27-01-2022, 01:23 PM
Armaan was smoking quietly in his room in a 5-star hotel in Dubai, looking at Meera's childhood pictures he had taken from her house. Several thoughts were racing in his mind. He then made a few phone calls and traced his old contact. It took him quite some time but after some digging around, he finally managed to connect with Ivan on phone.
"Ivan, this is about something very important," Armaan said, "I really hope you can help me out here."
"Sure, what it about?" Ivan said.
"I've sent you a picture," Armaan said, "I handed her over to one of your men 13 years ago. I want to know what exactly happened to her after that."
Ivan looked at the picture on his phone, and said, "Yeah I remember. You told me she knew something that was bad for you. So, I sent her to a place where that could be dealt with."
"Can you tell me the name of that place?" Armaan asked.
"That was really a long time ago..." Ivan said, "Why are you asking now?"
"Because I had instructed that I wanted her memories erased and then I wanted her given to a family for adoption," Armaan said.
"Yeah, and I passed on those instructions accurately," Ivan said.
"Well," Armaan said, "Whoever you hired did a real lousy job. Not only was she sold as a sex slave and her life utterly ruined, she managed to recover her memories almost completely and caused me some serious trouble. If I wanted to fucking hurt her, I would have just put a bullet in her head! It would have saved us all a lot of trouble. I want to know where she was sent, what exactly happened to her and who is fucking responsible for this!"
"I think it was a psychiatric facility," Ivan said, "Somewhere near Dubai."
"I really need the details Ivan," Armaan said, "And I want them as soon as possible."
"Alright, let me dig into it," Ivan said, "I'll get back to you."
Armaan waited patiently for Ivan's call. Finally, he called.
"It was a psychiatric facility named The Orion," Ivan said, "She was treated by Dr. Zakir Ali, and he did the job you wanted done, dealing with the memories."
"I'm gonna have to ask you for a favor," Armaan said, "I need your man to introduce me to Dr. Ali. I'm going to meet him personally and I want to have an honest conversation about her treatment."
"Not sure if I can make it work," Ivan said, "No one really likes to discuss such things."
"He'll talk alright," Armaan said, "Better for him if he co-operates or I have other ways to make him talk."
"I'll put a word across," Ivan said.
After quite some effort, Ivan managed to arrange Armaan's meeting with the psychiatrist.
Armaan reached the given address and a man greeted him. There was something abnormal about his appearance. The left half of his face, looked different, like it had been reconstructed with plastic surgery, and his left eye was artificial. Armaan stared at him for a moment, but quickly composed himself.
"So...what can I do for you?" Zakir said gesturing Armaan to sit down.
"I'll get straight to the point," Armaan said maintaining an eye contact, "I'm here to talk about her."
Armaan placed Meera's childhood picture on the table.
"I am sure our mutual contact has made it clear that we can trust each other," Armaan said, "I am here to have an honest conversation. This girl was handed over to you. You were asked to erase her memories. I want to know what happened after that."
"Well," Zakir said, "We've never met before but you did make contact through a very trusted source so I guess we can talk."
"So, you remember her?" Armaan said.
"Who can ever forget a girl like her," Zakir said showing the left side of his face, "She is the one who did this to me."
Armaan took a deep breath but wasn't exactly surprised. He knew what Meera was capable of.
"I was being gentle with her," Zakir said, "But this one, she is some sort of an animal. Once she attacked me unprovoked with a rusted nail and stabbed my face repeatedly. I lost one eye. And then I had to really teach her some manners."
Armaan could not digest the fact that Meera attacked so brutally unprovoked. There had to be a trigger. Meera was violent, but she wasn't crazy. She never did things without a reason. Then he looked carefully at Zakir's good eye. His eyes were blue, the same shade as Neil's. Armaan instantly understood the reason behind Meera's violent attack on the doctor.
"So how exactly did you 'teach her manners'?" Armaan asked sternly.
Zakir smiled viciously and said, "Would you like to have a look?"
Armaan nodded.
Zakir played a video he had preserved meticulously. Armaan watched how Meera was repeatedly subjected to electric shocks, and she begged and pleaded to stop.
