ABDUCTED (EPISODE 2)

Abducted – Episode 2
© Onyinyechukwu Mbeledogu.

‘Take your filthy self off my car,’ IB ordered the man leaning against her new Nissan jeep like he owned the vehicle.

That upper part of his face was hidden beneath by the baseball cap he wore but he was dressed up in a white shirt, over a faded a pair of jeans and shoes that had seen better days.

‘Didn’t you hear me?’

Her car was parked in front of the ‘EVERYDAY EMPORIUM’ where she’d stopped to meet up with a friend. She had stepped out to find the man leaning so comfortably against her Infinity jeep. She hated it when people did that. It pissed her off. And to make matters worse, he didn’t move an inch. At that moment, it didn’t occur to her to draw the attention of the security.

‘Are you deaf or something? If you want a car to lean on,’ she continued rudely, ‘then you either buy yours or apply to be my driver but never lean against my car.’

She tossed the provisions into the backseat of the car and drove off stopping at the EXCLUSIVE.

The gown she’d ordered had arrived, with its accessories- a matching purse. She went into one of the numerous air-conditioned changing rooms to try the outfit.

‘How do I look?’ she asked the lady attending to her.

‘Like a modern day princess, Miss Davids.’

IB looked at her reflection and she liked what she saw. The gown fitted her hour glass figure showcasing her full Kalabari h¡ps like a glove. It was a sky blue gown with a scoop neck and it was backless. It had a full skirt ending at the soles of her feet with th-gh length slits revealing long shapely legs. It came with a midnight blue purse and sandals with 4 inch stiletto heels. It was breathtaking and worth the money she had spent for it. This was definitely a head turner. She had also ordered the jewelleries which would go perfectly with the gown. Matching earrings, pendant and bracelets. She was set to roll. The clothes and accessories were put in shopping bags. They had been paid for ahead of time.

She headed for the salon to have her hair done and a manicure and pedicure. She had booked for tiny braids which she would carry for a month. As much as she hated having to wear her braids for more than a week, she couldn’t stand sitting for hours every week just to make her hair!

‘Hey girlfriend.’

IB turned to see a young woman about her age having her hair styled. It was Cynthia Owunari, her good friend. They hugged each other before Cynthia leaned back into the chair to allow the professional hair stylist continue working on her.

‘So what’s up with you?’ IB asked Cynthia.

‘Nothing much. Just thinking of settling down.’

IB looked at her. ‘Seriously?’

Both women had planned to tour the world before settling down, so Cynthia’s statement came as a surprise to IB. ‘What changed your mind? You weren’t thinking of settling down a few days ago.’

‘Oruye happened.’

‘Oruye? You have been dating him for four years and at no time did you plan on settling down before you were done with your tour.’

‘He wants to settle down with me and he assures me that we can still travel around if I want.’

‘But not as much as if you are single. Girlfriend, you are only twenty-four.’

‘Twenty-five next month.’

‘Whatever. But you are not old enough to start getting desperate.’

‘I am not desperate, IB. Settling down is a good thing.’

‘I am not saying that it is not. What I am saying is that it is too early.’

‘I want to have all my children before I turn thirty.’

‘So do I but you don’t see me rushing.’

‘You should be happy for me.’

‘I am happy. And I like Oruye but I just don’t want you to rush into this and end up wishing you had awaited a little.’

‘If I do that, feel free to tell me ‘I told you so,’ Cynthia told her. ‘And I intend for you to be my chief bridesmaid.’

‘You had better.’ IB laughed.

Cynthia was thinking of settling down. That was another friend leaving their travelling clique. Two weeks earlier, they had been bridesmaids for one of their friends, Jessica Amadi, the daughter of a former Minister for Education. And now, she was losing Cynthia. She was happy for Cynthia. Oruye loved her friend and worsh¡pped the ground she walked on, but IB felt it was too early to lose one’s independence.

‘So what’s up with you?’

‘You remember that creepy saucer eyed guy I told you about?’

‘The one who considered himself worthy to be one of your suitors?’

‘The same. I met him four days ago and he had the guts to ask me out.’

