Rohit descended the stairs of the Hyatt Hotel alone. His bandaged left hand rested inside the sling bag while his right hand held the earbud to his ear, eyes scanning the other side of the lane.
A small dhaba stood just outside the hotel. Raju's jeep was parked nearby. The man himself was casually sitting on the engine hood, waving his hand when he spotted Rohit.
Rohit called out, "Got you. Wait, I'm coming."
He crossed the road and approached Raju, who was eating dosa straight from a steel plate. One of his lackeys stood guard a few feet away.
Rohit gestured toward the hotel. "Why didn't you come inside? I had a table booked for you."
Raju took a big bite of dosa, chewing slowly before replying, "You took quite a long time since our last call." He checked his watch. "It's already 10:40 now."
Rohit ignored the complaint. He gently pushed the lackey aside and sat down on the engine hood beside Raju. "Go get me a tea," he told the lackey. "I'll pay."
