He couldn't breathe!! He was suffocated, forced into the water by strong hands. He tried to pull up his head, gulp for air but he had no strength left. He wanted to scream, cry for help, but all that left his mouth was a gasp and a whimper.

If only someone could reach out to him, right now...

But he was afraid it was too late, he was drowning now!! His body began to feel light, almost floating... and then his head desperately came up for a breath of air! His ears and nose were all blocked, he could hardly hear anything.

"Ashwin!! Ashwin!! What happened? Wake up ... did you have that nightmare again?" Words reached him slowly, as if they were spoken by someone far away, in a silo.

Somebody was shaking him, but the hand was soft and gentle unlike those which forced his head into the water. He woke up, still afraid, to find the anxious face of his wife Mrinalini, hovering over.

He sat up on the bed, as a violent shudder left his body.

Mrinalini, took her time in getting up, owing to the extra weight and strain she felt now that she was in the 8th month of her pregnancy.

"Please Ashwin, talk to me and tell me why you feel this way. What exactly happened in Afghanistan? I know that you are worried about me, but trust me, I have heard many horrifying stories from the people our NGO works with. I will be okay. "

Ashwin shook his head and said "I am fine Mini... it was just a nightmare."

"Please Ashwin! Don't insult my intelligence. I know you are suffering from anxiety attacks as a result of whatever you went through in Afghanistan. You must see a professional before it spirals into something more. You have never been like this before." She tried to give him a glass of water but the very sight of water made him recoil in such a way that it left her perplexed.

She cupped his face with one hand, and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with the other. Ashwin smiled feebly, and tried his best to veer the topic away from his traumatic nightmares.

"Don't worry about me Mini. You shouldn't have any such things on your mind right now. Let's go through the shortlist of names we have thought for our baby. Why can't you agree to my choice, Vihaan if it's a boy, and Anvi if it is a girl?"

Mini sighed vexedly. But before she could say anything, her husband kissed her on the forehead.

"I am okay. If I feel like I need help and if these nightmares get worse, I promise you I will seek help. Okay? Now, let's go back to sleep. We need to go and see your Gynaecologist tomorrow. Come on."

"Appointment is day after tomorrow Ashu, and I am glad you are willing to seek some help. I keep forgetting to tell you, but my gynaecologist Mrs Sravya Ghoshal, is the wife of Dr Ghoshal who treated you in that hospital after you came back from Afghanistan. And If I remember correctly, they had a counsellor and Psychiatrist too in the same hospital. After my appointment, lets to back to that hospital and speak to Dr Ghoshal and get some counselling. What do you say?"

"Oh god, Mini! I just say one little thing and you make it into full blown plan and schedule. Why do all women feel hell bent on forcing their husbands do something they are really not into? Let's take things one at a time, shall we? Now please rest up. I beg you. We will discuss all this later, when necessary."

He helped her ease back on to the bed and hugged her gently and remained like that till she finally fell asleep. Sleep eluded Ashwin for a long time, as the sights and smells of that dingy cellar room, where he was held captive, invaded his thoughts again, immediately followed by the taunting words of Victor in the hospital room, adding insult to the injury. Why couldn't anyone else rescue him? Why it had to be that cocky bastard Victor? He sighed in frustration.

***

DJ's Mansion
Dhaula Kuan

As he laid back on the plush imported lounge, in the living room of his outwardly modest looking mansion, no one would guess how deeply disturbed Dhananjay aka DJ was, except for his right hand man, Tanveer.

Dhananjay's eyes followed Tanveer, who was pacing the floor, which was more a sign of nervousness and not impatience on Tanveer's part. Somewhere inside his turbulent mind, even in that worrying state, Tanveer's nervousness gave him a tiny bit of satisfaction.

"I get what you mean DJ Bhai! But how to find out what hospital that captive RAW agent was taken to, in Afghanistan? Was he even taken to any civilian hospital? You know how crazy and secretive those guys are!! May be he was taken to the US Army base Hospital in Kandahar directly?"

"Tanveer! I need to know if he was, at any cost. To me, he looks like the weakest link in this whole setup. We get him first and through that we get to that Fayiz Khan. I am sure Fayiz is not his real name but my contacts have so far failed me to get even his bloody name!" Dhananjay fumed.

Tanveer panicked. DJ rarely lost his temper and on the few occasions he did, it brought nothing but ruin. He shared nervous glances with other DJ aides, who were lurking behind the big man. Everyone knew that DJ's steep and quick ascendancy to the position of a major player in the underworld was due to his brilliant and ruthless tactics. There were very few setbacks. Any obstacle that came in his way, DJ neutralized it by using his coercive and cruel methods. But Tanveer could understand DJ's frustration. This first defeat, that too at the hands of an unknown but clever enemy was rattling DJ.

