6. RESCUE MISSION

LEILA

My heart raced, my palms began to sweat, and my mind surged with questions and worst-case scenarios. I kept replaying the moment in my head, trying to make sense of it all.

"Mom?!" I called out to my mother as fear wrapped its five fingers around my heart, causing my breath to become erratic.

I quickly rushed out of the house, hoping to see my mother unarmed and alone but all I could see was a black van a few meters from the house, driving down the street.

Dreadfully frightened, I screamed out my mother's name and bolted with every energy in me, trying to meet up with the distant black van.

"Fuck! Mom is in there!" I cried and sprinted simultaneously as my heart sank further.

"Leila!!" My mother's trembling voice cried out, at that moment I knew she was in serious trouble.

Soon her scream turned into a muffled cry.

I ran as fast as I could but the van was too fast to catch up with.

Heaved and exhausted I stopped to catch my breath, my legs quivered and my heart raced to a thousand beats per minute.

A scream of frustration escaped my lips as tears began to trickle down my cheeks. I cried my eyes out until they were swollen.

I picked up my phone and dialed my mother's number but I got no response in return.

"Fuck!! What do I do?" I paced round the street like a trouble woman, wondering who the hell would have done this to my mother?

It must be one of those dangerous men she gambled with and refused to pay, who else could it have been?

I warned her severally to stop gambling but she never listens to me, now they have come for her and my hands are tied.

Mom why have you brought this upon yourself? All this would have been avoided if you listened to me.

Who do I run to for help? What do I do?

******

After several hours of the heart throbbing incident, I stood at the station ready to report what had just happened to the cops when the vibration of my phone caught my attention. I dug my hand into my pocket to see the caller, hoping it was my mother.

Strangely it was a private number, I summoned courage, picked up the call and placed it over my ear.

"If you utter a word to those men, I'll make sure I kill you after you leave. Now do yourself a favour by exiting the station, If you don't leave in thirty seconds I'll make sure I put a gun through your mother's skull" a deep unrecognizable voice threatened.

Dreaded in fear, I paused and calmly obeyed. My heart skipped and terror glued onto me like a second skin.

"If you want to see your mother alive, come to the brick warehouse with five million by ten tonight, come alone" The voice added before hanging up.

I was beyond dumbfounded, five million? Where am I going to see that huge amount of money?

My mind was in a state of shock as I tried to come to terms with the situation. Five million was an exorbitant amount of money that I didn't have. How was I supposed to get that kind of money in such a short period of time?

I knew I had to act fast and find a solution before it was too late for my mother. But what could I do? I didn't have anyone to turn to for help, and I couldn't go to the cops without endangering my mother's life.

As I walked back home, my mind raced with possible solutions, but none seemed feasible. The weight of the situation was too much for me to bear, and I felt like giving up.

But then, a thought crossed my mind. What if I could find the person who took my mother and negotiate with them? Maybe I could convince them to take a lesser amount of money in exchange for my mother's safe return.

It was a risky move, but it was worth a shot. I started to make inquiries, asking around about any suspicious activities in the area. It wasn't long before I got a lead on where my mother might be.

With a glimmer of hope, I set out to find the person who took my mother, hoping to negotiate with them and bring her back home safely.

But little did I know that the person who took my mother had a hidden agenda, and my plan to negotiate with them would be futile. The events that would unfold would leave me shaken to my core and change my life forever.

Determined to find my mother, I followed the lead I had received. It led me to a run-down building on the outskirts of the city—a place that reeked of danger and desperation.

As I cautiously approached the building, my heart pounded in my chest, and my palms grew sweaty. I knew I was walking into a dangerous situation, but I couldn't let fear paralyze me. My mother's life was on the line, and I would do whatever it took to save her.

With each step, the sound of my own breathing filled my ears. The darkness engulfed me as I entered the building, my senses on high alert. I navigated through dimly lit corridors, my footsteps echoing in the desolate space.

Finally, I reached a heavy metal door at the end of a hallway. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it open and stepped into a dimly lit room.

There, in the center of the room, I saw my mother—bound and gagged, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and relief upon seeing me. But before I could react, a sinister figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a man wearing a sleek black suit, his face obscured by a mask. His presence exuded power and danger.

"You're late," the man said with a cold, calculating voice. "And you don't have the money."

My heart sank as I realized my plan had failed. I had hoped for a chance to negotiate, but it seemed this man had other intentions.

"What do you want from us?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling.

The man chuckled, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "You see, Leila, your mother stumbled upon something she shouldn't have. And now, she's become a liability. But you, you have potential. You will be more valuable to us."

Confusion washed over me. What did he mean? What did they want from me?

Before I could gather my thoughts, the man gestured to his henchmen, who forcefully grabbed me and restrained me, just like my mother.

As panic set in, I realized that this twist of events was far more complicated than I could have ever imagined. My mother's abduction was just the beginning of a terrific turnouts of events in my life.

In that dark room, with my freedom slipping away, I vowed to find a way to protect my mother and unravel the truth behind this enigmatic organization. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a dangerous journey one that would test my resilience, push me to my limits, and reveal shocking revelations about my own identity.