The Acquaintance Read online

  She inched closer to him still, her eyes never leaving his face. “Do you know there was a time that I spent every waking moment thinking about you. Why did you disappear? What had caused you to abandon me? Was it my fault? For the longest time, like any woman, I had blamed myself for your actions, your decisions, your failings and your weaknesses? It took me a long time to realise that you were and are an impotent little shit weasel.”

  Nargis smirked in triumph as she saw the smile slide off his face giving way to a scowl that ghosted over his visage for a fraction of a second. Nobody else would have caught it but her. She knew the temper that Rizwan kept bottled up. Just beneath the surface of his charming bespectacled happy-go-lucky demeanor he had cultivated for the outside world. The rage, the passive aggressive sabotage and the temper was reserved exclusively for his loved ones and his inner circle. Violence had never been his strong suit. So he had that going for him. Even now, she could see the rage building in him, he couldn’t hurt her even if he wanted to. And Nargis knew he wanted to, the clot was spreading across his jawline like a purpling sunset. Ram had bruised more than his face, he had bruised something far more important, he had bruised Rizwan’s ego. He had been forced to cower before a superior physical specimen. Mentally Nargis was sure Rizwan had relegated Ram to a brawny Neanderthal who had been hired for the mere purpose of being her muscle. Nargis hoped that he would abide by that judgement for the duration of their companionship.

  “You’re a spy now, is that it? You’re Bond James Bond? “It would be Jane Bond actually or Jaymes with a Y”, said Nargis. “So, you are a spy?”, Rizwan nudged her with his shoulder and she felt a thrill she hadn’t felt for a while. She hated her body for reacting this way. Their knees were touching now. She could feel him flexing his thighs. The muscles rippling less than an inch away from her, separated from her by a thin slice of fabric. She hated the thoughts that were crossing her mind right now. The carnal desire that was cropping up in her. Especially during a time like this when she had to be singularly focused on stopping a terrorist attack. You are focused, said the voice in her head. The voice she trusted. She looked down. His feet were dangling over the cement floor, he was three inches shorter than her, which had been another silent bone of contention. He leaned in, studying her face. “So what happened to all the social work you had planned? If I remember correctly, you had that fancy behavioural psych degree. Weren’t you going to help the displaced and the homeless? What happened to all of that, did you abandon all of them for a steady government paycheque?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I really would Nargis. I really would”, he was staring at her so intensely that she had to look away. “But I’m not an unreasonable man. You tell me something and I tell you something. A quid pro quo, that’s why I asked you if you wanted to know why I left you. I am ready to tell you.”

  “Here’s the thing you don’t seem to realise Rizwan, you are in no position to negotiate and besides I really don’t care why you left.” Nargis stood up to leave. Rizwan was on his feet like lightning. He grabbed Nargis’ arm and pulled her to him. “Why are you doing this? If this isn’t some kind of revenge fantasy what is this? I’m ready to tell you everything, I’m here trying to apologise and to set things straight and you’re not even giving me a chance because it’s easy to think of me as an enemy isn’t it?”

  “You haven’t been exactly co-operative Rizwan. You haven’t exactly told us the truth here.”

  “I have told you everything. I haven’t told a single lie since you brought me here”, said Rizwan indignantly. “Lies of omission are still lies Rizwan”, said Nargis. She waited for him to answer, but all she could feel was his grip on her arm tightening. The broken finger was not holding him back one bit. She could feel her arm go numb. Enough of this. She grabbed his hand and flipped him over, bashing his head onto the table and putting his arm in a painful figure-four armlock. Rizwan let out a yelp of surprise. He grunted in pain as Nargis pushed his face into the steel. “I would’ve thought that you had enough of physical violence for one day”, said Nargis as she let him go. “Now unlike you I am a woman of my word. We are going to protect her”, she said.

  Rizwan bowed his head, he believed her. He used his free hand to tap on the table to indicate his surrender. She let go. “May I ask you something?”, he said straightening up. Nargis nodded, throwing the cotton swab into her kit. “Why now?”

