Romance A Game of Chess. By: Indian_Princes (Completed)

[Blue Bull]

"You have a visitor," a security officerman said addressing Neil.

Neil followed the security officerman and was led to a room where his lawyer was waiting.

His eyes were almost lifeless and he sat down in front of her quietly. He just gazed blankly at the table between them.

"I have good news," she said holding Neil's hands.

Neil lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"There is this new evidence," she said, "A statement from your daughters that they were held hostage while you were forced to kill your wife."

Neil didn't say anything. Just kept looking at her.

"Apparently the girls were terrorized. There was this woman..." she showed him a sketch of a woman. He instantly recognized her as Alisha. "She convinced Aditi to keep her as a nanny to look after the girls, that is how she had such close access to Aditi's house and the girls trusted her. She held them hostage till you were forced to plead guilty. She somehow convinced the girls that you were the bad guy who killed their mother and would kill them too, and she was only protecting them from you. She tried to brainwash them. The girls have been undergoing therapy, and somehow the psychiatrist treating them was able to get this whole story."

"She did that to my little girls?" Neil spoke bitterly.

"Your sentence has been suspended," the lawyer said with a smile, "The case has been opened again and you are back on trial, but your friend Armaan has applied for bail. I hope everything works out and you should be out in a couple of days."

"Has this woman been caught?" he asked.

"Not yet, but she is a wanted woman now," the lawyer said, "I don't think it will be long before she will be behind bars."

Neil took a deep breath. He felt relieved now that he was assured of his freedom. He was eager to meet his friends and had a burning desire for revenge.

*******************************************

2 days later, Neil was released on bail. Armaan came to receive him.

"You OK?" Armaan asked as Neil got into his car.

Neil nodded silently and they drove off. Armaan took Neil to the rented house were Reyansh was holding Mithila.

"Good to see you brother," Reyansh said as he saw Neil enter the house.

Neil was hurt to see Reyansh's condition, but Reyansh looked happy due to the chance at revenge that Armaan has given them.

"Don't look so sad Neil," Reyansh said handing over a set of keys to Neil, "You are really going to like what is behind that door."

Reyansh told Neil the whole story.

The three men entered the room. Mithila panicked to see them, "I am sorry, I am really sorry, I'll do as you say...please don't hurt me..."

"Shh..." Armaan said rubbing her back, "Calm down Mithila. We are not going to hurt you. We are just here to talk. Now tell me everything you know about Meera."

Mithila wiped her tears and said, "Her real name is Meenu Joshi. But she prefers to be called Meera. You know her childhood story I guess, and how she ended up with a human trafficking gang."

"I do," Armaan said, "What happened after that?"

"She ended up in a gulf country and was kept as a slave for many years, but somehow she escaped back to Mumbai. She has been through a lot. Much more than I could ever imagine." Mithila said, "She told me such bloodcurdling details...sometimes I wonder how someone can survive that. Well, when I first met her, she was already a prostitute. She told me she catered to only specific clients, and made a lot of money. She would take all BDSM requests and was submissive mostly, but also dominant on request. She consulted me for her depression and anxiety issues. Then she told me about this revenge plan of hers..."

"Why did you help her?" he asked.

"Because I know how it feels like," Mithila said as a lone tear escaped her eyes, "I was bangd in the past, and I never got justice. I spent years attending courts, facing all kinds of humiliation, but he was never convicted. This impotent legal system rarely punishes the guilty. When I saw Meera's determination, something stirred within me..."

She began to weep bitterly.

"What about the other people in her life?" Armaan asked.

"She has no family. Alisha is also a prostitute like her, but more talented than that. She kills for the right price." Mithila told him, "All the people she talks about are from around here. Sometimes she mentions this pimp of hers, goes by the name Bablu, but his real name is Anuj."

"Who all were involved in this plan of hers? Did she have any help from any or her powerful clients?" he asked.

"Not many people were involved," Mithila said, "It was important to keep it secret so she didn't include too many people. And as far as I know, none of her clients were involved. Very few people would be willing to help a prostitute, besides, she was afraid if any of them happen to be connected to you, they would alert you and she would fail."

"Was the pimp involved?" he asked.

