Ava's heart pounded as she and Anish made a quick dash into a small alley, the street noise trailing after them. She felt the heaviness of her decision settling in—she had left the café in a rush, unsure whether she had made the right decision. But now there was no going back.
Her brother dragged her into the cover of a dark corner, looking over his shoulder, ensuring they weren't being trailed. His breathing was labored, but his expression was unyielding. Ava couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Anish had always been the guardian, always the one to protect her, but now, she was dragging him into something sinister, something they didn't comprehend.
"What's going on, Anish?" Ava breathed, trying to keep her voice steady despite the trembling inside her. "Why are they searching for me? What is going on?"
Anish scanned their surroundings once more, his expression tense with worry. "I don't know all the details, but I've been doing some research. When you went to the lab last night, I began to worry. I think… I think someone has been observing us for quite some time now, Ava. Observing 𝘆𝗼𝘂."
Her stomach churned at the idea. "Why me? I don't get it. I'm just looking for Uncle Vikram."
Anish swallowed hard. "It's not about your uncle, Ava. You're caught up in something much larger. That's why they're chasing you. Whoever these individuals are, they don't want the truth revealed. And they'll do anything to ensure that it isn't."
Ava's breath caught. The gravity of the situation was crushing. She had believed she could manage this—her uncle's vanishing, the odd links she had discovered—but now it seemed like she was in far too deep. "I don't know who to trust anymore, Anish."
He moved forward, setting a hand on her shoulder, his hold hard. "Trust me. I'll always have your back, Ava. You just have to be careful, though. These individuals. they have means. They know it all about us. They maybe even know that you're sitting with me currently."
Ava's head reeled as she tried to make sense of his words. How was it possible for one person to have so much power? So much control? Her uncle had been working on something significant, something risky, but what? And why had he not told the family?
We must know what Uncle Vikram was doing," Ava said, resolve building in her chest. "If we can get some answers, we can put a stop to all of this. We can finally have some peace."
Anish nodded, though his face was filled with worry. "I do agree. But we must be cautious. This is not something we can do on our own.
Ava was about to respond when a car screeched to a halt in front of the alley, and before she could react, a man stepped out from behind the vehicle. His face was obscured by the shadows, but Ava's heart skipped a beat when she recognized the voice.
"Don't run," Rohit called out, his tone a mix of frustration and something darker. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Ava stiffened. She hadn't expected to find him here, not now. But the tension was thick enough to cut. The last she had seen him, he had been standoffish, cold even, but now he was closer than ever—and he was talking as if he already knew it all.
Anish positioned himself in front of Ava. "Leave her alone, Rohit. I don't know who you are, but I won't let you use her."
Rohit held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his gaze raking over Anish. "I'm not here to harm anyone, Anish. I'm attempting to assist your sister, even if she doesn't realize it."
Ava swallowed hard. Her brain was racing. "Why are you here for real? What's happening, Rohit? Who is this? Who's trying to harm us?"
Rohit's face softened, but there was still a coldness in the back of his eyes. He looked at her, and for the first time, there was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. "I know you have questions, but now is not the time to ask them. Someone's been following you, Ava. We're not safe here."
"Then where are we going?" Ava asked tightly. She did not know whether to trust him or not, but the tension in his tone assured her that staying here was not possible.
Rohit glanced between them before he talked again. "I have a place. Just come with me, but stay quiet. Nobody can know that we are here."
Not waiting for an answer, he turned and started walking back to the car. Ava stood frozen, but Anish's grasp on her arm was sufficient to draw her forward.
"I don't trust him," Anish growled, his voice low enough for only Ava to catch.
"Neither do I," Ava replied quietly. "But we don't have a choice."
....
They drove for what seemed like hours, the roads becoming more deserted and foreign the farther they traveled. Ava couldn't get rid of the sense that they were being followed, and with each turn she made, it seemed to draw her further into uncharted ground.
Eventually, the car came to a stop in front of a large, nondescript building—a warehouse on the edge of the city. Ava could barely make out the outline of the structure in the dim light.
"This is where we'll be safe," Rohit said, his voice calm as he opened the door. "For now."
Ava glanced at Anish, his face a mirror of her own unease. "Safe?" she repeated under her breath.
Rohit appeared to pick up on her uncertainty. "You're not the only one pursued, Ava. There is a great deal more at stake than you know."
They stepped into the building, the door thudding closed behind them. Inside was vast, vacant, and chilly—an old factory of some sort, with nothing but outdated machinery littering the area.
This was a research lab once," Rohit told them, taking them to a staircase at the back of the room. "It's the only location I could come up with that's safe enough for now."
Ava couldn't help but shiver as she climbed the stairs behind Rohit. This hideout, this place, was like a maze, filled with secret places and darkness that seemed to hum with secrets.
After reaching the top, Rohit gestured for them to take a seat on a creaky couch in the corner. He then hastily retreated to a desk, his fingers darting across a keyboard. Ava stood there, having no idea what was coming next. What might he be looking for now?
"Do you know who's behind all this?" Ava spoke louder now, as the tension between them was becoming too much to bear.
Rohit turned his back to her. "I don't know everything yet, but I will. And you'll be the first to hear it."
Ava could feel her anger building. She couldn't wait any longer. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.
But even as the words were in her head, she knew something—this wasn't just about her uncle anymore. Something was going on, something much more sinister.
And as she sat in the poor light, the fact struck her hard.
𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻.
...