Chapter 172: The store!

"At first I wanted to kill Vanessa and her mother but right now, this a child's fight so I can't we engage in it. Once Nessa listens to this then we can get this over with. I'd have to deal with Shania!"

  "Exactly! That's my point, how could a woman like her be a nightmare? She's really trying to hard to do something terrible and she'd get what she's looking for!" Mother added

  "Before we get off this plane, why don't we," he stirred licking his lips stating at her almost lustfully "do what we do in the face of danger?! You know what I mean, babe!" He said as she blushed pushing his face lightly

  "Could you ever live without me though?" She asked teasingly

  "How could i ever!" He said almost whispering as she sat on him wrapping her arms around him as they began to kiss passionately, just as the heat pressure grew deeper, their emotions slid in respectfully and they embraced it.

****

Me;

At 8pm,

I drove my friends and I to the store dressed in black, they were excited to find out the missing treasure, they showed their support in every single way they could. I unlocked the store as well made our way into it, lamar and Jeff wandered around staring and searching for any possible clues. I had thought about the Black men (the mafia) to carry on this task but I decided to take up on me to find my wife and sons. We looked around with headlights to see if there was a secret door or something of that sort but there was nothing. I began to think of I was played but then, I was certain that Gia was her. I strongly felt it.

  "Guys? Y'all might wanna check this out!" Jeff screamed from around the compartment were there was barrows, shovels and watering cans. Lamar and I headed to Jeff's as he flashed the light downwards, our eyes followed in that direction. There was an underground opening but it was locked with a padlock.

  "Damn! How could I not hink about this?" I said as they looked at me

  "You knew?" Lamar asked in chaos

  "No! The last time I followed her down here, I saw her go into some place with the store owner but I couldn't tell...the thing is, I should have known that there was an underground in here!" I explained. Jeff sighed (phew)

  "Ok guys, we've got to go in there. What y'all think?" He opted

  "I think so!" Lamar answered as they both turned ed to me for my opinion

  "I was longing to get a yes from you both! Let's do this!" I said as they smiled. I tucked the keys into the lock but it was worthless, it didn't work. We all had long faces on. We remained silent, I placed my hands around my waist as I heard some distant screams.

  "Did y'all hear that? Someone's screaming..." I said as they tried to listen to hut their impressions were negative.

  "Are you sure 'coz there's nothing around here. Maybe we should head back home to find Nessa instead!" Lamar suggested

  "No I heard something. I ain't hallucinating..." I tried to convince them

  "Funny! No one says you were though..." Jeff was a little bit sarcastic though but I shunned it

  "Then let's go down, let's check it out!" I used as they nodded positively. I took a mallet that I found at the corner then bashed the padlock until it was battered.  I took it off as Jeff flashed his light first. The stenches, webs, thick darkness, then then wooden stairs that leads down. 

   "What are we waiting for?!" I beckoned as I made my way inside flashing the light around as they followed from behind. We strode down, it seemed like a tunnel, there was actually an underground building beneath the store, who would have ever imagined that such things still existed?

There was bloody finger prints in the wall, it seemed like a struggle, my heart was fidgeting very fast hoping it wasn't my family. I heard the screams again, distant and fading.

  "I heard the sounds again, y'all heard it again?" I asked, they concentrated.

  "Kinda! Maybe I'm only imagining!" Jeff said

  "We both can't hear the same thing so its not a lie!" I countered calmly

  "Let's keep looking 'coz it seems like im the only one not hearing a word!"

  "Be attentive dummy!" Jeff teased as well all laughed. There was a room right in front of us, few steps from where we stood. I flashed the room's door 

  "This is crazy! Are we searching for the mummy, does she exist?" Lamar asked sarcastically as well walked forward

  "Miami and Egypt don't look the same, Africa and America? I'm sending you back to Ransom Everglades high (the high we graduated from)!" I teased as well laughed.

  "Shit!" Lamar almost screamed as we turned out concentration towards him.

