Abhijat frowned. “All of which could’ve been unearthed and brought to light via an official investigation. And it wouldn’t have required you to walk around in a frock, drenched in glitter.”
“It’s not a frock,” Fasih said absently. “And it’d have been too late. The owners of this club are powerful people. They have the local authorities in their pocket, including the police. How else do you think this operation’s been carried on for months in one of the city’s main commercial districts, without anybody noticing that something was amiss?
“An official investigation, ordered by the central government, would simply have spooked the local authorities. This whole setup would be gone by the time a team from the NIA arrived to investigate. It’d just ensure we never came to know the truth about the Amven prototype they’re using here.
“Besides, by the time an official investigation was greenlighted, it’d have been too late to save any of the boys and girls trapped here. These kids would’ve been sent off to the next destination, perhaps even abroad, before an NIA agent got within a hundred feet of this club.”
“You expect me to believe you decided to dress up like a tramp high on ecstasy out of concern for some wayward kids from rural Eraon?” Abhijat sneered. “Besides, from what I’ve seen, they seem quite happy to be here.”
Fasih flinched like he’d been slapped. “I don’t care what you believe, Shian,” he said icily. “But even you can’t be so ignorant as to not know the basics of how Amven affects people. That damned drug has been all the rage in Qayit for over a decade now. You couldn’t watch the news for a week without hearing it mentioned–”
“What’s your point?” Abhijat snapped.
“My point is that Amven – or at least most prototype versions of it – makes you passive…docile and compliant. Less aggressive; more willing to follow orders.
“Do you get it now? These kids are happy to be here. They’d be happy to jump in front of an oncoming train, if ordered to do so.” He looked Abhijat in the eyes, letting the words sink in. “Which makes it the perfect drug for this sort of an operation. After all, you can’t rape the willing.”
His hands clenching into fists, Abhijat looked away. “Fine. I’ll help you get inside the sanctum if you think that’ll help,” he said through gritted teeth. “But why do you need me to get in there, anyway?”
Jehan leaned against the tiled washroom wall and pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Those kids you saw outside in the hall…they were drugged, yes. But the dosage administered to them was pretty low.
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“The inner sanctum…that’s a whole different ball game. From what I’ve observed, that’s where you’ll see what the Amven drug can really do. The escorts who go in there are far more heavily drugged than the ones outside. And I believe that’s where they’re holding Afreen, the social worker I was talking about. Who knows, you might find your man in there as well.”
“So why haven’t you gone in yet?”
“’Cause I can’t go in alone. That door is heavily guarded round-the-clock. The only way to get in is with a client. And the clients can’t go in by themselves, either. They have to book a suite beforehand, and be accompanied by at least one escort. Did you notice that woman sitting at the desk near the back door?”
Abhijat nodded. “What about her?”
“To gain entry into the sanctum, a client must book a suite at the desk. It’s not cheap, but the money isn’t really for the room. The client is given a keycard to the suite, and the escorts accompanying him are given a shot of Amven. You know, to ensure that they’ll remain pliable and obedient inside. From what I’ve noticed in the past few hours, the dosage is pretty much as high as you can go without risking an overdose.
“Obviously, I couldn’t allow myself to be drugged out of my mind in the company of a stranger. Even I’m not completely immune to the effects of the drug, and with that high a dose…I couldn’t risk it.
“But of course, that’s not a problem anymore,” he grinned. “Now you’re here, I can just go in with you. I thought it was over when I saw you picking a fight with those guards. But guess what, your presence mightn’t be a total disaster after all.”
He walked over to the mirror and carefully smudged some of the makeup on his face.
“What’re you doing?” Abhijat asked.
“Well, we don’t want it to look like we were in here all this time having a heart-to-heart, do we? Anyway, once we get into the sanctum, we can wait inside the suite until the drug wears off. It shouldn’t take too long. Like I said, I’m largely immune. And you can always punch me or something if it takes longer than expected.
“After that, we'll check all the other suites and see if we can find Afreen or your guy in any of them. If everything goes according to plan, the whole thing shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
“Okay, just back up for a second here. Are you suggesting I take you into this sanctum pretending to be your ‘client’?”
“Obviously. How else would you do it?”
“And you plan to get drugged up to your gills while we’re at it?”
Jehan shrugged. “It’s the only way in. It doesn’t matter, though. Amven isn’t particularly addictive, and it doesn’t cause any pain. Withdrawal is minimal, and would only manifest after multiple doses anyway. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Abhijat laughed, but the sound rang hollow and humorless even to his own ears. “Docile and compliant, you said. God, I’d gladly pay to see that. You sure being locked in a room with me while under the influence of your wonder-drug is the brightest idea you’ve ever had? What’s to say I won’t take advantage of the situation and make you do something you don’t want to?” He bared his teeth in a predatory smile. “Like sign a resignation letter, maybe.”
“Because, as my head of security, it’s your sworn duty to protect me.” A seraphic smile appeared on his shimmering lips. “And the Shians, you know, are nothing if not dutiful.”