"DJ Bhai, please! Give me one or two days and I will find out everything I can. But Bhai, let's say our contacts in Kandahar do know that this agent was admitted in a civilian hospital for treatment. But how do we identify him still? We can't have CCTV footage of some remote hospital in Kandahar, that too for something that happened almost two years ago!" Tanveer tried to reason with his boss.

That thought had already occurred to DJ, and it was one of the main reasons for his foul mood. This whole bungle started from Afghanistan. His first mistake, was to accept that the mole Sadiq was holding up was a Pakistani agent, just like everyone else and not follow up on what happened after Sadiq's death. Even after he came to know from his sources that Sadiq's younger brother Naqeeb had joined IS, he never tried to extend his friendship with Naqeeb. He found another supplier for his dope and let things rest, and now, a lot of water had flown under the bridge. DJ always sought contacts in top hierarchy in the IS Cells and found doing his arms business with them both lucrative and ever growing. Everything was going smooth, till this joint intelligence operation completely ruined his plans, and by the time he found out Naqeeb's involvement and put this and what happened in Afghanistan together, it was too late.

He sighed in frustration. But then again, he felt elated as a new method to ferret out his enemy dawned on his mind. Tanveer looked at him in confusion.

"How bad do you think that RAW agent's injuries were? Knowing Sadiq and his methods, I am sure he must have needed a long treatment to recovery, right? Which means, he would have been admitted in a hospital here in Delhi as well to recover. Now all we need to do is, get our sources in the bureau talking and find out which hospital this agent was admitted." He bared his perfectly white teeth.

"But Bhai!"

"I know Tanveer, it is the same problem here too. How do we find out which person it is who got admitted roughly around two years ago, right? But I know someone who can hack into any Server of any security company for a small fee and I am..." DJ stopped talking as his mobile rang. Tanveer looked at him in amazement as he never knew that DJ had a mobile.

"Loki, ek minute... just hang on." DJ covered the mobile with his hand and turned to Tanveer, who smiled for the first time in the evening. So, the call from Loki, DJ's younger brother in US. No wonder DJ kept a mobile just for this. Everyone knew what a loving and protective brother DJ was.

"Tanveer, you go and find out about the hospital. That new clerk in Intelligence Bureau, Manoj Shinde, he will sing like a canary once he finishes a full bottle of Single Malt Whiskey. Take him to one of our bars, where the girls do dance shows and promise him that he will have a nice time with one of the girls afterwards. Find out what are the hospitals these agents usually go to, what medical insurance they get because the hospitals have a tie up with them. He would be dealing with their medical bills and stuff and he would indirectly know about where every Agent was, at a particular time. And if we are lucky, Shinde might also know about this agent. Go on... I want to talk to Loki!"

"Leave it to me DJ Bhai, I will take care of it. Tell Loki that we are all missing him. It's been years since he had come to India." Tanveer said affectionately and left the room along with his aides.

The moment Tanveer and the rest of his gang were out of earshot, DJ got up from his lounge and showered his dear brother with questions. "Loki!! How are you? Is everything okay? You normally don't call at this hour. What happened? Are you not feeling well?"

"Bhai...Bhai... relax!" drawled Loki aka Lokesh in his usual soothing tone. "I am fine, can't I call whenever I want to? Hmm...?"

"Of course, you can Loki! It's just that... You know me! When it comes to you, I get..."

"Super freaked out...Hahaha" Loki cut in. "Bhai! I... Here's the thing. I want to come to India for few weeks. I am booking the tickets as we speak. I wanted to give you a surprise but then decided against it, as I very well know you would freak out like this. So, I am calling in advance to let you know. Nothing to worry about, okay?"

"You are coming home? Really? I am so happy!! I... I say this every time I call you, I miss you terribly, every day! You get sick of me saying this again and again, but if it was in my hands, I would have never let you out of my sight!! But Maa doesn't want you to get mixed up in any of our family business and she wants to see you well educated. And I have no choice but to follow her orders, just in this matter. Anyway.... Why am I rehashing my complaints when I should be celebrating my little brother's arrival!! Let me know what time your flight lands. I will come to airport with full security. Except our old gang, no one knows you too well here, which is exactly the way me and Maa wanted. But we can't take any chances. I will let Maa know straight away! She might have her reservations but she is pining to see you just like me, Loki! I still can't believe that you are coming!" DJ said excitedly.

"Haha... and I can't wait to see you all too and eat Maa's yummy food. I have missed India too much Bhai!! We do get everything Indian here in New Jersey but... home is home, right?" DJ's eyes became wet as he heard the longing in his brother's voice, but another worrying thought began to override all the happiness.