  "What's wrong?" I asked checking him out

  "I think I was stung or bitten. Spider or something." He explained taking a close look at his arm

  "Just a bite and you're panicking then what if you see a corpse!" Jeff said

  "That's a corpse but this isn't." He answered in defense as well smiled. "Kareem, you own me a spa time out!" He added

   "Just that?! No problem!" I said

We walked to the door and tried to open it but it was locked again, there wasn't a padlock, it was bolted, it was metallic door.

  "What the hell are we gonna do?" Jeff asked. I remembered that I had a dagger on me then i tucked into the lock attempting to open. It seemed impossible, three to five minutes later we opened the door, we heard the screams again. 

   "I think I heard it! The sounds!" Lamar alarmed, we concurred. We walked in and you our shock, there were some skeletons lying in the floor and there was a skinny woman around her late 40s or early 50s leaning on the wall gasping for air. I ran to her first trying to revive her, her eyes were closed. The beam of the light reflected so she used her arms to obstruct, she was weak, dehydrated and unhealthy.

  "Ma'am? Can you speak?" I asked while Jeff and Lamar looked around. I took the light away a little as her eyes battled to open, I embraced while she attempted to run even in weak state. I drew her back to me as she cried, just like the sounds we heard from earlier.

  "Can you speak? I'm not here to harm you, I'm a good guy. I'm Jordan Khaleefa, ever heard that name before?" I asked as she nodded lightly but positively then I left in content.

  "That's good! Have you seen another woman with two sons, an infant and another around 6 years?" I asked. Maybe it was too much but I had to try my luck. She nodded lightly then I felt elated

  "Where are did they go?" I asked then She pointed to the door where we came in through.

  "Thank you! I want to help you. I'll take you out to get you to the hospital for a proper treatment, may I?" I asked, she nodded as her eyes dimmed and closed. I gently placed her on the ground after I heard Lamar call my name.

  "Kareem!!!!!"  

Then I walked towards their direction, Jeff was carrying Timmy. I couldn't describe the excitement and euphoric feeling I jumped into, I collected him showering kisses on face and embracing, he wasn't awake. He was lifeless. My friends were staring at my smiley face.

  "Kareem, this is a headstart but we've got to rush him to the hospital before its..." Jeff began then he stopped

  "No man, I just found Timmy and that's a good sign!" I was excited maybe going psycho.

  "We should leave already, there's no sign of any human. This is the end of the room." Lamar added as well headed out, they carried the woman as we made out way out.

The entrance was to the underground was closed, it yawned on me that someone was watching our energy move this time.

Jeff took out a ride from the rails as he repeatedly hit the metal, it felt like something was placed on the surface. Roughly ten minutes wasted as well finally found out way out, the sudden breeze that blew felt like ecstasy to me, us.

09:48pm,

Lamar was driving us to the medical center Gia had Khaleed, Timmy abd the woman were still motionless, all I could do was pray and wish for their eyes to open wide, I felt like I was losing them both. Only if I could find Gia and Khaleed. My phone buzzed instantly then I checked on it.

       *We could find only Garry, Vanessa and Tiana were lost at the mall, in the crowd!*

BJ texted as i groaned in distress

  "What's up man? Anything?" Jeff opted correctly

  "I'll just call her ass up!" I finalized

I tried to call Nessa but she wouldn't take my calls, that meant she knew. She was always available whenever I call but today felt different. "She ain't picking." I blurted in a pissed state.

  "Told ya!" Lamar snapped. He pulled over in the parking space as some nurses came running to us with two stretcher

  "We got this Mr Jordan.." One of the nurses assured 

  "Great, thanks. Do all you can, I've got to rush on something!" I snapped as she nodded while i was running back to the car likewise my friends. Lamar pulled out of the space as we drove away. I was about to text my mother as Jeff interrupted.

  "No...I'll tell Zoe to rush to the hospital instead...We may need your Mom." He said

  "I'll call Riley too! They'd be elated to hear about Timmy!" Lamar added.

  "Great. Thanks!" I snapped, I could only stay silent in appreciation to their love and support as they called on their wives, their wives didn't hesitate to say yes. I heard them scream excitedly from the backgrounds. 

