Episode 23
“Check every inch of this place! They wouldn’t have left by now!” He ordered and all the hefty men stormed into the almost deserted building, slamming doors and shouting.
Tobi noticed a bus at the back of the building, and gestured quietly for two men to follow him. He held a pistol in his hand, although he had never held one before, talk less of shooting at someone, but at that moment, he knew exactly what he wasndoing.
He crept to the back of the building, going slowly to the bus. His eyes widened when he saw Abena, but before he could do anything, the bus started to move.
A sudden burst of adrenaline came through his veins and he chased the bus, as fast as he could, screaming in frustration because he wasn’t fast enough. He stopped, sweating profusely, and bent down, hands on his knees.
The men behind him started to shoot at the bus. “What are you idiots doing?” He roared at them, running back and grabbing one by his collar.
“She’s inside the bus you bloody idiot! Are you trying to bring her back to me dead?”
He shouted and pushed the man forcefully, causing the man to stumble back in fear.
“Search that building! There has to be a
clue, just one clue. Get me something, all of you, now!”
They all scurried away into the building,
while Tobi walked back to his car. He
opened the door and sat beside Joseph, who looked very uncomfortable with his cast in the car.
“I lost her. I saw her, but they were already moving and…”
“Well there has to be something in that
building that would tell us where they’re
going. Stop seating here sad, when you can be inside there, tearing that place apart. I know it’s not easy, you’re running out of your mind right now. But you’re going to have to be in your right mind, or you won’t find her. Think like Tobi Ademi.” Tobi nodded, knowing his friend was right.
He reached for his friends chair and reclined the seat. “Thanks man.” Joseph smiled.
“Now go get something tangible and stop being such a p—y.”
Tobi charged back to the building with determination.
“Well, anything?” He barked at the men who were tearing the place apart. They shuffled through papers, documents and hacked into the computers.
“Sir. We found this man hiding at the back of the building.”
They dragged a wiry looking man towards Tobi. His eyes were wide with fear, and he already had a busted lip. There was a tag on his shirt that read, ‘Manager’.
Tobi gave a sinister smirk. There was not a merciful bone in him anymore. He gestured for them to strap him into a seat, while he twirled his pistol on his finger. He was ready to do whatever it would take.
“Why don’t you take a seat while you and I have a chat about where you took my
girl to?”
…
Abena sobbed quietly at the back of the
bus, while trying to remove the chain that gripped tightly to her ankle.
She had untangled it, and all that was left to do, was to unhook it from her ankle. She was bending down, much to her discomfort, tugging at the chain gently, to prevent anyone from hearing her. She was starving, and it was eating her up inside. It made her even angrier.
A hungry pregnant woman was not to be messed with.
They had been driving for hours, and finally pulled up into a filling station. No one looked at them suspiciously, the brand of the modelling house was on the bus, and most of the women were sleeping.
☆☆
One man came out of the bus and walked into the supermarket. The other one, Ahmed, was buying fuel into the bus, and into another keg, probably as a reserve. The door to the bus wasn’t locked, and she had finally removed the chain. Her ankle was throbbing, her body ached, and her bladder was full. But she didn’t . bother about all of that.
She crawled quietly in the middle of the
seats, thankful for her small stature, and
made her way to the door of the bus.
She felt a hand grab her and another woman looked at her with pleading eyes.
“They’ll catch you.” She whispered.
“Then at least I tried.” Abena said and removed her hand from the woman’s grip.
She had gone this far, nothing was stopping her.
She got to the door of the bus, and dragged it open quietly. The driver had earphones in, and was still buying fuel while nodding his head to the music, and the other man was nowhere to be found.
She crept out of the bus, resisting the urge to stretch. She would do that later. She looked around, and decided to hide in the toilet until they left. Then she would find her way home.
Her mind drifted to Tobi as she walked as swiftly as she could with all the pain in her limbs.
The expression on his face while he chased the bus.
The fear was obvious, written in his eyes. He was afraid of losing his baby.
She understood.
And she didn’t want to lose her baby to a bunch of greedy criminals either. She walked into the supermarket, noticing the man that followed them. He was packing a lot of snacks; probably for the women in the bus.
She walked in the middle of some shelves, bending down so he wouldn’t see her, and made her way to the toilet.
As she got to the door of the female toilet, she let out a breath of relief and started to open the door. Then she felt a presence behind her. Before she could react, she felt a cold metal on her back.
A gun.
“Did you really think you’ll escape? Ehn? You ehn, you’ve entered wahala. Now
you’ll walk out with me, with a broad smile on your face. One wrong move, and
you and that unfortunate child of yours would never see light again. Oya be
going.”
…
Tobi drove into the filling station just in
time. After asking the manager, who was
now sitting in a filthy prison cell with a
broken leg and more than enough bruises, he headed to the filling station he talked about.
Traffic was good, and in an hour, he was already there. As he pulled up into the filling station, he saw the bus parked in a corner. But the next thing he saw made his blood boil.
Abena walked out with a greasy looking man, with a strained smile on her face. He was very sure that there was a gun pressed to her back. He walked out of the car, as calm as he could, and walked towards the car behind him.
“Police guys. Do your thing.” He simply said and in a flash, they were running out of the car, pointing their guns and shouting for everyone to get down. The man visibly stiffened behind Abena.
Tobi walked up to the man, gun in his hand.
“Are you okay?” He asked Abena softly. His eyes softened for that second. She nodded, her face flooded with relief, although she was still afraid.
“Let her go.” Tobi snarled at the man.
Instead, he pointed a gun at Abena’s head, which made her whimper in fear.
“Don’t even try it.” Tobi growled.
“Let me leave, then you get your wife.” The man replied, although his voice was shaky.
“Wrong move bro.” Francis said from behind him, a gun pointed to his head. “Let the girl go, now.” Tobi barked and the man released Abena immediately. “Throw your gun on the floor and kick it away from you.”
The man complied and Tobi reached for
Abena, pulling her into a tight hug.
“I thought I lost you.” He whispered.
Butterflies swarmed her stomach, but she knew he was talking to the baby, and not her.
“Tobi. You’re killing the baby.” She scolded playfully. He loosened his grip but still had his arms wrapped around her. She relaxed in his arms.
When next would she have the chance to be in them again?
“I’m so glad you’re okay. God! I was so scared.” He whispered into her hair. “They were going to… my baby, Tobi.”
She sobbed quietly.
“Its okay love. I’m here now.”
Her heart flipped at the word ‘love’. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She nodded and let him lead her towards the
car. Police men had swarmed the place already, and the pregnant women were taken into ambulances.
“We have to stop at the hospital first, to make sure you’re okay.” He said and she just nodded in reply.
“I had no idea you could handle a gun.” She teased.
“I’ve watched enough American movies to know how to be an agent.” She laughed and he opened the car, helping her into the backseat.
“Besides, I’m Tobi Ademi. There’s nothing I can’t do.”
She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze,
looking out of the window.
She was falling fast, and for a second there, she had a feeling he was falling too. But the contract still lay in between them, and there was no way Tobi Ademi would fall for a girl like her.
To be Continued…
BARGAIN