Page 64 of The Pursuit
“One woman amidst a dozen vultures, and you think I would leave her alone?”
“Stick to the plan, Raghav.”
“F*ck the plan!” he replied before pulling away from me.
Knowing El Sangre was waiting for me to begin, and I didn’t want to give him or his men a chance to suspect us, I sashayed towards El Sangre, letting my hips sway exaggeratedly. His men hooted and hollered, their crude remarks making my skin crawl.
As I danced, my eyes scanned the room, looking for potential weapons, escape routes—anything that could give me an advantage. El Sangre watched me with a predatory gaze, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. I suppressed a shudder of revulsion, forcing myself to focus.
Then, an opportunity presented itself. El Sangre stepped too close, his hand reaching out to grope me. In a swift,practiced move, I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and using his body as a shield, I pulled the gun from his holster and shot him in the head.
Chaos erupted instantly as his lifeless body fell to the ground. The other guards raised their weapons. In that instant, I made my move. Pushing another guard aside, I fired at the nearest thug, then ducked behind an overturned table as bullets sprayed all around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raghav tense, hiding behind the pillar close to me. He looked ready to spring into action. Knowing there were men coming for Raghav from behind him, I threw my gun at him expecting him to seize the opportunity. It fell under his feet, and all he did was stare at it. He didn’t pick it up. What the hell!
“Raghav!” I screamed over the chaos. “Pick the damn gun!”
Raghav’s head whipped around, and a look passed between us—a silent communication that was so hard to decipher.
A bullet literally grazed my arm, but thankfully, it only left a bruise. I turned around to check on Raghav again, but he was a furious blur of movement by then, taking down man after man with ruthless efficiency. The gun was still lying down there, untouched. I immediately rolled to the floor, and taking back the gun, I shot a few more guards before tucking the chewing gum transmitter into my cheek, and I blew it, praying the signal got through to Krish. We needed backup… and fast.
The gunfire was deafening, the air choked with smoke. I picked off any man who came into my sights, but they just kept coming, like a relentless tide.
Then I heard it—the unmistakable sound of boots pounding against the ground. Krish and the team were here. A feral grin spread across my face. Krish and the others swarmed in, quickly disarming the rest of the men of the notorious drug lord El Sangre, whom I’d killed minutes ago. I did it! This was what I lived for—the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of justice served. And I couldn’t wait for whatevercame next.
KRISH
It was over! When me and my team took over the drug lord’s den, El Sangre lay at Trisha’s feet, cold and lifeless, his eyes wide open. She stood tall, her chest heaving, a look of grim satisfaction on her face. While our meticulously laid plans had veered off course, the mission was a success.
I didn’t know if I had to thank Raghav for fighting in here and not leaving Trisha alone or to yell at him for changing the plan. But relief washed over me, as I rushed to Trisha’s side, pulling her into a fierce hug. We had done it. El Sangre’s reign of drug terror was finally at an end.
The future seemed a little brighter, a little more hopeful as we left that dark place behind us. And yet, I knew our work was never truly done. There would always be another El Sangre, another threat to face. But for now, we had won, and that was enough.
We reached the safe house, a quaint villa in South Africa that Trisha and I had all to ourselves for now. Tomorrow, we would be flying back to Austria to meet Dad and submit the report of this mission. Then, the very next week, we would finally go on the honeymoon we had been eagerly awaiting for.
It took us a few more hours to wrap everything up at the dockyard and take full control of the place. As promised, Raghav caught the next flight back to India, not wanting to stay involved any longer than he had to. Trisha told me how he had stayed behind to help her take down El Sangre’s men, which relieved me and made me believe that he was indeed a changed man—someone we couldstart to trust.
Now, it was late evening, and Trisha emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and wrapped in a robe. I waited with the first aid kit, ready to tend to the bruises she had sustained during the brutal fight inside the building just hours ago. Although the medic team had already treated her wounds, they needed further attention to soothe them properly.
“I’m fine, Krish,” Trisha insisted, but I dragged her to the bed, making her sit.
“Those wounds need attention, and I’m going to help you,” I said firmly.
She rolled her eyes. “They’re just bruises, and they’re not even painful anymore.”
I didn’t relent. Giving up, she lowered the robe from one shoulder, offering me a tempting view of her smooth skin that made my breath catch in my throat. As I dabbed a cotton ball onto her bruise, she stopped me, her fingers trailing along my face.
“No medicine can cure the ache, Krish,” she murmured, her voice low and sultry. “But you... your lips, your touch...”
I clenched my jaw, trying to maintain my resolve. “Stop seducing me when you’re wounded, at least.”
She rolled her eyes again, pushing the medicine kit away before settling herself on my lap. My arms instinctively wrapped around her as she cupped my face and kissed me, her lips soft and insistent against mine. All thoughts of resistance melted away as I kissed her back, my fingerstangling in her damp hair.
Our kisses deepened, becoming hungry and desperate, as if we were trying to devour each other. Her robe slipped from her shoulders, baring her to me, and I trailed my lips along the delicate curve of her neck, savouring the taste of her skin.
“Krish,” she breathed, her nails raking deliciously down my back. “I need you.”
With a low growl, I flipped us over, pinning her beneath me on the bed. Her legs wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer. I untied her robe fully, taking in the beauty of her bare body, writhing beneath me, waiting for me to touch. There were a few bruises on her arm, her neck and one even on her abdomen from the previous fights she had in the missions, but they were part of her. And I loved her body, which was as perfect as the woman and the undercover agent she was. But these scars reminded me of something I had to tell her, and so I did.
“I spoke to Dad this morning,” I said. Trisha pulled me closer as I continued, placing a hot kiss on my chest.
