Chapter Six

It was the third day of their kidnapping, and the last day given to Chief Thomas to pay the ransom for his son, Tade, and his friend. Jane woke up earlier and found her wristwatch back on her hand. She checked the time, and it was 7 a.m. She switched the watch's mode back to analogue, and the screen looked like a normal wristwatch again. Looking at Timi, she saw he was still sleeping. Stretching her arms and legs, she yawned and realized she felt healthier and stronger. She couldn't help but thank her stars for using Timi for her recovery. What if Timi hadn't been kidnapped along with me? she wondered if her health would have degenerated badly already. Timi was an angel in disguise, she concluded.

Full of gratitude, and stepping down from the bed, she left for the bathroom. She was there for almost ten minutes before she came back into the room and found Timi awake on the floor. He was saying his prayers and seemed to be rounding up.

"Good morning," he said to her.

"Good morning," she replied and brushed her hair backward with her hand, feeling great and lively.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday about us and the virus in the news?" Timi asked. He wanted to know if she was truly conscious when he was saying it.

"Yes, I remember. It was flu and malaria," she replied.

"Yes, good," Timi said.

"Go and put your dress on. Don't tempt these crazy guys with your body," he warned her. That communicated a lot to her, so she quickly picked up her trousers and blouse and put them on.

"Is there any injection to take today?" she asked and walked over to the fridge.

From his lying position, he replied, "No. Not anymore, but we will take vitamin C tablets daily as many times as possible to boost our immunity. We will take antibiotics for a period of time too."

Jane walked back from the fridge with a bunch of bananas and two packs of fruit juice. She dropped them on the floor and, sitting beside him, pulled him up by the hand.

"Sit up and eat," she urged him, and he sat up.

"Do you know I have never heard of a kidnap that looks like this one we are experiencing?" Timi smiled while peeling a banana.

"Everything made available for the comfort of the abductees. It looks strange. Don't you think so?" Timi said, a chunk of banana already in his mouth.

"Yes. I think this is handled like a real business. Dad said they are asking for a million dollars," she lowered her voice.

"A million what?" Timi exclaimed.

"Lower your voice," Jane warned.

"How is your dad going to find that?" he asked. Timi's heart raced, beating faster, for he panicked. He couldn't see Jane and him being released soon if a million dollars was what the kidnappers wanted.

"A million dollars! Are they crazy?" he asked, still in shock.

"Dad will pay them. Don't panic," Jane said softly, a chunk of banana in her mouth too.

"Pay them? That means your dad is a rich billionaire," Timi remarked, and Jane jumped to another issue entirely.

She tactically avoided discussing her father's wealth. This was why she had not talked about the ransom since she heard it from her dad. She felt that if not for her father's wealth, she would not have been kidnapped in the first place. This, of course, was one of the reasons why great wealth did not fascinate her. It comes with a lot of consequences. It was obvious that she was the target of the abduction, and Timi was just unlucky to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"How is the sick boy in the other room feeling now?" she inquired, digressing into another topic to take her father's wealth out of the discussion.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't had the opportunity of seeing him again since yesterday," Timi replied.

They were still talking when they heard a key sound in the keyhole. Not a minute later, Evans opened the door and came in, holding his pistol as usual. He would never knock before coming into the room despite knowing he had a lady abductee in the room.

"Good morning, sir," Timi greeted him.

"Good morning. Come and attend to the boy in the other room. He was given the drug yesterday and he seems to be getting well," Evans said and turned back immediately.

"Sir, have you heard from my father?" Jane asked.

"Yes, we are in touch with him. You will be released as soon as he fulfills the terms. It's nice you look healthy now," Evans said, and walked out, following Timi.

As they walked towards the other room where the boys were held hostage, his phone rang, and he picked it from his jeans pocket with his left hand. His right hand held his pistol.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello, sir, please I could only get 5 million naira more. All standing at 35 million naira. Please bear with me. I have emptied my bank account, and I had to borrow the 5 million naira from friends," Chief Thomas begged, and his voice shook as he talked.

"You are toying with your son's life, Chief," Evans replied.

