Chapter 2 THE GAZE 2

They walked into the meeting room, where they were already expected

The room was cool and clean. After the hot and noisy streets of Calcutta, it felt like paradise

A long rectangular table made of dark oak stood in the center of it, with two people leaning over some papers. A young woman and young man turned around as they heard them coming in

" Captain, you've already arrived " The man walked over to Harry, smiled broadly at him and extended his hand for a hand shake not glancing at Lakshmi

" Good day, Mr Rose. I found our indologist " Harry said taking the hand shake

Only after that did Mr. Rose deigned to look at her

" Oh yes yes, and you are here too "

" Lakshmi Khan, at your service " Laks managed to squeeze out a grin, she had an unpleasant feeling

" Isn't it convenient being an indologist and half Indian at the same time? " Mr. Rose said

" I was raised and born in England " Laks replied ignoring his joke

" My ethnicity is irrelevant "

Laks walked past Mr. Rose without giving him a second glance

Mr. Rose, the task force leader immediately set to work on the papers he had been studying before their arrival not even bothering to introduce Laks

' No respect what so ever. He's clearly one of those people who believes that women belong in the kitchen, not at work ' Laks thought and decided to introduce herself first

" Lakshmi Khan " She said

The woman smiled gratefully and held out her hand in response

" Lima Berg, criminologist " she said while Laks looked at the captain puzzled

" A criminologist? Aren't we just looking for the diplomat? " she asked

" We have to be ready for anything " Harry walked over to Mr. Rose and began discussing something with him

' Ready for anything? What does it even mean? ' Laks thought not liking his reply

" Let's get everyone up to speed. Our task force is small, we don't need any publicity " Harry said

" That's right, captain, which is why I will only share with you the necessary details " Mr. Rose said

They sat at the table across from each other, listening intently. Harry handed Laks a document with important information

" Here's all the latest information on the diplomat. What time he flew in, What hotel he checked in at, Where he went, Where he was last seen. Study this document carefully, our job as you all know is to find the British diplomat. He arrived two weeks ago and five days ago he went silent " Mr. Rose explained

" What was the purpose of his visit to Calcutta " Lima asked

" That's classified. Officially, it was a diplomatic visit. However, he was tasked with obtaining some necessary information and relying it to the British government " Mr. Rose replied

" How are we supposed to investigate his disappearance if we don't even know the purpose of his visit. I don't understand what's going on. I was taken away from my work and sent on this important mission to India , but you won't even give me all the details? " Lima complained

" You don't have to know all the details " Mr. Rose said given the criminologist an arrogant look

" I agree, it's difficult to work when you don't know what's going on . Maybe you expect us to pull a solution out of thin air, but I don't see that happening. It's not very nice to be ordered to leave you home and sent to a foreign country just to investigate something so vague " Laks said as Mr. Rose listened silently, glaring at her

" Lima is right, don't expect us to be particularly productive given the circumstances " she said

Mr. Rose hissed at her through clenched teeth

" Anyway, Miss Khan, all you are going to be getting from me is this document. Nothing more, nothing less " Mr. Rose said

Laks started feeling a little tensed. There was no information, the higher ups were definitely keeping something from them, and everyone in the team was so different. And Laks needed to be able to work with all of them.

Lakshmi look over the members of the task force

' With you everything is crystal clear. You're a bully who thinks women are beneath him ' She thought furrowing her brows are Mr Rose

She turned to Harry with a raised brow ' And you're a no-nonsense and disciplined military man. I hope we will grow to understand each other, you and I ' she thought

She turned to face Lima ' And you...How did you end up here? A female criminologist in a male dominated law enforcement agency, where a lot of people are like rose. You are incredible ' Lima noticed Laks gaze on her and returned it with a friendly smile

Mr Rose unceremoniously gathered the papers into a stack and addressed everyone

" Go on, you need to get settled and get used to all of this. Read the documents, study it carefully. Tomorrow, we'll get to work " He looked at Harry

" Captain Jones,escort the ladies. It'll be safer that way "

Harry nodded curtly. Mr Rose left the room, slamming the door behind him

Lima exhaled noisily, throwing a sharp glare at the door " Who does he think he is? Does he think we can't take care of ourselves? "

" That's no it. It's just not safe for foreign women to travel anywhere on their own in India. Especially in poor areas, where people in lower castes live " Laks said

" Castes? " Lima said confused

" There's a caste system in India. Your future is determined by your family's caste. The upper caste have a lot, whereas the lower caste might have nothing " Laks said. Harry silently listened to their conversation, assessing Lakshmi

" That's sounds harsh! Why do they agree to live by such rule " Lima furrowed

" This is a very ancient system that has been in place for thousands of years. The caste system is sacred to some people " Laks said

" Are people in the lower castes considered dangerous? " Lima asked

" Not necessarily. But... the locals have a Bengali saying: Honey on the lips, poison in the soul. This means that you shouldn't believe everything that people tell you. Their true motives may be very different " Laks replied

Lima paused, thinking about something, then she shrugged " Well, I don't mind. I don't speak Hindi anyway " she said

" We are not just in Hindi. We're in West Bengal, there are many different dialects that I don't speak "

" That's why we need a military attaché " she said, glancing over at Harry

" Yes, and it will be much more easier for me if you don't go anywhere, especially alone " Harry said, and that was what they agreed on

After dropping Lima off at her hotel, Harry escorted Lakshmi by taxi to the house where she will be staying

Only three rooms remained in the small hotel that the Embassy's staff had picked for them. It was no surprise, given that the reservation was made at the last minutes

Mr Rose, Lima, and Harry were checked into the rooms

The staff at the British Embassy, however, found a local family who were happy to welcome Lakshmi into their home during her stay in Calcutta. Since she was the only one who speaks Hindi, it was thought more appropriate that she should be the one to stay with them

She waved Harry goodbye and got out of the taxi. When she heard the second door slammed, she turned around in suprise

" I will walk you to the door and we'll meet this family " Harry said

" Why? I can cross the road by myself " she crossed her arms under her breasts, giving Harry a surprised look

" Didn't you say that it's not safe in India? " he asked with a raised brow

" Yes, only in dodgy areas. This is a nice neighborhood and I am due to stay with a good family. The door is like forty feet away "

Harry frowned as he stared right at her with a stern look in his eyes

" Miss Khan, my job is to keep you safe. Please back off and let me work "

Lakshmi, seeing that she couldn't keep on arguing with him on the road decided to give in to him

" Fine, come with me. I don't mind being escorted straight to the door "

Despite his serious attitude, there was a glimpse of amusement in Harry's eyes