Epilogue （Euphoria）
KRISH
Ten months later
I stepped out of the monitoring van into the inky blackness of the abandoned Sandport Dockyard somewhere in Southern Africa.
The cold coastal air carried a tinge of salt, and a vaguely ominous feeling seemed to permeate everything here.
The dockyard was a sinister place, long abandoned and eerily silent, with shadows cast by the few flickering lights.
It had once been a bustling hub but now served as a den for one of the most dangerous drug lords in the world.
The remnants of old, rusted shipping containers and the skeletal frames of dilapidated buildings added to the foreboding atmosphere.
My eyes scanned the area, finally landing on the decrepit warehouse squatting in the distance.
That was our target—the dilapidated headquarters where the nefarious drug lord known as “El Sangre” ran his vast underground empire.
Despite his Spanish name, intelligence suggested El Sangre was originally from Thailand before expanding his illicit trade across multiple continents.
This sadistic individual was always one step ahead of us, operating his network in shadows through an impenetrable army of corrupt officials and merciless henchmen.
El Sangre had been our white whale for months now, ever since we’d taken down the drug kingpins Ron and Aziz in Asia. But tonight, that would finally change.
Our sources from deep undercover indicated El Sangre himself would be overseeing a massive product shipment arriving here within the next few hours.
It was the perfect opportunity to strike and sever the head of the legendary snake once and for all.
Of course, given how repeatedly El Sangre had slipped through our grasp before, we weren’t taking any chances.
I turned back to survey our tactical team assembled in the shadows. Highly trained GLEN operatives blended in seamlessly with the dockyard’s shadowy infrastructure, weapons raised in silent readiness.
As I stepped out of the monitoring van, Ayaan’s voice immediately crackled over the comms. “Are we set for tonight, Krish?”
Ayaan was in Manhattan, overseeing another critical mission. It had been a few months since we met now, but we were constantly on each other’s speed dial whenever needed.
“We are set,” I replied, turning to look at Raghav, Ayaan’s twin brother, the once mafia who had worked alongside his father, Tej Khurana, notoriously known as “The Bishop” in the Bat gang.
Raghav was standing against a car in his signature dark suit, with his hair gelled back.
He looked like a broody, dashing devil, listening to music on his ear pods with his eyes closed.
“Though I’m not happy you involved Raghav in this op, Ayaan.” I couldn’t hide the irritation in my tone. “He could risk compromising everything.”
There was a momentary pause before Ayaan responded with a hint of exasperation.
“Stop fretting like usual, Krish. We didn’t have a choice.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Ayaan bulldozed on. “Raghav has been in this dark world ever since he was born, and South Africa is his second home. He has his deep connections here, and let’s not forget if it hadn’t been for his sources, we would never know that El Sangre is there.”
Gritting my teeth, I had to admit he had a point. If it weren’t for Raghav’s underworld intel, we might never have tracked the vicious drug lord known as El Sangre to this remote dockyard. The man had proved insanely difficult to locate, always one maddening step ahead of us.
“Fine, I get your point,” I sighed. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like involving your shady twin in something this dangerous and high stakes.”
I turned my gaze to Raghav again, who was still focused intently on whatever music was pounding through his ear pods.
“And what is it with him and this special music that he listens to every time?” I groused to Ayaan.
Ayaan let out a faint chuckle. “Not always. Only when he’s really tense about a high-stakes op and needs to refocus his headspace before going in hot.”
I rolled my eyes at that. Trust Raghav to be melodramatic to the core.
“So, you’re becoming quite the expert on your newly found twin, huh? Good progress, man,” I teased back.
“Raghav’s still an impenetrable closed book in a lot of ways,” Ayaan replied dryly. “But... I’m working on cracking the code, you could say.”
I shook my head ruefully. Only Ayaan would keep steadfastly chipping away at that brick wall of a relationship until he made some sort of breakthrough.
Then again, I was hardly the one to judge, given how long it took me to get through to the person currently occupying most of my thoughts. My Trisha.
“Is Trisha set to go?” Ayaan asked, cutting through my momentary reverie.
My gaze landed on her instantly as she stood off to the side with the team as she triple-checked her gear and com unit one final time. Her expression was eerily calm and focused, not a trace of fear showing despite the extreme danger she was about to put herself in.
I swallowed hard, worry gnawing at my gut.
As always, I would never try to stop Trisha from charging headlong into the line of fire.
Her determination and passion for this work were two of the reasons I loved her so fiercely.
But that didn’t make it any easier to watch her risk everything on missions like this.
“Yeah... yeah, she’s ready,” I managed to respond without letting the tension seep into my tone.
Memories of all the times Trisha had proven her incredible skill and bravery ran through my mind.
She’d taken down countless criminals far more imposing than the scumbag El Sangre without so much as breaking a sweat.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just as awestruck by her sheer grit and drive as the first time I watched her in action.
