Vishal's POV
I saw him standing near the entrance of the nightclub, breathing heavily beneath the dim neon lights.
Rainwater dripped slowly from the edges of his black hoodie onto the marble floor while the loud bass of the club shook the walls around us. Red and blue lights flashed across his face every few seconds, making him look less like a police officer and more like someone who belonged in the darkness itself.
For a second, I genuinely forgot how to breathe.
Kaykay.
What the hell was he doing here?
Shruti and I instantly lowered our faces the moment he stepped inside. The music was deafening. Bodies moved wildly across the dance floor while smoke from cigarettes and hookahs mixed into the cold air of the club.
Yet somehow...
He looked completely calm inside the chaos.
He walked toward the bar counter slowly, removing his wet gloves one finger at a time.
"One Scotch" he said casually.
I frowned immediately.
"Huh...?"
Confusion twisted inside my head.
This wasn't right.
None of this was right.
He took a slow sip from the glass before turning slightly, scanning the crowd carefully. Not randomly.
Precisely.
Like he was searching for someone specific.
Then his eyes stopped.
On a young man.
The guy looked barely in his early twenties. Carefree. Drunk. Completely unaware of the danger walking toward him. He stood near the dance floor moving carelessly with the music, laughing at something his friend had said moments ago.
Kaykay placed the glass down quietly.
Then started walking toward him.
My jaw tightened.
The flashing lights followed him across the room while the bass vibrated through the floor beneath our feet. From a distance, it almost looked like he was blending into the crowd naturally.
Too naturally.
He reached the young man and casually started moving with the music beside him, pretending to dance while saying something near his ear.
"Sir..." Shruti whispered nervously beside me. "What should we do?"
I slowly slipped my hand beneath my T-shirt, gripping the gun hidden near my waist.
"Follow me," I said quietly.
We moved through the crowd carefully.
People kept bumping into us while dancing under the strobe lights, but my eyes never left Kaykay. He leaned slightly toward the boy again, speaking calmly before pointing toward one of the darker corners near the private lounge hallway.
And the boy agreed.
They started walking.
Together.
A cold feeling crawled slowly down my spine.
But today was only the first day after the Reddit post.
The pattern never moved this fast.
The murders always happened two days later.
So why did this feel like we were already too late?
Or worse...
What if Kaykay knew something we didn't?
We approached them carefully from behind.
Kaykay's back was facing us.
The boy stood near the wall looking confused while loud EDM music blasted through the speakers hard enough to shake the glasses around the room.
I pulled out my gun instantly and pressed it firmly against the back of Kaykay's head.
His body froze for half a second.
"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.
Shruti inhaled sharply beside me.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Kaykay turned around.
Not scared.
Not surprised.
Just annoyed.
"I thought we were friends" he said casually.
My grip tightened slightly on the gun.
"You were supposed to be in Goregaon West."
"Our work finished in thirty minutes" he replied calmly. "So we drove back."
His eyes shifted toward the boy beside him.
"Who's this man?" I asked sharply.
Kaykay looked at the frightened guy once before answering quietly,
"You'll know soon."
And before either of us could react-
Click.
The sound of handcuffs locking echoed sharply beneath the music.
"Excuse me!?" the young man shouted in panic.
But nobody heard him.
The music was too loud.
Nobody inside the club cared enough to notice another drunk guy being dragged away.
Human beings truly are fascinating creatures. Show them flashing lights and alcohol and they'll ignore a kidnapping happening three feet away.
We took the man outside through the back exit.
Heavy rain crashed against the streets instantly.
The cold wind hit my face as we pushed the boy into the backseat of my jeep. His breathing had turned uneven now, panic finally settling properly into his system.
Meanwhile, Kaykay walked toward his bike parked beneath the flickering streetlight.
Shruti suddenly stepped closer to him.
"Sir..." she asked softly, "can I come with you too?"
Kaykay stared at her like she had personally offended evolution itself.
"Have you checked the weather?" he asked flatly. "It's raining."
Shruti folded her arms dramatically.
"So?"
"So tomorrow you'll come to headquarters with fever and give another excuse for not working."
She smirked instantly.
"So you care about me?"
Kaykay gave her the strangest expression imaginable.
Not disgusted.
Not embarrassed.
Just deeply exhausted.
Without replying, he started his bike.
The engine roared loudly through the rain-filled street.
Then he drove away.
Shruti stared after him for two seconds before sighing dramatically.
I looked at her blankly.
"Come" I muttered sarcastically.
But honestly...
None of this made sense anymore.
Why had Kaykay arrested that guy?
Who exactly was he?
And our entire mission tonight?
Failed completely.
The moment realization hit me, another thought followed immediately.
Jenny.
She was supposed to be at Sunset's Mirage.
Alone. Because Naveen got other works.
I quickly pulled out my phone while driving and called her.
Kunal's POV
Rain hit my helmet visor violently as I drove across the empty highway.
The city lights blurred across the wet roads while cold wind cut through my clothes. Water splashed beneath the tires every few seconds as thunder rolled somewhere far above the skyline.