"Loki, you are okay right? I mean. Why this sudden plan to come here? You stopped working and wanted to study that new Communications course. Don't you like it? If I remember correctly, you are still in the middle of your Semester, won't you miss classes?"

There was a long pause and finally Loki replied. "Bhai, I got into a bit of trouble here with the law ... I mean police. You remember my neighbour Zoya? She finished her Medical internship last month. She is a brilliant student Bhai. Well, her father is a lawyer, and thanks to his quick interference, I am okay. But I thought I better fly out till things cool down a bit. I will explain everything to you once I reach there. One more thing Bhai, Zoya wants to visit India with me. She heard so much about all the amazing things in India and she wants to see them before she starts her stint in the hospital here. It's okay right? I am going to book tickets for her too."

DJ paused for a moment but then began to chuckle loudly.

"Going to book tickets or done it already? Why this pretence of asking of my permission, huh? Loki, Chakkar Kya Hai (What's going on?) I remember Zoya and your opinion of her too well. You said, she is a pretty girl but quiet aloof and arrogant!! But looks like she has become friendly and pleasing now, isn't it? You have always been like this Loki! You do exactly what you want to do, and spin the story in such a way that no one else gets to say anything about it. Hmm... I don't mind her coming her but what about her parents? Are they okay to send her here all alone with a young man? Or have you charmed them already that they couldn't refuse?" DJ mocked.

"Bhai, this is 2019. No parents can object if their adult daughter wants to travel or visit countries just because she is single. Okay? Now, I got to go. I have to go shopping and tidy up things here a bit. I will call you once my tickets are confirmed. I am not calling Maa right now, as I am not sure how she will take the news. But please Bhai, please pacify her and prepare her to welcome me and Zoya happily. I know I can trust you on this. Okay bye!!"

DJ kept staring at the phone long after Loki hung up on him.

"Suraj Chacha!!" He hissed. (Chacha is your father's younger brother. It is also used to call any elderly male person in the family or neighbourhood)

One of his aides hurried to him, with a worried expression, which made his wrinkles more prominent.

DJ looked menacingly at him.

"It seems Loki got into a bit of a trouble in New Jersey. Why haven't I heard anything it? What is that goddamn guy Kohn doing there? We pay him thousands every year just to keep an eye on Loki and report if anything went wrong!" DJ's soft voice failed to fool Suraj Singh.

"DJ, please calm down. I will find out everything. I call Jared Kohn every Friday and make sure he gives me a full report on Loki Beta. But yesterday he didn't pick up my call at all. I was about to call him again today in few hours when it is morning for them. Just give me some time, I will let you know what he says."

"And if he doesn't answer?"

"I have other contacts in New Jersey and I will get in touch with them and find out, please don't worry."

DJ turned his face away, which Suraj Singh took as his dismissal and left in relief, glad that DJ didn't pursue his questioning. He began to call Jared Kohn on his mobile.

****
Elegant Towers
Moti Bagh

Victor rubbed his tired eyes and stretched his arms, after setting his laptop aside. All the information that he could gather on Sharath Nair and Dhananjay aka DJ was systematically catalogued and arranged in separate files. As he suspected, there was very little information about DJ. But right now, DJ was not his main target. He would have to plan his steps very carefully, and he had no intention to ruffle the feathers of DJ anytime soon till his ground work was complete. But this was as good a start as any, and he was particularly happy about some of the information he managed to get from his contacts in Mumbai and Kerala about Sharath Nair.

He would fly to Mumbai tomorrow and start his work on Sharath Nair and put his preliminary plan into work. He moved the pot plant on to the floor to place his laptop on the side table and plugged in the charger. As he relaxed back on his pillows, he heard a faint click sound coming from the main door, and his whole body became fully alert. He grabbed his gun under the pillow but stopped midway from getting off his bed, as a flowery aroma, which he had become quite familiar with in the last few days hit his senses, and he relaxed a bit.

He shoved his hand still holding the gun under the pillow, closed his eyes, exhaled. He was glad to have a few moments to relax before he heard her again and by that time, he was sure he looked the picture of man in deep sleep.

Misha tiptoed into the bedroom and found Victor, seemingly in deep sleep. But she didn't want to take any chances with him, especially after what he did to her in her bedroom in the middle of the night! She pulled a hairband out of her pyjama pocket and pushed the tiny tools in her hand inside the pocket.

As she tied her hair up, she let her gaze wander over Victor's bedroom.
Apart from the night lamp, she was surprised to see an ornate side lamp lit up next to the bed. As it cast a shimmering glow across the entire room, she observed the room carefully while making sure Victor was still in her vision. Except the lamp, the room was simply decorated, with bare necessities, without any personal touch and as such felt empty and cold to her. Her eyes fell on the pot plant on the ground next to the bed and she sighed. She approached the bed, and as she bent down to pick up the pot plant, she heard Victor's mocking tone.

