PRICE OF PASSION.

Elif had been missing since 8 pm and now it was mid night, every family member was seized with panic, fear, downheartedness and sadness.

At that moment, Ibraham entered in the room, everyone looked at him with hope but…his eyes were full of despair. Mr. Ahmet was looking strained and asked in monotonously “Why Ibraham? Why?”

Ibraham leaned on his knees in front of Mr. Ahmet and replied in anguish. “I am trying, dad please pray for her.”

The ringing phone interrupted their conversation. Upcoming number was unknown, he quickly picked up the phone

“Hello, who is there?” He impatiently asked.

“Guess, Ibraham Guess.” The shrilling and snicker laugh appeared from the speaker and left Ibraham speechless.

He suddenly looking pale, what if he had Elif? A sudden thought appeared in his mind and made him anxious and restless.

“Mr. Mehmet, what a surprise! “He quickly overcome on his emotions and replied coldly.

“Actually you have my file and I want that so…” Mr. Mehmet left the sentence incomplete.

“So what? Mr. Mehmet?” Ibraham sneered.

“You better know what I mean? Deliver me the file before 10 O’clock morning and take back what is yours.” Mehmet hung the phone

Ibraham guess was correct it was all done by Mehmet. “Ahmet…….” Hasibe screamed top of her lungs. Ibraham scurried towards his father and held him tightly

“Bring water Hasibe, quick” Meanwhile he phoned his assistant to call an ambulance, he tried to drop some water in his father’s tightly closed lips but failed. He carried him and hastened to the ambulance

“Hasibe stay at home, guards are outside no need to worry.” He abruptly said.

Ibraham was in a quandary how to tackle with this problem he didn’t want Elif to be hurt and the history repeat itself

“No, never.” He mumbled.

“Give him intracardiac injection hurry.” The conversation of paramedics pulled him out from his deep thoughts and made him panicked.

As soon as they arrived central hospital, he handed over his father to his friend who was a doctor and said, “Save him.”

Pelin, the doctor, with her team rushed to the patient, instead of giving answer.

His mind felt like it was shrouded in fog, each thought heavy and slow, as if wading through thick mud. He stared blankly at the operation theater. The last conversation of his father echoing in his mind.

“Why Ibrahim? Why did you opened this case, don’t you remember what happened to your mother, uncle and Elif’s mother? What do you want? Do you want me spend the rest of my life in regret? I don’t have much strength to lose you and Elif. Mehmet is not an easy target, he is a vicious man.”

He was lost deep in his memories when the doctor came out from the operation theater.

“Your father has a heartache, we have transferred him to the ICU, and after he stabilizes we will shift the patient in the room. You can visit him only for 5 minutes.” Doctor explained him.

He took a sigh of relief, and strode towards ICU, looked at him through the glass, and trudged outside the hospital.

It was 2:30 AM, crossed mid night. The sky, a vast expanse of deep indigo, was shrouded by thick, heavy clouds, hiding the comforting glow of the moon and stars. The world seemed to have fallen into a deep contemplative silence, where memories, both sweet and bitter, came flooding back, leaving a lingering ache. It was a night that made the heart heavy. Ibraham was standing in the middle of the road when a car stopped near him, a man got out from the car and stood in front of Ibraham.

“Is everything ok? How is uncle?” Sam asked hastily.

“Out of danger, thank God.” Ibraham replied.

“Ibraham, sorry, we are not able to track down Elif, we have checked all the whereabouts of jailbirds but still no result. Now what our next plan is?” Sam asked while giving the details.

“Mehmet has Elif.”

Sam was shocked with the answer and looked at Ibraham.

“He called and threatened me, we don’t have enough time, before 10 am I have to find his whereabouts, so garnered all. Wait, who else know about this case, I feel as if something strange is going on. There must be someone who leaked the secret.” A lady clicked in his mind, he phoned Hasibe. The phone was ringing but no one was attending, he was about to disconnect the phone when Hasibe picked it.

“heelo.” her voice was quivering.

“Are you fine Hasibe, is there any problem?” Ibraham inquired.

“Tell me something good, Ibraham.” She asked crying.

“Dad is recovering. There was a lady I saw at home that day who was she? Ibraham came to the point.

“Which one, needy ladies comes occasionally, be specific.”

Hasibe wanted to help him but didn’t understand which lady he was talking about.

“On that day when dad and I had an argument, she was very frightened and didn’t want to leave the house.” Ibraham explained.

“Ah… that one, Elif hired her for helping in the garden after listening her miserable story. She has been living with us for three months, but she had to leave the job because her husband was released from jail.” Hasibe told each and every detail she knew.

