Chapter Seven

Luke-the-Dude was dropped several meters away from the Coca-Cola bottling company. His assignment was to check if anyone or any car came with Chief Thomas and to look for strange movements that might indicate plainclothes police in the area.

Evans and Roja proceeded to the quarry. On their way, they saw a young man coming out of a supermarket, heading towards an SUV. Evans hurriedly got down, took his briefcase, and walked towards him.

"Sir, excuse me," Evans said, some meters away.

The young man stopped at his car door. He watched Evans approach him.

"How may I help you?" he politely asked.

Pretending to have an important question, Evans moved closer to the corporately dressed man and suddenly pulled out his pistol, pointing it at him. The pistol was slightly covered by his jacket so as not to alert the people around.

"This is the help I need from you. Don't panic, I won't hurt you. I only need to take a ride in your car. So, get in and let's go!" Evans said.

The man obediently sat behind the wheel of his car, and Evans entered and sat beside him, still pointing the gun.

"Drive!" Evans ordered the man, watching him as he started the engine and drove off.

Evans kept his eyes on the man as he drove, and at the same time, he thought of where to tie the young man up. He had one hand holding his briefcase and the other holding the pistol. If he had allowed him to go, he could inform the police about the hijack. So, he needed to keep him somewhere until he and his gang were through with their mission.

They were on the highway, en route to a destination only Evans knew, when a call came in from Luke-the-Dude.

"Hello, boss, he is here already," Luke said.

"Alright. Anyone came with him?" Evans asked.

"No, I haven't suspected anyone yet," Luke replied.

"Okay then, keep watching. I will call you when I am through with our lender," Evans said and ended the call.

The young man had heard him talk and wondered if he was the one Evans referred to as the lender. What am I lending him? he wondered.

As they drove past a junction where a popular Anglican Church was situated, Evans remembered an abandoned house behind the church. It was a place he and his primary school mates used to play hide-and-seek many years ago. They were later warned by their parents never to play in the old building again because it was regarded by many as a haunted house. It was said that the house was left abandoned for this reason, unoccupied for years.

It had been more than twenty-three years since he last visited the house, and he was not sure of its current state.

Evans instructed the man to reverse the car and turn into the sandy street beside the church, then drive ahead. After about fifty meters into the street, they arrived at an old house that had lost its color and glory due to time and weather. There was no sign of life within it, and its surroundings were quiet. To Evans, nothing had changed about the house except its loss of color. He was surprised that it still remained unoccupied ever since he saw it last.

"Pull up and get out," Evans ordered the man, the pistol still pointed at him.

The man got down, and Evans got down after him. He walked him into the house, which had its door left ajar, and led him to a large room. He had left his briefcase in the car but had taken a big nylon tape from it before he walked away. He held the tape in his left hand and the pistol in his right hand.

The young man was calm, and he obeyed every instruction from Evans. He was not obedient for nothing. Three years back, he had lost his best friend to armed robbery, and the memory was still fresh in his mind. The robbers broke into his friend's home, and his friend had a physical confrontation with them and was shot in the chest by one of them. And worst still, they carted away his belongings. Therefore, with all the memories of the incident playing in his head, he obeyed every instruction given by his gun-wielding abductor.

Evans told him to sit on the floor and stretch his hands backward. After this, he tied him up with the tape and did the same with his legs. Then, he proceeded to seal his mouth.

"You won't die here. I am sure you will be rescued soon," he told the man and quickly added, "I will drop your car on the street in the next two hours. Thanks for lending us," he concluded, and the young man nodded his head in approval.

Evans walked out of the building in a hurry, entered the SUV, and drove off speedily. On his way, his phone rang again, and it was Roja.

"Boss, I am at the receiving end. The mechanism is still intact," Roja informed him.

"I will soon join you there. I have just borrowed a car," Evans replied and drove on.

It was a normal thing for him and his gang to call a car hijack "borrowing" as long as they were using it for some time with the intention of dropping it somewhere for the owner after they were done using it. And they would say it as if that was what the dictionary called borrowing.

As he drove, he felt the urge to smoke, so he reached for the packet of cigarettes in his shirt's pocket. With one hand on the wheel, he opened it, picked a stick, and trapped it between his lips, then he lighted it. Taking a long drag of the smoke, he released the smoke graciously and sighed. Really, he would have loved to smoke the pipe, but in his urgent situation, a cigarette would quench his urge faster.

Reaching for his phone, he dialed Luke-the-Dude's number, and Luke's voice came online.

"Hello, boss," Luke-the-Dude said, still keeping his eyes on the blue Lexus Jeep the Chief brought to the spot.

