The Arrangement

Chapter Twenty: What Money Buys

They broke one of his knees first so he wouldn't be able to run.

Then, with the same baseball bat used on his knee, they smashed the back of his head while he was going down.

"Concussion, three broken ribs- it's lucky his lung wasn't punctured- a fractured knee, bruises along the chest, internal bleeding and a broken cheekbone."

I listened as the doctor emotionlessly listed them off. My heart was strangely still in my chest, but my skin was cold. I was cold. 

"We're still working to stop the bleeding. I'll let you know how it goes."

The doctor headed back into the room. Standing between Vivaan and Preeti, I stared at the floor, trying to remember the last thing I had said to Farhan. 

"You heading out now?"  

"Yep. Let me know when they're following. Bye."

Bye. That was it. No "I love you" or "stay safe". I thought I would see him again. It's funny how unaware we are of our words until we realize it's the last thing we've said to someone. 

Pressure on my hand pulled me out of my thoughts. Vivaan was squeezing it, but he was looking at something behind me. I turned. Two police officers dressed in the khaki uniform stood to the side, they had been here when I arrived and had told Vivaan what had happened, who then told me. Vivaan wasn't looking at them though. Kunj was walking down the white hallway. Finally, an emotion registered within the numbness inside of me. Rage. 

"What is he doing here?" I asked in a low voice. "What the hell is he doing here?"

Vivaan squeezed my hand again, this time in warning. "Let me speak, okay?"

I didn't respond to that. Kunj stopped before us. His dark eyes were ablaze with anger, accusing. "Arjun, huh? A Hindu?" He leaned into Vivaan's face. "How dare you lie to me. You had a Muslim living with you the whole time. You brought him home and fed him our food."

Vivaan opened his mouth to reply, to diffuse the situation. But I wasn't going to stay quiet. Not anymore. I moved between the two of them, staring straight into Kunj's eyes. No more bowing my head to this bastard. Surprise flickered across his eyes as he had no choice but to look down at me. He took a step back, creating more space between us. 

"Aditi, please," Vivaan whispered, grabbing my arm. 

I pulled myself away, keeping my eyes on his uncle. "How do you know?" I asked. "How would you know he is a Muslim?"

The officers were watching us now, their gaze focused mostly on me. Perhaps they were wondering if there was going to be trouble. 

"Go ahead," I pushed. "Tell us."

Kunj's nostrils flared. "Is this how you speak to me? You should stay out of our family matter."

"I am his wife. I have a part in his family matter just as much as you. Answer my question."

"Vivaan-."

"Answer my question!"

"I had my men follow you," he snapped. "That's how I know. That scum went to the mosque for Ramadan."

"And you had your men beat him up just for being a Muslim, right?" The police were listening and watching, their faces unreadable. 

Kunj didn't say anything, but his thick lips stretched into a smile. I turned to the officers and pointed at him with a trembling hand. "Aren't you going to arrest him?"

The two men were stoic. "We've already arrested the men who were at the scene," one of them said.

"But he was the was one who sent them there. He told them to do all that. You need to arrest him too!"