  “Why now what?”

  “Why is Amina suddenly in danger? She has been in this country for over a year now. Why is she in danger now? Why are you suddenly interested in her well-being that you would kidnap her teacher?”, he looked terrified.

  She didn’t answer him, she propped his chin on her finger and examined his bruise. His jaw had a sickening yellow purplish hue to it. She couldn’t get him proper medical attention for at least a day. “I’ll survive”, said Rizwan, taking her finger and putting it to his lips. She pulled away immediately. “I’m sorry”, he said, “I shouldn’t have assumed, especially under the circumstances.”

  “Assumed what?”

  He grinned at her. The same apologetic smile he always used to get his way. And she could feel herself being drawn in. Rizwan’s shirt was missing three buttons from the top-down. They had probably come undone when Ram had been man-handling him. Nargis could see the hint of a tattoo of his exposed chest. The image of crossed scythes. Morbid, but somehow still sexy. She could feel her eyes drawn to the image against her will. He caught her staring and smiled. Nargis felt her face heat with shame. After all that had happened between them. After everything he had done. She was still drawn to him. She felt his hand on her back, his fingers running over her spine in smoothing circles that tickled her. She shuddered under his touch but didn’t move away. She was feeling flustered. Heat crept up her face as she felt his hand caress her lower back. The ice pack lay abandoned as he tilted her face to him. She was a mere inch away from him. She could see the flourishes of his stubble. She had the inexplicable urge to run her lips on them. The thought rang alarm bells in her mind but her body refused to cooperate. What was happening?

  This was an animal attraction, nothing more. She didn’t have any feelings for him. And if she went through with it, no matter how monumentally ill advised, it would help her gain his trust for what lay ahead. He was behind her. She could feel his hands glide over her arms. She felt her skin prickle with anticipation. Her defences were melting. She could feel his hands on her skin, his lips grazed her neck. This had to happen. For what lay ahead. For what she needed done. She needed Rizwan for something far more than finding the girl. And this was the fastest way to do it. She was lying to herself. This was a line she shouldn’t cross.

  She looked at him. At his hooded eyes that shone with a deceptive sincerity. His angled mouth and those full lips she had enjoyed caressing with her fingers when they were both younger. But she was older now and wiser. She would have to pack in as much sincerity and desire she could convincingly compress into a quickie. Rizwan’s ego would allow him to believe that she still had feelings for him and not as a means of manipulation. Rizwan’ would never consider her capable of such duplicity, after all he was the love of her life. Suddenly she felt her skin crawl. The imprint of his touch made her feel disgusted with herself, but she didn’t have time for integrity. She leaned in, caressing his jaw with her fingers, she ran her thumb over his lower lip. Something that used to drive him wild. She leaned in and for a moment his face morphed into jagged edges and high cheekbones, his brown eyes had given way to oil black orbs, the angled mouth was now more severe. But the face was breathtaking. She was staring at Ram. The face caused a flutter in her heart. She grabbed her bag and was on her feet. She was no longer in heat, in fact she felt like she had been drenched in ice. “I have to go”, she said straightening up. “Was it something I said?”, said Rizwan looking disappointed. “This is hardly the time or the place Rizwan, besides we are never going to do that again”, she said of her momentary
lapse of judgment.

  “Promise me you’ll protect her Nargis. The child put her trust in me. I cannot betray her.”

  Nargis turned to him with an expression of incredulity. He had the gall to talk about betrayal of trust. “After what I did to you. I don’t have it in me to do it to anyone else.” He still hadn’t told her why he had left all those years ago. And she hadn’t let him explain either. She was running out of time. She couldn’t dwell on the past. At least not now. And she already knew why he had left.

  She pulled the door open and was half-way out the door, when he said “Nusrat Khan.” Nargis paused. Finally. “What was that?”, she said innocently. “It’s Amina’s alias. It should help you find her if you haven’t already”, he said lying back down on the bed and closing his eyes with a smile.