“Krish? You still there?” Ayaan’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I cleared my throat, shoving aside my lingering unease. Now wasn’t the time. “Yeah, I’m here. Look, we’d better get this op underway before El Sangre gets a wind that something’s up.”
“Copy that. Good luck out there.” There was a brief pause before he added in a slightly lower tone. “And Krish? Don’t get too distracted by the lady, tough guy.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that as my gaze drifted back over to Trisha. “No promises, man. I’m only human, after all.”
“And a husband now,” Ayaan added, which brought a pleasing smile on my face.
Yes. A husband too. I married Trisha three months ago in Austria, and the very next day, we got this intel of El Sangre and started working on it, which meant we had no time for our honeymoon yet.
The last three months, we hardly had time to even spend with each other.
We both were focused on this deadly mission, which meant today, after all this was over, I would whisk her away for our honeymoon, having my wife all for myself.
“Call me once this is over,” Ayaan said before ending the call.
I took a deep breath and made my way to Raghav first. He opened his eyes as I approached, pulling out one ear pod.
“Are we ready?” Raghav asked in a cold voice.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” I replied, unable to hide my sarcasm. “Just make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”
“Don’t worry about me. Worry about your team,” he smirked knowingly.
“I always do,” I muttered, turning as Trisha approached, her expression focused.
She joined Raghav and me, and I began to brief them once more, my voice low and intense.
“Raghav, your only part is to get Trisha inside, and once you spot the target—El Sangre—you will back off,” I began, turning to Trisha. Her presence always brought a sense of calm and determination, and I needed that tonight.
Raghav was the key to this mission. He was the only one who had seen El Sangre before, back when he was involved in his father’s illegal arms business. El Sangre had been a customer then, and Raghav’s familiarity with him was our ticket inside this place.
Raghav nodded, his jaw set. A month ago, he had been tasked with contacting El Sangre’s men, arranging a meeting under the guise of wanting to do more business with him.
It was a ruse, a way to lure the drug lord into our trap so that we could finally take him down.
Although he had refused to do this for GLEN, Ayaan convinced him, somehow, to use his underworld connections for the greater good of dismantling El Sangre’s empire.
I then turned to Trisha.
“Once Raghav identifies the target, you will press the signal button, and our team will move in,” I instructed her. “You’ll personally take down El Sangre, and the rest of the team will handle his men.”
I shifted my gaze back to Raghav. “As soon as you spot El Sangre and inform Trisha, your mission is over. You’re out of there because if this fails, we don’t want the drug lord’s men coming after you for supporting us in taking down his empire.”
Raghav pulled out an earpiece, slipping it into his pocket.
“Also because you’re not allowed any weapons from us. In case the fireworks start inside, we don’t want you unarmed and in danger.”
A hint of pride played on Raghav’s lips. “I don’t need a weapon to save myself or kill my foes, Krish.”
I silently agreed. The man was a beast, capable of taking down dozens with his mere muscle power.
But Ayaan had been adamant—no weapons for Raghav in this mission.
Why? I hardly got a chance to ask him that.
Ayaan had brought Raghav into this mission.
So, if that’s what Ayaan wanted, I wouldn’t refute, knowing he might have strong reasons for that.
“You’re not allowed to kill anyone inside either,” I reiterated firmly. “You’re not a part of GLEN. You’re a civilian now, Raghav, and we’re not letting you take the law into your own hands. Leave that part to us.”
Raghav let out an exasperated sigh, checking his watch. “Not interested either. How much more time to get in there? I’ve got a flight to catch back to India early morning.”
“You’re not being funny here, are you?” I retorted, trying to rein in my frustration.
“Having fun between jobs is Ayaan and your forte, not mine. I’m dead serious. Either we go in now, or I’m out of this.”
I clenched my jaw, but Trisha stepped in, calming the tension that’s bound to erupt. “The team is ready. We should go in.”
Raghav nodded. “Good. Finish your pep talk then,” he said before stepping away to give us some privacy.
“What the hell does he think of himself?” I snarled before Trisha turned to me.
“He’s supporting us here. So, stop pushing him to the edge. We can’t ruin this, Krish.”
I tried to keep my anxiety at bay. She was right.
“Alright. Just be careful in there. El Sangre is not like the others we’ve dealt with.”
“I know,” she replied, her voice steady. “But we’ve come too far to fail now.”
Trisha had always been the bravest among us, and tonight would be no different.
“Remember, we’ll be watching your every move,” I said, my voice softer. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll be there.”
She smiled, a brief but reassuring gesture. “I know.”
With a final nod, I pulled her in for a quick kiss. It was a silent promise that I would be there no matter what.
I turned back to Raghav, who had resumed his brooding stance, turning back to us. “Let’s get this over with,” I said, more to myself than to him. “You know what to do.”
Raghav smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I always do.”
Ah! That pride! I watched as Trisha and Raghav disappeared into the shadows, making their way towards El Sangre’s lair. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear and pride swelling within me. We had rehearsed this plan a dozen times, but the real thing always had its own unpredictable edge.