“Atharva?” Samar clapped a hand on his back. “Come meet Colonel Asgar. Excuse us, ladies.”
Colonel Asgar had been dead for ten years. That is why Atharva came without question, his body loose and flowing as Samar pulled him out and behind the outhouse. Away from roving eyes and ears.
“You are going to be arrested.”
To his credit, Atharva didn't even take a second to process. He crossed his arms — “Go on.”
“Mohsin Sheikh murder case.”
“How do you know this?”
“I have made new sources inside Awaami. I just got to know. They want to spring this on us out of nowhere.”
“When?”
“Most probably tomorrow. Maybe earlier.”
“Do they have any evidence?”
“I’m not sure. But they don’t need evidence to arrest for a cognizable offence, you and I both know this.”
“Do me a favour, keep this to yourself for now.”
“Of course,” Samar nodded, his blood charged. “What are we going to do?”
“I’ll let you know.”
“We have to tell Qureshi, Adil and Zorji.”
“I know.”
Samar stared at him. Was he not involving him in this? Was he not telling him how to defend him? Was he not trusting him?
Samar’s charged blood began to cool. He waited for Atharva to say something more, to give him direction, to lay out the plan. Nothing.
Samar nodded, turned and walked away.
His body was still thrumming. He didn’t know what to do with it. He didn’t even know what it was thrumming for right now. At the storm that was coming or at how Atharva had sidelined him in the first line of defence.
————————————————————
“You will have heard some rumours by now,” Atharva addressed them at the crack of dawn the next morning. Samar stood by one of the glass walls. Qureshi and Zorji sat in the visitors’ chairs, probably only half as aware as he was at this point. But the occupant Samar worked doubly hard to ignore was Iram Haider. The Trojan Horse in their founders’ meeting. Sitting quietly beside Adil on the sofa.
“Not particularly,” Zorji said. His code for ‘I know but I’d rather hear from you.’
“It’s true,” Atharva announced. Samar glanced at the clock. 7.05 am. He was going to be taken before 10 am as per the latest intel.
“What’s your plan?” Qureshi asked.
“The detention can be an hour or a weekend. More if they have something incriminating.”
“Knowing Sayyid Butt,” Zorji mused, “it will be something big. He wouldn’t throw a wide net for you.”
Atharva glanced at Iram. “I have a contingency in place. We cannot leave the President’s position empty at such a crucial time.”
“I agree,” Qureshi said. “Samar will calm the ruffles in your absence and handle everything well.”
“No!” Samar cut in. He couldn’t step into a position of power with Sayyid Butt after him. Right now, he had plausible deniability, the front of Atharva not giving him exposure to confidential strategies anymore. As KDP President, he would lose that.
