The same fellow, stout and having coloured beard with henna came in. Balbeer had a plate in his hands. This time he brought only one plate.
“Share the meal between you.” He placed the plate on the floor.
Shyam looked at him but he didn’t speak anything. He also looked at Shyam for a moment and turned his back to Shyam.
“Can I bum a fag?” Charmi voiced when he went to the door.
Balbeer startled and looked back.
“I’m gagging for a fag.” Charmi requested.
He turned back. He drew a cigarette case from her leather jacket and took a cigarette out and threw it toward Charmi.
“Matchbox, please” Charmi caught the cigarette.
“Here is the lighter.” Balbeer looked at Shyam and picked one more cigarette from the case and threw toward Shyam, “Enjoy, today is my birthday.”
“Happy birthday” Charmi spoke to him as if it will be his last birthday.
“Thanks” Balbeer replied. Shyam also wished him birthday following Charmi.
“Can we talk?” Shyam found both the request and flirt in her voice.
“What do you want to talk about?” Balbeer asked harshly.
“Why have I been captured?” Her voice was calm and fearless. More relaxed and bold to a captive’s tone should be.
“We have the doubt on both of you but you don’t tell us anything. Tell us what we want and we let you free.” Balbeer felt some hope in his heart.
“What do you want to know from us?”
“Where is Malik? Where are Rozy and Christy? Where is the main source? What is next plan?” he spoke like a robot.
“Can you show me their photos?” Charmi asked.
“We have no photo of Malik, but we have of Rozy and Christy.” He moved closer to Charmi.
He showed Charmi photos of both ladies on her mobile screen.
“I don't know these birds. You would like to talk to my father. You will have pretty ransom.” Charmi suddenly got acting of fear on her face and begged, “Please let me go.”
“We have no interest in money.” Balbeer began to move to the door.
“My father can afford up to ten lakh.” Charmi mouthed rapidly.
“We have no interest in money or even in your body. You know we are skin traders. We supply girls within India and abroad as well. You are mistaken if you expecting you can be free in favour of money or sex. The only way of release is to tell us what we want.”
“Would you like to favour me some wine at evening? You said today is your birthday, isn’t it?” Charmi requested shifting the topic.
Balbeer thought for a while and smiled cunningly.
“There must be a party in the evening.” Charmi returned the same cunning smile.
“Yes, but the party will be here, in our room on the first floor. I am sorry, we are not going to anywhere out. You won’t have any chance to fly.”
“Why should I fly?” Charmi laughed.
“Ladaki, You are crazy. Look at the exit. As soon as the door closes, 1100 kV electricity starts to pass through. A dog at the starting of stairs just out of the exit and another at the edge of the stairs.” He laughed, “And we never feed both the dogs together. Eighter dogs always remain hungry and our dogs have tasted human flesh many times.”
Shyam began to tremble hearing his last two sentences.
“Why are you so worried? I just want a bottle of wine and chicken at night. it is your birthday today. I wished you birthday frankly not from the heart but at least by my lips.” Charmi chuckled.
“You will have, lady, but, if you answer our questions, you will have freedom and a pretty sum to spend at Elante or Pirates of Grill for entire life.” Balbeer made an offer.
“I will be agreed for a week’s bill of Pal Dhaba but I know nothing.” Charmi sighed.
“Then visit the Pal Dhaba at next life.” He kicked on the floor. He went out and the door sealed.
“Why did you try to talk with him? I couldn’t understand anything.” Shyam moved to Charmi and asked.
“I want some info from him.”
“If he hurt you in anger then?”
“He never hurt us even in anger.”
“But why?”
“You said they will kill you after the election. They will also kill me after the election. He never goes beyond his boss’s order.”
“Okay, have you got any clue or idea?” Shyam inquired.
“Yes”
“What?” Shyam wondered as he found nothing from the speech between them.
“This fella must be a police officer or ex-army man.”
“How can you say so?”
“Cos he was looking at my eyes instead of my body through the entire exchange. He was doing so hence he can envision my next move and can shoot me if I try to attack him. A street criminal can never be so careful. He must be trained.”
Shyam and charmi looked at each other. They understood something now.
