DJ's Mansion
Dhaula Kuan.

DJ waited patiently for his mother to finish the Pooja (prayer). Suman offered Aarti and Prashad  to their family deity first and then beckoned to rest of the family to join so that they too can offer Aarti.

After everyone took their Prashad, Suman invited Tanvir, Suraj Chacha and rest of DJ's men, to sit with DJ and served them sumptuous breakfast along with many special dishes and sweets, that she had made to celebrate Loki's arrival.

"Maa, you have outdone yourself today. Every dish is so tasty and I am trying hard to control myself. Otherwise I would probably finish this whole lot and then end up in such a state, that I can't get up from this chair. Hahaa!"DJ said as he eyed the leftovers.

"DJ Bhai, they call it food coma." Raju, one of the younger members of DJ's gang chirped in, and everyone laughed hesitantly. DJ often joked about his obesity but no one ever dared to comment on that.

"Thanks Raju, I have no idea about all this internet language. Maa, you will never admit it but I know for sure now, Loki is your favourite son! You would never do all this things for my birthday!" DJ began to chuckle loudly, but stopped, once he noticed how stern his mother's face had become. Suman left the room and after few moments, DJ followed her, with a guilty stricken face. As always, Tanvir and others were stunned to see how their otherwise terrorising boss becomes a little kid in front of his mother.

DJ found his mum sitting in the lounge, her head resting against the back and a lost expression on her face. With some difficulty, DJ sat on the ground at the feet of her mother, and Suman turned her gaze to him.

Suman touched his cheek with her hand.

"Dhanu, never talk like that again. You are my blood. And for a mother all her kids are the same. You are big, just like me. It is in our genes Beta, we can't help it. Loki got his genes from his father. That's all. And I made all this, as a family celebration, not just for him. Did I ever treat you any less than Loki? I know you said this all jokingly, but Beta, sometimes we try to pass off our innermost feelings as casual comments. So I never want you to feel that way, ever ! The only thing I insisted on, and forced you to agree, was to keep Loki away from all this... the sinful dirty deeds of this house and this family."

Suman sighed and continued, " The moment I entered this house, as your father's bride, I knew what my destiny was. I had no other choice at that time, and I tolerated all your father's sins and his biggest one, making you follow everything he did. You remember how merciless your father was, right? He would have hunted me down and killed me if I had ran away from the house. And now, you have expanded his criminal activities to such a scale that you have become the so called king of underworld. But your failings are my failings too. I failed to protect you from your father. If I had, you would have become a brilliant person, given your intelligence and resilience. And then it was too late. Whatever dirty deeds you do in your business and otherwise, you will face HIS judgement either here or up there. Who am I to judge you? Whatever your failings may be, you bore the responsibility of this family and you put our happiness first, above everything. And no matter how or who you are, as a mother, I will never stop loving you. Always remember that."

Both could hear a loud horn from a passing lorry outside their mansion, but it failed to break the somber mood between them.

"I never told you this, not because  I am ashamed or anything, but I never wanted to have another child after you. Why bring another innocent into this hell hole? I told every possible lie to everyone. But your father came to know that I was using pills, thrashed me black and blue and made sure I was pregnant again. And that's when I decided...." Suman's eyes welled again.

DJ reached out for her hand.

"And you know how Loki is, he is not a strong willed person like you. He is easily influenced by the people surrounding him. When he began to turn wayward, I thought, if only I can protect Loki from this, maybe there's some..." Suman's lips quivered and DJ pressed her hand in his palms.

"Maa! What an idiot I am! I have made you cry on a happy day like this. I am so ashamed of myself. Of course what you did, what we did, was the best thing for Loki, and as you say, for our family. And trust me, I am very happy for him." Dhanu pressed his mother's hand in his palms

"Are you Dhanu? I am not so sure. HE will judge me ultimately for this, but I will always carry the burden of separating a kid from his family, deprive him of brotherly love." A lone tear escaped from Suman's eye.

"Maa, please! I can't see you like this. Yes, Loki spent most of his school years in boarding school away from us, but he turned out well and it was worth all the pain and separation from us. He did his graduation, went to US to study further and now works there, where as I have never even completed my high school. Not that it mattered in what I did. I have realised long time ago, that nothing ever mattered once you have been branded with a particular tag by society. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was thrust into this criminal world by Baba and I blindly did everything he told me to. Once I grew up a bit, and Loki was born, he passed away, leaving us with nothing.  I tried to give up all this. You remember, right? We almost were thrown on streets, even starved. But guess what? This so called society would never forget or forgive. I was a criminal once and that's what got etched against my name. It never gave me another chance, so why the hell should I feel anything for this society or these people?" 

