The Acquaintance Read online

  She entered the war room, where Jogi already sat. Primed and ready to go. Nargis nodded and he punched in a few keys. She prayed with bated breath. Hoping for somebody on the other side to pick up the phone. The familiar three rings echoed in the room before it was interrupted by a voice. Azhar. Nargis exhaled in relief. The woman had picked up immediately. “Azhar Khan, we have your daughter”, said Nargis into the mike Jogi had placed before her. It would distort her voice to make it unrecognizable. The call itself would be impossible to trace, especially with Jogi working furiously beside her.

  “Please don’t hurt her. I will pay you any amount of money you want. Just please don’t hurt my baby”, she sobbed. The woman was clearly distressed. Nargis hoped she would hold it together for what was about to come next. “Name your price and I will give it to you”, she said thickly. Bingo. Nargis leaned into the microphone. “The price is Mahmoud Shahzad. You have until two pm.”

  “But I don’t….”, the voice trailed off in static as Jogi cut the call. “And now we wait”, said Ram.

  CHAPTER 24

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”, said Nargis. They were standing outside the municipal courthouse. This was not what she had imagined her wedding would be like, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. She was dressed in a green lehenga with golden piping and exquisite zardosi work. Another gift from her uncle. Her hair was done up into an elegant bun with ringlets of her dark raven hair cascading onto her shoulders. She wore no jewellery, except for the ring Rizwan had given her. Her face was bare, except for the basics, lipstick, blush and kohl. She wore jade coloured flats to complement her lehenga. Rizwan stood beside her dressed in a silk sherwani and stilted sandals. He was having a hard time keeping his balance. The court clerk who manned the marriage notice continued to stare at Nargis. His mouth hanging open. She could feel a slew of male eyes turn to look at her. She fought down a laugh.

  She turned to look at her Mamma jaan. He was the only witness to their wedding. Mamma jaan’s eyes were downcast. His face was a mask of disappointment. Nargis felt a catch in her throat. She never wanted to hurt him. But this was her decision. Rizwan squeezed her hand gently, the small gesture assuring her that he was by her side. “You ready?”, he said smiling at her, there was not an ounce of uncertainty in his voice. His face was an absolute ray of sunshine that melted away the last of her doubts. This was it. She was about to take the leap. She nodded and stepped towards the threshold of her future.

  She stood there, in their empty apartment staring at a piece of paper. She had read the note fifty seven times and she still couldn’t process them. It was like there was a disconnect between her eyes and her brain, which refused to believe the words on the paper. Rizwan was gone. They had been married less than twenty four hours and he was already gone. Her hand trembled as she brought the note closer to her. The words headstrong, independent and old-fashioned jumped out at her from the rest of the scrawl. Those three words were all she needed to understand. The rest were just excuses. She looked around, he had left in a hurry. Packing only enough for a week’s trip. The rest of his clothes hung in the closet. Though their bedroom looked like a hurricane had hit. Clothes, computer, mony, everything had been upturned and pulled out. The end piece lay on its side with its drawers hanging open, his desk, with all his chemical research papers and all his academic texts were gone. Nargis realised that Rizwan had taken everything he needed and left the rest behind.

  She sank to her knees, a hollow sensation rising in her gut. She wanted to throw up but couldn’t. She had been so in love. And he had just left. No, he couldn’t have, who leaves forever with just one suitcase and leaves the rest of their life behind. He was clearly coming back. He was her husband. He wouldn’t just abandon her. Her eyes fell on a photo album that lay askew beside the end table, discarded like garbage. She felt a warmth in her lower half. A sensation of relief.

  She could feel blood. She looked down and screamed in horror. She was bleeding. She stripped off her clothes and climbed onto the bed. She was thinking of the baby. She had to save the baby. But then the rational side of her mind kicked in, it had only been six weeks, there was no baby yet. She tried to stem the bleeding with the sheets, but it wouldn’t stop, drenching the linen in crimson as it continued to flow.

