⚜️⚜️⚜️
*****

The beeping sound of the heart monitor ripped through Dominique's ears as she gradually regained her consciousness. Tearing her eyelids open, she was instantly met with the blurry view, and her temple throbbed in pain, and she winced, shutting her eyes back.

Slowly, she fluttered her eyes open, and her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. Cocking her head to the side, she could see Alex on the sofa beside her bed. His eyes were closed as he rested his head on the arm of the sofa. She could tell that he had probably chosen to wait till she regained consciousness, even if it meant denying himself the comfort of a bed.

"Alex," She called out to him, her voice coming out raspy and sour, and sounding more like the slight booze of air. But, Alex's eyes parted open, and they brightened up on seeing her.

"Minnie?" He flew to her side, and took her hand in his. "Are you okay, fire?"

Her lips stretched into a warm smile, "Yes."

Grasping that she was okay, his shoulders' relaxed and a grin crept up to his face.

Recalling what had led her to the hospital, she suddenly became alarmed with the thought of the other girls in the hostel. Did anything happen to them? Was anyone hurt? But, most importantly, were they able to apprehend John, and the other three?

"Baby, what happened?" She asked.

Alex did not respond to this, but he tucked a strand of her hair behind her hair, and placed a soft peck on her forehead. In a whisper, he breathed, "You will be fine, Fire. You will be."

💮💮💮

Minnie learned that she had gone into a slight coma which the doctor termed as 'a lot of sleeping' due to the excess chloroform which was in the handkerchief that she had forcefully inhaled.

John, and his three men, had been arrested, but on the way to the station, they overpowered the officers and escaped. This news terrified her, and she instantly knew that she wasn't free from danger. However, Alex, Jeff and Noah didn't relent in finding John, and unraveling the mystery behind Carper.

On learning about the attack on the fort, Amelia became instantly apprehensive, and had to drive to the fort straightaway. She feared that the girls were harmed, and informed the commissioner of police, who came along with her.

Ms. Remi briefed them on what had happened, and after questioning the security, they learnt that the men were hired abductors whose victim happened to be a resident of the fort.

"The girl showed signs that she had been drugged, as the men carried her out. While the other one was held at gunpoint," One of the security guard explained to them.

"Apart from these two, were any of the other girls harmed?" Lateef inquired.

The guard shook his head, "No one else was hurt. But, the girls took a great risk by standing up to the armed men."

"They displaced a sense of unity. If they hadn't done that, maybe both girls would be dead by now," Ms. Remi commented.

"In as much as I commend the girls for their bravery, I have to say that what they did was rather reckless. They risked their life, endangering themselves, and without any ammunition, they strove to stop four armed men." Lateef stated. "Anyway, I was informed that men from the Anti-human trafficking squad were present before the crime occurred, and they managed to get the situation under control."

"Yes," Ms. Remi replied, "They had been positioned earlier to protect the said girl."

Lateef's brows furrowed, "This means they were aware that the victim was in danger?"

Ms. Remi nodded.

"That's okay. We'll get in touch with the CID, and together, we'll work out what actually happened," Lateef said. "What are the names of the two victims?"

Ms. Remi looked down on the table where a big book sat, and she flipped it open. After browsing through the several names, her eyes brightened up on seeing the name she had been looking for, "Vanessa Ogbene, and Dominique-"

Amelia had been quiet as the enquires were going on, but as soon as she heard the names Remi noted as those of the victims, her eyes popped out in recollection. She snapped her eyes to Ms. Remi.

"Repeat those names, Remi," Amelia crocked.

Ms. Remi and the rest turned their gaze to Amelia.

"The two victims are Vanessa Ogbene, and Dominique." Remi repeated.

Her ears shot up at this, and her heart began racing rapidly in her chest. She recalled the name Dinah had told her. "Dominique?"

"Yes, Amy," Ms. Remi answered.

Lateef came in, "What is her surname?"

Ms. Remi shook her head slightly, "She is the only one in the hostel who claimed she had no surname."

This rattled Amelia the more, as her heart kept thundering that this was her daughter. Lateef was taken aback by this, but he cleared his throat and continued.

"Who was their main target, Vanessa or Dominique?"

Ms. Remi answered, "Dominique was their main target."

