She Is Safe

Chapter 21

Ariel lay silently on her bed, as her stomach rumbles, meaning that it needs to be fed.

“Huhnn” she groans, getting on her feet. Axel hasn’t return home ever since he left that morning, and she felt like he won’t be coming back, but her thought became invalid when she went to the dinning room and met him having his dinner. She took a seat adjacent to his, muttering a “good evening”.

He nodded in response, but his facial expression shows that she wasn’t welcome, but she didn’t mind anyway.

A maid came forward to serve her as they both eat in silence, stealing secret glances at each other without muttering a word. Axel later broke the silence

“You will be staying here for a while…Aiden is having a shoot, and won’t be able to come pick you” He muttered, as the fork fell off Ariel’s hand; she gawk at him in disbelief.

“Huff…” She scoffs

“B-ut I need to go to school…I need my phone..i need…geez…seriously” she asked. He didn’t reply her as he focused on his food not saying another word

“Hmm” She sighed, frowning at his cold attitude

“The maids will get you some clothes tomorrow, I will get you another phone” he muttered, picking a napkin which he used in mopping his lips. He stood up and headed for his room, not taking another glance at her.

“Huff….does he hate me that much” She thought. “Gosh, I miss Mia already, she might be really worried. I pray he gets me the phone tomorrow; I will need to chat up Mia and tell her that I’m fine.

~~~~~

The next day, the maids Axel assigned to her got her the necessary clothes she needed and Axel got her the phone as promised. She was really grateful for the fact that he fulfilled his promised and not just that, he got her the latest phone which Mia has even been dying to have; no doubt, it will cost a fortune.

A registered Sim card was already in the phone so she need not get a new one.

She hurriedly logged into her account on Face book, in order to chat up Mia when a call came into the phone. The number was saved with Aiden, and it made her wonder how Aiden’s number got into the phone, and how did he know that the sim belongs to her. Perhaps Axel sent it to him, and saved his in the phone, she thought clicking on the answer bar

“Hello……Ariel…” A voice came up, and no soothsayer needs to tell her that it was Aiden’s. A sudden spark of feelings rush down her body system as she heard his voice. Seems like you are really falling for this guy, her subconscious muttered, but she shushes it off.

“Hi…..Ermm…good morning” She replied with a grin, silently praying he doesn’t yell at her for being inept.

“Hey…how was your night? Hope you are fine over there. How is your health…are you really fine?” He rushed his questions, which made her wonder which she should reply first.

“I’m fine…I’m really fine. And I’m sorry” She pleaded, sounding sincere. He scoffs lowly

“I’m sorry for putting you on a high jump, please forgive me”

“Hmmm…Ariel, come on, it’s ok….I understand. You are to be blame okay, you guard should have ensure your safety. But if I may ask….why did you go to a club”

“Erm…i..erm….when I got there, she mentioned something about her cousin’s friend having a birthday in the club and…ermmm….some change of plans..and…”

“It’s ok, no need for explanations, all I want is for you to be safe, and thank God that you are. Just don’t get into trouble again, and when there are situations like that, like change of plans or so, just try to inform me. No matter where I am or how busy I am at that moment I will surely pick your calls. Like I told you earlier, Cape Town is a good place to live in, but the bad eggs here are much, you just have to stay calm in order not to fall into their traps.” He explicated

She nodded, taking in all his warnings and explanations

“I will be travelling to Florida for a shoot; will be back in two days. You will be safe over there at Axel’s house and trust me, he is a cool guy to stay with, just don’t get on his bad side, okay”.

“Ok” She mouthed

“Good”

 “Axel told me some certain things his guys found out at the club, but trust me; those guys won’t get away with it. As for going to school, that will have to wait for now. You can attend online lectures, it’s better than risking your life because those guys might really be after you for something else. Just leave that to me to find out, then when you are safe to go I will let you know”

“Ok…trust me…I will be safe” She muttered, as her heart beat increased rapidly. What does those guys wants from her, she actually isn’t a celebrity, or did they find out that she lives with Aiden and wanted to use her to get to him? Were they really after Aiden? She thoughts, but decided to keep calm, by waving it off

“I need to hang up now; will call you later in the evening when I’m less busy”

“Thank you so much Aiden…I’m really grateful” she appreciated, sincerely

“No need to thank me Ariel, I really care about you. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

She nodded, blushing hard

“Ok…bye” He hanged up after she replied

~~~~~

*Kick-Ass Joint*

Puffing out smoke from his pipe, the angry Tom popular called the boss by his team members; lash out his anger on Bullet who was sitting opposite him, with his head bowed slightly in shame and disgrace. His injured arm was bandaged and hung across his neck. Other members of the gang were present in the room, not saying a word.