  CHAPTER 25

  Maybe this had been a career ending mistake. Maybe John and Ram had been right, as a woman, she was too emotional to pull off this operation. Lives were at stake and here she was twiddling her thumbs while the seconds ticked by towards a cataclysmic attack on Indian shores. She had checked in with her office, CTU and DIA agents were on the hunt for any suspicious ordinance that had arrived in Mumbai. Shipping manifests, airport logs and black market broker sites were all being monitored for any suspicious activity. Jogi was doing a deep dive on the dark web to check for any sort of transactions of high yield incendiaries that had changed hands. He had been posing as buyers on dark web crypto net sites. Crypto currency was the new go to barter tool of criminals and terrorists. And believe it or not Indian intelligence was one of the largest miners of digital money. And as such they could outbid any and all bids for anything from enriched plutonium to C4. And since crypto currency did not have an exchange rate. India had literally stopped hundreds of deadly transactions and in the process acquired some cutting edge black market technology that its rivals had no idea about. This was how they would stay one step ahead of those who intended to harm the country she was tasked to protect.

  And yet they had not heard a peep. There had been no chatter about an impending attack in Mumbai, no kind of intel whatsoever. And here she was waiting for a suspicious courier to reach out to a schoolgirl.

  She pulled up Amina’s dossier. She stared at a picture of the girl and began reading. There was not much to go on, her address on her admission transcripts confirmed Rizwan’s story. Azhar was Amina’s legal guardian. Rizwan was their point of contact as they were non-resident Indian nationals from Afghanistan. That alone would usually have put them on a watchlist. But their surprising lack of activity since being here made it look like they were either long burn sleeper agents or just regular civilians with a secret to hide.

  She cracked a pill from her set and swallowed it without water. At this rate she wouldn’t have to wait for the cancer to take her. She’ll be knocking on heaven’s door in no time. She smiled at the guns and roses her mind had conjured up. The very same concert Rizwan had proposed at. She straightened her spine. She knew what she had to do. She typed in a single name into her acquisitions database and pulled up a private surveillance thread.

  She looked at the figure on the screen. She was gambling with lives here. Nothing she hadn’t done before, but this time it felt different. Maybe it was because her husband was involved or maybe her cancer had given her a new perspective on life and mortality. Either way she needed to knock it off. She had kidnapped the daughter of a wanted terrorist. A terrorist who had smuggled a dirty bomb into the city. If word got out that his daughter was with the CTU, who knows how he would react? Maybe he would detonate the bomb ahead of his deadline and destroy everything Nargis had planned for or just maybe he would give up. He would trade his daughter for the bomb. The ridiculousness of the thought made Nargis smile. She closed the surveillance window.

  She stood up and went to the room, the girl was sequestered in. She entered without knocking. Rizwan was sitting with the girl. She was laughing about something. Perhaps an inside joke they shared between teacher and student or….Nargis felt a pang of melancholy, or between a father and a child. Her hand instinctively went to her waist. “May I have a moment alone with Amina?”, she said striding in. The girl stopped laughing and looked at Nargis like she was being scolded. Nargis had never been good with kids, not that she ever got the opportunity to find out on her own.

  Rizwan looked from Nargis to his student. He gave the girl a reassuring nod and stood up to leave. “I have told her to co-operate. So please be tactful. After all she is just a
child.” Nargis had a hundred different retorts to that jab at the tip of her tongue but she held back. She gave him a curt nod, “I think I can manage without your expert guidance on this one thank you.”

  “I’ll be right outside.”

  “Oh no you won’t. You will go back to your quarters and stay there till I call on you.”

  “This is outrageous, I did everything you asked. You have no right. You can’t keep me prisoner here.”

  “Did I stutter? Or would you like it better if Ram were to accompany you?”, Nargis took pleasure in seeing Rizwan seethe with anger.

  She slammed the door in his face and turned to the girl. She was so young. She looked scared now that Rizwan was not here. She just needed to ask the girl one simple question and then she would get her confirmation. She sat down next to the girl. She scurried away from her. Nargis sighed and decided that distance was her friend, she pulled the chair and dragged it a safe distance from the bed. She raised her hands in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you Amina, I just want to ask you a few questions that’s all.”

  The girl took a few moments but seemed to decide that Nargis was her friend. She came up to her.

