The door opened a notch and an eye appeared in the crack. Haashir raised his gun but then the door opened fully and Ahmar grinned at him.
“Want to shoot me now?” he asked with a wide grin on his face.
“I will adhere to your wishes some other time perhaps because right now my priority is to get Aida inside safely.” Ahmar’s gaze drew towards Aida, who was standing behind Haashir. He opened the door wide and moved aside.
“Come on inside.” Haashir dragged Aida inside, bolting the door behind her. They followed Ahmar to the inside of the house which was in a desperate need of repairs. The paint was peeling off from the walls and ceiling while the yellowed walls showed evidence that some plumbing was gravely needed. Cobwebs hung all around them as they made their way towards the inside of the house. As they moved deeper into the house, more cobwebs made themselves known to them and in Aida’s opinion, it seemed like they had walked into a temporary hideout of the spiders. As they entered another room, this was much shabbier than the others they had passed and Aida noticed that the fan on the ceiling was on the verge of coming off. The room was sparsely furnished which was littered by wrappers of food items, some bits of food. All Aida could think about after looking at the condition of the house was about the inhabitants who had previously occupied this place. They walked quickly into another room which was better furnished and cleaned than the last three rooms that she had crossed. Three computers sat on a table, wheezing softly while she could see footage of three different places. Her attention drew to one of the screen which showed the footage of her hotel room. She could very well make out the couches that made a semi-circle in the suite’s lounge. She looked questioningly at Haashir who squeezed her hand in response, telling her without words not to worry.
“Have a seat, Aida.” Haashir said and walked forward to clear one of the seats off Ahmar’s belongings and offering it to her. She smiled softly and thanked him for the seat.
“Show me the reports that you received from the Islamabad office, Ahmar. After that, we will continue with the rest of the things that we need to take care of.” Haashir said, sitting down on a rotating chair and reviewing the documents. After he finished reading, he set down the documents on the table and turned to Ahmar.
“Alright, what is the situation here Ahmar? Do we have to stay low profile?”
“No, not at all. The situation here is under control and both of you are under surveillance as you had asked me to.”
“Good. We are going to follow the leads we have and I want you to stay online on the wireless in case I find anything.”
“I will be ready anytime of the day, Haashir.”
“That’s good. Let’s get over the contents of our course of action once again.” Haashir said and picked up a pen.
****
Aida observed Haashir from her vantage point at the corner of the room. She knew that he was strong, capable and self-assured of himself but this Haashir was an entirely new person to her. His sharp instincts and keen eye observed every single detail due to which he was thorough. He picked the right problem and always had solutions to solve them quickly due to which he was an efficient and quick detective. Unlike many in his position, Haashir was different. He would listen closely what the other person was telling him and then weigh the pros and con but would decide what he believed to be right. He was a person to believe in teamwork and so he selected only those detectives who could work with him easily. Observing all this from the corner, Aida felt different because this side of Haashir was new to her. A new emotion took root deep within her and spread slowly, basking her heart in its glow. Aida liked the new side of Haashir that she had discovered today and felt a feeling deep within her that she didn’t recognize. She respected Haashir but there was something more that respect that was within her and deep down she knew that as well.
