CHAPTER 12 （Prick too deep）
TRISHA
I jolted awake, the echo of gunshots and chopper blades still ringing in my ears.
My heart hammered as fragmented memories flooded back—the firefight, chasing Ron, him using me as a human shield against Ayaan.
.. And then a deafening boom, followed by searing pain as something slammed into me with brutal force. After that, only darkness remained.
Blinking rapidly, I took stock of my surroundings. The sterile walls and harsh lighting were clues enough—I was in a medical wing, tucked under a thin hospital blanket. A dull ache throbbed at the back of my skull, no doubt where I’d hit the ground.
But I was alive. Beaten and battered, yet somehow still breathing.
The door hissed open, and Sudesh, my team leader, strode in, his worn face creasing into a relieved smile. “Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
I brushed aside his concern with an impatient wave. “What happened to Ron? Is he...”
“Dead,” he replied after a beat, swallowing nervously. “But nothing’s on our heads this time. It was the boss’s call, so we can’t exactly question that, can we?”
My blood ran cold at the implication.
“Who shot him?” I asked, already dreading Sudesh’s response.
He shrugged, his expression hardening. “Krish.”
My heart skipped a beat this time. Krish had shot Ron?
Of course, he did. To save me. I can’t believe it, though I understood his need to protect me.
But capturing Ron alive was our primary objective to access the wider cartel network, however risky it seemed.
Neutralising the target defeated the entire purpose of the op.
Unless...my thoughts circled back to those final frantic seconds, recalling the sadistic gleam in Ron’s eyes as he dragged me toward the chopper. He’d been prepared to kill me without a second thought, seconds before his escape.
Had Krish seen that same scenario unfolding and taken the only action that could possibly save me? I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the sting of frustrated tears. I knew all too well what it meant to defy protocol in the heat of battle when a loved one’s life hung in the balance.
What had he done? The repercussions would be severe once news of his unilateral decision reached his father’s ears. The mission had failed without Ron, and so had our chance to gather crucial intelligence on the cartel. Was it all worth it? Only for me?
“Hey.” Sudesh’s gruff voice dragged me out of my spiral. “I know what you’re thinking, but don’t start beating yourself up about it just yet.”
He settled onto the edge of the bed, fixing me with an earnest look.
“Krish made a tough call out there, one that might very well cost him his career if the debrief goes sideways. But he did it to bring you home. And I’d bet every credit to my name he doesn’t regret that choice for an even a second. ”
I opened my mouth to protest, to rage against the unfairness of it all, but Sudesh raised a hand to stop me.
“Just take a minute and be grateful you’ve got someone watching your back like that, yeah? That kind of loyalty is rare.”
His words struck home with brutal clarity. Krish had sacrificed everything... for me. A strangled sob escaped my lips as Sudesh left the room. No matter the fallout, I wouldn’t abandon Krish to face it alone. Not after he’d put my life above everything else.
And just as I made this resolve, my phone rang loudly next to the bed, and the caller ID flashing on the screen stole my breath away.