Chapter Fourteen: Shadows of Trust

Chapter Fourteen: Shadows of Trust

The dawn broke, casting pale streaks of light across the safe house. Tara woke to the faint sound of birds chirping, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in her mind. Her body ached from exhaustion, but her thoughts were louder than the weariness settling into her muscles. She turned her head slightly, her eyes falling on Abhay, who was still seated by the window, his frame silhouetted against the dim light outside.

He hadn’t slept.

“Couldn’t rest?” she asked, her voice soft yet heavy with concern.

Abhay glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the street below. “Someone had to keep watch.”

Tara sat up, pulling the thin blanket tighter around her shoulders. “We’re safe here, for now. You need rest too, Abhay.”

He didn’t reply, but the subtle tension in his shoulders gave her an answer. He couldn’t let his guard down. Not yet. Not when danger was breathing down their necks.

Tara sighed and stood, moving closer to him. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “You can’t carry the weight of this alone. Let me share it.”

He finally looked at her, his dark eyes searching hers. “You already are, Tara. More than you should.”

She didn’t back down, her voice steady. “I’m not here because I have to be. I’m here because I want to be. Stop shutting me out.”

The vulnerability in her words pierced through his defenses, and for a moment, he looked as though he wanted to argue, to tell her she didn’t understand what she was signing up for. But instead, he nodded slightly, his expression softening.

Tara pulled a chair beside him and sat down. For a while, they stayed like that, side by side, watching the quiet street.

“I’ve been thinking,” Abhay said finally, breaking the silence. “About what happens if we don’t make it out of this alive.”

Tara’s breath caught, but she forced herself to stay calm. “We will. We’ve come this far. We’re not stopping now.”

He gave a faint, humorless smile. “Ever the optimist.”

“It’s not optimism,” she corrected him. “It’s belief. In us. In what we’re doing.”

Her words seemed to strike something in him, and for the first time, he allowed himself a sliver of hope.

But their moment of quiet was interrupted by the shrill ring of Tara’s phone. She snatched it up, her heart pounding. The number flashing on the screen was unknown.

Abhay tensed, his hand already reaching for his weapon. “Put it on speaker.”

Tara nodded and answered, her voice steady. “Hello?”

A deep, gravelly voice came through, laced with menace. “Ms. Bhardwaj. Mr. Oberoi. How nice to finally have you cornered.”

Abhay stiffened, his eyes narrowing. Tara’s grip on the phone tightened.

“You think you have us cornered?” Tara shot back, her voice defiant. “You don’t even know where we are.”

The man on the other end chuckled, a sound that sent chills down her spine. “Oh, but I do. And if you think you’re safe, you’re sorely mistaken. You’ve meddled in things far beyond your understanding.”

Abhay motioned for her to keep him talking, already moving to check the perimeter of the safe house.

Tara kept her tone calm, refusing to let the fear show. “We understand more than you think. Enough to know that exposing you is worth every risk we’re taking.”

The voice grew colder. “Brave words, Ms. Bhardwaj. Let’s see if you can back them up when the walls start closing in.”

The line went dead, leaving a tense silence in its wake. Tara placed the phone down, her heart racing.

“They know where we are,” she said, turning to Abhay, who was already gathering their supplies.

“Then we need to move. Now.”

They worked in sync, packing up their belongings with practiced efficiency. But as Tara reached for the evidence files, Abhay placed a hand over hers, stopping her.

“This is getting more dangerous than I anticipated,” he said, his voice low. “If anything happens to me—”

“Don’t,” Tara interrupted, her eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare talk like that. We’re getting through this together.”

Abhay hesitated, then nodded. “Together.”

With that, they slipped out of the safe house, the early morning sun their only companion as they disappeared into the labyrinth of the city once more.

But as they walked, Tara couldn’t shake the feeling that their enemy was always one step ahead, that the shadows were growing darker.

And yet, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid.

Because as long as Abhay was by her side, she knew they could face anything.

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