"No, sir, I am calling to ask you to have pity on me. Please," Chief Thomas begged again, and by the tone of his voice, Evans knew he probably must be shedding tears.

"Alright, call back in ten minutes. I will let you know what we decide on your matter," Evans said.

"Thank you, sir," Chief Thomas replied amidst sobs and ended the call.

All the while Evans was talking to Chief Thomas on the phone, Timi stood there with him, listening. They were in front of the door of the room where the boys were kept. Police officers were with Chief Thomas too, and they listened to every conversation and had it recorded on tape.

Evans put the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door, and he and Timi went inside the room. Tade was sleeping while his friend sat in a corner. Evans walked up to Tade and tapped him. After a tap on the shoulder, Tade raised his head and sat up. Timi stooped beside him and touched his body to feel his temperature.

"How are you feeling now?" Timi asked him.

"I have a headache," Tade replied.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Timi asked.

"No, they haven't given us food," Tade replied and went back to his lying position.

"You can lie down till food is brought," Timi instructed him. Then, he stood up and walked up to Evans.

"Can I get his drugs, sir?" He asked him.

"Yes, they are in the other room," Evans replied and turned to the other boy sitting in the corner.

"You! What's your name?" he asked.

"Tupac, sir," the boy replied.

"What did you say?" Evans asked again, and the boy answered, "Tupac."

"You are crazy! Did I ask you about your nickname?" Evans yelled and walked up to him and gave him a knock on the head.

"What's your name, idiot!" Evans yelled again.

Timi, who was amused by the boy's reply, nearly told him he had already called him by the name, Idiot.

"Abdul," the boy replied.

"Silly! You might not be released soon. Your friend's father could only get part of your ransom," Evans said in anger and walked out, followed by Timi.

Walking to the room he used as an office, he murmured, and Timi knew he was still angry about the attitude of the boy who called himself Tupac. Timi could not hold the smile he smiled secretly in front of him.

Evans searched for the key among the bunch of keys, and when he found the right one, he unlocked the door, and they both went in. In the room, Timi thought of the possibility of snatching the pistol from Evans' hand to free himself and the others in captivity, but he remembered the three other criminals sitting outside the house had rifles with them, and they would handle any rebellion that could spring up within the premises with brutal response. So, he accepted that it would be a suicide mission to attempt such for the time being.

The room was well organized. It was too cute for a kidnapper's office. The executive table and chairs looked expensive, and on the table was a pile of files. As a bedroom, it had a 4.5×7ft bed with plush-looking bedsheets that were well laid.

What does a kidnapper need an office for? Timi smiled as he thought it over. Do they keep records of the kidnaps too? he wondered.

"These are the drugs," Evans showed Timi the drugs on the table, and he put some on a small piece of paper for Tade. Another set for him and Jane on another paper.

"This is for the boy after taking his breakfast, and this other set I am taking to the Japanese lady," Timi said.

"It's alright. You can go back to your room," Evans replied, and Timi picked the pills on the paper and left the room. He was followed by Evans, who escorted him back to the VIP room. Timi entered the room, and the door was locked again.

Evans' phone rang in his pocket as he walked towards the front door of the house leading outside.

"Hello, sir, it is me, Chief Thomas. You said I should call back in ten minutes," Chief Thomas said in the presence of the police team who were as quiet as a pond.

"Call me back in the next 20 minutes. I am yet to discuss your matter," Evans replied and ended the call. He did not allow Chief Thomas to say anything afterward.

The police team were set to intercept the kidnappers at the point of ransom collection. They had mapped out their strategies, and they knew it must not fail, or else the lives of Tade and Abdul would be at risk.

Chief Thomas was jittery and terribly scared for the life of his son, Tade, and that of his son's friend, Abdul. He refused to subscribe to the interception plan by the police, but the police boss insisted and promised that the interception would be handled professionally.

"Hi, guys," Evans approached Roja and Luke-the-Dude under the mango tree. Roja was smoking cannabis, and Luke was eating a mango.

"Hi, Boss," Luke-the-Dude responded.

"The job is done already. We picked a new site this time around," Roja released the smoke into the air in his usual style.

