"You wear his name. But do you remember his wrath?"
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Swindon, England — City Hospital
The air in the hospital hallway buzzed with tension. Doctors whispered updates. Nurses rushed past with files and saline drips. And in the farthest corner, away from the recovering girls and security posted at every turn, a storm was quietly brewing between two men.
Zid stormed in, his eyes scanning the corridors until they landed on Kiaan, who was talking to one of the doctors about the condition of the rescued girls. Without waiting, Zid marched straight to him, grabbing his arm tightly. "We need to talk," Zid snapped, yanking Kiaan toward an empty corridor.Kiaan let himself be dragged, his face unreadable. The moment they were away from others, Zid turned, fury rising in his voice. "You made a move behind my back, captain?" Zid hissed. "The entire Velvet Crown Hotel operation happened right under my nose — and you didn't say a word? You think I'm a fool?"Kiaan didn't flinch. His voice was low but commanding.
"I am the team captain, Zid. I decide who gets to know what. And if you think I didn't predict that the moment you knew, he would too, then maybe you're the fool."Zid's eyes darkened. He suddenly gripped Kiaan's wrist tightly and yanked up his sleeve — revealing the tattoo burned into his skin long ago. The name that haunted every inch of his memory: Reyaan Malhotra.Zid's voice dropped to a menacing whisper:"You wear his name, Kiaan. Right here. Etched into your flesh. Or did you forget what happened the last time you dared to challenge him?"
Kiaan's jaw clenched, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes. "I didn't forget," he said coldly.Zid leaned closer, fire in his gaze.
"That man tore your body open for a whole day, Kiaan. You remember that pain? The way he left you broken, bleeding, useless — and stamped his name on your skin like a brand? You think he won't do worse this time?"Kiaan looked away, silent.
Zid wasn't done. His voice dropped lower, colder, crueler."It's not just about you anymore. Tara — she's a mother. Her son is five, Kiaan. Five. You think he can survive without her? Dev — his family lives in Kolkata, open and exposed. What happens when Reyaan decides to send a message using them? And you— you have a stepmother and a brother who don't even know what you really do for a living."Zid's eyes narrowed. "They're all living in a house that's already under Reyaan's watch. You keep playing this game, and their blood won't be spilled by accident — it'll be spilled to punish you."Kiaan's hands curled into fists, but Zid didn't stop. "You think because I'm his man, I'm safe? If he even smells disloyalty on me, he'll burn me alive, Kiaan. That's who Reyaan Malhotra is."Zid stepped back, breathing hard. "You're not dealing with a gangster or a trafficker, Kiaan. You're dealing with a man who's already buried cities under his silence. So if you don't care about your own life, fine — but don't sacrifice all of ours just to prove you can stand again."
Kiaan stood silent, eyes burning with unspoken rage and conflict. Then he spoke, voice quieter than ever — yet thunderous in its depth. "I'm not trying to prove anything. But I swore I wouldn't let another girl cry the way she cried that night. If that means war… then so be it."Zid stared at him — and for the first time, felt something close to fear not for himself… but for what was about to come.
You may wear the badge, but he wears the shadows."
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Swindon, England — Hospital Canteen
The air inside the hospital canteen was still. Sterile. Almost too quiet for two men carrying the weight of a war that hadn't even started yet. Zid and Kiaan sat opposite each other, coffee cups between their palms. The pale fluorescent lights cast faint shadows across their tired faces, and somewhere down the hallway, the faint echo of a sobbing girl reminded them what brought them here.
Zid took a slow sip, his eyes not leaving Kiaan's. "You can't take him down, Kiaan," Zid said, voice low and final. "I've seen that man bury cities with a whisper. You make one mistake… one breath too loud… and he'll hear it. His eyes miss nothing."Kiaan's jaw shifted. He didn't speak immediately — just stirred his coffee slowly, eyes locked on the swirling black liquid as if it held answers he was still searching for."You think I don't know what I'm up against?" he finally muttered.