"That was just the beginning of the fun part," Zakir said with a sadistic gleam in his eyes, "She was afraid of the dark, I used to lock her up in a dark room for hours. Her miserable screams were music to my ears. I tortured her till I was sure she was completely broken."
Armaan just listened to him with a blank expression.
"So what did you do when you were done with her?" Armaan asked.
"Well, I had to undergo 16 plastic surgeries to fix my face and I'll ever get my eye back," Zakir said, "Her punishment had to be fit for her crime. She was exotic and a virgin, such girls sell for a huge price. Not only did I recover my surgery bills, I ensured that she will suffer for the rest of her life by selling her as a sex slave when she turned 18."
"So, it was your bright idea to push her into sex trafficking," Armaan said maintaining a firm eye contact, "You had precise instructions, I believe. You were asked to erase her memories and give her to a family for adoption."
"Instructions my ass," Zakir said bitterly, "Look at my fucking face! She ruined my life and I was just supposed to let her live happily ever after?"
"Who did you sell her to?" Armaan asked.
"Qais Al-Khudair," Zakir said, "He is one of the most powerful men in the city."
"Thank you for your co-operation Dr. Ali," Armaan said extending his hand for handshake.
"Pleasure was all mine," Zakir said shaking hands with him. Armaan's knuckle breaker grip and a firm glare made Zakir nervous. He winced and tried to pull his hand away. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he forced a nervous smile.
*****
Armaan was driving back to his hotel. He got a call from his local informer, Zeeshan. He parked the car and answered the call.
"I have news from the orphanage. Your lovebirds reacted quite a ruckus there today," Zeeshan said, "Apparently the child was there for a week, but was taken by a woman named Yasmin who used to work there. Her address is fake, by the way, so no leads there. I've got a picture of the child from the records; I'll send it to you."
"Thanks," Armaan said, "I also need a picture of the lovebirds. Think you can manage a screenshot of the CCTV footage?"
"Sure," Zeeshan said, "Gimme a moment."
Armaan's phone chimed with incoming messages. He saw a CCTV screenshot of Meera with Aryan. Although she was clad in a burqa, Armaan could still recognize her.
"Why the hell is she wearing a burqa?" Armaan asked.
"To save her ass," Zeeshan replied, "The former owner, Qais did not take her escape kindly. It was a huge dig at his ego, and has inspired his other slaves to try and escape. He's put a price on her head. Anyone recognizes her and informs on her, he'll capture her and skin her alive, along with her lover boy."
"Hmm interesting," Armaan said with a smile.
"I tried following them," Zeeshan said, "But that guy Aryan was too alert. He evaded us and threw off the GPS tracker my man had placed on their car. I am afraid there is no way to trace them now."
"Never mind," Armaan said, "I've got another job for you. I want every detail about this Qais character."
"Sure," Zeeshan said.
Armaan started the car's engine and drove off, planning his next move.
*****
Next morning Aryan was reading the newspaper as Meera was making breakfast.
"Creepy things are happening in the city," Aryan said as he read the newspaper munching on an apple, "Poor dude was fried to crisp by a high voltage electric shock at his own house. The cops are suspecting homicide."
Meera glanced at the paper as she placed her cereal bowl on the table. There was a picture and the name of the victim. She instantly recognized Zakir and her face was cluded with anger. "Serves him right! That son of a bitch fucking deserved it!" she spoke bitterly.
*****
Armaan spent the next 2 days collecting information about Qais. Once he had everything he needed, he sent a word through a trusted source to Qais that he was interested in a meeting.
He got a call from Qais's right hand man Rashid, asking him to come at a specified location at the specific time, unarmed, if he wanted to meet Qais.
Armaan reached the location and waited patiently. It was a secluded place with no one around. A van arrived and a tall man got out of it. Armaan believed him to be Rashid.
"Are you carrying any weapons?" Rashid asked.
"No," Armaan said.
"Put your hands behind your back," Rashid said as he walked towards Armaan with a pair of handcuffs.
"I really don't think this is necessary," Armaan objected.
"If you want to meet the boss, you follow the rules," Rashid said.
