“I promise I’ll come back to you,” Akash said. “But please for my sake, don’t force this. Stay here.”
Kabier’s jaw was locked tight. He looked one second away from grabbing Keya and locking her up somewhere safe.
“Where is VJ?” Keya asked aloud. “Call him and ask for his help. We have to call the police.”
“I’ve already called him,” Kabier said, his expression grim. “He’s on the way here.”
Akash nodded. “You all figure that bit out. I need to go to her.”
Nirvaan touched his shoulder. “I’m coming with you. We can plan with the others on the phone while we drive there.”
Within moments, Akash was back in his car with Nirvaan by his side, and this time he kept his bodyguard in the back seat. There was no way he was allowing anyone else drive right now.
Nirvaan held Akash’s phone in his hand, watching the live feed and keeping an eye on Shauna. Akash leaned in, peering at the screen. She was still digging, just in a different spot now.
What the hell was his father looking for?
Nirvaan’s phone rang. It was Kabier. He immediately put it on speaker.
“I have VJ on the call with us,” Kabier said. “Let’s hear him out.”
“Hi, Akash,” VJ said. “I’ll be at your new house in a few minutes. I changed directions as soon as Kabier called me. Sorry I haven’t been in touch. I was waiting on more information before speaking to you… but I should’ve called sooner. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. None of us could’ve predicted what my father would do,” Akash said, anxiety creeping up his chest. “So, what did you find?”
“There are two things,” VJ said. “The man your father killed was an old associate of his. They started out gambling together… small stakes, nothing serious. But that didn’t last. They moved on to shoplifting. Small-time jewelry stores at first. Then bigger jobs. Robbing houses under the guise of repair work. Electrical repairs, AC servicing… they’d pose as staff, walk right in, and walk out with valuables.”
Akash’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. This was exactly how he must have entered his house. He must have been there working all along, and they hadn’t even noticed.
Fucking hell.
“They ran several of these operations,” VJ continued. “They were clean. Quiet. Never got caught. Until one day, no one knows what happened, but they got into a fight. And your father killed him.”
Akash exhaled sharply, pressing his foot harder on the accelerator as the road ahead cleared.
“So that’s it?” he said. “A dead end.”
“Not quite,” VJ replied. “And this is what I was waiting for: one of my old police contacts finally got through some old prison records and inmate histories. I learned that your father was eventually caught and imprisoned in Mumbai. But before that, he was operating in Devangarh. I went through records of heists in Devangarh around that time… and I found something.”
Akash’s grip tightened on the wheel.
“Right around when your father killed his partner,” VJ continued, “a necklace was stolen from my aunt, Sanchali Devi, the Queen of Devangarh.”
Akash’s heart skipped.
“A ruby and diamond necklace,” VJ added. “Worth thirty crores today.”
Akash shared a shocked look with Nirvaan.
“His time in Devangarh stood out to me because I remembered that theft,” VJ went on. “I was young then, living in Mumbai, but I recall my father mentioning it during one of our calls. I was waiting to speak to my cousin Zorawar, Sanchali’s son, to confirm the timeline. But he was unavailable for a few days, and hence the delay from my end. He just called me a few minutes back and confirmed it.”
“Fuck,” Akash swore.
It all was beginning to make sense to him now. He knew what VJ was going to say next.
“I think he may have hidden the necklace in your grandfather’s house,” VJ said, confirming his suspicions. “That’s why he was in Mumbai when he was caught. The evidence against him was substantial, and there were eyewitnesses too. He pleaded self-defense and, with good behavior, managed to get out early.”
“This makes sense,” Akash sighed. “The house was empty. I was away in college, and before Keya bought the apartment I now live in, she was staying in a rental. The house was the best place to hide something valuable. I’m sure he never expected Keya and me to succeed. That we would, at some point, try and rebuild the house. That’s why he came to see me at the office. And when I didn’t allow him entry back into my life, he targeted Shauna. I’m certain he knows she’s my weakness.”
