No Safe Zone Read online

  ‘Sam…Sameera called. People are spreading such lies about Girls Rock! How can they even think we’d put the lives of young girls at risk?’

  He couldn’t bear to see her in such a state of distress. He wanted to wipe away her tears and make everything right. His feelings resonated in his voice as he spoke. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of it. I promise you.’

  She looked up into his face; her eyes glistening with tears. ‘But how? Khanna is dead. And, Reshma is…oh God, I can’t even bear to think what they have done…’

  ‘You need to tell me everything, Qiara, or I won’t be able to help you. Who is Reshma? And what’s her connection with Khanna?’

  She nodded and sighed. Taking a deep breath, she squirmed off his lap. He wanted to drag her right back but resisted the urge. She was wearing a cotton camisole over a pair of striped pyjamas that made her look like a school girl. Except that the tempting glimpse of her cleavage and the bounce of her breasts was playing havoc with his breathing.

  ‘Reshma is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in Jyotinagar, a village near Jodhpur. Her school is part of a programme that we’ve been conducting for a few village schools in north India.’

  Totally unaware of the effect she was having on him, she started pacing the room as she talked.

  ‘Sometime last year, Ranveer Khanna joined the programme as a sponsor and he was so impressed with our work he started encouraging us to focus on it. His donations helped us reach out to more schools across South Asia, and Reshma became one of our most prominent students. She was supposed to be the face of our campaign at our tenth anniversary celebrations. Suddenly, a few months ago Khanna went MIA and the funding started to dry up. Khanna stopped responding to our mails and phone calls. On top of that, the NCA raided our offices and began asking us about Khanna, our financial dealings with them. As if that wasn’t enough, Reshma also disappeared – and no one knows where she is.’

  Kabir kept his gaze away, concentrating on her words. ‘Was it your idea to come to Delhi?’

  ‘The NCA was breathing down our necks. I thought this was the only way to get some answers. Besides, Khanna has always interacted with Sameera. There would be no reason for him to refuse to meet me if…’

  ‘If you didn’t tell him you worked with Girls Rock!’ Kabir finished her sentence.

  ‘I didn’t see what else I could have done in that situation,’ she shot back.

  She stopped in front of him and his gaze strayed to her breasts for a brief second before moving up to her face.

  ‘Yes, and the NCA used it to their advantage. They were hoping you would lead them to Khanna.’

  Qiara wrung her hands in worry. ‘I can’t stop thinking about Reshma. Her parents don’t want to report her disappearance to the police.’

  ‘Well, there may be any number of reasons for that,’ Kabir snapped, as his rigid control threatened to slip every time he glanced at her. ‘Let’s get back to your meeting with Khanna. Did you confront him about his backing out of your programme?’

  ‘You see, I was pretending to be a freelance researcher studying the impact of donor-funded programmes on children’s education. As soon as I mentioned Girls Rock! he clammed up; maintained he was never associated with our organization. He was about to throw me out of his office when, well…you know the rest.’

  ‘What about the donations he made to your programme? Surely you have receipts for those?’

  ‘Of course we do…everything is above board. We’ve provided the NCA investigators with all our records.’

  ‘Who’s Rishi Mathur?’

  At his question, her eyebrows shot up. ‘How do you know about him?’

  He gave her an amused grin.

  ‘How do you think I caught up with you at the train station? Believe me, if I had psychic powers, it would have helped me enormously in my line of work.’

  This was probably the first time in his career that he’d had to focus so hard on an interviewee’s responses. Geez, he was breaking into a sweat, just trying not to think of her pert nipples that were within caressing distance.

  ‘That’s one evasive answer. How did you know about Rishi Mathur?’

  He let out a long exaggerated breath.

  ‘The receptionist at the guest house told me about him, after you fled from there.’

  She gave a sheepish shrug.

  ‘I wasn’t exactly planning to flee from the scene but I was worried the police would…’

  ‘…accuse you of murdering Khanna? Oh come on, I was not going to throw you to those ‘wolves’!’