  ***

  “He’s telling the truth”, said Jogi. Nargis stared at him dumbfounded. “The girl’s name is Amina, she is here on expertly forged documents. I mean this level of detail is impressive, these documents weren’t made by some schmuck in a cave, these are better than the real passports our country gives out”, said Jogi appraising the documents. But what Nargis couldn’t believe was that Jogi had just confirmed her worst fear. He had confirmed the girl’s identity.

  Nargis nodded. He didn’t look at her as she left the room. She hastened her pace, when she felt a warmth on her lip. For fuck’s sake, she was bleeding again. She dabbed at her bleeding nose but didn’t break her pace. She hated feeling like a kindergartener. Her handkerchief was soaked through with reddish brown syrup. She pocketed it anyway. It was getting to her. The cancer wanted to kill her but it wanted to humiliate her first. She wouldn’t let it. She reached her office and pulled out the student records of Amina’s alias and there she was. Rizwan was coming with them to pick her up, so the girl’s name was moot but it did give Nargis what she desperately needed. A break. She smiled for the first time in a long time as she stared at the information on her screen.

  CHAPTER 20

  The Saudi Arabian Royal Guard Regiment is one of the most prestigious and powerful military institutions in Saudi Arabia. With over 200,000 highly trained and capable soldiers, it is a precision fighting force that pre-dates the creation of the country. The first iteration of the guard was formed as a loose coalition of tribal chiefs fiercely loyal to the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz. Known as the Ikhwaan or the “White Army’’, for the traditional white robes they wore in battle instead of western military fatigues, the Guard is still tasked with protecting the holy cities of Makkah and Medina. But another role of the guard and perhaps its most important task is to protect the house of Saud. So, it was unorthodox when a call came through dispatch for Prince Yusuf’s name, heir to the house of Saud and the current general of the Royal Guard. Prince Yusuf was merely a figurehead in the regiment, he handled more important matters of state while security of the country was handled by his second-in-command and true commander of the Guard, Colonel Amir Masha. He was to succeed as General of the Guard after Yususf ascended the Throne. He was a fiercely loyal servant to the house of Saud, being only a distant cousin by way of a twice removed old Bedouin clan. He had quite a tenuous relationship with the rest of the family, but Yusuf was like his brother. The only member he would literally die for.

  Amir picked up the phone. He looked at the operator who had already begun a trace on the call.

  “Who is this? How did you get this number?”, said Amir’s name. In all his years working security for the Sheikh, never had he been caught off guard like this. “Mr. Amir, it is imperative that I speak with Sheikh Yusuf right away. It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that it is a matter of life and death.”

  “Whoever this is, you my friend just made a big mistake. My team will find you. So in the meantime it will be better for you if you found a good hiding spot for yourself.”

  “It is regarding the Sheikh’s daughter.”

  Amir froze in place. “Now that I have your attention, you need to do exactly as I tell you. It is for the safety of everyone involved.”

  Amir found his voice again. “How dare you threaten the Prince”, he spat into the receiver. He looked at the operator who was having trouble tracing the call. The woman sighed audibly on the other end, like she was bored of his incompetence. The impudence of this female. “Have you found the source of the call yet?”, he thundered at the operator who jumped out of his chair. The source is jumping from continent to continent, it is impossible to pin it down. Amir glared at him and the operator shrunk back in fear. “Alright if it will make you feel any better. I’ll let you trace this call. We have standard counter intel procedures here but what the hell.” Amir heard a few key taps on the other end. “Got it”, said the operator jumping out of his chair, the signal originated from Mumbai, India. Here are the coordinates”, he said handing Amir the location of the call. He knew the location well. But that didn’t mean anything.

  “Mr. Amir I really hate to press you but for now you have to let me speak to the Sheikh, I will explain everything to you.”

