The Game Begins

'And in Business News, shares of Kapoor industries fell over 3% at opening today, after an already tumultuous decline of nearly 10% in the past week. Volatility continues to remain high, with rumors of poor sales and declining revenue persisting...'

'In a separate announcement, the company has confirmed that its founder and Chairman, Mr. Pankaj Kapoor, will not be attending the Annual Stockholders Meeting at the end of the month, citing a medical issue. The company's co-CEO, Kishore Kapoor will take his place. Mr. Kishore is expected to make an official statement at the shareholders meeting.'

'I disagree with these rumors, Naveen. The company has sound fundamentals and good leadership. The recent dip is likely from some betting and short selling, which does not seem grounded in fact.'

'Well, you may be right, and broadly the market does seem to agree but IF the company's financials are worse than expected, investors may pull out. I wouldn't bet on it myself, especially with their track record. If they are unable to allay these fears with their performance in the next quarter, I'm afraid they might lose a lot of investor confidence and that will hurt them badly.'

'True... True. Thank you for your insights, Naveen! This is Ravi Singh and Anjali Verma with business news. The only place for real, unbiased, information on Dalal Street!'

"Oh, shut it off!" I muttered in annoyance and Jhanvi, who was sitting beside me on the couch, turned the television off. On my other side, Pooja Didi raised an eyebrow at my sudden reaction. We were all sitting in Pooja Didi's living room, waiting for Karan to arrive, when I had stupidly turned on the news to pass the time and ended up seeing my worst fears come true.

"I hate listening to these idiots..." I growled, "They are always speculating about our finances, but they don't have the slightest inkling of what we really are going through..."

"I know... I know..." Pooja Didi said soothingly, "But it's just some rumour mill going on, Suraj. Why are you getting worked up so much?"

I sighed and looked at her, wondering if I should tell her the fix I was in. To tell her the truth, that the news just confirmed my theory. Ravi had executed his plan and had placed those shorts against the company!

"It's just... it's just... I'm stressed out, I guess..." I muttered, hoping to avoid the difficult conversation. However, just like with Nora yesterday, Jhanvi and Pooja Didi knew I was hiding something.

"Come on, Suraj!" Jhanvi said with a frown, "I know you well enough by now that I can tell that's not all..."

"Can't hide anything from us!" Pooja Didi chimed in, reaching up and stroking my chin, "What's going on...?"

I looked back at my two beautiful wives beside me and sighed in defeat. "Okay... fine. We have a problem..."

***

By the time I was done, both Pooja's and Jhanvi's faces had paled with worry, and they looked at me anxiously.

"How much money do we need to buy those options?" Pooja Didi asked me nervously and I replied, "Roughly 10-15 Crores. And that is assuming that the market is stable."

Jhanvi's eyes widened, "That's a LOT of money..."

"Yes..." I replied, "Karan said he will try to help with that, but I'm not really sure how he can do it. It's a shit ton of money to lend a friend with little scope of return if things go bad!" I sighed in defeat.

"You TOLD him everything?" Pooja Didi asked in disbelief

"Well, obviously not everything! I can't really tell the world that I'm having an affair with my sister-in-law and her sister at the same time!" I clarified, "Just the part about Kishore's plan with Oberoi. He already helped us with freeing Ileana, right. We can trust him."

"What is the alternative?" Jhanvi asked me, her tone worried, "I really doubt Karan will come through. I mean, I know he is rich and has known us since we were kids. But his father still controls the company. He can't just pull out 10-15 crores without anyone noticing!" Jhanvi said.

"I...er... have some plans to thwart the shorts Ravi's placing. So, the company won't be taken over. We can get rid of Kishore and Ravi still and be finally together," I replied grimly. "But the company would probably not recover from the loss of funds Ravi stole, it will come out eventually in an audit and... and then... and then we'll all be royally fucked!"

We were all silent for a few moments, nobody really wanting to absorb the implications of the news I had just shared.

*Ping*

The chime from my phone broke the silence and I looked down at the screen. It was a message from Karan, 'Need to cancel the meet-up with Jhanvi and Pooja Didi. Come and meet me at Malgoan Docs. ASAP!'

"Karan won't be able to make it... He's asking me to meet him at the docks..." I told them, showing them the text, "I'll let you know what happens."

I leaned over and gave each a gentle peck before leaving, "Please don't worry. Everything will be fine, okay!" Both girls smiled back, though I could tell it was forced.

