Chapter 30

Chapter 30

April

During my days in this dingy place, I'd come to learn its a human trafficking chain that preys on female victims who are later  sold into the Mexican border where they end up mostly sex slaves.

According to the activities that have been going on, we were going to be moved in a matter of days and it bothered me a lot to know that we might not be found. I had no idea where we were or how to escape but, I was willing to take a chance on it. I'd made friends with a couple of ladies and together we will escape tonight and alert the authorities to come save the others who are too wounded to make a run for it.

As the time drew near, I became nervous and scared but at the same time willing to risk it all. I'd made so many of them count on me and I am not ready to let them down. I won't let myself down.

Diego suddenly walked into the room with a gun in hand and Sameera followed suit behind.

"She's the one planing the escape" Sameera pointed at me and I could feel ripples of fear throughout my entire body.

"So you're the one playing wonder woman yeah?"  Diego said pointing the gun in my direction.

"She's lying, I don't know what she's talking about."

Sameera was part of the escape plan and I didn't understand why she sold me out. Had she been pretending to escape with us all along only to reveal our plans to them?

"Ask them, they'll tell you the truth" She pointed at the other girls whose expression made me understand they wouldn't back me up on this. They simply mumbled words about Sameera being right.

"Sameera why are you doing this?" I asked as Diego pulled me up and dragged me out of the room. 

I know where he's taking me. I am aware of the kind of punishment that awaits me for what I'd done. I am prepared for it. It won't stop me from planning another escape next time, only that it will be my escape.

He pushed me into the room and Louis grabbed and secured me on the bed despite my struggle to wriggle free. I was powerless compared to his made for combat body.

José rushed in furiously with the whip.

"So it was you planing to ruin my business yeah? It's time to teach you a lesson you will never forget. Nobody, absolutely nobody can escape from this place because they get caught and when they get caught they'll be punished in the most ruthless way, one that will make them know better than to cross me José!" He was filled with rage and I could feel the bad energy. I became afraid for my life instantly, I'd never seen him so angry and furious.

"Tie her!!!" He screamed.

I was tied to the corners of the bed and made to lie face down on it.  I begged for mercy but it landed on deaf ears. I was whipped a countless number of times fully aware there's more to come.

Everyone left the room except José.

"If I had known you'd be such a burden I wouldn't have accepted your friend's request to trade you off. You have become way too feisty but not too feisty to reprimand. I will teach you a gruesome lesson that will sink into your brain so that next time you'll think ten times before escaping from me"

I'd stop listening to him from the point he mentioned the word friend. He'd been tipped off to kidnap me by a friend? Who could it be? Who did I offend to deserve this?

I began to think about it. Megan? Vanessa? Those are the two friends I keep contact with and I can vouch they'd never do this to me.

"Try and escape from this" He quickly knelt above me and growled at the sight of the marks on my body. He loved the sight of bruises he'd inflicted on his victims. As he thrust in and out of me, touching every bruise on the back of my body, I silently cried.

"So you like to take people's husbands too yeah? You can do a lot of that in Mexico" He zipped up his pants. "Boys!" He called out to Louis and Diego. The duo came in immediately.

"You can have the last of her. She'll be among the first batch to leave tomorrow evening. I am tired of her bullshit" José scoffed and left the room.

I'll be moved tomorrow? I'd been here for days and no one's found me on the American soil what happens when I get to Mexico? Are they even trying their hardest to look for me? Is Jordan trying his best to see that I'm found or is he too interested in Belcarlis to have time for me? 

My mum, is she alright? How is she taking my absence? What will happen to her if I'm not found?

Will the world move on without me after a while?  Who was it that bargained with the devil just to see me suffer? I have to escape tomorrow come what may.

"Trying to plan another escape?" Diego snapped me out of my thoughts as if reading my mind.  "There's no use candy girl. "

It was then I realized the two of them had had their way with me too.

"A foursome?" I had lost my mind so much that I began to laugh like a crazy woman.

