Part 6
Asad drove, searching for the van that he'd noticed driving away from the Farooquies'.
Only a couple of minutes had passed between the van leaving and Asad following. And the country roads had forced the van to go slowly.
Ayaan was working feverishly to gather as much information on the dead man, Akram Rizvi, as he could. Meanwhile Asad had to find the van. He had no idea where Adil would take the baby, and the van was his only clue.
There it was. Stopped at the light. He braked.
His gut said Zoya was in the van, and was now in danger. Dread exploded within him when her mom called, saying she'd found Zoya's cell phone under her bed. "What are you doing, Zoe? Why didn't you take your phone?"
Because she hadn't been expecting to need it.
Traffic was light at this time of the morning and Asad didn't have any trouble keeping the van in his sights. He hung back far enough not to cause the driver suspicion, but close enough not to lose the guy.
His phone buzzed. Ayaan. "Hey. What have you got for me?"
"The van is registered to a company called Your Floors. They do hardwoods, laminate, whatever. It's legit."
"So who's driving the van?"
"A guy by the name of Rahul Sharma checked it out late yesterday afternoon, claiming a job up in Gaffney."
"Then what's he doing in New jersey?"
"Good question."
"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure of the answer. What's the scoop on the PI, Akram?"
A pause and a shuffle. "Here's the fun stuff. Your dead guy, Akram, was working for a lawyer named Imraan Quraishi. We tracked his phone calls over the last month, and he and Quraishi have been in regular communication. Akram's also been real chatty with the driver of your van, too."
"Interesting."
"Very. And get this. Quraishi is the Farooquie family's lawyer. But even more interesting, Quraishi specializes in adoptions."
Asad grunted. "Surprise, surprise." Anxiety gnawed at him. He had to find Zoya. He gave Ayaan his location. "I'll let you know where we stop, then send reinforcements."
"Right. I've got a couple of detectives going out to ask Quraishi some questions"if they can find him at this time of night."
The van turned a corner.
Thirty seconds later so did Asad.
But as he rounded the corner, he braked to a halt.
The van was gone.
******************************************************************
The van jerked to a hard stop. A box of wood slid into her spine and Zoya bit back a grunt.
Fear assaulted her. Now what?
The smell of wood, paint...and a baby's dirty diaper filled the van. Doors slammed and Zoya peeked out from under the blanket. The front seats were empty. No one had opened the rear doors of the van. Now, if she could just figure out where she was and call for help, everything would be fine.
But the silent pep talk did nothing to slow her racing heart. Dizziness hit her. She closed her eyes and took several calming breaths. A quick scan of the front seat showed no cell phones.
Voices reached her and she scooted to the back door window.
She was in a warehouse.
A pretty fancy warehouse.
They'd parked just inside the door. Up ahead she could see what seemed to be an office with a leather chair, mahogany desk and a laptop. Behind the desk, the wall held pictures and certificates. The other three walls were glass, which afforded her a great view of the proceedings.
A man dressed in a three-piece suit was clicking on his keyboard. She didn't have a good view of his face"the driver of the van was in the way. Adil stood next to the couch looking ill at ease. Someone had propped the door to the office open.
Zoya popped the handle on the van and opened the door slowly. Just wide enough for her to slip out onto the concrete floor.
She desperately needed a phone.
Arhaan wailed his distress.
"Shut the kid up!" the driver hollered.
"He's a baby," Adil yelled back. "Babies cry."
"And they need their diapers changed." A calm voice of reason interjected. Wait a minute. She recognized that voice. Imraan Quraishi? "Do it," Imraan ordered.
Stunned, Zoya shifted for a better view. Adil laid Arhaan on the sofa and rummaged in the baby bag like he'd been changing diapers all his life.
Sickness welled up in her. Where had he learned to do that? From holding other babies until they were sold?
She noticed Adil's eyes were darting around as he changed Christopher. To the van, to the door. Was he looking for a way out?
Should she try to get his attention? Find a way to let him know she was there?
The driver shook the keys and said, "I'm going to the hotel to get some shut-eye. The couple will be there at eight a.m. sharp with their money. They'll be ready to take possession." He shot Adil a glare. "Don't be late."
Adil nodded. "I'll be there, but I'll need a ride."
The driver clamped his jaw shut, then said, "I'll just take the kid with me now."
Adil blinked rapidly even as he held Arhaan closer. "Sure, guess you can do that." He gave a low laugh. "Don't plan to sleep much, though."
The other man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Keep the kid here," Imraan said to Adil. He looked at the driver. "I'll bring them in the morning."
The driver appeared relieved and headed her way.
Zoya panicked. As soon as he drove the van off, she would be left standing in plain sight of the men in the office.
********************************************************************
I've lost them.
Asad felt sick. He pulled to the curb. They had to be around somewhere. He'd only been a few seconds behind.
An idea occurred to him. Zoya might have left her phone under her bed, but he'd bet his right arm Adil had his. He dialed Ayaan. "Can you get a location on Adil's phone?"
"We're already tracking it. Hang on."
"Coordinate my phone with his and see how far I am from him."
Several clicks later, Asad heard him say, "You're right on top of him."
Frowning, Asad glanced down the empty road. "I'm in a huge warehouse district. Lots of empty buildings. He could be in any one of them." He paused. "What's the address for the lawyer Akram was working for?"
"It's on the other side of town."
Asad sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. "Allah, please..." he whispered.
"I couldn't hear you, what did you say?"
"A prayer." He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the vehicle. He ran through the last moments he'd seen the van. "Do you have any cameras on Rhett Street?"
"Sure do."
"Text me when you get something. I'm putting my phone on silent."
He hung up, slipped the phone into his pocket and walked toward the first building.
***
Zoya scooted toward a stack of boxes labeled car seats. The irony wasn't lost on her. They'd steal babies, but wouldn't send them home with the unsuspecting parents without a car seat. That would be against the law. Anger surged, almost pushing aside the fear. Almost. The footsteps drew closer. Desperately, she wished she had a way to contact Asad.
She hunkered down and tried to make herself as small as possible. She didn't dare to breathe as the driver climbed into the van, opened the garage door and backed out. The door shut, leaving her alone in the building with her traitor of a cousin and the man who'd betrayed her family without blinking an eye.
Tremors of anger took over her body and Zoya fought the urge to dart out and confront them. Reason won out. She glanced toward the side of the building, noticing steps for the first time. They led to the second floor. If she could get up there, would there be a phone she could use?
She glanced quickly into the office. Adil was preoccupied with the baby and Imraan was on the phone. Zoya gauged the distance between her and the stairs. The warehouse floor was neat, not crammed with stuff, so she wouldn't have a lot of places to hide as she made her way down the side. The boxes she now hid behind had probably been delivered earlier in the day and hadn't been put away yet.
Fortunately, there were very few lights on, and if she kept close to the walls, she might stay relatively invisible.
She had no choice. She had to try.
___________________________________________________________________________
plz do likes and leave some comments😳
Cricket
Bigg Boss 19
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
124