-• are we ready for this? •-

Taranya

"How are we getting in?" I ask Rudra the following night.

He unrolls a map on the desk. Amir steps forward on his left, looking down at the layout of the publishing company. "It has two floors. The ground floor has no cameras, but the first floor is filled with them. Security here is top notch. I cannot ask Yara to hack their CCTV servers because the alarms will go off instantly. What we can do is reboot the entire system by flooding the target with traffic that triggers a crash-" I shake my head, everything passing through one ear and flying out of the other. Rudra smiles in amusement when he notices the same confusion on Amir's face. "Anyway, in short, it'll take approximately seven minutes for it to restart. In the mean time, Amir can convince the men in the security room through his transceiver that they've everything under control, and to take their time in restarting the cctvs. In those seven minutes, you need to inject this pendrive, open up the command prompt on the main computer, type these commands," he shows me a folded note, "and leave the rest on me. I'll transfer the data over here. The moment transfer is complete, get out of there." He explains.

"So we replace the guards on the second shift?" He nods, "but what if the guards who are clocking out recognise us?"

"They won't. The guards don't meet each other out of their work circle, they don't talk to each other and haven't even seen each other's faces. They are all under the command of Rajawat Security, and they obey the Security Administrator, Gerald Lockhart. Their job is to annihilate whoever tries to breach the security threshold, that's it."

Uff. That's a lot to take in for my little head.

"Alright, let's do this. I gotta look like a man though. Buff me up, boys." I look at the men.

"I've got it covered." He hefts two heavy, paperboard cartons in his strong arms, brings them over and drops them on the desk with a thump. Grabbing his pocket knife, he slices through the brown tape with a sharp ease. I try not to think of the moment when he used the same blade to cut off a man's thumb last night. The screams were nightmare inducing. "There you go," he reveals two black combat suits and tactical helmet and two guns.

"Woah," I lurch forward to grab the gun and aim it at Amir.

He stumbles back.

I chuckle. "Relax, hon, I know how to use a gun." I put it back down.

The uncertainty in his eyes doesn't disappear. "Is it necessary for her to come?" I raise an offended brow. "No, I'm not underestimating you, but I feel like you're safer here. Why to needlessly put yourself in danger? I'm sure someone else can join me-"

"Who?"

"Zo- Zoya?"

"She's needed at the company." Rudra answers.

"And your boss needs to be here to finish the data transfer. Bhai is in jail. So who else but me?"

He blinks. "One of your brothers maybe?"

"So you are underestimating me." I conclude.

"No-"

"Okay, enough," Rudra holds up his hand. "I trust her, Amir. I don't have a good relationship with her brothers. We don't really see eye to eye ever since she got married to me. So I can't put my trust in them. I'll be paranoid thinking they'll fuck up one way or the other, and I need my entire focus here. Taranya is a trained fighter." I nod. "She can shoot." My brows raise knowingly. "And most importantly, I have confidence in her."

Amir sighs in defeat. "Sure, boss."

I snort. He didn't say sorry to me. I was the one offended.

"Go and get changed. You've to leave soon."

Amir collects the box having his name and walks out of my room, politely closing the door after him. I pick up mine and flash Rudra a smile before heading inside the closet. Grabbing a skin tight leather romper from the wardrobe, I strap a holster around my waist, stuff two guns in there and then suit up in the combat outfit. When I come out, Rudra is on my bed, working on his laptop.

Leaning on the wall, I hold the helmet on my hips and clear my throat to catch his attention. He looks up distracted, focuses back on the laptop, before his head whips to me in bewilderment.

"How do I look?"

"So fuckable." He whispers.

I chuckle.

"Come here," he beckons me next to him. I put the helmet on the nightstand and join him on the bed. "See this," he shows me the empty, abandoned street of a tight knit, rundown neighborhood. "This is the street outside the publishing company. Here," he shows me an empty spot in front of a shop, "a black van will stop here, and you can hide here," he shows me the narrow alley in between two local shops. "The moment they get out, take them down. They're highly trained guards, Tara, do not waste time in physical combat. There's no way you'll be able to beat them up. Use the ammunition on you, clear?" I nod. "Stuff the bodies in the trunk of the van before the guards you're exchanging shifts with exit the building. Amir will receive the keys, and then you head inside. They'll drive the van off."

"Okay," I mumble, my eyes fixed on the screen showing the empty street.