  "How do we get Nessa?" Her asked

I really remembered that I had a tracker stuck into her car, I checked on it through my cell, I saw her red dot on the map.

  "She's headed to the coast side!" i snapped

  "Great!" Lamar said  making a U-turn

  "You are fuckin smarter than i had thought. You'll tell me all about it much later!" Jeff praised me and I beamed.

  "I'm stunned by this! That means you've been plotting all along?" Lamar asked

  "What'd you expect, that I wouldn't move a skin? Its my family we're talking about dudes!" I explained

  "This is crazy! Looking back, how did she set up such a place? And why's that woman also there?" Jeff pointed out. I thought about that too, which means there's a possibility of capturing more than one person, Nessa is really something else. I continued to look at the red dot which represents her Tesla, its been at coast abs I was wondering what she must have been doing at the coast.

  "Could you step on that shit, we're going to lose her. She's got something in mind!" I reminded Lamar

  "You called for it!" He snapped like yes been waiting, get sped real fast time. Jeff sighed in content.

  "I missed this shit!" 

  "For real, it sucks to be responsible! Do you remember how we swerved and screeched last five years at the festival?" Lamar reminded

  "It was a hell of fun, I need that time one more time! That dude really stole that car, I saw the plate number long before he sped off..." Jeff stirred

  "But you didn't call attention until he left..." Lamar countered

  "...You should have done it, were you that scared of that gunslinger?! I thought he borrowed the car from that Texas guy."

  "How could you think crazy, he doesn't look like someone that could actually give out his car to such scum bag!"

  "But who really owed the car?"  Jeff asked "That issue was never resolved..."

  "It was guy, how did they find out the owner then..." Lamar countered

  "Flat lie! They were acting up for attention, neither of them owned the car...it was a rented car from the host..." Jeff countered defiantly

  "Not true..." Lamar said as they both turned

  "Wasn't it the host who owned that sports car?" Jeff asked me then I ignored them staring at them in distaste.

  "I'm trying to find my wife and y'all are here, arguing over a dead issue? Does that make sense? Can I have this moment?" I cautioned then they turned away in guilt.

  "Sorry!" The both said in unison.

  "How many minutes more to arrive at the coast?" I asked

  "Less than three!" Lamar snapped.

Father sent me a text instantly, I've been monitoring my messages abs call log for over minutes now.

   *Where are you? Did you find Nessa?*

        *The tracker says she's at the coast!*

I texted back then he texted again

    *Your mother and I are coming, there's something Nessa needs to know!*

        *What? Me or Nessa*

     *Nessa! Stay safe, sending in some back ups.*

        *Alright, waiting on you!*

I texted back then looked up as I robbed my face. Its going to be a long night, I whispered myself. We arrived at the coast, we pulled over. 

   "Guys, we might need this!" I said to them handing each of them a hand gun while I held unto a rifle. Jeff was skeptical.

  "This is crazy! Can I..." He began then I Interrupted instantly

  "Didn't you tell me that Papa once used this on an intruder at the Vine? So? You could try it this time!" I reminded but he was discontent "Let's just say its a way of defense!" I added stating my fact.

  "Let's do this!" We headed out trying not make sounds, it was quiet and serene. "Its just that I promised Zoe not to do such things..." He finally blurted

  "No way, Jeff! Your father once worked with a cartel so you should know this. Guns are toys to me though!" Lamar added. His father was a general in the army who now retired.

  "Do you realize that there are certain things can't promise your wife? I mean, this is one of it. One of the situation you'd find yourself..." I said

  "Thanks man, tell him!" Lamar snapped in agreement

  "...I should really act upon your love story!" I teased as well chuckled

  "Can you find the Tesla?" Jeff asked seriously, I took a look.

  "Still in same position, she should around somewhere, y'all should stay on guard!" I urged and they agreed

We walked further then I texted Nessa.

       *Where are you, Nessa?*

              *In my ass! You're not as smart as i thought!*

She texted, I felt lashed. .

  "Guys? She knows!"