  ‘You weren’t?’

  She stopped right in front of him, her lean thighs brushing lightly against his. God Almighty, please gimme a break here!

  ‘Rishi Mathur,’ he growled at her. ‘Who’s he?’

  ‘He is our go-to guy for anything that needs to be done in India. He’s a freelancer who works with NGOs and we use him whenever we have events happening here or donors coming for visits. He’s well connected and he was the one who suggested I should be able to track Khanna down at the Polo Club.’

  ‘So did you meet Rishi when you landed in Delhi?’

  He didn’t dare get up from the bed lest she could see the impact she was having on him. He clenched his hands at his sides to keep them from reaching out for her.

  ‘Yes, he came to the airport to pick me up and reach me to the guest-house, which his office had booked for me. He also helped me get my train ticket.’

  ‘What made you hop off at Bandikui Junction?’

  ‘There was this guy on the train, in the next coupe,’ she grimaced. ‘At first I thought he was just one of those creepy fellows who stare at you like they have never seen a woman in their lives.’

  Kabir’s jaw tightened involuntarily. He would have happily wrung the guy’s neck for so much as looking at her. The emotions zinging through him caused him to nearly miss what she said next.

  ‘I heard him speak to someone on the phone about me.’

  ‘You heard him say your name?’

  He picked up her cell phone from the floor and handed it to her.

  ‘No, he was describing me to someone. I don’t think he mentioned my name, but I got spooked.’

  ‘The guy who was stalking you could be anybody. He may be the accomplice of the killer.’

  ‘Yeah, I figured. So, I pretended to the ticket collector I was not Qiara Rana but travelling on her ticket. He’d no option but to march me off the train at the nearest station.’

  He was trying his best not to let his emotions get the better of him but was failing spectacularly.

  ‘Rishi was setting you up and you fell right into his trap,’ he growled.

  Clearly, that thought had not struck her and her eyes widened.

  ‘But why?’

  ‘Don’t be naïve. Rishi organizes a train ticket for you in a flash. He has you tailed and if it weren’t for providence…’

  ‘Give me some credit, for God’s sake. I did manage to get off the train,’ she fired back.

  ‘What if I hadn’t come along? Have you thought about that?’

  He released his breath angrily and threaded his fingers through his hair in frustration. Her eyes were fixed on him and the expression in them was of pure fear – at the thought of what could have been!

  That was enough to make him come undone. Grabbing her by her shoulders, he pulled her to him.

  ‘You gave me a mighty scare, you minx. Never ever do that to me again!’

  He nuzzled the base of her throat, taking in the warm scent of her. The sharp intake of her breath made his blood pound harder as she inched closer to him.

  ‘Why?’

  Her voice was a whisper and her soft lips parted sensually in invitation.

  His resolve was melting under the heat of her sensuousness. He crushed her mouth with his…sucking, nipping, biting, tasting. His tongue dug deep into her hot mouth, their breaths mingled and he was lost in a tidal wave of sensations.

  ‘You’re scram
bling my brains, Qiara. And if you continue like this, I won’t be responsible for my actions.’

  For a couple of heart-stopping moments, she just looked up at him with those large, honeydew eyes.

  ‘Kabir.’

  He dipped his head and trailed his tongue over the sensitive spot at her throat. She arched into him, her taut nipples pushing against his hard chest.

  His hand reached for the soft curve of her breast and he thumbed the hard peak through the fabric, drawing a deep groan from her.

  ‘Kabir,’ she panted, ‘This doesn’t change anything between us.’

  He was beyond restraint, beyond reason, beyond sanity. He pulled her up on to his thighs. The rub of her silky skin against his hardness was driving him crazy.

  ‘I know.’

  His tongue snaked a wet trail along her earlobe.

  ‘And I’ll never forgive you for leaving me in the lurch,’ she gasped.

