Early morning, birds chirping. Everyone taking a walk, some running near the beach. Everyone doing their best—or not—to enjoy the beautiful Sunday morning.
But one person had a very foul mood, and also nervousness in his eyes, still trying to hold it together as if reassuring himself that he was like a calm lake, nothing could stir his calm mind.
"Haah… man, how can those antagonists remain calm in this hidden boss moment?"
Veer had done the whole research and had made a thorough plan for it to succeed, but all this would be done only when he got his team together and gained their trust. Veer had invited them near the circus by the beach which had just opened. Early morning there was no one except workers from the circus, since it was a nighttime show where people came to watch.
He was far away from the crowd, where only a few strangers came to take a piss. He was waiting for Raja and his teammates to arrive. Raja had been sent to fetch Radhe and Jatin so they could have a proper discussion.
"Veer…"
Raja spoke as Veer turned his eyes away from the ocean and spotted Raja, Jatin, and Radhe standing in line.
"What the f…."
"What the f…."
It was surprise—or shock—but Radhe and Jatin had the same words coming out of their mouths as they stopped and looked at each other, trying to understand the situation.
Radhe: "Look, if this is a joke or the mysterious person doesn't want to show up, then say it. Don't speak like you want to show trust and then not show up, instead sending children to play a man's game."
"I know you'll find it hard to understand. Jatin, if you have anything to say, say it before I start."
Jatin looked like he had a lot to say but replied, "Just give us the explanation fast, we're already wasting enough time."
Veer sighed. "This is going to be a nightmare for me."
"So first, let's talk about me. I am Veer. I have a good family, life, and parents—" (obviously he was going to add some spices to his tragic story) "—but one day I got kidnapped, about to be sold as a sex slave. Not sure, but I think that was going to happen. I survived and tried to get out of the trauma by working out and standing on my feet until I met Munni—Raja's little sister."
All of their eyes turned to Raja, as they had already planned how to give them an explanation.
"My sister meeting him was just dumb luck," Raja said, "and I was being the kind older brother, which I lacked miserably. As he found out about my situation… that i am working for Dilip Topi."
Soon, Veer took over the conversation.
"All I want is—no, what Raja, Munni, and I want—is to get as far away as possible from Dilip Topi. And you both have something you want that's related to Dilip Topi, which you can get closer to your goal by eliminating him."
Radhe and Jatin looked at each other, realizing that they were both here for something they wanted—and that Veer was using them to get it.
,.........................
The air around the circus was still damp with sea mist, gulls crying overhead as if mocking the seriousness of their little gathering. Veer exhaled slowly, letting the salt wind hit his face. His nerves were buzzing, but on the outside he forced that stillness — the "calm lake" he had promised himself to be.
Radhe stood with his arms folded, sharp eyes cutting into Veer, as though trying to peel away his skin to see what really lay underneath. Jatin shifted more restlessly, his fingers brushing against the outline of his coat pocket where the pistol rested. Raja stayed silent, his presence like a shield beside Veer, waiting for his friend to speak.
Veer finally broke the silence.
"Alright. Enough games. You both want explanations — you'll get them. But more than explanations, you'll get a way forward. Because whether you admit it or not, all of us are trapped in Dilip Topi's shadow. If we move separately, we'll die separately. If we move together, we might just get out alive."
Radhe's lip twitched. "Big words from a boy."
"I'm not asking you to trust the boy," Veer shot back. His tone was sharper now, cutting past his own hesitation. "I'm asking you to trust the plan. You'll see soon enough whether I'm full of shit or not."
That earned him a grudging silence, which was the most he'd get out of Radhe for now. Veer pressed on.
"Our biggest problem is Dilip. He's too big to touch directly. His men guard him, his routes are layered, his bribes are deep in the system. You don't just shoot a man like that. He's a cockroach — you step on him, he scatters into ten more. So instead of going head-on, we let his enemies do the bleeding for us."
He turned to Jatin.
"That's where you come in."
Jatin raised an eyebrow, already uneasy. "Me?"
"Yes, you. You're not invisible, Jatin. You've already brushed against the underworld. Arjun knows your name, even if you wish he didn't. That can be dangerous… or useful. And I intend to make it useful."
Radhe's jaw tightened at the mention of Arjun. "The bastard is reckless. You send this boy to him, you're signing his death warrant."
But Veer shook his head. "Not if Jatin goes with something Arjun desperately wants. Power."
Jatin swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "And how exactly do I give him that?"
