Page 102 of Reasons We Break

The ice-cream truck is idling one street over. Simran eats her parantha on the way; her mother was right; shedidget hungry.

When Simran gets in, Zohra’s in the driver’s seat. Nick, who’s lounging against one of the coolers, says, “Nice glasses.”

Simran ignores this. “We need to talk.”

“What, not done your tantrum yet?”

Tantrum? As if her reaction wasdisproportionate? “I almost died. I have a right to be angry.”

“We got you out.”

“Rajangot me out.”

Nick scoffs. “How do you think he knew you were there? He was with me when I got the call.”

Simran blinks. She hadn’t...even thought to ask why Rajan was there yesterday.

But she won’t let Nick distract her. “I’ve paid Rajan’s debts a thousand times over. I’m leaving. For good.”

“Not this again.” Nick tears into a Drumstick. “How many times do I have to tell you and Rajan, I don’t control that?”

She only catches one part of that answer. “You spoke to Rajan?”

“I called that little asshole like ten times last night and he only called back to bite my head off.” She nods mutely, relieved. At least he’s okay. Nick goes on. “I’ll tell you what I told him. This is beyond us now.”

“But we had anagreement.”

Nick gives her an almost-pitying look. Zohra speaks up from the driver’s seat, her eyes filling the rearview mirror.

“It’s not personal, Simran. Say we let you off the hook—someoneelsewill bring you back. The Lions can’t afford to lose you. If you walk, a lot of money and information walks with you.”

Simran shakes her head and begins pacing. She refuses to believe this. “There has to be a way. People must leave.”

Nick tosses his wrapper behind him. “Yeah, people leave. All the time. Kids who move drugs for us, whose parents find out—they get their asses whooped, they don’t come back, we don’t care.” He rolls his eyes. “Mid-tier, like Rajan, they know stuff about us. We’ll try to keep them, but people still leave. They can move cities—that’s what Rajan tried, by coming back here from Surrey. Might’ve worked if...” He exhales. “Well, anyway. But people as valuable as you don’t leave. They die, or go to prison.”

Rajan had said the same. But...“Who decides I’m valuable?”

“People paid a lot more than me.”

“You mean people like Manny Khullar,” she says, and both Zohra and Nick shift on the spot, like a chill has picked up in the small space.

“Manny’s not the biggest fish in the pond,” Zohra says.

Earlier she said he was part of the crime family that built the Lions. So now she’s downplaying it. Interesting. “But he’s the biggest fish in Kelowna. Right?”

Nick eyes her wearily. “What are you saying, Simran?”

Simran stops pacing. “I want to meet him.”

IT TAKES SOMEconvincing, but eventually, Nick says he’ll attempt to fulfill her “death wish.” His wording, not hers. After securing a promise that he’ll get in touch, and making it clear she won’t do any bookkeeping until she meets Manny, Simran heads home. She doesn’t hear from him for the rest of the day. Clearly, this could take a while.

So the following day, when her parents ask if she wants to go to the mall to buy new glasses, she happily accepts. She’s in a boutique inspecting frames similar to her old ones when she hears her name called behind her.

She turns to find Chandani making a beeline into the store. And she’s not alone—TJ’s with her.

There’s nowhere to run. Simran stands there helplessly as Chandani drags TJ in. “There’s my favourite nerd!”

TJ does a double take. Simran feels self-conscious about her old glasses once again.