Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Femi and Fola got to Maraba Jos around half past 3p.m.

They followed the description sent to Fola by the kidnappers as sms. When they got there, Femi parked the car as Fola got out with the briefcase.

They barely spoke a word to each other throughout the journey.

"I will go alone from here. I need to get going before it gets dark", Fola told Femi.

"Don't you think I should go with you. I'm having a bad feeling about letting you go alone. You aren't even experienced enough to hold a gun not to talk of pulling the trigger. I promised mum to protect you and your friend will skin me alive if anything happens to you", Femi replied with a frown.

He was restless throughout the journey and it made him short of words.

Fola smiled at his last sentence and said: "I will be fine."

"I will be waiting for a signal from you then", he resigned to fate.

"Alright. Go stay in the car. They might be seeing us from somewhere", Fola ordered and he obeyed.

He went back to the driver's seat and slumped into it. Then he waved at her with a sad smile.

Fola smiled back and turned to go.

She took the first step and then second. Then she began to run afraid that she would go back out of fear.

******

"What?", Rachel exclaimed as her smile vanished.

T-boy roared in laughter seeing Rachel's reaction.

"Are you scared of the lady or scared of the police?"

Rachel looked everywhere but couldn't find anyone. She fumed in anger as she walked towards him. "You must be crazy."

"You were murmuring to yourself like a crazy person. I had to do something to get your attention."

"Do you have to play a crazy prank like this on me?"

"I'm sorry baby", he said moving close to her and still laughing.

She warned: "You are getting on nerves Tunde. Don't try me."

"Sorry bosslady", he said with a mock salute and bursted into laughter again.

******

"Bisi, get Olamide for me", Mr Garba instructed.

"Yes sir", she said as she moved away.

Few minutes later, Olamide appeared. "Dad, you called for me."

"Yes I did. Sit."

Olamide sat as instructed and looked at his father scared of what he was about to say.

"I called Rachel earlier today to confirm our suspicions......"

"Dad, it's not a suspicion. She is truly pregnant. She told me herself", he interrupted his father.

"Do you know the gravity of what you have done by impregnating that whore?", his father questioned.

"Dad", Olamide said, rising up. "Why will you call her that?"

"She works for me and I know her very well."

"That doesn't mean you should call her a whore."

"Ola, are you stupid or what? What do you want me to tell Fola's father? Her father and I are already making plans for your marriage. You are supposed to be married to her in the next six month", his father remarked.

"Dad, I never said I wanted that girl. You were forcing her on me", he commented.

"How dare you talk back at me?", his father questioned in anger. "You told me you like her, didn't you?"

"Yes I did but I am a man. I am handsome at that and I can get any woman I want. She is too pompous."

"See who is talking. I'm not going to drag words with you. I need to make sure Rachel is truly pregnant or not. Whether she is or not, you will still get married to Folake. She is the girl for you and I know what I am saying", his father concluded.

"Dad, I don't want her. That girl made me look like a fool in the presence of her parents. In this time and age, how can a girl throw a tantrum just because I wanted to have sex with her?", he questioned rhetorically.

"Is that why you impregnated Rachel? You were enjoying the sex so much that you ended up pumping your seed into her out of pleasure. That seed is supposed to be growing inside of Fola and not Rachel. I know what that girl is capable of. I introduced her to you and I know her background", his father yelled.

"Dad, Rachel accepted me with my flaws. She knows how best I enjoy sex and I'm sure Fola won't be able to accept that. Perhaps she will even deny me the privilege when we are married", he stated.

"What flaws are you talking about?", his father asked with curiosity.

"You don't need to know, dad? All you care about is forcing a woman on me", he said turning to the other side.

"You better tell me before I bounce on you", his father threatened.

"Dad, you..........."

"I don't want any story. Just tell me what it is."

"I have Sexual Sadism Disorder", he blurted out.

******

"Babe, your girl is here", T-boy announced.

"Don't play pranks on me", she warned not looking back.

"I'm serious, I can see her from here. She is close to where I asked her to wait for my call", this got Rachel's attention.

She grabbed the telescope from him and looked into it. She saw Fola with the briefcase.

Rachel smiled and said: "Perfect. I never knew she was this dumb."

"Why do you say that?", T-boy asked.

"I thought she would come here with the police but she proved me wrong. I guessed she is really in love with this guy", Rachel responded.

"I told you she is harmless, didn't I?"

"You don't know a thing about her", she replied.

"Whatever."

T-boy delved his hand into his bag and brought out another phone with a different SIM card to call Fola.

She picked up immediately. "Are you there now?"

"Yes sir", she responded calmly.

"Are you sure you are alone", he asked her to be sure.

"Yes sir", Fola answered him.

"Tell your brother to go back home now that you are here", he instructed.

"How do I go back home from here?", she inquired.

"You don't need to worry about that. Keep coming and stop in front of the uncompleted building", he said and ended the call.

Fola kept moving around the bushy area while holding her big gown with one hand.

She walked for another 20 minutes before stopping in front of the uncompleted building which was empty.

She wondered where they were. Her heart started beating immediately as she heard voices.

Rachel came out with T-boy from the back of the building and she approached them.

Rachel was with a big grin on her face while T-boy was with a frown.

"Welcome baby girl. T-boy grabbed her and tie her up", Rachel instructed.