‘What! The man must be as stubborn as mule.’

‘Obviously, after what happened the last time he came around. The dogs dealt with him.’

‘And yet he came back.’

‘Yes. If he had been good looking I would have found his attitude a little, how do I put it, ‘cute’? But he is not and he has three children. I am not looking for a ready-made family, not with a wealthy man, let alone someone whose wages for the year cannot afford to pay for one of my handbags.’

The man in question was about her height, 5” 11 and lived in a one bedroom apartment with his family in Diobu. He was probably hoping that with her money he could improve his life. Like she would stoop so low! But she had to hand it to him. It took guts to do what he had done.

‘You had him investigated?’

‘Yes I did. And you won’t believe what he does for a living.’

‘What?’

‘He is an assistant in one of those electronic shops at Iloabuchi Street, close to the RSUST back gate.’

‘You don’t say. A mere assistant!’

‘He is infested with poverty and was looking for a way to afflict me with his disease. But tufiakwa, I reject it.’ IB said, passing her right hand around her head and snapping her finger for emphasis. ‘If he wanted money, all he had to do was ask for it.’

‘And we both know you wouldn’t have given it to him.’

‘My hærd earned money? No way. I don’t do charity. He is a man and it is an offence for him to be poor. If you ask me, poverty should be enshrined as an offence under the Criminal Code Act, punishable with a minimum of seven years imprisonment with or without caning.’

‘Babe, you harsh o.’ Her friend laughed.

‘I no harsh at all. That’s life. Well, I don’t blame him. I stood there long enough for him to talk to me. I was too shocked by his audacity to react immediately. But I have dealt with him in my own way. I made a report at the Mini Okoro police station accusing him of stalking me. And after paying N70, 000.00, they would certainly not be in a hurry to release him.’

‘What if he brings a fundamental rights action against you? I heard lawyers are making money now from such cases.’

‘He cannot even afford three square meals, I seriously doubt that he would waste his meagre resources obtaining the services of a lawyer.’

‘Well, that serves him right. Next time, he’ll look for someone in his own class.’

‘Trust Naija police. Police dey find work you come give am work. By the time they are through with him, he would take a well deserved vow of celibacy.’

~*~*~*~

The dinner was a success. IB dazzled her father’s guests with her beauty and charm. They couldn’t keep their eyes off her and she was a natural hostess.

~*~*~*~

IB had booked for an evening flight with Aerocontractors to Lagos where she would be boarding the Air France connecting flight to Sweden. She would be staying at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.

Her flight to Sweden was fixed for the following evening and IB wasn’t taking any chances.

She rose to her feet and staggered to the bathroom where she took her time to bathe. An hour and a half later, she drove down to EXCLUSIVE to pick up a few underclothes, made a dash to Kingfishers fast food at Olu Obasanjo Road to pick up some snacks for her little cousin before heading home.

While in traffic, she went through the CD plates in her vehicle, selecting P-Sqaure’s ‘Get Squared.’ She slot it into her CD player and immediately the car was filed with tunes from the rising stars. She couldn’t wait to see Steve again. He called her every morning and every night just to hear her voice.

‘Oh Steve!’ she gro-ned.

P-Square’s ‘buzzy body’ was soon playing and she sang along with them. She loved that particular track.

‘Boy you know say if I give you body, body, you go soji, soj. You no go fit run the MIC, you go lose control…’

‘I no go lose control.’ A male voice, certainly not from the track came up and so close to her right ear.’

‘Oh my God!’ IB gasped and almost lost control of the steering wheel. She quickly adjusted as she felt a warm breath against her skin. The hairs on her body stood upright. One look at the rear view mirror confirmed that it wasn’t her imagination. There was a man in her car!

‘Who are you?’ she demanded.

‘That is for me to know and for you to find out. Keep on driving.’

She felt something cold against her skin and she knew without instinctively told what it was. She was now positively frightened. He gave her directions with the gun pressed against her side, the tinted glasses hiding his presence from watching eyes. He warned her against attracting attention to herself.