"I am not sure but it is possible," Mithila said.

"Anything or anyone she cares about?" he asked.

"Just a little about me and Alisha, nothing else," she replied.

"Alright, get some sleep. We'll talk again later, and you will answer honestly, won't you?" he asked firmly.

She nodded eagerly.

Armaan left the room, Neil and Reyansh followed him and locked the door behind him.

"So, not much of new information except that most of the people she talks about are from Mumbai, and there is this pimp Bablu who might be involved," Armaan said.

"So Pankhudi is most probably in Mumbai itself," Reyansh said.

Armaan nodded. "In Mumbai, or within 100 miles radius. That phone call between Meera and Mithila...it was very suggestive that Meera visits Pankh often..."

Armaan was quiet for a moment as he remembered the call and he felt a sharp pain in his heart as he was reminded of the condition Pankhudi is in.

"I've tried everything you know," he said, "I called in some favours, tracked her phone location, got her car tagged with a GPS tracker, had my men trail her...but she is just smart, she never takes her phone or car when she visits where Pankh is, and she is quick at detecting surveillance and throws off trails as swiftly. There is nothing useful in her call records too, maybe she just uses another number for any communication regarding Pankhudi."

"Pankhudi is not in any of the brothels either," Armaan continued speaking with a heavy heart, "I would have found out by now if she was. Meera is keeping her in a closed room, where only herself and a few trusted people have access. Its been two months since she was taken and I..." Armaan choked in grief, "The more time I lose...the more she suffers. She doesn't deserve any of this!"

"We are going to find her brother," Reyansh spoke with determination, "Myself and Neil, we will help you in every way we can."

"Where is Meera now?" Neil asked.

"She is not a hard woman to trace. She is living free and fearless in this very city, in the very same house next to yours, Neil. She knows I won't hurt her as long as she has Pankh," Armaan said taking a deep breath, "You know this woman is so tough, you could torture her to death but she just won't talk!"

"So, we just have to find a way around her then, I guess," Reyansh said.

"Any news about this Alisha character?" Neil asked looking at Armaan.

"She is underground," he said, "The security officer are after her, so are my men. The moment she is spotted in public, we will know."

"I so wanna burn that bitch!" Reyansh said bitterly, "I'm gonna skin her alive!"

"She brainwashed my little girls," Neil spoke in anger, "Told them I'm a murderer and I would kill them...my daughters hate me because of that cunt!"

"I understand how both of you feel," Armaan said calmly, "But we are going to do no such thing. She is the only one who can clear your name Neil. Your daughters need you now more than ever, and I won't have you rot in prison for something you were forced to do. Alisha held your daughters hostage while Meera forced you to kill your wife, we need her to testify that in court and have you cleared of all charges or at least have your sentence reduced. That is more important. It won't be easy, but we've got to try. A murder committed under duress is still a crime, but you were forced a choice of one life against three, you made the better call...we will hire the best lawyers and get the best possible deal."

"If Meera wanted revenge, she should have hurt me," Neil said bitterly, "I really loved Aditi...and she made me..."

"She may have started out with the idea of revenge," Armaan said, "But she went completely overboard and psychotic. She currently has absolute power over us, and that has corrupted her...she had absolutely no understanding of right and wrong..."

"You know what Armaan," Neil said with a sad expression, "I think you should have just let me rot in jail. I am responsible for all of this, I brought this upon us."

"Hey Neil," Armaan said squeezing his arm, "This isn't just about you or the four of us. Meera targeted our families. When I think about your daughters...you know it hurts to think about those innocent girls having to grow up without parental love. Meera already took away their mother, and I won't let her take away their father too. I know what it feels like to grow up without love, and I am not willing to let your daughters suffer for none of their fault. I had a sweet little daughter myself, I know how much I loved her and I lost her. I am not letting you lose your daughters Neil, nor will I let them lose their father."

Neil was quiet for a moment. His eyes were tearful thinking of his daughters. He said, "I just want to say sorry to both of you, to Aarav, to Aditi, to my little girls, to Pankhudi...to Naina...I just want to say sorry to everyone...I am really sorry..." A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued, "I don't know why I did what I did, Naina loved me...she was a nice girl, she cried and pleaded and I didn't listen...I knew I was wrong, and I tried to change, I tried to be a good man, I've been always good to my sweet Aditi...I've never her hurt her or the kids...I miss my family..."

