Omerta - Ch 11, Pg 29, 10/Sept - Page 18

it seem exiting...

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Chapter 10:

"So? How was the party?" She heard a voice few feet away. She sighed and shook her head in annoyance. ACP was back on her tail and was adamant as usual. "I heard there were lots of celebrities there. Got any autographs?" Satya was walking few paces behind her.

"Actually, I did." She replied. Satya was momentarily taken aback and waited for her response.

She gave him a name. Satya groaned.

"With their reputation in toilet you would hope for a little bit of restraint," he snarled. "After the scandals our department has been in, if this gets out…" Satya sighed.

"What do you want ACP? You have three minutes before we go into full public view where I can kick your ass and still walk free." Geet slowed down a bit to give an opportunity to Satya. She rarely met a man like him in a profession like hers.

"What was Maan doing at that party?" Satya asked.

"I don't think it was papa Deshmukh who invited Maan to the party," Geet said scanning the road up and down to see if there was anyone who could be a potential risk.

"Maan went on his own? That isn't like him," Satya frowned.

"No ACP, one of the brothers invited him. And one of them drugged him." Geet said turning to look at Satya.

"Who was dumb enough to pull a stunt like that?" Satya's reaction was expected.

"No brownies for guessing ACP. I had to get involved in taking Maan out of the party and handing him over to his people," she replied. Satya stopped in his tracks.

"Why did you help him?" He asked narrowing his eyes.

"That's your question?" Geet asked. Satya stared at her. "Your question should be – What was Damodar Deshmukh's reaction to the whole thing. It's his name on the line, you see?"

"You know what happened?" Satya asked ignoring the obvious jibe in her voice.

"The conversation was private. But I can guarantee that he wasn't happy. I don't think he liked Maan's presence in his party."

"Is Maan alright?" Satya asked after the information sunk completely. "I didn't hear any chatter regarding his health since last night," Satya said. He stopped seeing how they were at the end of alley and seeing them together would bring about lot of unnecessary questions from patrons of the area.

"Do I detect heavy duty bromance in action here?" Geet asked grinning. The idea suddenly popped in her head when she remembered a passing remark from Maan about Satya and now Satya's concern about Maan. "It would be a story of a cop and a gangster who faces all sorts of conflicts to live a life of that of star crossed lovers. It would be made to a Bollywood movie starring at least two Khans." She said biting her lip and enjoying the look of horror on Satya's face. "I will watch it in theaters at least two times."

"Be careful Geet. If either of the brothers comes to know of your association with Maan…" Satya didn't complete. Geet would, no, should know better.

"For the record ACP, I am in no way associated to Maan Khurana. Please instill this information into the thick skull of yours and I would really appreciate it if you don't bother me anymore," said a snarky Geet.

"Oh, come on Geet. What's a Bollywood movie without a heroine? You are going to be Maan's best friend who is secretly in love with him since forever. And there will be an item song," he grinned. She gave him a pointed look at that. "With all due respect to your profession," he back pedaled awkwardly. Geet laughed out loud at his awkwardness.

*****

"Was everything okay last night?" Skoda's manager asked Geet as she tied an apron around her waist. She was assigned bar duty which in her mind was the most complex job in the world but she enjoyed it the most. It gave her a chance to observe people without the subjects knowing her true intention.

"It was fine, thank you for the job." She said sincerely.

"Your work there was much appreciated Geet, so if there is any affair of this sort, I will let you know," he said. Geet nodded and started familiarizing with the stock behind the bar. It would be time for opening soon and since it was the holiday weekend, in flow of people would be more than usual.

"Pour me a glass of scotch on rocks sweetheart." She nodded and started working on that order. The night was getting rough as Varun's band of merry men decided to drop by. It was a badly designed nightmare that every girl Skoda wanted to avoid.

Geet placed the drink on a tissue wordlessly in front of the customer. She knew who he was, of course, but like advised by other girls, she avoided eye contact. She had observed the man for the entire evening and didn't like it when his gaze always ended up on her. She was his mark tonight and he would do everything in his power to drag her to his bed and would invite three of his friends to increase the fun factor.

"Hey, can I take few minutes break? I need to use rest room," she asked fellow bartender. The other guy nodded and gave her five minutes. She sighed in frustration when she saw the customer slide out of bar stool and followed her. As expected, he was joined by two other men trying very hard to be discreet but failing to do so as the crowd was getting thicker by the moment.

She walked towards staff lockers where there were rest rooms hoping to find a quiet moment for herself so that she can plan for an escape and she had to do it without being too obvious about it. One of the men had disappeared in the crowd and two of them were twenty feet away from her. Just before she could enter the staff quarters, she was yanked by her arm and dragged towards exit. If she shouted, no one would be able to hear amidst the music. And even if someone did hear, they wouldn't help her. She was basically f**ked.

"If you come with us voluntarily, you will be rewarded and we will let you live." The man hissed in her ears and sniffed her neck deeply. When Geet didn't react he took it as a sign of submission. He relaxed his hold on her waist and pushed her outside the exit. Geet looked around for a blind spot from CCTV. If she wanted to escape, then she should do it quietly. Varun or is friends didn't have enough smartness to check back on CCTV but that's reason why their dads had hired very smart people to look after them. She couldn't take any chances.