This was the very last to prove her suspicion, and her maternal instincts came up as she heard that the girl was the victim. Amelia knew that moment that she had to see this Dominique with her own eyes. She needed to know if this girl was her lost daughter. She had to clarify the questions in her head, and listen to the beats in her heart. This had to be soon. If Dominique is her real daughter, then she will haunt down everyone seeking to hurt her child, and make sure they rot in jail.

Turning her eyes to Remi, Amelia said, "I need to see Dominique."

💮💮💮

As soon as they were opportune to see their friend, Genesis and the other girls took themselves to the hospital, and were let to see Dominique even if only two of them were permitted to go in due to the security measure taken by the CID and the NPF. Genesis and Anastasia went in to her, while Sharon waited in the reception.

On seeing her, Genesis's shoulders relaxed as she and Anastasia hurried to the side of Dominique's bed.

"Dom," Genesis exclaimed, as she scooped Minnie's palm into hers.

Minnie's eyes perked up on seeing them, and a huge smile crossed her lips. Even if she looked pale after being unconscious for a day, and also due to the effect of the drug, she was rather looking very okay.

"Where's Alex?" Anastasia enquired.

"He left with Jeff and some other officers," Minnie replied.

"Are you really fine, Dom?" Genesis probed. Her lips pulled into a tight-lipped smile. Minnie spotted this, and also observed the anxious look on Anastasia's face.

"Guys, I'm fine," Minnie said, stretching her grin broadly, but this barely did the job of convincing her friends.

"Dom, you might have survived this-" Genesis began.

"Barely," Anastasia chimed in, and Genesis's lips carved out a warm smile.

"Exactly, Minnie, you barely survived this, and those men are still at large," Genesis stated. This caused a lump to grow in Dominique's throat as she thought of the fact that John and Carper could be in the nearby, waiting for another chance to take her.

Noticing this, Genesis sighed. "You see, Dom. You are still in danger."

In a tiny voice, almost as a whisper, Minnie acknowledged this. "I know."

"So, what are your plans, Dom?" Anastasia asked, cutting in before Genesis could.

Minnie looked at her friends, before she stared into the midst in-between them, staring at nothing in particular. Did she have a plan to save herself? Was she even planning to fight this? How could she when she had buried everything into Alex's hand. She had left him to battle with her demons. He was the one now paying for her past. He was the one with a plan, and not her, the author of her own story.

Ana slouched on seeing the look on her friend's face and Genesis huffed loudly, as she stood from the side of the bed.

"This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy!" Genesis rasped.

Both girls turned their attention to her, and they watched Genesis pace to the window of the room. Her fist clenched and unclenched as she muttered to herself, in an incoherent way. Dominique and Anastasia exchanged worried glances, before looking back in her direction.

"What are you talking about, Gen?" Anastasia asked.

Sharply, Genesis turned back to them. "This! I'm talking about this fear; this terrifying fear that we have!" She yelled to them, "We are scared of what will happen, but here's the truth, it will happen!"

Dominique's heart sank as Genesis words hit her. Anastasia's face went wide with shock.

"Don't say that, Gen! Dominique will escape this, and she will be fine!" Ana retorted, but Genesis scoffed at this.

"Yes, she might, and she might not. It all depends on the police, and on the law. But what if they fail? Will Dominique also be added to the list of girls gone missing never to be found again?" Genesis stormed, "The law is not capable of fighting this. They cannot protect you, Dom. They were not able to do that in the past, and they can't now."

Anastasia went mute, and Dominique swallowed the lump in her throat as the realization of Genesis's words came to them. She was absolutely right. Hers was not the first case and she would certainly not be any different. The evil of trafficking had been rooted into the system, and many girls, many children have disappeared, without the government and the law taking any actions.

Yes, she had Alex. He would never stop until he protected her, but he couldn't ever face the entire world of trafficking, all by himself. She knew that eventually Jeff and the others would give up once she had been caught by carper. They would do nothing and only close up her case, just like they had been doing for the past decades.

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath in, and flashes of the several girls she had seen at the brothel, and at several points in time of her life crossed her vision. She saw her formal friends; Nina and Rita, and she recalled their times together. The pain rushed back as she thought of how they disappeared into thin air, and how she and the others at the brothel never believed that the girls were dead.