"Where exactly?" Evans stretched his hand to Roja to collect the roll of the burning cannabis from him. That was the only thing they shared when it came to smoking.

"The old quarry along the Lagos-Ibadan express road. The escape route is the bush behind it," Luke-the-Dude replied.

"That sounds nice. I trust you guys for a job well done," Evans said and quickly chipped in, "How long is the dropping area to the pick-up point?"

"Between 200-300 meters or a little more into the thick bush," Roja replied.

Evans nodded and smiled with satisfaction. He loved the way his boys carried out the assignments he gave them.

Only those who belonged to their team would be able to decode their terms.

"That sounds good. Are the signs for pickup the same? Code A, B, or C?" Evans wiggled the roll of cannabis to drop off the ashes on its top. He took one more drag and gave it back to Roja.

"Code B, the red cloth on a wooden pole," Roja collected back his roll of cannabis.

"Good! That's not bad," Evans said.

He reached for his phone, which had been ringing for almost twenty seconds. There was a knock on the compound gate at the same time, and Luke-the-Dude stood up to open the gate for Monster-J, who was the one knocking. Meanwhile, Evans had picked up the call and had started talking to the caller.

"Yes, Chief! Meet us in front of the Coca-Cola Company along the Lagos-Ibadan express Road at 2 p.m. sharp," Evans instructed.

"Okay, I am coming with the money, sir," the Chief replied.

"Make sure the police are not involved if you really want your son back alive," Evans threatened.

"The police are not involved," Chief Thomas lied with a trembling voice. He turned to the Police Inspector beside him and, with a "you-see-what-I-mean?" kind of look, he sighed.

"Meet us at 2 p.m. Call me when you get there," Evans concluded and hung up.

Chief Thomas faced the police inspector leading the team of police officers on the kidnap case and said, "Please let me pay the ransom and collect my son and his friend back without your involvement. Please!"

"No! You won't do that. You have our words. You will get the boys back safely, and we will track down the criminals too," the police inspector insisted.

At the metal gate of the compound entrance, Luke-the-Dude got closer and asked, "Who is there?" He needed to be sure it was Monster-J before he opened the gate.

"It's me, MJ," Monster-J answered.

Luke-the-Dude opened the gate, and Monster-J came in. He held two big plastic bags in both hands.

"Went shopping?" Luke-the-Dude asked.

"Food for I and I, bro." Monster-J replied.

He loved speaking Jamaican patois, but he was never good at it. The little he knew was gotten from the Bob Marley songs he listened to.

While they chatted, they both walked back to meet Evans and Roja under the mango tree.

"Boys, we are going out to harvest in the next 30 minutes, so go and get prepared. MJ, you will stay with the rest of the hostages while we go harvesting," Evans instructed the trio and took some steps away.

Only the trio and a few others who had worked in the kidnap crime with him understood that collecting ransom from the victim's family members was what he meant by harvesting.

"Go and give the captives food, and make the sick boy take his drug after eating. The pills are on a small piece of paper on my office table," he added as he walked away.

"Okay, boss," Monster-J and Luke chorused.

Jane entered the bathroom, and Timi was reading an old magazine he took from the pile on the table. It was four months old; the news was stale, but it was good enough to kill boredom.

There was a knock on the door, and he was startled. There had never been a knock on that door since they were abducted.

"Yes, come in," he said, awaiting to see what caused the change.

The door opened gently, and it was Monster-J with the plastic bag of food.

"Morning," he said and dropped the food by the side of the door. He was fond of removing "good" from his greetings sometimes.

"Good morning, sir, and thanks," Timi watched him close the door behind him. He heard him lock it and heard his footsteps too as he walked away.

Jane opened the bathroom door with foam on her face. She poked her head out of the doorway.

"Who was that?" she asked. The knock on the door surprised her too.

Timi's eyes caught her dangling breasts between the slightly opened door. The nipples stood erect and firm. He knew that she was aware that he caught a glance of the lovely pair.

"It was one of the other guys. He brought the food," Timi answered, and felt his manhood rise for the first time since their abduction.

"Oh! No wonder," Jane closed the door to continue bathing.