  Nargis pulled out a cotton swab, she crouched on her haunches so that she was level with the girl. “I need your help with something super secret. You think you can do it?” The girl nodded. Nargis swabbed the inside of the girl’s cheek with the swab and sealed it. “Now I need to ask you a question? What is your father’s name?”

  CHAPTER 26

  The day had finally come. Ever since Abbu and Ammi had passed, Mamma jaan had been Nargis’ everything. Her entire family. He had supported her through the death of her parents, fought for her, when her entire family wanted her sold off as a wife to some useless wastrel twice her age. He had sold his beloved scooter to pay for her college tuition because he did not want her to take a loan. He wanted her to enjoy life without debt for as long as he was alive. So, to see disappointment in his eyes when she told him that she had been conned by her husband was particularly devastating.

  “He didn’t take anything from me. He didn’t rob me Mamma jaan. He’s just gone missing that is all.”

  “You mean he abandoned you, a day after your wedding. I told you he was not a good man, Nargis, I told you he did not have character, but you were too stubborn to listen. Now look what has happened.”

  She nursed her cup of coffee, she watched the dregs swirl on the surface. She stared intently inside her cup like it would magically solve her problems, as if within the beans she would find a solution to why she was suddenly without a husband. “We’ll give a police complaint, file a missing person’s report. Are you sure he left and was not in an accident or something. I mean we must rule everything out before we get the police involved.”

  Nargis debated whether to share the letter with Maama jaan. It would crush him. But seeing him so uncertain and still holding out hope for the happiness of his niece was heartbreaking. She took out the piece of paper Rizwan had left behind for her. His parting gift to her. She handed him the letter. He began reading Rizwan’s last words to her.

  My dearest Nargis,

  It is with a broken heart that I must tell you that this arrangement of ours is no longer working for me. You are a headstrong and independent woman, while I must admit I am more of a romantic for the olden days where a woman knew her place. While this realisation came to me a little late, it was a true epiphany and I must abide by it. I hope you find your purpose in life as I have found mine. I wish you success in everything you do going forward. And once again I am truly sorry for the way things turned out between us.

  Yours,

  Rizwan

  He crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. “That bastard.” He turned to her with tears in his eyes, “Why didn’t you listen to me Nargis. Why did you have to put yourself through this? You knew I only had your best interests at heart.” Nargis quietly retrieved the piece of paper from the floor and pocketed it. She needed that letter to remind her of what she had endured. And what she needed to do. She had enrolled at HOME the next day.

  CHAPTER 27

  29 hours to deadline

  Nargis was beginning to panic. It had only been an hour since her call. And two pm was still an hour away. There had been no word from the alleged guardian. The asset known as “Azhar” had not made contact yet. “We have to leak the abduction to the press”, said Nargis looking at Ram. She knew what she was suggesting was borderline insane. A news report of a local kidnapping would not make any airwaves where it would help them, besides even if it aired, it would take time. Time they did not have. The best they could hope for was a ticker scroll on the evening news about the abduction of a girl from the prestigious Saint Grace orphanage. Even if she were to leverage her contacts in the media for a full-day blowout, which was next to impossible. It would take time. Nargis spat in frustration, she had made a gamble on Rizwan. Her information had been solid. Her source was trusted.

  And yet she couldn’t help but feel cornered and vulnerable, exposed for all the world to see. “She will make contact, have faith”, said Ram as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, his touch warmed her. On any other day, he wouldn’t have touched her and even if he had she would have shrugged him off. But today, Ram’s physical presence was giving her the much needed support she needed. She was glad he was here, though she would never admit that to him.

  Neither of them regretted that night, but they behaved like they did. At least Nargis did. It had been a mistake, in retrospect. But now that they were both alone it didn’t seem like such a mistake. Ram gave her shoulder a squeeze and without thinking Nargis rested her cheek on the back of his hand. “We are going to get him, we are going to stop whatever it is they have planned. You can count on it”, he said firmly. “What makes you so sure?”, she mumbled into his hand. There was a long pause and Nargis felt like some invisible line in the sand had been crossed. “Because they are going up against Nargis Hussein, the single-mined force that is disgustingly good at her job. What makes me hate your guts is also the reason you’re the best at what you do. That is the truth. It took me a while to figure it out, but the world would be a much darker and more hideous place without you here to keep things in check. You are capable of doing things that people like me aren’t and I mean that as the highest form of a compliment. It’s very easy to sit on a high horse, when you don’t have to ride it into battle.”

