Kismat aur Hum

24.

14 hours ago~

-Malik-
We had arrived at safe place as exactly 9 in the morning. "You should get some sleep, sir." Amir said as he walked in with my tea. "Have you ever seen me sleep when I'm here." He denied. "Where are those men?" "We puat them in one cell last night like you said, but they are neither talked to each other nor to us." "Those jerks know how to stay quiet." He agreed with me. "Any updates?" "All up to date, except the fact that signals are done now, they were messed up last night, but dropped completely awhile before you came." "Look into it." He nodded and left.

I called my manager for the files on shipment and deliveries. I was catching up on my work before going to interrogate those men, which was because they knew I had arrived. I would make them wait. I stopped their food and water from coming in. That would make them speak. After looking over the last file, a man knocked on my door and walked in, followed by Amir, "Sir, Haadir Ansari man js here to see you." I looked up to him as he said 'Aslamoalkuim' and passed me a small envelope. I nodded, and he was led outside. Opening the envelope, it was a small piece of paper with an address and time on it. A chuckle slip, same old Haadir.

It was 2pm when I arrived at the restaurant, different from mist his stops he normally chooses. Entering the restaurant, the waiter asked my name, then led me to my table, where he was already seated. "You're early." I said, sitting down. "You know i rather be early than late." "So, why am I being treated to lunch?" "Always asking, to be honest, no real reason." "Right" I sarcasticly agreed. "I heard you were in town, wanted to catch up. Congrats on getting married, though I'm sad you didn't invite me to your wedding." "It was close family only." "I found out it was only her family. Blackmailed her?" "Why ask when you already know everything?" "So you did blackmail her." I slowly nodded, giving in. "And she's living happily?" The question caught me, she is happy right, we're both getting along, minus the last argument we had before I came here. Subconsciously, I started playing with the hair tie she had given me.

"This conversation isn't getting anywhere, I'll get to important stuff." "I knew it was coming sooner this time." "I have a shipment coming next week, I need a safe place since I can't pick it up." "You need my men to pick it up and store it for you?" "Exactly, you catch on fast," he smirked. As he finished speaking, our food was served. We started eating when he paused to speak again. "Before I forget, why weren't you picking up any of my PA's call and texts." "First of all, calls like your PA go to my manager, but I think the main issue is that we aren't getting any signals. We're getting it checked mow." He nodded, listening to me.

Soon, our lunch ended, and we were driving back to the safe place when the driver suddenly braked, "everything okay?" I asked, sitting up properly, "sir, there's a man sitting in front of our car with a child." "Did we hit them?" "No, sir." I quickly got out of the car, walking over to the man. He had his daughter in his lap. She looked pale and unconscious. As soon as he saw me, he held my leg, "Sir, please help me, my daughter suddenly fainted, I need help." He pleaded crying. At that moment, I felt sad for him, I told him to sit in the back seat of the car with his daughter. I opened the door as he put his daughter in and then sat himself. I sat beside my driver and told him to drive to the nearest hospital. The man kept repeating one thing the whole journey, "sir, I don't have enough money for the hospital." He cried out, "Money isn't the issue. Let's make sure your daughter is alright."

We arrived at the hospital, and the father went into the ward with his daughter. I waited outside for them. 30 minutes later, one of the doctors came out and asked for me. "I was told you are going to be paying today for the little girl." I nodded, he led me to the nurse that helped me fill out the payment. The doctor then led me back to the father and daughter. The little girl was now on the bed, and she looked pale and weak. The father had tears in his eyes, his gaze still on his daughter.

"You're lucky you got the girl to the hospital on time. Otherwise, the potassium she had injected in her blood would have killed her. It's a miracle she survived." The doctor said, leaving us. Potassium was injected in her blood? I was still thinking about this comment when the man fell on his knees in front of me, crying and pleading for forgiveness. "Please, sir, stop this." I said, getting to his height. "Please stand up." "No sir, I can't thank you enough. You saved my daughter even though I was supposed to be a part of the trap."

"What trap?" I asked, "sir, these men came up to me. They told me to distract you, foght with you, occupy you from going back, if I didn't they would take my daughter away from me. At first I didn't want to do it, but then my daughter fell ill, and they brought a doctor this morning, the said they gave her medicine but i- i didn't know what it was. Then, when I was looking for help, I coincidently came across your car. I would never have asked you for help. Sir, I'm sorry." "Listen to me, where do they want me not to go back?" "They said some base, where the others are kept." The safe place? What does that have anything to do with it.

I patted him on the back and handed him my business card, "Any issues, call this number. If the number doesn't pick up, then call the second one." He nodded and thanked me again and again until I didn't leave through the door. As I got outside, the driver looked worried. God, what's wrong now? "What happened?" "Sir, all out tires are punctured." I took a deep breath. Something was really happening.

"Call back for another car." "Sir, we can't because of the signals being down." I decided  to call a cab on my phone, but for some reason, it wasn't working. This can't be all a coincidence. "Sir, there's a mechanic nearby, should we try there." I agreed with the idea and got the mechanic. "How long will it take?" "Just a few minutes, sir." The mechanic said, I scrolled through my phone while waiting for him, when suddenly I thought of her, she hasn't called or texted me yet. Is she happy without me? Without realizing I started playing with the hair tie on my wrist, I had a random sense. Something wrong was going to happen. I kept looking at my watch. It had almost been an hour, and he had only managed to change 3 out of the 4 tires. I offered to help, and so did my driver, but he refused.

It was almost half 9 when he finished fixing the tires, I paid him his amount. Then, we drove back to the safe place. "Amir, did yheu move or say anything whole you were gone?" "Not really, sir, they were quiet. Except they kept looking out the window." I should have gone to them the first place. They aren't speaking, "Bring me to them right now."

As I entered the storage room of the main guy, I started laughing. I looked around to the other. They were alseep or dead. I shouted for my men to come in and check them. "Sir. They're all dead except one." I walked up to him, holding him by the wrong of his shirt. "What is this? Who killed them?" "Don't be so hasty Malik Khan. I told you I wanted to talk to you, but you didn't show up earlier. Who knows how many lives are lost today." "What do you mean?" He looked at my watch, "it's time." He smiled. The pressure on his neck increased. "What time?" "Your dear wife and sister, how are they? Safe at home?" He smirked, asking me. "What do you mean?" Before he could answer, he bit down his mouth, causing his eyes to dilate, his mouth bubbled, and soon he was dead.

I ran over to my office. "Is there any way I could contact anyone?" I  asked, walking into my office. "No, sir." Picking up my phone and keys, I headed to my car. "I'm driving back right now. Get a team of men to get there right now." Amir nodded and ran outside to the car, getting into the driver's seat, I drove as fast as possible. It was going to take 2 - 3 hours to get there.

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What will happen next?