Syndicate [Thriller]

Chapter 5: Socialism Around The Block

The morning silence was shattered by frantic shouts outside my window. My eyes snapped open, the familiar chill of dread settling in my chest. I could hear someone yelling my name, their voice hoarse and urgent.

"Ajay! Ajay! Get up!"

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my heart already racing. The first light of dawn was creeping through the cracks in the window, but the world outside was far from calm. The shouts grew louder, more insistent, and I could hear the chaos—people running, the sound of distant sirens cutting through the air.

I rushed to the window, yanking it open. Below, one of the boys from the pub stood in the street, panting and wild-eyed, his face flushed with panic.

"What the fuck are you saying?" I shouted down at him, my voice cutting through the morning air like a whip.

"There's been a raid on the communist agitators!" he yelled back, almost stumbling over his words. "They're rounding them up, and I heard—" he hesitated, his eyes wide with fear, "—Ikra was seen with Rayesh, escaping the quarters."

My blood ran cold. Ikra? With Rayesh?

I cursed under my breath, slamming the window shut with enough force to rattle the frame. My mind raced, but there was no time to process. They had Ikra involved in this mess, and Rayesh was with her. My fist clenched as anger surged through me. The fuck were they thinking?

Without another second wasted, I grabbed a cigarette from the table, lighting it with trembling hands, the flame flickering in the dim light of the room. The first drag steadied me, the smoke filling my lungs, giving me the clarity I needed.

I threw on my jacket, my movements quick, efficient. Reaching under the bed, I pulled out my guns, checking them both before sliding them into the holsters beneath my coat. This wasn't going to be a conversation. If Ikra was caught up in

this, if Rayesh had dragged her into a raid—someone was going to answer for it.

I stomped down the stairs, the cigarette still between my lips, every step heavy with purpose. The cool morning air hit me as I stepped outside, but I didn't slow down. In the stable behind the pub, the horse was already saddled—one of the few luxuries I still indulged in. I mounted quickly, the reins tight in my hand as the horse pawed at the ground, sensing my urgency.

With a sharp kick, we were off, tearing down the streets toward the communist quarters. The city was waking up to chaos—shouts and whispers spreading like wildfire as word of the raid hit every corner. But I didn't care about the noise. All I cared about was getting to Ikra and finding Rayesh.

The wind whipped past me, the cigarette burning low as I rode, smoke trailing in the cold morning air. My mind was a storm of anger and questions. Ikra had always walked close to the line, but Rayesh? He knew better. He knew the kind of danger he was pulling her into.

And if they'd been seen escaping, it meant one thing—they were already being hunted.

By the time I reached the communist quarters, the air was thick with tension, smoke rising in the distance as buildings burned, and the shouts of fleeing men and women echoed through the narrow streets. Armed officers were swarming the area, rounding up anyone they could find.

But I wasn't there for the raid. I was there for my family. And no one was going to stop me.

By the time I reached the communist quarters, the air was thick with tension, smoke rising in the distance as buildings burned, and the shouts of fleeing men and women echoed through the narrow streets. Armed officers were swarming the area, rounding up anyone they could find.