Timi was beginning to have feelings for Jane, and he tried hard to suppress such feelings. He was beginning to like her, and he wasn't sure if it was lust or love. He wished he could tell her how much he liked her. He tried to concentrate on the story he read in the magazine so that his mind could be occupied with another thought other than Jane.

Jane stepped into the room from the bathroom after spending eight more minutes. She had the towel wrapped around her bosom, and she had yet to wear a bra. Cat-walking as usual to the wardrobe, Timi's eyes followed her as she walked, and he quickly looked away when she looked back.

"Why look at me like that?" Jane asked while putting on her underwear. She had washed it the previous night and had hung it on the wardrobe door to dry overnight.

"Besides the fact that you are a beautiful woman, you are sexy too, and no man won't be tempted to stare at you if you walk the way you do with only a towel around your bosom. I'm sorry if you feel embarrassed," Timi said, allowing his eyes to stay glued to the old magazine in his hand.

"No! I didn't feel offended. I was only curious," Jane replied.

She walked to the door to pick up the food bag dropped at the door by Monster-J.

"Timi, I know you like me. I can tell through the looks when I see a man who likes me," Jane said. She walked back from the door, sat down on the floor opposite Timi, and offloaded the bag.

He knew she did not lie about what she said, and he only smiled, looking into her eyes.

"What is this!" She exclaimed after opening the disposable plates. And he laughed.

"It's a local food called Fufu and Egusi soup. You will love it if you taste it," Timi said, still laughing because of the look on Jane's face.

Like a chef trying out the taste of what he cooked, Jane picked the plastic spoon that came with the food and scooped the stew to taste.

"Hmm! It tastes delicious," she nodded.

"I told you," Timi said and laughed.

At Evans' office, his boys were ready for the "harvest mission." Monster-J was the only one who remained seated. He had been instructed to stay at home to look after the hostages.

Evans held a pistol, Roja a pistol, and Luke-the-Dude an AK47 rifle. The three were in jeans trousers and jackets. And whenever it was time for "the harvest," as they called it, they wore sneakers, for the mission could sometimes become harder than envisaged. Sneakers made movements easier.

As for Evans, he only went out on missions when it was time to get the ransoms.

"MJ, go and bring the Chief's boy. Leave the other boy there," Evans instructed Monster-J.

"Boss, I thought we were going to release them together," Roja said.

"Yes! We would have released them together, but the man couldn't get the full ransom," Evans walked out of his office to the main entrance from the corridor, while Roja and Luke-the-Dude followed him. They discussed quietly and wondered why he would not release the boys together when more than half of the ransom would be paid by the father of one of them. They really did not like the idea of holding the other boy back at all.

"In this job, Evans behaves like the ransoms are his entitlement. These guys owe us nothing. He should learn to be flexible, or we might pay for his greed dearly someday," Roja said.

"You and I know, he won't listen to advice. So, let's keep watching," Luke-the-Dude replied.

While MJ went to bring Tade, they all walked out in front of the house, getting everything set for the trip.

As they waited outside for Monster-J to bring Tade, and getting ready to leave, Evans contemplated which of the cars available in the compound would be good for the job. Timi's cab was the first to be ruled out, because the police could have got wind of its hijack already and could be looking for it. Therefore, the old Benz was preferred to the Venza SUV, which was the third car in the compound. Its ruggedness and low value made it the right choice for the job. If it got spoilt in a chase, its loss would not be felt much by him.

"We are going in the Benz," Evans announced. "Check the fuel gauge and fill it up before we set out," he instructed Luke-the-Dude.

Luke-the-Dude left for the back of the building and came back with a 50-liter gallon of petroleum. They always had a reserve available because of the electrical generators that served the compound whenever there was a power outage. Luke-the-Dude filled up the car tank with a funnel and instantly returned the gallon back to the place he took it from.

Tade, the son of Chief Thomas, was blindfolded and made to sit in the back of the car with Luke-the-Dude. Roja was behind the steering, while Evans sat with him in the front. They drove out of the compound, and Monster-J locked the gate after their exit.