He places his hand on my knee and I go stiff, realising I have been shaking it until now. An awkward chuckle escapes me. "Sorry, I'm -"

"It's okay if you're not sure. I'll find someone else to do it."

"No," I shake my head, meeting his eyes. "I'll do this."

"Do you really want to?" He asks. "I won't think of you any less if you deny to do this, Tara. It's your choice."

I swallow. "I'll do it. I want to do it." I rephrase.

He presses a soft kiss on my forehead. "Just remember this. When it comes to survival, take a life if you've to save yours. They've committed many crimes to ever deserve redemption anyway. So before they get a chance to put gun on you, you should be pulling the trigger on them. Clear?"

I nod.

A knock on the door makes me pull away. Rudra allows the intruder in. Amir looks as hot as I expected him to be in the combat suit. "Shall we?"

I get off the bed, pick up my helmet, and pocket the pendrive and note.

"Tara," his voice stops me. I look over my shoulder only to see him holding the same knife to me. "Keep this on you." I take it and stuff it inside my boots.

"Let's go," I walk up to the door, stopping at the threshold to look at my husband. "Will you be here when I return?"

He shakes his head.

I nod. "Alright, handsome, see you."

"Stay safe, Esther." His voice shakes.

My heart drums inside my ribcage. "Of course. There's no way I'll leave your side without your permission."

He gives me one of his breathtaking smiles and I sigh in absolute content.

Closing the door after me, I glance up at Amir and he takes the lead, heading downstairs. The Veer Mahal is quiet. Ever since Bhai got arrested, my brothers have locked themselves up in their rooms. His indictment has hit Vivaan the worse than any of us. I've never before seen him so shaken up and vulnerable. It's as if he never learned to exist without Yuvraaj. Which is strangely true, given he's the younger among them.

Amir takes us to the back exit. The one using which I had once sneaked out with Rudra for our first date. A nostalgic smile slips over my lips. Life may not have been easier then, but it wasn't this complicated.

I get behind Amir on the bike and put on the helmet. He revvs the engine, releasing a robust growl before pulling off the grassland. My arms latch around his midriff and I rest my head on his back, drowning out the speed and noise.

I can do this.

I've done this before.

Killing that is.

Breaking in is new though.

We reach the street outside the shabby building. Except for the metal gates, nothing about the place is eye-catching. Amir and I hide into the crowded alleyway and slide down the grimy walls, crouching on our feet in the midst of red spit stains, empty beer bottles and exhausted cigarette butts. He knocks off the glass shield of his helmet, holding his BB gun with a silencer rolled onto it close to his chest.

"Are you nervous?"

He looks down at me and shakes his head. "Are you?"

"A little," I admit.

His brows shoot up in shock. "What-"

The gentle whirring catches my attention.

"The van," I pat his arm as the black van rolls past the alley and stops in front of the local shop.

He huffs out breathlessly and holds the gun in his dominant hand, steadying it with his free one. As the doors to the van open and two armed men step out, helmets in places, Amir gets up too, aiming at his target. "Get up," he commands me in a whisper. "Their necks." I nod and hold up my gun. "On my count of three,"

I aim, aligning the front sight with the rear sight until my target comes into focus.

The men stand in front of the bonnet next to each other, hands clasped to their fronts.

"Three,"

I grip the gun tighter.

"Two,"

My finger curls around the trigger.

"One."

Hook. Pull. Release.

The bullets shoot off our barrels, slice through the air with undaunted precision, and pierce straight into the men's neck. They drop like a deadbeat. No pun intended.

My jaw drops in awe.

"Good job." Amir praises me. "Your aim is amazing!"

I beam. "Thank you. My brother taught me." Fuck, he'll be so proud. He never really focused on the shooting, saying I'd never need it, but I always did my best whenever he was in the mood to upgrade our lessons.

"C'mon now!" He rushes out of our hideout. I follow him. Together, we drag the bodies to the back of the van, take off their transceivers and assault rifles and dump the men in the trunks, replacing them in front of the bonnet.

At one am, the metal gates grunt open, two guards, dressed the same as us, step out. Amir exchanges van keys for the building keys and we walk to the gates. My wrecked nerves relax when we're finally inside. He ascends the stairs to the first floor and I follow him upstairs. "This one," he takes his position on the left, I take mine on the right.