"I've been watching over your daughters," Armaan said trying to reassure Neil, "They are safe with Aditi's parents and are being looked after well. I even had a word with their treating psychiatrist, the girls are going to be fine."

Reyansh squeezed Neil's shoulder to comfort him and said, "Hey, its OK brother. The whole thing is just so messed up and we are going fix it."

Neil buried his face in his palms and wiped away his tears.

"How exactly did this happen?" Reyansh asked looking at Armaan, "Especially you Armaan, you were always so cautious, and Meera flew right below your radar? You spotted Meera with Pankhudi outside the mall and that didn't ring any bells? And how does Pankhudi know Meera?"

"I don't know, I never got a chance to talk to Pankh..." Armaan said, "Meera caught me off guard, nothing really seemed too suspicious, maybe I was feeling too secure...but none of that matters now...we've gotta find Pankh and Meera will do everything in her power to stop us. You know what makes Meera so strong? The fact that she has nothing to lose!"

"Could you find out how she managed to do what she did?" Neil asked.

"Well, she had a clear motive and determination," Armaan said, "She hit us where it would hurt the most. And she most certainly had help. A lot of help. Most people worked for money, she has enough of that. She paid someone to make the bomb, she paid someone to hack Reyansh's laptop. Some people like Mithila may have had a personal motive for helping her. Meera had someone watching us for months together, she knew where we live, what we do, our families, our schedules, everything! And there was this..." Armaan said placing a GPS tracker on the table, "There was one of these on each one of our cars. She was closely monitoring our movements while we were off guard, and therefore she could perfectly time her ambush."

"There is one thing I need you to do, Neil," Armaan said placing Mithila's phone in front of Neil, "I need you to look through her phone thoroughly. Check everything, call records, messages, photos, especially something that was deleted. Try to recover deleted chat messages, photos, videos anything that you can find. I am hoping we will find something useful here."

"Sure," Neil said, "I'm gonna need my things, will you give me a ride home?"

"Sure," Armaan said, "You'll take care of things here, Rey?"

"Yes, don't worry," Reyansh assured.

Armaan and Neil got into the car and drove off to Neil's house. It was late evening.

Armaan got a phone call. It was his informer Raghav. Armaan answered and put it on speaker so that Neil could listen.

Raghav: You were right boss, that death of the mother story was bullshit.

Armaan: What's the real story then?

Raghav: Well, this person was actually a vegetable vendor. He has no immediate family. He lived alone and frequented a red-light area. He fell in love with a whore there, trade name Shabnam, real name Rohini. This girl was actually abducted from a village in Maharashtra and forced into prostitution. So, this man, somehow fell for this girl, and the love birds wanted to get married. And suddenly one day, the man goes to jail and the girl disappears.

Armaan: So, could you find this missing girl?

Raghav: Not yet, but I am working on it.

Armaan: What about that woman, Shakuntala?

Raghav: Well, the hospital records indeed have a woman named Shakuntala Jadhav who died after a surgery Aarav performed. But the death was due to natural cause. Shakuntala didn't have any immediate relatives and this man is definitely not her son. They just found someone with the same surname and tried to botch up the case.

Armaan: Well, I need to know about that missing girl. Find out, and let me know as soon as you can.

Raghav: No problem. Will call you right back as soon as I know more.

"So, vegetable vendors are making bombs, huh?" Neil commented.

"This man is most likely a decoy," Armaan said, "I figured it out when he made no attempt to hide in front of the CCTV cameras in Aarav's house. Its like he wanted to get caught. What motivated him to do that interests me. Once we know that, we can pay this man a visit."

Soon they reached Neil's house. They looked at Meera's house. The lights were off, she was probably away.

"It's late," Neil said as he got out of the car, "I might stay home for the night. You wanna come?"

"No, thanks, Neil," Armaan said, "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" Neil asked.

"Home," Armaan said with a weak smile and drove off to Pankhudi's house.

End of Ch. 1 .....