Trapped

Chapter 21

The silent night on the outskirts of the city has been disturbed by the firing of bullets in the old lane where no soul dares make his home. The silhouettes run around the half-done withered walls, escaping the bullets that are flying around like buzzing bees, ready to tear the flesh of the obstacle coming it's way. Zayn tries to keep it minimum but other mobsters fire whole rounds as if they are never going to end. Zayn and Max cover each other while shooting down the rival gangsters who attacked in the dark of the night to obtain their secret stash of weapons that was supposed to be delivered tonight. However, what those idiots couldn't guess was the venue which changed in last few minutes. Thanks to Max who was alert to find out conspiracy being planned. Zayn and Max successfully misled them to the other part of the city.

After a long round of firing and dodging bullets, Zayn and his partner in crime escape them. Finding their way around this vacant part of the city, they finally end up on the main highway. Slightly bruised, covered in sweat and grim but feeling energetic nevertheless, thanks to the adrenaline pumping through their veins, they walk all the way to the nearest bus stop which is actually more than a 10 minutes walk. Once they board a bus, they burst out into fits of laughter earning looks from the few passengers. It is funny to them how the recent event never had them fearing their lives. It is more of an adventure that somehow satiates their hunger for this rush. However, both of them have different traits and personalities, this is the one thing that always keeps them together.

The whole gang surrounds them as they tell the tale of how the two of them handled five men from the rival gang. The listeners cheering and hollering to express their rush of happiness and fun this is giving them and Zayn has grown fond of few people here. Not all of them do it for fun, some are in this gang because they have no other option and after all, its about the money that feeds their empty stomach and pays for all their needs. He just hopes he can change their lives, give them more respectable jobs, a decent life. But for now, he's got bigger tasks on his hands and for a moment he had forgotten that he has to get ready for a party, more of a mission to save her.

Parties were cool before Zayn joined the secret intelligence and the post-recruitment phase never really brought him to attend one genuinely. It was either a mission or on his leader's order that he managed to attend. Though, this one's also a mission but a solo one where he needs to focus with all his senses.

After all the physical work last night, Zayn finds himself at Max's door. He is surprised to see Zayn with that grimace on his face, right on his doorstep. "Zayn, its 9 a.m. What are doing-" "I need a Tuxedo," Zayn grumbles interrupting his slow words making him chuckle. "At 9 in the morning? Are you serious, man?" "Serious as hell. Get ready, I have other tasks at hand" "But who sells a Tuxedo at this hour of the morn!" Realising that Max actually has a point, his shoulders slumps and he run his hand through his hair. "Hey mate, come on in and tell me what's the matter?" He shrugs and walks in, slumping down on the couch. Soon Zayn ends up telling him how Alan found a way to involve him in this event that he is organizing for the company and he knows she is definitely a part of it. So he needs to get to this bloody affair before there is any harm done to her.

"So you mean to say, you can't decide on what suit to buy for the party because you've never done that before?" "Wasn't I clear enough in the first go?" "Yeah, calm down, Malik." After exchanging glares from Zayn and laughs from Max, they finally made it to the store where Max picks out a dashing suit to match his mysterious demeanour knowing exactly how nervous his friend is to meet his lady for a the first time on a formal event. Though, Zayn has done this before, he never picked out the attire. It was always made available, ready for him to adorn it on his fit body and kill the ladies with his looks. That was what he did the most in his previous missions; charm the ladies, get the information and get a lead on the criminal mind, find him, fight bad guys, trap him and finally hand him over to the agency. But there is something about this particular woman that makes him forget all his moves and charm. It's all awkward, weird and so breathtaking in her presence that he finds himself lost in another world where no other person exists besides him. This is all cheesy and clichés that he never believed in but then again, he was not the one who believed in love either, before he saw her. Parting ways with Max after a nice brunch, Zayn sets out to make a few arrangements he had decided on.