<<You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.>>

Laksh

I was sitting at the dining table with my brothers. There were some men who were working on the broken glasses of the house and the sound of the machines was giving me a terrible headache.

"Bhai, atleast for a few days, avoid eating spicy food. You've just gotten through a surgery." said Yuvraaj as I extended my hand for the curry.

I looked at him and then frowned as Ryan passed me a bowl of something like dalia.

"And what made you think that I'll eat this?" I asked lifting my eyebrow.

"Eating heavy and spicy food isn't good for you." it was Arjun this time.

"Please bhai... If you'll avoid these for some days then you'll get fit more soon. In fact, you should have only liquids." Kabeer said.

"Isn't it a big thing that I'm eating this!" I said as I took a spoon and started filling my mouth with the tasteless thing.

My brothers just sighed at that.

Just then she came there. Her hair were still wet from the shower and the water droplets were falling from her hair to her baby like chubby face and were shining in the heavily lit area.

F*ck my patience!

She looked in our direction and a look of shock and surprise crossed her features.

I know why!

Because she wasn't expecting me here. She must have thought that I would be still laying on the bed. Afterall, I got shot!

She came towards us and sat on the empty chair besides mine and started eating silently.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed her looking at me but as she caught my gaze, she turned her face back to her plate.

She didn't eat much and got up very soon.

"Done?" I asked surprised.

"Ya... I... I wasn't much hungry." she answered.

Just then my phone started ringing. I looked at the screen.

It was dad!

"Go back to your room." I said to her as I got up taking my phone and made my way outside the house.

I saw the guards everywhere.

"Dad!" I said answering the call.

"Laksh, your mom wants to..."

"Laksh! You got shot, again! Tell me where did you get shot? Are you fine? Is the wound serious? Is there something to worry? What did the doctor say? I want to meet you but your dad isn't listening to me! He's not ready to take me to you." I heard my mom's panicked voice.

"Relax! He just got shot in the abdomen and the bullet has been taken out. There's nothing to worry now!" I heard dad saying to mom.

"Huh... Ya, it's a very common thing for you know! Getting shot used to be a daily work for you and now for your son." mom said, taunting.

I shook my head as I started walking towards the garden area and sat on the wooden chair placed there.

"Mom, calm down! I'm perfectly fine. It's just a small wound. I have got only six stitches. There's nothing serious to worry about!" I tried to calm her down.

"What? Six stitches! Six are only for you. Oh my God! I want to see you right now and want to make sure that you're fine. I don't trust you and your father a bit." I heard her more panicked voice.

I guess my words worked opposite way.

I disconnected the call and video called them. She picked up the call in the first ring only.

I saw mom on the screen and dad was standing behind her.

"Laksh! Show me your wound." she said immediately.

I lifted my T-shirt and showed my heavily bandaged wound to her.

"God! This seems very serious." she said freaking out.

"Not more than when I got shot in the neck. So, relax!" I said rolling my eyes and she glared me in return.

"You are overreacting." I added.

"Shut up! I'm not overreacting. You don't have a child na that's why you don't know what parents feels when their children are in pain or hurt. You'll get to know when you'll be in the same place and situation." she said and I saw her eyes welling up.

I don't think I'll ever freak out like this, for anyone, if I'll not find the injury serious! And this isn't a serious injury for me!

"Okay okay! Don't start crying now. I can't make this okay in seconds nor I can change what has already happened. I can't do anything about this now." I said as a matter of fact.

"I know but you can atleast take care of yourself. Take proper rest and don't move much. Eat only what doctor has said and keep your anger in control. Don't shout or scream. It's not good for you in this condition." she ordered me.

"Ya ya... Ofcourse!" I replied, trying not to roll my eyes.

"See, he's fine! Now go and make me a cup of tea." dad said to mom.

Mom looked at him for a few seconds and went away, giving the phone to dad.

"Did you get to know who was behind the attack?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Ya, I have got to know and I'm not going to let him live now." I said making a fist of my hand.

"You shouldn't. No one should think that they can kill the boss by getting into his own house." he said angrily.

"Okay! I have some work. Will call you later." I said.

"Hmm! Keep telling me if there's anything serious. And, take care!" he said before cutting the call.

Dad don't interfere much in the Mafia life now. He has left everything upon me. He just keeps giving me some advices from his experience, time to time and I think I have learned enough till now. Enough to handle the situations in my way. Enough to take out my work and punish people in my own way.

From the past four years, dad is living away from all this, just with mom. No one besides us brothers knows where they are.

Dad isn't a very sentimental and soft hearted man. As I said, I'm same like him. Although everyone says that I'm worse than him. I feel the same. On the other hand, mom is a totally sensitive and emotional woman. She was the daughter of a Mafia and has seen all this from her birth and after marrying dad, everything was same or more bad, but still, she hasn't gotten used to of it. She can't see her sons or husband getting hurt. Kabeer has gone more on her. He is the most sensitive among the five of us.

Only God knows how my parents are still sticking together, being completely different from each other!

And, dad don't know anything about Ragini staying with us and her being the reason of this attack!

I got up and started walking back towards the house.

