Trapped

Chapter 17

"I am certain about this, took me three days to gather this information," Max speaks out in a determined tone as he explains about the whole truth that he just found out about the assassin who tried to kill his friend's lady love. "Then I suppose, I will personally have to hunt him down," Zayn grumbles with a clenched jaw and the advent of rage coursing through his veins. "Aye mate, you got a call from boss!" A lanky member of their gang tells Zayn, as the two friends are sitting in their gang house, away from the others, in an isolated corner. Zayn nods and follows him towards the phone kept in the other corner of the large living room.

He greets his boss with usual hello but there is no return of greetings. Instead, he gets straight to the point. "I want you to do some confidential work for me, Zayn" "What is it?" He queries in an uninterested voice with an expressionless face. "I will give you the details when you meet me in hotel Riveria at 7, this evening. Dress formally" "Okay" "And you should know this, it involves a young lady," says the boss with a smirk etched on his face leaving Zayn a bit shocked and puzzled. The call is disconnected and he hurries back to Max to spill all the details of the conversation.

Going to office has been even more exhausting and tiring for Alisha now that she had missed a couple of days at work. Files had piled up on her desk as she sorted through all the papers, trying to reach her deadlines. Luckily, these leaves were considered paid ones since she rarely took leaves from work. Her mind is currently buzzing with ways to complete her last task for the day when a knock on the door catches her attention. She looks up to find Peter along with Jay standing in the door frame with anticipation clear on their faces. She gestures her hand for both of them to come inside.

"I need you to attend a meeting on my behalf," Jay, another one of her colleague, says jumping straight to the point taking Alisha by surprise. His dark hair is neatly pushed back, while his plain brown eyes boring into hers waiting for an answer, hoping on an agreement from her. "Well, hello to you too," she replies with wide eyes. Jay huffs and slumps down on the swivel chair placed in front of the table. "Alisha, help, please..." Peter adds trying his best to make a puppy face which only makes her laugh. "What meeting?" She asks with a hint of laughter still audible in her voice. "There is an offer from a company which they want to discuss, meet them, listen to them and tell them our conditions and voila! You will be free," explains Jay in a very rushed manner. "But I have never ever done a meeting before," her hesitant voice silences the two, worry crossing their features.

After 20 minutes of proper explanations and doubt clearing sessions by the two lads, Alisha is finally prepared for the meeting but she is still not sure enough about the whole thing. "I am still not sure if I can do this and anyway, why are you guys forcing me into this?" She voices her thoughts for mere curiosity that is clawing at her insides. "Because the company's head wants to specifically have a meeting with you and not any of us," said the terrified poor lad, looking at his colleague who is in pure tension as himself. "Okay, this is weird but I am helping you guys. So just chill out, Peter," She tries to calm down the two men though her own mind is full of anxiety and if anybody is scared more than those two, it is definitely her. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Why would a company's head insist on a meeting with a specific employee whose existence is barely known to the company itself, let alone the world. She rushes home after ditching her work after Peter and Jay promised to complete it for her.

It is a formal dinner kind of meeting at the famous Hotel Rivera and she is unsure of what should she wear. Finally, after going through her wardrobe for an hour, she settles down on a plain black dress that ends on her knees and a blazer jacket to make it look formal. She quickly makes a high ponytail and gets on minimal makeup before giving herself a last look in the mirror. 'This should do,' she thinks as the doorbell rings. It must be Peter, he promised to drop her to the hotel. She opens the door hesitantly and there he is. Surprise crosses his eyes and he is frozen for few seconds before replying "You look pretty." She murmurs a 'Thank you' suddenly feeling self-conscious and they are out the door.