#39

The driver came out of the van with a toolbox in his hand. He crossed the street along with Vihaan. They came near to the bonnet. The driver kept the toolbox on the ground. Vihaan opened the bonnet. The driver started going through the stuffs inside the bonnet. Vihaan grabbed his head and rammed him on the engine. The driver fainted. Vihaan pushed him off the bonnet. Neel opened the back door. He helped Vihaan to keep the driver's body on the backseat. He shut the door.

Vihaan sat on the driver's seat of the van. He ignited the engine and drove it way. Neel and Namphor were sitting at the backside of the van facing each other. After driving almost twenty miles Vihaan stopped the van at a roadside on a highway when it was about to sunset. He took out his gun, cocked it and came to the back of the van. He knocked the door. The door was opened by Neel. Vihaan entered and pointed the gun at Namphor.

"Who was the buyer?"

Namphor tried to hide his fear but ultimately cried.

"I didn't know what he was going to do with the drone."

"Who was the buyer?"

"I'll tell you. Everything. Just give me some time."

Vihaan sat before him.

"I don't have time to explore your story. Just give me the name."

"He came to meet me three days prior to the attack in Paris."

THREE DAYS EARLIER TO THE PARIS ATTACK:

Namphor was sitting on the backseat of a moving taxi in Lyon, France.

"I was in Lyon on the order of Bough. He had a customer who wanted to have a deal in a weapon. I didn't know what weapon he wanted to deal in."

Namphor was sitting on a couch in a strip bar. He was having a glass of wine. There were red lights flashing all over in the room. A strip girl was performing a pole dance before him on a podium. He took out a cash out of his pocket and showed it to her. He took a sip. The girl left the podium and walked towards him. She stopped at him. She turned around showing her butt to his face. He stuck the cash in her thong. She started shaking her butt and started performing belly dance before him. He kept the glass on the armrest. He extended his both hands in order to grab her butt but his phone started ringing.

"Fuck!"

He took the phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He attended the call.

Hotel Le Royal Lyon: A taxi stopped near the hotel. Namphor stepped out of the taxi. He corrected his coat and stepped ahead. The entrance door was opened by the security guard. He entered the hotel, walked through the foyer and stopped at the reception desk. The front desk clerk (bald headed, in his mid forties) was at the desk.

He asked, "May I help you, sir?"

"Could you take me to the lounge number seven? I have been invited there."

"Let me see sir."

The clerk dialled a number on the landline.

"Sir, we have a visitor who wants to see you."

Namphor followed a hotel staff who took him to the lounge. Khalid Hasan was having soft drink while sitting on the couch in the lounge.

"Mr. Hasan." The staff called him.

Hasan lifted up his head.

"Mr. Namphor wants to see you."

Hasan nodded. Namphor came to him. Hasan stretched towards the sofa chair asking him to have a sit. Namphor adjusted his left arm sleeve and sat on the sofa chair. Hasan kept the drink on the table.

Namphor asked, "So, shall we start talking about the deal?"

"Hmm. You are are in a hurry to get the deal done. Looks like you can't wait to share your bed with the stripper."

"Wait. What? Which stripper?"

"The same girl whom you just gave a tip."

Namphor chuckled.

"You saw her."

"I see everything, you want to know how?

Namphor nodded.

Hasan said, "Because we are everywhere. We can see everything."

"Are you from secret service?"

Hasan said,"It's better not to ask who we are."

Hasan picked up a tab and kept it before Namphor. The screen of the tab displayed the blueprint of a drone.

Namphor asked, "A drone?"

"MQ-9 Reaper. Can you arrange this one?"

Namphor sighed.

"Hmm. I have to see first."

"We don't have much time. Answer me in yes or no."

"I have to make a call. Just give me a minute."

Hasan stood up from the couch. He corrected his coat.

"I am waiting outside. Talk to me once you are confirmed. I won't wait for longer than a minute."

Hasan walked away. Namphor took out his phone and made a call to Quentin. Hasan was standing in the balcony of the lounge. The balcony was spacious with a couple of comfy chairs and plants at the corners. He was facing outside the balcony. He was smoking a cigar. Namphor came to the balcony.

Hasan asked, "Did you talk to your man?"

"Where to deliver the weapon?"

Hasan smirked. He smoked the cigar and then turned to him.

"Paris."

Namphor walked out of the hotel.

He narrated, "We had a contact in Paris, Gosef. Quentin had to make a contact and guide the buyer to take the delivery from Gosef."

Presently, Sarika's body was kept inside a coffin. The coffin was closed by Vihaan and then was pushed into the cremator. He stepped back and stood with his hands clasped in front. Neel was standing with him too with his hands clasped.

Neel said, "She was a good field operative."

"She was great. Because of her we have reached at this point in our investigation."

"True."

They walked out of the crematorium.

Neel said, "Gosef."

Vihaan nodded.

"Sarika had told me about Gosef. As per statement there were two people who had came to receive the delivery of the drone. She had sent a local team where they were taken down by Bough's men."

"One of them was Nawaz as per the CCTV."

"Hmm."

"And he was ordered by the same person who met Namphor in Lyon."

Neel was taking a nap while having his head lie down on the table while sitting on a chair. A laptop and a phone was kept on the table. Vihaan was performing pull ups inside a safe house with his eyes closed. While performing each rep, Sarika's face was appearing in front of him. He had lost someone with whom he had spent a lot time in his career.