Chapter 18: "Who is who?"

Author's Note:

Salma's ethnic language is being used in some places in these chapters. I am trying to have it translated within the story to not break the flow, but if it is still too vague or doesn't make sense, comment inline on the part so I can either add a glossary, or inline translation ☺️

Post your reactions as you read 🥺

First written on: April 13th 2019

With her eyes going wide, and her mouth letting out a muted scream, Sarah caught Zayn just in time to swerve them both behind the car. Toryal had already taken aim again, but the bullet sizzled past Sarah's hood, burning a hole in it as it went out. Sarah untangled from Zayn and pushed herself up as the monstrous creature jumped on the bonnet of the car to correct his mistake. However, a bunch of wheels rounded the corner just then. The split second diversion was all Sarah needed to hook her arm around his calf and yank. Unbalanced, Toryal was sent knocking on his way to dent the car's roof with his thick skull. His vision went in and out of focus, but he let out a beastly cry and shuffled to his feet. He raised his gun with the intention to kill.

"Tamasha khatmawa, Toryala!" a steady voice called.

Sarah frowned at the foreign words being spoken. Her head was in a haze as her eyes stayed glued to the gun pointed at her. With 'Tamasha' and 'Khatam' being the familiar words, Sarah figured it had to mean –

'Wrap up the party?'

"Whoa!" She backtracked a few steps once she caught up with her surroundings. She realized why she was not dead yet.

Freezing on the spot, Toryal looked sideways to find a dozen guns pointed at him. His eyes locked on the brown ones leading the group. He smirked, jerking his sweaty hair away from his eyes.

"Ah, Atif lala!" he sneered, still pointing his gun at Sarah's head. "Nice to see you again."

"Hand them over, and I'll give you a safe exit," Mr. Rahman said.

"Safe exit?" Toryal looked around him. "You attacked us, used local cops to frame us and now you come to bargain like you have the upper hand?"

"Don't we?" A Green Coat called. "The only reason why the cops hadn't been here yet is because we barricaded the streets."

"Oh, I'm so grateful!" Toryal mocked, putting a hand on his chest, then laughed, pointing at the Green Coat in question. "Sta gup mey khuwakh sho, Buraka!"

Gup? Sarah narrowed her eyes. Gup is gossip. Why are they talking about gossip?"

"Manana!" Burak touched his cap.

Bruh what? Sarah blinked. Banana?

If not for the guns in their hands, she would have snapped at the lot of them for not speaking English. She was missing on important 'gup', and that too, in the final seconds of her life.

"And you should be grateful," Burak, thankfully, continued in English. "American cops shoot first, ask questions later. We did you a favor."

"Bakwaas kay!" Toryal spat fiercely.

Sarah made a face.

English man, speak English!

Bakwaas, her brain worked overtime to provide her an idea of what he said. That means Nonsense . . .

November 5, 2019

She felt a feeble movement at her feet, snapping her out of her word-puzzle again. The tiny hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Crap! Zayn!

"He's been shot!" Sarah screamed, lowering down to help Zayn up. "He needs--!"

"Don't move!"

Sarah froze, surprised to realize the order came from one of Mr. Rehman's collegue - a very beautiful but strangely scary lady Green Coat. She had already stepped closer with the gun aimed at her head. Sarah was baffled to see half of the agents behind her follow suit and switch targets.

"What?" Sarah whispered, stunned.

"Spogmae." Mr. Rahman raised a hand. The Green Coat slowly lowered the gun.

"Exactly." Sarah scoffed, returning Spogmae's hard stare with an eyeroll.

"Miss, whoever you are, let me make something quite clear," Mr. Rehman spoke up, calmly walking towards Sarah. "You have jeopardized a safe escort and the safety of my client. You are in no position to open your mouth!"

"I was trying to protect, Miss Rehman! He's the --"

"Who are you?"

"Excuse me?!" Sarah blinked, but then –

"I asked you a question!" he snapped.

Sarah quickly caught up. It was not like Mr. Rehman to not recognize her voice. He was trying to keep her identity anonymous, she realized.

"You have some nerve asking me for identification?!" Sarah made a quick save." Who else can I be?! I am special agent Alexandera Wickfield. FBI!" Sarah spat rising to her full height.

