4

That brief phone call he had with his so-called boss provoked an anxious button in my heart. I felt my skin creeping and my conscience woke up to torment me. I just left a woman who brushed me up, gave me a life and a reason to live without saying goodbye and I am here, sitting down in a car beside a guy I met barely few hours ago, what is preposterous if not this?

I exhaled deeply, putting myself in order as I glanced towards him.

"I never got your name?"

"It's Amlek Malika John."

He reeled off as if it had been at the tip of his tongue waiting on my query.

With the knowledge of his name, I was able to decipher his origin, he was a northerner but a Christian. Actually, by mere looking at him, you could never tell, he was strikingly handsome and appealing to the eyes with no tribal inscriptions on his face which was predominant for most northerners.

"I never really got yours?"

He asked, looking at me with a grin, actually I was expecting a raised brow.

"Tee."

I replied tersely, biting down on my lip in fear, he seemed to notice what was going on in my head and he smiled warmly at me. He was trying to be friendly and he exercised it with little or no stress.

"Listen Tee, you made the right decision. If not you won't be productive like Roseline. Don't worry, with time, you will get to appreciate me, it's the trend."

"What were you doing in her house? you act and talk like you know her too well, you should have known she goes to work everyday except on Sundays."

Hearing that, he bobbed his head expectantly as he tapped rhythmically on the steering.

"Here is a brief story, Roseline worked for my boss. Just like I'm about to take you to him, I introduced her to him long ago, before we established a branch in the city. Along the line, she got witty and played us, making away with a huge sum of money that belonged to my boss. I don't want to bore you with the details but she wasn't smart enough, she came back to the town where I initially picked her from. Actually, I was to seize all her properties. I knew she wasn't in and I never intended to knock except for the sounds from the TV. My men were already looking for her but I messaged them to abort the search since I have something that will lead her to us without further stress."

Weighed by the gravity of what I unknowingly did. I reclined helplessly on my seat and folded my hands between my thighs, speechless and afraid. Suddenly, my bladder became full and I felt a striking urge to use a toilet.

"Relax. You will be fine."

He carelessly blurted as he made a turn for the filling station.

When it was his turn to be attended to, he switched off the engine, got down from the car and got busy discussing with the pump attendant on how many litres of petrol he wanted and how much he was to pay.

That saving moment brought by God, I imagined opening the door as fast as I could and running away for my dear life back to the house, putting my thoughts already into action, I was otherwise met with the reality that the car was under lock and key and the windows were tinted and wound up. That was when my mind agreed to yield with the fact that I was being abducted in the most unfathomable style.

I cussed in my annoyance and before I could think of another way out that wouldn't create a scene, he came back in and steered away, this time with a very cold face which grew meaner as we moved further away from the town.

With the growing silence that swelled up my head, I couldn't hold my emotions anymore as I broke down in tears.

"Please I beg you, do not hurt me. Please take me back to Mbaku."

I could barely hear myself as my voice shook in fright with my heart and my eyes became so blur as more tears welled up in them.

He turned to look at me with surprise written all over his tanned long face.

"Did you ever harbor a thought that I was going to hurt you?"

It was rhetorical as he cleared his throat and continued.

"Look here, Tee. I already submitted you to my boss and for that, I am expected to bring you to him in good shape. I would never lay a finger on you, if that will make you feel better, okay?"

I nodded obediently as I sniffled in my fears and wiped off the tears that rolled down to my cheeks with my wrist.

He looked me up and down with pity visible in his eyes one more time before turning to concentrate on the road.

"Are you hungry? I can pull over and get you something to eat, maybe a snack atleast?"

As much as I was very hungry because we were approaching late afternoon and I was sitting on an empty stomach, I decided to keep a clear stomach which I believed would avail me a clearer head too.

"Water, water will be fine."

He opened the glove compartment and handed me a warm sachet water and that was the last discussion we had until we breached the City.