beneath the sparkle of mischief, desire flared in his eyes making her insides feel all warm and gooey.
Cheeks burning, she tried to brazen it out.
‘Don’t take it personally. I was just plain relieved you weren’t some gunman trying to blow my head off.’
His hand around her waist tightened protectively.
‘If you ever decide to hire a bodyguard, you’re definitely going to have a long list of applicants for the post.’
That got a short laugh out of her. She slipped out of Kabir’s arms, self-consciously looking around and was greeted with some more catcalls from the amused girls who had stopped to watch them.
Kabir was unfazed and gave a quick wave as they finally went on their way.
She noticed though, despite his humour, he gave off a vibe that was super-alert. His eyes were scanning the people around them.
Taking his cue, she looked around. She spotted a man with a briefcase in the distance and a sliver of apprehension cut through her. Could it be Safari Suit?
&
nbsp; ‘Let’s get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps.’
Within minutes they were on the bike and roaring down the highway. She wrapped her arms around Kabir’s middle and rested her head against his broad back. She felt as if she and Kabir were inside a bubble – the wind, the gravel, the bright beam of lights from passing cars, bouncing off them as they hurtled down the road towards a safe zone.
They had ridden for more than forty or fifty kilometres when they came upon a small well-lit stretch of road, with a fuel stop, a roadside dhaba, some shops and a small inn.
Kabir slowed down and said, ‘Should we check out this inn? If the rooms are decent we can stay here for the night.’
‘Let’s stop here.’ She got off the bike and drew her fingers through her gritty hair.
Kabir’s gaze remained on hers.
‘Let me warn you though, this place is not exactly the lap of luxury.’
She gave him a withering look. ‘I have stayed in places much worse than this.’
The rooms at the inn were clean and offered a comfortable haven for the night. Kabir attended to the check-in procedures while she followed a boy who showed her to her room. She closed the door asking him to fetch her two bottles of cold water.
Throwing the backpack down on the floor, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the bed. She was looking forward to a long, hot shower and she would get to it soon enough. For now, she just wanted to give her aching muscles some rest. She wondered if Kabir would get some grub from the dhaba they had seen outside. She felt her stomach growl hungrily at the thought.
A quick knock on the door and in walked Kabir.
She shot up from the bed, fatigue forgotten. The room just got smaller and the air more rare as he approached her.
‘Do you want to use the bathroom first?’
His words were like an adrenaline shot.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I asked a simple enough question,’ he said, deadpan. ‘They don’t do room service. So I can go and get whatever is available at the dhaba next door while you take a shower.’
She stared at him as if he’d grown a third head.
‘Hey…if you think I’m sharing this room with you, that’s just not going to happen.’
‘We’re sharing both the bed and the bathroom,’ he said, completely ignoring her outburst. ‘You get to use the loo first. I’ll take the right side of the bed, if you don’t mind.’
‘How very chivalrous of you!’
Sarcasm, however, couldn’t douse the sizzle that started deep inside her at the thought of sharing the bed with him.
‘Go find your own room and you can sleep whichever side takes your fancy.’
‘Not possible. The only other available room is on a different floor. And I don’t want you disappearing in the middle of the night.’
‘Why would I do that?’
‘Seems like your brain is in shut-down mode. So, here’s a quick recap for you. You have been shot at twice since this morning. You took off and hopped on a train after I told you to stay put and let me sort this mess out. And you have yet to tell me why exactly you decided to cut short your train journey.’
His logic was faultless but the sharing a room business was stressing her out. True, her brain was in shut-down mode, but the reason for that had more to do with his presence in the room.
‘So, you’ve found yourself a bodyguard and I’m totally at your service. And oh, I do accept payment in kisses.’
His long hard look only racheted up the heat a few notches.
‘Stop getting corny ideas. And be warned, I have a habit of kicking in my sleep. You could end up with serious injury.’
‘I have my ways of dealing with said problem.’
That sounded like a tempting promise. She wanted to throw caution to the winds and call his bluff on it.
‘Stop your drama and get us some food. I’m hungry as hell.’
She only wished he didn’t guess her appetite included tasting those sinfully sexy lips which were now curved in a knowing smile.
‘Your wish is my command, Madam.’
He gave her a smart salute and disappeared.
Oh Lord Almighty! All Kabir had to do was turn on the charm and she was lighting up like a Diwali cracker. She had been down that road to temptation and had a few scars to remind her of that ill-fated journey. Next time Kabir did his blow-hot number she would do well to remember that!
The aroma of freshly baked rotis in the tandoor wafted across to Kabir as he waited for the food to be packed. It was well after eleven p.m. and the diners at the small dhaba comprised a few truck drivers who sat around quaffing beer and joking while waiting for their meal to be served.
