Chapter 5: The Last Mission

Seven years I’d spent in this world, and Mumbai’s public order was actually decent. Serious crimes were rare. Never imagined I’d run into one on my very last call.

A high-stakes kidnapping. The kidnapper demanded three crore in ransom and a van to escape.

When I arrived at the scene, the monsoon drizzle painted everything in shades of grey. My colleague Sneha sat on the stairwell, eyes red and swollen. "Meera, the negotiator’s already gone in. The kidnapper wants to exchange hostages."

"Exchange hostages?"

She nodded. "The current hostage is a pregnant woman."

Everyone fell silent.

"So... has someone been picked?"

Sneha bit her lip. "He wants a woman."

Only Sneha and I were female officers. Her husband was still in the hospital after a recent injury.

I untied my hair, quickly twisted it into a tight bun, adjusted my police badge, and whispered a silent prayer to Ganpati Bappa. Then I took off my gun and handed it to Sneha. "I understand. I’ll go."

The system screamed, [Host, yeh mazaak nahi hai! Agar galti se kuch ho gaya, toh waapas nahi jaa paogi!]

But I couldn’t let Sneha go. Seven years—Sneha had been my partner, more present than Arjun ever was.

She threw her arms around me, sobbing. "Meera, I’m sorry, I know you’re about to get married, I’m sorry, but Amit is still in the hospital..."

"I know," I whispered, patting her shoulder. I turned and walked into the rain.

The abandoned factory loomed at the city’s edge. Through the mist, I saw the woman in the kidnapper’s grip—her beauty pale beneath the grime, long black hair stuck to her face, big eyes brimming with fear. She clutched her belly, desperate. "Please, save me, I’m pregnant, I’m carrying the Singh family heir..."

My heart skipped. The system hissed, [It’s Priya.]

I looked at her through the rain. Hard to say what I felt.

The kidnapper pressed his knife to her skin, drawing blood. "Come quick, or she goes to the afterlife!"

Priya looked at me, terrified. "Meera, please, I can’t die. Arjun will go mad. If he knows you didn’t save me, he’ll hate you forever..."

She knew who I was. I glanced back at Sneha, sighed, and walked forward.

The blade pressed against my neck as Priya stumbled into police arms. Now, only the kidnapper and I remained.

"I want the car."

Before I got in, the inspector gave me a loaded look. The plan was simple: cooperate, buy time, and take down the kidnapper if I could.

They tied me up, tossed me in the passenger seat. At the last moment, I saw Arjun break through the crowd, clutching the unconscious Priya.

The muddy earth squelched beneath my feet as the rain turned the outskirts into a watery grave. Ambulances wailed, radios crackled, and the air stank of fear and wet dust. Arjun’s face, desperate and searching, scanned the crowd—not for Priya, but for someone else. For a heartbeat, I wished I was the one he’d run to first.