Page 22 of The Pursuit
Gunfire echoed through the phone.
“Sudesh? What the f*ck is happening?” I screamed, my heart racing.
We hurried back towards the waiting car, the mission updates continuing in tandem.
Sudesh’s voice came through, “Daniel is not here. There are a bunch of hostiles firing at us. They knew we were coming. They baited us with Daniel’s tracker.”
More firing sounded in the background, and the call got disconnected. If Daniel wasn’t in Kuala Lumpur, where was he? Just when this thought crossed my mind, my guards screamed behind us.
“Sir, watch your six.”
My soldier’s instinct kicked in, and I gently pulled Trisha behind a stall, gesturing for her to stay low. Men with guns appeared, fanning out to block our exit. Trisha’s eyes widened in alarm, but she kept silent, trusting my lead.
I cursed under my breath, angry at myself for letting our guard down and coming out in the open like this, puttingus in harm’s way. They were around ten men, and we were outnumbered and outgunned. Trisha was unarmed, while I only had my sidearm. It was clear—this was an ambush orchestrated by Max. His men must have been tracking us, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Gunfire erupted, bullets ricocheting off the walls around us.
I shielded Trisha, firing back at the assailants. “Stay down!” I yelled over the deafening noise. We were sitting ducks if we stayed put. I had to get Trisha to safety.
During a lull in the shooting, I grabbed her hand and made a beeline towards a nearby building. More shots rang out. My guards covered us, firing back as we crashed behind the walls, letting it barricade us.
“That’s Daniel and Marco,” Trisha screamed, crouching down beside me. Marco was Max’s right hand, his best man so far, his protector. And Daniel was with him, confirming he was a traitor who had made allies with the lawbreakers for God knows how long. But what were they doing in Singapore? They should have been in Malaysia. Did that mean Max was here too? F*ck!
“We can’t stay here,” I said, my voice tight with anxiety. The goons would be on us in minutes. I racked my brain for a way out. “Our car is on the other block. Let’s try to get there, okay?”
Trisha nodded, holding my hand again. As soon as we tried running to the other block, the gunfire erupted once more. Marco yelled and pointed his men at us as soon as he saw us. I kept firing behind, taking down two of their men before we took cover behind a dumpster, using it as ashield again.
“Damn it!” Trisha cried out. I could see the fire in her eyes, the fighter in her, unwilling to be trapped like this. “Give me a gun, Krish!” she yelled.
I hesitated. Her wounded shoulder couldn’t take the recoil. But I could see the determination on her face. She was a soldier to the core. With a grim nod, I called to my men positioned around the perimeter.
“Throw her a gun, now!” I commanded.
One of them flung a gun in our direction. Trisha caught it deftly and checked the clip. “Let’s take these bastards down,” she said.
I felt a swell of pride for this fierce, capable woman. We were in this fight together. We leapt out from cover, firing in tandem at our attackers. Marco’s men scrambled for cover, surprised by our bold counterattack. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as we advanced through the alley, using parked cars and corners for cover, leapfrogging each other.
Finally, we had a clear line of sight of Marco and Daniel. Trisha steadied her aim on Daniel while I drew a bead on Marco. Her eyes were steely with determination. These were the men who had hurt her, had nearly killed her. Taking them down was personal. No words were needed between us. We fired simultaneously, our shots echoing through the alley as they found their marks. I watched as Daniel and Marco collapsed, the light leaving their eyes. My guards were taking down the remainder of Max’s thugs at a distance. Trisha stood beside me, chest heaving with adrenaline and exertion, but thankfully unharmed.We had done it. We had survived the ambush and taken down two of Max’s most trusted associates.
I turned to Trisha, needing to see for myself that she was alright after the harrowing firefight.
“Are you okay?” I asked urgently.
In response, she threw her arms around my neck, her body pressing tightly against mine. Before I could react, her lips came crashing down on mine, fierce and hungry. I couldn’t determine whether it was the rush of adrenaline from narrowly escaping death or the satisfaction of successfully confronting the men who had thwarted her previous mission that prompted Trisha to kiss me. All I knew was that the taste of her mixed with gunpowder sent my senses reeling.
Instinct took over. I wrapped my arms tightly around her slender frame, crushing her body against mine as I returned her passion tenfold. Our tongues tangled together urgently, desperately, as months of pent-up tension finally exploded between us.
I slid one hand down her back, still clutching my gun, while my other hand threaded through her silky hair. I angled her head to deepen the kiss, claiming her mouth hungrily. She responded with equal fervour, moaning into my mouth as our bodies melded together. I could feel every curve pressed against me as she arched into my embrace.
Breaking the kiss to gasp for air, I trailed my lips down the graceful column of her neck. Her pulse hammered rapidly under my tongue. My hands roamed her back, tracing each contour as I pulled her impossibly closer, overcomewith need.
Trisha clung to me just as fiercely, nails digging into my shoulders. Tilting her head, she guided my mouth to hers again in a dizzying kiss that seared through my entire being. Nothing existed in those moments but her body against mine, our pounding hearts beating in sync as we got lost in each other. This changed everything, but it felt so right.
CHAPTER 9 (Enemy lines)
TRISHA
My lips were still tingling from the urgent kiss we had just shared. I was the first to break away, gasping for air. Krish’s dark eyes bored into mine, equally breathless. The tension that had been building between us for months had finally reached its breaking point.
