Simmy hung up the phone. These were her last moments on her honeymoon. Somehow they were heading back in a few hours. Simmy decided that if she was heading back to reality she would do so with glitz and glam. She had just made plans with Parveen to host an impromptu party which was to be held in two days' time. It was such short notice but she also felt her girls needed a fun occasion all together. She had barely seen anyone since her honeymoon and felt out of the loop. She had no idea what was happening in anyone's lives. Partially her fault she thought. She had kept her phone off for the duration of their time here. It's not like she had any desire to do anything else anyway. She was perfectly content spending every waking and sleeping moment with Mohit.
Simmy sighed, if she was planning a party she would need help. Just as she began to dial Rupa she heard Mohit answering the door and inviting someone in. She couldn't make out what they were saying.
Rupa picked up the phone and Simmy became engrossed in conversation about the party and honeymoon details. She forgot all about the guest in their suite until she heard raised voices. The voices were getting louder and she heard a bang like someone slapping the table or something along those lines. Even Rupa questioned the commotion as she could hear it on the other end of the line.
"Who's that I hear arguing with Mohit? An ex lover?" Rupa teased.
Simmy laughed but she was concerned. "I don't think so- actually I'm not sure who is with him. Let me check." Keeping Rupa on the phone she went to the dining area. "As if you didn't know. It's just Comet."
"What's going on guys?" Simmy asked, surprised that Comet was here. Rupa tried to listen closely but instead heard the static building on the line.
"Wwwhat is he doing there?" Rupa asked shakily. There was silence. "Simmy? Hello?"
It was no use. Their call had disconnected . She tried calling and texting Simmy back but no response.
She even tried calling and texting Mohit and Comet but their calls went straight to voicemail and her messages didn't go through.
Rupa was worried. This was not looking good. She knew they were heading back. What were the police going to do if she called them? Had she really heard that Comet was there or was it the static? Rupa started questioning everything she heard as she went through their conversion again in her mind.
———
Shallu was scarfing down her lunch when she received a text from Hafiza. Shallu was starving. She had skipped breakfast as usual and had a busy morning. She hadn't even had her morning caffeine fix. She knew she had missed an important client meeting and that she would be reprimanded for doing so. The client was one of the firms oldest and wealthiest, but Shallu had no choice. She knew the instant she tried to reschedule with them they would complain to the firm about her. They were used to getting services when and how they wanted them.
She was sure Felix would put a notation in her file about this. She had no choice! It was an emergency. She had to represent Nimmy at her bail hearing and get her out. She knew it would be an uphill battle as Officer Prem made it very clear to her that he saw Nimmy as a threat at large. He claimed not to know the extent of her ties to Comet and his network. Luckily she was able to show the court otherwise and Nimmy was released with Rupa acting as her surety.
Nimmy was silent on the drive to Shallu's. They had all agreed to stay together there knowing that they would be too anxious to stay alone. There was too much going on and they needed to be in constant contact to ensure they were all safe. On the way Rupa told them about her suspicion that Comet is with Simmy and Mohit on their honeymoon but indicated that she was not one hundred percent sure.
Shallu asked her many questions and went over her call with Simmy. In the end to appeared to them that it was unclear what Rupa heard and what she thought she had imagined.
When they got to her house Shallu had done some digging and found out the resort Simmy and Mohit were staying at. She called and found out that they had checked out early. Their personal phones seemed out of service. She even tried tracking them down at the airport but had been unsuccessful.
Glancing down at the text from Hafiza, she learned that Felix wanted to urgently talk to her. She took her last bite of her grilled cheese sandwich and chugged the rest of her coffee. She hopped into her car and drove to the office.
Upon arrival she could feel that this meeting would not go well. She headed to Felix's office and checked her watch. She was arriving about an hour after they had set their meeting time. It wasn't her fault- there was traffic and she had emailed that she was running late. Her instincts were right.
Felix beckoned her into his office, closing the door behind her. " I was beginning to think you were not going to come. You know how I feel about people who do not stick to their time commitments" he stated cooly.
Shallu folded her arms. "You know how I feel about people who make snide remarks. I told you I was going to be late. I had an emergency this morning and had no choice but to reschedule the client. No one else was available to cover it for me. You know what I'm dealing with."
Felix nodded. "Although I understand that- you could have asked for me to recommend someone else to deal with your friend's situation. It is not appropriate to essentially cancel important clients last minute. It shows me you're not dependable when I need you here. I've also had constant issues with your attitude and insubordination. You're argumentative and not the kind of associate our firm needs. I'm ending your employment here Shallu."
———
Mohit grasped Simmy's phone in his hand. He turned it off and removed the SIM card. When he had heard her telling a friend Comet was here, he had grabbed it away from her. Why had she even turned her phone back on, he wondered. They were still technically on their honeymoon. He sensed that she was frightened. It was time she knew what was going on.
Gingerly he sat down next to her on their suite's love-seat as Comet stood looking out their room balcony window.
"Simmy," he began. He took a deep breath. "Comet isn't here for a friendly visit. He's hiding from authorities as he has been for a while. We can't turn him in. The police have so called evidence that he's heavily involved in numerous crimes but he's innocent. He's being framed."
"What crimes? Who is framing him? What evidence how do you even know Comet and why do you believe him?!" These questions all spilled out before she could think them all through.
"The only person that would do this is the one person that hates me the most. Fazia." replied Comet softly ignoring the other questions.
Simmy's eyes widened in shock. "My friend Fazia?! Why the hell would she go to this trouble? She would never!" Simmy protested.
"We dated for two years Simmy. She's not the person you think she is. Her family is involved in a series of theft rings across the GTA. They have an underground network the likes of which I don't even know. When we dated and I learned more about her and her family I couldn't take it. Her family seemed to sense that I needed to end things and they threatened me. I had to make a deal and help with some things I'm not proud of before they finally accepted that I was done. Still they ensured my silence by collecting evidence against me."
Simmy didn't know what to say. She was fidgeting with her hands trying to process all this.
"Fazia still couldn't accept it. She began terrorizing me and stalking me. If I spoke to any girls she would stalk them and target them to scare them off. I tried confronting her but that made it worse. I couldn't even go to the police so I went to her family. I don't know what they did but she had stopped for a while. Now she seems angry and volatile all over again. I don't know if this is all her or her family or who else is involved."
"What about Rupa?" Simmy asked worriedly.
"That's why I'm here. I've fallen in love with Rupa. I thought we were safe to be together which is why I pulled that stunt to get her attention and get her to admit her feelings for me." It seems so long ago , he thought.
"He wants your help to protect her", Mohit interrupted. "That's why we were arguing. I don't want to put you in danger. You're my everything. We'll find other ways to protect her."
Simmy shook her head. "Let me help" she responded. Rupa was too important to her she couldn't just wait for something to happen. They had to do something.