Armaan unwillingly let Rashid handcuff him. Rashid made Armaan get into the van. Another man sitting inside the van put a hood over Armaan's head. The drive felt like an eternity. Finally, they reached their destination and Armaan was led out of the van. One man grabbed his arm and led him into a building.
After walking for about 10 minutes, the hood was taken off Armaan's head. He took a moment to adjust to the sudden bright light.
"Stand still," Rashid ordered as he began to frisk Armaan.
He took Armaan's phone, car keys, wallet, almost everything he found on his person. Armaan was visibly offended but chose to remain quiet. Finally, Rashid uncuffed Armaan and led him to another room where Qais was expecting him.
"You have a way of treating guests," Armaan said making a firm eye contact.
Qais chuckled. "You can't be too careful," he said, "Not all guests are friends, some are snakes."
"Well," Armaan said glaring into his eyes, "Then trust me, you don't want a taste of my fangs."
Qais raised an eyebrow at Armaan's remark.
"We need to speak," Armaan said to Qais, referring to Rashid, "In private."
"Oh! he is fine," Qais said, "He is my most faithful dog."
"Well," Armaan said maintaining a firm glare, "If you want to be insulted in front of your faithful dog, so be it."
"What do you mean?" Qais asked.
"You might want to check your phone," Armaan said.
Qais picked up his phone to look and it chimed with an incoming message. It was an email that consisted of details of all his illegal business, the location of his slave harems, the details of his illegal accounts and finances. His face instantly turned pale.
"You are just one of the many powerful men in this city," Armaan said, "I am sure, we both agree that there are many who would love to tear you apart once they get their hands on your dirty secrets. And I have this information right where it needs to be and it will be released if any harm comes to me."
"What do you want?" he asked, in a lowered voice.
"First, an apology for the way your men treated me," Armaan said in a calm but firm tone.
"What are you standing and staring at, you son of a bitch!" Qais shouted at Rashid, "Apologize to him this instant!"
Rashid was taken aback to be yelled at for simply following orders. But he obeyed Qais.
"I am sorry Sir," Rashid said.
"Now get the fuck out of here, you son of a whore," Qais shouted.
Rashid obediently walked out.
"What do you really want?" Qais asked.
"I'm here to talk business," Armaan said placing Meera's picture on the table, "We have a common interest, I believe."
"Yeah this bitch," Qais said, "I have delicious plans for her once I find her."
"She is in this city," Armaan said.
"Really?" Qais said, "She's really got some nerve coming back."
"She is here to find her daughter," Armaan said, "The one she gave birth when she was still your slave."
"What?" Qais said, "No, that child is dead, I had her buried in the desert the moment I found out she wasn't mine."
"That is what you were made to believe," Armaan said, "Someone dropped her off at an orphanage almost 30 miles from here, and the child was later moved from there too."
Armaan placed a picture of Amairah in front of Qais and he immediately recognized the child and his expression darkened.
"Meera was at the orphanage 2 days ago, with a man I believe is her love interest," Armaan said showing Qais the screenshot of the CCTV footage from the orphanage.
"That's her alright," Qais said, "I can recognize this slut even in a burqa."
Qais was now visibly angry. He picked up the phone.
"I want Fatima brought here right now!" he shouted.
There was absolute silence between the two men while they waited for Fatima to be brought to them.
"What do you want out of all this?" Qais asked, "You are certainly not doing this for money."
"Meera has hurt my family," Armaan said, "Once we find Meera, you can keep her and do whatever you want with her. But I want her daughter."
*****
Soon Fatima was brought in front of Qais and Armaan. She looked nervous, but remained calm.
"I told you to deal with this child," Qais said showing her a picture of Amairah, "What did you do?"
"I buried her in the desert as I was ordered," Fatima replied with her eyes downcast.
"You have the audacity to lie to my face?" Qais asked with anger burning in his eyes.
"I speak the truth, Master," Fatima said.
"I want her skinned alive," Qais said to Rashid, "Show no mercy till she talks about where the child is."
"I seriously doubt that would work in her case," Armaan said, "I may have an alternate solution."
Qais nodded at Armaan showing his willingness to listen to Armaan's point of view.