"I am here protecting a key witness to one of my cases and unless y'all want to have your graves dug in this alley, make way for me, my colleague and Miss Rehman!"

A few of the agents snickered, including Spogmaé and Burak. Even Toryal looked amusingly disgusted.

"Case?" Burak scoffed. "What case?"

"She's a witness to the attack that happened in her university a few months ago."

"She isn't the only witness to that attacked." Burak raised a knowing brow.

"Irrelevant," Mr. Rehman dismissed Sarah's words with a wave of his hand. "Take her out!"

As a gun was aimed back at her, Sarah reached for Mr. Rahman.

"Hold on a freaking second!" she lashed out.

Sarah got in Mr. Rehman's face before anyone could restrain her.

"We have eyes everywhere! You think you can get away with --"

Sarah felt her feet leaving the ground as a rough hand coiled around her throat.

"You listen to me and you listen good!" Mr. Rehman snarled. When her vision blurred, Sarah realized he was choking her.

Her first instinct was to initiate a counter attack but quickly realized his grip laxing so she figured it was an act. Instead, she focused on acting like a dying fish and tried to claw his hand off.

"An attack on one of us, is considered an attack on all of us," Mr. Rahman continued. You're in no position to negotiate, Miss FBI! You'd be fortunate if the agency even gets you in a body-bag!"

Throwing her aside, he turned to Toryal.

"You need to make a choice, or else I will!" he snapped. "I will not have our identities revealed in this country!"

Toryal, who had been closely following Mr. Rehman's exchange with the masked girl, kept his eyes trained on her.

"Fine," he said lazily, spinning his gun around his finger.  "I'll have the girl."

Mr. Rehman didn't even blink as he reached for Sarah and roughly yanked her up by the arm. Sarah struggled against him but was shoved to Toryal. The greasy spy stepped aside, letting her knock into the car.

Mr. Rehman got in Toryal's face.

"You keep her. I keep her colleague!" he said. "Race you to finding the truth. And if I find you involved as this being a ploy of yours to have our covers blown up, or have my daughter killed, you can rest assured that you wouldn't know what hit you!"

Toryal sneered.

"Deal." he said. "But, let's not forget, you let those dogs lose on me. The ploy to blow up our cover might as well be yours, Atif lala. I was only doing my job to escort Ghamey saib's betrothed to the airport and you went against the agreement? Staso da tolo --"

"Shut your trap bitch!" Sarah spoke up, taking everyone by surprise. She had had enough. "What kind of a shit-filled buttpore leaves his betrothed in the company of armed perverts. You scumbags have her chained and shackled!"

The air around the gathering changed. While a few of the agents snickered at Sarah's choice of insults, Mr. Rahman's glare turned murderous. Toryal, Spogmae and Burak threw him cautious side glances. Mr. Rahman was clearly not to know that his daughter had been violated by forcing her to ride in a car with only men.

While the two Green Coats shuffled away from him, Toryal took a second too late to decide upon his next move.

A strong grasp crushed his already bruised windpipe. He heard a guttural sound and before he knew it, he was being plummeted towards the car. A winced escaped his lips as he painfully slammed onto the bonnet. His breath and daylights knocked out of him. His bruised head spinning like a top.

"Where is my daughter Toryal?!" Mr. Rahman asked in a low tone that send chills down everyone's back.

As he struggled to breath, Toryal contemplated on using the gun he still had. He turned to glower at Sarah then jerked his head to the car behind him.

The spy gasped loudly when he was suddenly let go. Sarah watched him with disdain. He crouched upon the car, massaging his throat and giving her a deathly snake stare. She glared right back.

"Toryala, bache uss takhta," Burak sneered. "Shaba xaan xxghalawa!'

Glaring at him, Toryal aggressively yanked Sarah up by the collar, caught the keys that Burak had thrown at him and shoved her forward.

"Your men are in the van," Burak told him as Toryal jumped off the hood of the car. "Get out of here before Atif lala changes his mind and blasts your rear to the space."

Burak hurried past him but Toryal grabbed his arm.

"This isn't over!" Toryal spat. "You lot broke the contract!"

"No, I promised you I'll be lowering you to your grave, Toryal!" Burak snapped back. "That is when it'll be over! And we didn't involve the cops."