  ‘I know that too.’

  Tugging the camisole over her head, he flung it away before finding the tip of one hard bud with his mouth. His tongue circled the rose-tinged aureole and her breath was one long, soft, erotic whimper.

  He sucked her nipple and felt desire crash through him like a sweeping storm.

  ‘Oh goodness me,’ she moaned, fisting her hands in his hair, dragging him down on top of her. ‘Why do I want you so bad!’

  She drew his head up to look into his eyes and her breath hitched at his passion-drenched gaze.

  He caught her lips with his, crushing their petal softness, sucking at them hungrily. His tongue flicked deep into her mouth and as the passion enveloped them both, their bodies moved to the rhythm of their desires.

  He’d never been in such exquisite agony; lust rampaged through him like a herd of frenzied wildebeest. He wanted to make her his at this very instant. Yet he craved to see her go wild with longing for him, to cross every barrier they had erected between themselves, to erase every angst-filled moment he had spent over the years, to banish all the hurt and pain till there was nothing but this evanescent oneness.

  Using every ounce of restraint he possessed, he slid down her body, the friction of their heated skins making her body buck with sweet sensations. Her body arched up to him and her sweet-scented thighs wrapped around his middle.

  He wrought his magic on her with his touch, caresses, nips and bites. His fingers created havoc as they found her erogenous zones with precision.

  She burned with longing. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pleaded.

  ‘Kabir, please…’

  ‘Not long, my sweetheart.’

  She was sucked into the vortex of passion. She was scaling heights of passion she had never thought possible. She was at breaking point, hanging by a thread, clutching on to the precipice. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he found the core of her femininity. She lost all sense of time and place as he took her right over the edge, and a starburst of sensations exploded within her.

  Seven

  Kabir puffed hard at his cigarette as he paced the terrace of the small inn. He badly needed some distance from Qiara. All the years away from her had changed nothing. He still lusted after her like a callow youth with raging hormones. He still wanted her with a ferocity that took his breath away. Nothing had changed and yet everything had. The moment he had chosen to leave her at the Deer Park that rainy night without an explanation, it had been all over. It had taken all his willpower and some not to follow his heart: take her love and give himself up to her. She might desire him now, but she would never trust him. Something in his soul yearned for her trust, her forgiveness. That was the last thing she would give him. I’ll never forgive you for leaving me! Her words closed in on him like the darkness all around.

  He flicked the cigarette angrily towards the far end of the terrace and took in a huge gulp of the fragrant night air. It was a clear night, and he could see the lights in the distance. Unlike that long ago rain-soaked evening when he had told his mother about his feelings for Qiara. He had been so excited about his life ahead with her. He was about to step out of the house to meet her at the Deer Park, when the door burst open bringing in the spectre of the past he had left behind. His dreams of a future with Qiara were smashed to smithereens. But the shock was too much for his frail mother. He had been torn between going after Qiara and taking care of his mother. It had taken him a long while to get over the unfairness of the choices that life had thrown his way.

  The past would never let him alone, he thought bitterly. And there was nothing he could do to change it. He needed to focus on the task at hand and his priority should be to keep Qiara safe but at arm’s length. That was easier said than done!

  He loped down the stairs to the room and found Qiara sleeping peacefully. He slipped between the sheets, trying not to wake her. For a moment he was desperately tempted to snatch her up in his arms and make sweet sensuous love to her. But he turned his back to her resolutely and settled in for the night.

  Feeling the mattress sag, Qiara’s eyes flew open and for a moment she was totally disoriented. Kabir was inches away from her and she wondered if the bed-burning lovemaking had just been a wild, erotic dream. Her body, though, was sending her different signals. She could still feel his brand of possession and recalling how she’d been driven insane with lust and longing made her feel warm and tingly yet again. Even though he had been as aroused as her, he had been a sensitive, thoughtful lover, as she had always known he would be.