"This woman here, she is tough," Armaan said looking straight into Fatima's eyes, "These kinda people won't talk no matter how much you torture them. And if they die, they take valuable information with them."
"So what do you suggest?" Qais asked.
"We'll find someone she is interested it," Armaan said calmly, "Someone innocent."
Qais's eyes growled with devilish pleasure at the thought of torturing Fatima's loved one in front of her eyes.
"Take her to the dungeons," Qais ordered, "She's stay there till we find a way to make her talk."
Fatima was chained and dragged away. She was taken to the dungeons and pushed inside a dark cell and the door slammed behind her. The cell was damp and cold. Fatima curled up and closed her eyes. The memory of the day Amairah was born flashed before her eyes.
*****
It was past midnight and it was raining heavily. Meera was lying on her bed, exhausted from the effort of childbirth, but the smile on her face was the most beautiful as Amairah fed at her breast. Fatima looked at the newborn child and smiled.
"Isn't she beautiful, Fatima?" Meera said holding the baby to her bosom, "I've thought of a name for her, I am going to call her Amairah, my little princess."
Fatima gently held the newborn girl and smiled. But soon her smile faded away. "She is beautiful, Meera," Fatima said, "But I fear for what kind of future she is going to have here."
Meera closed her eyes tightly as she realized the truth in Fatima's words. Then she opened her eyes and spoke with determination, "I won't let anyone hurt my baby, I'll kill anyone who even tries."
Fatima smiled weakly. She appreciated Meera's courage, but she also knew that there wasn't much she could do on her own. And then Amairah laughed playfully and opened her eyes. Fatima noticed the colour of her eyes and she suddenly became very apprehensive.
"Whose child is this Meera?" she asked sternly, "Neither you, nor Qais has this kind of eye color."
"She is my child Fatima," Meera said looking into Fatima's eyes, "That is all I have to say."
"I feared this girl's future when she grows up, but now I fear...she'll never grow up..." Fatima said gasping in fear.
Meera just glared at Fatima in anger.
"I am not your enemy, Meera," Fatima said, "I genuinely care about you and this child. Pray that no one notices what I just did."
Fatima nervously walked out of the room.
********
A tear escaped Fatima's eyes. She just stared blankly at the walls of the cell she was locked in, awaiting her fate.
End of Ch.2.....
"Ivan, this is about something very important," Armaan said, "I really hope you can help me out here."
"Sure, what it about?" Ivan said.
"I've sent you a picture," Armaan said, "I handed her over to one of your men 13 years ago. I want to know what exactly happened to her after that."
Ivan looked at the picture on his phone, and said, "Yeah I remember. You told me she knew something that was bad for you. So, I sent her to a place where that could be dealt with."
"Can you tell me the name of that place?" Armaan asked.
"That was really a long time ago..." Ivan said, "Why are you asking now?"
"Because I had instructed that I wanted her memories erased and then I wanted her given to a family for adoption," Armaan said.
"Yeah, and I passed on those instructions accurately," Ivan said.
"Well," Armaan said, "Whoever you hired did a real lousy job. Not only was she sold as a sex slave and her life utterly ruined, she managed to recover her memories almost completely and caused me some serious trouble. If I wanted to fucking hurt her, I would have just put a bullet in her head! It would have saved us all a lot of trouble. I want to know where she was sent, what exactly happened to her and who is fucking responsible for this!"
"I think it was a psychiatric facility," Ivan said, "Somewhere near Dubai."
"I really need the details Ivan," Armaan said, "And I want them as soon as possible."
"Alright, let me dig into it," Ivan said, "I'll get back to you."
Armaan waited patiently for Ivan's call. Finally, he called.
"It was a psychiatric facility named The Orion," Ivan said, "She was treated by Dr. Zakir Ali, and he did the job you wanted done, dealing with the memories."
"I'm gonna have to ask you for a favor," Armaan said, "I need your man to introduce me to Dr. Ali. I'm going to meet him personally and I want to have an honest conversation about her treatment."
"Not sure if I can make it work," Ivan said, "No one really likes to discuss such things."
"He'll talk alright," Armaan said, "Better for him if he co-operates or I have other ways to make him talk."
"I'll put a word across," Ivan said.