They silently watch as Tom growled and snouted, puffing balls of smoke which circulated the whole room.

“You bastard…..argghh. You are just so foolish, to have carried out a plan without first confirming if she came with a guard or not.” He growled, kicking a near-by chair

“Now you are here spitting rubbish from your mouth telling me you couldn’t complete the mission. How dare you bullet, how dare you fail me. You are the most skilled of all in this crew, and I wasn’t expecting less from you. This job was just a peanut for you to carry out, why make a mistake, uhnnn”

“I’m sorry boss…we didn’t expect the attack being that she came alone with her friends. There was no guard with her, and whereas, with the information Miss Peggy gave to us, we believe she won’t have a guard. Remember she said something about bringing her here herself and the girl not knowing her way around here.” Bullet defended himself

“Shut the f*ck up idiot….tell me…who were the guys that shot you? Can you recognize them from any rival gang?”

Bullet nodded negatively

“Speak up bastard” Tom yelled at him

“No!!! no…they are not from any rival gang. They wore casual wears just like everyone in the party, one can’t recognize them from any group” Bullet resorted in a loud voice. Tom scoffs

“Huff, fine….fine…”

“Please boss….I promise you…I will get her next time….” Tom cuts in before he could complete his statement

“There will be no next time…because I’m giving the job to someone else…Tiger..” he called, as the owner of the name steps out

“Boss” he replied

“You will take up the job…find that girl and bring her to me” Tom ordered

“Yes boss” tiger muttered with a slight bow

“No..no…boss…come on…I’m the best at this job…why are you giving it to someone else” Bullet asked, already filled with rage

“Shut that gutter of a mouth up. Huff…you think you are fit with this job..hunn..with a broken arm..geez…do you know why I asked you if those guys were from any gang. Well, that’s because the guy who shot you was an expert in handling guns, considering his target; and the bullet found in your wound isn’t just the normal ones we use, but an upgraded version.”

“Boss….”