He dragged his hand through his hair and cursed himself. He should have kept going till they reached Jaipur instead of halting here for the night. While on the road, his mind kept straying to the smouldering hot kiss they had shared at the station. The intimacy of the ride had made it only worse. The warm crush of Qiara’s body against him made him think of all the ways he wanted to ravish her. So much so that if he hadn’t stopped, he would surely have gone off the road. Now, for all those sinful thoughts he was doomed to spend a hellish night – sharing a room with the woman of his dreams with no hope of laying a finger on her. Someone up there definitely had a warped sense of humour!
His phone rang. Zayed.
‘Where the hell are you?’
Kabir would never have imagined he’d actually welcome Zayed’s ranting. He waited for him to finish spewing abuse at him.
‘Are you done? Or do you want to vent some more?’
‘I’m done, you…’
He reeled off a few more epithets and stopped only when Kabir burst out laughing.
‘You know something, Zayed. You’re beginning to grow on me.’
‘And you are seriously cheesing me off. Now tell me what the hell is going on.’
‘By the time I had wrapped up with the cops, Qiara had taken off. But don’t worry. I have tracked her down and we are right now in a small place on the way to Jodhpur.’
‘Jodhpur? What the…’
‘Don’t lose your shirt,’ cut in Kabir quickly. ‘Did you get any info from the gunman? Who’s behind Khanna’s murder?’
‘No, dammit. Thanks to you, the shooter is in a coma. And you, Mr Shorey, are within an inch of losing your job. You’d better haul your sorry ass to Delhi ASAP.’
‘Am touched you’re so concerned about me. Any more leads from the NCA guys?’
‘Let me remind you, you’re supposed to be getting some clues as to what’s going on at Girls Rock! from the girl you’re so happily chasing all around the countryside. Get this, brother: the NCA used Qiara as a stooge to track down Khanna. They obviously had the right idea. She zeroed in on him as soon as she landed here. Now it’s your turn to get the dope. You think you’re up to it?’
A hand slapped down a large packet of food on the table. Kabir paid for it and focused on the job at hand.
Zayed had effectively delivered the cold shower he needed: Qiara was a suspect in the case and he’d no business harbouring sexual fantasies about her.
The hot shower had not only washed away the grit from her hair but also the cobwebs in her silly brain. Fantasizing about Kabir – no matter how hot and desirable he was – was simply not on the cards.
Taking out her phone from her bag, she plugged it into the socket to charge it and dialled Sam. The phone kept ringing and just when she was about to call off, Sam’s voice came through.
‘Qiara?’
‘Sam! What’s up?’ Qiara tried to sound cheerful.
‘Qiara, I’m so sorry. I hope you will forgive me.’
And then she started to sob loudly.
Hearing her mentor break down sent a chill down her spine. Practical, unflappable Sam was crying! What the hell was going on?
‘Sam, calm down. You are making no sense at all.’
In between hiccups, Sam gave the news th
at delivered a blow to her gut.
‘The day after you left,’ explained Sam, ‘the office was sealed. I’m virtually under house arrest. They have installed cameras in every room. They’re listening in on this call too.’
‘Who? The NCA?’
‘Yes, they were the ones who gave me an ultimatum, to send you to Delhi in search of Khanna. They believe Girls Rock! is in league with Khanna and is involved in trafficking of women…’
She broke down into sobs once more.
Sam’s revelation came as a shock. How could they make such allegations when they had busted their butts to help women in distress? What if Khanna had really been involved in women’s trafficking and was using his ill-gotten moneys to fund their programme? Were the Shooter and Safari Suit part of the trafficking gang? With Khanna already dead, and Reshma gone, Girls Rock! was now caught between a rock and a hard place. It was such an unholy mess. Poor Sam was probably being grilled to an inch of her life by the NCA investigators. As for Reshma, she dared not think about the poor girl’s fate. God alone knew how many other girls were at the mercy of these barbaric men who profited from the buying and selling of women. She dropped the phone and collapsed on the bed. Panic rose like a tidal wave within her and the sobs wrenched out of her like water breaking a dam.
Kabir knocked at the door but there was no response. Had she gone to sleep? It had been a long, rough day for her. Taking out the key from his pocket, he opened the door.
She lay on the edge of the bed in a foetal position, clutching the quilt in a death grip. Her petite body shook with soundless sobs.
A tremor of fear zinged through him. Had someone tried to get to her?
Dropping the food packet on the nearest surface he raced to her side. Kneeling by the bedside he touched her arm softly.
‘Qiara, are you OK?’
She turned her face to him and his heart wrenched at the fear in her eyes.
‘What’s happened, sweetie?’
She grabbed his hands and her fingers were shaking.
He pulled her up and hugged her to his chest, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. She buried her face in his neck. Something had spooked her badly. He couldn’t figure out what. Slowly, the shivering and sobs subsided. Pushing her gently down on the bed, he sat thigh-to-thigh with her. He’d never seen Qiara so rattled or even shed tears, no matter what the provocation. He spotted her cell phone lying on the floor. He tried to pull away from her and reach out to pick it up but she wouldn’t let him go. She climbed on to his lap and he wrapped his arms around her.
No Safe Zone Page 6