***

I parked the car by the docks and followed one of Peter's men through the docks.

'Malgaon Port' the crown jewel of Karan's Dad's empire. Around 70% of the shipments to the state were routed through here; legal and illegal from what I had heard. I guess it's hard to keep one's hands completely clean in certain business ventures. But the way Dad talked about Thapar uncle (Karan's dad), he had put in a lot of effort to legitimize and exit the shady parts of his operations in the last few years.

I followed the hook-nosed bodyguard between rows upon rows of stacked cargo containers. The sounds of heavy cranes loading and unloading ships in the port echoing all around us. Finally, we came to one container which stood apart from all the others. It was a small blue one, surrounded by two other burly looking guards and unlike the rest, this one had no locks and chains keeping it shut.

"He is in there," the man pointed at the container and gestured for me to go forward. The two other men stepped aside and allowed me through.

'Bam'

"Better tell me something useful like your friend did and I'll let you go..." A gruff, familiar voice echoed out from behind the steel door, and I recognized it immediately. It was Peter. I opened the metal door and stepped into the container to find Karan sitting casually on a rickety stool, while Peter stood in front of three bloodied up men tied to chairs, each one of them sporting multiple bruises.

I winced as Peter took another heavy swing at the man in the middle, connecting with his ribs, eliciting a loud crunch. I almost stepped forward to stop him when I recognized their arrogant faces! They were the three thugs who had tried to kill me! I grinned, realizing why Peter was doing this.

"Ahh! Suraj! You made it!" Karan called out to me, smiling at me from his position in the far corner. Peter glanced over his shoulder at me, his knuckles bloody from hitting the men repeatedly. He nodded at me, acknowledging my entrance, but didn't say anything else.

"What is going on...?" I asked Karan, "What is all this?"

Peter turned his attention back to the three prisoners. The men were gagged, but I saw a flicker of recognition in their eyes when they saw me enter.

"I'll let Peter finish interrogating these assholes so we can chat..." Karan answered me, standing up. He walked towards me and whispered, "Let's leave these idiots to Peter..." and motioned for me to follow him outside. I nodded and we both left the container.

"What is this about?" I inquired when we stepped out of the box-like prison cell.

"Well, it's about that sword hanging above your head... Mafia Don Shah Rukh Bhai..." Karan replied, grinning at me. "And, I have some good news..."

"Shah Rukh? What about him?" I frowned, confused as Karan led me down the gravelled path between two containers. Two of his bodyguards followed behind us at a discreet distance.

"I've found a way to get that bastard to leave you and the family alone..." Karan answered cryptically, continuing to lead me through the maze of containers.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, curious as to what he could be talking about, but he seemed to want to be all theatrical about it, typical Karan, and just nodded for me to follow along to a small building at the end of the path.

One of the guards standing in front of this building opened the door and I followed Karan into a simple room, where a bald guy was sitting by the desk. I instantly recognized him as one of the partners of the other three guys who were being beaten to a pulp by Peter. He did have some bruises on him but nothing too serious and he seemed to cower in fear a bit at seeing me.

"Calm down!" Karan ordered the guy and then he looked at me, "Suraj, meet Bokul. One of Shah Rukh Bhai's associates, one of the men sent to kill you... and now our newest snitch..." he said with a wicked smirk, and I frowned, wondering what the fuck Karan was up to.

"Yes, sir. Sorry about that thing with you and Ma'am..." Bokul muttered nervously while glancing at me and then at Karan's two hulk-like bodyguards.

"Snitch!" I looked at Karan, still confused, "What do you mean?"

Karan smirked at the nervous bald guy in front of us and said, "Go on... tell him... what you told me earlier..."

"W-Well, sir... you see... Shah-Rukh Bhai... he... uh...he..." He stuttered.

"Speak up... Or you can go join your friends..." Karan threatened the bald dude with a growl, and he gulped in fear. He then looked at me and blurted out, "I know of a way to get S-Shah Rukh Bhai off your back..."

***

"This isn't going to work!" I muttered nervously as we watched Peter and Binoy head towards the gates of an old mansion which apparently was Shah Rukh's den! Karan and I were sitting in his car, watching from afar, as the plan we had devised came together.

"Relax, man..." Karan said, "It will be fine..." His calm attitude surprised me, especially given what was at stake.