He had been watching if there was any movement of persons or cars that might suggest that the police were involved in the delivery of the ransom.

"Any suspected persons or cars around there?" Evans asked as he drove almost 300 meters close to the old quarry site that was no longer in use by the government.

"No! No one," Luke-the-Dude replied.

"Okay then! I will call him now and ask him to come to the dropping spot. Watch if any car leaves after him," Evans said and hung up.

Two hundred meters to the quarry, he drove into the bush and got to the place chosen as the viewing spot. He parked the car and picked his phone and briefcase before he stepped out and walked to a pile of rocks. Reclining on a piece of rock that was half his height, he called the Chief.

"Hello, Chief, are you there already?" Evans asked.

"Yes, I have been here for the past one hour," the Chief replied. He couldn't wait to see his son. He was eager.

"Alright then! The plan has changed. Come over to the old government quarry, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express road. Come alone with the money," Evans instructed.

"Alright, I will be there soon," the Chief replied and switched on his car engine immediately.

His wife had told him with tears before he left home not to return without her son. She would not stop crying since her child was abducted, and she hardly slept. Besides, he longed to see him too and would do anything to have his son back.

Luke-the-Dude's phone rang, and he immediately picked it up.

"Hello! Luke, watch him now if any car around leaves after him. Call me back immediately if that happens," Evans said and hung up again.

After he had hung up, he opened his briefcase and brought out a pair of binoculars. Then, he climbed the rock and checked if he could have a good view of the dropping point, which was the old quarry that had been unused for several years.

The quarry was two hundred meters away between the express and the place he was. The dropping point, as his team calls it, was clearly visible, and he liked it.

In their crime business, the dropping point is where ransom is dropped, and the receiving point is where it is collected. Whoever is not part of the system would not understand what the terms meant.

"Yes! This is the best viewpoint," he said to himself, taking position on the rock for the best view.

"Hello! The Chief has left the spot," the policeman in plainclothes among the mechanics at the mechanic workshop directly opposite the Coca-Cola Bottling Company said on the phone.

"That's good! Which way did he go?" The police inspector asked.

"Going towards Lagos, sir," the police spy in plainclothes replied.

"Good! We are on it. Don't leave immediately. They might have a spy also," the police Inspector replied. And as soon as he finished talking, he called his boys stationed on the Expressway to watch out for the Chief's car and trail it to its destination.

Roja was at the back of the quarry with Tade, the Chief's son. Tade was still blindfolded and was made to sit on a log of wood. It was about 150 meters to the dropping point. Being in the kidnapping system for a while had given Evans and his team several tricks that had been unbeatable for the police.

This was a new trick devised by Monster-J, and it got him a reward in cash. Any idea accepted from the gang members attracted a cash reward, and this was the way Evans kept his kidnap business tricks unbeatable for the police since he started.

Chief Thomas drove into the quarry and parked his car. He was still in the car when he put a call through to Evans.

"Sir, I am at the quarry," he said.

Evans, on hearing this, climbed the rock and viewed the quarry through the binoculars. He could see a blue Lexus Jeep at the center of the quarry. He searched around the quarry if any other vehicle or persons came with him, but there was none in view.

"Okay, look around by the edge of the bush. You will see a wooden pole with a red flag on it. Can you see it?" Evans asked.

The Chief looked around, searching for the red flag, and saw it a few meters away.

"Yes! Yes! I can see it," Chief Thomas replied nervously.

"Okay! Now walk up to it. Beside it, you will find a metal sheet on the ground. Pick it up. Under it, you will see a briefcase. Fill it up with the money. Arrange it perfectly and close it back. After doing that, walk back to your car and wait for further instructions," Evans rolled out the long instruction.

The Chief picked his briefcase and walked up to the wooden pole with the red piece of cloth on it.

The five police officers who were hiding nearby watched keenly, every one of them on alert. They were waiting for the person assigned to pick up the ransom so that they could swing into action.

When the Chief got to the pole, he saw a metal sheet on the ground. He pulled it up, and beneath it was a box in the ground. Then, he opened his briefcase and perfectly filled the box up with the money. After filling it up, he closed the box in the hole with the metal sheet and walked back to his car as he was instructed. He reclined on the bumper of his car and waited for Evans' call.

Five minutes after he was back beside his car, his phone rang, and he picked it up.

"Hello, Chief, have you done it? Is the money there?" Evans asked, acting like he was not aware the money was already in the ground.

"Yes, sir, it's there. 35 million naira. Please, where are the boys?" Chief Thomas asked impatiently.

"Good! Don't worry, someone will come to you with the boys in fifteen minutes," Evans said, ended the call, and called Roja.

