Paul

"What do you suggest we do then?" I ask Mr Adams. "It's been over a week now," I sigh, "what the fuck is wrong with all of you?"

All of them including daddy. Mr Adams's stony expression after my outburst has me toying with the idea of inserting my fingers into his eyes to get a reaction out of him. I don't understand how he can appear this relaxed knowing Ifunaya has been gone for this long. I am a wreck, I can barely get any sleep and no one is doing anything but making promises and keeping us locked in this fucked, empty house. The elections have been postponed but that's not enough for them, they want daddy to step down.

Fuckers. My fist clenches, I turn away from him to avoid doing something stupid. They are stalling, trying to buy time to extract her but it's taking too damn long and every extra minute she spends there is an excuse for those deranged psychopaths to torture her. Fuck. My fingers run through my face, ending up in my overgrown beards and I let out a frustrated sigh. Why all this?

Giving up a position he has already enjoyed for four years shouldn't be this big of a deal. I grunt and walk to the end of the stairs. If anything happens to her, I will not forgive him. I will not forgive myself. My fingers dig into my scalp, I groan, she has to be okay.

"Young man, I do not appreciate your tone or manners," he finally replies in a clipped tone that has my fist clenching until the urge to break his nose subsidies. I grit my teeth and scowl, turning around to give him a piece of my mind. Ifunaya is missing and all he cares about is respect, he will get a suffocating amount of that once I have her in my arms again. "You don't care about Ifunaya more than I do and we are working round the clock to get her out of there."

Closing the gap between us, I stare into his eyes and scoff. "Round the clock?" The noise that follows my question is the sound of the gold bowl connecting with the rugged floor. I kick the pieces, take one step back to allow him to access the damage I caused. He arches a brow and I smirk, I will do worse than this if we don't find her soon. "If anything happens to her," I point a finger at him and shake my head, "if anything happens to-"

"Nothing will happen to her."

The air crackles with power as he stares me down, daring me to say otherwise. I take a step away from him, my fingertips brush the table and he nods. Without a backward glance at me, he saunters up the stairs and I sink into the chair with my hands locked behind my head. The throbbing intensifies, blinding pain spreads through my chest and my heart constricts. I wheeze, my lips part open in a silent cry and my eyes sting with unshed tears. Everything is going south.

Warm arms wrap around my neck, I sniff and relax slightly into the awkward hug. "I'm scared," I say to her. "I'm afraid."

"What's going on?" Chi asks.

The scent of her perfume lingers long after she moves to the opposite seat, I refuse to look at her until my tears are at bay. I need to be a man, to keep my head straight. One glance at the parlour shows someone has taken care of the mess I made, I heave a sigh and turn to Chi who has her hands out on the table for me to take. My eyes move to the portrait behind her, I shake my head, I am not the one who needs to be comforted.

Dragging her chair closer to me, she pulls my hands from my laps into a firm grip and I chuckle, I can free myself from her grasp without blinking. Her brows raise as she awaits an explanation, I purse my lips and try to decipher her facial expression. Dark circles surround her eyes, her complexion and lack of makeup makes it hard to hide them and the stress pimples scattered all over her forehead has my hackles rising.

She has not gone to work since this kidnap saga started, she spends all day indoors, playing loud music. We barely see since we have connecting bathrooms and a television in each room, the maids bring the food up except we say otherwise. I have not heard a single complaint from her but she doesn't know the state of things which makes me wonder what is giving her a tough time. Or, how many things about her I have failed to notice because I was consumed by grief.

It's my turn to worry, I ask, "Are you okay?"

Her shoulders fall, a look of despair crosses her face and I straighten up. "No, but I will be. Soon." I arch a brow, she sighs and drops her hands to her knees. "Let's talk about it later. What's going on? I heard voices." A lump lodges in my throat, a ghost of a smile dances across my lips. "I know you don't like this place but it's only for a short while, we won't be here much longer. He's only trying to help, daddy wants us to be safe."

She doesn't get it. I close my eyes briefly and exhale. "Ifunaya did not go home," I manage to voice out, "she was kidnapped."

