'Will I die as the hero or the villain?'
.
Burn the Fire with their Fire.
She had promulgated the chances of Maaz ordering a massacre as soon as he listened to the names, so she opted for the safer option and decided on waiting to tell him.
"What the fuck?" He didn't realize but he was holding the phone so tight that it could break, or he'd break it voluntarily. The information was a little hard to process. He had just finished another meeting with Hammad begging him to come back to America and he was frustrated.
"They did,"
"Tell me who and they won't see the light of day for the rest of their lives, they'll rot," His voice didn't even waver for a second, this was it, the moment he was waiting for all his life, and he finally knew he was right about his mother and as much as he hated Ayat being dragged into this, she was a big part of him and his family now and because of her all the dots were joined and concluded.
"Um... I think it's best if I tell you face to face," Her skittish voice made it clear she was not ready to tell him on phone. Not after listening to his lethal threats and the fear of him doing something rash.
"Tell me," His voice was persistent and he was boring holes in the wall in front of him, he couldn't wait to see the people who took away his childhood suffer.
"I..." Her voice was getting heavier and heavier. "Just come at my house, my parents are waiting for you as well,"
He wanted to tear through the walls and get to her house, but this was life, the traffic was crazy and it felt like everything was coming together and falling apart at the same time. As soon as Sara opened the door. Maaz's heart dropped three levels, it was the second time he'd seen after he found out about her being his aunt, and it was the second time he's had tears in his eyes.
"Come inside. I have tea and snacks, and..." Sara said hesitating.
"Ayat told me about it, but she didn't tell me who," He followed Sara to the living room where Ayat, both her brothers and her father were sitting.
"I told her to not talk to you since you're getting married anyways but she is so stubborn," Sara laughed. Ayat hadn't seen her mother this vulnerable, she had always been a strong and determined women, this is exactly where Ayat got her determinacy and her courage to speak her mind, but it were those times where all the family was in a fragile state. Despite Sara's attempt to lighten the mood, everyone had straight faces.
Maaz gladly took the place beside Ayat's brothers, he had a big presence and personality and for the first time Ayat was so fucking afraid of telling him that she felt like a quivering leaf. He waited for her to do something about it but she stuck their looking at him like a hawk.
"Drink water," Maaz ordered her. The audience beside them were surprised.
"Come on damn it, drink some water you are going to faint," Maaz got up and pour water from the jug and handed it to her. She took the water from trembling hands and put it at her lips, a little water spilled on the sides as she gulped it down, he sat on his knees in front of her at her at eye level and she just said what was making her so impeccably nervous.
"Don't do anything rash,"
Maaz sighed listening to her small voice. "I can't promise what I can't keep,"
"Please beta," Sara said, her eyes were wishing some assurance, and now that everyone was aware of his occupation they were a little concerned. A lot at that one.
"I am listening," He said composed since he wasn't in the mood of behavior bargains.
"Mom?" Ahsan asked. "Should I go ahead?"
"Yes,"
"We're going to cut to the chase," Ahsan said. "It's Javed Chaudhry, he killed your mother,"
Although Ahsan didn't say it but Maaz mind was quick to realize, he was the one who killed his father as well since he was alive when he died. He was taken aback and highly disoriented in his mind, his mind hadn't ever been this fazed and unsure, it felt like a truck had hit him. Javed Chaudhry was the only man he thought had loved him after his father.
"And as far as his son is concerned we are not sure if he was involved in anything," Arsalan added. For Arsalan and Ahsan it was comforting as it was for Ayat's parents to hide the ugly side of their lives from their little one, but now they felt paranoid.
"I know what he fucking did and his bastard son," Maaz got up in anger. It felt like alarms in front of Ayat, it was no shocker she had expected him to act this way.
'He could put the show anger management to shame'
Haya's words ringed her memory as she sat there clutching the sofa so tight that her nails hurt.
"And now that you've found this out, we want you to let the police handle it, because Javed Chaudhry did it due to the acres of land he had impounded of your fathers so we need some legal force to handle this and all the investigation that goes with it," Arsalan faced him. Ayat was the one who suggested this, because she was the only one who was seeing the bigger picture of Maaz handling the situation.