T-boy took the briefcase from her and passed it to Rachel. Then, he dragged Fola into the building.

Fola struggled from his hold, "Where is Iremide? I want to see him."

"You will, just stay still. Your fate will be decided once we confirm the money you brought."

He tied her to a chair and went out to meet Rachel.

"Have you confirmed it?", he asked her, pointing at the briefcase.

"Yep", she said, stressing on the "S" and licking her lips.

"I love it when you do that", he said flirtingly.

"Don't be silly", she said moving away.

"Let's go inside and share the money. Once we are done, we will kill the two of them and off we go."

"Rachel, we need to talk", he said following her but she refused to stop walking.

They entered a different building from where Fola was tied and they both sat on the plastic chair inside.

"Rachel, who is the father of the baby?", he asked, suddenly pointing at her stomach.

"Olamide is the father", she answered, eyeing him.

"How come he is the father. You know I am very fertile so I'm sure it's my baby."

"No, it's not", she insisted.

"I love you Rachel", he told her but she only murmured.

Seeing her reaction, he asked her: "How old is the pregnancy."

"Four weeks", she told him.

"We had sex one month ago on the night of my birthday, remember?", he said to her.

"I know but the issue is I had sex with Olamide the next day. He is a sex maniac and he can't resist me."

"You shouldn't have allowed him. I told you I want you."

"I told you I love him, didn't I? I did but you didn't listen to me."

"So are you getting rid of the pregnancy?", he asked with sadness.

"Of course not. I will keep it."

"You know I hate that man. I want us to get married."

"I can't, I'm sorry", she apologized.

T-boy looked her in the face and a tear dropped from his eyes. This touched a soft spot in Rachel's heart and she moved closer to him. "I'm sorry."

He nodded and kissed her. Rachel moaned as he deepened the kiss.

"Let's not do this", she told him. "It is unsafe for the baby", she said breaking the kiss.

"Just this once please. I really want you to myself but I think I have to let go now. Just this once and I promise to disappear from your life after today."

Rachel stared at him and gave in as he kissed her again.

Before they knew it, they were in a world of their own.

******

"Vien vite", Fola screamed for the umpteenth time but there was no response.

She was tired of repeating the same word.

She tried recalling the other French word Idris taught her but her mind was blank.

Fola cried silently. She wondered where they kept Iremide.

Femi was taking time. She had been repeating the signal word she was taught ever since Rachel and her partner left her there but there was no response.

She prayed in her mind for a miracle.

She struggled with the rope and she fell to her side. The gun in her inner trouser had dropped from the trouser pocket to her legs and it was stuck there.

She tried getting hold of it but her hands were tied.

"Vien vite", she said again but there was no response.

"Femi", she called in frustration.

******

Femi woke up with a start. He slept off in the car oblivious to his surroundings and the fact that he was there for an assignment.

"Fola", he called coming out of the car with agitation.

"Oh God!", he lamented going back into the car to pick up his gun and phone.

Then, he remembered he forgot to make contact with the police officers in Maraba Jos. They only informed Jaji station and Jaji was still far away.

He cursed as he slumped back into the car and zoomed off to the station with speed.

******

Fola curled like a baby and was able to get a hold of her right leg where the gun was stuck.

The problem left was how to pull the gun out. After some minutes, she pulled it out but was surprised to see it was the pepper spray.

She sighed and tried pulling the gun out again. She had forgotten she came with a pepper spray.

She wondered where Rachel and her partner disappeared too.

She increased her pace so she could be free before they came back.

She smiled immediately, she got a hold of the gun and she pulled it out.

Then, she pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced the rope tied to the chair. She did so continuously till she was free.

She thanked her stars that the sound of the shots were suppressed by another object attached to the rubber gun. She wondered who invented it.

She got up in a hurry and tied her long gown on her waist to make it look like a blouse and to allow easy movement.

She picked up the pepper spray and the gun and moved to the other building looking for Iremide.

She searched till she was tired. She was about to give up when she heard a groan from the next building. She went inside and saw him.

Her heart beat increased. She ran to his side.

His face was swollen due to the daily beating. His eyes were close and Fola called to him. He opened his eyes slowly and smiled when he saw her.

Fola hugged him and quickly used the gun to pierce the rope connected to his body. He was also tied to a plastic chair just like her.

Few minutes later, he was free too. They hugged each other again in happiness.

"Let's go, Femi is on the highway. Can you walk?", she asked him and he nodded.

They were about to go out when they heard footsteps from behind.

Fola grabbed Iremide and they ran out. They got out of the building to see Rachel and T-boy appearing from behind the other building holding hands.

Their eyes met and Rachel screamed. T-boy searched for his gun from his pocket but it was nowhere to be found.

He ran back inside to get his gun. Fola tried using the gun with her as Rachel approached them but Rachel was quick to kick the gun out of her hand.

Rachel gave her a slap and she fell to the ground with Iremide.

"You bitch", Rachel screamed with anger.

Fola grabbed Rachel's legs and flung her to the ground.

Rachel groaned as she hit her stomach on a big stone.

Fola raised Iremide up and they both ran as fast as they could.

Just then, T- boy came back with the gun to see Rachel on the floor. He fumed in anger as he pulled the trigger.

The two bullets hit Fola on the back and she fell down.