"Are you sure this Binoy guy can be trusted? He could be bluffing!" I asked, "I mean, you literally just beat up his friends to extract the information from him!" My tone was a mixture of both scepticism and worry.

"He'll be getting a hefty paycheck from me if this works out. Much more than he will ever make from being Shah Rukh's lackey."

"But..." I began, but stopped short as my phone rang and I looked down at the screen to see it was Pooja Didi.

"Hey... Are you busy...?" Pooja Didi's soft voice came through the line, "You've been gone quite a while, and we are worried..."

She had no clue what was happening, and I didn't feel like this was the right time to worry her either. "No, everything is alright. I just have something to take care of... I should be there soon. Don't worry."

I quickly cut the call and looked up at Karan who gave me an amused look. He'd not seen the name on the phone but did hear her voice. "Secret girlfriend that I don't know about..."

"Shut up and focus..." I muttered as we both looked ahead towards the mansion where the guards just finished checking Peter for weapons before allowing him and Binoy in.

'The game was on!'

***

Shah Rukh Bhai was sitting on his couch. His right-hand man, Aslam, was also sitting there. Two glasses of whiskey rested in front of the pair, as they eyed Binoy and Peter with suspicion.

"Well, look who decided to show up. It's our Binoy." Shah Rukh sneered as Binoy walked nervously up to him, "We thought you and your gang had decided to skip town after the fuck up you boys had with that Kapoor kid!"

"N-No no Bhai... How could anyone even consider that?" Binoy replied, his eyes darting about anxiously, "I would never do something stupid like that. Never."

Aslam scoffed, "Oh really, where's the rest of your gang then?"

Binoy gulped nervously, "Bhai... They were picked up by the police. I just barely escaped by the hair of my skin!"

"So, you're here to apologize for messing up, while your friends are in jail?" Shah Rukh commented sarcastically, "And you think you can just waltz into my house and ask for forgiveness, huh?"

"No, no, no! Not at all... No! I'm here to give you something better than an apology, Bhai..." Binoy insisted, and Shah Rukh frowned, "Err... Well, I was thinking of ways to redeem my mistake with the Kapoor kid. That's when I brought Peter here. He wants to meet you..."

Peter, who till that point hadn't said anything, stepped forward and handed Shah Rukh a visiting card. "Peter Thomas, Head of Security at MalGaon Port. I believe that I may be of use to you..."

"MalGaon Port..." Shah Rukh looked down at the visiting card, scrutinizing it before handing it off to Aslam, while keeping an eye on the tall, muscular man in front of him, "And what exactly can this man offer me?"

"We've been trying to move our shipments back through that port for years" Binoy replied nervously, "Ever since Thapar shut down all the illegal stuff a few years ago. Peter here says he can get in a weekly shipment of grade-A coke."

Peter nodded in confirmation, "I've been with the Thapar's for years, but to be honest, I'm kind of tired of the scraps at the table while these hot-shot rich folks enjoy life king size."

Shah Rukh nodded at Peter and gestured towards the sofa and then flicked his finger towards Binoy, indicating him to leave, "You may wait outside..."

"Sure Bhai..." he mumbled and scurried off, leaving Shah Rukh and Peter alone. Shah Rukh sat facing Peter, while his bodyguards stood guard at either side.

Shah Rukh studied Peter for a moment and then spoke, "So, Mr. Peter Thomas, how can you help me?"

***

"How did it go?" I asked Peter as we sat down later at one of Karan's clubs, 'The Pirate Ship'. A beautiful waitress dressed up like a pirate wench, with a low-cut corset and a short mini skirt, served us drinks as we discussed the details of the meeting.

Peter's eyes lingered over the buxom girl, taking in her cleavage with an appreciative grin before turning his attention to me, "I've laid the bait, pretending to be a disgruntled employee who has struck a deal with some international smugglers and need a local partner to handle the distribution once the drugs come in. "

"Well, you don't get to be a man in his position without being cautious, do you?" I commented, sipping from my glass, "What's the hiccup then? Isn't he interested?"

"Of course, he's interested." Karan interjected, "Rumour has it that even though Shah Rukh heads the largest gang in the city, he's been facing immense pressure from an upstart gang that broke away a few years ago and also from the police who've issued an arrest warrant against him already. So, this gives him a chance to bolster his business with new weapons and money!"

