The dim room reeked of sweat and fear. A single bulb swung overhead, casting jittery shadows on the cracked walls. The man across the table, his face slick with tears, was giving me a headache with his pitiful wails.

Whose bright idea was it to put me in this interrogation? Oh, right. The chief’s. I hate these sessions—especially with fools who think we’re clueless about the country’s inner workings. There’s always a reason someone’s dragged in for questioning, and trust me, it’s never for a casual stroll in the park.

“NO! Please, no! I don’t know anything! I was just out for a walk!” the man stammered, his words punctuated by hiccups.

“A walk?” Agent Nikhil said with a smirk, leaning against the table. “With a suitcase? At midnight? In that outfit? Fascinating.”

Nikhil was always calm and sharp, his words like a scalpel cutting through lies. He was one of the best in our department, and he knew it.

“I swear, sir! I didn’t know there were drugs in the suitcase!” the man pleaded.

Ah, there it was—a slip. Agent Aakar pounced on it instantly. “Drugs? Who mentioned anything about drugs?” he asked, tilting his head.

I stepped forward, arms crossed. “Right. We didn’t say a word about drugs—or the suitcase. Care to explain how you knew?” The man’s face turned as pale as the flickering light above us.

“Ha! Gotcha,” Rudra chuckled from the corner, cracking his knuckles. “You’re done for, buddy.”

“S-sir, I…” The man’s voice wavered, his eyes darting between us like a cornered rat. Before he could stammer out another excuse, Aakar grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back.

“The truth. Now,” Aakar growled, his voice as cold as the steel chair beneath the man.

“I can lend a hand if he’s being stubborn,” Rudra offered, stepping closer with an unsettling grin. “You know, just a little… persuasion.”

The man screamed as Nikhil drove the heel of his boot into his shin. “You’re out of time. Talk, or we’ll get creative,” Nikhil said, his voice low and calm, like a predator sizing up prey.

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!” the man shrieked, tears streaming down his face. “But promise me—no one will hurt me!”

Rudra snorted, delivering a sharp punch to the man’s jaw. “Do you really think you’re in a position to bargain?”

After a few more hits and an impressive amount of blubbering, the man finally spilled everything—the address, the names, and details about the drug racket. His head lolled back as he passed out, slumping in his chair like a broken marionette.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I muttered, gathering the paperwork for the report.

Back at the office, we compiled the intel and forwarded it to higher management. With the main task done, I retreated to my cubicle to sift through the mountain of open files.

“Hey! Is the stress relief party still on?” Sasha’s voice chirped as her head popped up over the divider like an eager meerkat.

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

“Oh, come on! We need this. It’s Sachurday!”

“Saturday,” Nikhil corrected, not looking up from his desk.

“Whatever! Listen, I’ve got it all planned. We’ll go out, unwind, and forget these mind-numbing cases for one night. Please, guys! I’ll even throw in free breakfast for a week!”

“Deal?” Rudra asked, raising a brow.

“Deal!” Sasha confirmed, her grin wide enough to brighten the whole room.

A week of free breakfast? Not a bad idea, I thought, leaning back in my chair. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.