Amit and his friends were in a jubilant mood as their car made its way towards Goa. They eagerly watched every breaking news bulletin to observe how the local and national media was covering the incident at Bicholim. A new video caught Amit's eye and he pushed his phone towards Victor to watch it.

A journalist was speaking animatedly in front of the very factory they successfully pulled off the coup against Daniel and his gang, a few hours ago.

"Although Narcotics Control Bureau has not claimed any role in the sensational drug sieze and destruction by the villagers of Bicholim, they did confirm to our reporters that the recent capture of more than two hundred crore worth of drugs and arms, hidden inside trucks belonging to Joseph, one of the cartel operators, was indeed a result of joint operation between them and other intelligence agencies. Joseph is believed to be one of the chief distributors of the infamous Sharath Nair.

Is this the beginning of the war against drug cartels in Mumbai and Goa? We at this channel and our viewers certainly hope so. This is Smriti Bhattacharya with Cameraman Vincent Matthews, reporting live from Bicholim for @localnews Channel."

"Do you have any idea about this other one?" Amit asked, and Victor shook his head.

Interesting. Perhaps NCB had other leads that they are working on, but who were the other intelligence agencies? IB or ATS? Victor's mind went through different possibilities. Well,this is good news indeed. The more directions Sharath Nair gets hunted down, the better.

But first he had to something more important.

Victor sent a short message to Jishu's Mother as they drove back towards Goa.

"Maami, I hope Jishu is recovering well. Tell him that the guy who tried to destroy him had just begun to face his Karma. Please don't forget to take care of your health too."

After sometime his phone beeped and it showed a lengthy message from his Maami. As he read on, his eyes widened and he felt that rare constriction in his throat.

Chotu, My blessings to you on your birthday. You should have been with your twin sister and mother, celebrating the special day. Instead, you are out there somewhere, trying to bring down these despicable people. You have taken it upon yourself to protect us and fight on behalf of us, and it reminds me of something.

The first verse of the holy Bhagawad Gita starts with "Dharma Kshethre, Kuru Kshethre". If you twist the words around, it reads as "Kshethre Kshethre Dharmam Kuru." It means 'wherever you are, whatever you do, follow Dharma, the right thing'. And a person who follows that simple principle will remain Victorious forever. Chotu, I am so proud of you and the path you have chosen. When Jishu saw on TV how those villagers were burning smuggled drugs, he kept shouting, that's Victor's job. Don't ask me how he knew, and don't expect him to praise you directly either! He is still ashamed of his conduct.So, it would be sometime before he will reach out to all of us. This new house we are in, is quite private and convenient. Thank you for moving us to this secure place, so fast. When you are back home, make sure you come and visit us, and I will make that favourite Kheer of yours.

Love and blessings, Maami.

Maami was too sweet. He was neither doing anything extraordinary nor deserved such praise. People like Sharath Nair deserved to be hunted down and destroyed. Every time he watched Sharath's swarthy and cruel face, he was reminded of Jishu's hollow lifeless body, tied to the bed, and he had to fight hard to control the urge to attack Sharath physically. Even now, his body and mind were in a rage, and he knew he had a long way to go to completely destroy the likes of Sharath and DJ. But he was hell bent on doing it, away from the rules and regulations that came with his job.

He had to reluctantly admit that Maami was right when she spoke of his family. He sorely missed his Di and Maa today. Victor touched the phone to his lips gently and closed his eyes.

***

Arunya rarely visited this temple in the night, as she found it convenient to visit it during her lunch breaks at work. But today, she felt too restless at home and felt compelled to find some solace. She climbed the temple stairs slowly and joined the other worshipers who were at the temple, praying to the deity even at that late hour in the night. The elderly Priest recognized her and smiled at her as she greeted him with folded hands.

After praying to the god, she sat in one corner of the temple, watching the promenade and the devotees. The temple looked beautiful, in a different way, with the ornate monumental tower at the entrance and the sanctum sanctorum, lit in bright colours.

As she sat there, watching her surroundings and the interesting faces of devotees, she felt calmer. Slowly the crowd lessened and the priest, now free of his duties, sat next to her and gave her Prasad.

"Thanks, Pandit ji." She took a bite of her favorite laddoo. It was as delicious as ever.

"Is this from the same lady who brings all the yummy food from her home?" She asked, just to confirm.

"Hahaha! Yes, it is. She came today too just like every week, and with extra specials as well. I remember you too well now, and how much you love her Prasad. So, I kept some leftovers for you. But why weren't you here in the afternoon?" Pandit ji asked with a smile.

