My father.
The word echoed in my head like a broken recording.
"No…" I whispered.
He looked exactly the same.
Same sharp eyes.Same calm expression.
But something about him felt… different.
Colder.
"Pragati," he said quietly. "Listen to me."
I yanked my arm away.
"You're dead."
His jaw tightened.
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
Footsteps echoed faintly from the end of the alley.
The men.
They were getting closer.
My father glanced toward the sound, then back at me.
"We don't have time."
"Time for what?" I snapped. "To explain why you disappeared for years?"
"I disappeared to protect you."
I laughed bitterly.
"Great job."
Another voice suddenly cut through the alley.
"Pragati!"
Ruhan.
Relief rushed through me.
He ran toward us, breathing hard. One sleeve of his jacket was torn, and there was a cut above his eyebrow.
But the moment he saw the man in front of me—
He froze.
His entire body went rigid.
For the first time since I met him…
Ruhan looked shocked.
"You," he said slowly.
My stomach dropped.
"You know him?" I asked.
Ruhan didn't answer.
His eyes never left my father.
"So you're finally back," Ruhan said.
My heart started pounding.
"What do you mean finally back?"
My father sighed.
"This is exactly why I didn't want you involved."
"Involved in what?" I demanded.
Before anyone could answer—
A gun clicked behind us.
We all turned.
Three men stood at the end of the alley.
The same men from before.
But now they weren't hiding.
One of them smirked.
"Well, well," he said.
"Family reunion."
Ruhan stepped slightly in front of me.
"What do you want?" he said coldly.
The man's smile widened.
"We're not here for the girl."
My breath caught.
They pointed directly at my father.
"We're here for him."
Silence filled the alley.
Then the man spoke again.
"Because tonight…"
His eyes gleamed.
"…the ghost finally came back."
My father's voice turned deadly quiet.
"You shouldn't have followed me."
"Oh we didn't follow you," the man said.
He nodded toward me.
"We followed her."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
Ruhan cursed under his breath.
"They've been tracking us."
The man laughed.
"Not just tracking."
He pulled out a small device and pressed a button.
A red light blinked.
Then he said the words that made my blood run cold.
"Your mission was never yours."
"It was bait."
The world suddenly felt like it tilted.
"Bait for what?" I whispered.
The man's smile widened.
"For him."
He pointed again at my father.
"And now that the legendary agent is out of hiding…"
His voice dropped.
"…our real hunt begins."
Written by Pragati Priya (pen name: Zoey)