The flaring of her nostrils elicits a snicker from me and she slaps the back of my head.

"That's not funny. How? What do you mean by kidnapped?" She stands abruptly and her chair clatters to the ground. "What happened to her impromptu travel? Udo," I avert my gaze, "you have been lying to me."

"You started it," I say in my defence. "You kept things away from me too. You didn't even tell me about daddy and Mr Adams."

"Sorry, I didn't realise we were taking tabs," she fires back. I sigh, now is not the time.

Mr Adam suggested we kept mute about it for the sake of her sanity, she should be glad we spared her the awful information for this long. When she requested for an update, he cooked up a lie about Ifunaya having to rush home and I went along with it. All she has known is her friend is safe but not ready to talk to both of us. The tricky part had been convincing her to stay back in his house but a reminder about daddy's election and our safety did that job.

"We were trying to protect you," I murmur.

"Clap for yourself," she snaps. "Protector."

The silence stretches, I shift and offer an apology which she reluctantly accepts and demands the whole story. On instinct, my eyes flit to the staircase to be sure no one is eavesdropping, he gave specific instructions to keep my lips sealed. I scoff, he won't fill me in, always acting his usual secretive self like we do not have a mutual goal. Getting information from a rock is way easier.

Chi barely plops into the chair when my phone starts ringing. I pick without a look at the screen and pull the phone away from my ear to identify the caller when I hear only breathing from the other end. It's a new number and my heart skips a beat. Chi mouths the question I have in mind to ask, I shrug and press my index finger to my lips.

"Hello," I start, "who is this?"

My eyes widen when the voice says, "Do you want to see her alive?" Chi gestures wildly for me to place the call on speaker, I shush her to reply in the affirmative. We don't need an introduction, his voice gave him away. It belongs to the guy who called a week ago to make the demands and I hope I get the chance to snap his neck or repay him in kind for the pain he put my baby through. "Okay. We will keep in touch."

The line goes dead without him hearing my response and my breathing grows shallow as I dial the number; it's unreachable. Chi snatches the phone before I can redial it and I glare daggers into her face. Crossing her arms with her socked feet drumming into the rug, she demands an immediate explanation. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. My legs wobble, I lower myself back to the seat I never realised I left.

Her advise to inform Mr Adams about the call is turned down. We sit in silence, the minutes crawl by with my gaze constantly returning to the phone for an update. I jump from my seat when a message comes in, a look at the text and I start for the door.

"Where are you going?" My sister asks while speed walking beside me to match my pace but I don't slow down. I shove the phone into her hand, she overtakes me to block my way out with her body. "Don't go, please, it's not safe. It could be a trap."

A trap or not, I am willing to take the risk. We have been camped in here for days: a week and counting, doing nothing but sleep and wake in comfort. I can't miss this chance, she got into this mess because of me and it's my time to fix it. My eyes linger on Chi with her back pressed against the door, if I have to, I will drag her from there.

"Maybe," I say, "but if it's not me, daddy will not step down." I sigh and run my fingers through my hair, time is running out, the guy said I should be there in five minutes. "I have to do this. This is my problem now."

She shakes her head, her fingers move fast across my screen. "I'm calling Mr Adams, he will take care of this." I nod and she holds a finger up to me. "Don't do anything stupid."

I struggle to remain calm while his number rings without interruption, Chi refuses to meet my gaze, repeatedly dialling the number until she gives up. "Don't go."

Stretching my hands for a hug, maybe the last sibling contact we will have, acute pain shoots up my arms, forcing me out of my trip down memory lane. My eyelids flutter open, the kink in my neck has me rotating my head. A look at the unfamiliar white ceiling and the rest of the awful memories spill over me. Maybe I should have listened to her, I should have waited for Mr Adams.

Aaron. That slimy bastard. I groan and try to stand but my hands are bound behind me. My vision blurs, I wince, if the fool had the guts, he should have come for me himself rather than send his minions, those cowards who attacked me from behind. A disgruntled sound slips from my lips at the dull ache in my neck, what did he inject me with? That clown, I should have known giving him daddy's number would not have stopped him from hurting me. Hurting her.