"Are you trying to justify your actions to me Dhanu, or trying to appease your guilty conscience?" Suman asked calmly. "Because it is too late for all that now."

"No Maa, I am trying to do neither. I know what I do and I don't care if people suffer. There is a lot of hypocrisy in this world Maa, people are quick to judge and jump to conclusions as long as it suits their way of thinking. They show their true face when they have control over someone weaker than them. They hesitate to give five rupees to a beggar and bargain tooth and nail with a street vendor, but happily pay whatever a supermarket bills them. They yell at their maids and helpers and think they are doing a favour by paying their wages, but expect a salary hike every year for their jobs at the office. They never trust a charity but if some religious society asks for donations, they blindly give it to them, why? They fear god and want their sins washed away. They conduct their life in fear of what everyone else thinks of them, rather than what their conscience tells them and adhere to some real values. One rule for them and another for others, and like a chameleon their opinion changes depending on whose side they are on. So why should I care for such people? Fear and weakness... yes, these are the only traits that are common in everyone and I exploited them both for my benefit and built this empire. Because I want to become the powerful of all. If I don't rule, someone else will rule over me, and trample me down in a second without any hesitation. I know how this game is played, you either win or you die and I intend to win, at any cost.  All I care is for Loki and you Maa, and nothing else matters to me except your safety and happiness. But no matter what I do, you never seem to be happy. And it eats me alive, to see you like this." DJ cast his eyes down but Suman held his face in her palms and lifted it up slowly.

"DJ, I wish I was stronger when I needed to be, and guided you in the right path, but we are way past all that now. Tell me this, can any mother stay happy being away from her child Beta? Don't burden yourself with such guilty feeling. You have done everything you can."

"I know I haven't made you happy Maa, but perhaps Loki will, and maybe your would be daughter in law too..." DJ tried his best to smile but it never reached his almost wet eyes.

Suman ruffled his dark thick hair gently.

"I don't have any such expectations from either of you. I am content with what God has given me and I pray to him every day, in gratitude. Which reminds me, I have to go to the temple now." Suman patted on DJ's cheek.

"But Maa, Loki will be home soon."

"Yes, I know, but I had prayed to God for his safe return and promised that I will offer Aarti at the temple. I will be back very soon, and if he Loki arrives before me, please make sure you take him to our Pooja room first," and after a pause, she added "and that girl  Zoya or whatever her name is, take her too."

DJ got up slowly and smirked at his mother.

"Looks like the would be Saasu Maa (mother in law) is not happy that her son had chosen his wife without her permission."

"No, Dhanu. I may be an old fashioned woman, but I have no objection if you guys choose your life partners. But I am upset with Loki that he didn't even bother to inform us about her all this time. Now he had to tell us because he is bringing her here, isn't it? Which makes me wonder, what happened exactly, for him to take this drastic step? Has Suraj Chacha found out anything?"

"Suraj Chacha...How do you know Maa?" DJ looked flustered.

"Dhanu, I am your mother and I live under the same roof, in case you have forgotten. You may be the cleverest person to the whole world, but you still can't hide things from your mother. Remember that!"

DJ Sighed and folded his hands in mock surrender.

"I have asked Suraj Chacha Maa, but he says that he is not able to reach our contact in US. He is trying other people, and we will find out soon."

"Or you can ask Loki directly when he comes." Suman said firmly. "Don't let your blind affection come in your way."

DJ looked at his mother's calm face and nodded his head in agreement.

"Now, call Rahim Kaka and ask him to drive me to the temple. I am already late." She hurried towards the kitchen.

====== 

Tanvir and rest of his men looked up anxiously at DJ as joined them in the living room.

"Don't worry. Everything is okay." DJ Smiled and turned to Raju. "Please ask Rahim Kaka to get the car ready, Maa wants to go to the temple."

"Sure, but why Rahim Kaka? I will take Maaji to the temple." Raju came forward but stopped, as he saw the look on DJ's face.

"Do what you have been told." DJ hissed. Raju recoiled at the sudden fury, nodded his head and scurried away to find Rahim Kaka.

"Can you tell that kid to mind his business Tanvir?" DJ asked irritatedly.

"Sorry DJ Bhai, Raju is a bit over enthusiastic but he means well. He is so proud to be working for you, especially after what happened with his Dad." Tanvir explained nervously, as he could clearly sense the bad mood DJ was in.