“Let’s eat first.” Shyam proposed.
“That’s a good idea.”
Both ate and drank the water.
“Do you smoke?” Shyam cleaned his wet hand rubbing to his shirt.
“If the need arises.” Charmi also cleaned his hands with her t-shirt but it made her hands filthier as her t-shirt was dusty and dirty.
“Then smoke”
“Do you smoke?” Charmi asked him.
“Sometimes, if anyone offers me. Never buy and smoke.” Shyam laughed.
“Sorry, But I can not offer you.” Charmi picked both cigarettes and lighter and put in a corner.
“Why should you take if you don’t want to smoke. By the way, Do you drink and also eat non- veg?” Shyam spoke with disgust. Shyam was a Gujarati boy and alcohol and non-veg were disgusting items for him.
“Cos we will need chickens and cigarettes at night, a bottle wine also.” Charmi was deciding a plan while speaking to Shyam.
“I am Brahmin. I never touch liquor or non- veg.” Shyam spoke with distaste. It is clear Shyam didn’t understand Charmi’s plan.
“I am also a daughter of Pandit family but I am not as orthodox as you. I am veg too but the dogs are not and I can feed them.”
“We are escaping tonight.” Shyam became straight leaving the support of the wall. He now understood her words and intentions as well.
“Yes,"
“But why today?”
“Cos we will have no such a golden chance again.
“Golden opportunity?” Shyam still didn’t understand the plan.
“One of them has a birthday today. They will be drunken in the evening. it is easier to trick even a clever person when he is drunken.”
“Explain me the plan. I don’t want any mistake at my side.” Shyam excited thinking about the slip.
“They have no interest in money. He declined my offer of ten lakhs. They are in skin trade hence simply they have no interest in sex.”
“Then why do they need us alive?” Shyam was confused.
“They are in bloody need of some clue. Thank god you don’t have anything otherwise they would have killed you as soon as you answered them their questions. They are professional.” Charmi paused to breathe. Shyam was impatient, but he felt not to interfere while Charmi was explaining to him.
“They supply the girls in overseas countries. They are in human trafficking. The man whom I have talked just now is a professional one. He must be police or ex-army. Human trafficking is unthinkable without the police’s favour. The fella told me about his business to intimidate me but it was his great mistake.”
“May the home minister be involved?” Shyam asked.
“No, If he is engaged in this plot, no need arose to hack his laptop and steal the data.”
“But what is the role of Goa and Gujarat in this treason?” Shyam looked at Charmi.
“Goa is a rich state. Most travellers like political leaders, businessmen, high profile official etc are plentiful and visit Goa only for sex. These guys may deliver girls Goa from here.”
“And Gujarat?”
“Mumbai is not a heaven for human trafficking as before. The coastal area of Gujarat is safer to pass the girls along with industrial stocks. But Chandigarh should not set in the picture.” Charmi explained him.
“Nepal border is near to Chandigarh,” Shyam spoke.
“I see. You are wrongly introduced in tutoring. You should be with me.” Charmi thought Shyam useful guy while escaping.
“One can reach Delhi, Punjab, Kashmir, and Nepal from Chandigarh easily. Chandigarh is near to Nepal border but no so much near that border security force can recognise any activity running in the city.” Shyam became a character of a detective story.
“I understood everything now,” Charmi spoke enthusiastically.
“I understood they are in trade of Nepali girls. They kidnapped you because you are a sleuth, but why have they chosen me?”
“You're from Gujarat and relationship with Archana. I can't see any other reason.”
“It must be so. Now tell me what the plan is?”
“Listen”
Shyam moved closer to Charmi.
“That fella has stated the electricity begins to pass as soon as the door closes. We must escape when the door is open.”
“You mean when Balbeer comes in the room.” Shyam was slightly worried.
“Yes, this door might be controlled by any switch outside. Maybe functioning by remote system however the door doesn’t look so much updated with the remote technology. But we don’t take the risk. The door may be working on an automatic time system.”
“Then what should we do?” Shyam looked at the door with suspicion.
“You put your foot on the grill of the door hence the sensor stops to work and the sensor never let the door to be closed automatically.”
“It will be easy for me.” Shyam had no experience, and he belittled the task.