Zid leaned forward, his elbows resting on the cold table. "I worked for him for years. I've seen what he does to people who breathe against his wind. Do you know how many times I've seen officers like you… better trained, with stronger teams, bigger guns… vanish without a trace?"He paused, his voice tightening. "You think you're fighting a man. You're not. You're fighting a myth made of blood and silence."Kiaan glanced up, a tired fire flickering in his eyes. "Then it's time someone breaks the myth."Zid exhaled, almost pitying."Whatever you've done, whatever you've uncovered — it's done. You've rattled the cage. You've seen the inside of the beast's den. But now, step back. Let the smoke settle." "You're not in charge of my decisions," Kiaan said calmly, sipping his coffee. "You're not the captain here. I am."Zid's gaze sharpened. "And a captain knows when to pull his crew back before the storm drowns them."Kiaan leaned forward now, matching Zid's intensity. "A captain also knows when to sail through the storm because staying still means sinking anyway. I've seen those girls' faces, Zid. I've heard what they went through. And if I stop now — I might as well have been the one who chained them there."Zid sat back, silent, lips pressed tight. For a moment, neither spoke. The only sound was the hum of machines from the hospital corridor and the occasional clink of a spoon against a ceramic cup.
Kiaan stood, leaving the coffee half-finished.
"I didn't survive Reyaan Malhotra just to run from him. If he wants to play this game again…"He paused, his eyes narrowing with a burning calm. "Tell him I'm not the same man he broke that night."Zid looked up at him — and for the first time, saw the storm behind Kiaan's silence. The storm that Reyaan himself had created.And storms… never forget the ones who started them.
"Some wounds cry for justice in every language."
---
Swindon General Hospital – Ward Corridor
The corridor buzzed with quiet tension. Nurses walked briskly, charts clutched in hand, and the occasional beep of monitors drifted faintly through the air. The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to every corner, but it couldn't cleanse the invisible heaviness that had settled after what had been discovered beneath Velvet Crown Hotel.
Kiaan was walking slowly, his boots echoing off the clean white floor as he approached the ward housing the rescued girls. His fingers itched with rage and restlessness, clenched into fists by his sides. But as he neared the ward doors, he spotted familiar silhouettes pacing toward him — Rehaan and Dev, urgency marked in every step.
Dev reached him first, panting slightly.
"Kiaan!" he said, his tone laced with a strange mix of hope and concern. "We got through."Kiaan halted. "Got through to who?"Rehaan stepped beside Dev, his eyes a little brighter than before."The Indian Embassy. We explained everything to the London office. And Dev reached out to England's Foreign Department himself."
Kiaan's brow lifted slightly. "And?"Dev handed him a document file, his voice steady but quick. "They were shocked, but after verifying our warrant and footage from the hotel, they agreed. Indian authorities have been informed — and they're already coordinating with the embassy. Some of the girls' parents have been reached… Two sets of families are already on their way .Kiaan stared down at the papers, reading confirmation stamps and approval notes, but the words blurred for a moment behind his emotion. Slowly, he exhaled. "You did good," he muttered, gripping the folder. "You both did damn good."Rehaan looked toward the glass of the nearby ward window.
"But it won't be easy, Kiaan. Some of the girls were trafficked so far from home that tracking their origin is still a nightmare. Language barriers, lost passports, fake identities—"Dev added quietly,
"But at least a few will see their parents again. Maybe… maybe that's where their healing can start.Kiaan nodded, his eyes falling to one of the girls lying in the bed through the glass — her eyes staring at the ceiling, lips unmoving, as if the world had turned silent inside her."We start with one," he said hoarsely. "And then another. And we don't stop until every single one of them gets their name back."A long pause hung in the air, filled with invisible heaviness and resolve.Rehaan broke the silence with a low voice, "You think their testimony will hold? You think they'll speak?"
Kiaan looked at them, his jaw tightening.
"If they don't, we still go after the ones behind it. But if even one of them dares to speak…" He glanced again at the unconscious girl behind the glass. "Then Reyaan Malhotra's empire will begin to crack… from the voices he tried to silence."