He hung the phone, no use for it. She was definitely planted by Mehmet. Right now he was thinking every possible bits and pieces. Sam was instructing his team to report on their allocated place, they both headed towards the place.

Their office was in a building that was hidden by native plants and grass, it looked like a landscape no one could recognized it, it was equipped with high speed internet via fiber-optic cables buried underground, private offices and meeting rooms were designed with soundproofing and were located in the deeper parts of the building for maximum discretion. These spaces were equipped with advanced technology for virtual meetings, ensuring high security and privacy, over all this hidden office building was a perfect combination of discretion, sustainability, and comfort, making it an ideal workspace that seamlessly blended with its natural surroundings.

There were 15 team members sitting around the table including Ibraham, their chief, Sam, his right hand, Maria, Sam’s assistant and others. Sam was hunched over the desk, deep in thought. His brow was furrowed as he examined a detailed map of the city. Maria, his assistant, stood beside him, a holographic tablet in hand. Maria swiped through various surveillance feeds on her tablet, projecting them onto the wall.

Ibraham was listening the recorded call on his phone again and again, he wanted to detect any clue that lead him towards Mehmet’s whereabouts. After listening it fifth time, he threw his mobile on the table and decisively looked at Sam and his team and said. “Ok, bring that file, I am handing that file to him, I shouldn’t risk her life, I think hand over this file and save her first, we can handle him next time.”

Sam interrupted, “Why don’t we make a fake file and fork out to that basterd.”

“He is not a fool damn it.” He jeered.

Ibraham took a deep sigh… “Sam I don’t want to lose my loved ones, now you all can go and take some rest, be ready at 6, I am waiting for his call.”

They didn’t want to but they had to toe the line, he was alone in the room putting his head on table and looking at the frame that he took out from his drawer, a smiling picture of Elif, always made his heart pound hard, he knew, his heart only beat for her though he repudiated it a lot of time. He starred at the lush chocolaty brown hair flowing down her shoulders and sighed. She never opened her hair but for this photo he had especially urged her to open them and she had done it just for him. Her olive coloured skin contrasted beautifully with her large brown eyes. She smiled as if she had no care in the world. Her eyes sparkling with trust and love. She starred back at him with adoration and he felt as if something had gripped his heart tightly.

It was the phone’s ringing that bought him out of his memories. He looked at the phone that was vibrating, sneered at the name, and picked it up.

“Spit out the location where I have to bring the file, do not put a finger on her if you want that file.’ He answered without letting him say a single word as he gently placed the photo back into the drawer.

“Burning in anger? Kuzey Korusu Konak, be on time, I am sure you won’t make any mistake, hand over the file to my right hand. I know you have read the file and know all about me.” Mehmet replied. Ibraham’s face was fuming with rage. He attached the phone with his laptop and tried to find the location, he knew he couldn’t trace him and deep-down he didn’t want to trace him, but Elif. The beep of system confirmed the location and suddenly stopped showing it, he marked it. He called everyone for urgent meeting; when all assembled, he quickly divulged them his plan to search the surrounding area of this location. All assented and left.

Its 5:45 in the morning, golden light of sun risen that symbolized new possibilities, air that was refreshing and they were ready to tackle that impossible situation. No one knew what this new day brought for them. They surrounded the area and one by one they started checking the buildings. This was the construction site sprawled across a wide, dusty expanse, heavy machinery, stacked materials, and partially completed structures made this place suitable for criminal activities. They were searching expertly and declared the buildings desolated.

Blood-curdling scream made all of them freezed at their places, while Ibraham’s heart stopped beating he recognized the voice, he rushed towards the building, entered, fearlessly, Sam was behind, covering him. Gangbangers were shooting blindly, the air smelled like a gunpowder, Ibraham was aiming a person who was standing at the door of corner room he was sure that Elif was in that room when Sam shouted “squat down Ibraham. But before he kneeled a bullet came from nowhere and hit his shoulder, blood burst out from the gash he turned at once and shot back, “ Sam cover me. I want to go corner room.” He ordered Sam while shooting the man and running. He entered the room… and …

He stood frozen in the doorway, his mind struggling to process the scene before him. Time seemed to stretch into an eternity as the reality of what he was seeing began to sink in. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears. He wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but his voice was caught in his throat. The overwhelming sense of loss and horror gripped him, rendering him utterly helpless in the face of the unimaginable tragedy before him.

The once vibrant face was now pale, blood was flowing from her shoulder and belly and making a pool around her, no sign of life.