THE RAIJYADA PROPOSAL

PART :7 SHADOWS CLOSE IN

Title: The Raijyada Proposal
Part 7: Shadows Close In

The sound of Ansh’s shallow breathing filled the SUV as the vehicle sped through the empty streets, heading toward the docks. The fragmented message on his phone burned in his mind—an incomplete but undeniable sign that Anvi was close. The cryptic location coordinates, paired with his instincts, had led him here. The docks were dark, eerily silent except for the occasional distant echo of water lapping against the edges of the piers.

“She’s here,” Ansh muttered, his voice as sharp as the cold night air.

Samar, seated beside him, glanced at the screen one last time before pocketing his tablet. “Sir, if they know we’re coming, this could end up like the warehouse ambush. We need to—”

“There’s no time,” Ansh interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. His dark eyes, usually controlled and composed, now burned with fury and determination. “Every second we wait, they could move her again. I’m not losing her.”

Samar gave a tense nod, signaling the team in the SUVs following behind them. “Understood. Quiet entry. Full sweep.”

The SUVs halted near the dockside, their engines cutting off simultaneously. The only sound was the distant hum of the water. Ansh stepped out, his movements deliberate. The cold air whipped against his face, but it did nothing to quell the fire raging inside him.

“She’s inside,” he said, his gaze fixed on the silhouette of a decrepit warehouse at the edge of the dock. The broken windows and rusted walls were a fitting façade for the horrors he imagined taking place inside.

---

Inside the Warehouse

Anvi sat in the corner of the dimly lit room, her head resting against the damp concrete wall. Her body screamed with exhaustion, every muscle aching from days of mistreatment, but her mind refused to falter. She gripped the shard of glass hidden beneath her palm, its sharp edge digging into her skin—a painful but vital reminder that she still had a weapon, no matter how small.

The faint murmur of her captors’ voices drifted toward her from across the room. The leader of the group stood by the single steel door, his tall, wiry frame partially silhouetted by the dim overhead light. His expression was grim, his pacing erratic.

“We need to move her,” he said sharply, his voice low but commanding. “Raijyada is getting too close. If we stay here, we’ll be cornered.”

The younger captor hesitated, his nerves visible in the way his hands fidgeted. “But what if he’s already here? We don’t have enough men to fight him head-on.”

The leader stopped pacing, turning his cold, steely gaze on the younger man. “If he’s here, we’ll make him bleed,” he hissed. His hand hovered over the gun at his waist, the gesture more threatening than reassuring.

Anvi’s pulse quickened as she listened. Ansh is close. The thought gave her a surge of hope, but the danger remained overwhelming. If her captors decided to move her, she would lose her only chance of being found.

---

Ansh’s Approach

Outside, Ansh crouched low as he approached the warehouse, his gun raised and ready. The team moved silently behind him, their footsteps muffled against the gravel. The docks were deathly quiet, the faint creak of rusted metal and the distant lapping of water the only sounds.

Ansh paused near the side entrance, motioning for two of his men to flank the main door. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of dread and anticipation. The silence inside the warehouse felt ominous, like the calm before a storm.