My Drug Lord

2| Knock knock

"They took me to a bungalow, towards the casino, I met a new man", Meerab said, as the police got her statement.

"What was his name?" The ACP asked, writing down her answers as the camera recorded her statement.

"Murtasim Khan"

The police exchanged looks, then questioned her further. "Did you talk to him?"

Meerab thought on it, she couldn't tell them that he married her, she didn't believe in that nikkah anyway. Because it was forced, and was a coverup. She couldn't put herself in a difficult spot by revealing it, "No sir, I heard him talk, but I didn't see his face because they had covered my eyes with a cloth".

She lied smoothly, "What were they talking about?"

"A wedding was taking place, whose I don't know", she revealed her half lie, the police exchanged confused glances.

"What kind of wedding need a call girl?" They discussed among themselves, Meerab too wondered, why did they need a callgirl. Maybe Murtasim had said no to the bride so he ordered his goons to look for a woman, but had later killed her. But she couldn't reveal this to the police, she was just a small scale journalist.

The questioning went on a for an hour, and they realised their mission had failed. They got a new name though, Murtasim Khan.

Meerab was dropped off to her home, with next day's appointment of psychological assessment. She entered her home and found her mother watching a serial, "Meerab you are now twenty five, you should get married", her mother said as she browsed through the channels, Meerab sighed, she had went through a broken engagement, it had left her insecure. Her ex-fiance got over her in a month, married another woman, and a year late became a father.

"I got married", Meerab said under her breath, wanting to laugh. Her mother turned to her, "To whom?" It was an excited response, she wasn't even angry that Meerab might have discreetly gotten married. She sounded relieved.

"I was just joking ", she said kissing her mothers cheeks as she pushed her angrily, "I hate such jokes", her mother huffed angrily.

"I know, I know Ammi", Meerab apologized as she went to freshen up in the bathroom.

As she removed her clothes her eyes scanned her neck, it had a hickey, "F***", she cursed under her breath, and started massaging it trying to lighten the colour.

That shitty man had landed her in a big trouble.

Her phone buzzed, and there was a notification, "1,000, 000 has been credited to your account".

It pinged again with the same message.

What the actual fuck!

What was wrong with him? She could land in a huge trouble, with this much amount.

Meerab's mind raced as she grappled with the implications of the unexpected deposit into her account. The significant sum of money was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could provide a lifeline for her family, especially for her mother's medical expenses and her brother's education. On the other hand, it tied her further to Murtasim Khan and the criminal operation they were trying to expose.

She paced her room, anxiety gnawing at her. What was Murtasim's game? Did he see her as a partner in crime now? Or was this an attempt to silence her and keep her under control? Meerab couldn't fathom the implications of this mysterious act.

Her phone buzzed again with a message, this time from an unknown number. It read, "Don't think of betraying me, Meerab. You're in deeper than you realize."

The message sent a chill down her spine. It was clear that Murtasim was fully aware of her involvement with the police and had sent this as a warning. She was trapped in a dangerous web of deceit, and her every move was being monitored.

Meerab knew she had to tread carefully. She couldn't let her family suffer, but at the same time, she needed to find a way out of this mess. She decided to contact her police handler and share the latest developments. They needed to reassess their strategy and come up with a plan to extricate her from Murtasim Khan's grasp while still bringing down the criminal operation.

As she dialed the number and waited for her contact to pick up, Meerab's heart raced, and she couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread.

Her phone pinged, and she heard a voice.

"Hello, wife!"

It startled her, she dropped her phone and backed away. Looking at the screen, she saw his face, she hadn't dialled his number, how did he do that.

"You will watch me from far?" He asked in a bored tone. Scratching his moustache, and then placed his legs on top of each other, "You are stupid, aren't you? You need the money and you got it, why involve the police in this?" He asked his voice husky as he gazed at her ceiling, the camera facing it.

"This is wrong", Meerab said as she picked up the phone, trying to lessen her nerves.

"Wrong... what even is wrong? Does that word exist? Not in my dictionary", he laughed as her eyes widened he had a gun in his hand, "You shouldn't have run away, I had warned you, but you escaped".

His voice turned serious as he said the next few words.

"In 24 hours you will be here"

Meerab felt a surge of fear as she listened to Murtasim's chilling ultimatum. She had to think fast. With trembling hands, she tried to regain her composure.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Meerab stammered, her mind racing for a way out. "I was just following orders. Please, let's talk this through."

Murtasim's gaze remained stern, his tone unyielding. "There's nothing to talk about. You have 24 hours."

As the call ended, Meerab's heart pounded in her chest. She realized the seriousness of her predicament. She couldn't involve the police directly; Murtasim seemed to have eyes everywhere. Desperate for a plan, she gathered her thoughts.

She needed help, someone who knew how to navigate these dangerous waters. Someone with experience in dealing with such situations. Meerab thought of an old contact, a retired investigative journalist known for uncovering intricate criminal networks.

Taking a leap of faith, she dialed the number she hadn't called in years. After explaining the urgency of her situation, she arranged to meet at a discreet location.

Meanwhile, she discreetly gathered essential belongings and left a note for her family, not revealing the gravity of the situation but ensuring them of her return soon.

As Meerab stepped out of her car to meet her contact, suddenly, a van screeched to a halt, blocking her path. Before she could react, she was forcefully pulled inside. Panic surged through her as she found herself face to face with Murtasim.

"Why?" Meerab's voice quivered, tears welling in her eyes.

Murtasim, with a drink in hand, taunted her, "We haven't had our wedding night yet," a sly smirk playing on his lips.

___

Next chapter will be 21+ 😉