“Kabir. Kaisa hai, bhai?”

“Dada. Mujhe aapki madad chahiye.”

“Kaisi madad?”

“Aap aaj-kal mein Delhi aa sakte hain, please?”

“Kya baat hai, Kabir?”

“Dada. Ghabrane ki koi baat nahin hai. Lekin bahut zaroori kaam hai aur sirf aap hi meri madad kar sakte hain.”

“Theek hai. Main aaj hi aata hoon.”

—

“Sudhir Kashyap ki beti?” Rajvir Sharma was aghast, “Tujhe poori duniya mein koi aur ladki nahin mili, Kabir?”

“Dada. Main aapse apni relationship problem solve karne ko nahin kah raha. Lekin woh ladki apni jaan khatre mein daal rahi hai. Aur agar use kuchh ho gaya to—Is baar main apne aap ko maaf nahin kar paunga. Meri baat woh sun nahin rahi hai. Aap achanak usse milenge to kam-se-kam sun legi. Shayad vishwaas bhi kar le.”

“Ab tu apne sting operatinos mujhse karwana chahta hai?”

“Dada! Main ghar ko bahut miss karta hoon. Aap logon ko bhi. Lekin aap logon ki safety ki wajah se hi itne dinon se ghar nahin gaya hoon. Ananya ke saath mujhe saalon baad–”

“I’m sorry, Kabir. Humne tumhare saath sahi nahi kiya–”

“Nahin Dada. Aap logon ki jaan khatre mein daal kar, main kaise shanti se rah sakta tha. Ghar chhodna mera bhi decision tha. Main shikayat nahin kar raha. Bas ye kah raha hoon ki Manu ki tarah hi aaj mere ek kareebi ki jaan khatre mein hai. Aur aap uski jaan bacha sakte hain.”

“Theek hai. Kaise miloon main usse? Kab?”

Kabir’s phone rang just then. It was Ronnie.

“Sir,” Ronnie informed him, “Usne apne Ma ke zevar mortgage kar ke, aur apni saari investments nikaal kar kuchh teen lakh rupyon ka intezaam kiya hai. Aaj shaam mein kisi se milne ja rahi hai jisne use RG Pharma ke record room kas access dene ka promise kiya hai.”

“Thanks Ronnie!” he disconnected the call. “Dada! Aapko usse aaj hi milna hoga. Office mein. Ye hai uski tasveer, aur main batata hoon aapko kya karna hai.”

—

“Ananya Ma’am. Aapse koi milne aaya hai.” Ananya got a call from the reception.

“Kaun?”

“Woh insist kar rahe hain ki aapko hi batayenge.”

“Okay. Aati hoon.”

She came out to find a tall, fair man waiting for him, whose face made her uncomfortable with its familiar features.

“Ji?”

“Ms. Ananya Kashyap?”

“Ji. Aap?”

“Mujhe aapse RG Pharma ke baare mein kuchh baat karni hai. Kya hum kahin privately baat kar sakte hain?”

“Hum neeche coffee shop mein ja sakte hain.”

“Nahin. Bahar nahin. Aapke office mein? Conference room?”

His manners were strange. As if he had rehearsed what he wanted to say. But Ananya acquisced and escorted him in, unaware of Kabir’s eyes following them from his cabin.

“Chai, coffee kuchh lenge aap?” she asked once they were in the conference room.

“Nahin. Aap please baithiye.”

“Aap kya batana chah rahe the mujhe?”

“Chhoti si baat. Lekin utni chhoti bhi nahin hai shayad. Aath saal pahle mera beta kidnap ho gaya tha. Tab woh paanch saal ka tha. Kidnappers ne phone kar ke paison ki demand nahin ki.”

He paused and she asked, “Phir?”

“Woh RG pharma ke woh papers wapas chahte the jisse ki aapke Papa ki begunaahi aur us company ke senior management, inclduing the owner, ki galti saabit hoti, nakli dawaiyon aur pachaas bachchon ke death ke case mein.”

“Woh paper…”

“Mere bhai ke paas the.”

“Aap?”