"Never in my life would I have thought three men would sleep with me at the same time" I continued to laugh and cry at the same time. 

They left me face down still tied in the room and then I saw Sameera walk in majestically.

"Why?" I wailed in pain as the wound marks continued to sting.

"Everyone here lives for themselves. What were you thinking of trying to save those ungrateful lot? They couldn't even have your back. I was offered immunity protection if I joined the gang and I did. In this dungeon, one man for himself" on that note she left the room, leaving me to wander in my thoughts until I passed out. 

JORDAN

"Here" Belcarlis stretched forth her hand holding a cup of coffee.

"I'm not interested but thanks"

"How long are you going to keep up with this? You've not attended to your business for close to over a week and camped in front of the police station like a church rat!" 

She hesitated and then continued. "You've done the best you could. Your security team is trying their hardest to find her and they will but until then try and tend to other things too. April would want that"

I didn't realize I wasn't listening to her until she placed a palm over my shoulder.

"Jordan" she called out and then continued.

"Take for example her friends, they went home to return tomorrow because they know it's the best even her mother. It doesn't mean they love her less." 

"Let's leave and return tomorrow morning fresh sighted and minded " she suggested and I obliged.

"Ok" I gave her a nod. "But first, I need to see the detective one last time and make a call" 

After meeting with the detective, I placed a call to my security chief Fred.

"I need you to do this ASAP," I said sounding confused and filled with rage at the same time.

How could she? This can't be true right? There must be some explanation for what I'd seen on her phone right?

I went back to the car and drove myself and Belcarlis out of the police station not flaking my disguise as to being calm and collected after what I'd seen on her phone during the time she volunteered to get coffee.

"I thought we were heading home," she asked as I took the opposite turn.

"I have to pick up something in the office. She'd want me to have everything under control right? I'm taking your word for it" I said.

"Good to see you getting back on track" she smiled and it made me want to kill her on that spot but according to the detective, I had to play cool and act like I didn't see what I saw.

"I'll be back shortly"

I alighted from the car and proceeded to the building hurriedly.

I got to the floor of my office and took Fred's hand into my office. Jason came in immediately.

"Were you fucking serious about what you said you saw?" Jason said as he walked in.

"Does it look like I'm joking? Of course, I saw a fucking picture of April tied to a bed sent to her phone. I wasn't quick enough to airdrop it because she was already coming and I didn't want to alert her"

"Shit, you've been dining with the devil all along" Jason ran his hand through his hair.

"Don't you think I know that?" I was losing my mind with every passing second of this betrayal.

"You need to calm down" Fred intervened. "I have come up with a solution. All you have to do is input this link on her web browser and input this code. We will receive the signal and her IP address which will enable us to have access to hack her phone then see and know everything she knows by tracking her movement and receiving her messages. We just need two minutes and we're in"

I took the folded sheet of paper from his hands and picked a folder from my desk before leaving the building. 

_______

We arrived at my place and I continued to stay in character in front of Belcarlis. The one I'd never thought would do anything to hurt me. She did worse than hurt me, she hurt someone I hold dear.

"Let me fix you something to eat" she offered and went into the kitchen.

I figured this was the right time to take her phone but her incessant appearance into the living room made it difficult to do as told by Fred.  We sat in the dining and ate the bread and egg she'd made.

After dinner, she brought out a bottle of wine.

"No Bel, I can't take liquor in the midst of all that's happening"

"Just a glass Jordan. Besides it's quite the opposite because I think you need this more than anyone else in the world right now."

A part of me wanted to ask why she had that picture and wanted to know if she was doing anything on her end discretely to find April but I dared not. Everything about that picture made it look like she was involved in some way.

"It's been a long day for both of us" She filled the glass and handed it to me.

"Are you okay?" By the time I finished a glass, Bel had downed three and I noticed she was now disoriented a bit.

"Yes, I am." She replied.

Perfect! All I need to do is get her drunk and take her phone.  I filled our glass again and she downed hers on one go.

The plan was working.