"My friends are meeting us just around the corner," he said in her ears. His breath was on her neck again and he was now simply holding her by her waist. To an onlooker, they looked like a couple who were walking out of the club.

She waited till they rounded on corner till they were out of sight from any cameras or the two men waiting for them. She elbowed his stomach making him lose wind in chest. He clutched his stomach as the pain hit between ribcage and stomach. Before he could recover and react, she had already twisted in his arms and kneed his groin. He doubled over on floor which she used it to her advantage to chop the base of his neck. She made contact on right nerve to render him unconscious till revived. She dragged him to the corner made by SUV and the wall and hid him there. There were two other men to take care of.

She believed greatly in the concept of dividing and then conquering the enemy. But these two men were waiting for her by the car and it was in open. She could either take the chance or plan something elaborate. But she was banking on fact that the men would be impatient very soon. She waited by the man on the floor for one of the men to arrive. She wasn't disappointed.

She waited by SUV crouching on floor and waited for the second man to walk past her. There was no way they would smell fishy business due to their inebriated state and the lust that was so evident in their eyes. She waited till the man's feet were in her eyesight. As soon as his foot went past the SUV, she grabbed his right calf and pulled him in. He stumbled into the narrow passage and fell when he couldn't find footing on time. Before he realized who pulled him, Geet was already on top of him and punched his face twice. The third punch hit home and rendered him unconscious.

There was no need for her to wait for the third man. She stood up, dusted her clothes and walked slowly towards the man. It took her less than one minute to lure the man from his car and get him to walk with her back to the club. Her reason was a sham and his mind was clouded with lust to question the logic of her argument. When they reached the corner, it took her only two moves to get the man join his friends in corner. Once she was satisfied that they were well hidden, she hurried to her locker to grab supplies.

She had kept it not for personal use but for situations like these. It was the first time she was cornered by men after being in Skoda. She stuffed the needles and the bottle in her pocket and scurried towards exit as she her break was already over. Once back, she found the men in exact same position she had left them in. She removed a shoe from each man and inserted the needle between their toes. After injecting roofie in all three of them, she put the shoes back on and walked back to the club. The men would sleep for hours and wouldn't remember the night.

The rest of the evening was spent in peace without any outstanding incidents. It was almost closing time and the club was almost empty. There were few regular patrons here and there but the cleaning crew was already at work. She couldn't shake the feeling of Varun's eyes' landing on her every now and then. He had been at the bar for close to an hour now talking to his people about something she couldn't make out. If he had seen her being associated with Maan, the trouble she would be in couldn't be measured.

"You were at the party last night, right?" Varun asked her pouring a drink from the bottle.

"Yes sir," she replied politely wiping the glasses.

"We are going to have a picnic next week. Do you want to come?" Varun asked. Geet was taken aback but commanded her features to remain still.

"Sir…I am just a backup dancer…I don't…" She stammered hoping he wouldn't see through her. He didn't.

"Explain her," he commanded the man next to him and walked without providing any explanation. Geet turned to look at the man, Rao, who was Varun's advisor of sorts.

"Girl, it wasn't a request. It was an order," the older man said.

"What do I have to do?" She asked, defeated.

"Everything I ask you to," the answer came swiftly.

"I am not a wh**e," she said defiantly.

"Not yet," he said, smirking. Geet gazed at him emotionlessly and waited for him to continue. "Your task is very simple. You will go to Istanbul and seduce Maan Singh Khurana." Rao said.

"What kind of a plan is this?" Geet blurted. To his credit Rao grumbled in annoyance.

"A nimble brained one. Varun's original."

"Aren't you going to advise him against it?" She asked not knowing why he was encouraging such a dumb idea.

"No, I don't. And it's not like he is going to listen what I tell him anyway. Yesterday was a test of sorts for you. Of all the dancers here, you seem different from the lot. You did well at the party by the way," he ranted. Alcohol was making him talk, she was sure of it. Rao was pretty well guarded man who stayed in shadows and worked behind curtains. In a way she was a lot like him so it didn't come as a surprise to her that he had actually noticed her.

It wasn't good for her to be noticed even when she was in shadows but it was too late now.

"I may get killed if Maan finds out that I work for Skoda" She said looking at the older man in front of her.

"I think Maan already knows that. And you have seen him here at Skoda watching your performance, haven't you?" He said. The cunningness of the man was well known to everyone and she was in all honesty, impressed.

"That's why you chose me," she said narrowing her eyes at him. He nodded.

"You should consider yourself lucky," he said standing up and adjusting his blazer. She stopped and turned to look at him. "You weren't asked to sleep with monsters like Varun or Vikram," he sighed. She was startled by the heaviness in the man's voice. "You will leave in two days. Everything will be arranged by tomorrow and you will be notified." He walked away without giving her any chance to respond.

She was truly screwed.

To be continued.

Music companion of the day: Stayin' alive by Bee Gees