Fanning The Flames

Freya Aleshinloye

Inspecting it closely, she realises it is a silk female pyjama in her size and a pair of jeans and tee-shirt. If he has the sizes of her clothes here, he must have been planning this for a while. Of course, he has. She is sure a man like Jamal doesn't just take actions without planning it. Or he has a concubine who is her exact size. Both scenarios should have made her angry but she is too weary to even try. 

Few minutes later, feeling clean and refreshed, she lay in bed with the gun inside her pyjama trousers but sleep eluded her. Her quiet fulfilled life has been disrupted and she is worried about Saadah's whereabouts. The girl's cheerful face filled her mind and tears filled her eyes. What will become of her? She has run from the shadows of her father's life all her life and now it has caught up with her. She misses her school. She misses her pupils. Their innocent little faces fill her mind and the tears fall down her face in torrents. She misses the women at her gym centre, the light of hope in their eyes, the camaraderie, the laughter and most of all the fun they always have together. Will she ever see them again in this lifetime? Even if she manages to escape from this prison, will it be safe to go back to them? Won't it endanger their life by being with them, knowing fully well she can never escape her father's shadow? Heart-wrenching sobs shakes her slim frame and she buries her head in the pillow to hide her cries. 

Sleep eventually steals over her exhausted mind and she falls into a restless sleep.

/\/\/\/\/\

Jamal Benson

She is crying. 

The heart wrenching sobs pull at his heartstrings and make him feel like the bottom of the pot. He has never felt this bad about a decision he made in the past and he begins to doubt the sanity of his plans. He has used the extra key of the cuffs to release Faro and it was amusing to see the embarrassment and fear in the man's eyes. 

"Boss, that girl is a witch. No woman has ever floor me like this." He swore as he walked up the staircase and looked around furtively.

Laughter bubbled up his throat but he coughed to cover it, "She is not a witch. She just has professional training in martial arts. That is all."

"Where is she now? If I catch her ehn?"

"What will you do? She has a gun." Jamal reminded him and the man blanched, looking beyond the staircase.

"How did she get a hand on the gun, boss?" He was whispering.

"The same way she bloodchoked you and cuffed you to the staircase." He chuckled finally but the other man wasn't amused.

"I really messed up."

"Go and sleep, Faro. We are not leaving this house any time soon." He had dismissed the other man and went to his room.

He had gone to check on her, partly to be sure she wasn't trying anything naughty. The sound of her crying shocked and distressed him. He raises his hand to knock on the door but pauses halfway. No, she is a proud woman and will not want to be caught in a vulnerable mood. With a heavy sigh, he turns on his heels and goes to the spare-room.

/\/\/\/\/\

Freya Aleshinloye

Her eyes open slowly and she stares with confusion at the unfamiliar high ceiling. Where am I? Sitting up slowly in the wide unfamiliar bed, she looks around and it is the sight of her discarded clothes on the floor that finally juggles her memory. Groaning helplessly, she falls back into bed and rubs her gritty eyes. The hard metal of the gun pushes at her tummy and she feels a bit safe. Removing it from the safety of her pyjama trousers, she opens the chamber and makes sure that it is well loaded. Two bullets are missing from the magazine and she doesn't want to think about where they are buried now. It reminds her that she is in a lion's den. Jamal might be an attractive man but he is a ruthless and dangerous one. With the thought propelling her out of bed, she goes into the bathroom to clean up and change her clothes. She is grateful he supplies her with fresh clothes. Almost expecting the door to be unlocked, she is surprised to find it still locked and she unlocks it herself. He keeps his word. She can't say the same for her dear father.

As she strolls out of the room with a confidence she isn't feeling and a stomach rumbling with hunger, she goes straight to the kitchen and meets both men at the kitchen table. There is a laptop on the table counter and something smells good but the mood is a pensive one. Jamal is in front of the Laptop while Faro stands behind him. Sun is already filtering into the cool room and her eyes go to the kitchen Wall Clock. It is One o clock mid-day. Her phone and wrist-watch has been missing since yesterday, so she has lost track of time.

"Oh my god." Her loud gasp attracts the attention of both men. She has never slept this late in a long time. Yet, her body still aches and mind is cloudy, despite how long she slept.

"You went to bed quite late." Jamal's quiet voice draws her attention and her eyes connect with his. Something passes between them. She couldn't place what it is but she knows something else has happened while she was sleeping. 

"So did we. We got up early while someone was still sleeping like a Queen." Faro snarls at her.

"It is not everyday someone gets kidnapped. I am sure if you were in my shoes, you would have slept for two days. Pardon me sir." Her voice is full of sarcasm as she pins him with her gaze and he glares at her. "How is your head this morning?" 

Jamal coughs slightly, covering his mouth with his palm and she swears he is hiding a smile. 

"If Boss allows me, I will squeeze your neck until no breath is left in you." He takes a step towards her.

"Try me." Her voice is dead quiet as she stares him in the eyes. She is standing with a deceptively relaxed posture with her hands by her sides and her feet set apart. The gun is hanging by her belt hook but she has no intention of using it. A quick leg sweep or a kick to his groin is all she needs to land him on his bum. 

"Faro." There is a warning in Jamal's voice and Freya can almost hear him release his breath in relief. Saved by the Boss. "Leave our guest alone."

"Guests indeed!" A dry laugh escapes her patched lips and she goes to the fridge to pour herself a Cold glass of Juice. She is not sure when she will be leaving this place, so she should as well make herself at home. There is a Covered plate on the microwave, she removes the paper towel and the smell of fresh Sandwich fills her nostrils.

"Sorry to raid your kitchen but this guest is starving." She bit into the Sandwish and made a deep sound of satisfaction in her throat. "Please tell me you run a kitchen, Jamal." She is talking around a mouthful while standing at the kitchen sink.

"Table manners, woman." There is a smile in Jamal's eyes, dissipating the cloud of trouble or worry around them.

"My mama dies early, so I wasn't taught any table manners." She is teasing but she takes the plate to the Island table and sits across from him.

"Yet, you teach kids in school. What exactly are you teaching them?" His brows are raised in mock horror.

"Are you insulting my qualifications?" She glares at him ,even as she throws the last crumb in her mouth and picks up another slice.

"Who am I to do so? I dare not." He grins at her and her heart does a flip-flop. There is a fluttering in her belly and she pushes the slice in her mouth before she says something stupid. "You have such a healthy appetite for a petite woman." 

Faro hisses and stomps out of the room, carrying the light banter with him and there is an immediate tension the moment he leaves. 

"What is wrong? What happened again?" She abandons the food and faces him.

His sigh is heavy as he looks at her, " Someone trashed your house and your father framed me for it. The police are looking for me."

"What!" 

/\/\/\/\/\

Jamal Benson

He is a light sleeper and can survive on a few hours of sleep. His sleep has been haunted by erotic images of himself and Freya, with bodies glistening with sweats and limbs entwined in erotic dance. The last time he had a wet dream was when he was a teenager, after sharing a sloppy kiss with one of the older girls in the Orphanage , shortly before he left. Her name was Grace and she was the prettiest in the home then. This felt so real that when the vibrating sound of his phone woke him in the morning, his body was covered in sweat and he was spotting a wood , so hard it was painful. Damn! What was this for mercy's sake?