Sadia couldn't believe what she just heard. And she couldn't believe what she was seeing either.
She was just abducted and now she was about to be used as collateral? What ever for? She had no idea. This situation was completely mind boggling for her.
Abruptly, she felt lightheaded.
"I won't be giving you any details. It would be better if you are unaware but for your information, all you need to know is that if you corporate with me and do exactly as I say then, you have my word, no harm will come to you."
Sadia looked at Zameer in utter shock. And with the dizziness, her vision began to blur and Zameer's face became mixed with the dark background. And a sudden wave of pain hit her head on at the sides. Her blood rushed and she could literally hear it ringing in her ears.
Sadia's hands were beginning to shake and sweat. She could feel her headache increase as well as the dizziness. Her mouth went dry and she had a sudden urge to drink a lot of water. Sadia knew what was happening; she was going into hyperglycaemic shock.
"I need you to-" Zameer stopped talking when he noticed Sadia fall back to the wall, clutching her forehead as she slumped down against the wall. He immediately went to her side and squatted down next to her.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice sounding genuinely concerned.
"M-my bl-blood su-sugar leve-l is to-too h-high," she murmured brokenly.
Zameer understood and took action immediately. He fished out a small kit from his coat pocket. Gently, he took Sadia's arm and rolled up her sleeve. Zameer noticed her skin was so soft and pale. Even in the dimly lit room, he could make out the shape and length of her delicate veins. It was almost a sight to behold. But Sadia's shaking and cold skin alerted him to pay attention and that's exactly what he did.
Opening the kit, he took out a swab and gently padded at the side of her upper arm. He went back to the kit and took out a vile and a syringe. He broke the vile and filled its content into the syringe. Quickly, he pricked the needle into Sadia's arm, who didn't so much as flinch. Disposing the syringe, Zameer stabled Sadia by her shoulders and made her sit upright. Her eyes were closed, her face twisting in pain as her scarf clung to the sweaty sides of her face.
Yes, Zameer knew about her condition. That's why he was prepared. But he found that his heart was racing in his chest. Why? For a moment, he was worried for her wellbeing. Why?
"Rest up for now. You'll be fine in a few minutes." He said in monotone, involuntarily, his thumb began to circle on her arm, creating a soothing effect.
Sadia could feel the insulin working as her heart rate went down and the dizziness began to subside.
Zameer observed her for a few minutes. She was calm now, still a little pale but compared to a few minutes ago, she looked much better. Sadia breathed in deeply and looked at Zameer. She licked her dried lips and Zameer was quick to note it but didn't pay much attention to it.
"Y-you-"
"Yes, I know." Zameer answered when he saw the questioning look in her gaze. "I'm aware of your condition." He claimed and placed the kit by her side. "This accounts for a few days: three to four tops." He informed.
"Wh-at d-o you wa-want from m-e?" Sadia stammered, tears brimming in her eyes.
Zameer sighed lowly and got back to his feet, towering over the young Doctor as he dipped his hands in his pockets.
"You'll find out soon enough." With that said, Zameer turned and left.
Sadia slumped to the floor, her back resting against the wall. Her right eye was beginning to irritate her and that's when she realised it was most probably the contact. Normally, she wouldve panicked since she was unconscious with the contact still on and that's dangerous but right now, she couldn't afford to get sidetracked.
Carefully, she took it out. Checking in her pocket, she was glad to find the lenses holder as she put it away. She looked around the cell but couldn't find any water. Of course, she was a prisoner, how could she possibly expect that?
Drawing her knees closer to her chest, she buried her face between her knees, she tried to think but failed. She was just too scared.
It was cold and dark and she couldn't help but blend in the environment.
Why? Why is this happening? She thought, her tears flowing down her cheeks relentlessly.
Ya Allah, please help me. She prayed and cried. Please send Baba to come and save me.
She felt so vulnerable. She felt like a lost child waiting for her father to come and save her and this situation was so mind boggling for her. She never knew that she would end up in a situation like this.
She didn't know how much time was spent but she kept on crying.
**********
Two days. Sadia was being held up for almost two days now. And Zameer made sure that she wasn't harmed in any way. He kept vigilant watch on her through the surveillance cameras in the cell. She had hardly touched the food that she was given but Zameer noticed that she was taking her daily shots.
He saw her always sitting by the wall, her body balled up and he was certain that she must've been crying because the only item she would take from the tray of food was the water.
"Zameer?!" Qadeem called.
"Yeah?" He said without taking his eyes off the monitor.
