“Have you been smoking?” Rito demanded of the gruff voice that greeted her.
“Uh...no?” Laihan’s tone was defensive, his voice rough and husky.
Rito smirked. “Well, in that case you’ve been kissing. I’m not even sure which I’d prefer.”
“Jealous?” She could hear the laughter in his voice.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Ajera. What d’you know about the La Fantome club?”
Laihan chuckled. “And here I thought you missed me.”
“Aww my poor baby. I’ll buy you ice cream when I get to Weritlan.”
“You’re coming to Weritlan?” His tone was sharp. “What for?”
“It’s still a free country last I checked. I can go wherever I want. What’s gotten you so riled up?”
“Listen, Rito.” Laihan cleared his throat. “It’s just...this isn’t the best time, okay? There’s stuff going on around here...nasty stuff you don’t wanna be involved in.”
“Well, it’s too late for second thoughts. I’m coming. Now tell me what you know about that damned club!”
“Why’re you so interested in La Fantome anyway? You left the city the week before it opened for business.”
Rito sighed, stepping out of the cramped restroom and heading for the campus lawn. She needed some fresh air. “Remember Falguni? The girl I told you about, whom we’d rescued when I was volunteering at Pragati?”
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“Of course. The kid you always went to visit at that fancy boarding school uptown. She okay?”
“For now,” Rito said grimly. “She called me earlier today, terrified out of her mind ‘cause Afreen, one of the social workers who helped rescue her, disappeared while investigating that godforsaken club of yours.
“She’s my friend, Laihan. I need to find her. If she’s still alive, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try to help her. And I need to know what the hell is going on at that club.”
After a moment of silence, Laihan said, “So I’m guessing you read that article, huh?”
“I did. And I need you to tell me everything you know about La Fantome. Anything you left out of that article that I should know about?”
“What?” He laughed. “Like the fact that the place is owned by the daughter and son-in-law of the former deputy PM?”
Rito gasped. “You mean...Let me get this straight. You’re talking about Badal?”
“Yep. He’s your guy. His only daughter and her husband happen to be the owners of La Fantome.”
“Fuck.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Laihan chuckled.
“Well, you sit tight and don’t do anything stupid till I get there. I’ll be in Weritlan by tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll pick you up at the airport. But tell me, does your family know you’re playing detective and poking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Why would they care? It’s not like we’ve got a reputation to lose anymore, is it? Can’t stain a black coat and all that.” She snorted. “You know, it’s oddly freeing. To be able to do things without having to worry about what people will think, what the press will say, all that sort of crap. It’s been years since I’ve felt so...wonderfully anonymous.”
“Well, so long as your newfound anonymity doesn’t land me in a gutter with my throat slit, I’m cool with it. See you tomorrow, Shian. What’re you gonna tell your folks, anyway?”
Rito hummed, stretching out under a tree with a sigh of contentment. “I’ve yet to collect my transfer certificate from the University of Weritlan. It’s as good an excuse as any, I suppose. Oh, and Laihan, do me a favor, won’t you?”
“Yeah?”
“Do some digging on Sinya Haval. She’s the HOD of the Comparative Lit department here at Qayit University. See if you can find any connections between her and our club.”