Her.

My eyes dart to Ifunaya's still figure on the bed. Shit. A cry escapes me as I try to stand, pain travels down my arms and I fall back to the floor. That bastard; I will kill him.

"Ifunaya. Ifunaya."

Gritting my teeth, I let out a string of curses at the staggering pain that courses through me for attempting to stand with my hands cuffed behind me. I shake my head to clear my vision and stay awake, I need to get to her. Fuck. She needs me. She needs help.

After what feels like ages, I manage to stand amid the throbbing in my shoulders and stagger in her direction. I collapse to my knees, my head on her bloodied laps with my lips moving in wordless prayer. My throat constricts and my eyes water at the amount of blood that has soaked up her shirt, it is too much and it is everywhere.

"Ifunaya. Babe. My love?" I look to the door and scream, "Aaron." My eyes dart between her and the door, my heart gallops as her shirt soaks up more of her blood. "Aaron."

The blood plastered to my face doesn't deter me from rubbing my cheek against her bloody palm neither does the heavy stench infiltrating my nostrils. If anything happens to her or the baby, I will never be able to forgive myself. I will lose my fucking mind.

Aaron. Fuck him. We are not friends but we were great workers, we spend the morning chatting before I send him off with her food. He never had much to say, neither did I, it was why we worked well together. Our silence was comfortable, we understood each other. A sob escapes my throat, I should have given him the number the first time he asked, why don't I ever listen?

"Babe," my voice is a whisper, "I'm sorry."

The bastard didn't blink when he shot her, I didn't ask for his help to rid her of the baby, no one was talking about that. How can he call shooting her a favour for me? Fuck. God. How can a psychopath like him exist?

"Ifunaya, help is on the way," I breathe out.

Daddy's press conference is tomorrow, he has to announce his decision to step down. I hope he will, who am I kidding? He has to. This could have been avoided if he did it as soon as they asked, Ifunaya would have been spared this misfortune. My eyes burn with tears, this might be the end for me too.

*   *   *

I jolt awake, water trickles down my face to my shirt and I cough from the impact of the cold water against my skin. Turning my head to the side to ease some of the stiffness in my neck, my eyes land on the intruder with an empty bucket. I ignore the psycho, thoughts of only one person on my mind.

"Where's she?" I ask once I notice the space that once held Ifunaya. The only sign she was ever there is the blood coating the mattress. I scream, "Where... Where is she?"

He crouches in front of me, an arm's length distance between us. "With her father and you will join her soon." He rises to his feet and dusts the invisible dirt on his jacket. "I have some good news, your father stepped down." Picking the empty bucket, he tucks it under the desk. "He will want to see you."

"I told him we will send you home but you see," he crosses his legs at the ankle, "we never mentioned in what state you should be brought home." He pushes away from the desk, a gun now in his grasp. "Should we make a video? I'd like for him to see this," he beams, "I'd like for so many things but we can't always have what we want."

He shrugs after cocking his gun, points it at my forehead and my eyes close at the sound of a gunshot. I wait for the agony to come, I try to prepare myself for it by thinking of the good times with Ifunaya. Regrets soon taint those memories, flooding my mind with all the things I failed to say, the time we wasted because I refused to look past my fears and insecurities. To see how much she wanted all of me and to love her back.

Two more shots, fired in quick succession.

My eyes fly open as a hand grabs me by my collar, a look of fear crosses Aaron's face as more gunshots rent the air and my heart resumes its pounding. I wasn't shot; help is here. I don't care to fight him as he positions me in front of him as a shield, his breathing tickles my neck with his gun pressed to my lower back as we move to a dim-lit corner.

"Where is she?" I murmur, "if you tell me now, you might be able to walk out of here alive." For her sake, I am willing to make a deal with him, I don't believe him, she's not dead, she cannot be dead. "Where is she?"

The door bursts open, huge men in black, wearing helmets, pointing large and more sophisticated weapons at me, at us troop in.