"I took the day off today Pandit Ji. I work here at the Delhi university as a Librarian."

"You work there? I thought you were a student just like others who come visit the temple. You must be a very talented girl to have got the job at such young age."

"Hahaha Pandit Ji, what young age? I turned 28 today. And I am sure I look 32." Arunya said with a resigned face.

"We look younger when we are happy Beti, so banish all such negative thoughts from your mind. Why didn't you tell me before? I would have done Archana under your name."

"My Amma took me to a temple near our home to get Archana in the morning Pandit Ji. But I was feeling upset and restless today. I was missing my Chotu, my younger brother. Wherever he was, he would always try to come home on this day, so we could celebrate together. But this year he couldn't."

"Oh, I understand. He must have been busy with his studies. Does he stay in a hostel?"

Arunya chuckled loudly.

"No... I call him Chotu and He calls me Di but he is just 10 minutes younger than me. We are twins you see."

"Hahahaha. Wonderful. So, you two must be very close then."

"We were close as kids, and we used to play together more. We didn't get to have long lasting friends as we moved a lot due to my father's job in the army. But it was also exciting, as we learnt different cultures, and that reflected in our upbringing and habits which were so mixed up. Later, my mother moved back to Kerala to be nearer to my grandparents. Chotu changed a lot and became aloof as he took upon the role of the breadwinner for our family. He matured too quickly, way beyond his age." Arunya's voice softened and her eyes turned sad, once again. 

Pandit ji was surprised to hear her talk so freely about her past, but it was not an unusual experience for him. Many people reached out to him to talk about their grievances and he always did his best to make them feel better, but without prying further.

"Hmm... so, he became your elder brother. Now I understand! You are sad because you don't have any one to boss around at home." The twinkle in his eyes matched Arunya's as her face broke into a wide smile.

"No way. I bully him still, and he hates it so much."

As Pandit ji joined her laughter, Arunya's phone buzzed.

"Oops it's my Amma." Arunya got up quickly as she answered the call. "Yes Maa, I will be home soon. Don't worry, the car is parked right outside the temple." She assured her mother and cut the call.

"Yes, it is quite late now. Go home Beti. Your mother must be getting worried." Pandit ji too got up.

"Thanks for the chat Pandit ji. I feel much better now."

"My pleasure. Next time, come along with your mother and brother, and I will do a special Archana on behalf of your family." He touched her head in blessing.

She folded her hands respectfully once again and made her way back to the car.

As she drove home through the Delhi roads which gleamed in the orange hue of the street lights and the ongoing traffic, her phone beeped in a special ringtone indicating a new message from her brother.

"Miss you Di... Can't talk to you now. I have to be in Goa for few more days but I will try to come back to Delhi as soon as possible. Meanwhile, don't eat my laddoo 😜"

She poked her tongue out at the phone as if she was in front of her brother and chuckled.

***

Ashwin tried his best to hide his disgust at the noisy way Tanvir and his crony Raju chewed the last few bits of chicken and drank their Chai, as they sat in the living area of their luxurious hotel suite in Goa.

They had ordered room service; Ashwin barely had any appetite for food, while Tanvir ate his share too and looked keen to eat more. Raju burped loudly.

Ashwin asked impatiently. "If you have finished eating, can we discuss what exactly I need to do now. I want to finish my job here and get back to my wife as soon as I can." He had been cooped up in the hotel room since morning and he was frustrated. From whatever bits of conversation he heard, he knew that more of DJ's men were on the way. He didn't understand why so many were coming nor he cared. The TV in the room was blaring with the sensational breaking news of "Bicholim Coup" by the villagers.

"Ashwin Sirrrr !! Be patient. In our business, timing is everything. I am sure you are aware of it too by now. And coming to your wife, don't worry about her. My men are keeping an eye on her and her family, all the time. She is equally precious for us." The last words rankled Ashwin so much that he almost tried to lunge at Tanvir, but stopped, once he saw the shining revolver in Raju's hand.

"Look, I have agreed to cooperate with you guys in getting Victor come and meet you, but if you piss me off like this, I will make sure you regret it forever." Ashwin's nostrils flared.

Tanvir and Raju laughed aloud.

"Tanvir Bhai, the way this guy talks, it is so funny. As if he is the one dictating terms here." Raju shook his head in amusement.

"Yeah Raju, he expects all of us to be like our soft spoken Suraj Chacha and tolerate his whining." Tanvir's eyes darkened with fury as he observed Ashwin.

