StarGaze

Rattrap

"So they were laying down a trap for the commander who was visiting the house. I decided to watch their movements from a distance and wait for the perfect moment." Thomas said.

"Okay," Raghav said with tension in his eyes.

“What did you say the name of the commander was?” Gabriel asked casually.

“Farhan, he is a good kid. He looks after me and makes sure that the family is well taken care of.” Reshma said.

“Yeah, no one is kind without a good reason. He is probably f*****g one of your windows.” Gabriel said, taking out the wooden ceiling.

“How dare you speak ill of my family? We are the most honorable people in this entire city. People make examples of our…” Reshma was revolting but she shut up as soon as she saw Zara staring at her.

“Okay, that is all the information we need. Now Zara, get inside the ceiling. Next, Noor will go up with the kids. Olivia and I will follow them.” Gabriel said and set the stair up for Zara to climb.

Zara eyed Gabriel for not giving her the respect she long craved, but it did not affect whatsoever the latter. So she just followed the order and stepped on the ladder.

Gabriel looked around one last time, trying to spot any items that might give away the fact that more than three people were staying inside the house. Let’s see, he had already cleaned all the dishes, wiped the guest rooms clear, placed all the furniture in the perfect place, and wiped all the bloodstains off the carpets and walls. But he didn’t feel sure, so he looked again. But nothing was standing out, so he decided to risk it.

“Do you know which one of them is sleeping with Farhan?” Olivia asked Gabriel as soon as the ceiling was shut closed and everything was back to normal.

“No, but I started long-range broadcasts in the earpiece translators they have. So whatever they say will pass through us.” Gabriel said and smiled in the darkness.

“Good, because this is a top priority mission, and we can NOT risk any f**k ups,” Olivia said in a tensed tone.

‘Yes, I know. Who would have thought that we will hit a gold mine right when everything was seeming to fall apart.” Gabriel said in a cheerful voice.

And why did they regard hiding in a dusty dark attic from a load of soldiers and a sketchy commander as a gold mine? Well, Farhan was the same man that the senator mentioned when he told Thomas about the four places where the captivated agents were held. Faisal was their first target, and he was just walking right into their trap. He would be the most vulnerable while vesting his girlfriend, as he would be sure that no one knew about his whereabouts other than his girlfriend and her mother-in-law. He would also keep security to the minimum to avoid any unwanted attention and risk exposing his secret visits.

Now all Gabriel and Olivia had to do was wait, and control Zara as she grew impatient. She was like a bird out of a cage, aching to be set free so she could trouble her mom again. Both of the agents knew that something was seriously wrong in her head, and it could give them up if not taken care of.

"Now listen to me Zara and listen good. You will keep your mouth shut, or this edge will shut your mouth for good. Do you understand?" Gabriel said and pressed a knife against Zara's throat.

Zara was chilled with fear. She froze and couldn't find words to respond. Gabriel was infuriated by this.

"DO you understand?!" He said, avoiding screaming as it could f**k the plan up in a second.

"Yes...yes, I understand. Please Don't kill me, I have a daughter." Zara said, possibly crying.

And that was when Gabriel realized that maybe he was being too harsh on her. She was just a woman who was kept down and ordered upon all her life, and this was her only chance to get back at the world that had treated her so unkindly. But unfortunately, Gabriel could not let her enjoy it because he had a duty to fulfill, and it was way more important than a foolish revenge story.

But that does not mean that he could not comfort her a little bit. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and sighed slowly, letting her know that he understood.

"It is okay, I understand why you are so anxious about your success," Zara whispered while sobbing. So she was indeed crying.

"You do?" Gabriel asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, I know how you feel. You have run for a long time, and now you have finally found a haven here in this mansion. You do not want my foolish mistakes to f**k with your resting period, so you are doing what you know best." Zara said innocently, not realizing how much bigger the stakes were than 'rest'.

"And that would be...?" Gabriel asked, smiling to himself.

"Exploiting fear in others. You are trying to make me cooperate by using my fear against me. I mean, it is the easiest way to get the situation under control, but you have no idea how much it hurts the other person. Trust me, no one knows it better than me." Zara said innocently.

Gabriel was getting annoyed now. All the stress and anxiety of the mission was starting to weigh down on him, and suddenly he could relate to the weakness that Tony showed. When he was the leader, Gabriel would always defame Tony for being too weak to take decisions and crying like a baby. He even considered overthrowing him, but unfortunately, the agency did not permit inter-team wars, so he had to be patient and wait for the weak link to die out sooner or later.

But now that he was in the same shoes, he could feel the responsibility eating him alive. He wiped the sweat off his brow as Zara rambled on, trying her best to convince Gabriel to take the knife off her throat.

"Shut your mouth and do as told," Gabriel said to Zara. He was way too experienced and tensed to fall for her words.

"How do we know if they have entered the premises?" Olivia asked out of the blue.

"I have laid out cameras everywhere, from the lawn to the front gate and in the very room we are hiding in. As soon as the cameras detect outsider motion, they will send a signal to my assistant, and it will warn us to be careful in advance." Gabriel said, looking at his watch again and again.

"So, how are you holding up?" Olivia asked.

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked, taken aback. This was the very question he was avoiding for a while now.

"After Emma went, I know you have suffered significant mental injuries. Talking about them helps to get through the dark path." Olivia said in a soft tone.

"You haven't talked about Tony either. I guess that makes two of us." Gabriel said and scoffed lightly. There was deep pain trying to hide behind the laugh, but it was too obvious.

"I know. So let us make a pact right here and now!" Olivia said in an energetic voice.

"Go on..." Gabriel said, all ears to her proposition.

"I talk about Tony, and you talk about Emma. And after all, is said and done, we forget about it, as nothing happened. Deal?" Olivia said.

"Yes, I agree," Gabriel said slowly.

"Okay, you seem a bit more disturbed. So you go first. How do you feel, Gabriel?" Olivia said in a soothing voice, which did the job of an ice breaker.

"I...I feel like I am drowning. There is this wall...." Gabriel was saying but a sudden beep and vibration on the wrist alarmed him.

"They're here!" Gabriel said and cracked his knuckles, snapping out of therapy mode.

And so the inspection began like any other day, but it did not end like the others.