"It's time."
Zameer understood and nodded. Straightening up, he walked to the Qadeem, his successor as second in command and took the phone from him.
"Good evening, gentlemen." Zameer spoke in English.
"What the fuck is this about now, you filthy scum?" Came a hostile reply from the other end.
Zameer chuckled mirthfully. He had anticipated as such.
"You've made a stupid move by calling here." The General on the other side claimed.
"I beg to differ, General Bajwa." Zameer responded. The call via phone was completely untraceable even by the intelligence.
"Is that so? This is the Pakistan military intelligence. What makes you think that you can underestimate us?"
"Who said anything about that?" Zameer shot back.
"Isn't this a negotiation?"
"No, not really. But I didn't call for idle chitchat, General Bajwa." Zameer's tone went from light to hard and cold instantly as he snapped his fingers and two of his men went out of the room.
"But I would like to speak with General Abdul Rehman."
"Forget it. Pakistan army does not negotiate with terrorists. If you think you can-"
"Is his daughter well?" Zameer asked and he knew that his words must've gotten to General Abdul Rehman.
There wasn't any reply from the other side but soon enough, Zameer could hear some shuffling.
"This is General Abdul Rehman." Came a stern voice from the other side. "What did you just say in regards to my daughter?"
Zameer chuckled dryly. He was loving the feeling of having power in the situation. Zameer was a sharp man. He had thought everything through.
There was a reason why he didn't contact the intelligence right away after abducting Sadia. He wanted to create the proper atmosphere for his talk with the enemy. And now, he knew that he was slowly getting his targets exactly where he wanted them, playing his cards right.
"How is your daughter, General?" Zameer inquired, his tone provocative. And when he heard the General draw in a sharp breath, he knew that he had planted the seeds of discord in the mind of his enemy.
"I don't see why that's any concern of yours?" He spoke and Zameer could hear the venom in his tone.
"I hear that she's been missing for a few days now." Zameer spoke. There was silence on the other side.
"I would be worried if I were you. I mean, she's quiet the golden child isn't she? A young genius and not to mention a real beauty-"
"YOU FUCKING HAVE MY DAUGHTER?!" The General shouted.
Zameer smirked.
Sadia was shaken out of his wits when she heard some noise and heavy footsteps approach towards her cell. On instinct, she took out her contact and put it on. Even in this situation, she didn't want anyone to see her eyes.
Two men appeared. They unlocked the door and entered. Sadia quickly jumped to her feet, her mind and body on high alert as adrenaline began to pump through her veins but she also felt week from lack of sleep and food but she tried anyway, her arms coming up in feeble attempts to protect herself. Oh, how she wished she had taken self defense classes back in high school. At least then she would know how to protect herself. But who could've even known she would end up getting kidnapped and used as a collateral.
"Wha-" she was silenced when the men Came and held her by her arms as they started to drag her out. Sadia began to struggle and scream but one man immediately clasped his hand on her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Sadia kept struggling but she noticed that she was being taken somewhere as they got her on an elevator of sorts. Sadia gave up on her struggle when she realised that she was no match for the strength of two men. But that didn't mean that she was giving up. Her eyes began to take in her surroundings. Right now, she just wanted to find a way to escape.
But she couldn't do much since she was pushed into a room. The men released her and before Sadia could hold her bearing, she lost her footing. She almost fell if it wasn't for a pair of strong arms that came to her rescue. Sadia's heart was racing and her cheeks flushed when she saw and felt a familiar chest, the faint smell of spice wafting in her nose and her cheeks blazed with heat when she felt a strong gaze on her face.
She couldn't bring herself to raise her eyes to look at him, she was just that scared. But she fought against her fear and looked up and her eyes connected with that of the dark and cold eyes of Zameer.
"Careful there," she heard him say to her against the heavy beating of her heart as it rang loudly in her ears. Zameer could clearly see the fear in Sadia's brown eyes. And again, his emotions threatened to appear and take hold of him but he contained himself and looked away from her eyes that were brimming with tears and the innocence in them would cause him to feel guilt and at this exact moment, he couldn't afford to let anything
Zameer let go of Sadia immediately when he knew that she alright on her own. Zameer saw that the men in the room were looking at him with suspicion but he didn't let his cold mask slip. Zameer turned back to the phone.
