Riya threw her car on the highway. If she didn't want to find out what and why they arrested Zayn, the chances were high that she could drive over all the cars that came in front of her. Then, chances were low that she would have survived to know why.
The drive from Abu Dhabi all through Dubai never seemed to be so long than that one. She dreaded the night which was supposed to be light and airy, turned out to be total despair! All her senses told her that Moutasim had done it to goof things up, to prove what a powerful being he was. But she swore she would prove to be a bigger hand and give him a face-off, never would she let an innocent suffer again, no matter whoever was to blame if not her. She had done it once, she still regretted till that day; even five years later, her guilt couldn't get any less.
At the last traffic signal just when she was about to intersect to take a U-turn, she caught Drake's car tugging behind, a few inches away in the second lane. She waited for him to come forward, while all the cars in the signal queue honked at her in unison. She moved a little ahead and as soon as the now alert Drake started to drive past her, she cut in suddenly, making him pull the brakes urgently.
Baffled, he came out of the car and asked soberly, "Everything alright, Ma'am?"
"Lead the way to wherever Moutasim is!" She yelled through the half rolled window and waited for him to speed away.
Although reluctant, he did just that. About fifteen minutes of following him, they halted in front of the tall building Moutasim had brought her on its rooftop the other day; which she guessed was the NIB headquarters.
Leaving the car on, without parking it somewhere, she rashly got out of it. She dashed across the shiny-tiled empty lobby towards the fingerprint locked elevator. That's when he came out, arrogance outshone like his worst vice.
He's a trap. He's a trap.
Riya chanted in her head, walking with small yet heavy steps to where he was. She had the eyes to kill and hands that could choke him to death.
"WHERE'S ZAYN?"
"You talking to me?" He self-pointed and tangled his eyebrows.
"I don't want to repeat again. I said. WHERE. IS. ZAYN?"
He glanced back, pretending to check whether she was talking to someone behind him. "Zayn, who?"
He had tested her patience enough for the day. She balled her fists and trudged over, gripping his collar, she told him off, "You're being a selfish brat."
Encircling his arm around her waist, he pulled her to him and murmured scathingly, "I see a fire in you for your ex-lover."
She tried pushing him away, but he grasped her wrists tight, "Why are you so restless for him?"
Her eyes darted left to right, "I need to know his crime," heatedly she jerked his hands off.
A devilish laugh escaped his bitter mouth, "His crime was to be near you."
"You're stupid Moutasim! I didn't know you'd stoop so low because of jealousy." She gritted her teeth and gave him a disgusting look.
He pulled her sharply towards him again, "Talking about stooping low, are we?" He abruptly pushed her away, "Alright. No, judgements. What would you do if you knew Zayn is actually innocent but is still getting punished?"
Waving a finger in the air, she answered crisply, "I'd use my law power and bail him free!"
He laughed sarcastically, "Aha! Why am I not surprised?"
She panted. Almost feeling helpless, she moved past him to get to the elevator when he held her hand in anger and pinned her to the wall.
His teeth clenched, he wasn't going to spare any moment to not put her down tonight, "Ufh, Riya! We're back at it again. Rewind five years down the memory lane and this is exactly where we've been standing then too."
"Why?" She asked with a shaky breath.
He smiled a toxic smile, "It's not that hard to remember, is it?" He ran his fingers along her smooth cheek.
Infuriated, she pushed his hand away yet again, "You're enjoying to avenge me. I should have understood this earlier." She shook her head in disbelief just as the realisation hit her, "That letter wasn't actually sent by Zayn, was it? You tricked us both so you could pull off your stunt. You're sick!" She almost wanted to slap him.
"Really, huh? I thought it would take a lot of convincing and a handful of cheesy, long romantic letters to get you to meet him. I was taken aback when you melted only with the first one."
"How did you get him to come there? What did you make him do?" Was she throwing herself into a sleeping lion's den?
He pushed his hands into his pockets, "He didn't make us do so much of an effort, actually." Hatred dripped off from his tone, "Your letter worked just about fine."
"What else?" She insisted provokingly.
His evil smile wouldn't fade one bit, "Not that he had a choice, but we gave him one to end his master game with a favourite player of his, ever."
She looked at him dumbfounded, not really able to comprehend the play of his words.
"Didn't you throw a tantrum two days ago, Riya? Asking me to use my power? To wipe off the filthy scum of the culprit in a flash rather than dragging the murder case in the trial?
"What does that mean?" She stuttered, holding the pillar to take support.
"I did exactly as you wanted it. In fact, I made it much greater. You'll have to agree, though, it looked better than a Hollywood movie!"
Her breath quickened, "Moutasim, what is it?"
He nodded, "I know the feeling when you or your loved one is being framed guilty when they don't even know what they've done. I know it too well, Riya."
"But there's a twist," he continued with the dirty dig, "We've finally caught the right one. No games, no tricks, no changing the crime story. It was the high time our judicial system became better. Otherwise, it rips lives apart. You know that right?"
"You can't do this..." She was going to fall from the dizziness.
"Tsk. Tsk. Then, why did you do it Riya? Why didn't you say the truth?" He raised his voice and reprimanded.
"That's how you're going to get even with me? If you've guts, battle with me, alone. Zayn had nothing to do with it." She came back and blew his stack.
To her bad, he was a bigger bluster, "You're sure? How about your father having everything to do with him?" There, he thought. He slammed her with the biggest mystery of her life.
She held her hands up, bewildered, "I don't understand."
"Of course you don't. Allow me to enlighten you, then."
He took a few steps backwards, ran his hand at the nape of his neck and looked dead straight in her eye.
"Zayn Harroun murdered his mother." He finally disclosed the criminal of the overrated murder case, flat and straight, "And tomorrow, you're going to testify against him in the courtroom."
He came forward to take hold of her cold statued figure, kissed her cheek, and came with a parting shot, "That's just not it, lovebug."
She shut her eyes and covered her ears, not allowing anything he would say to enter and hit her brain that would explode with exasperation.
"Do you know what we sometimes call Zayn in our enclosed circles?" He paused and winced for an added drama, "We call him The Demon."
He removed her hand from her ear and whispered, "Also known as, Panther."
She literally dropped on the floor like a lifeless mannequin.
Sitting on his toes beside her, he breathed fire, "Help your lover all you want, now. All you can do to help him is make Du'a. Pray that he dies soon because while he's alive, I swear I'd make sure he wishes for his own death but would I let his wish come true that soon?"
He pulled his sunglasses on at twelve-thirty midnight and walked away towards the door where Drake stood outside, signalling him to drive her back home.
Moutasim had a far superior job to get done he had been waiting for years. He had to take control over and rise upwards from any civil forces the nation had in power.
That night, he wanted to conceal all things which proved he was a human. No matter how hard, eyes just give it away otherwise.
That night, he wanted to clear all accounts with Panther for himself on a personal level, first.
That night, amidst the darkness, he would show what it was like to turn into a beast to put up a fight with another one to knock him off, forever.