"Hello, Roja, you can now harvest it. It is there now," he instructed Roja.

On hearing this, Roja stood up and removed the rubble on the ground some steps away from him and Tade. Beneath the rubble was a pit and a rope that came out of a small tunnel. He bent down and started to pull the rope until a metal box containing a huge amount of money came out with it. Immediately he picked the box up, he called Evans.

"Harvested already, leaving the spot and the boy immediately," he reported.

Done with the call, he went to the boy on the log of wood and patted him on the back.

"Remain seated here. Your father is coming to pick you in some minutes. And tell your friend's father we await his child's ransom of 15 million naira latest in three days," Roja said and entered the bush where he had hidden the Mercedes Benz under leaves and rubble. Once he was done removing the rubble in haste, he entered the car and started its engine. Then, he drove off. He drove straight to town.

Evans waited for another twenty minutes before he called the Chief, who was eagerly awaiting the release of his child and his friend.

"Hello, Chief, your child is at the back of the bush. About two hundred meters away from where you are. Stand behind the pole with the red flag, and walk straight into the bush. Go straight until you see him. He sits there awaiting you. When you see a pole with a white piece of cloth, stop there and look around. He is there. When the remaining 15 million is paid, we will release the other boy. It's good doing business with you," Evans said sarcastically and entered the SUV he had earlier hijacked and zoomed off.

The police were still waiting to see someone who would come to pick up the money they saw the Chief put underneath the metal sheet. They watched the spot from their hiding places within the quarry with their weapons in hand. But when they saw the Chief walk in the direction of the spot where he had put the money again, they wondered what was going on.

Chief Thomas had wondered why the kidnapper who called him told him his son had been released when he had not seen anyone come to pick up the ransom he had put in the box in the ground. So, he walked to the spot, confused by the latest information about his son. He lifted the metal sheet, and surprisingly, the money in the hole had vanished, and he was dazed. Hastily, he called on the policemen, whom he believed must not be far from him. As he knelt down to examine the hole in the ground, he could see a tunnel big enough to swallow the missing briefcase.

"Inspector, are you around? The money is gone!" he shouted again.

The police officers ran out from different directions when they heard the Chief's voice. They approached the place where the Chief was and saw the empty hole in the ground.

"Where did they say the boys are?" the Police Inspector asked.

"Behind this bush, about 150 meters away," the Chief replied.

"Then, let's go, boys! Search around," the Police Inspector directed his men, and the police officers ran into the bush in different directions looking for the boys and the kidnappers.

At the kidnappers ' den, Jane and Timi engaged in a chat. Although, they couldn't decode the reason of the unusual silence within their environment, they continued to hope the arrangement for their release would be perfected as soon as Jane's father paid their ransom.

 "Have you taken your pills today?" Jane asked Timi.

"I have," he answered and continued reading the old newspaper he found in the pile of books. Although he had forgiven her, he was still having fragments of bitterness in his mind. He could not believe that Jane could think he was part of the evil happening to her. He tried so hard to forget about it, but the thought of it kept bouncing back.

"Timi, you have been cold towards me since morning. I said I'm sorry for what I said. Are you still angry?" Jane walked up to him. She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I have heard you, Jane. I know you are sorry, and I am not angry," Timi replied without looking up.

"Timi, look at me. I am sorry. You've not been talking to me like you used to," Jane pleaded, and her voice sounded sad and shaky.

Timi looked up and saw water clustered in her eyes, and he could not stand it. In the event of this, he stood up at once and dragged her to himself. He embraced her for the first time. And she cried like a baby in his arms. All the emotions she had subdued since they were abducted came pouring out unhindered.

Timi regretted being angry at Jane but did not know it was not really his actions that made her emotional but a catalyst to the expression of her pains and regret that had built up since their abduction.

He held her in his arms and rubbed his hand on her back.

"Jane, I did all I did for you. I know that for you to be strong in this kind of situation, I have to appear strong. If you see me scared and moody, as a stranger that you are, you will be more sad and scared than me. That is why I have to appear untroubled. I've got to behave like a man," Timi said.

He continued to rub her back and caress her hair as he talked.

"I thought over your statement in the morning, and I felt bad and insulted because I believe you were insinuating that I was a part of the plan. But I am not. I am a captive as you are," he added.

"I am sorry I was mad at you," he said and looked into her eyes. He wiped her tears with the back of his hand and planted a peck on her cheek. He loved her, and seeing her in tears had broken his heart. He would do anything for her.

Being the first time he was getting that close to her, he would cherish it for a very long time.