And despite everything happening right now...
My thoughts still drifted toward her.
Jenny always loved rainy rides.
I still remembered the way she used to sit behind me during storms, holding me tightly whenever the bike sped too fast. Sometimes she'd rest her forehead against my back just to annoy me while laughing at my complaints.
Those memories should've faded years ago.
But they didn't.
That was the problem.
Then suddenly-
I noticed a figure standing near the roadside ahead.
A girl beside a stranded car.
I slowed down slightly.
Wait.
That wasn't just any girl.
That was Jenny.
I stopped the bike beside her.
Her car headlights flickered weakly while rain poured over everything around us. She looked frustrated, repeatedly trying to call someone on her phone, but judging from her expression, nobody was answering.
The moment she noticed my bike, she shouted over the rain.
"Hey!"
I removed one glove slowly.
"My car stopped working" she said loudly. "Can you give me a lift?"
Her hair was completely soaked now, sticking against her cheeks and neck. Rainwater dripped from the ends of her sleeves while her white T-shirt clung to her from the storm.
I immediately looked away.
Idiot.
Who wears white during heavy rain?
Without saying anything, I removed my black hoodie jacket and handed it toward her.
She looked confused at first.
Then realization hit her.
Her cheeks instantly turned red.
She grabbed the hoodie quickly and wore it without another word.
Only after that did I remove my helmet.
The second she saw my face-
Her expression dropped completely.
"Seriously?" she muttered.
I smirked slightly.
"Wearing white during this season?" I asked. "Do you not check weather reports before leaving home?"
"None of your business" she replied immediately before sitting behind me on the bike.
Same attitude.
Same stubbornness.
Some things never changed.
I started the bike again.
And together, we drove back toward headquarters through the storm.
By the time we entered headquarters, Vishal and Shruti were already waiting inside.
And so was the guy I arrested.
I tossed my bike keys onto the table near DIG.
The room instantly turned tense.
"What is this nonsense?" DIG asked sharply.
I looked toward the frightened young man sitting in cuffs.
"This nonsense" I replied calmly, "is probably Kishi's next victim."
DIG frowned deeply. "How?"
Right then, the door opened.
Tanish walked inside carrying several papers in his hand.
"Sir" he said quickly, handing them toward DIG, "you need to look at this."
DIG adjusted his glasses slightly while reading.
I stepped forward.
"After checking the IDs of the previous victims" I explained, "we found out both of them were orphans."
Jenny looked toward me immediately.
"To confirm it, we visited Wish Society orphanage in Goregaon West" I continued. "And we found out both victims grew up there together."
Tanish pointed proudly toward himself.
"I was the one who discovered they were orphans."
I looked at him blankly.
"Should we arrange a trophy ceremony for you too?"
"But I literally went to Goregaon with you!"
"Against your will."
"That still counts."
DIG rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Continue."
I pointed toward the frightened boy sitting nearby.
"His name is Yash" I said. "And I think he's Kishi's next target."
Vishal folded his arms immediately.
"How are you so sure? This could just be coincidence."
"Maybe" I admitted quietly. "But right now this is the strongest lead we have."
Yash sat there silently.
Too silently.
Like he already knew why he was here.
I walked closer to him.
"Do you know anything?" I asked. "Has someone been following you recently?"
"Look officer, I don't-"
"Answer what I asked!"
My voice exploded through the room.
Yash flinched instantly.
"Kaykay! Calm down!" Jenny snapped at me immediately.
I looked toward her.
"He's just a kid" she continued angrily. "First remove the handcuffs."
The room went silent.
I let out a tired sigh before taking the keys from my pocket and unlocking the cuffs around his wrists.
Then I crouched slightly in front of him.
"Listen carefully" I said calmly this time. "Your life could genuinely be in danger right now. There's a serial killer outside targeting people connected to that orphanage. Nobody knows who the next victim is."
I paused.
"It could be me. Could be you. Could be anyone."
Yash swallowed nervously.
"Have you noticed anything strange recently?" I asked again. "Anything weird over the past few days?"
He stayed quiet for several seconds.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Then slowly...
He nodded.
"There's a guy" he whispered.
Everyone in the room stiffened.
"He keeps following me."
My jaw tightened.
"Following you where?"
"Everywhere" Yash replied quietly. "Whenever I look outside my apartment window... he's there."
His hands trembled slightly now.
"Standing beneath the streetlight" he continued. "Wearing a black hoodie."
Shruti looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Like he's waiting" Yash whispered. "Waiting for the perfect moment."
A cold silence filled the room.
"Then why didn't you report it?" I asked.
Yash laughed weakly.
Embarrassed.
Broken.
"I smoke weed" he admitted quietly. "Sometimes drugs too."
DIG's face hardened instantly.
"Nobody would've believed me" Yash continued. "They'd think I was high."
I stared at him for a moment.
Then asked quietly,
"Do you know how he looks?"
Yash nodded slowly.
"Can you identify him?"
Another pause.
Then-
"I think..." he whispered nervously, reaching toward his pocket, "I have his picture."