Chapter 37

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"Ready?" Aahil raised his eyebrows and I nodded my head as I secured my hijab, glancing at my reflection before I fetched my purse from the side table.

Aahil reached out his hand and I held his firm grip as we walked the length of the lobby.

"Stay right here I'll get the car," He was continuously jiggling the car keys and a grim expression was permanently pasted on his handsome face.

Suddenly, an elderly woman who had a very small baby wrapped in a beautiful pink blanket slipped and fell. On instinct, I reached forward to catch her. At that moment, from across the parking lot, two loud shots rang out, one of them smashing into the wall behind me.

The explosion startled the poor baby and it began wailing quite loudly and the nerves women clung to me. I did not mind her sudden clinging, but before she loosened her grip she gave a lopsided smile and pressed a small folded sheet of paper into my hands.

I kept staring at the woman and it took me a while longer to realise that Aahil was leaning against his car and his shirt was soaked with blood.

"Yaa ALLAH." I screeched.

"It isn't time to panic. Let's get out of here this instance," Aahil said curtly.

I stood rooted to the spot, my mouth hanging wide open. In a blink of a second Aahil had got shot and he was asking me not to panic.

I gathered courage and reached out to touch him but he propelled forward and pulled open the car door and urged me to get in. I tumbled into the driver's seat as Aahil folded himself into the passenger's seat. I had to wipe my hands several times as they were damp from perspiration. I had a hard time keeping up with my driving skills as I was too shaken and my heartbeat raced to an unbearable extent.

None among us began a conversation as we were too unnerved to speak.

Finally, Aahil said, "It clearly was a move to scare us," As he turned to me, I was still trying to regain composure.

I took a deep breath and increased car speed. I glanced into the rear window and noticed the familiar black jaguar following us with intensity.

As I went ahead, I had to stop the car as a policeman was directing traffic.

I began hyperventilating and tightened my grip on the steering. Aahil folded his hands on my arm and gave me a faint smile, "Aleena, calm down and listen carefully."

I nodded my head in approval.

"I do not want you to make any move when the traffic light turns green."

"What? Why?"

"Just do as I say, wait until the light changes to amber and then make a quick move."

I turned to look at him, "Wh--hat?"

"DON'T GO THROUGH THE GREEN LIGHT."

I bit my lower lip and did not bother to reply.

The light changed to green and the vehicles swam through and I stood there still, clutching the steering and giving an apologetic expression to the people who threw tantrums for blocking their way.

As soon as the light turned from green to amber Aahil shouted, "Now!"

I made a fast right turn, just then the light turned red and the vehicles behind me was stopped by the policemen.

The men in the jaguar looked at each other in confusion and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"It will take us hours to reach my place and I'm loosing to much blood."

"Should we go to the hospital?"

"No," Aahil screeched, "We will go to your place as it is nearer."

I nodded my head and changed directions.

It took us a whole while longer than estimated to reach my house. On the way, Aahil called up Noor and gave him a vague outline of the earlier events.

Finally, when the car reached the driveway of my house I left out a relieved breath.

All of them had already gathered in the living room and waiting for our arrival. Noor instantly rushed to Aahil's side and helped him get inside the house. It took a while to get him settled on the sofa.

Noor rushed to his car and returned holding a bag containing medical supplies.

"Are you ready? Shall I begin?"

Aahil nodded through clenched teeth.

Noor helped him out of his shirt and asked all of us to leave the room and grant him privacy, but I stood there stubbornly, as all of them left the room and my mom closed the door with a soft thud.

He worked with tweezers and other surgical instruments for the next thirty minutes and there was no other sound in the room other than Aahil's loud breathing.

I felt dizzy as blood began oozing out from his wound and drenching the white floor.

"Aleena, why don't you go to the other room?"

"I want to stay right here," I replied stubbornly.

"My wife can drive my car like a superwoman, thanks for saving my life," Aahil winked and tried forming a faint smile but failed miserably as he winced in pain when noor dug the wound deeper.

"When is all this going to end?" I said throwing my hands in the air in a gesture of complete exasperation.

"Darling, you need to have patience," Aahil flinched and tried his best to stop himself from screaming as noor worked zealously in removing the bullet that was deeply cocooned in his muscles.

I no longer had the ability to witness the scene as the bile was threatening to show up. I made my way towards my bedroom and slumped on my bed but I had to rush to the washroom to empty the contents in my stomach.

Feeling out of proportion, I discarded my earlier clothes and slipped myself into my old pyjamas as I snuggled into my bed. My mind was too fogged to form any coherent thought and within seconds I fell into a deep slumber.

I was urged to open my eyes by my unusual hunger in the peculiar hour in the night. It took me a while longer to process the earlier events and in a flash, I was on my feet.

How could I have slept so peacefully when Aahil would clearly be billowing in his pain.

I eyed the other side of my bed but found it empty so I went about searching him.