Jane stared at him, and all she could feel was love. She knew it was strange, but she would be deceiving herself if she acted as if she did not feel attached to him. All she wished for was to be in his arms for a very long time.

"Let's hope by tomorrow your dad will fulfill his promise so we can be free and go back to our normal lives," Timi said, and released Jane to walk away, but Jane held him tight and wouldn't let go.

"Timi, hold me. I'm scared," she said. And like a baby in the arms of her father, she rested her head on his hairy chest and closed her eyes in the comfort of his embrace.

Really, it had been a while she felt secure in the arms of a man. Her last relationship was eight months when she left her boyfriend for his infidelity and notoriety. Now, she had missed a man's cuddle, and she was getting one.

In his arms, she looked into his eyes, and he stared back at her. She was all he wanted in a woman, and as it were, he could hear it loud and clear in his own mind that she was his already.

Holding him tight, she gave him a long, deep kiss. Brushing her smooth skin against his masculine frame, and her full, succulent breasts on his muscled chest. And at that moment, all she wished for was to have him completely.

Thinking about herself over and over in his arms, she knew all that was happening between them was strange. So strange that it looked unbelievable. Finding love in a trouble zone and falling in love in the face of danger. What would people call this? She pondered. It looked like a fairy tale, and she cared less what anyone felt about it. All she cared about was what she felt about it. And as she rested her head on his chest, all she felt was love.

"It's crazy. So crazy," she muttered.

They were still in each other's arms until there was a tap and the sound of a key in the keyhole on the door, and like a thief almost caught in the act, they let go of one another at once.

The door opened, and it was Monster-J who poked his head into the room through the slightly opened door and said, "Just checking on you guys. Your lunch will come late today, for some reasons," and afterwards, closed the door and locked it.

Evans and Jane looked at one another and thanked their stars for not being caught in each other's arms. It could spell trouble for them if Evans was told they were caught in such a manner.

Monster-J walked back outside to play with Bolt, Evans' pit-bull. Bolt was friendly to everyone living in the house but brutal to strangers. Monster-J rubbed his hand on her head as she wagged her tail.

There was a sudden bang on the gate, and Monster-J dashed there immediately.

"Who is there?" he asked.

"MJ, it's me, Dude," Luke-the-Dude said from behind the gate, and Monster-J opened the gate and let him in.

"Where are they?" Monster-J asked.

"On their way, I think," Luke replied and walked in. He had left his spying spot to go home after the Chief had left to drop the ransom at the quarry. And not long after his arrival, Evans' call came through.

"Hello, MJ, we are close by, come to the gate," Evans said, and by the time Monster-J got back to the gate, he heard the car horn, and he opened the gate for Evans and Roja to drive in.

When Evans dropped the SUV on the road after he left the viewing spot, like he promised the one he "borrowed" it from, he called Roja to pick him up at a spot, and they started the journey back home from there together.

Once the vehicle was parked after driving in, a party started. The car stereo played music at maximum volume. And their abductees in both rooms could hear the noise and the shouts of joy in the compound, and of course, they needed no one to tell them that one of their expected ransoms had been paid.

"Jane, will you call your dad to know if we are being released tomorrow?" Timi asked.

"With which phone?" Jane asked.

"With the one in your hand, of course. My SIM is there, and the airtime on it should be enough," Timi informed her.

"You never told me you'd changed the SIM. It would be good if I call him late in the night," she suggested.

"Yeah, in the night," he agreed with a nod.

He could not believe he had finally gotten her. How had he found his dream woman in such a troubled situation? Unbelievable! Should I thank my stars for being abducted? he thought and smiled. And wanting to be more relaxed, he left the chair for the floor to lie down. And like thunder follows lightning, Jane followed suit and lay down beside him.

Thank God for troubles! He sighed and smirked.

Abdul sat alone on the floor of the room, thinking about what his fate might be. He knew the reason for the joyful noise he heard was the success of the mission of exchanging his friend for the money. He was dead sure his father would not be able to pay the ransom of millions of naira in exchange for him. Even if it was reduced to half a million, he would not be able to afford it still. Therefore, he thought of how to fight for his own life and be free from the bondage he had found himself. He believed he could do it if only he tried. He never wanted to try such when his friend was around because he knew Tade would not be able to lift a finger to save his own life, and trying such when Tade was still in captivity with him could endanger Tade's life. But now that it was him alone, with no way to pay the ransom, he would need to try to save himself. He concluded.

The door opened, and it was Evans that came in. He held a pistol in his right hand.

"Stubborn boy! Your father will need to pay 15 million naira for your release. So, pray he does, or else, in two days, you will be gone," Evans threatened him.