“Let me finish…those guys are up against something. They might want the same girl for the reason which I know not.  They seem to be trained personnel, so we need someone of their rank to challenge them, and I think Tiger is best for the job. Get well fast and serve your punishment for failing a simple task…bastard” Tom spat to his face as they glare daggers at each other, with Tiger smirking viciously.

~~~~~

Mia’s House**

“For Christ sake Mia….oh baby come on…stop crying..I don’t like seeing you this way” Valeria consoled Mia who was already shedding tears

“It’s my fault…I shouldn’t have taken her to the club….she doesn’t seem to know her way around…I mean..i think she is new here…” Mia hiccups

“You think? I thought she is your best friend, you should know more about her, it seems like you know nothing about that Ariel girl. Not even a family member?” Betty chipped in. They are all in Mia’s room thinking of a solution on how to find Ariel.

“I was just so happy to have a friend, without finding out more about her. Or let’s just say she doesn’t really talk about herself…girls i’m confused. What If something bad has happened to her…what if she was kidnapped” Mia stated

“Hey…stop the bad thoughts, Ariel will be fine wherever she is…trust me” Valeria muttered trying to stay optimistic.

“Fine, since we can’t find any contact on her phone apart from this Aiden, I think…let’s call the Aiden and explain things to him” Betty suggested, bringing out Ariel’s phone from her purse.

“He called countless times yesterday morning, and she was missing since the day before yesterday. He actually stopped calling since we couldn’t pick up the call. But I think it’s time for us to call, he might be a family member or friend, you know.” She said

“Ariel doesn’t have a male friend. I’m her only friend…I think” Mia muttered, frowning a bit

“Or perhaps she has one, and didn’t let me know about him. Maybe they are neighbours” She stated

Valeria shrugged, collecting the phone from Betty and putting a call through Aiden.

“Wait……..” Mia stopped her, but the call already went through

“Do you think this is the right idea….I mean…what if he blames us for kidnapping her and framing…you know…I’m scared Val..” Mia shuddered

“That’s not gonna happen dear….for gosh sake, we are her friends who are looking out for her. It wasn’t our fault that she went missing, and since that Victor guy hasn’t given us any report since yesterday I think it’s time for us to make the move, before it backfires…trust me…everything will be fine and you get to see your friend again” Valeria assured

“Hey girls….he has picked the call already” Betty whispered turning their attention to the phone. There was silent in the background, and Valeria signaled Mia to speak, who shakes her head negatively, pushing the phone away. Valeria rolled her eyes, while Betty speaks up

“Come on Mia….you have to say something” She whispered

“Are you just gonna waste my time here, or you have something to say” they heard a masculine voice from the background. It shows that the receiver has been waiting patiently for them to speak

“Ermm…..good…good day sir…please is this Aiden…” Mia muttered, courageously. There was silence for a while before the voice spoke up again

“Who am I speaking with” Aiden stated

“Uhmm…..actually I am….Ariel’s friend…and, uhmm, she….” Valeria and Betty nodded signaling her to continue with her stuttering speech

“Just go straight to the point” Aiden said

“Ariel is missing…and we can’t find her. Her driver promised to reach out to us if she is found, but we haven’t heard from him since yesterday. We are really confuse here, and don’t know what to do. So we decided to call you today, since you were the only one that called yesterday.” Mia rushed her words, breathing heavily after she finished the speech

“Who are you to Ariel” Aiden asked in a calm voice

“I’m her friend…” She replied

“What’s your name” This time, Mia looked at the girls for help if she should reply or not, but they nodded, giving her a go ahead.

“It’s Mia”

“Erm….Mia….Ariel is…ermm..Ariel is gonna be fine….it’s a good thing you tried calling to tell me….i really need to hang up now, bye” He muttered and ended the call

“So what did he say” Betty asked. Mia shrug

“He only asked of my name and told me that Ariel will be fine….do you think he found her already, did something happen to her….i will not be myself if so”

“Hmm…. I believe she is fine just like he said. Let’s just hope for the best” Valeria muttered.

Immediately, another call came through the phone but it was an unsaved number.

“Come on pick up…perhaps he is calling back…or maybe it’s Victor” Betty said, dragging herself to sit closer to Mia. Picking up the call, she placed it on loud speaker.

“Hello…..hello” A feminine voice sounds out

“Huhhnnn” Mia gaps

“Ariel…..Ariel..!!!!!!!” She screamed after confirming that it is really her

“Hi sweetie…how are you?”

“I should be asking that; where have you been. You got us all worried, for damn sake, why did you leave the club without telling anyone” Mia inquired, as the girls drew closer

“Hmmm..that’s not true Mia, I wouldn’t even dare leave the club alone in my unstable state. I was actually napped, but got rescued before the guy could carry out his bad act on me”

“Huhnn” Mia and the girls gasp simultaneously

“What….b-ut where…..i mean how” Mia shuttered

“Remember the guy that tried flirting with us the other time?”

“Yea…sure..huhn…was he did one”

“Yea…perhaps he wanna rape me, or perhaps kidnap me, I can’t really say. I only remembered him covering my nose with a piece of cloth and I blacked out. But thanks to God, someone came to my rescue, and I’m happy for that. I’m fine over here so don’t worry much about me"

 “Oh thank God, I was really worried…I even cried” Mia pouted

“Awwn….did I make my baby cry…trust me I’m ok, but I will damn not go to a club again. My first time got ruined.”

“What of your Valeria and Betty” She asked

“We are here…..” The duo muttered simultaneously

“Thank God you are safe Ariel; now this pumpkin will allow us to rest” Valeria spoke into the phone, as

Ariel laughed hard from the other end.

Mia frown

“Why won’t I be worried about my friend” She scoffs

“So can I come see you over there, send me the address of where you are now. I need to be sure that’s it’s you and not some kind of ghost speaking with me”

“Oh…no..I can’t really describe the place, neither do I know the address” Ariel lied

“Oh ok…so will you be in school tomorrow”

“Nope….”

“But why……”

“Ermmm….I think I need to go now, please don’t mess around with my phone. I will collect it back when we meet again…bye

“Hey….but…wait……” Mia tried to mutter, but the call had been dropped

“Geez….weird….why did she just cut off the call” Mia asked, puzzled

Betty shrug

“I don’t know. But the good news is that she is safe….hurrggg” She yawns

“Now I can have a good sleep….”

Mia glared hard at her, for indirectly mocking her….