  Amir hesitated, who was this woman? Who was she to dictate terms to him. She had the audacity to seek an audience with the Sheikh. “Listen to me, if you don’t let me speak to the man, not only will his dirty secret be exposed to the world but his life might be in terrible danger as well. But if you want Indian news channels to feature an expose about Sheikh Yusuf’s illegitimate child being an illegal immigrant in India then be my guest. I for one am curious how the world reacts to that news.”

  Amir’s eyes widened, the gall of this woman. The way she spoke, it was becoming evident, she might be who she said she was after all.

  An unfortunate tryst. The woman had become pregnant. Amir had taken care of it. He had paid off the woman. He had given her a new life. All to protect the prince. He did not know of the existence of the child. And now after all these years, this woman was threatening the future of Prince Yusuf. Amir would not allow that. Whoever this Azhar woman was. She would pay dearly.

  The Sheikh was in a meeting, the most important meeting of his life. Amir had endangered the Sheikh’s daughter. If what the lady said was true. The scandal alone would hurt the Sheikh more than the loss of his daughter. If the Sheikh found out that Amir had kept his daughter a secret from him. The thought made him shudder. The consequences would be dire.

  He stood for a few more seconds, debating whether he should involve the Sheikh in the woman’s crazy claims. He was waiting for confirmation from his team. The woman had given her credentials. But there was no way someone of her reputation and stature would be calling Amir. “Sir…”, said a young man running to him, he was dressed in a fine fitting suit, but was now panting and out of breath. He handed Amir a piece of paper. Before reading it, he eyed the boy, who withered under his glare. The boy straightened up and held his breath, his posture perfect. Amir did not tolerate weakness on his team. You had to be in peak shape, the epitome of performance to protect the richest royal line in the world. Amir took the piece of paper and studied its contents. It confirmed the identity of the caller. Amir’s hands shook as he tried to hold on to the receiver.

  He had never met the woman but her reputation preceded her. If it really was her on the line and what she claimed was true. Then the Sheikh was in some serious trouble.

  CHAPTER 21

  “I can’t believe we’re taking his bullshit at face value”, said Ram. He was pacing the interrogation viewing room like a caged animal. He clearly wasn’t pleased with the idea. In fact, Nargis noticed that none of her team seemed particularly enthusiastic about kidnapping an eight-year-old girl. But she didn’t have time to take a straw poll, Shahzad’s daughter was at the school and Nargis needed her as leverage to negotiate with.

  Her superiors had asked her to get Shahzad by any means necessary and kidnapping fell under the any means category. “Now I know that this is a hard pill to swallow, but believe me the girl will be much safer with us than out there.” She turned to Ram, �
��I need you to trust me on this.”

  What she didn’t tell Ram was the question that was eating away at her, why would a mastermind like Shahzad keep his daughter in a city he planned to bomb. Shahzad was a crazed megalomaniac, but this move at the very least strained credulity. Maybe he planned to reveal her as a martyr, maybe he wanted to show his followers that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. Like when Agmenmon sacrificed his daughter to the gods for an assured victory at Troy.

  Her team piled into an unassuming unmarked van that would be used to pick up the girl. Rizwan was accompanying them so that the pick-up happened without incident. She didn’t want the local police to catch the case of a missing eight-year-old. The only person she needed to witness the kidnapping was the woman named Azhar, the go-between Amina and Shahzad. Once Amina was picked up, the guardian would definitely alert Shahzad. The plan was pretty straightforward but Nargis still couldn’t shake the worry pooling between her temples. She buckled herself in the passenger seat while Ram and Rizwan got comfortable in the back. She couldn’t face either of them right now. Ram had accused her of having a blindspot when it came to her husband. And as the engine revved Nargis couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. Nargis shook the thought away. Rizwan was an asset, nothing more. She was working him like she would any other asset that was it. She couldn’t let Ram get inside her head. Rizwan was already trying his best to do just that. “Shall we?”, said Jogi from the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel decked out in his driving gloves. He grinned at her before starting the ignition.