"Yara?" I whisper.

"I need two minutes."

The two minutes feel like two eons. I sweat heavily under the layers of outfit. I put the leather jumpsuit only for the sake of adding some extra bulkiness to my stature, but maybe I shouldn't have. It's heating up from inside.

"You're good to go."

I whip around to face the doors, take out the thumb from my pocket and use it to access the entry, dropping it with a grimace immediately after. Amir lifts the transceiver to his mouth. "Everything's fine here. We don't need extra help. Over." He stuffs the transceiver back inside the holster.

The door opens and I slink in, my eyes widening at what I see. Several computers sit in the middle of the room in a semi circle and huge servers are racked upon each other against the walls. Following Rudra's instructions, I inject the pendrive into the main cpu and open the command prompt, quickly typing the commands listed down there.

"Tara, you in?" Rudra asks me through the earpiece.

"Yeah," I whisper breathlessly.

"Okay, okay, I got access. Stand back. I'll do the rest of the work." He tells me. I obey, looking towards the door where Amir stands. He holds up his hand, signalling that things are under control. I nod back.

"Oh fuck," Rudra mutters.

"What?"

"It might take more than seven minutes to complete the transfer."

"What!?" I hiss.

The transfer begins right at the moment and the estimated time shows 12 minutes. "What the fuck, Rudra?"

"What's wrong?" Amir peeks in.

"It's showing transfer time 12 minutes."

"Oh, hell no."

"Tara, you get out of there." Rudra tells me.

"What? No. I'm not getting out of here unless the transfer is completed." I grit out. "This is our last chance."

"Yes, but -"

"No, we're staying. We'll leave when the transfer is completed."

"Tara, please, get out of there."

"No, Rudra." I state firmly.

"Tara, it's not a suicide mission! I'll find another way. Get the fuck out of there!" He growls.

I don't respond.

The transfer finishes fifty percent. We still have two minutes left before the CCTV cameras turn back on.

"What the fuck, woman!? Tara, please! I told you nothing is more important to me than you. Please get out of there, baby." He begs.

"No." I answer. "We can't lose this opportunity."

He's unable to refute. And that just makes my conviction stronger.

"The security is on." Yara tells me through the earpiece. I lock eyes with Amir and he steps out, loading the assault rifle to prepare himself for the upcoming. In less than a minute, I hear multiple footsteps thump closer.

The transfer completes ninety percent.

Bullets go off outside.

I hold my assault rifle in position and aim it at the door, my gaze flickering between the computer screen and the door. Ninety three percent. The door slams open. Three men flood in, holding Amir hostage. I quietly step in front of the computer, hiding the transfer progress. "Drop the gun!" One of them commands, his voice gravelly low, laced with disdain. "Drop it!" He kicks Amir on the shin and the man falls to his knees before he puts his muzzle to the man's head. "Now!"

I drop the rifle and kick it towards them with my foot, close to one of the guards, but also Amir.

"Sieze him." He orders one of his subordinates.

As soon as the man steps closer, I whip out the knife from my boot and stab him in the neck. The blood sputters out. Panic ensues. The situation spirals out of their control. Amir takes the opportunity and grabs the gun, shooting the man next to him.

My gaze drifts to the screen.

Transfer complete.

The man in command looks at the screen when I do, and then his head whips back to me. "Too late." I smirk.

Using the same knife to tear open my suit, I grab my guns and aim them at the two targets.

"It's a woman." He chuckles, his tone condescending.

"Oh, how I love it when men underestimate women."

Before he can lunge at me, I sweep my leg beneath his feet, knocking him off balance and shoot him in the knees. He hollers in pain. "Trained, my ass." I scoff.

"We don't have time to show off. Let's go!" Amir grabs my hand and drags me out. "Fuck." He stops at the staircase and I almost bump into him from behind before my eyes find the reason of his unexpected freeze. Several men file inside the building, armed like the previous guards. My blood runs cold. There's no way we can take them down. "We've to run."

I nod.

And then we book it.

It's the first time my Parkour skills are put to test. And I must say, I don't have a natural talent at it. I land on my bum for the times I lose count of, and one time a bullet almost hits me in the chest if it wasn't Amir snatching me behind the wall with him.

"Yara," I pant roughly.

"Yes, Mrs. Rawal."

"Can you turn off the lights?"

"I can do that."