“It is not easy. You have a risk. If a single part of your body seen from outside, the hound will attack and all plans will be messed.”
Shyam began to tremble hearing the word ‘hound’. He was over feared of the dog.
“When Balbeer comes in, we have to attack him, a sudden and unforeseen attack which let him no time and a chance to use his gun. If he succeeds to use the gun, he will shoot us. Even if we save our life from her firing, his companion will be alert by the sound of the gunfire, and they will cover us and shoot us. The plan will be messed in this case.”
“Then how can we handle this task?” Shyam asked.
“We must knock him out without letting him cry.”
“What will I have to do?” Shyam was a little suspected about his role in the task.
“You will pretend to attack him. As soon as you stand up, he will try to draw his gun out from his pocket, and at that time, all his attention must be to you and on his own gun. I will attack suddenly and spook him without letting him a chance to cry or shout.”
“Are you sure you can do it?” Shyam was unsure this scarecrow girl can be able to knock that stout fellow.
“I am sure. Perhaps he doesn’t faint; you put your palms over his mouth. I don’t want any fuss.”
“And what about his gun?”
“I am sure I won’t allow him any chance to fire.”
“And the hounds at the outer side?” Shyam again felt fear.
“I have never heard any barking sound since I came here. It means either no dogs here or they scaring us telling about dog hence we never try to escape or the dogs are well trained and never bark unintentionally.”
“Let’s accept the latter option true.”
“Even in the latter instance, we have nothing to worry.”
“Why so? They are hounds, not rabbits.” Shyam spoke.
“If the dogs are trained, they will never come in unless any uproar erupts here. We can afford no uproar here like gunfire or shouting. If he succeeds to fire or shout, we will be killed whether the hounds be or not be.”
“Hounds don’t come in but we have to go out,” Shyam asked and answered his own question, “but you will have a gun then and you will shoot dogs easily.”
“I am afraid I can’t.” Charmi shook her head.
“Why? You are an army agent. You must have taken training of shooting, haven’t you?”
“I want to avoid gunfire till possible. We will have only one gun and a maximum of six bullets. Let take it I don’t miss any aim, two rounds will be spent after dogs. And to face a gunfight with a gun and only four balls is bloody foolishness.”
“Then What should we do?” Shyam annoyed again.
“Remember that anger kills your wit and talent of the decision.”
“Yaar, I am not angry. I am confused.”
“We have to tackle the dogs without using the gun.”
“But how?”
“We should think something. If I fired at the dogs, the rest will be alert and we will have no chance to escape. I want we vanish from here keeping them in dark.”
“How will it be possible?”
“They arranged a party tonight. They all will gather in one room. We will bolt the door of that room from outside.”
“But how can we know in which room they gather?”
“The room which has lights on, and drunken can’t help themselves make noise and shouting.”
“Yet to bolt the door is perilous.”
“Less risky than a gun fight. We will have a gun and a maximum of 6 bullets. they all have a gun individually and they can have a mini machine gun too. Keep in mind, they are in human trafficking. They are not street goons. Nothing is riskier than a gunfight in this job.”
“It will take a little time to break the door or window and come out for them.”
“Yes, but at that time we must reach in any open place and the gunfight will be less fatal. I never miss my aim in open ground. Yaar, I was unaware, and they kidnapped me.”
“God accepted my prayers, so they kidnapped you.”
“What?”
“Yes, if you were not captured and taken here, I can never escape from here. It says God helps us in any way. You are a form of god for me.”
“Yaar, I am not God.”
“Then an angel sent by the god.”
“Yaar, I am a girl.” Charmi laughed, “by the way, is everything cleared?”
“not all, the hounds are still unsolved.”
“Why are you so much afraid of dogs?”
“Preetu had labra. I know labra can tackle down five men. It is impossible to battle with the labra empty hand. And that man said they have a pit bull too.”
“Then?”
“Do you know proverb about pit bulls in America?”
Charmi nodded her head to say no.
“Nothing can calm the pit bull except his owner and a bullet.”
“You have knowledge about labra and pit bull. You think about any point that can help us tackle the dogs. Any weak point?”
***
To be continue...
