GAITONDE CALLING

Kulkarni: “Listen, Jay. Tomorrow at 3:00 PM, the boss has called you for a deal at the Aarti Restaurant, our regular hub. And do keep an eye on that boy. Did you check whether the microphone was fitted properly in his room?”

Jay: “The clock was bulging out at first, but now it’s fine. Now we’ll be able to hear all his stupid plans.”

Kulkarni: “Good job, Jay.”

Jay: “Keep the money ready.”

Kulkarni: “Yeah, it’ll be ready.”

Rakesh’s expression darkened as the recording ended. “Shit! The clock… You know what that means?”

“What?” Agent 1 asked, confused.

“The plan we made yesterday was known to Jay—and indirectly to Gaitonde,” Rakesh muttered, processing the information. “So why wasn’t Gaitonde ready? Was he waiting for me to kill Kulkarni?”

“The gas would be distorted soon; we need to leave, guys,” Agent 3 interjected, his tone urgent.

“Okay, get to the hall,” Rakesh ordered. “And Agent 1, keep tracking this phone. I want full access to it.”

The trio made their way to the hall, each of them trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle. Just as they gathered, Rakesh’s phone rang. The number was unknown.

“Hello?” Rakesh answered cautiously.

“Hello, child,” a voice on the other end croaked. It was unmistakably Gaitonde’s voice, but there was an odd, pleading tone to it. “This is Gaitonde speaking. We’ll sort out our mutual problems later, but I seriously need your help now. It’s a matter of my life. Please, child, help me. I’m struggling to survive. I’ll show you proof of all my drug deals, everything! Just come to my place.”

Rakesh clenched his fists, the anger rising within him. “I won’t, and that’s final,” he replied firmly, about to end the call.

But then, a thought struck him. What if Gaitonde had information that could solve the case? What if he could find the evidence that would expose everything? Rakesh paused, his mind working overtime.

He turned to Agent 1 and 3. “I’ll go. If I go to Gaitonde’s place, I might get the evidence I need to solve this case and uncover my own identity. Let’s go.”

Agent 3 raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure Gaitonde was really yelling for help?”

Rakesh nodded. “Whatever it is, let’s end this now.”

The three of them made their way to the Gaitonde Mansion. The air was thick with tension, and Rakesh’s heart raced. This wasn’t just about solving a case anymore. It was personal.

As they arrived, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the distance. Rakesh’s pulse quickened. Without hesitation, he rushed towards the window from where the noise had come.

What he saw through the window froze him in place. Gaitonde was slumped on a sofa, a bullet wound in his chest. Blood pooled around him. Standing over his lifeless body was a shadowy figure, facing away from Rakesh.

“Who would have thought a boy would fight against his uncle just to find his identity?” the figure said, laughing. “What a fool! And his dad—a bloody suicide bomber! According to him. Oh, sorry, I’m not allowed to reveal it.”

Rakesh was stunned. His world spun. His uncle? His father? His whole life had been a lie. The anger and confusion surged within him. He wiped away a tear, furious and betrayed. Just as he was about to charge into the mansion, Agent 3 stopped him.

“Wait, Rakesh, you now know who Gaitonde was, but you still don’t know who your father was.” Agent 3’s voice cracked, emotion choking his words.

“That doesn’t matter now,” Rakesh growled, his voice heavy with rage. “Gaitonde was the only relative I had left. And now he’s gone.”

The figure turned around, revealing the shocking truth. It was their own chief, standing there with a smug smile on his face.

Rakesh’s blood ran cold. “You?”

Agent 1 and Agent 3 stood in disbelief. The chief—their own superior—was the one behind everything. The man who had manipulated them, lied to them, and used them as pawns in a larger game

“This isn’t fair, sir,” Rakesh snapped, his voice filled with outrage. “First, you assign me to this case, and now you take all the credit? You give me a case that’s impossible to solve, and I’m supposed to complete it for you?”

Agent 1, too, was visibly upset. “But that was never the plan, sir! You were supposed to be helping us!”

“Oh, come on. Is this a bloody movie?” the chief sneered. “Who would appoint you three fools for a foolish case? My intention was never to help you. I thought you would help me, but you went too far killing kulkarni. Now Die!”

He looked at Agent 1 and Agent 3 with contempt. “You both knew all this?”

“No,” Agent 1 replied, shaking his head. “We were only told half the story about money. We worked for the money, never knowing what was really going on. But honestly, we’re with you now, Rakesh. We’ll get you justice, however we can.”

The chief laughed cruelly. “Stop this drama. There’s someone above me who wants you dead. Now the real question is—who’s going to save you from me?”

Rakesh’s anger boiled over. His fists clenched, and in a split second, he pulled out his gun and shot his former boss. The chief crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

“I never liked him as a boss,” Rakesh muttered, his voice low but filled with finality.

Agent 1 looked at him, slightly surprised. “I thought it would be an adventure, killing our own boss. But you made it a matter of a bullet.”

“Take the proof against Jay and let’s leave,” Rakesh said, the weight of what had just happened settling over him. It was done. Gaitonde was dead. The chief was dead. Now, they could finally end this.

Gaitonde’s body was taken away, and a proper funeral was arranged at the Nityam Orphanage, a place Rakesh had never expected to associate with his family.

Standing at the funeral, Rakesh looked down at the grave, his emotions torn between anger and sorrow. His uncle had been a criminal, a man who had betrayed him. But he had also been the only family he had left.

“Sorry, uncle,” Rakesh whispered, his voice barely audible over the quiet murmur of the crowd.

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