Page 13 of The Pursuit
“Just tired,” I lied with an apologetic smile. Over his shoulder, I saw one of his men approaching with some news. Back to work, back to the mission at hand.
My personal feelings would have to wait. I had a job to do. But that didn’t stop my traitorous heart from whispering Krish’s name, wondering where he was tonight under the same lonely moon.
I tensed as Max’s men approached our table with urgent expressions on their faces. This was unusual—normally, any sensitive information was discussed freely in front of me. I was just Max’s ditzy model girlfriend, totally harmless in their eyes.
But the way they glared at me now, full of suspicion... something was very wrong.
“We need to speak with you privately, boss,” one of the henchmen muttered to Max under his breath. Max’s expression darkened, but he nodded.
“I’ll be right back, babe,” he said casually to me, but his eyes were hard as steel. I sipped my drink slowly and nodded, watching them out of the corner of my eye.
They moved to a secluded corner, speaking in hushed, heated tones. Max’s body language was rigid, his fists clenching at his sides. My pulse spiked with fear, but I kept my face neutral. As he listened to whatever news his men conveyed, his head whipped around to stare at me, pure hatred in his gaze.
My blood turned to ice as I watched Max and his men. Their heated whispers and furtive glances in my direction were enough to give me clues.They knew.Somehow, they had discovered my true identity. They knew I wasn’t who I claimed to be, and it was evident in the barely contained rage I saw in Max’s eyes.
I had to figure out what exactly they knew first. Buytime to assess the situation before they inevitably tried to take me out. My fingers tightened around my drink as I watched the tense conversation, barely breathing. Waiting for the axe to fall.
Max’s hand slid inside his jacket, and I saw the unmistakable outline of a gun. He turned towards me with murder in his eyes.Shit!Time was running out. I had to act now. My mind raced through options, but I felt trapped. I was deep in their territory, outnumbered and outgunned. Max and his men could kill me in seconds if I made one wrong move.
In one smooth motion, I slipped my hand under my dress, clutching the gun strapped to my thigh. With a practiced motion, I drew it out. Screams erupted around me as people around saw my gun. Max whipped around at the sudden commotion, momentarily distracted. I took aim and fired a single shot into the ceiling. Chaos exploded. The crowd panicked, stampeding for the exits when they heard the gunshot. Using the confusion to my advantage, I flipped my table up, seeking cover behind it.
Max bellowed in rage, drawing out his weapon. Bullets peppered the table as I shielded myself behind it, feeling the wood splinter around me.
“I need cover,” I screamed, speed dialling my team. “Code Red, I need backup now. Fast.” I repeated before disconnecting the call.
I had to get out of here, fast. Crouching low, I crept along the perimeter of the room, firing shots to keep Max and his men at bay. I was almost to the fire exit when a bullet grazed my shoulder, but I gritted my teeth against the pain.
Get to the exit, Trisha. Get out. You can make it.
With a final sprint, I burst through the door, sirens already blaring in the distance. The mission was blown, but I was still breathing. Blood oozed from my shoulder, but I kept running. There was no going back now. All my months undercover, wasted in one moment. And after this, I knew Max would be after me relentlessly. As I disappeared into the dark city streets, my right arm throbbing, only one thought echoed in my mind.Run.Just run, and somehow make it out of here alive and reach the safe point where my team can pick me up.
My shoulder screamed in pain as I ran down the dark alleyway. With every step, I could feel more blood soaking my dress from the bullet’s graze. But I couldn’t stop.
Max and his men were close behind, their menacing threats echoing off the buildings. I had to make it to the rendezvous point where my extraction team would be waiting. My vision started to blur at the edges. How much further? I clung desperately to consciousness—passing out here would mean certain death.
Suddenly, a black van screeched around the corner ahead. Relief flooded through me.My team.With my last ounce of strength, I flagged them down. The van skidded to a stop, and strong arms pulled me inside, shutting out the pursuit and taking me to safety.
“Go, go, go!” came the urgent command as the van veered back into the street. Just then, bullets peppered the side of the vehicle—Max’s men had caught up to us. I collapsed onto the van floor as my agents returned fire through the rear window. The pain in my shoulder made me flinch, but someone quickly applied pressure with bandages tomy shoulder to stop the bleeding. We were speeding away from the danger now, but I was spent.
“Trisha, look at me! Stay with us!” My team leader shouted as everything started turning hazy, fading into nothingness. I had completed my mission and made it out alive, but only barely.
As I lost my grip on consciousness from the blood loss and sheer exhaustion, my last thoughts were of Krish. Would he hear what happened? Would I ever see him again...?
The world slipped away into darkness. But I had survived, and that was enough for now. Help had come, and I was safe.
CHAPTER 6 (Got You)
TRISHA
I awoke with a gasp, my eyes flying open. For a moment, panic gripped me as I tried to get my bearings. The sterile white hospital room, the IV in my arm... then it came back in a rush. Max, the ambush, getting shot by his men at the club, and still alive.
As I struggled to sit up, the ache in my bandaged shoulder jolted me. I had survived, but only narrowly. Although the bullet that struck my shoulder hadn’t penetrated the skin, the throbbing ache persisted. Touching the wound gingerly, I exhaled in relief. It could have been so much worse. I was lucky.
Reaching for the cup of water on the bedside table, I paused. There was a hand holding it out to me already. My eyes followed up the arm to the face I knew so well.Krish.
I froze, the cup halfway to my lips. What was he doing here? How did he even know what happened? Confusion swirled in my foggy brain.
“What are you doing here?” I asked hoarsely once I found my voice again.
