The skies above Swindon Street were a cold grey, typical of an English afternoon. The cobbled road was alive with the usual chaos — honking vehicles, impatient pedestrians, and street vendors shouting over each other. No one paid attention to the ordinary white van parked near the alleyway — they never do.
Inside that van, fingers moved like lightning over a laptop keyboard. Tara Iyer, sharp-eyed and calm as ice, sat surrounded by wires, surveillance screens, and blinking signal boosters.
> "Thermal scan up. Three heat signatures confirmed inside the top floor. Kiaan's in position," she said into the mic, not even flinching.
Outside, hidden behind the rusted skeleton of an abandoned newspaper stand, stood Rehaan Sethi, dressed casually with a hoodie pulled low. His eyes, however, missed nothing — every movement, every shadow. He muttered into his comms,
> "All exits sealed. Civilians clear. Sniper, you're green."
Across the street, four stories up on the opposite building, Dev Malik steadied his breathing. His sniper scope zeroed in on a window across from him — inside, their target was laughing. His finger hovered over the trigger.
> "One breath... one shot..."
---
Inside the Building – The Den of Shadows
A dim, dusty room stinking of sweat, powder, and the bitter scent of crushed narcotics. In the center, Kiaan Verma knelt on the floor, hands behind his head — blood trailing down his lip from a recent punch. His dark eyes, however, didn't hold fear. Only calculation.
A large wooden crate beside him overflowed with packets of white dust. Cocaine, high-grade.
Three men stood before him — faces rough, hearts rougher.
> "This kid's a bloody fool," one of them barked, cracking his knuckles. "Walked straight into our trap like a damn hero."
> "Tch. He's been on our tail all week, poking his nose into everything," the second growled. "Let's just end his story here."
The third man, more amused than angry, walked forward, crouched down to Kiaan's level. His fingers tilted Kiaan's chin up mockingly.
> "Such a waste though. Doesn't look bad, eh? Handsome. Too bad he's an officer."
He chuckled darkly, standing up and pulling out his pistol.
"Guess it's lights out, lover boy."
He pointed the gun at Kiaan's head and smirked.
> "Any last words, sweetheart?"
Kiaan didn't flinch. He stared coldly into the man's eyes.
> "You should've checked the window."
BANG!
The shot rang out before the man even realized what hit him. Blood splattered across the wall as he dropped dead like a puppet with cut strings. Panic exploded in the room.
Kiaan moved instantly.
In one fluid motion, he twisted, grabbed the second man by the neck, elbowed his jaw, and slammed him into the crate, knocking him out cold.
The third man lunged with a knife, but Kiaan was faster. He ducked, kicked the man's leg out from under him, and shoved him onto the floor. Grabbing the fallen pistol, he pressed it against the man's temple.
> "Now who's in the trap?"
The door burst open. Tactical boots thundered in.
> "CBI! HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!"
Rehaan, Tara, and Dev stormed in with a dozen officers following. Guns raised. In seconds, the room was secured.
Kiaan stood slowly, breathing steady, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. He stepped out through the broken door just as sirens began to wail in the distance.
Outside, Tara leapt out of the van, rushing toward him.
> "Kiaan! Are you okay? I had a signal drop—dammit, you scared the hell out of me!"
Rehaan jogged up, shaking his head, panting.
> "What the hell, man? A two-minute delay and you'd be decorating their floor in blood. You know you're insufferable, right?"
Dev appeared from the side building, calm as ever, sniper dismantled in a bag.
> "Shot was clean. Target neutralized. Backup secured the perimeter."
Kiaan gave them a small smirk, blood still drying at the corner of his mouth.
> "I knew you'd take the shot, Dev."
Dev met his gaze and gave a nod.
> "You don't get to die before I collect my bet."
Rehaan laughed.
> "He actually bet you'd survive. I said you'd mess up and end up in handcuffs."
> "We'll see who ends up cuffed by the end of this case," Kiaan replied coolly, walking past them.
Tara blinked.
> "Was that... a flirt?"
Rehaan gaped dramatically.
> "Did he just—did Kiaan Verma, the walking machine, flirt? Are we being hacked right now?"
Dev, deadpan:
> "Focus. We still have two leads left on the cartel list."
Kiaan glanced over his shoulder at his team, a rare, dangerous smirk tugging at his lips.
> "Let's finish this. And tell HQ… Operation Crimson Vow has just begun."