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“Don’t even think about drinking that,” Krish interrupts me. We can’t trust what’s in that drink.”
“Who said I am going to drink it?” I reply. “Being at a party like this without a drink in my hand or a woman on my arm can attract unwanted attention. This drink is only for the pose, Krish.”
“You are right. But just be cautious. Manish will find you soon and give you the toy.”
By the toy, Krish means the gun that I’d asked for. In a place like this, where I am suspicious of everyone, I need something to keep myself safe.
“The woman on your right,” Krish interrupts me again. “She’s looking at you like she’ll gobble you up.”
Is she? I turn in the said direction, pretending to look around and see the woman in a shiny blue high-slit gown. She sips her drink while staring at me, then licks her lips in invitation.
“How I wish Meher was here to see this,” Krish continues.
I turn my back to her and continue to walk away, moving through the crowd.
“You are not being very helpful tonight, Krish. If Meher was here, that woman would have been a dead meat by now.”
Krish laughs while I contain my grin and continue scanning the surroundings for Raghav.
“Any update on Raghav?” I ask.
“We are still searching for him. There are hundreds of people here. We might need some more time to find our target.”
“We have only 45 minutes left,” I remind him, checking my watch.
“Now you are not helping me, Ayaan. You know how difficult it is to work under such tight pressure,” Krish complains.
I keep pushing through the crowd until I find Manish, who is serving drinks to people and is moving closer to me. Suddenly, I freeze as Manish slips a gun into my pocket. Our eyes meet briefly before he turns away, and I follow his gaze. There, across the crowded pub, a tall figure catches my attention. He’s facing the other way, but something about his posture is familiar—the way he holds his head high as he speaks, with his shoulders rolled back in a subtle swagger. As he turns, I catch a glimpse of his profile—the angular jawline, the sharp cheekbones, his jet-black hair and a slight bump on his nose near the bridge. His gravelly chuckle pierces through the din of the crowd as he throws his head back in laughter, and I just know it’s him.
It’s him.No doubt about it. The mask may hide Raghav’s eyes, but his mannerisms, his voice, and, most importantly, my intuition tells me it is definitely him. He’s finally within my reach, unaware that I’m here too, ready to confront him after all this time. My pulse races, but I force myself to remain calm and blend into the crowd. The element of surprise is my only advantage now, and I won’t waste it.
“I’ve spotted the target,” I say under my breath, my eyes fixed on Raghav as he moves through the crowd.
“Got him,” Krish confirms in my earpiece.
Raghav breaks away from the group of men and answers a phone call. I trail behind, keeping my distance. He doesn’t seem to notice me among the horde of masked patrons.
“Ayaan, don’t get too close until he’s alone,” Krish warns.
I hang back, slipping between partygoers, and focus intently on my target. Raghav is talking urgently into the phone now, his words drowned out by the pulsing music. I strain to listen, but it’s of no use.
I follow Raghav as he expertly weaves through the boisterous crowd and heads towards a darkened hallway in the back. Manoeuvring through the crowd, I struggle to keep up as he moves out of view.
“Ayaan...we have a problem…connection...breaking up...” Krish’s voice crackles in my ear, fading away. I stop in my tracks.
“Krish?” I whisper, but there’s no response. “Krish, are you there?” I ask again, this time a bit louder, my eyes fixed on the empty corridor where Raghav is making his way towards a door marked ‘Restroom.’
Krish’s voice fades away from my earpiece, leaving me in a state of panic. Shit! My backup has vanished. I’m on my own now. Although Krish may still be keeping an eye on me through the CCTV cameras, we can no longer communicate.
I am now alone in enemy territory, but I still decide to follow Raghav to the restroom. Suddenly, he stops and looks back. I quickly duck behind a concrete column, hoping it will conceal me. An agonising moment later, I hear the heavy door creak open and then close again. He’s gone inside. This might be my only chance to get him alone. Gripping my gun in my pocket, I stride toward the entrance of the restroom.
MEHER
An Hour Ago
As I enter Ayaan’s father’s room, carrying a tray with a pot of steaming hot tea, I realise that the room is empty. A quick look around confirms my suspicion that he is probably still downstairs with Bhaskar Uncle, discussing their social reform work. Making tea was my idea to distract myself from Ayaan and his mission tonight. Since he left for ‘The Roost,’ I have been unable to focus on anything. There is a niggling feeling inside me that something is not right. I don’t want Ayaan to fail or get hurt. But I cannot stop worrying about him until he safely and successfully returns home after having accomplished what he set out to do tonight. Unable to stay in my room and let these thoughts haunt me further, I decided to make tea for all of us and spend some time with his father. However, it looks like I’ll have to wait until he finishes his discussion or will have to drink this tea alone.
I’m about to head downstairs when I catch sight of the closet. The door is unlocked and is slightly ajar. It’s unlike Ayaan’s father to leave it that way. Although at first, I ignore, my instincts urge me to close it properly.
