“Let her go.” One of Racheal’s guards barked at Zuri. “I’ll shoot in two.”Zuri laughed, holding Racheal across her neck. She heard her evil laughter the loudest.“Drop your purse.”Racheal did.“So you think I would come here if I was not sure that you couldn't shoot me?" She laughed again.Racheal realized this was different from the always angry, but calm woman she knew. This was an unhinged Zuri. She thought of hitting the woman with her elbow, and running away. Although her grip was tight, she was not holding any gun or knife to her throat.“You have just two seconds to step away.” her guard repeated.“Well, checkmate!" Zuri said, and held up something in her hand. Racheal looked to her side at Zuri’s hand. She frowned.That thing looked familiar.Years she spent dating a soldier had made her learn about many weapons. She gasped, suddenly realizing that it was a grenade.“Step back, or I’ll blow both of us up.” Zuri screamed.“Do it.’ Racheal shouted at her guards. A woman
Zuri walked out another entrance of the mall to the side. Her eyes scanned the cars parked outside. Racheal watched as her eyes fell on a motorcyclist driving in. “Run.” She said.Racheal had no option but to obey. They were cuffed together. They stopped before the motorcyclist who looked at them in shock.“The keys.” Zuri said to him through gritted teeth.He scoffed as if Zuri was a big joke. He took off his helmet and got off the bike.The biker looked around twenty years old with blue eyes like Steffan’s. “Please give her the keys.” Racheal said.The boy looked up at Racheal then. He squinted, and then his eyes widened in recognition. Then he looked from Racheal to Zuri, and his eyes fell on their cuffed hands, and then the grenade.“Give it.” Zuri repeated. The boy placed the key in her hand, and backed away. Racheal realized that Zuri was beginning to make mistakes in her desperation. A modern bike like this will definitely have a tracker on it. This scared boy will tel
Racheal felt a sharp pain sear through her head, jerking her back to consciousness. She opened her eyes, and the pain in her head intensified. Her eyes were watery as she looked around. She tried to wipe her eyes, but her hand would not move. She looked up to see both her hands tied above her. Her legs were tied too, and she sat facing the open doorway of the shed.“If your guards somehow find me, and try to act funny. You will die first.” Zuri said.Racheal turned to see her seated in a discreet corner of the shed, watching her. She decided to say nothing. The woman did not want to see reason. There was no need for her to waste her breath trying to talk to her. She needed to save her strength, in case she had to run.“You see that gun?” Zuri said, pointing to a spot above the door. Racheal looked. And there was truly a gun hanging suspended on a transparent fishline. Her eyes traced the barely visible fishline, and saw it ended in a wrap around two nails driven on both sides
“So how do you think we should do it? Shoot him as soon as he comes through the door, or give you both time to say your final goodbyes.” Zuri said to Racheal, who was sobbing wretchedly.She was tired, hungry, in a crazy amount of pain from the hit she had gotten on her head, and her hands had been suspended in the air for way over eight hours now, but most importantly she was scared.She knew either her or Steffan would get badly hurt. They would not be able to escape it. She had been lucky so many times in the past few weeks. She feared that luck was quickly running out.She did not want to die, there were so many joys she had not gotten to experience with Steffan.She hadn't even gotten enough time with him. In the months of their marriage, the times they had not been fighting were few and far in between.But worse than her fear for her own life, she knew she could not bear it if something happened to Steffan. The thought alone was too painful for her. Life was so cruel and h
Racheal dived for the grenade, coincidentally escaping the shot Zuri fired at her as she fell.She hurried out of the shed with the grenade. She looked around the woods, unsure where the cops were hiding. The grenade was still pinned, so she just threw it in the nearest part of the woods, hoping no one was there and that the thing would not go off.It didn't.She inhaled, and screamed with all the strength in her lungs,“Help.”Cops and soldiers appeared from the woods all around and stormed the shed. Racheal hurried in after them, and saw Steffan had overpowered Zuri. He stood up and let the cops take her. Racheal began to hear the sound of the helicopter just ahead again.She ran into Steffan's arms and held him tight, shaking. He kissed her sticky forehead again and again. “My brave girl, my brave, brave girl.” He held her tightly to himself.“We are taking Miss Zaffar to our van now.” A cop said, turning to them. “Mrs Sherrod should come out to the ambulance too, that is to
“Please do, “Danna Sherrod fired back. “I will not wait till something bad happens.”“Enough.” Spencer Sherrod barked, and in that moment, he sounded like Steffan. Racheal started to sob again. Surprisingly, Spencer placed his hand on her shoulder.“It is none of your decisions to make. Racheal’s presence here is an agreement between two countries. This is the last time I will say this. I don’t want to hear anymore talk about her leaving.” He said.The waiting hall went deathly silent.“Go home dear. I will send you news of Steffan,” He turned to her.Racheal shook her head.She did not trust the man one bit. She did not know what had come over him, but she was not going to leave Steffan alone for even one minute. “Ok.” He said. “We will all wait then.” He patted her shoulder, and walked away. He led his wife to a far-off bench, and they sat waiting. Racheal felt someone pushing a bottle of water in her hand, and she looked up to see it was Roslyn.She took the water but did not
Racheal stood up from the hospital bed as the doctors filed in. She was nervous they would send her out to check on Steffan like they always did. But they let her stay, ignored her actually, as they checked on Steffan.She stood with folded arms, and watched them poke and fuss at him. Before they exited the room, they took the tiny tube off his nostrils.“Come here.” Steffan said quietly after they left.“You’re everyone’s golden boy.” She said, walking towards the bed.“What?” He smiled weakly.“The doctors are obviously fascinated with you.” She said, taking his hands. “No one knew when you would wake up, they least expected you would today.” She raised his hand up to kiss it like he would usually do hers. She leaned in, kissed his cheeks, forehead, and chin as she felt her tears drop to his face. “I should take a bullet more often, if it would get me so many kisses,” Steffan said.She looked at him angrily. She knew he was trying to cheer up but..“Don’t say that again.” He
“What?” Racheal looked around at the guards hanging around, and her maids arranging the bags in the backseat. In her panic, she hurriedly put her hand on Maxwell’s arm and moved him a little away from everyone. She realized what she was doing when she saw Maxwell staring at her hand on his arm. She quickly dropped her hand, and stepped back. “How did you know about Malorie? What are you talking about?” “It was not difficult to find out about her after you were kidnapped.” “What?”“On her call with Steffan Sherrod, Zuri mentioned a sister, so I figured that was the motive. I dug around and found out about Malorie, your husband’s ex.” The way he said those last words made her angry, but she decided to control herself. She wanted to know where he was going with this.“How did you know what Steffan and Zuri talked about on the phone?” She asked.Maxwell looked at her in surprise. “We searched for you together. Well, he was uncooperative at first, but as night fell, he began to li