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As I approach the closet, something shiny catches my eye. I hesitate, not wanting to invade his privacy. I slide the door shut, and that same glimmering object tumbles to the ground.
I gasp, stunned to see a large golden medal engraved with the emblem of a bat with outstretched wings. It is the same emblem that Ayaan had warned me about, the mark of danger. Confusion clouds my thoughts. What is my father-in-law, a dedicated social activist, doing with this symbol of the mysterious ‘Bat’ gang? My mind races, trying to make sense of it.
Hesitantly, I pick up the medal, cold and heavy in my palm, with questions swirling in my mind. How is he connected to these dangerous people? Who are they? I’m sure Ayaan has no clue about this, which is why I need to tell him right away. He asked me to contact Krish if anything comes up while he is at The Roost.
So, I dial Krish’s number, but the call refuses to connect, adding to my unease. Why isn’t Krish’s call connecting? Worry gnaws at me. I try a few more times before grabbing the golden medal and hurrying out of the room.
“Meher? Is everything okay?” Trisha spots me in the corridor.
“We need to go to ‘The Roost’ right now,” I announce.
Trisha looks puzzled, trying to comprehend the urgency of the situation. “But you’re supposed to stay at home. It’s Ayaan and Krish’s orders.”
My patience wanes. “This can’t wait, Trisha. I need to speak with Ayaan now. It’s extremely urgent.”
Relenting, Trisha tries to contact Krish, but her calls, too, meet with no response. The fear in the pit of my stomach intensifies with every passing second. Has something gone wrong at ‘The Roost’? Is Ayaan in danger? Wanting to find out, I march to the door.
“I’m going there,” I declare, rushing out. Trisha falls in step behind me, realising that we have no other option now but to defy our orders to stay indoors.
Present [The Roost]
I forcefully push open the door of the vanity van parked at some distance from the pub and barge inside. Krish and his team of three look up in shock at me and Trisha.
“Meher? What are you doing here?” Krish scowls.
“I need to speak to Ayaan,” I say, marching inside with Trisha on my heels.
“You can’t,” he replies. “And didn’t he tell you to stay at home?”
“It’s urgent, Krish. Just patch me up with him. Please,” I request.
“We can’t do that right now. The connection with Ayaan has been lost. We are trying to restore it.”
“What?” I frown. “What do you mean it has been lost?”
“We have our eyes on him, but we can’t get in touch with him ever since he followed Raghav to one of the restrooms. The connection was weakened there and …” Krish trails off, unsure of what to say next.
He rakes his fingers in his hair in frustration.
“Meher, you shouldn’t be here. There’s a lot going on already. Just go home and—”
“I won’t leave this place without Ayaan,” I declare.
Krish fists his fingers, ignoring me and turns to Trisha instead.
“This is the first time you have defied my orders, Trisha. Keeping Meher home was your duty. We definitely need to talk after we are done here.”
Trisha’s jaw stiffens, but she doesn’t say a word in her defence.
“Stop putting this on her,” I interrupt. “It was my decision to come here, and Trisha had no option but to obey. You or Ayaan can’t lock me up anywhere against my will, Krish.”
“We had asked you to stay at home for your own safety, Meher. We haven’t locked you up,” Krish growls.
“Do you seriously expect me to hole up in the house while my husband is in trouble out here? That’s never happening. And you assured me that Ayaan will be fine here. That you’ve got everything covered. Yet now you tell me that your connection with him has been lost, and he is inside there on his own?”
“I know we have a situation right now, which is why establishing communication with Ayaan is our top priority. But I assure you that nothing will happen to him as long as I’m watching over him,” he replies confidently.
“Situation?” My heart skips another beat. “What situation?”
