18. Junoon

The distant ones were my first priority. I let the two closest to brother Bhargav follow him, keeping their eyes fixed on his every move.

They had no idea they were already outnumbered—not by brother Bhargav, but by me. Slipping deeper into the shadows, I quickly scouted the area. I could sense the rest of them, scattered across various vantage points, keeping their distance but never letting Bhargav out of sight.

'Hide Presence'

I moved swiftly, my steps soundless as I approached one of the men perched on a rooftop. He was focused on the street below, his body tense but unaware. In seconds, I was behind him.

I grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth with one hand and delivering a precise blow to his temple with the other. He crumpled without a sound, his body limp against the ledge. One down.

I pulled him into the shadows, making sure he was hidden from view. Then, I turned my attention to the next one. He was positioned a few buildings over, crouched low in an alleyway, communicating via earpiece with the others.

I could hear faint whispers as I closed the distance between us. His attention was entirely on brother Bhargav, and that was his mistake.

Sliding behind him, I snatched the earpiece from his ear and crushed it in my hand. He barely had time to register what had happened before I drove my elbow into the side of his head. Another one down.

I left him slumped against the wall, his form blending into the darkness. Now, there were only a handful left.

The remaining men were more spread out, likely thinking their distance would give them an advantage. But they had no idea who they were dealing with.

Moving like a predator through the night, I approached the next one. He was standing near a parked van, likely their escape vehicle. I slipped up behind him, grabbed his neck, and applied pressure until he went unconscious.

Three down.

The other two were more alert now, perhaps sensing something was off. I could hear faint chatter over another earpiece—something about losing contact with their men.

I grinned to myself. They were getting nervous.

Good.

I climbed up the fire escape of a nearby building, positioning myself above the last two men who were still following Bhargav from a distance.

They were on the move, trailing Bhargav through the narrow streets, unaware that they were already losing this game. I jumped down silently behind them, my landing soundless.

With two quick strikes to the neck, both men dropped like stones. I caught them before they could hit the ground, laying them carefully on the pavement.

Five down.

Now, only the two closest to Bhargav remained.

I could see them, still following my brother, confident that they were closing in on their prey. Little did they know, they were the ones being hunted.

I closed in on the first, moving so silently he didn't even flinch when I got within inches of him. In one fluid motion, I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him into a nearby alley, silencing him before he could make a sound.

The final one remained.

He was just a few feet behind brother Bhargav, his eyes locked on the target. He didn't even see me coming.

I stepped in front of him, dropping my Hide Presence for the first time. His eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, I delivered a swift punch to his gut, followed by a chop to the neck. He fell to the ground unconscious.

In less than a minute, it was over.

I stepped back into the street, my pulse steady. Brother Bhargav turned around, his eyes widening when he saw the two men on the ground.

"That's how you do it," I said, smirking.

Brother Bhargav exhaled, a mixture of relief and amazement on his face. "We should move. The rendezvous isn't far."

I nodded. "Lead the way."

As we continued down the street, the night felt different—charged with the excitement of the hunt. Whatever this "piece" was, it was close. And now, we were one step ahead of everyone else.

But something told me this was only the beginning.

....

The streets were quieter now, but the tension in the air was palpable. Brother Bhargav led the way through the narrow alleyways, his eyes scanning every corner.

Despite the calm, I could sense something lurking beneath the surface. The way the men were positioned before—it wasn't random. Someone had planned this.

We reached a small courtyard, dimly lit by a flickering street lamp. The rendezvous point was just ahead, but the uneasy feeling in my gut grew stronger. Brother Bhargav stopped and turned to me, his voice low.

"Do you think they'll come for us here?"

I glanced around, feeling the weight of the silence. "If they haven't already, they will soon. This setup wasn't amateur work. They know what they're doing."

....

As we moved forward, the atmosphere shifted again. My instincts screamed that we were being watched. I tightened my grip on the knife hidden in my sleeve.

Suddenly, the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the courtyard. I spun around, dropping into a crouch, and motioned for Brother Bhargav to take cover behind a nearby wall.

A figure emerged from the shadows, moving slowly toward us. It wasn't one of the men from earlier—this one was different. Taller, more deliberate in their steps.

I readied myself, adrenaline coursing through me. Brother Bhargav was tense, but his eyes were on me, waiting for my signal.

The figure stopped a few feet away, still shrouded in darkness. Then, a soft voice broke the silence.

"You've been busy."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped into the dim light, revealing a woman with sharp features, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"Does it matter? You're already in too deep."

'What the hell Junoon (Mouni Roy), this is bad.'

Brother Bhargav shifted beside me, his voice barely a whisper. "She's not alone."

I scanned the area quickly and realized he was right. More figures were closing in from all sides, moving silently through the shadows.

"Looks like we've got company," I muttered.

The woman smirked, her eyes never leaving mine. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

This was far from over.

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To be Continued . . .

Word count -1011