"Who told mom about me getting shot?" I asked as I sat on the couch, with my brothers.

"I didn't." I heard Arjun saying.

"Nor did I." Yuvraaj said.

"I didn't even get a chance to call her." Ryan defended himself.

I, along with the other three, then turned to look at Kabeer who was showing all his pearls, feeling caught.

"Why?" asked glaring him.

"I... I thought you'll listen to her and will take rest for a few days. You need it bhai, otherwise you'll catch infection or the stitches will get open. It can be dangerous." he tried explaining.

"It wasn't needed to tell her. You know she's freaking out now!" I said shaking my head.

"I know! She must be behaving stubborn to dad, to come here." Ryan said chuckling.

"And he must be acting like he's deaf!" Yuvraaj spoke, laughing along with the other three.

***

It was late evening now. We were in the large hall in the very corner, in the boundary of the house. I was sitting on a chair while my brothers were standing on either sides of me. The men whom I called for were standing in front of me. I was holding my gun in my hand.

"So boys, it's not about doubting your loyalty to me or anything. Don't think that." I started.

All of them nodded their heads understandingly.

"We have got a deceiver among us!" I said and I saw them getting shocked with the revelation.

"And, we need to find him. Right?" I asked.

"Yes boss!" they said in unison.

I ran my eyes through them. They were around thirty in number.

"We have got a lot of time to find the culprit. First, let's play a game!" I said casually.

All of them looked at me weirdly, along with my brothers.

"Anyone knows singing?" I asked.

They shook their heads in no.

"Ya, all of us knows shooting, not singing." I said and all of us chuckled.

"It's okay! We all are bad singers so there's no problem. We all are same. So... Bruno, come ahead!" I said looking at one of my most trusted men.

He came forward as I ordered him to and stood straight.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked.

Everyone looked at me like they were seeing a ghost.

Why not? I was acting very weird and unusual.

I lifted my eyebrow and he nodded his head in a yes.

"Okay! Sing a song, dedicating it to her." I said as I kept my gun on my lap and crossed my arms around my chest.

He widened his eyes at that.

"Boss!" he tried to deny.

"It's an order!" I said strictly.

"Okay... Tujhe dekha to ye jana sanam, pyaar hota hai deewana sanam..." he started singing.

All of us were laughing, listening his song. He finished in a few minutes.

"Good!" I said as I started clapping along with others.

He went back to his place. Like that, I made a few others sing as well and all of them sang not very good but with confidence.

Then I called the one I was observing from the time I talked about the deceiver. He slowly came forward.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"S... Sagar!" he replied stammering.

"Sing any song you like." I said.

But he didn't start.

"Didn't you hear me?" I asked sternly.

He gulped before he started singing.

"Taankte.... rehte... tujh... tujhko saanjh... savere... Nainon... nainon mein..." he started in a very scared tone.

"Here the game gets over!" I said as I pointed my gun at him.

My brothers and all of my men also took out their guns and pointed at him.

"I... I didn't do anything!"

He started sweating and shaking.

"Ya, I know. You just sold your loyalty. Nothing else!" I said as I clenched my jaw.

"And, you were the biggest fool to think that you'll get saved from Laksh Maheshwari's eyes!" I added, smirking.

"Bring him to the basement!" I said to my brothers.

I got up and left the place. I started walking towards the house. I opened the door, got inside and found Ragini in the hall. She was walking towards the kitchen.

"What are you doing downstairs?" I asked as she looked at me.

I walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"I... I just came to drink water." she answered timidly.

I started taking steps closer to her and she started taking back steps until she was caged between me and the wall at her back. I held one of her hands in mine and started running my thumb on it's back.

I felt her stiffening.

"Yo..."

I stopped when the main door got open and my brothers came inside with the bastard. I noticed Ragini looking in their direction and then getting shocked. She gasped as she saw them pulling him to the door of the basement.

"He..." she started but stopped as she looked at me.

"He what?" I asked joining my brows.

"No... Nothing!" she said.

"Tell me! What do you know about him?" I asked in a high pitched tone as I tightened my grip on her hand.

She flinched at that.

"Tha... That day... When you took me with you to that meeting of yours with your men..." she stopped.

"Did I tell you to stop?" I asked.

She shook her head and continued.

"When you ordered everyone to not look at me and keep their eyes down, everyone did as you said but not him... He... He was staring me, making me uncomfortable..." she said making me grit my teeth in anger.

"Continue!" I said.

"After that when you sent me upstairs to a room, he came to that room also!" she said in her scared voice.

"Did he do anything?" I asked and I felt my eyes blazing fire because of rage.

"No... Yuvraaj came there and sent him away after asking him what he was doing there and why he didn't leave when everyone else did." she completed.

"It has been so many days to that day and you didn't tell me!" I said as I left her hand and held her shoulders in a steel grip.

She closed her eyes and flinched again.

"You know what's your punish for hiding this from me?" I asked smirking.

She immediately opened her eyes and looked at me in shock.

"You're not going to like it!" I said smiling my dangerous smile.

I felt her shaking and her eyes started watering, already!

***************

Thank you for reading.