"Well, his father tried to back stab me by joining my rival and I sent him to the grave he was destined for anyway. But unlike others, I don't believe in judging kids based on their father's sins. But if my leniency gets to Raju's head, you can tell him that I would have no hesitation in blowing his head as well. Everyone knows that Maa never goes out much, and if at all she does, it has to be in a car driven by Rahim Kaka. All the new members joining us need to be explained how things are done around here, or am I expected to do that too now? " DJ fumed.

"Bhai, Don't worry I will speak to him." Tanvir assured him.

DJ sat down in the lounge and checked his watch. As if on cue, Tanvir said "Suraj Chacha had left for the airport and he will pick up Loki and bring him straight home. I have sent some of our guys in a separate van too, and they will follow the car and make sure he arrives safely."

"Good, if I have any meetings today, cancel them. I want to spend all my time with Loki."

"Of course Bhai, I will take care of that. I wanted to show you this before, but forgot all about it." Tanvir pulled out some photos from an envelope and handed them to DJ.

"This is Ashwin, the RAW Agent that Sadiq was holding in Afghanistan."

DJ observed the face in the photo and looked up at Tanvir, with raised eyebrows.

"Confirmed Bhai! We saw him at the same hospital that Shinde told us all these Agents go to. He was with his pregnant wife. Should we go and grill him about the other RAW agent, what's his name... aah! Fayiz Khan?" Tanvir asked eagerly.

DJ got up swiftly with such rage that Tanvir stepped back.

"When will you start using that thing between your ears?  How many times have I told you, that we should get that bloody Sharath Nair to do this?? He was supposed to go and meet Sadiq when he was alive, which he didn't do, and then failed to get any real information on his death later. Instead, he messed up things even more. I don't want my name or any of my guys names attached even remotely with this case. Do you understand?"

"Yes Bhai!" Tanvir replied in a low tone.

DJ sighed in exasperation and approached Tanvir and continued in a gentler tone.

"Look, Tanvir. My dearest brother is coming home after so many years. I want to make everything in this house peaceful as long as possible, while he is around. Unless there is a major crisis, I don't want any of us even talking about these things when Loki is here,  Okay? Just take it easy for the next few days.  I had already warned Sharath that he had to do all the digging about this guy but he hadn't bothered to even contact me all these days. I was lenient  with him, as I didn't want to upset the business we do through him in that area, but I guess it is time to show what I am capable of and what it means to defy my orders. Let's wait till Loki settles down, and then send Suraj Chacha or someone to Mumbai to talk to Sharath in such a way that he will wet his pants from now onwards when he thinks of me. I don't want you to waste your time on trivial things like this."

"Sorry Bhai, you always think of everything, unlike me. We will make sure Loki  has the best time while he is here." Tanvir smiled.

======= 

"Listen to me Zoya, not a word about this to Bhai or Maa, till I say so, you get it?" Loki stopped midway as they pushed their trolleys through the International arrivals lounge in Delhi Airport.

"Of course!!! You already told me this three times. God, Loki!! You are such a coward when it comes to your family! Where is my daring darling who..." Loki cut her off. "Your daring darling is also a smart ass who knows when and where to keep his mouth shut. As it is, I m worried that Bhai wont be convinced with my spin on why we came here in such a hurry."

"I don't like complimenting others much but you are as good a liar as me. So, don't worry." Zoya bit her lower lip and winked at him.

Loki  looked around as he pulled her into a side hug. He nuzzled her soft silky hair  "Don't bite that lower lip, only I get to do that, remember? I know you will hate this Zoya,  but no PDA when we are in front of Maa or Bhai." He kissed her on the cheek and moved away with some reluctance as Zoya closed her eyes, clearly wanting more. Zoya shook her head as she poked her tongue at him and continued to push her trolley. Chuckling, Loki asked  "You never told me, was Goa everything you imagined to be?"

Zoya beamed at him. "Yesss and I enjoyed it totally! And from all the dos and don'ts you have been telling me, I understand why we had to land in Mumbai first and go there! And now pretend to have arrived at international terminal here in Delhi."Zoya rolled her eyes.

"Baby, as I repeat for the fourth time, don't say anything about our Mumbai and Goa trip to anyone. All this pretense and everything, its just for a short time. We will be back in US once the dust settles. Now, as I said,  someone with 10 security guards would have come to receive us. You good?" Loki drawled. And as a Jersey girl, she knew exactly what he meant.

"Hahaha, yes!! Showtime!" Zoya chuckled as they exited lounge to the see a wave of people waiting to receive their loved ones, and Loki looked around to find a familiar face.

"Loki Beta!!" Suraj Chacha shouted from the crowd and Loki waved at him with a smile.

========.