"Here, why don't you hear for yourself." Sadia heard Zameer say as he motioned her to come to him. And considering she was among complete strangers who were starting to terrify her, she walked towards Zameer with shaky steps. Zameer forwarded what looked like a telephone receiver but Sadia couldn't quiet be sure since it was fitted with some dark coloured object. Now that her body was no longer in an alert state, knowing that perhaps Zameer wouldn't harm her or at least he wouldn't let anyone harm her, she took the receiver from him. Placing it on her ear, she almost let out a whimper but stopped.
"H-he-l-lo?" She stammered.
"Sadia?!" Came her father's familiar voice which sounded completely shocked. Sadia's heart almost stopped then.
"Baba? Baba-"
She stopped speaking when a sharp slap hit her face and a scream ripped through her throat. She fell to the floor. The receiver fell to the ground and Sadia looked up to see an unknown man take a hold of it.
"You hear that?" Qadeem sneered into the phone. "We'll be doing worse if you don't meet our demands within the next 24 hours. And I'm pretty sure General, you wouldn't want anything happening with your precious daughter, now do you?" Qadeem said. "Now, you know what to do." With that, he hung up and disconnected the wiring from the receiver.
Zameer went rigid when he saw what happened. When he saw Qadeem move he didn't know what he would do. His jaw clenched so hard that his teeth gnashed and ground. His hands formed into tight fists. Anger exploded in him and all he saw was red.
And without thinking, he charged towards Qadeem, punching him straight in the jaw and before Qadeem could fall, Zameer grabbed him by the collar and punched him again.
"Who the fucking hell told you to hit her?" Zameer hissed at Qadeem's face. At that moment, he didn't care that he was talking like this to the second in command of the MMM. All he knew was that he felt a rage like any other that would cause him to kill if he didn't calm down. It didn't matter to him if he struck the second in command, at the back of his mind, he knew that he still held the position of power and respect for the men present as their former second in command, something that couldn't be taken away from him.
Qadeem looked shocked, his eyes widen and his face bloody, nose broken. Zameer looked like a man possessed. He had never seen him like this before.
Zameer had no idea what had possessed him but his anger blew to rage. "Fucking touch her again and I'll kill you." Zameer growled at Qadeem's face and threw him away. His body was shaking badly but he tried to reign in on his rage. Breathing in deeply, He went ahead and gently pulled a shocked Sadia by the arm.
"I'm so sorry, that wasn't suppose to happen." He murmured to her, noticing her disheveled apearence, her scarf coming loose, her bottom lip cut open and a bruise forming on her pale cheek. Her wide eyes gawked at him with sheer Terror and he could feel her body shake like a leaf. And Zameer didn't approve of that. He didn't like to see that type of fear and terror in her eyes. Yes, he made sure to make the whole situation apparent to her by instilling a fear that he knew would make her fear him but the fear he saw in her eyes wasn't because of him but because of the foolish move of another. Zameer's mind recalled the same shocked expression that he had witnessed in another woman; Anissa. She was just as scared and terrified when Shehryaar had kidnapped her and forced her to marry him. At that time, Zameer wanted to take action but he knew that he couldn't defy his Saeen either.
But this situation, it was completely different. Anissa was family, Sadia wasn't. She was just a pawn then why was he so bothered with her getting hurt?
She hadn't even seen how much of monsters they were and already she had succumbed to fear. It wouldn't work in his favour if she completely lost her sanity to the fear that Qadeem just instilled in her through violence. Zameer knew that he could make Sadia cooperate without the use of violence because at the back of his mind, he didn't want to hurt Sadia, because of What he saw happen with Anissa because of that kind of violence, he wanted to abstain from being violent with the young lady.
But that wasn't the reason why Zameer was angry. Zameer felt his blood boil when he saw saw the bruise on her cheek and the cut on her plump lip. I should fucking kill that bastard. He thought and without realising, his hand came up, his fingers gently caressing her delicate skin over her bruised cheek.
Sadia was lost in a daze. What had happened a few minutes ago had shook her to her very core. She flinched and hissed when she felt her stinging cheek being touched and that's when she realised that Zameer was touching her.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "D-don't tou-touch m-me!" She stammered through her sobs, her dark eyes shimmering in fear and terror as her hand came up and slapped Zameer's away. Zameer didn't like that but he couldn't do much about it.
Guilt gnawed at Zameer's heart. He never knew that Sadia was such a delicate woman. She was so fragile and he hated himself for ever allowing her to be put in this position.
Sadia felt so drained and emotionally strained that her mind began to slip into unconsciousness. Her eyes rolled back into her head and before she could fall, Zameer quickly caught her.
**********
Chapter 10 has been updated on inkitt :)
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