Pressing her eyelids together, she forced back the tears which had swelled up in her eyes, and she blinked open. "You're right, Gen."

Taken aback by her utterance, both Genesis and Anastasia were snapped out of their own thoughts, and their eyes settled on Dominique.

"We can't let them win again. I can't be taken too, cause I refuse to have my tale ended. It's time I fight for what I believe. It's time I stand up for myself. It's time to take back my freedom!" Dominique stated.

The air froze after she uttered these words, and her friends stared at her, deadpanned at her words. Then, slowly, a smile pulled on Genesis's lips, and Anastasia pulled her two thumbs up.

"No, Dominique. This is the time for us to take back our freedom. It's time to fight for our survival," Genesis agreed, as she held Minnie's hand.

Minnie smiled brightly at this, and turned to Anastasia, who also had a smile on her lips.

"You know I'm in. We aren't losing another one of us to those traffickers." Anastasia added, as she interlocked her fingers with Dominique's spare hand.

"So, what is our plan?" Genesis threw open the question. For a while, the silence in the room reigned, as the girls thought over this.

Then, Anastasia's eyes widened, and a bright grin ran through her lips. "I have a plan!" She exclaimed, beaming excitedly while the other two watched her, their jaws gaping.

💮💮💮

Under the Lagos Bridge, where the four men were seated and hiding from the eyes of the police forces whom have been on their tail for the past two days. From afar, they noticed a canoe move very silently towards them and they all sprang up to their feet, all reaching for their weapons.

But, John signaled them to lay low, as he strained his eyes to the canoe, to try to get a better view of the boat and its contents. Dimly, he could see a man on the boat, and the man rose up a flag, which John instantly understood. He motioned to his men to stand down, and they waited for the canoe to get to them.

The man in the boat had a cloak on which covered most of his face and the rest of him. On getting to the four, he suspended the canoe at the side, and moved unto the paved floor.

Without saying a word, John moved to the man, and slipped a piece of paper into the man's hand. In return, the man opened up the side of his cloak, and pulled out a black bag which he handed over to John.

Instantly, the man got back into the canoe, and paddled away back to the darkness. After he was gone from their side, John placed the bag on the floor, and opened it. The reflection of the water sparkled on his face as his lips curved into a smirk on seeing the contents of the bag.

He was back in his hunt. The game was on.

💮💮💮

Anastasia and a couple of other girls in the fort with technical knowledge took to the web to create awareness pages with the theme "Save Us, Save Dominique", and this was created to support the missing girls who had been stolen or taken from their families, and never returned. Dominique's story was the main face of their campaign which slowly ate its way into the web, stirring conversations up on all social media mediums.

Their search for help and support from the public, organizations, and government was gaining a lot of attention in under seventeen hours of going online. To add their support, the remaining girls from the fort decided to go into the streets to gather supporters for their cause. They were led by Genesis and Paul.

Joe being a major part of this by releasing his vehicles for transportation, and the club was the hangout for all campaign members. He also believed in the strength in numbers. Just like the girls, he also hopped that this would get the nation's attention to the underlying evil going on. And, hopefully, Dominique and other girls like her would have their freedom back.

Sharon contacted many of those who were rescued from Dinah's brothel, and instigated them to join in the fight for freedom. These girls also moved around, telling those who they knew about the movement, and those they told continued spreading the news. Rapidly, they were gaining followers, supporters, and attention.

This was what they hoped they would get, but still, the government remained quiet on their movement. However, they were determined to keep up the fire.

At the hospital, Minnie has been certified by the doctor to be well enough to be discharged, and with her in the hospital room, was Alex and Noah, helping her to transfer from the hospital and to the safe house prepared by the CID. Jeff had earlier advised that for her maximum security, she had to be kept in the safe house, where she would be covered with the very best of the officers from the NPF. Alex was concerned with her safety, and so, he agreed with his friend.

"Baby, are you sure of this?" Minnie asked for the umpteenth time, as Alex helped her to her feet.

His lips curled into a slight smile, "I think this is the best to do for now."

Minnie's forehead furrowed at this, and her lips pulled into a pout. It wasn't that she did not understand his and Jeff's actions, but she just could not bear to be all alone and 'imprisoned' in their so-called-safe-house.