“Rajvir Sharma. Kabir ka bhai. Humne use pressurize kiya, na sirf woh papers wapas karne ke liye, balki is investigation ko dubara kabhi touch na karne ke liye, aur… aur ghar chhodne ke liye.”

She looked away, overwhelmed. Too much had been revealed to her in a matter of moments.

“Ye sach nahin hai,” Kabir appeared at the conference room’s door, “Maine papers Dada ke pressure mein wapas nahin kiye the. Agar woh kuchh nahin kahte to bhi main woh papers wapas karta. Tumhare papa ki death ke baad bhi unki begunaahi mere liye bahut important thi, Ananya. Lekin mera bhateeja zinda tha. Uski life ke saamne maine zaroor ek dead insaan ki begunaahi ko deprioritize kar diya.”

Ananya spoke after a long time. “Aapki majboori genuine thi. Ab bhi genuine hai. I’m sorry ki maine aapki baat nahin suni. Lekin aur kuchh isse nahin badalta hai.”

“Maine tumse jhooth bola tha. Ye nahin badalta, I admit.”

“Aur ye bhi nahin badalta ki mujhe apni Papa ki begunaahi duniya ke saamne laani hai, aur jo gunehgaar hai unhein sazaa dilani hai. Un pachas bachchon ki khatir. Main woh karne ja rahi hoon.”

“Ananya, RG ek different category ka khatarnaak banda hai. Woh sophisticated industrialists ki tarah nahin hai ki last resort ke tarah subtle threats ka sahara lega. Woh seedhe marne-maarne ki baatein karta hai.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

“Ananya. Thoda sochne do mujhe. Koi aur tareeka hoga. Pleae apni jaan ko khatre mein mat daalo.”

“Thanks for the concern. Ab mujhe jaana hai.”

“Ananya,” Rajvir spoke this time, “Ek minute ruko.” He turned to his younger brother then, “Maine Sandhya se bhi baat ki hai. Garmi ki chhuttiyan hain Manu ki. Tu kuchh dinon ke liye hamara ek holiday to sponsor kar sakta hai na. India ke bahar kahin.”

“Dada?”

“Phir hum safe rahenge, Kabir. Aur tere haath nahin baandhenge. Tu apna aath saal purana mission poora kar lena. Mere ya apne liye nahin to Babuji ke liye. Unka asli beta to tu hi ho. Main to bas dar-dar ke zindagi bitata raha.”

“Dada, are you sure?”

“Yes, Kabir.”

Kabir hugged his brother. “Thank you, Dada. Aapko idea nahin hai ki aapne mere oopar kitna bada ehsaan kiya hai.”

“Ehsaan nahin kiya hai, pagal. Bas tere us raaste se hat gaya hoon jis par mujhe kabhi aana hi nahin chahiye tha. Main chalta hoon.”

“Main aapko bahar tak chhod aata hoon.”

“Nahin. Tera yahan rahna zaroori hai. Mujhe raasta maaloon hai.”

He turned to Ananya after his brother left.

“Mujhe pata hai, Ananya, ki tum mujhe mere jhooth ke liye maaf nahin karogi. Lekin professionally to mera experience tumse zyada hai na? Aur ab mere haath nahin bandhe hue hain. To please mujhe part bana lo apni investigation ka.”

She spoke after thinking for a moment, “Main abhi RG Pharma ka record room access karne ja rahi hoon, jahan unki saari lab testing ki reports rahti hain.”

“And I assure you ki woh reports wahan nahin hain. Ho hi nahin sakte. Tum please paise wapas bank mein daal do. Apni Ma ke zevar bhi wapas le aao. Aur mujhe do dinon ka samay do. Main Dada aur unki family ko bahar bhej doon, phir hum ise scratch se plan karenge. Please?”

“Aapko kaise pata zevar aur paison ke baare mein? Aap mujhe follow karwa rahe the?”

“Option nahin chhodti na koi tum? Baat nahi sunti. I am sorry. But please? Do din?”

She took a long time in deciding, and finally said, “Theek hai.”

—

To be continued