Tension Rising

James Aleshinloye

"No ma. I was at the gate throughout yesterday. Neither she nor her friend, Saadah passed through the gate on their way home. It didn't occur to me until I was walking around the school premises this morning and saw her Car in her usual parking spot." The man shuffles from one foot to another.

"That is strange." Mrs Jane Faremi lowers her bum to the seat as her face settles into a frown. "She wasn't feeling fine yesterday and she promised to leave the school early."

"Who is Saadah?" James's voice is abrupt as he exchanges a glance with Cameron. His daughter rarely falls sick and when she does, she takes care of herself. "And where is she?"

"I have not seen her today. Micheal, please call their numbers." Mrs Jane Faremi turns to the male teacher standing by her left. The latter brings out his phone and dials Freya and Saadah's numbers one after the other. Freya's number rings out without response while Saadah's number is switched off.

"Where does Saadah live? I need to speak to her urgently." He has his suspicion already.

"We are not at liberty to disclose her address to you for security reasons. We will do our findings and get in touch with you. Kindly leave your contact details with us. Moreover, she hasn't spent up to a year with us , so we don't know much about her except that she and Freya are close. They go home together." The woman's voice is firm but polite.

"Or Freya gives her a ride on their way home, is that it?" He gives the woman a cold smile.

"Yes, something like that." The woman sighs. "We need to involve the police. How can two of my staff be missing on the same day, abducted right from the school premises from the look off things?"She laments.

"Please get in touch. I will be right back." He will locate Saadah's address and find out wherever she is. He collects his ID ,and drops his business Card. "Can you please take me to where Freya's Car is parked Sir?" He turns to the Security Guard. The name on his ID is Jude.

"Excuse me, Mrs Faremi, I will be right back." The principal dismisses him with a wave of her hand and he takes them to where the Car was parked.

Cameron walks around the Car, checks the lock and window. Everything is intact. No signs of trouble or struggles anywhere. 

"It is a clean job and an inside one." Cameron's voice is quiet, the words are meant for his ears alone.

"Thank you, Mr Jude. If you notice any other thing, please don't hesitate to contact me." James gives the middle-aged guard his Card and some cash.

"Thank you sir." There is a smile of gratitude on the guard's face before he turns and goes back the way they came from.

They return to his Car and Cameron drives to Freya's place. James has been keeping track of his daughter's movement since she left home ten years ago and there is nothing she does that he didn't know about. With few enquiries within the compound, they are able to locate her apartment. To his amazement, the luck turns easily under his hand and when he pushes open the door, his jaw drops in complete shock.

Her place is totally and completely trashed and turned upside down! 

"What the hell!" Cameron's voice captures his exact feelings.

/\/\/\/\/\

Freya Aleshinloye

He almost kissed her and she would have allowed him. That brief brush of his lips over hers nearly undid her and she will relive that moment over again in her head for a long time. Thank God for the timely intervention from that baboon, only God knows what would have happened between them. She is attracted to him. Right from the first moment she saw him five years ago and now his presence is kindling the attraction. The feel of his body on hers made her yearn in a way she never knows she could. Her nipples hardened and pebbled under his weight and the feeling of his arousal against her belly made her core pulse. Her body had fitted snugly between his hard, muscled thighs.

What is it about this rogue of a man that is making her feel this way about him? The fact that he is doing business with her father shows that he is a shady and dishonest man and should have been an instant turn-off. She wants a normal man with a legal Job or business who will give her a decent life and family. She didn't want any kids of hers to experience half of what she had experienced as her father's daughter. She has no business being attracted to a man like Jamal Benson. Does any decent man deal with arms or drugs anyway? She has seen the evidence of drugs around the big,sparsely decorated sitting room. If he is not selling it, then he is using it. Now, the kind of man she wants is looking boring beside Jamal Benson.

It seems what her mind wants is different from what her heart is yearning for. She wants Jamal Benson and he will be her death. If she ventures further than this with him. Her father's blood runs in hers more than she cares to admit and the fact is slapping her in the face. Incredible sadness steals over her face and her shoulder droops in defeat.

"What is wrong? You have the gun. You should be happy about it." Jamal's voice is quiet as he studies her face. He had rolled to his feet and was standing a few feet away, his hands in the air.

A heavy sigh escapes her lips, "You can't understand."

"Try me. I am a good listener." His eyes are solemn as his gaze stays on her as if they are the only two people in the world.

"I know you are. Your type will rather listen and observe than say a word."

"Hmm. So you know me well, now?" There is a cynical raise of his brow.

"Maybe not you in particular but your type." She shrugs. "Why will I confide in a man who abducts me?"

It is his turn to shrug, "Maybe because I am a stranger. Or maybe I may not have that much time to live. Either way, it is a win -win for you."

Her heart lurches painfully in her chest. Is he dying? Why is he talking about death so casually? Her eyes narrow suspiciously at him. "Are you dying?"

He laughs softly , revealing gapped teeth she hasn't noticed before and the transformation on his face is so awesome she nearly gawks at him in open jaw admiration. This man is gorgeous. Her heart does a slow turn in her chest. "I will be dead before I will allow you to leave this place without my loaves of bread. I am sure your father is out to take my head off and so is my client. Either way, I am a dead man."

He has lost hope in life. The realization makes her feel so sad. What is his childhood like? Why is he involved in this kind of business in the first place? Why did he get involved with a man like her father? Who is Jamal Benson? 

"Your face is so expressive. You are just a soft heart in a tough body." He is grinning openly at her and she scowls at him,even though a smile is threatening to spread over her face.

"Boss, I am still down here." Faro's voice gets to them again.

She nearly rolls her eyes at him but dare not take her eyes off Jamal for a second. He may begin to have a soft spot for her but he is still bent on achieving his aim and he will do it irrespective of what is happening between them. It is going to be a long night. It will do her lots of good to get her head out of the clouds and think the way he does.

Having two ruthless men in the same room with her is not wise. It is outright deadly. There is no way she will be able to handle both at once.

"Oga, shut up. Otherwise, I will scatter your boss's head with this gun." She pulls back the safety of the gun, and it makes a deadly sound, reverberating around the room. Jamal's expressionless eyes are trained on her but he is no longer smiling.

"I mess up big time." Faro's swearing gets to her and she nearly smiles.

/\/\/\/\/\

Jamal Benson

She is Smart. She is beautiful. And he nearly kissed her. He has never lost control of his emotions. He grew up in the Orphanage and it was survival of the meanest. Emotion has no place in his life. He has always depended on his wit and brain to survive and it never fails him. Until now. Until Freya Aleshinloye. 

The moment he sets his eyes on her, he knows he is in trouble. He went out to visit one of his barbie dolls but everything the poor girl did was in vain. She couldn't satisfy his urge. He had paid her off and went back to his hideout. The source of his problem was waiting for him in the basement. How did she get under his skin so fast? 

He wants her badly but she is beyond him. At the moment, she is nothing but a weapon to use against her father and that is all she will ever be. If his heart beats a little too fast for her and his body betrays him in her presence, he will ignore it. He needs to get that gun out of her skilled hand as soon as he can but how can he do it without hurting her bodily? And when did he start worrying about others before he took action?