"Good. Douse the entire building in darkness."

"Not only this building. But the entire city."

"Oh. That sounds illegal."

"It's a cyber crime, so yes."

"Do it." Another voice says. "Do it, Yara."

"There's a high possibility I will be traced back, Boss."

"Then don't -" I go to say but get cut off abruptly.

"Do it." Rudra says, his voice thick. "I-I'm sorry, but do it." His voice reduces to a whisper.

A moment of silence passes. "Okay." Yara replies.

In reflex, I whip out my helmet and take off the glasses, pressing on the right hinge to the turn the AI off. Before I can take a breath of relief, the lights go off and I gasp.

He did it.

He still did it.

Fuck.

Shock impales me.

"Let's go!"

Amir drags me out. We squat and hide and run through the blind firing. I barely pay attention as he gets me out safe and sound before we're sitting on Rudra's bike and riding off into the darkness. Instead of relief, guilt seeps in. There's a chance I might have put a timeout on Yara. I know Rudra can't take the risk of the world discovering Yara's existence. As he fears, they might weaponize him.

A cyber attack on such a large scale? Fuck. I fucked up. I shouldn't have said that. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Yara is Rudra's only friend. They've been together since he was a fucking child. My stupid mouth might have just costed my husband his everything.

Tears of regret roll down my eyes. Soon, I break out in heavy sobs.

"Ma'am?" Amir slows down the bike.

"Sorry," I whisper, sniffling softly.

"Are you okay?" He tips his head to the side.

"It's nothing." As I lift my head, the power supply turns on and the city lights up. I clutch the glasses tightly in my fist.

We reach Veer Mahal and I climb off the bike, rushing inside the palace. Tears pour out of my eyes. Every time I look at the glasses in my hands, I hate myself more and more. Inside my room, I drop them on the nightstand and sink into my bed, choking on my own cries.

I shouldn't have gone along with Amir. I should have just stayed back and let the men do their work. I'm incapable of protecting myself if I need to sacrifice my husband's years worth of hardwork and dedication just to get out unscathed from a dangerous situation.

I can't ever forgive myself.

God, I hate myself.

I don't realise when I fall asleep. It seems like I cried myself to sleep. Because the next my eyes open, it's to the sound of sheets rustling before a heavy weight dips on the side. Peeling my eyes open, I see Rudra sitting on the bedside, staring down at me with a smile. "Hey,"

Remorse fills me at his sight. I look away from him.

"Esther?"

I sniffle. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what, my love?"

Tears brim my eyes.

"Tara, what happened?"

"Yara," the word sits like a brick in my mouth.

He chuckles, causing me to frown. "He's fine. He didn't do it."

My frown deepens and I sit ramrod straight. "What!? Then who turned off the power supply?"

"The Chairman," he smiles. "Somehow he found out the database was breached and a transfer was in progress to an unknown location, so he ordered the authorities to cut off the power supply. Apparently, he mismanaged the time." Amusement shines in his eyes.

I gasp, laughing softly at how weirdly the turn of events worked in our favour. "What the fuck!?" I fling myself in my husband's arms. Rudra hugs me tightly. "But I hate that you were ready to give up on Yara!" I pull away in disapproval.

He tucks an unruly strand behind my ear, trailing the same finger down my jaw, stopping at my chin. "I can make another Yara, but you're my only one Esther."

Butterflies go insane in my stomach. The three words of my confession stand on the tip of my tongue but I hold back. I want the moment to be special. Not one of these hurried, frenzied, stolen moments of emotional intimacy.

"I was so scared." I huff and reach over to grab the glasses. Putting them on, I press the right hinge. Yara activates himself. "Hi, baby!"

Yara chuckles. Deep and lucid. Holy shit. That's hot. "Hello, Mrs. Rawal."

"Alright, enough," Rudra rips off the glasses and tosses them on the nightstand. "And he's not baby. He's an AI."

I smirk. "Are you jealous?"

Rudra sighs.

"Okay, he's not my baby, you are." I hug him tightly around his torso. The hard expression washes away, replaced with a light tint on his cheeks. Adorable.

He clears his throat. "Your brother will be put on a trial this Monday. It is our last opportunity. Everything ends then."

I breathe out tiredly and pull away, resting my back on the headboard. "Are we ready for this?"

He holds my hand in his. "We are."

Are we ready!?

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