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“Now go before I change my mind and follow you to ‘The Roost’ myself.”
“You arenotcoming there, Meher,” I firmly declare. “Stay here and also make sure Dad doesn’t find out where I’m going or why?”
She agrees. Kissing her forehead, I make my way out to uncover the mysteries which have been hidden in the dark until now. The world knows that when a King goes after his adversaries, there is bound to be a showdown. And the countdown to that begins tonight!
CHAPTER 10
AYAAN
I stand in front of ‘The Roost,’ my heart pounding with a thrill as I take in the exterior of the pub. It exudes an undeniably mysterious aura from the outside, an allegedly sinister place that conceals secrets I’m here to uncover.
The building is constructed with dark bricks. The dimly lit neon lights adorn the walls, giving the exterior of the pub a peculiar charm and resemblance to a bat’s dwelling. There are intricate carvings of bats on the walls, linking the architecture with its name, ‘The Roost’. It is famous for its parties, especially like the one tonight, where all the VIP members of this club celebrate together. It’s as if the club and its patrons worship the very creatures that thrive in the shadows.
I take a slow drag of my cigarette, the ember glowing brightly in the darkness, as Krish hands me the wristband with the Bat emblem on it. His contact inside this pub, Manish, helped us get it.
“That’s your entry to the VIP level of ‘The Roost’,” Krish says, standing by my side. “I don’t want to dissuade you, but even I don’t have a good feeling about this, Ayaan.”
“You always tell me that during all our missions. What’s new in that?” I ask.
“I only say that whenyouare directly involved. Not otherwise. And a mission like this, where we can’t keep a constant eye on our target, is making me uneasy. It’s like shooting in a black hole. It’s a risk on a whole different level. Do you know what I mean?”
“When was the king ever afraid to take risks?” I ask, pulling out my Black King chess piece from my suit pocket and admiring it. I subconsciously rub the edges of the piece, drawing strength from it.
Krish rolls his eyes.
“Fine,” Krish shrugs, handing me the earpiece, and warns me. “Just stay connected, and do not make any last-minute plans. The mission goes as we planned and discussed. If you want to change the plan, you are to tell me so I can have your back. I’m not asking you to ignore your intuitions, but just keep your overconfidence aside for this mission. Am I clear?”
His bossiness makes me chuckle. I take one last puff of my cigarette before putting it out.
“You sound a lot like Meher today. I think you are taking her last warning too seriously. One scratch on her king, and you’ll face her wrath.”
Krish smiles wryly before squeezing my shoulder in support.
“Think whatever you want, buddy, but I want you safe. So, just stick to the original plan,” he says before making his way to the vanity van parked at a distance, where his team of three, equipped with the latest surveillance equipment, will monitor our mission.
Manish, an undercover agent within ‘The Roost,’ has given us access to strategically placed CCTV cameras. Every move I make inside the pub will be monitored by Krish. However, we only have a one-hour window since all our controls over the CCTV cameras will be blocked afterwards. This is because the pub has high-tech security that self-monitors for any hacking attempts every hour. If detected, it will draw attention to everyone inside with an alarm, putting our mission at risk. Therefore, we cannot take that chance as long as I am inside the pub.
I turn to Krish again, who has reached the vanity van and is watching over me. I give him a curt nod before putting on the brown eye mask with the bat emblem. Then, I fasten the belt of the wristband that grants VIP level access to the pub before making my way to the entrance.
If anything, this place exudes a truly eerie atmosphere that goes with their theme. The entrance is decorated with intricate stonework and huge pillars that depict bats in flight. As I draw closer, a musty, cave-like smell wafts from the open doorway. The faint thumping of music and muffled laughter from within adds to the intrigue, beckoning me inside. I step through the entrance arch and into the shadowy interior of the pub, which continues with the bat motif.
A few patrons turn to look at me as I enter, then go back to nursing their drinks. Since I’m wearing an eye mask, they are unable to tell who I really am. Keeping my façade, I move inside, pressing the earpiece to hear Krish’s voice.
“I am accessing the cameras now,” Krish says as I set my watch to a sixty-minute timer to synchronise with Krish and his team.
Whatever happens, I have to get out of this place before the timer runs out, otherwise Krish won’t be able to keep an eye on me, and my connection with him and the team outside will be cut off. I have only sixty minutes to track down Raghav and confront him.
“Cameras are on. The party for the VIP members is located to the left of the main seating area,” Krish adds.
I gaze towards my left and spot a massive brown door that separates this room from the party hall. Two guards stand on either side of the door to ensure that only VIP members can enter. They scrutinise the wristband I am wearing for verification and then proceed to open the door for me.
With that done, I step into the party hall, which is overflowing with people. The masquerade party is in full swing, and the guests are packed together, drinking and dancing. The music is so deafeningly loud that one would have to shout in the other person’s ear or use sign language to carry out a conversation. Thankfully, I don’t have to do any of that. Since Krish is connected to me through an earpiece, I can speak normally without raising suspicion or letting anyone know that I’m talking to myself.
Just as they cannot identify me, I, too, cannot find out who these people really are behind those eye masks. They could be anyone ranging from businessmen to politicians, celebrities to underworld figures. I scan the area and notice a large glass door on the far right end of the area. It appears to be unmanned, with only an electronic device resembling a smartphone positioned at the corner of the door, emitting a small yellow light. That’s the door I’ll need to cross if I want to reach the basement of this building, which is their secret operational base and where we believe the real dark dealings happen.Where I believe I’ll find Raghav! Thewristband I’m wearing is the one that will lead me through that door. All I need to do is scan this wristband to the electronic device mounted on the wall beside the door. The yellow light will turn green, and the doors will automatically slide open, allowing me entry to the basement level.
Although I want to go to the basement, my focus returns to the centre stage of the party hall, where the DJ is playing music. Behind him is a large Batman emblem on the wall, with neon lights sparkling as the Bat’s eyes.
A server offers me a drink, which I promptly take before looking around.
