Chapter 6 - No Turning Back

Khushi fell fast asleep for the first time in days since the attack in her apartment. The soft rock music, the lull of driving on the long stretch of the highway and most of all him, ASR, made her feel safe. She was out in no time. 

He watched her rolling head. He wanted to reach and cushion her neck so that those delectable layers of skin and muscle around her neck didn’t strain as it lolled about. He knew it was wrong to feel attracted to his charge, more so when the case meant so much to him. He had a bone to pick with the Russian Mafia and he couldn't let his vulnerability get the better of him again. He couldn't let them win.  His uncontrolled feelings for her made it unsafe for her and for him. He couldn't do that. Not ever, not again.

The skies clouded and a thin drizzle set the roads slippery. A good number of cars were on the highway, presumably headed north for a good ski season. He checked the rear view mirror and the red PT cruiser immediately caught his attention. He accelerated the car and shifted lanes, all the while checking the rear view mirror. The PT cruiser followed.

“Shit!” he cursed under his breath. If they were being followed, it would do no good to head to their destination. If their safe house and cover were blown, Khushi’s life would once again be in danger. His eyes squinted in anger as he gnashed his teeth. He pressed the blue tooth to call NK.

“Yeah, NK. We are being followed. Listen, send a different car, something more suitable for ice not a fucking minivan. I am close to exit 32 near Lake Forest. Send it to the Whole foods store parking lot, I will be there in a half hour.”

Satisfied with the alternate arrangements, he sped his car, cutting many cars earning him several honks. The cruiser followed him and shifted lanes with him. He knew the minivan was not equipped to make sudden shifts on icy road and the driving was definitely unsafe. He made a swift shift to right lane and zoomed in to the exit ramp. The PT cruiser was caught off guard as it tried to weed through the cars to follow them.

“Fuck! The motherfucker just exited on the ramp!” the driver for the PT cruiser cursed. His companion, a severely tattooed man with ugly teeth and porous skin grinned.

“You can’t lose his trail David. Take the ramp now, now, now.” He ordered his lackey David.

“Are you out of your mind, Noam” Without warning Noam grabbed the steering wheel and made a fast swerve to the exit. 

The car slipped on sleet and swerved out of control. David hit the breaks hard and the car screeched to a halt. The two men breathed relief before another honking car came careening behind them and hit the stationary car hard on its rear fender. The PT cruiser skidded off the road and overturned on the mucky grass on the side. Two more cars screeched brakes, and crashed into the car that had hit the cruiser. More cars followed. 

Sounds of metal clanging and crushing were followed by mild explosions and rising smoke. More cars screeched some succeeding to stop before becoming a part of the pile up. ASR slowed on the ramp and looked back to find the pile up on the highway. 

He found the men stumble out of the PT cruiser and scramble out of the dirt. The two stood up and saw the van in a distance rolling away slowly on the ramp. ASR caught the look in their faces, he could not tell who they were, but he saw one of them show him the finger. ASR smirked. 

That ought to keep them occupied but he knew they had no time.He hit the pedal and zoomed out of the ramp and quickly disappeared into the traffic.  A ten car pile up on the highway, Sweet, ASR thought and zoomed out of sight.

“Damn you! Noam. Now you got half the county officers looking for us.” David got out of the misshapen door. Noam coughed and tumbled out of the passenger side door.

Noam flipped his cell and called speed dial.

“Hello, Boss. We got a problem here.” He recited the events. There was silence on the other side.

“Boss? Did you hear me?” Noam repeated

A long second later, the thick accented voice on the other side cracked through. The voice spoke with deliberate and a thickly accented emphasis on each word, "I do not have to tell you how important the girl is. I don’t care for the minutiae of your pathetic daily existence. Get the snitch to talk. Do what it takes. Just make sure the girl is captured alive. And don’t call me unless you have good news.” 

A blank dial tone indicated that the conversation was over.

Noam knew Boss was dead serious about the girl. Distant sirens of police cars signaled the impending doom. He had to work fast. He punched another number in his phone, one he had dared not save on his cell to avoid any trouble.

“Why the hell did you call me on this number?” the voice on the other side blasted.

“Listen, it’s an emergency. Boss wanted me to tell you, we lost the tail. We need to know where our bird is headed.”

“Don’t ever call me on this number. I will find out and call you from a pay phone, give me an hour. And listen carefully, don’t make this a habit.”

The phone clicked. Bloody Snitch thought Noam and waited for the call.

ASR pulled the car to the large parking of the superstore car lot. It was easier to hide in plain sight with throngs of weekend shoppers filling the hug lot. The black SUV caught his attention and he pulled over. Khushi has slept through the entire ordeal.

He parked next to the SUV and used the master key to open the car. It worked. He got around the van and opened the door to khushi’s side. She was fast asleep and….breathtakingly beautiful. He shook her gently. She moaned and shifted in the seat. Shit! You do that one more time and I…and what ASR? Stop this.

She blinked her eyes open and looked straight at him. ASR was afraid she read his inner demonic and unholy thoughts. She looked blank and took a second to orient herself. Then she sat up with a start.

“Oh Shit! Are we there? I slept like a log.”

She began to unbuckle and rush out.

“Easy, Khushi. We need to change cars. We were being followed and we need a decoy.”

“No! oh jeez, please, which car, where, tell me what to do.” She was frantic and her cheeks turned beet red with the rush of excitement. He wanted it. Shut up!

