RESONANCE Read Online Free PDF Page A

but I have all the money in the world to shower on this Miss High and Mighty."
    Iyer planned to lie low for a decade and then, in his new avatar, pursue his long-standing hobby of lobbying for big business houses, arbitration of big stakes on money, politicking on sensitive issues and occasional liaising with government officers. Even though these activities were fraught with danger, he just could not live without those old habits.

Taj Mahal Hotel
    Aban came back to the living room and found Nausheen still watching television. The media was airing minute-by-minute accounts of death and destruction. A television commentator was reporting from Hotel Taj Mahal at the Gateway of India, Mumbai. His camera operator panned on to a window from where the NSG commandos were rescuing many guests using a ladder.
    The camera zoomed in and Aban's face lit up, but soon became anxious when he spotted a young girl who showed up at the window. "Oh God! What the hell is she doing there?"
    "Who is she?"Nausheen looked surprise.
    "She is Juhi. She studies at Cornell. We know each other."
    "How much?"Nausheen's interest spiked up.
    "Not much. A bit."Aban turned his gaze away. "I need to talk to her. She must be feeling terrible."
    "Hold on, Aban. It is not a good idea to dial Mumbai at this time. The Indian intelligence agencies must be monitoring each call from Pakistan."
    "To hell with them! I'm concerned about her. I don't care what they think."Nausheen wanted Aban to understand the danger, but he would not listen. "Her father is the Indian Ambassador to the US. Nothing will happen, Ammi ."
    "I'm really worried for you, my son. The situation is quite messy. You may be inviting big, big trouble."
    Aban found himself trapped in a tight spot. He had to heed his father's warning and conceal the fact from Nausheen that he had heard gunshots in his father's car. He was also worried sick because his father's phone went unanswered and Juhi was caught up in a life and death situation.
    " The sweetest joy, wildest woe is love." Aban struggled to avoid his mother's prying eyes while he called Juhi several times. However, it seemed the cell phone networks were clogged.
    Nausheen could clearly see the fretfulness in her son's eyes. She drew closer to Aban. "Don't do anything that your father would disapprove of."
    "Someday, I will explain everything to Abba ."Aban turned his gaze away from his mother. Fervently, he tried one more time and the line connected. Aban ran to his room, escaping his mother's probing eyes and cocked ears.
    However, Nausheen heard a few sentences, "Hi sweetie. I was scared to death when I saw you on television…"
    Nausheen stood in silence in the living room, feeling shut out of her husband's and son's lives. The disquieting sound and the gory pictures on TV did not interest her anymore. Exhausted, Nausheen opened the window and stared blankly into the darkness that had spread outside.

Bugged
    The Intelligence Bureau of India (IB) had mounted surveillance on the elusive Imran Shah Malik for the last two years. To their utter frustration, he was too hard to pin down because he never left a trail of his movements, not even accidentally. There were no lapses on his part.
    Although a few laptops and an iMac at home were connected with Airport Extreme Base Station, the Mac Pro of Imran Shah Malik's study room was entirely isolated from the outside world. It was never connected to the Internet and so was not accessible to anyone intending to ping into that computer. He had taken extreme care to turn off any sharing: file, printer, Xgrid, screen, web, remote login, everything. He preferred to use USB keyboard and mouse, instead of the latest Bluetooth version. The Bluetooth was always turned off. The Ethernet port was never wired. He loved to work on an ultramodern machine in the most archaic way. Perhaps, one could say, the most modern way!
    Imran Shah's cell phones and landline phones were highly encrypted and therefore completely