Thirty minutes had gone by and it was safe to say she was completely drunk.

"I want to sleep in your room tonight. Comfort and protect you" She managed to say.

I did as told by placing her on my bed and sat beside her, waiting for her to fall asleep.

She abruptly rose to sit instead.

"Do you need anything?" I asked

"As a matter of fact, I do. You. I need you Jordan" she came closer until we were face to face and then kissed me.

I held back " I can't do this right now Bel"

"I understand and someday I know you will. You will see me beyond a friend and accept all the love I have for you you"

Love? What did she mean by that?

"I love you Jordan. Always have and always will"

"I love you too Bel, you know that" I assured.

"No not the kind of love you're referring to. I love you just like the love you and April share if not more than that. I have tried to make you see to no avail. I have always cared for and loved you Jordan."

I listened and watched as she revealed how she felt about me. How did I not see this? How come I have been clueless about her feelings? Perhaps, if I'd known, I would have been able to contain it in a polite manner that won't hurt her because I will never return how she felt. I love April. Fuck Can she actually be connected to April's disappearance because she felt she was the only thing keeping her away from me?  Was this her plan all along?

So many questions in my head and not knowing the answers at the moment was killing me.

"Tell me you love me Jordan"

"I love you Bel"

"I wish things were different between us. You not meeting April and us being more than friends. Do you know why I stuck with you all these years?"

"Why?"

"Because I thought someday I'd have the chance to express how I felt to you and that you'd accept me when I eventually confess my feelings" she smiled " I hope you find April but not return to her. Is that selfish of me?"

I remained silent and watched my friend of many years turn from ally to enemy.

"You need to rest. We'll talk about this in the morning"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"Well, I highly doubt that because I am sure I wouldn't be able to face you when I'm sober. I won't be able to repeat all I've said because you make me shy when it comes to telling you how I feel about you" she paused "let's sleep then"

"No, I need to do some work before heading bed" 

"Don't stay out too late" She went back under the duvet and fell asleep as soon as her head landed on the pillow. I walked out of the room and was careful not to make any noise that'll wake her up. I went to the living to grab her phone from her bag and hurriedly did as told by Fred.

I took out my phone and quickly dialed Fred's number afterward.

"Are you in?" I asked

"Yes we are," He said and I hung up.

"Who's in?" I heard Bel's voice say behind my back. I quickly wiped the recent app log and dropped her phone in her bag before facing her.

" I forgot to pick a particular folded so I had to call Jackson to get the file and Uber it down here. I was asking to know if he's in my office. What are you doing down here, I thought you had slept? " I was quick to change the topic.

"I was a bit thirsty and couldn't wait until you got back to the room"

I calmly walked to her and began to kiss her intentionally. I needed to keep her mind off the fact that she'd caught me suspiciously and around her bag.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this." She returned the kiss and held on to the neckline of my sweatshirt.

I began to think of a way to finish what I'd started. One that wouldn't involve me fucking her.

I led us to the bedroom and as she began to unbuckle my belt, I urged her to stop by pulling her out of the kiss.

"Not right now Bel"

"I'll wait for you" She smiled

" you stay here, I'll get you water"

I came back with a glass of water to find her asleep. That was a close one. I heaved a sigh of relief and went to the balcony to put a call through to Fred and this time I was careful to check repeatedly if she was still sleeping through the floor to ceiling glass from where I was outside.

"Found anything?" I asked

"Found a lot" He replied and the confirmation of what I'd hoped won't be true struck me like a lightning bolt.

"We were able to retrieve a couple of messages she'd deleted with the number that sent the picture. Ms. Belcarlis is indeed linked to Ms. April's disappearance boss. She was smart not to leave any proof or traces on her mobile but not too smart. We have blocked her from receiving messages or calls from the said number as all calls and messages will be entering our end instead. We have taken the first step by replying the picture and will know where Ms. April is being held captive by morning"

"Thank you, Fred," I said walking back and sitting on the bed, eyes glued on Bel.