The dank prisons grew silent as the strange boy offered Alina to escape. He took a step closer and stood right in front of her with his intimidating height. His features became slightly visible when the light glistened on the side of his face, though half of his face was hidden under a cap.

Alina eyed the figure from head to toe, her insights on high alert, one wrong move and the lad would pay. He was tall, towering over her small height, with broad shoulders but slender figure.

"Who are you? How did you get in?" Alina questioned suspiciously, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't have time to introduce myself right now. We have to escape before the cops notice us." He muttered in haste.

"Did Saira send you?" Alina was confused.

"I don't even know her. I will answer your questions but first I have to save you." He said.

"Save me? From when did this world become so kind enough to save a con artist like me?" Alina thought bitterly.

"I'm not a weak and vulnerable type of girl. I can handle my problems, I don't need a knight in shining armor to rescue me." She spat.

"It doesn't make you weak needing someone's help once in a while." He gave her a smug look. Even in the dark Alina saw his lips twitched in a big welcoming smile.

He didn't wait for Alina to answer back. Turning around he strolled out of the prison, leaving puzzled Alina behind.

"What's going on? Who is this strange man? Why is he hellbent on saving her? Most importantly, how did he even manage to get inside the prisons without getting noticed?" Alina mulled over her messy thoughts.

Meanwhile, the man, whose name was still unknown, appeared again, dragging the body of the unconscious policeman who was marching back and forth on the duty. He laid the unconscious body on the filthy floor and with a deep sigh, straightened himself.

"Let's go." Ordering her, he fixed his cap and beckoned Alina to follow him.

"I don't even know who you are! And you are ordering me to break the law and run away with you?" Alina asked in bewilderment.

"Look, I'll explain everything later. We don't have time right now." He responded in frustration, fixing his cap again and again.

"What should I do now? Damn! I don't even know where all this will end up. If I escape with him, I'll be an escapee, a wanted murderer and a lawbreaker. Well, I have broken the law multiple times before but this is serious. And I have no idea where this man is going to take me! But I can't stay here either, waiting for Saira's help or bearing tortures of these freaks..." Alina contemplated the consequences of running away from the custody of the police.

She finally decided what to do. She can't stick here waiting for Saira to send help. She had to do something, she had to take a risk.

"Where?" She questioned in a firm tone.

The man seemed surprised a bit yet his face showed enthusiasm like he was happy that Alina agreed. She closely trailed behind him as he ushered her to follow. The metallic door of the prison creaked as he bolted and locked it, leaving the unconscious body of the cop in prison.

"From where he got the keys? How does he know the way? Who is he? Why does he want to save me?" Alina thought as she followed him, watching him scuttling through the empty backside corridors of the police station. The only source of light was a pencil torch in his hand, only support for Alina to take right steps and not to stumble. The man before her knew the ways in the station like the back of his hand. He knew how they were going to break free without catching one's eye.

Surprisingly, they didn't come across any policeman on their way to the back end gate of the station that led to an abandoned alley.

Soon they were out in the dull street, under the midnight blue sky. The man fastened his pace and Alina had to run to match his long strides. She was tired from all the running, her breathing uneven. The police station behind them became smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

Alina saw a car parked on the second lane of the road. They reached near it and the man roamed his eyes cautiously to find anything suspicious. No one was there.

Alina placed her hands on the dent of the car for support and took deep breaths to calm herself. She was sweating badly and feeling weak due to lack of food, her throat dry. Her eyes flickered to the man unlocking the door of his car.

"Now, tell me who are you?" Upon Alina's hoarse voice he looked at the girl.

"I'm Azlan Ali." He replied, offering his hand. Alina threw a dirty look at his outstretched hand, making him retreat his hand back awkwardly.

"Azlan Ali? President's son?" She asked and the man's face twisted in confusion.

"No, I'm not pre-" He was cut in by Alina.

"Are you a celebrity or a politician?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

"I'm not any of these, why-"

"Then how the hell I'm going to know who you are by hearing your name only!?" He flinched when she shouted.

"Slow down. Do you want to get caught again?" He muttered, not bothered by her sarcastic remarks.

"Don't you dare trick me into something!" She pointed her finger at him. She wasn't ready to trust anyone right now.

Azlan sighed loudly. He took off his cap, his hairs fell on his forehead and he ruffled them back.

"Look, I'm here because I want to save you. You think you can prove yourself innocent in this case, then you are wrong. It's all evilly planned. On Tuesday, in the court, you will be sentenced to death for murdering the café's owner. They have evidence and witness against you." Alina gasped at Azlan's words.

"What is going on!?" She was shocked to the core.

"How do you know this?" She uttered, taking a step back in bewilderment.

"I'm aware who you are, you are a con girl. I know your secrets. All of them." He stated calmly, making Alina gulp.

"Because I'm also a con artist. You have to come with me now, we don't have much time." He opened the door of his car and Alina without arguing further, sat in. She was speechless.

"How much does he know about me? Being him a con man is not enough reason to save me. There is something else. I have to find out what this man is up to." She thought as she studied him.

Azlan immediately started the car and steered to unknown destinations. Alina rested her head back on the seat, trying to calm herself. Internally, she was scared. She never wanted to face the situations she witnessed in the past. She wanted to be free, free from this harsh reality and cruel world.

"How do you know me?" She asked Azlan.

"I was stalking you for three months," he replied, shocking Alina once again. "Look at these," opening the dashboard he threw a pile of papers at her.