  She almost reached out and cuddled him, but stopped short. A romp in the bed and she’d forgotten the pain she’d felt at his betrayal? She squeezed her eyes shut as the warmth seeped away. She willed herself to sleep again but it had abandoned her, just like Kabir had all those years ago while she waited for him at the Deer Park. The memories came wafting down and her tired brain gave up the struggle to keep them away.

  As the wedding guests began to leave, she had announced to her mother she would stay back in India and finish her studies in Delhi. Her mother was aghast at her decision and tried to reason with her but she had fought tooth and nail, wanting nothing more than to be with Kabir. Finally, when Mamma had put her foot down, she had blurted out the truth – the reason she wanted to stay back in Delhi was Kabir. Mamma had been gentle with her but her arguments hadn’t worked. She threatened to run away and that’s exactly what she’d done.

  She’d waited for Kabir at Deer Park, their usual rendezvous. But he hadn’t shown up. Instead her estranged father had. The man she’d seen for only a few weeks in her entire life. He dragged her home and all but locked her away in the room till their flight to London was confirmed. On the day of their departure she had raved and ranted, cried and pleaded, but none of it made any impact. She and Mamma flew back to London and Kabir simply became a cry in her heart she never could get rid of.

  As sleep finally took over, she dreamt of Kabir’s soft kisses, her mother’s pleas and her father’s rage. The ache of loss and loneliness penetrated deep into her psyche making her cry out. Out of nowhere hands gathered her up, and she snuggled into the warmth with relief. The hint of a familiar scent wrapped her in its comforting embrace. A whisper-soft kiss touched her forehead. She let go and a deep sleep took over.

  Kabir hugged her close to his heart and his throat wrenched painfully, as he heard her whisper his name in her sleep. Perhaps, this is what is known as exquisite torture? She filled his arms and yet he could no more than watch her as she curled up trustingly. Gnashing his own turbulent feelings, he committed to memory every curl of her hair, the rhythm of her breathing, the feel of her soft skin and the intoxicating scent of her.

  The hours passed as if in a flash. Now, she was stirring awake softly and sweetly. Her eyes fluttered open like the petals of a blooming flower; her sleep-drugged gaze taking in his presence, a little confused at first and then widening as recognition flooded in them. Then, she was propelling herself away, leaving his arms bereft of their precious possession.

  ‘Did I sleep in your…’ She sto
pped herself from completing her question.

  ‘Good morning. You’ll be happy to know you don’t thrash about wildly in your sleep. Only sometimes…’

  ‘What?’ Her eyes grew wide with alarm.

  ‘You snore a bit…’

  ‘Nooooo,’ she shrieked. ‘I do not.’

  He let out a loud guffaw. ‘Very softly, but you do. It’s kind of sweet.’

  ‘Snoring is NOT sweet. And why did you…’

  ‘Why did I what?’

  ‘Why didn’t you wake me up?’

  ‘I was enjoying myself too much.’

  ‘What!’ Her eyebrows arched skywards.

  ‘Sleeping Beauty was probably named after you.’

  She glared back, the last traces of sleep vanishing. Her defences were slowly going up and Kabir had to fight back the feeling of loss that suddenly came over him. Squashing it ruthlessly, he pretended a nonchalance he didn’t feel.

  ‘What? No comeback? Or perhaps you’re not a morning person?’

  Her brow furrowed in annoyance.

  ‘Does it make a difference? As far as I’m concerned, last night was a big mistake.’

  ‘Whoa! That’s one cliché I hadn’t expected from you.’

  Her eyes were blazing hot now.

  ‘No? I’m sure you’d prefer the one where the stood-up girl grovels to be taken back after a romp in bed?’

  Her words cut him to the core. He grabbed her before she could turn away.

  ‘Believe it or not, I have gone through my own personal hell for what happened that night.’

  ‘A backhanded apology if I ever heard one,’ she tossed at him. ‘If you think that will melt my heart, you have another think coming.’