Maaz respected them all so much, but nothing was up to notch with this morbid plan, he was the one who needed to handle it and make them suffer, he was the one who deserved to decide what needed to be done with those monsters and he'd become devil if he had to, to punish them.
Although Javed had died of cancer but Khawar had troubled him all his life as well, first undercover he tried to sabotage Shahzain's political career, been shit to Danial all his life and attempted to get Ayat raped.
"There is no police coming, I am handling this on my own," Maaz said already dialing a number.
"Please, son," Ayat's father said. "We are giving our daughter to you and just because we trust you to make the right decisions in future. You need to put an end to this black lifestyle, you have a well established business on your hands, besides there are a lot of things ahead...good things, things that are going to make you happy and satisfied,"
Maaz didn't look convinced, so Ayat came ahead. "I know you want to, you've been looking for a sign, this is the sign, you won't need to do it anymore. You'll be safe. I will be safe," Ayat said.
"You all are being unfair to me," Maaz said, but it was seeping in. He was realizing how tiring his lifestyle really was, but he had made a lot of enemies along the years to just quit suddenly.
"Do it step by step, first let the police handle this situation and then let go of everything else," Arsalan suggested.
"I need some air," Maaz got up.
"Can I talk to him alone?" Ayat asked her parents, they nodded their head and she walked Maaz towards her room and locked the door, and he'd quit it for her, everything for her.
"Do you really want this?"
"I do," She broke. "I love you so much, and I can't keep living in the fear that something or someone is going to ruin it,"
"It's not child's play,"
"I know...but I don't want to die because of Khawar..."
"Who told you that motherfucker could even touch a strand of your hair? You're the most important thing to me,"
"That is why I don't want you to do something that's going to get you in trouble,"
"And you think Khawar is not going to name all the things I do to the police when he's caught?" Maaz asked. He was a cunning one.
"You and I both know, he can't prove anything, your security is uptight, as far as I am concerned police cannot take you down, but once this mafia war starts between the two of you, it's going to kill everyone and that's why I can't let you do this...because it will kill me,"
Mafia war, the bigger picture she was looking at.
"Why are you saying that?"
"Because it killed my one year old twin brother..."
"What?..."
"I don't want to end up dead like him, and I've heard about these wars, its a massacre, don't do this and I know what you'll say Khawar is too weak to call upon a war but we both know he could be plotting something in all this time he's been hiding, maybe growing his army? We don't know anything," Her voice cracked and this was it for Maaz. He was going to do it for her. He felt so exposed in front of her and he felt like she could turn him from each side and won't even complain.
"I was not going to say any of that. I will let the police handle it, but I do not promise anything further. I know your parents think I am going to get in trouble, but you're right I am not, not due to police but mafia is going to put everyone in danger, so I'll keep my anger at bay because that what lovers do, they sacrifice and you're worth it all," He cupped her face, joining their foreheads. Their heart beat in harmony. He kissed her forehead.
"Thank you so much for this," She cried.
"You're the string that I hold onto when I am losing control," He squeezed her waist lightly, and she felt overwhelmed with his presence and all the emotions. "After all that's what all hot fiancé's do,"
That made her laugh. He laughed with her looking at her doe eyes that were so pure just like when he had seen her the first time in one of the match practices jumping and hugging her brother.
"We are not engaged," Ayat mentioned distancing herself a little and it was refreshing to see her preserving herself for the special day.
"And we'll never be,"
The smile on her face suddenly faded, like a bomb had been dropped on her.
"Stop looking so horrified, we'll be married, we're going to jump the engaged part..." A smirk appeared on his face. "Because I... cannot resist you anymore future Mrs. Chaudhry,"
"Thank god we are not skipping the wedding part," She muttered in nervousness. He took the chance to tease her.
"We certainly can," He closed her up. She ran on top of her bed and he ran after her, she laughed as he ran to catch her. Their buzz was short-lived as they heard a voice from outside.
"Okay I hear a lot of laughter, out you two," It was Arsalan standing at the door.
"Don't tell me he's been here all this time," Maaz muttered stopping.
"How'd I know?" She muttered back. His stare prolonged and they finally laughed again because they realized that no one could stop them from doing anything when they are married, because they felt like nothing could hurt them when they were with each other, because it felt like they could burn the fire with their fire.