Hide and seek
When the van rolled into the guarded compound two streets away, Ethan flicked off the lights and killed the engine. He lingered for a second, tasting the strange air of triumph that rises after a plan executes without immediate failure. This was a victory born of calculation, not a blunt blow. The gates answered the security code with a soft click, and the van moved into a driveway where stone and glass met in quiet opulence.
Ayisha turned to the backseat. “It’s all right,” she said before undoing straps and opening the rear doors. “We’re here now.” The children’s recognition was immediate. Jamal’s brows lifted and, as if the world had shifted back to some earlier reading of familiarity, the boys and girls called out in a chorus that surprised Ayisha: “Aunty Ayisha!”
The