The priest in the SwamiMalai temple smiled at Suman as she arrived with cans of sweets and other special dishes that she prepared at home. Come hail or rain, he knew she would come that day, like she had been doing for the past many years.  She handed over all the food, took the priest's blessings and watched as the priest went inside the sanctum sanctorum to prepare the Aarti. Suman closed her eyes, prayed silently with folded hands in front of the deity in the temple and as usual, a calmness spread inside her, even though there were many people around her. 

Once the Aarti was complete, the priest offered the Aarti filled with Diyas to all the worshipers in the temple, and then distributed the  Prashad that Suman brought.

As Rahim Kaka waited outside, leaning against the car, he observed  a young woman struggling to walk fast, and once she reached the temple entrance, pause to catch some breath. She sat down on one of the steps outside and Rahim strode towards her and settled down on another step.

"Beti! Slow down, there's no need to rush! I think there is still time for Aarti. But I must say, it is so heartening to see young girls like you rushing to the temple. Most of them hardly have any devotion or interest to come anywhere near temples or such places. Do you want some water? I have a fresh bottle in the car..." he offered her.

"Thank you, but I am fine. I am not a big devotee or anything. But yes, I love to go to temples. Not just temples, Durgahs,  Gurdwaras and Churches too. I love watching people in prayer, somehow it gives me some hope that all is not lost. And then I paint pictures of what I felt or saw inside. My mum says I have photographic memory. Hahaha." She chuckled.

"Oh, so you are an artiste! And this is your inspiration. Great!" Rahim Kaka smiled at her.

"I am also a bhukkad, hahaha, I love the yummy Prashad that is offered at all religious places. I come here regularly on this day because the Prashad at this temple is the tastiest."

"There you go, you and me have something in common then. I love eating too, not just Prashad, but all varieties of food." Rahim Kaka laughed aloud.

She rose to go inside."Nice talking to you. If you don't mind, may I know your your name Baba?"

"Rahim-ullah Khan Beti, but you can call me Rahim Kaka just like everyone. What is your name princess?"

"Rahim Kaka, I am Aru, short for Arunya."

"Such a lovely name Beti, I never heard that before."

"And guess what? It means merciful, compassionate - same as your name, Rahim. Isn't that  a wonderful coincidence?"

"It is indeed." Rahim rose too as he heard the bells inside the temple.

"See you Kaka." Arunya waved and left. Within a few minutes Rahim saw Suman climb down the steps slowly, with cans in both hands. He strode quickly to reach her and tried to take the cans from her.

"Rahim Kaka, I can manage.  I told you many times, if you want to carry the cans, you have to come inside the temple with me but you never do." Suman held on to the cans with mock anger, and walked towards their car.

"And Bahu, I told you many times too, I am not interested in praying to any god. My god is inside me and I don't need to go to a temple or mosque to be with him. He is with me always. All I am interested is living in peace and eating happily and just now, I met someone who is a food lover like me. And just like me, she too was a sweet and intelligent person." Rahim Kaka smirked in the rear view mirror as Suman settled in the backseat of the car.

"Is she a humble person too, just like you?" Suman asked with a straight face and both of them laughed aloud.

"Let's go Kaka... if I am a few more minutes late, Dhanu will make a scene."

Rahim Kaka agreed and started the car.

=====. 

Zoya observed how Loki's eyes shined with excitement as he watched the streets in the neighbourhood on their way to his home.  It was like watching a homesick kid, and then it hit her. Loki never stopped being the younger brother of a powerful and protective DJ, and all that nonchalance he showed towards his home was just a show for her and her family in Jersey.

"I cant recognise any of these streets anymore, so much has changed Chacha! I feel like a stranger!"

"Only the main streets have changed Loki. If you go to the inner lanes, everything is still the same." Suraj Chacha assured him. The Sumo Van in front of them reached the house first and the massive gates opened and Zoya could see an old styled mansion. Two of the guards rushed in to open the car doors and she got out of the car along with Loki.   A massive man, that she could recognise as DJ was waiting at the portico, along with a few men behind him. Loki ran towards DJ and hugged him tightly. "Bhaaaiiiii.....So good to see you."

Zoya was astonished to see DJ's cheeks were streaked with tears. He could hardly speak and kept hugging Loki. Perhaps he noticed her amused stare, he finally moved away from Loki and smiled at her. Zoya smiled back at him and reached to hug him, but to her surprise, DJ folded his hands and she greeted him back the same way.

"Zoyaaa, right? Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Normally I am not so emotional. But my little brother, I haven't seen him for so long. So..." he shrugged awkwardly and welcomed them inside.