‘If you want the car, I’ll gladly step out and hand the keys over to you.’ She told him.

‘And you think I am stupid enough to play this game with you?’

‘I swear I won’t make any false move. I’ll even pay you. I am -’

‘I know very well who you are, Ibitoru Davids.’

‘Then you know that I can pay you-’

‘One more word from you and I shall end your miserable life.’

That shut her up and with it came the comprehension that this was an abduction. She had heard and read about the horrors kidnapped victims went through especially women who were abused nonstop until the ransom was paid. She was mentally calculating her escape when he asked her to pull over somewhere between Isiokpo and Elele with no houses in view and only a few cars on the road. She pulled over and he immediately held a piece of cloth over her nose. Her last thought was ‘please let this not be a ritual killer.’

~*~*~*~

‘Mission accomplished.’ Her abductor told himself as he transferred the young woman from the driver’s side to the boot of the vehicle. She deserved it, he told himself to justify his actions.

The drug he had used would keep her unconscious for a few hours which would give him the opportunity to drive to his destination without any interruption. A car drove by just as he was climbing into the passenger seat but no one had seen him toss her into the boot. There was enough ventilation for her there, he thought.

He put on his black suit over light blue shirt and black trousers, looking very much like the owner of the expensive jeep. He replaced her particulars with his own just in case of a search by the police. Several minutes later, he took a side road and kept on driving. After several turns, he drove into the garage of a bungalow.

He stepped out of the vehicle and locked the garage from the in,side before rescuing the still unconscious young woman. For a slim woman she was heavy, he thought as he unlocked a side door and carried her into a semi- dark sitting room courtesy of the drawn drapes. He crossed the room and walked through a narrow passage. He pushed open a door revealing a tiny bedroom.

He deposited her on the bed in the room. She gave a little mo-n but did not wake up. He left the room and headed for the garage where he took out the car battery and hid it in one of the stacked cartons in the garage. He picked up her handbag and shopping articles and left them on the wooden centre table in the sitting room.

He returned to the bedroom. A tiny room with an eight spring bed on a carpeted floor. He had worked on that room when he planned this abduction. He had read about her in the papers. A rich snub who hung around her popular father. A man he had every reason to hate. Her father had given her the best of everything and she had a stubborn streak that he would enjoy taming.

She would attract a heavy ransom as the only daughter of a top politician. Her father would pay through his teeth to get her back. And he would have sleepless nights imagining the things he was doing to his little girl.

The bed creaked as he sat on it looking at the unconscious woman. The ice princess who felt she owned the world and therefore had the right to deal with others as she pleased. She was beautiful and intelligent, so full of herself. She was more beautiful than any woman had the right to be and she used it to her advantage. Vain and useless, well not completely a hopeless case. But she led men on and then dumped them like a sack of potatoes. It was thus surprising that none of them had successfully planned her demise or taken her against her will.

She had been back to the country only a few months and was already making waves as the ice princess. She treated others around her as though they had crawled out from underneath a rock and he was no exception. Buy his own car or apply to be her driver indeed. He would teach her a lesson she would not forget in a hurry. Only then would she know of his intention towards her.

He lifted her to a sitting position and slowly lifted her top over her flat stomach and up over her head tossing the expensive material aside. Her tight mini skirt followed. Why a woman would choose to dress so provocatively beat him. He left her in her underclothes, certain that in her current state of undress, she wouldn’t entertain thoughts of leaving the building.

He went through her hand bag which contained the usual things you would find in a hand bag including a comb, makeup set, different shades of lip stick, body spray, perfume, pocket tissue. He found a Zenith Bank cheque book which he placed with her clothes, Zenith Bank and First Bank ATM Cards, an address book, a thick roll of money in her purse which he discovered on counting, was N73, 000.00. He also took out her Ipad, a blackberry and Samsung Galaxy note 7. He took out the sim cards and batteries so she wouldn’t be able to make a call even if she found the phones and Ipad. After a thorough search , he also found an Airtel sim card in one of the inner pockets of the handbag which was big enough to fit in a baby.

He left her in the bedroom and locked her in.

To be continued

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