Page 19 of The Pursuit
I emerged from my room, restless and bored from too much resting. Wandering into the living area, I found Krish intently watching something on the large TV screen. As I moved closer, I realised it was footage from the night at the club when everything went wrong—when Max discovered I wasn’t who I claimed to be.
“What are you doing?” I asked Krish.
He glanced over, pausing the video. “Reviewing the footage to see if I can spot anything about how your cover was blown,” he explained, his jaw tight with determination.
Of course. Krish had taken it upon himself to uncover the mole who exposed me. He felt responsible, somehow.
“It had to be someone from within,” I mused. “No outsider knew I was undercover.”
Krish nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Let’s watch what happens right before Max is informed.”
He rewound the video to the moment when one of Max’s men, Marco, stepped away to take a phone call. We watched closely as Marco moved to a secluded corner of the club and spoke with a figure in a dark hoodie.
“Who is he?” I asked urgently.
“Let’s zoom in and find out.” Krish enlarged the footage, adjusting the contrast. As the figure turned slightly, recognition jolted through me.
“That’s Daniel!” I exclaimed. “He was our insider, giving us intel on the drug cartel.” Shock coursed through me at the betrayal.
Krish’s expression was grim. “Looks like he was playing both sides. Tipped off Max to save his own skin.”
My mind reeled, trying to make sense of it. Daniel had seemed totally loyal to our cause. But he had sold me out in the end. The ultimate betrayal. Sensing my turmoil, Krish touched my shoulder gently.
“We’ll find Daniel and make him pay for this. He won’t get away with it.”
His reassurance calmed me slightly. We now had a target for retribution. A loose end to tie up so we could find closure. I was more than eager to tackle the man responsible for nearly costing me my life and undermining months of careful undercover work.
I paced the room impatiently as Krish called Sudesh, my team leader, to assemble a team to bring Daniel in. That traitor had to pay for betraying us, for nearly getting me killed.
As soon as Krish hung up, I jumped in.
“I need to be part of the team that takes Daniel down.”
Krish’s eyes flashed angrily. “Absolutely not. You’re benched, remember?”
“But I know Daniel better than anyone—his connections, his hideouts. I can help track him faster.” I stood firm.
“You’ll advise remotely, that’s it,” Krish said sharply.
Frustration boiled up in me. “You can’t keep me sidelined!You can’t stop me from being involved in bringing Daniel in, Krish,” I insisted, feeling stubbornness rising. “This ismymission.”
Krish moved closer, his voice softening. “Trisha, I know it’s your mission…”
I cut him off as anger spilled over. “I need to fix this, Krish. The sooner we wind up this thing, the sooner I’ll come out of that guilt. I can’t just sit here uselessly after everything I sacrificed was destroyed.”
Suddenly, Krish’s hands were cupping my face, forcing me to look at him. “None of this is your fault,” he implored. “You dedicated months undercover, and made incredible sacrifices. It was Daniel’s betrayal that ruined things, not you.”
I shook my head, a lump forming in my throat. “If I had just been more careful, suspected there was a mole...” My voice cracked as emotions spilled over.
Krish stepped closer. His touch was comforting and electrifying all at once.
“Don’t do this to yourself,” he murmured. “What’s done is done. Now we pick up the pieces and keep fighting.” He gently caressed my cheeks with his thumbs. “Together.”
I blinked back tears, the warmth of his hands soothing away some of the sting. “I just need to fix this, Krish,” I whispered. “Make it right again.”
He nodded slowly. “I get it. And we will, I promise you. But you need to heal first.” His eyes were full of compassion. “Guilt helps nothing and no one. All it does is eat away at you from the inside.”
I let out a shaky breath, my frustration dissipating. Krish was right—self-blame wouldn’t change what happened. All I could do was learn from it. With Krish by my side, I could handle anything.