After quite some effort, Ivan managed to arrange Armaan's meeting with the psychiatrist.
Armaan reached the given address and a man greeted him. There was something abnormal about his appearance. The left half of his face, looked different, like it had been reconstructed with plastic surgery, and his left eye was artificial. Armaan stared at him for a moment, but quickly composed himself.
"So...what can I do for you?" Zakir said gesturing Armaan to sit down.
"I'll get straight to the point," Armaan said maintaining an eye contact, "I'm here to talk about her."
Armaan placed Meera's childhood picture on the table.
"I am sure our mutual contact has made it clear that we can trust each other," Armaan said, "I am here to have an honest conversation. This girl was handed over to you. You were asked to erase her memories. I want to know what happened after that."
"Well," Zakir said, "We've never met before but you did make contact through a very trusted source so I guess we can talk."
"So, you remember her?" Armaan said.
"Who can ever forget a girl like her," Zakir said showing the left side of his face, "She is the one who did this to me."
Armaan took a deep breath but wasn't exactly surprised. He knew what Meera was capable of.
"I was being gentle with her," Zakir said, "But this one, she is some sort of an animal. Once she attacked me unprovoked with a rusted nail and stabbed my face repeatedly. I lost one eye. And then I had to really teach her some manners."
Armaan could not digest the fact that Meera attacked so brutally unprovoked. There had to be a trigger. Meera was violent, but she wasn't crazy. She never did things without a reason. Then he looked carefully at Zakir's good eye. His eyes were blue, the same shade as Neil's. Armaan instantly understood the reason behind Meera's violent attack on the doctor.
"So how exactly did you 'teach her manners'?" Armaan asked sternly.
Zakir smiled viciously and said, "Would you like to have a look?"
Armaan nodded.
Zakir played a video he had preserved meticulously. Armaan watched how Meera was repeatedly subjected to electric shocks, and she begged and pleaded to stop.
"That was just the beginning of the fun part," Zakir said with a sadistic gleam in his eyes, "She was afraid of the dark, I used to lock her up in a dark room for hours. Her miserable screams were music to my ears. I tortured her till I was sure she was completely broken."
Armaan just listened to him with a blank expression.
"So what did you do when you were done with her?" Armaan asked.
"Well, I had to undergo 16 plastic surgeries to fix my face and I'll ever get my eye back," Zakir said, "Her punishment had to be fit for her crime. She was exotic and a virgin, such girls sell for a huge price. Not only did I recover my surgery bills, I ensured that she will suffer for the rest of her life by selling her as a sex slave when she turned 18."
"So, it was your bright idea to push her into sex trafficking," Armaan said maintaining a firm eye contact, "You had precise instructions, I believe. You were asked to erase her memories and give her to a family for adoption."
"Instructions my ass," Zakir said bitterly, "Look at my fucking face! She ruined my life and I was just supposed to let her live happily ever after?"
"Who did you sell her to?" Armaan asked.
"Qais Al-Khudair," Zakir said, "He is one of the most powerful men in the city."
"Thank you for your co-operation Dr. Ali," Armaan said extending his hand for handshake.
"Pleasure was all mine," Zakir said shaking hands with him. Armaan's knuckle breaker grip and a firm glare made Zakir nervous. He winced and tried to pull his hand away. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he forced a nervous smile.
*****
Armaan was driving back to his hotel. He got a call from his local informer, Zeeshan. He parked the car and answered the call.
"I have news from the orphanage. Your lovebirds reacted quite a ruckus there today," Zeeshan said, "Apparently the child was there for a week, but was taken by a woman named Yasmin who used to work there. Her address is fake, by the way, so no leads there. I've got a picture of the child from the records; I'll send it to you."
"Thanks," Armaan said, "I also need a picture of the lovebirds. Think you can manage a screenshot of the CCTV footage?"
"Sure," Zeeshan said, "Gimme a moment."
Armaan's phone chimed with incoming messages. He saw a CCTV screenshot of Meera with Aryan. Although she was clad in a burqa, Armaan could still recognize her.
"Why the hell is she wearing a burqa?" Armaan asked.