"Yeah? Then who did?!" Toryal stopped him when he tried to leave again.

"Atif Rehman doesn't play his daughter like a puppeteer unlike you lot! He lets her make her own choices!" Burak returned. "She chose to go, albeit being blackmailed, but he'd let her go. There's a third party involvement! And unless you get your rear out of here with your men, you'll have landed your Master in a lot of trouble in the U.S!"

Burak shrugged out of his hold and rushed towards his boss to check on Salma. Mr. Rahman had just settled her in the seat and was gingerly freeing her cuffed hands from around the head rest.

As the agents hurried past them to get the unconscious driver, Zayn and Salma, Sarah discreetly uncapped the syringe that Mr. Rehman had slipped into her sleeve just before throwing her towards Toryal.

Toryal stepped aside to Mr. Rahman's men drag the unconscious driver to the van. Sarah took her chance to make use of his momentary distraction.

She kneed him below the belt. A dog yelped and bent double in pain. Before he could take aim, Sarah slammed the syringe onto his neck and emptied it. Not waiting to see the outcome of her stunt, she hopped on the bike and tore through the agents who had started shooting rounds everywhere, but at her.

***

April 13th 2019

"Hold your fire!" Mr. Rehman shouted.

"Sir, should we pursue?" Spogmaé asked.

"Let her be, he'll lead us to her." He Pointed at Zayn. Spogmae caught the hint and nodded. Till Toryal was around, they would continue playing dumb. "Get Toryal and his men out of here. They should leave the country according to the schedule."

"Yes sir!"

"How's she?" Burak asked, once Mr. Rahman turned back to his daughter.

"Knocked out," Mr. Rehman replied shortly, avoiding his gaze. "Get me some keys to uncuff her--"

"He's been shot," Spogmae's voice reached them, cutting him off.

Ashen faced, Mr. Rehman gently let Salma rest, and shuffled around the wrecked car to where Spogmaé and a few agents were huddled around a crumpled figure.

"Who is it?" Burak asked.

"It's --"

"Nevermind!" Mr. Rehman cut Spogmae once he caught sight of Zayn's barely conscious body.

"Burak?"

"Sir!"

"Help him up and take him to the health unit immediately!"

"Yes sir!"

"Spogmaé?

"Sir!"

"Clear the way and meet me in the HQ at 1400 hours!"

"Yes sir!"

Everyone else scuttled away to follow the orders the two Green Coats were yelling at them. Zayn was barely conscious at this point. His wound was bleeding profusely. He perceived everything around him as if through a haze. His ears were ringing. He could not really comprehend the words, or the people around him. Yet, he was glad that Sarah had managed to escape and Salma would be safe.

He felt gentle but firm hands hold him, straightening him up. Zayn winced as pain tore through his side.

"How's he?" he heard Burak.

"Bad," someone replied. It sounded a lot like Mr. Rahman. Zayn frowned in confusion. Why was he here?

"I'll take care of him. You go look after princess," Burak reassured.

"Take him to the health unit," the same person instructed quietly again. "Toryal will definitely look in the local hospitals later to find out about them."

Without another word, the guy went back to the car. Salma had been freed of her cuffs.

As Zayn used the car for support when Burak helped him up, he caught a glimpse of Salma limply sagging upon the seat. She was unconscious. Someone gently collected her in his arms.

Zayn closed his eyes to clear his vision. Did he really saw Mr. Rahman? Or was he hallucinating?

"Come on now," Burak urged Zayn as he continued to drowsily stare at Salma.

Maybe it was not so far-fetched that Mr. Rahman joined his friend on a rescue mission, Zayn reasoned with himself. He must have been worried sick . . .

Turning away, Zayn allowed the men to lead him to the back of a car.

"Do not reveal yourself or Sarah!" Burak instructed. "Also that you know me, or Salma or Sarah. Understand?"

Zayn's felt the world spin. He caught a glimpse of Mr. Rahman carrying Salma away.

She was in safe hands, he reassured himself, finally allowing himself to blackout. Everything else could wait.

Author's Note:

There you go. Several heroes. One villain. And some real Green Coat action 😁

Sorry for the delay in the update. I struggled with writing Sarah's P.O.V. She's a tough character to do justice to. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

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Lots of Love

J.