Perplexed since Luke-the-Dude came to take his friend out, Abdul knew Tade was being set free. Why he was still being held was not clear to him.

He could not believe that Tade's father, who was known as a billionaire, could pay for his son and neglect him. What a world! He thought. Although he knew his friend's father as someone who was not selfish. He was a well-known philanthropist and a very good man loved by everyone. Yet he was confused about what could have gone wrong.

Jane lay on her back on the floor, thinking of how to get in touch with the agency that got her the modeling contract she was in Africa for. The agency must have heard the news of her abduction by now, and a replacement must have been found for her, she thought.

She could hear Timi humming while bathing, and it amazed her. She struggled with the suggestion in her mind that he could be a part of the crime and was only pretending to be a victim. Humming a song in captivity could be called what? A sign of boldness or of complete stupidity? she wondered. Although she was beginning to like him and feel confident around him. He was such a simple and caring man that he had been her source of strength ever since she was kidnapped. Above all, apart from his medical assistance, she felt secure being with him. But despite all these, he seemed to be too bold and confident to be a real victim of what they were both experiencing.

She could not have thought of it, falling in love with a black man. A black man was the last person she ever dreamt to be with. But now, why she was beginning to have feelings for this particular one remained a mystery.

Her father had told her that her late mother had a phobia for dark skin. He said hers was hatred and nothing less. She was more or less a racist, and that was one thing Jane agreed she did not inherit from her. Although her mother and her father looked perfect together, according to him, they were like light and darkness when it came to loving people of other races. Her father loved Black people so much that they formed almost half of the total number of his employees. Ghanaians, Nigerians, South Africans, etc. He always said they were hardworking and more dedicated to work than any other race.

Timi stepped out from the bathroom with the towel around his waist. His muscular body was graciously complemented by his six-pack abs. He walked towards the wardrobe, still humming a song. Jane watched him. He saw her smile and could not understand what amused her.

"You must be enjoying your stay here," Jane remarked and looked away when she noticed he was about to put on his boxers.

"Enjoy my stay here, why say so?" he asked.

"Well, I can see you are not worried at all. And hearing you hum a song shows how comfortable and relaxed your mind is in captivity," Jane said.

"Oh! Okay, you would have loved it if I was moody and sad. Looking hopeless and probably shedding tears once in a while? Is that what would have been better?" Timi asked. "Are you suspecting something?" He asked again, standing and staring at Jane, who had her eyes on him.

Timi felt insulted, and his mind quickly started to decode Jane's statement. He was angry.

"I never meant to hurt you with it. I just haven't heard about such confidence and comportment in a situation like this. Not even in movies," Jane said, now feeling bad she had annoyed him.

"I'm sorry," she said. But he uttered not a single word anymore. He finished putting on his clothes and walked to the center of the room. There he lay on the floor, looking at the ceiling. His facial expression was stern and serious.

Jane crawled on the floor to him, and looking into his eyes, she pleaded once again.

"Timi, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you," she said softly and quietly.

"It's okay," he replied, but he remained bitter about her suspicion.

Not convinced he meant what he said, Jane climbed over him and planted a kiss on his lips. It was her first time kissing a brown skin, and she liked it.

His eyes widened suddenly, and surprise was written all over him. And as if his peace was being disturbed, Timi instantly rolled away and maintained a distance from her. She crawled again to him and climbed on him. She could see he was badly hurt by her insinuation.

She looked into his eyes and said, "Like seriously, I am sorry," and again, she gave him another kiss. And this time, her lips remained on his for a moment. He looked at her, and a little smile forced its way to his face. He loved it and had longed for it right from their first meeting. But this was a bribe meant to appease him for her evil imagination. So, he acted not pleased.

Jane saw the smile and tickled him, and he couldn't hold it, but laughed and loosened up.

Glad to have succeeded in making him laugh at last, Jane felt relieved and lay quietly beside him on the floor.

"This is crazy!" she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Everything." She replied, playing smart. Of course, she knew quite well what prompted the sentence was her feelings for him. Having feelings for him was total craziness.

Lying side by side on the floor, they both chatted about their present condition till they both fell asleep.