"It has every record of your accounts, account balance, your money, people you have conned since 2015, places you've gone to, your fake id's, phone numbers, your current location and whole map of your house. Each and every thing." Azlan said, his attention was on the charcoal road in front.

Alina saw the papers with a baffled expression. Her hands trembling and mind unable to register these uncertain events.

"They are not original. It's a photocopy of real ones. And it doesn't belong to me."

"How do you get these?" Alina said difficulty.

"Three months back I caught a man snapping your photos in the supermarket. His acts were suspicious so I sneaked in his house and found some files related to you. When I realized what it was, I was too late, the man ran away. After then, I started stalking you-" Azlan told her.

"This is not the reason to stalk me, why were you doing this? How do you know what will be happening in court?" Alina clutched the files in her hand and turned her attention to him.

"This is not important, the thing is, you are leaving this city in four hours. Otherwise, you'll be dead." Azlan spoke.

"What? And how am I going to do this?" Alina asked astonishingly.

"We will be doing this our way. Like con artists do." With that, the car came to halt. In front of them stood a building of old apartments, walls devoid of any paints with local shops situated on the ground floor. It was 3 am but one of the shops was still open.

Azlan got out of the car and Alina did the same. He escorted her through the congested stairs to the second floor. Alina was feeling all dizzy, the unpleasant smells coming from apartments due to lack of hygiene made her nauseous. The place was drowned in eerie silence except for the chirping of crickets.

Azlan rang the doorbell, tapping his foot impatiently. Alina took in his appearance. He was wearing an oversized jacket with a blue shirt underneath and faded black jeans. The cap which he took off before was again there, blocking Alina to see his eyes and face properly.

The door opened with a jolt, revealing a woman in her mid twenties wearing casual clothes. She gave Alina a weird look, accessing her with hawk like eyes and then she looked at Azlan.

"You're late." She stated to him.

"I know, this girl is a tough one." He chuckled.

"Why are we here?" Alina interrupted both of them.

"To change your identity," Azlan said, moving inside the apartment. "Maheen will help us through it." Alina also went after him and the girl named Maheen closed the door.

"First, Maheen please give Alina something to eat. She is starving." Upon Azlan's statement, Maheen left and Alina sighed internally. She indeed was starving to death.

She calmly sat on one of the chairs in the room, not waiting for Azlan to offer her, observing the dainty apartment. Maheen came back in no time with a plate of rice and a jug of water. As soon as she put it on the table in front, Alina dug in without second thought.

"How much time do we have?" Azlan asked Maheen.

"About an hour. I've booked your flight, and for you," Maheen replied to him and then turned her attention to Alina.

"I have created a bullet-proof ID for you, your passport and other necessary documents. They won't be effective for a long time but you can pass a month." She began.

"And how did you do that?" Alina raised her brows in questions.

"Via Dark Web, home to illicit activity, hideout for criminals. You can simply buy a new identity there, all you need is money. Dark web gives new identity seekers access to counterfeits and stolen personal documentations. It also offers verifiable passports, containing government-level watermarks.  There are no quality assurance checks, everything you purchase on the dark web is fake, sometimes effective, very dangerous and of course, hundred percent illegal," Maheen briefed her.

"I also got an authentic passport for you, it will be a great help in moving to another city, but don't use it after that. It will expire. And I thought you knew that, since you're a con artist." She smirked in the end.

Alina wiped her face with the back of her hand and gulped the remaining water in the glass, not breaking eye contact with Maheen.

"Who asked you for the unnecessary details? I'm already aware." She ranted. Before Maheen could speak Azlan said, "Maheen, will you help Alina change?"

Both the girls gave each other not-so-friendly looks. But they had to work together. After half an hour Alina was ready, disguising herself wasn't a big task for her, she was used to it.

"What about my friend Saira? And my sister? I can't leave them behind." Alina spoke to them, wearing her black boots.

"Don't worry about Maryam. Maheen will handle it. She'll be safe and be with you soon," Azlan replied, packing their suitcases. "And Maheen will leave a small message to your friend that you're in safe hands, we'll keep our location hidden for now."

Alina agreed, after all she had no other choice. They left for the airport as soon as they were ready. Maheen drove them to their destination. Alina was feeling bad for not telling Saira about her escaping. They were crime-in-partners, they were together for years now.

Alina's heart began racing the moment the car pulled into the airport parking lot. She was finally leaving this city. The city where she was born, where she grew up. Where there were memories of her parents, both good and bad. Even after the tragic death of her parents she chose to stay here. And now, according to Azlan, when her life was at risk, she had to leave.

While walking towards the vast airport building, dragging her small luggage, her mind was thinking about her little sister. She never left her alone after their parents. But now, she had to. She was hoping for their plan to succeed.

"Why is this happening to me? Who is after me and why? Who is behind these murders? How do they get my fingerprints on the guard's skin? Who was the man whom Azlan caught and found every record of my doings? What's the real face of Azlan and Maheen? How does he know me? And why is he helping me?" Lots of queries were disturbing her. She furiously rubbed her forehead to ease the headache which was increasing from all the anxiety and stress.

It was one of the hardest moments in her life. She was leaving Karachi, her sister and her most close friend behind, with a strange man who claimed to be her saviour.

"Will we be able to escape from here despite the security?" That was her last thought when they jeopardized themselves, exposing in the public eye.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Hi there!
I finally updated after a long time. Really sorry for that.
I hope it wasn't boring, it is the longest chapter (until now) with 2400+ words.
You can give your feedback on this chapter.
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_A.M_