Ashwin controlled the urge to give them a fitting reply and said instead in a softer tone, "Why don't you guys understand? My wife needs me. She has no idea where I am. All I told her was that I am going on official duty for a few days. If I don't keep in touch with her, she would feel very distraught and as you know, it is not good for her health. You promised me, your Suraj Chacha promised me too, that nothing will happen to my wife. And I expect you to stand by that."

"And we will, if you just listen to us and do exactly what we ask you to do and don't shoot your mouth off unnecessarily." Tanvir got up and placed all the cutlery and plates neatly back on the serving trolley that the waiter left behind.

He began to pick his teeth with a tooth pick and explained in between " Remember what we discussed earlier Ashwin Sirrr? You are going to call Victor and invite him for Dinner at the Guesthouse in Nerul that I told you about. Tell him about your great achievement in getting Joseph arrested and the drug seize and give him a nice picture as to how you want him to work with you to get more such criminals, blah blah. And most importantly praise him to the skies. You told us that he is an egomaniac, right? Congratulate him on how he pulled off that so called "Bicholim Coup". We know how he did it now, he was tailing Sharath's Indonesian partner and his gang. But speak to him as if you have some inside knowledge. Tell him whatever yarn you can come up with, but convince him to come over to meet you. If he is not willing to come for Dinner tomorrow night, then convince him to come and meet for drinks somewhere at the beach, we need to see him first, is that understood?"

Ashwin nodded his head stiffly.

"Go on then, call him now." Tanvir took out Ashwin's phone which was in his pocket and handed it over.

Ashwin grabbed the phone and eagerly and went through the messages.

"Any messages to your wife and family, can wait till this is over. And put the phone on speaker." Tanvir said shrewdly, as he muted the TV.

Ashwin rang back the number Victor called him on, few nights before. After several rings, when he was almost about to give up, Victor finally answered the call.

"What's the matter?" Ashwin could almost feel the suppressed anger in Victor's tone and he remembered how their previous conversation ended. How can he persuade Victor to talk, let alone meet him? Ashwin scratched his eyebrow.

"Hi Victor. How are you?"

"Don't tell me Ashwin that you called me at this hour to ask about my welfare. What do you want?" Victor's terse reply inflamed all the suppressed hatred and fury Ashwin felt towards him for his grand betrayal.

The bloody cheek of this guy. First, he throws me under the bus and now he talks to me as if he is doing me a favour.

Tanvir silently gestured to Ashwin across the room to smile, and Ashwin took a few breaths to control his anger.

"Erm... Actually, I wanted to thank you about your tip off. I was too angry the other night when you told me that Sharath's men were looking for me. I thought... never mind what I thought but yeah... I mean I am sorry for misunderstanding you and all that." Ashwin paused awkwardly.

"Glad to be of help." Victor said in a clipped tone and Ashwin threw his hands up in exasperation. How do I make this guy talk??

But to his surprise, Victor continued in a softer tone, "Are you okay? Did you speak to Nanda Sir?"

"Oh yeah yeah, of course. Everything is fine, just fine." Ashwin said with gritted teeth, cursing the irony of his situation.

As Tanvir prompted him to continue, Ashwin cleared his throat.

"Hmm Victor, I  wanted to talk to you about something else actually. You must have heard the drug heist NCB did over Sharath Nair's operator Joseph, right? It was my team that tracked the shipment all the way from international waters and helped NCB and ATS to capture Joseph."

"Really? I mean, Congratulations. I just saw it on the news." Victor's incredulity fumed Ashwin further but he bore it with resignation. The muted visuals on the TV reminded him again as what he had to say.

"And Victor, I heard that you were working on that Bicholim case am I right? Great job, it is all over the news."

"How did you know?" Victor's sharp tone boomed from the phone speaker.

"I have some contacts in that area, especially NCB and they told me that it was definitely not a job of the local police, as the media is projecting at the moment. And you told me that you saw Sharath, right? So, you must have been tailing him. Well done. Sharath's business would be crippled by this setback. Trust me. I have been following every detail of his drug cartel for the past few months. And If you don't mind, I really want your input and help too. I know you are not interested in working with me officially. But why can't you do it off the radar? I am sure your contacts are different to mine and if we can work together to finish Sharath Nair, once and for all, wouldn't that be great? I am staying in a friend's guesthouse in Nerul. It's just half an hour drive from Panaji. I am not sure where you are staying right now, but why don't you come tomorrow night for Dinner at the guesthouse. It is beautiful. We can chat and share our notes over dinner. What do you say?" Ashwin was glad that he mentioned everything he had to say and waited with bated breath for Victor's response.