  He was beside her now. “You are a true warrior that allows people like me to rest easy on that high-horse. Without you on the frontlines we would be called out for who we really are. Cowards who can’t do what is necessary. You are a person that the world needs to protect itself.”

  Nargis laughed, she broke their moment. Ram withdrew his hand. “I appreciate you for saying that, but calling me a righteous monster still makes me a monster.”

  “I called you a warrior Nargis, not a monster”, he was looking at her weirdly. Or maybe it was just the lighting in this house. He was looking at her like she was some fragile flower that needed him to hold her hand and to reassure her. Granted that she had needed exactly that a few moments ago but she was not some incompetent hack who did not know what she was doing. She did not need his pity. She glared at him. He had no idea what she had to do on a daily basis to keep the horrors at bay. What this country owed her for doing her job. What she still had to do. The sacrifices she would have to make. The enemies she would have to make. He would never understand. “You said that I do what you are afraid to do. That you don’t want to get off your high horse. But what you meant to say was that you didn’t want to lose your humanity. You don’t want to lose your soul.” Ram didn’t respond. He glared at her. “Thank you for the elaborate backhanded compliment, but I don’t need it. Because you were right about one thing. This horrible world needs a monster like me to keep the dark from consuming the light. Besides, I didn’t want a pep talk. I just wanted a sounding board.”

  “Well in that case I thi
nk alerting the media is a stupid idea and a lost cause.”

  Nargis nodded without looking at him, “Then we are in agreement.”

  The colonial windows had been draped with heavy curtains but a few rays still managed to sneak past. The sun was setting, she hadn’t slept in over thirty-six hours. She had kept the exhaustion at bay, but now it was hitting her in waves. Her eyes were getting heavy and her body was going slack. She teetered for a moment grabbing Ram’s arm for support. He was by her side in an instant, his massive frame supporting her gently. She leaned into his chest for a moment. She wanted to push him off, but she couldn’t. His presence was not only reassuring, it was cathartic. They had their differences, but she knew he had her back. Their contact lasted only a few seconds but the warmth remained. He steadied her and took a step back. He was looking at her, concerned about etching his skin. The moonlight threw his sharp features into relief, her memory had not done Ram justice. His face was all sharp angles and severe lines, but they hid a tenderness and serenity that she did not know she needed. Especially with her health on the decline. The man behind them was a genuinely caring person, loyal and protective to a fault. But she knew that they had no future. She was a sinking ship. Ram on the other hand was an unmoored boat at best. He still had a long fruitful life to live, if only he could find his shore.

  She debated whether to tell him what she was planning. She knew he would be shocked to hear it and he didn’t exactly have clearance. Nargis flinched at the flimsy excuse. The real reason she didn’t want to tell him was because he would see a part of her, she didn’t want him to see. They were usually at each other’s throats over ethics and morals but once he found out how far she was actually willing to go, he would never look at her the same again. And she couldn’t let that happen. She had never wanted or craved Ram’s approval but after all these years and especially after her diagnosis. She wanted to be seen as a human being worthy of life. She wanted to be remembered as a good person. And now even though Ram hated her guts, he respected her for making the tough choices. For putting the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few. That had always been where they parted ways, the many and the few. Ram was a champion of the underdogs, the ignored, the have-nots and the few. She had read a particular incident report when during an exfil he had waited beyond the designated window just so that he could rescue a civilian along with his asset. It had not gone down well with his superiors. On the outside that Ram was long gone, but Nargis knew that on the inside, the man who cared too much was still lurking, and he wanted to know the burden she carried. He was getting impatient, Nargis knew this. He wanted answers for the way Nargis had made a few decisions that had turned out to be counter-intuitive. That’s when it hit her.