Veer crouched slightly, picking up a stick and scratching lines into the sand. A crude map took shape — streets, docks, warehouses. He tapped one corner.
"Here. Dilip's trucks. You don't need to know what's inside them, only that it's valuable enough for him to kill over. You give Arjun this location. Tell him you overheard it, caught it by chance. Make yourself look like a desperate kid trying to win favor. He'll take the bait — because striking Dilip's supply line is exactly the kind of chaos he lives for."
Radhe leaned in, scanning the sand-map. His eyes flickered with suspicion. "And then what? You want Arjun to rob Dilip's truck?"
"Yes," Veer said simply. "But the robbery isn't the point. The point is what comes after. Because when Dilip's men cry for help, you"—he pointed at Radhe—"will be the one to answer."
Radhe's expression darkened. "You want me to play savior."
"Exactly," Veer said. "You swoop in when the ambush happens. Save Dilip's goods, save his pride, save his face. You'll be right there beside him when the smoke clears, the loyal soldier who risked his neck for him. That's your way in."
Radhe stayed silent, but the weight of the idea lingered between them. For a man like him — undercover, desperate to climb closer to Dilip — it was tempting. Dangerous, but tempting.
"And when Arjun survives?" Radhe asked at last, his tone laced with skepticism.
Veer didn't flinch. "Then we let him attack again. Arjun doesn't know when to quit, it's his nature. He'll bleed himself trying to topple Dilip. And when both of them are weakened, when they've burned half their strength fighting each other… that's when we strike."
For the first time, Veer let a flicker of ruthlessness show in his eyes.
"We take them both out of the game. Permanently."
The words hung heavy in the salty air.
Jatin stared at the sand-map, his mind racing faster than he could control. "You're insane. You're asking me to walk into Arjun's den with a story about Dilip's trucks, hoping he doesn't shoot me on sight. And if that somehow works, you're asking Radhe to gamble his cover on a staged ambush. And after all that, you're talking about taking down not one, but two gangsters who could crush us with a snap of their fingers."
Veer looked him dead in the eye. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm asking. Because the alternative is waiting until one of them crushes us anyway."
Raja finally spoke, his voice calm, grounding. "Jatin, you've seen it yourself. Arjun's men sniffing around, Dilip's dogs always barking. None of us are safe if they're alive. Veer's right — this is the only way forward."
Radhe let out a short laugh, bitter but edged with reluctant respect. "You really are a mad kid. Spinning webs like you've lived in these streets longer than all of us."
"Mad or not," Veer said, standing straighter now, "you both came here because you wanted something. Radhe, you want closer access to Dilip. Jatin, you want a seat at the table instead of being hunted by it. This plan gives you both that. You don't have to like me. You don't even have to trust me. But you'd be a fool not to see the opportunity here."
For a moment, only the sound of the surf filled the silence.
Radhe exhaled slowly, his sharp gaze never leaving Veer. "If I do this, if I save Dilip's ass during the ambush… I get my way into his inner circle."
"That's the idea," Veer said.
"And when the time comes to cut him down, I'll be the one closest to his throat."
Veer gave a faint smile. "Exactly."
Jatin still looked uneasy, but something in Radhe's acceptance gave him less room to argue. He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "And if Arjun finds out I played him?"
"Then he'll kill you," Radhe said bluntly.
Jatin shot him a glare, but Veer cut in quickly. "Not if we control the story. You'll give Arjun just enough to act, but not enough to tie you down. Play the fool, Jatin. The kid desperate to prove himself. That's your shield. People underestimate fools — until it's too late."
Jatin's jaw clenched, but he gave a small nod.
Veer drew a line through the sand-map with the stick, erasing it. "Then it's settled. Jatin plants the seed with Arjun. Radhe saves Dilip's goods when the trap is sprung. We let them tear each other apart, and when they're both weak… we finish it."
He stood, brushing the sand off his hands, forcing his voice steady. "This is bigger than any of us. But it's the only way we stop being prey and start being players."
Radhe gave him one last searching look, as if trying to measure the boy's soul. Finally, he gave a short nod. "Fine. I'll play my part."
Jatin exhaled, nerves still dancing under his skin. "I'll talk to Arjun. But if this blows up in my face…"
"It won't," Veer said, more certain than he felt.
But as the four of them walked away from the beach, Veer's calm mask wavered for just a second. He knew the truth: plans never survived first contact with men like Dilip or Arjun.
And if his calm lake was stirred, even for a moment… it could drown them all.