When I passed the first floor I noticed a pool of light thrown from dad's study room.

Who could be in his study at this hour?

I began taking slow and gentle steps towards the room so as to not alert the person who would be in there. When I finally reached the room I had to smile at the sight that awaited me.

I stood near the door frame staring at Aahil, who was lost in between a huge pile of dad's files. He looked worn out and pale but he seemed better than the earlier hours and he looked quite adorable in my red Disney T-shirt. It was oversized and I had rarely used it.

I knocked lightly and he looked up from his book but his eyes did not light up at the sight of me. He ducked himself behind the huge desk present in the centre of the room.

"I'm sorry that I used your oversized t-shirt without your permission. I varied from asking Ali for the change of clothes and you had already slept. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't," I said stifling my smile as I went closer to him. When he avoided my gaze, I had to duck my head beneath his face to make him look at me.

"What's wrong?"

"It is nothing," He seethed as he went about rummaging the files without regard to my presence and I felt my stomach sink.

"Are you fine?" I questioned gently as I slowly touched him on his arm.

"I am," He nodded his head as he ran a hand through his beard.

"Are you sure? Do you need painkillers? You look pale."

"Believe me I'm good, and Noor has already put me on antibiotics and painkillers."

"Then what is it?"

"Don't you know?"

I shook my head, confused to what he was referring to.

All of a sudden he wrapped his arms around me and we stumbled into the wall.

"Aahil you are suffocating me."

He loosened his grip but did not respond, we stood like that for long moments until he let go.

"You could have been killed."

"So could you. But we are alive."

"Alhamdulillah, you are fine. Just imagining you in such close vicinity to the gun makes me shudder."

"Have faith in Allah's mercy."

He nodded his head, "So tell me what happened exactly."

"I'm not sure. I was walking behind you and suddenly there was this woman with a small baby, who slipped and was about to fall, I bent to help her and --"

"And what Aleena?"

"I heard the sound of bullets and then you getting soaked in blood. Everything happened at such a terrifying pace that I'm not sure whether the woman handed over to me a piece of paper, or whether it's a trick of my foggy mind."

"Where did you put it?"

I tried hard to think about the place I had put it but my mind seemed too muddled up, "I don't know."

"It's ok. I'll check the interiors of the car."

He took brisk steps and I ran behind him to catch up, but when we reached the front yard we realised that the car wasn't in the driveway.

"My car is nowhere in sight. Could you wake up your Mom or Ayath and ask them."

I made my way back to the living room and was about to knock on Ayath's bedroom door when I heard footsteps coming from the staircase.

I saw the silhouette of a tall man and recognised him as noor. I gave up the idea of waking Ayath and took my steps in Noor's direction as he would have a fair idea of where Aahil's car could be parked.

But it seemed like he wasn't coming down to the living room, but he was rather going from the guest room towards dad's study.

My heart began beating furiously but I gathered my courage and started stalking him.

I hid well in the shadows, as he reached the study, he took a moment to take a quick glance back and forth and I hid well in the dark corner.

He opened the door and slipped inside. I peered through the doorframe and saw him searching through the drawers at the speed of the lightning and I stifled a gasp as it occurred to me that Noor could be the traitor.

Finally, he found a green file and he tore a few papers and slipped it inside of his coat. For a second, the thought of confronting him came to my mind and I was sure that it would throw him off guard, but I was too scared to make a move and decided it would be unwise, so I stayed right at my hiding spot.

I heard Aahil calling out my name and his footsteps approaching and I had to suck in a deep breath to stop myself from doing something stupid. As Aahil's voice got louder, the expression on Noor's face got grimmer. He practically ran from the study but not before he closed the door tightly shut behind him.

I got up from my spot and took my steps towards Aahil, who was looking around the house for me.

"What is it?" He asked concerned.

"I do not know how to put it into words."

"Aleena you are scaring me. Please tell me what happened?"

"I just saw noor enter dad's study."

"OK."

"Ok?"

"Oh sorry. He shouldn't have gone in there, I'll speak to him about it the first thing in the morning."

"No. Please don't ask him."

"Fine. If that's what you want."

"You don't realise. Do you?"

He shook his head, "What is it, darling?"

"Your brother is a traitor."

There was a profound silence in the house and we could even hear the clock slowly ticking the time away.

Aahil just stared at me for what seemed like ages, with a hurt expression on his face.

"Are you accusing my own brother?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Aahil I ---"

He raised his hand, "Aleena stop it already. I have had enough. Do you expect me to believe such a ridiculous thing?"

"Do you think I'm lying? Why can't he be put on the spot while we are so easily suspecting Uncle Haroon and Isaac."

The silence was my reward.

I stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. The tension between us was so strong that I could actually feel its presence.

Aahil gave me one last expression of pure terror and left the room and I stood rooted to the spot, tears trickling down my cheeks.