"To save her ass," Zeeshan replied, "The former owner, Qais did not take her escape kindly. It was a huge dig at his ego, and has inspired his other slaves to try and escape. He's put a price on her head. Anyone recognizes her and informs on her, he'll capture her and skin her alive, along with her lover boy."
"Hmm interesting," Armaan said with a smile.
"I tried following them," Zeeshan said, "But that guy Aryan was too alert. He evaded us and threw off the GPS tracker my man had placed on their car. I am afraid there is no way to trace them now."
"Never mind," Armaan said, "I've got another job for you. I want every detail about this Qais character."
"Sure," Zeeshan said.
Armaan started the car's engine and drove off, planning his next move.
*****
Next morning Aryan was reading the newspaper as Meera was making breakfast.
"Creepy things are happening in the city," Aryan said as he read the newspaper munching on an apple, "Poor dude was fried to crisp by a high voltage electric shock at his own house. The cops are suspecting homicide."
Meera glanced at the paper as she placed her cereal bowl on the table. There was a picture and the name of the victim. She instantly recognized Zakir and her face was cluded with anger. "Serves him right! That son of a bitch fucking deserved it!" she spoke bitterly.
*****
Armaan spent the next 2 days collecting information about Qais. Once he had everything he needed, he sent a word through a trusted source to Qais that he was interested in a meeting.
He got a call from Qais's right hand man Rashid, asking him to come at a specified location at the specific time, unarmed, if he wanted to meet Qais.
Armaan reached the location and waited patiently. It was a secluded place with no one around. A van arrived and a tall man got out of it. Armaan believed him to be Rashid.
"Are you carrying any weapons?" Rashid asked.
"No," Armaan said.
"Put your hands behind your back," Rashid said as he walked towards Armaan with a pair of handcuffs.
"I really don't think this is necessary," Armaan objected.
"If you want to meet the boss, you follow the rules," Rashid said.
Armaan unwillingly let Rashid handcuff him. Rashid made Armaan get into the van. Another man sitting inside the van put a hood over Armaan's head. The drive felt like an eternity. Finally, they reached their destination and Armaan was led out of the van. One man grabbed his arm and led him into a building.
After walking for about 10 minutes, the hood was taken off Armaan's head. He took a moment to adjust to the sudden bright light.
"Stand still," Rashid ordered as he began to frisk Armaan.
He took Armaan's phone, car keys, wallet, almost everything he found on his person. Armaan was visibly offended but chose to remain quiet. Finally, Rashid uncuffed Armaan and led him to another room where Qais was expecting him.
"You have a way of treating guests," Armaan said making a firm eye contact.
Qais chuckled. "You can't be too careful," he said, "Not all guests are friends, some are snakes."
"Well," Armaan said glaring into his eyes, "Then trust me, you don't want a taste of my fangs."
Qais raised an eyebrow at Armaan's remark.
"We need to speak," Armaan said to Qais, referring to Rashid, "In private."
"Oh! he is fine," Qais said, "He is my most faithful dog."
"Well," Armaan said maintaining a firm glare, "If you want to be insulted in front of your faithful dog, so be it."
"What do you mean?" Qais asked.
"You might want to check your phone," Armaan said.
Qais picked up his phone to look and it chimed with an incoming message. It was an email that consisted of details of all his illegal business, the location of his slave harems, the details of his illegal accounts and finances. His face instantly turned pale.
"You are just one of the many powerful men in this city," Armaan said, "I am sure, we both agree that there are many who would love to tear you apart once they get their hands on your dirty secrets. And I have this information right where it needs to be and it will be released if any harm comes to me."
"What do you want?" he asked, in a lowered voice.
"First, an apology for the way your men treated me," Armaan said in a calm but firm tone.
"What are you standing and staring at, you son of a bitch!" Qais shouted at Rashid, "Apologize to him this instant!"
Rashid was taken aback to be yelled at for simply following orders. But he obeyed Qais.
"I am sorry Sir," Rashid said.
"Now get the fuck out of here, you son of a whore," Qais shouted.
Rashid obediently walked out.
"What do you really want?" Qais asked.
"I'm here to talk business," Armaan said placing Meera's picture on the table, "We have a common interest, I believe."