"Hand him over. Now," one of them says as the others surround us and Aaron starts chuckling, his insanity has no limit.

The gun pressed to my back moves up to the back of my head. "I have nothing to live for," he says in a voice that has my blood running cold and my fear returns. The fact that I am taller than him does nothing to comfort me, I swallow and he intensifies the pressure on the gun. He starts cackling, I share a look with the leader of the men who walked in, failing to understand his silent command. "We will all die here today; me, you, all of them. I must and I will see Tobe."

Tension so thick hangs in the air, my heart hammers behind my ribcage and I swallow. No one makes a move, the men at the door seem undecided of their next move, I close my eyes and count to five under my breath. A slow sigh escapes me as my foot rams into Aaron's knee, I duck to the ground when the pressure behind my head disappears. It all happens so fast I don't process it until I am laying prostrate on the floor, trembling.

Sporadic shots follow, deafening sounds sure to cause irreversible damages to the eardrums punctate the air. Aaron falls to the ground, my mouth hangs open in shock. One of the guys rushes to me, I sit up and massage my wrists once they are freed.

Another person stands over Aaron's body with a gun pointed in his face and the light bulb in my head goes off. I jump. "Wait."

Trying to steady my breath, I stagger to his unmoving body and exhale. "Where's she?"

Bullets decorate his suit, blood trickles from the gunshot wounds and my leg connects with his body when he flashes me a bloody grin. "Where is Ifunaya? Where is Pauline?"

The smirk remains on his face, I bite hard on my tongue to stop from begging them to finish him off. The cocky bastard. Placing a foot on his bleeding shoulder, he winces and I reiterate my question over and over again without getting a reply. I kick him.

A new guy joins us, his words are rushed as he tries to get his message across, "We need to leave. Now." I shake my head, I am not leaving here without Ifunaya. "The building will collapse with us in it if we don't leave now." He turns to the guy I assumed to be their leader, they share a nod. "Let's go."

I back away from them and shout at no one in particular, "I'm not leaving without her."

"Our only job is to get you out of here," their leader starts as he drags me by my collar. I look away from him, the crazed look in his eyes reminding me of Aaron. "Alive, not complete." Someone cocks a gun behind me, my gaze returns to his face and tears well in my eyes. "If the only way to get you out of here is by force or taking a limb, so be it."

"Please," my voice is small and pathetic. I stagger when he releases his hold on me. "This is my fault, I can't leave without her."

"Her? We found a girl downstairs," new guy offers, "but I think she is dead. If you want, someone will fetch her but we need to leave now." I nod and he spares a glance at his wristwatch. "We are running out of time."

The whole climb down the stairs is a blur, the walk to the pickup truck happens in seconds and I am forced back to reality when new guy shouts for someone to bring her to me. Her. I sniff and wait, hoping the girl is Ifunaya. My joy knows no bounds when she's brought into the vehicle and her bloodied clothes tug at my heartstrings. She will be alright. She has to be, for me, for us.

I slap the hand of the guy who brought her in when he touches her face, he smiles and after accepting my gratitude, he leaves us be. Wiping the tears leaking to my cheeks, I cushion her head on my laps and trail a line across her cheek. My throat closes up each time I try to speak so I settle for staring at her and praying. Praying and hoping.

The vehicle starts, we zoom off immediately and I don't turn back even when I hear the explosion going on behind me. No person born of a woman will survive that yet they wanted to leave my baby behind. I link my fingers with hers to remind me of her presence. She is here; she is safe. Aaron is dead, he cannot get us. We are safe now.

**********

When I wrote the part about Paul standing up with the handcuffs behind his back, I had to put my own hands behind my back to see if I could stand up. I did after so many trials 😂😂😂

I'm tempted to kill Pauline but I love her too much to do that. 😫😫😫

I have mixed feelings about this chapter, please let me know what you think.

Comment. Vote. Follow and share. ❤❤

For a fleeting moment today, I lost interest in this story which caused me to delay this update.

Thanks for 9K reads guys 😘😘😘, let's get to 10K reads and maybe more 🙈🙈