It's been 3 hours since I got to know Sahana is missing. We were driving in silence to Shrey's house. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts about Sahana. Akash was driving because nobody wanted to take a risk by letting me or Mathew drive because of our current state of mind. Catherine was trying to be bold though it was clearly seen that she was broken badly because of the situation. The twins didn't speak a word to each other, Mathew was silently weeping and Steve was looking out of the window in anxiety. 'Everything is going to be fine' that was the only thing I could say to myself right now and hoped for the best. I heard a voice from behind my head telling me that something worst is going to happen. I avoided it and focused on the problem going on right now.
We were welcomed inside the house by Mrs. Shrey. She was a very sweet person. We had a small chit-chat while we were eating the forced late lunch. I missed Megha if she was here Mrs. Shrey and she would have had an amazing time together gossiping about Shrey and even scolding him. She tried her best to make the atmosphere lesser tense because she knew in what state of mind we were in.
After a while, we were all settled in his expensive white sofa set to discuss seriously about Sahana. First, Mathew explained him the scenario.
"If I hadn't forced her to go to school today, then this wouldn't have happened", he added and blamed himself for the hundredth time.
"Stop speaking nonsense, Mathew", Shrey warned him
"But.."
"No buts, just shut up. Steve let me ask you something"
"Sure", Steve replied
"Do you think anyone close to Dr. Akhil might have done this?"
"He just got to know about his boyfriend's originality and do you expect him to know about others who are related to Akhil", Mathew growled
"Are you his mouthpiece Mathew?"
"No"
"Then please, shut up. I'm trying to find the kidnapper"
"But what does my daughter's kidnap has to do with Akhil"
"Your daughter has gone missing after Akhil's arrest. So there is a high possibility that someone related to him might be the one behind this. Now you answer Steve, what do you think?"
"I don't know", Steve answered bluntly.
Then Shrey asked each one of us to brief what we did today. After all of us gave him all the minor details about today, he said, "We need to wait for demands"
"Wait, how long?", I questioned him
"I don't know until they make a move"
"You gotta be kidding me, Shrey", I chuckled "There is a kid missing out there, anything might happen to her and you want us to wait and chill until the kidnappers demand something"
"I didn't mean that"
"Then"
"Okay fine let's do this. You guys will report me as soon as you get any demand and I will search Sahana from my ways"
"Okay", I said and concluded the discussion for today.
We reached home after an hour it was already 6 in the evening. It was unusually dark because as much as I know Megha always keeps all the lights turned on. I entered the house just to be welcomed by emptiness. She wasn't in there.
"Megha", I shouted and all of us searched for her all around the house in a panic atmosphere.
I ran into my room to check if she was there.
"Krish, listen", Steve said and held my wrist making me halt.
"What?", I replied in irritation of not being able to spot my wife
"Let me check the neighborhood", he said and walked out of the house.
I entered my room in a hope that she will be there, and she wasn't there but what I found was our locker door hanging open and the black duffle bag missing. Crap! I shouldn't have left her alone here. If I'm not wrong she has been asked to get money in exchange for Sahana and my stupid wife didn't realize that it was a trap.
"Mathew", I shouted and he came running to my room
"Is she...", his voice trailed off when he saw the locker door
"What the hell?", he growled
"Your sister is stupid enough to fall into the trap"
"God! Krish we need to find her soon", he said
"Okay, let's do this we track down her location and go there. Meanwhile, Akash I want you to meet Shrey, tell about all this and get him to the location as soon as possible and Catherine stay back here safely, lock all the doors and don't open it whatever happens, if it is anyone of us we will call to your number instead of ringing the bell", I said and she nodded her head in agreement.
I drove the bike as Mathew guided me with the directions. We drove through a deserted street and soon reached the destination which was an abandoned house. The tires screeched with the effect of sudden brakes. We ran into the half-built and dusty place, filled with the smell of bricks, sand, and dust.
I was frozen by the sight of Megha, tied to the chair. Her cheeks were red like someone had slapped her hard and her neck had fingermarks. Next was Sahana was tied to another chair, she was unconscious and her face was pale. She looked like she has cried for hours. This very sight of my niece and my pregnant wife in such a situation made my blood boil and I wanted to send that person who was behind this directly to hell.
I realized that someone was kneeling down in front of Megha. I walked closer pulled him up by the collar and punched him right across his face even without even looking at who it was.
"STEVE", I heard Mathew's disbelief loud voice.
I looked at the person standing in front of me and it was Steve Mathew wiping the blood off the corner of his lips with a mischievous smile.
Was he the one behind this? No. No. No this can't be true. He can't harm our family. He was broken when he got to know that Sahana went missing.
"Was it you, behind all this?", Mathew asked
"What does it look like?", Steve answered with a chuckle. I was above to punch him when Mathew held my elbow.
"WHY?", he asked his voice visibly cracking. His situation was more worse than mine. First of all his daughter being kidnapped, second of all his pregnant sister who meant the world to him is tied up and has been physically hurt and third of all the reason behind all this is his twin brother. He must be mixed my emotions. He might be suffering without being able to know what the hell to do next.
I looked around the room and found another man sitting in the corner of the room. He had a bottle of beer in one of his hands and a cigarette in between his lips. He looked familiar I have seen once or twice in Megha's hospital. He was a doctor. He was a bloody doctor working under Megha. Where on Earth does a doctor who is known to be saving lives do such merciless things?
"Because I wanted to hurt you and the only way to hurt you is hurt Megha. And I guess I got on the perfect nerve of yours", Steve said mockingly.
"What did I ever do to you?"
"You are the bloody reason behind the darkness in my life since childhood"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT, STEVE? I HAVE DONE NOTHING"
"IT. HAS. ALWAYS. BEEN. YOU. JONES MATHEW", Steve said, giving a break after each and every word while holding Mathew's collar and glaring at him