"Yeah this bitch," Qais said, "I have delicious plans for her once I find her."
"She is in this city," Armaan said.
"Really?" Qais said, "She's really got some nerve coming back."
"She is here to find her daughter," Armaan said, "The one she gave birth when she was still your slave."
"What?" Qais said, "No, that child is dead, I had her buried in the desert the moment I found out she wasn't mine."
"That is what you were made to believe," Armaan said, "Someone dropped her off at an orphanage almost 30 miles from here, and the child was later moved from there too."
Armaan placed a picture of Amairah in front of Qais and he immediately recognized the child and his expression darkened.
"Meera was at the orphanage 2 days ago, with a man I believe is her love interest," Armaan said showing Qais the screenshot of the CCTV footage from the orphanage.
"That's her alright," Qais said, "I can recognize this slut even in a burqa."
Qais was now visibly angry. He picked up the phone.
"I want Fatima brought here right now!" he shouted.
There was absolute silence between the two men while they waited for Fatima to be brought to them.
"What do you want out of all this?" Qais asked, "You are certainly not doing this for money."
"Meera has hurt my family," Armaan said, "Once we find Meera, you can keep her and do whatever you want with her. But I want her daughter."
*****
Soon Fatima was brought in front of Qais and Armaan. She looked nervous, but remained calm.
"I told you to deal with this child," Qais said showing her a picture of Amairah, "What did you do?"
"I buried her in the desert as I was ordered," Fatima replied with her eyes downcast.
"You have the audacity to lie to my face?" Qais asked with anger burning in his eyes.
"I speak the truth, Master," Fatima said.
"I want her skinned alive," Qais said to Rashid, "Show no mercy till she talks about where the child is."
"I seriously doubt that would work in her case," Armaan said, "I may have an alternate solution."
Qais nodded at Armaan showing his willingness to listen to Armaan's point of view.
"This woman here, she is tough," Armaan said looking straight into Fatima's eyes, "These kinda people won't talk no matter how much you torture them. And if they die, they take valuable information with them."
"So what do you suggest?" Qais asked.
"We'll find someone she is interested it," Armaan said calmly, "Someone innocent."
Qais's eyes growled with devilish pleasure at the thought of torturing Fatima's loved one in front of her eyes.
"Take her to the dungeons," Qais ordered, "She's stay there till we find a way to make her talk."
Fatima was chained and dragged away. She was taken to the dungeons and pushed inside a dark cell and the door slammed behind her. The cell was damp and cold. Fatima curled up and closed her eyes. The memory of the day Amairah was born flashed before her eyes.
*****
It was past midnight and it was raining heavily. Meera was lying on her bed, exhausted from the effort of childbirth, but the smile on her face was the most beautiful as Amairah fed at her breast. Fatima looked at the newborn child and smiled.
"Isn't she beautiful, Fatima?" Meera said holding the baby to her bosom, "I've thought of a name for her, I am going to call her Amairah, my little princess."
Fatima gently held the newborn girl and smiled. But soon her smile faded away. "She is beautiful, Meera," Fatima said, "But I fear for what kind of future she is going to have here."
Meera closed her eyes tightly as she realized the truth in Fatima's words. Then she opened her eyes and spoke with determination, "I won't let anyone hurt my baby, I'll kill anyone who even tries."
Fatima smiled weakly. She appreciated Meera's courage, but she also knew that there wasn't much she could do on her own. And then Amairah laughed playfully and opened her eyes. Fatima noticed the colour of her eyes and she suddenly became very apprehensive.
"Whose child is this Meera?" she asked sternly, "Neither you, nor Qais has this kind of eye color."
"She is my child Fatima," Meera said looking into Fatima's eyes, "That is all I have to say."
"I feared this girl's future when she grows up, but now I fear...she'll never grow up..." Fatima said gasping in fear.
Meera just glared at Fatima in anger.
"I am not your enemy, Meera," Fatima said, "I genuinely care about you and this child. Pray that no one notices what I just did."
Fatima nervously walked out of the room.
********
A tear escaped Fatima's eyes. She just stared blankly at the walls of the cell she was locked in, awaiting her fate.
End of Ch.2.....
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