"Maa should be home any moment, she has gone to the temple to do Aarti for your safe travel." DJ explained, as an elderly lady welcomed them inside and took them towards the Pooja room where statues and frames of different deities were decorated with flowers with  two massive brightly lit lamps on either side.

Zoya followed Loki and removed her shoes before entering the Pooja room and watched Loki kneel and Pray. She too folded her hands and the elderly lady put a tilak on her forehead as well as Loki's.

DJ hugged Loki sideways and beamed at him. "Welcome Home Loki."
==============
Lodge in Cheetah Camp,
Mumbai

Victor woke up and stretched on the bed. The only light in his small room came through the window, and from the orange hues of the street lamps outside, he realized it was night time.

He was feeling too sleepy to get up from the bed and and closed his eyes again, as he recalled his previous day. He was up all through the night before, and thanks to the motorbike lent by Amit, was able to ride through the surrounding suburbs, checking for any sign of Sharath's henchmen whose photographs he now carried inside his backpack. His search wasn't fruitful. By dawn, he made use of an abandoned building under construction to change into his elderly man disguise and reached the mosque for the 5 AM Namaaz.

As he was chatting with Maulvi, and describe his ordeals in dealing with a wayward and drug addicted son,  he was lucky to find another sympathetic father to share his woes. He casually spoke of Sharath and his gang men Satish and Daniel,  to check if they knew or heard of such men. And thankfully, one of them knew. After a long chat, where he felt miserable listening to that poor father's struggles to raise a family on single income and cope with a drug addict son, he finally made his way back to the motorbike. But his hard work didn't go in vain. He had a name and most importantly, an address from that distressed father.

"Khan Sahib, my son told me that he used to go the main suppliers to beg him for more dope in desperation, and he used to get kicked around mercilessly if he had no money to buy it. He is the same guy you are asking about, Satish Deshmukh... and he lives in old house right next to the famous Mount Mary Church in Bandra. But I don't know why you want these details. These men are very dangerous, very dangerous indeed!" He warned Victor with fear filled eyes.

Victor reassured him that he has no plans to confront these bad guys and left the mosque, thankful that he got such substantial information, that too so quickly. He rode straight to Bandra and it didn't take him long to find the exact address of Deshmukh and was lucky to see him pass by with an entourage of cars after few hours. He had a quick lunch, returned to his lodge by afternoon, and crashed into his bed for some much needed sleep.

As his phone beeped with an alarm, he got up from bed  slowly to freshen up.

He showered and changed into fresh pair of clothes when his mobile rang and he was pleased to see it was from Anosha. He made his way out on to the street as they chatted.

"I kept my promise and called you back. I am absolutely fine and having lot of fun with my friends, shopping here in your Delhi." She stressed.
"Well I am glad. I know your craze for shopping too well. Don't spend all night shopping there, okay?" He mocked.

"Hahaha very funny. Listen I wanted to tell you something." The noise behind Anosha was too loud.

"Whaat? I cant hear you!"

"Hang on... Let me see if I can find a quieter place." 

He was passing a shop with glass windows, and as per usual habit, checked his reflection to see if anyone was following him. He thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar face and quickly turned around, but there was no one.

"Anosha, I will call you back. I need to check something." Victor hung up and raced along the street but still couldn't see the face he thought he did earlier.

Disappointed, he called Anosha back.

"Tell me this first, when are you going to my apartment?"

"Listen, I am going to check that PG hostel and a few others tomorrow." Victor began to protest but she cut him off. " I promise, if I don't like them and you know how picky I am, I will definitely call you and ask for your apartment details, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled in relief and he saw another call coming, this time from Amit.

"Anosha, I got to go now, talk to you later, okay?" He cut the call and spoke to Amit.

"Victor, great news. I found out that there is a supplier from Indonesia who is in town and Sharath and Satish are going to meet him at the Otters Club. I am not sure exactly when, but in the next few days. But getting an entry into that exclusive club is nearly impossible." 

"Great Amit! I saw Satish today at his home. I know Otters Club and how things work there. I think I can somehow find a way to get inside that Otters club and find out what is going on." Victor said.

"Really? All the best Victor." Amit replied happily before ending the call.

Victor looked around once again as he began to walk towards a restaurant, thinking of all possible strategies he could use, to put his plan into action.

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

Hi  all

I am so excited with the way this chapter turned out and cant wait to hear your feedback.  And we get to meet a few more new characters. Arunya and Rahim Kaka both of whom you will see more of, in the future chapters.

What do you make of them?
Also, I added a map of all the important places in New Delhi where the story happens.

Love

Sesi