They settled in the new car and headed out. The next 3 hours Khushi was nothing but an incessant chatter box. She had questions about the Sabres, and he didn’t have answers for her. He had questions for her about her associations, friends or any leads that can connect her to the Sabres. She didn’t have any answers for him. They settled on their common like for classic rock that played in a loop in the radio. She sang along with the Queen, AC/DC numbers and he got more smitten by the minute by her sheer resilience. One minute she was questions and worries, the next she was a bohemian, carefree, spirited and he wanted her. Real bad, so bad, it hurt. Shut up, you moron, she is under your protective custody.

The SUV pulled into the long graveled passage leading to a handsome cottage set on the brink of Lake Michigan. Tall pines and firs shrouded a part of the cabin while the lake shimmered under a layer of thin ice. Winds had picked up speed and sent a quiver among leavers.

“Oh God. This is beautiful!” she exclaimed, her mouth agape in an “O”.

He smiled and pulled into the parking space next to the cabin. She helped him with the luggage and they entered the fully furnished cabin.

“Does FBI always book resorts for its charges?” she asked blowing a short whistle at the huge French windows overhanging the steep slope that ended in the lake.

“Only for the special ones.” He winked with a wicked smile and headed to the corridor separating the bedrooms. Khushi followed him and noted with satisfaction that there were two bedrooms on the opposite side of the corridor. It was small but comfortable and given the circumstances, she could not complain. There was common bathroom at the end of the hallway. Not ideal she thought and exhaled.

 “I’d like to shower, its been the longest day of my life. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?” she asked.

“Sure, I will get a pot of coffee going and see what we can do for dinner.” He offered as he set the luggage in their respective rooms. She was relieved to see him disappear around the corner of the corridor into the small kitchenette.

She unpacked her meager belongings and checked her phone. There were 3 missed calls from Gitu and 6 from her parents and 10 from Shyam. Shit, better call them. She dialed her dad first and informed him of her whereabouts. Next, she called Gitu and got her voice mail. She decided to text her instead.

Reached Door safely, with hottie. Pray for me that I survive him.

Gitu's text appeared promptly.

Call me when you settle. And hottie? make the best use of your time. Greek God don't happen every day.

Will do, love. Muah! Khushi texted back.

She decided to hold off on calling shyam. Let him stew a bit more for being the insensitive bastard that he has proven to be. Then she rethought for a second and decided to send him a text as well.

Reached Door safe, will talk to you when things get calmer.

She was sure her text hadn't made it to him before she got a text back from him.

Call me, asap. Need to talk to you.

I am tired. It will have to wait.

Later tonite?

Maybe

Control freak. she exhaled and took her change of clothes. 

She locked the bathroom door and rested her back on it. For the first time in the day, she found a few moments to herself. The tears came welling back. She missed her parents, she missed her life, and she knew the Sabres were going to be the end of her. 

What do those Sabres have to do with me? She thought rhetorically. 

A dull ache formed in her head and she knew in order to reclaim her life, she would have to solve the mystery of the Sabres. She needed to talk to her dad in person. There must be something in her life, her past, her family that connects her to the spate of crimes. She sighed and got into the shower.

ASR got his cup of coffee and settled in the cozy living room. He had changed into his sporty shorts and t-shirt. He knew the shower would have to wait because Khushi had been in there for over an hour. Her soft hums intermingled with the sound of running water had an oddly calming effect on him. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to be with a woman. 

Warmth, floral, softness…Lana. He closed his eyes and reclined on the sofa.

The memories came flooding back. Lana emerged from a bright haze of light smiling. She was beautiful as always, ethereal and angelic. She tugged his arm and ran across the green lawn into a small canopied altar under the clear blue skies. She was in her long, form fitting white gown, her long thick tresses were unfairly hidden in the headdress and they revolted by letting lose a few thick curls on either side of her long neck. Her pink lips smiled, revealing perfect rows of teeth.

“Arnav, will you marry me?” she leaned forward and whispered near his ears and he shivered in anticipation. He could feel her so close to him. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He looked down to see a red spot growing out in diameter near her abdomen. He felt the spot and it was wet. He pulled her away and screamed, “Lana!”

“Good bye Arnav, take care of yourself.” She smiled as she faded away.

He screamed again, “Lana!”

Khushi shook him by his shoulders.

“ASR! ASR! Wake up. Are you alright?” she looked worried and bewildered. He must have dozed off and dreamt of Lana. He had buried her memories back in the recesses of his mind, but Khushi had unearthed those memories. He got up unsteadily on his feet.

“I….I am fine. Did you shower, I think I should shower.” He gently nudged her away and began walking.

“Listen, if you need something to calm your nerves, I have something for you.” She offered. 

He almost burst laughing. He did not need to calm his nerves. He needed this adrenaline rush, the festering wound inside him, the constant pain and reminder of why he was on this mission. And he could not rest easy until he got those bastards who were responsible for Lana’s death. There was no turning back.

“No, no drugs.” He answered with more force than necessary. She raised her hands in mock surrender and smiled. She deserved to be safe, and lead a happy life. Perhaps, he was wrong in his hasty decision to pull her into his mess. She was innocent and unaware how really dangerous the guys following her were. As if on cue, she broke into a smile. He was lost again.

No, he would not let history repeat itself. He had to protect her as he could not let Khushi suffer like his Lana did. There was no turning back.

*****

“We found her. Snitch told us that the bird is in Door county. We are on our way.” Noam informed the Boss.

“Good.” The man replied and hung up.

Damn him. Not even a word of thanks. When this is all over, I better get a good promotion in the ranks or truckloads of money. Then Mariam and I can go off to live in Montana in our ranch.