"C'mon fire, I'll be with you all the way through," Alex added.

Her chest fell back with a sigh, and a smile came up her lips. "I thought you wouldn't."

Alex frowned, "Why would I leave you alone, fire?"

She shrugged, "Who knows you might be getting tired of me and my troubles."

He stopped, and faced her squarely; cupping her face in his palms, he said, "Never say that, fire. I can't ever be away from you. I know this cause I have tried to, but I just can't."

Her eyes moistened up with this, "Really?"

"Fire, it's me and you till forever. You are not alone. Your troubles are our troubles, and I can never get tired of standing with you," He breathed to her. Her smile dimpled up, as she gazed at him, dreamily. He placed a soft kiss on her nose, and another on her forehead, before capturing her lips in his.

Noah cleared his voice, loudly, in order to disrupt their moment. "Sorry to cut in, lovebirds, but we have to leave."

Alex released her lips, and gave her a soft peck on her forehead, before they turned to the door, and they all walked out of the hospital room.

Waiting for them at the waiting room, was Jeff and some of his officers.

"Are you set to leave?" Jeff asked, and Alex gave a slight nod to answer his question. Confirming that they were set to leave, Jeff signaled to his men, and they led the way to the entrance of the hospital.

Minnie took a deep breath as she prepared herself for whatever might be out there waiting for her. Her fears all melted away when Alex's hand interlaced with her, gently. She turned to his, and caught his comforting smile, and she smiled.

"Let's go!" She said, and they both walked out of the doors.

Outside, two police cars were waiting, along with Alex's jeep. The officers encircled Minnie and Alex as they made their way to his jeep.

Just as they got to the jeep, loud screeching of tires surrounded them, and in a stance, masked men jumped to them. Minnie's heart began to race as these men bombarded the premises. The officers all turned around to keep the armed men from getting to them, while Noah and Alex hurriedly helped her into the jeep.

Alex started the car, and took a reverse out of the premises, but waiting at the gate was John, and some of his men. In his hands was a long shotgun, and he was aiming at them.

"Shit!" Alex exclaimed on seeing them.

"Go back, man!" Noah yelled at him, and Alex took the car back in a swift reverse, the tire of the jeep screeching, as he made an abrupt turn in the premise.

John and his men went after the car, as they began shooting frantically at the vehicle. Many of their bullets missed them as they drove around, but unfortunately, one of their tires was hit and it instantly deflated, stopping the car immediately.

Alexander faced Minnie, "Fire, we need to get out now, alright?"

She nodded absentmindedly, as her eyes dilated with fear as she could hear the chaos right outside the jeep. Her heart was practically thumping against the cage of her chest, as she felt the panic rise inside of her.

Noah opened the door by his side, but he was pulled out by one of the masked men, Minnie's eyes went wide. Instantly, the back of a gun broke through the glass at Alex's side, and her eyes went wide as this knocked Alex out.

Everything went quiet as she watched Alex's slump on the steering wheel. Her mouth teared open as she screamed, "Alex!"

The door at her side was yanked off with force, and John grabbed her and pulled her out of the car. She froze up as the tears rolled out of her eyes with the shock of seeing Alex pass out.

John yanked and dragged her as he walked to his vehicle. The cries and yells around slapped her out of her shock and her eyes danced around her; the officers were all down on the ground, and everything was a dreadful sight of red. Looking at her arm, she noticed that she was being dragged away.

Nothing must happen to Alex, was all she thought as she kept trying to look at the jeep, but she couldn't as John carted her away. In anger, she threw her elbows into John's chest, catching him unawares, as his grip on her slipped.

She turned, and with all her might, she began running towards the jeep, screaming, "Alex!"

But, her arm was held back, causing her to trip over her feet and fall to the ground. She tried getting back up, her eyes still on the jeep, but she was thrown back as a hard metal met with her face, and she fell right back.

Her vision blurred and her ears went mute as her eyes dilated as her head went light. Right before she lost consciousness, she saw John crouch beside her, and on his face was etched a wicked smirk.

♀️
*****

Lovelies, do not forget to leave a like and probably some comments before you go. Thanks.
🌹🏵️🌹🏵️🌹