There was a pause before Victor's voice could be heard again. Tanvir and Raju looked at each other wondering if Victor took the bait.

"Hmm Thanks for the offer Ashwin, but you know me, I like to work on my own. Do whatever you need to do through IB channels and if you need any info, you can call me up for sure. About Dinner, thanks for the invite, but I am busy right now. We can do it some other time when I am back in Delhi, Okay?" Victor sounded as if he was ready to end the call.

Tanvir shook his head and Ashwin knew what meant.

"But Victor, why don't we meet for once, I mean... casually. I know you are busy, but aren't we all? But you can take out some time for me right? Where are you staying? Maybe I can come and see you." Ashwin hoped he didn't sound too desperate.

They could hear Victor's sigh before he replied. "Sure, I am not in a hotel or anything that I can invite you over. Why don't we meet for some drinks at the Candolim beach tomorrow evening? It is not too far from where you are staying. And I will text you where can meet in the afternoon. Okay?"

Tanvir nodded his head and Ashwin replied with relief " Great Victor. See you tomorrow then. Good night." As he cut the call, Ashwin reached for the beer bottle on the coffee table and took a big swig.

***

Next day, 5 PM.

Candolim beach was buzzing with tourists and locals as usual.

As Ashwin made his way through the crowded beach, his phone beeped with a message from Victor.

Let's meet at Bono's shack in ten minutes.

Sure, I hope u r not in one of your disguises again Victor. Please spare me. 😊

Ashwin texted back, as he knew how important it was to show Victor as he is to Tanvir and his men, to avoid any confusion.

Hahaha, no. I am good.

And ten minutes later, Ashwin  sat opposite to Victor at one of the weather-beaten tables on the beach at Bono's, as he sipped his coffee.

"I am really glad you came to meet me Victor." Ashwin said with a smile, hoping he sounded genuine enough. His phone in the pocket was recording every word they spoke.

"You don't have to sound so formal Ashwin. We go back a long way."

"Yes, yes we do. And that's why, for our old friendship sake I wanted to invite you for dinner tonight at the guest house. Trust me there is a goan cook and the seafood she cooks is to die for. She can make whatever we want, if we tell beforehand. Please don't say no." Ashwin leaned forward on the table, and pleaded.

Victor's eyes creased as he looked at Ashwin.

"Are you okay Ashwin? You should be happy now that your drug seize operation was a success, but why do you look so stressed? Is it because of the threat from Sharath Nair's gang? I was actually quite surprised that you were still here in Goa, but now I know why. Forget about dinners and guest houses. My advice to you is, wrap up your work here quickly, go back to Delhi and take care of your family. Nanda Sir knows about everything, right? He will find you a safe house and provide surveillance too. How is your wife taking this whole thing?"

Ashwin gulped nervously. How can he convince this guy to come to the guesthouse? He glanced nervously at Tanvir who was sitting a few feet away behind Victor. He didn't know where the other guy was but he was carrying a huge DSLR camera, probably to take pictures of Victor from far, without raising any suspicion. The mention of his wife brought a new wave or fear and desperation in Ashwin.

"Yes, she is absolutely fine but considering her condition right now, I didn't think it was wise to tell her anything." He admitted honestly.

"What condition?"

"We are expecting our first baby. She is due for delivery next month."

"Oh!! Congratulations man!" Ashwin smiled stiffly as Victor shook his hands.

"Look, I got to go now. I promised someone I am going to meet them in half an hour." Victor stood up and Ashwin looked at him in desperation.

"You are leaving!! How can you, I mean... we just sat for few minutes." As Victor put his aviators on, Ashwin scrambled to get up. On the pretext of looking for the waiter, he glanced at Tanveer who signalled to him not to force Victor. Ashwin sighed in relief and shook hands with Victor.

"I hope we will meet soon and work together, forgetting our differences. Remember that my offer is still open."

"Yeah, sure, I remember. Bye Ashwin and take care."

As Victor walked away, some inner voice forced Ashwin to call him again.

"Victor!!"

Victor turned around, and Ashwin shouted back, "Take care!". As Victor waved back at him, he added in a whisper, "I am sorry."

^==============^

Okay, I had to end the chapter there so I can cover what happens next in the next chapter properly.

And how did you find this chapter. Eager to know your thoughts. 

Sesi