"Hmmmm... that's true. But I'm still not sure if all this planning to lure him out of his house is needed at all. As you said, the police are already on the lookout for him. Can't we just lead them to him with an anonymous tip or something?" I asked, not sure how Karan and Peter had managed to plan this out in a day.

Karan shook his head and said, "If only it were that easy... The police already know where Shah Rukh stays. But he's been holed up in his own little gangster land for years, never once stepping out. The police won't risk an all-out bloodbath to take out Shah Rukh while he is protected by 100s of his armed goons!"

"Yes, but if we lay the trap well with the chance to get these new weapons, that might just convince him to leave his fortress for once." Peter nodded along, "Leave him to me, Mr. Suraj. I know what I'm doing. Within a week, Shah Rukh will have bigger troubles than you to worry about."

"Fine... fine... I'll leave it to the experts." I sighed and raised my glass to Karan and Peter, "To a successful operation, gentlemen!"

***

The drive back from Karan's place had me lost in thought. While the plan to lure out Shah Rukh and get rid of one of Ravi's major allies was underway, my mind went to my other problem: Ravi and Oberoi's shorts and raising the money for that play.

Karan hadn't mentioned anything about that part of the help I needed and as I thought more about it, his silence meant that it wasn't possible to help me there. Pooja Didi was right, Karan was already doing so much for me. How in the world could I expect him to pull out Crores for my cause. I knew he wouldn't say it out-loud, but it would be too risky of a proposition for him.

This was a totally different scenario, and I had to find another way to deal with it myself. Maybe I could talk to Dad, without revealing too much and get him to help me buy the options. But I didn't know how I would even approach him out of the blue and get him to lend me so much money, given our strained relationship.

My thoughts were interrupted as I turned the corner to our house. I looked at my watch. It was around 7 PM and Kishore was probably back home. I didn't really have the energy to deal with my smug brother today. I knew Ravi won't be back home for a few days, so I pulled my car over to Pooja Didi's place.

Maybe spending the night with her would take my mind off things!

As I pulled my car into the driveway, I noticed there was another car already there. I wondered who had popped by as I climbed the stairs to Pooja Didi's door.

Her house wasn't as grand as ours but Pooja's and Jhanvi's parents had left them a pretty big place. It sort of stuck out a bit with its simplicity in the posh neighbourhood that surrounded it, but it was actually quite a big place, with a garden and plot area even larger than even our house. It was their ancestral house and their parents, while not rich, had held on to it while the rest of the city grew richer around them. Pooja Didi's parents didn't really care much for money, and I guess that's why they were able to raise their two daughters so well.

I decided against using my key, and knocked lightly on the door, not wanting to have the 'mystery guest' wonder why the neighbour boy has the keys to a married woman's house.

I heard the sound of some footsteps and Jhanvi unlocked the door. She looked surprised to see me, "Chotu? What are you... Ohhh..." her expression was worried and guilty at the same time, "I thought you were going to be busy with Karan for a while longer?" She asked me, opening the door further for me, and letting me in.

"Who is it?" Pooja Didi's voice called out from the other room as Jhanvi quickly shut the door behind me.

"Uhm...It's Suraj!" She replied as we stepped into the living room.

I frowned at this odd behaviour but put that aside for now as I noticed an older man in a suit seated with Pooja Didi on the couch. There were a bunch of old yellowed files and papers strewn about on the coffee table and the man seemed to be inspecting one. There also were some stacked velvet boxes, like jewellery boxes, on one side of the table.

"Suraj?" Pooja Didi looked up in surprise, "I thought you were going to be busy..."

"Yeah... uh... The thing with Karan wrapped up earlier than expected..." I replied, looking curiously at the suited gentleman.

"Oh..." She replied and then turned back to the man, "Mr. Patil... this is my neighbour, Suraj. Suraj this is... er..." She hesitated and stopped in her words.

"Padmakant Patil, Branch Manager at City Bank. Good to meet you Mr. Suraj." The elderly man stood up, holding up his card for me, smiling, and I took it, nodding politely.

"Good to meet you too, sir." I greeted him, and then looked curiously at Pooja and Jhanvi, wondering what this banker could possibly be here for.

"Well, I guess I'll get going. Thank you for letting me go through these documents Mrs. Patel." Padmakant said with a smile. "I will get back to you by tomorrow with the decision and I will send over someone to do the appraisal on the jewellery."

"Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Patil. We appreciate it." Pooja Di smiled back, avoiding my eyes with a guilty look. "We'll be in touch..."