The monitor beeped a little faster.
Kiaan's fingers twitched.
A low groan escaped his lips as his eyes blinked open, slowly adjusting to the light. Pain hit him first, a sharp throb across his shoulder, then a numbing weight as his mind registered where he was.
Tara rushed in.
> "Kiaan!" she exclaimed, relief flooding her face.
Dev and Rehaan followed right behind her.
Kiaan's voice was raspy.
> "Did we… get him?"
> "We did," Dev said with a small grin.
"Rudhra's in custody. Viper too. And your brilliant hunch? Nailed it. The mall was crawling with filth."
Kiaan exhaled, trying to sit up but wincing in pain.
Tara pushed him gently back.
> "Easy. You're not going anywhere."
Kiaan's jaw clenched as he looked at the three of them.
> "How long do we have before the building is unsealed?"
> "Two to three days," Rehaan answered.
"ACP Shruti dropped by. She says the mall's owner isn't someone who stays silent. Pressure's building."
Kiaan smirked faintly despite his condition.
> "Then we've got just enough time... to burn the rest of it down."
Tara frowned.
> "Kiaan—"
He looked her in the eye, gaze sharp and steady despite the IV in his arm.
> "I'm not stopping until I find the one who's backing this. This isn't just drugs and arms. There's something deeper—something bigger."
Dev nodded, but his voice was cautious.
> "Shruti said... if anything goes wrong, we're to hold you back."
Kiaan gave a dark, amused smile.
> "Then I suggest you all keep up. Because I'm not stepping back. Not until I find the one who killed my father… and buried the truth."
The monitor beeped a little louder, as if in sync with the intensity in his words.
Outside, the city kept moving. But inside that room, a storm had just awakened.