"You mean home, sir?" Abdul asked, pretending not to understand what he meant.

"Yes, home to hell through a pull of a trigger. Idiot!" Evans replied in anger.

"Tomorrow you will have the chance to talk to your father," Evans said.

Abdul looked at him without uttering a word. He hated him with passion, and he would be glad if he could kill him and send him home too.

He could remember all the training as a member of the Red Eagle Fraternity. And he believed he could put everything to practice and get lucky. Determined to fight to save his life, the slogan of the fraternity came flashing in his mind: "Red Eagle! No Mercy For The Enemy!"

Evans watched Abdul look like a hungry lion in the corner of the room. His head was between his knees and his arms were wrapped around his legs.

"Have you eaten lunch?" Evans asked, and Abdul felt reluctant to reply. His promise of sending him home was still annoying him.

"No!" he grumbly replied.

Angered by his reply, Evans walked up to him and gave him a kick on the head against the wall. His head banged against the concrete wall, and he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head travel to his spine. Bending his head down and waiting for the pain to subside, he felt the anger in him rise, and all he could hear in his mind was revenge. Actually, he would have instantly stood up and fought the man who stood before him, but he remembered how Evans killed the child of the oil merchant. So he decided to wait for the right time to pay back.

"Next time. You would say, 'No, sir!' and not 'No!' Crazy idiot!" Evans yelled and walked out in anger.

Abdul remained quiet at the same spot and in the same position. He heard the door slam, and he remained in the position for a long time. His head hurt badly, and tears rolled down his cheeks, and then and there, a bitter smile formed on his face. He raised his head up and chanted, "Red Eagle! No mercy for the enemy! Red Eagle! No mercy for the enemy! Red Eagle! No mercy for the enemy!" He repeated the sentence until his morale was boosted and the confidence generated within changed his countenance.

Twenty minutes after Evans had left the room, he heard a tap on the door, and he knew it was not Evans. He would never knock or tap before entering the room.

Monster-J opened the door and came in. He dropped the plastic bag as usual and left. Abdul could hear him lock the door and walk away.

When he was relieved of the pain, he raised his head, crawled to the bag of food, and in it was a covered disposable plate as usual, but with a metal spoon.

What a timely error! He thought. It was mostly plastic spoons that followed the food whenever food was brought into the room, and it was the second time a metal spoon was being attached to it. For this, he thanked his stars.

"It would be massively utilized," he soliloquized.

Opening the plate, he found in it rice and beans with two pieces of meat and a bottle of water. At once, he brought the plastic plate out, opened it, and started to eat. And as he ate, he started to map out his escape plan.

Evans and his boys sat under the mango tree like they normally did. In front of them was the ransom they got from Chief Thomas. And with them were bottles of wine and whisky also for the celebration of their "bountiful harvest."

"It's about time for evening news; let's hear what they have to say about our mission today," Evans said humorously.

Monster-J stood up to turn off the music and search for the news on the car stereo. He searched for a while before he arrived at the station where the news was expected to be read at the time. He stopped the search and left the car to sit with the others.

The news would start in two minutes. And Evans decided to share the loot in the meantime.

"Luke, give Roja and MJ 5 million naira each, and pick 5 million for yourself too," Evans instructed, and there was a loud shout of jubilation by the boys. They were not expecting as much as they got, and that was one of the reasons they were loyal to him.

Two million naira extra for each of them for a job well done was a great gesture. And they all showed their appreciation by hailing him.

"It's all for a job well done by you guys," Evans said, feeling satisfied.

Shortly, the newscaster came on the air, and the kidnap news was the first on the news. Evans and his boys became quiet as they all listened with keen interest.

"There was jubilation today at the house of the business mogul, Chief Thomas, when his son that was kidnapped was released after spending five days in the kidnappers' den. Although the kidnappers made away with the ransom, the police have promised to fish out the criminals. Meanwhile, the kidnapped COVID-19 suspects, the Japanese model and her driver, are yet to be found. It is now the third day of their abduction." The newscaster said. And there was a short commercial break.

Evans and his boys looked at one another in perplexity on hearing the COVID-19 news.

"What! Coronavirus suspects! And they never opened up? These guys are dead if it's all true," Evans swore.

"A man was saved today after he was robbed of his car and abducted. He was found tied up in an abandoned building. But his car was later found abandoned at the Lagos-Ibadan Express road this afternoon. The young man in…" The news continued, but the radio was turned off by Evans, who had stood up the moment he heard the COVID-19 news. He walked away in anger from his boys, drawing out his pistol from his jeans trousers. He grumbled as he walked towards the house entrance.