Chapter 52: The Breach
The café erupted in chaos. Patrons screamed and ducked as masked figures surged through the doors, weapons drawn.
"Down!" Aadarsh yelled, flipping a table for cover.
Kiara grabbed Amrita, dragging her behind a booth as bullets shattered glass and coffee cups exploded in a rain of ceramic shards.
Raghav clutched the USB tightly and ducked under the table. "They were faster than I thought," he muttered.
Priya scanned the room. "There's a back exit. Through the kitchen!"
Naira nodded. "I'll clear the way!" She leapt up, drawing the small pistol she had stashed in her coat, firing two quick shots that sent the attackers scrambling.
"Move!" Kiara shouted. The team dashed toward the kitchen, ducking low. Aadarsh covered the rear, firing short bursts to keep their attackers at bay.
The kitchen was a mess of overturned pans and screaming staff. Amrita shoved through, throwing open the back door into a narrow alley.
"Out here!"
They spilled into the cold night air. Tires screeched again—another car was rounding the corner.
"Split!" Aadarsh barked. "Regroup at fallback point Echo-7!"
Priya handed Raghav a burner phone. "You get one call. Use it wisely. And vanish."
He nodded, slipping into the shadows as Naira yanked open a side gate and led the others down a darkened path between buildings.
Behind them, shouts echoed. "They're heading east!"
Kiara glanced back. "They're coordinating—this isn't just a hit. It's a full operation."
Amrita's breath came in short gasps. "How did they know? We were careful!"
Aadarsh looked grim. "Someone's leaking information. Or they've tapped one of our phones."
Priya clenched her jaw. "Then we cut everything. Phones, signals, digital trails—everything goes dark."
Naira nodded. "Agreed. Total blackout."
They reached an old train yard. Quiet. Abandoned.
"Here," Aadarsh said, motioning them inside a rusting service shed. "We lay low. Regroup. Then we strike back."
Kiara leaned against the wall, wiping blood from a shallow cut. "You think Raghav got away?"
Amrita nodded slowly. "I think so. But Vikram knows the file is out there now. He won't stop. He'll scorch the earth to find us."
Priya stared into the distance, eyes hard. "Then we don't run anymore. We expose him, piece by piece—loud and public. No shadows. No secrets."
Aadarsh smiled grimly. "Time to turn the hunters into the hunted."
To Be Continued...
In the next chapter: The fallout deepens. A mole is revealed. And Vikram's true agenda comes into terrifying focus.