"I never realized that you missed me so much. Thanks for dropping by."

She straightened herself and gave a scornful gaze, slowly drawing her hands to her hips, and hoped she looked insolent enough to ward off further mockery from that abhorrent man, who always seemed to have the upper hand over her.

"I didn't come here because I missed you. I was just trying to prove a point. If you think you are the only one smart enough to break into someone's bedroom in the middle of the night, think again!! But I am regretting why I bothered. Even your room reflects your personality, just dry and cold."
Victor raised his eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.
"Anything else? Any other valuable tips and opinions that you want to add further?"

Misha looked around, buying time to come up with a suitable answer.

"That wall is so bare and painted in the wrong colour. Bedrooms should be painted in neutral or warm colours that would make you feel cosy and relaxed. And here, this plant is not an indoor plant. It needs fresh air and sunlight. Why did you put it here? I really don't understand why people who have no knowledge of plants, buy them and pretend to know how to take care of them. I am going to take it outside. You can go back to sleep now." She said haughtily and bent down to pick up the plant, but Victor's hand clasped around her wrist. Before she could control it, her body gave an inadvertent shiver that his familiar yet scorching touch caused. She pulled her hand away but Victor got out of bed and stood next to her, perhaps too close.
"Hmm.... so you want to add more of your personal touches to this room, to make it suitable to you, I mean.... as per your taste is it?"

Why did his voice suddenly turn so husky? Or was it just her imagination?

"I don't want to add anything to this room or any room. I... You asked for my opinion, so I told you. But what I said about this plant is damn right. You need to put it outside."

"Okay, lets take it outside then. Since you are so keen, you can do the honours. Pick it up." Victor moved aside and let Misha pick up the plant. As she held the plant securely in both her hands, she noticed Victor pull the gun from under the pillow and place it inside his trouser back pocket.

"Do you really need to carry your gun with you, even though you are with ME?" The hurt in her voice made him pause.
"It's not a question who I am with, but who I am, Misha. This gun is to remind me of what my life is and why I cant let anything or anyone distract or stop me." He felt surprised at his brutally honest admission and smiled ruefully as he watched the shock on Misha's face. She briefly closed her eyes for a moment. But when she opened her eyes again and locked her gaze with him, a steely glint replaced the shock.
"I pray to god Victor, that I will never reach a stage in my life where I would need a gun to remind me of who I am."

Victor's face turned hard, as if he regretted the slip up.
"Hmm.. so you still carry this idealistic and emotional attitude huh? Wait for few more years and you will..."
Before Victor could finish, Misha briskly walked away towards the front door, and Victor was forced to follow and open the door for her.
She placed the plant in the front along with the other plants and kept wiping her hands on her pyjamas.
There was an awkward silence and Victor blurted out a question that was nagging his mind, which in hindsight wasn't too helpful.
"So, what happened to that boyfriend of yours at the Restaurant? Where did he disappear to?"
Misha's nostrils flared.
"It is all too funny for you isn't it ? Well... have it your way then. Manjeet called me later and apologised. Apparently, the waiter at the restaurant told him that I was waiting for him in the backstreet as I didn't want to be caught red handed by someone at the restaurant who knew me. So that poor fellow rushed out of the restaurant and kept waiting for me for a long time till he felt something was wrong."
Victor couldn't control himself and kept chuckling, and for a moment Misha forgot everything and watched him, struck by the transformation in his face that the laughter caused.
"You are better off with someone like me you know, rather than Manjeet. Why don't you give him the shove and come with me? I am going out of town shortly and you can accompany me officially. I will seek permission from your Nani and your father and uncle and whoever you need it from." Victor winked at her and Misha's face returned to its previous indifferent state.
"Thanks for the travel bulletin and the generous offer, but I will have to let it pass. Good night!" She turned back but Victor's next words made her flinch.
"I hope this will be the last time we are going to meet each other or even see each other. Don't you think we should say a proper goodbye?"

She turned and approached him, and stopped just a few inches away from him, just like the way he did to her before.
"Don't ever think that I am the one chasing you here, because I fancy you. Trust me on this, that thought never even entered my mind."

"Oh really?" Victor sneered.

"Yes really! But we have come this far, whether we like it or not, and now you can't get rid of me so easily Mr Victor! We are, after all, neighbours. You will see me still..." Victor opened his mouth to give a snide retort but was momentarily stunned as her finger touched his lips, as if to shush him.
"You will see me still, perhaps in your dreams?" She winked back at him and walked away.

I^=============^I

Thanks for your patience everyone and I am finally back with an update after so long.
And this is an important chapter where are a lot more characters are introduced and the plot thickens.

Love to know what you thought of it.

Cheers
Sesi