Page 30 of Reasons We Break
She can’t believe she let herself getkidnapped. Just obediently got out of her truck and into theirs. It feels so silly, at least until she looks up and sees the gun still trained on her. She can see into the barrel a little, before black swallows it up. Her imagination does the rest.
The girl holding it has seemed half distracted, though, watching the guy take a call for the past few minutes. It seemed serious, because he climbed into the front to take it. Is it too much to hope they kidnapped the wrong person? Or maybe that would actually be a bad thing. They’d have no need for her anymore.
She forces herself to refocus.Look around you.Listen. Find anything that might be helpful.
She peeks into the freezer next to her. No frozen treats—just stacks of brick-size packages, wrapped in brown paper. She’d wager those aren’t ice-cream sandwiches.
Then there’s the blond girl with the gun. She looked so harmless back at the university with that law textbook. Now she’s restless, listening to the guy with the goatee in the front. His voice is low, but she catches bits: “...are youserious?...tell him if...fine, we’ll handle it...”
The truck screeches to a stop. The guy hangs up and comes to the back again. He heaves a sigh, then looks at the girl. “He’ll be here soon.”
She arches a brow. “Is that a good idea?”
“Better deal with him now than later. You know how he gets.” He turns to Simran. “All right, well, I’m Nick.”
Simran blinks. They’re doing introductions now?
Nick points to the girl. “And this is Zohra. You’re Simran, right?” When Simran says nothing, he says, “We have a mutual friend, you know. Rajan.”
Simran already knew this was about Rajan, but she doesn’t have to confirm it for them. What if they want information about him? Her mind runs in all sorts of scattered directions. Is she going to be interrogated, like in the movies?
Zohra stands next to Nick, mirroring his crossed arms. They study her together. “Itoldyou that carjacking thing was too traumatizing to pull with girls, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“She doesn’t have to talk. We just have to show our boy we mean business.” Nick steps closer to Simran and speaks almost conversationally. “You might’ve seen on the news, five of our guys got arrested in one go? Do you know how much product we lost?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “A lot. Do you know how muchmoneywe’ve lost lately? I can’t even tell you, because our accountant got himself arrested, too. You see the shit I have to deal with?” He sighs and pokes his head into the other freezer, reemerging with a Drumstick. “We have to get our territory under control, before the Aces start getting ideas. That’s why we need your help convincing Rajan to stay. He owes us.”
Simran’s stomach sinks further the more he talks. The tattoo peeking from Nick’s collar confirms it. This is about Rajan’sgang.
She’s always known, on some level, that he was involved in something dangerous. She saw it firsthand in grade nine. She could even guess, based on who he frequently clashed with, which gang he was linked to. The Lion’s Share—she’s seen the name on the news often enough. Associated with drug busts. Trafficking. Murders.
But, on areal, everyday level, she was never able to associate that withRajan. He was just...Rajan Randhawa, the class troublemaker, strolling Northridge’s halls with a mischievous grin, taking naps on foyer benches instead of attending class, and celebrating School Spirit Day by popping the principal’s tires. He was real, and the concept of the Lions was otherworldly.
Nick gives her a longer look, up and down. “I’ll admit, you’re not his usual type.”
He glances at Zohra, and Simran catches up to what he said.
“Wait, what?” she blurts. “You—I’m—histype?”
Nick and Zohra stare as she sputters, and it occurs to her that her kidnappers areconfused. Without meaning to, a laugh escapes her.
Up until now, Simran hasn’t had time to dwell on her old feelings for Rajan. Her family issues took precedence. But now that she’s being confronted with it...Now that she’s been kidnapped because Rajan’s gang thinks she’s hisgirlfriend? Oh, it’s taking her back to humiliating places.
Like the time at the end of grade nine when Rajan’s hand touched hers to take her pen and she sucked in a breath so hard it startled him. Or in grade ten when he caught her staring while he flipped a toothpick with his tongue. Or in grade eleven, when he returned from summer breaktallandadult-lookingand Simran had to avoid eye contact for days. Or just last week...when he smiled, and it was like no time had passed.
And each time it happens, heknows; she can tell he does, but he never mentions it. She’s grateful for that. She’s grateful he doesn’t share her feelings, because then her crush can never become something dangerous. Unlike her kidnappers, she’s always known her fantasies exist only in her head.
She stops laughing when the gun pushes against her temple.
“What’s so funny?” Zohra says.
“Nothing.” Simran sobers. Rajan’s in trouble. “He can’t work for you. He’s on probation.”
“Just like half our crew.” Nick sounds bored. “So what?”
“But that’s unfair.” She knows she should shut up, but she can’t help herself. “He’s trying so hard to start over. Can’t you forget about this one person?”
Nick looks at her like she’s being deliberately slow. “Rajan owes us big money. If it’s not me today, it’ll be someone else tomorrow. And the day after, it’ll be a bullet in his head.”
His voice is resolute—clearly, there’s no reasoning with these people. Rajan has no choice but to rejoin, until the day they decide his debts are paid. Or more likely, until he becomes another statistic on TV. It’s tragic. It’s futile. She wants to cry, not because she’s being held at gunpoint, but because here’s yetanotherperson she cares about having horrible, inevitable things happen to them, and all she can do is watch—