The Other side of me 8

 

Bound 

Where did you get this flash, Chief?” The IG asked Emenike, going through the flash that Sara had given them on his computer.

They were in his own residence, in his office. It wasn’t difficult to get a private meeting with him since Emenike was a friend.

“Does it matter where he got it from? What matters is we have it and we’re wasting time. Someone or two people could be dead now,” Nifemi retorted, resting his palm on the IG's desk. Staring at him.

The IG stared right back at the young man from where he sat. He didn’t know him but he wouldn’t tolerate disrespect even if he came with Chief. He was about to give him a piece of his mind before Emenike intervened.

“Inspector, forgive his tone. But he is right. You have evidence to apprehend this Chike right here. And he has my daughter and another civilian. We need to make a move now before they’re hurt.”

“He has Ada?” The IG was stunned.

“No, not Ada,” Emenike sighed.  “It’s a long story inspector, but he has my daughter. I would have gotten her back through another means but there’s no time for that. You are our best shot.”

“You’re right, Chief,” the IG said, “this man is a drug dealer; he’s also involved in human trafficking, in embezzlement and money laundering. This is just enough to put him away for a very long time. I guess I wouldn’t want to know how you got this flash because I know it wasn’t legal. And I don’t think now is the best time to talk about your other daughter. With that under the bus, I’m placing a call to Onitsha right away.” 

He picked up his phone to dial a number but Nifemi interrupted him before he could place the call.

“I’m sorry sir, but whoever you’re calling has to be trustworthy. Chike has policemen on his payroll. I would not want those same people charging into his compound only to warn him, then he disappears with my friends.”

The IG was impressed by the boldness of this young man. “I understand how you feel Mr—”

“It’s Nifemi, sir. Just Nifemi.”

“I understand how you feel Nifemi and I know who to call to make sure the job is done well. You have my word.” The IG dialed the number and gave orders to the person on the other end of the line.

“It is done. The police should be on their way to Chike’s lair right away. Here’s the number of the man I called,” the IG recited a number and Nifemi quickly typed it on his phone, “his name is Detective Maurice.”

“Thank you Inspector,” Emenike said, shaking his hands, “we’ll be on our way now.”

The IG waved them good bye and hoped his friend’s daughter was safe, whoever she was.

Emenike and Nifemi headed to the airport as initially planned.

“They’ll be okay,” Emenike reassured Nifemi. He collected Detective Maurice's number and called him to make sure the detective was already on his way to Chike’s.

“I hope so. I do hope so,” Nifemi said. He offered a silent prayer again in the car. The police should be heading towards the house by now. He hoped everything would be sorted out before they arrived Onitsha.

                                                                                                   ***

Kosarachi's screams excited him. He had slapped her a lot, punched her face and even flogged her on her back. If she had hair, he would have dragged her by it. He hadn’t anticipated so much fun. But here he was, inflicting pain on her in one of the ways he had imagined it. 

Beating. 

He enjoyed seeing the blood on her broken lips and the blood flowing through her nostrils. He had taken off her nose ring, he’d hang on to it as a trophy. He enjoyed the bruises he had given her on her face. What he didn’t like was the way she laughed after the pain he inflicted subsided. That made him apply more force the next time he hit her.

“I have said this before, if it’s the money I stole from you that you want, just tell me. I have money. I’ll give you times three of it,” Kosarachi laughed, in pains. 

Her hands were tied above her head and she was hanging from a rope connected to the white ceiling where a fan should have hung. The room they were could easily have been named the torture room because she noticed torture implements. It had a bed covered with white sheets and a red duvet. It reminded her of Valentine and horror movies at the same time.

 The windows were covered with purple curtains and the walls were painted purple too. A big contrast to the bed sheets and a terrible sight. The room had one chair and one table at the other end. That was the table that housed the torture implements.  Luckily, none had been used on her… yet, apart from Chike’s fists and the whip. Kosarachi was tied close to the bed and she imagined just laying on it, over and over again. She also wondered if Chike tied her close to the bed just to add to her torture. She could see the door from where she was.

“Do you think it’s the money I want, Kosara?” Chike asked, holding the horsewhip.

“What do you want if not the money?” Kosarachi asked, playing ignorant.

Chike came close to her and held her jaw up, “I want the pound of flesh you took from me. I’ll give you the same scar you gave me. I want my pride back, so I’ll get it. I want to hear you scream when I go inside you. I want you to suffer just before I snuff the pathetic breath out of you. Now, do you know what I want?”

Kosarachi hitched her breath and tried to remove her face from his hand but he forcefully kissed her, biting her lip and tasting her blood. She spat on him immediately he took his lips away from hers.

“Feisty, just the way I like it,” Chike laughed at her and cleaned the spittle off his face with his white handkerchief.

He walked over to the table and the door to the room opened. Obi walked in, followed by Raven.

“We should just kill her now,” Obi said, walking to Chike.

“Where’s the fun there if I just kill her immediately?” Chike said, picking up a knife from the table and cleaning it with his handkerchief. He had his back to them.

“She has caused us too much trouble. You’ve seen her, the best thing is to finish her off right away.” Obi tried to reason with Chike.

“I agree with Obi, we should just kill her. She’s worthless and—”

“You don’t have the right to speak to me or tell me what to do,” Chike cut Raven up with a menacing tone, without looking at her. “And there’s no ‘we’.”

Obi shot her a keep-quiet- look and she almost entered into the ground. She shut her mouth and looked elsewhere.

“Forgive her boss, but you know I’m right. Getting rid of Kosarachi is what we have to do now. She’s too much trouble,” Obi said.

“I’m right here you know,” Kosarachi said, “maybe you guys should ask me what I want.”

“Shut up,” Obi said.

Kosarachi started to laugh and Raven came close to her and slapped her.

“He said you should shut up, bitch.”

Chike turned around to see Raven standing in front of Kosarachi and his patience ran out. He didn’t care what Obi thought, Raven was a ticking time bomb. From the time she arrived with Obi, she spoke out of turn and tried to find out everything about his business. She was stupid and she wouldn’t be useful to him or anyone with her impulsive nature. 

“I told you not to touch her again, didn’t I? Chike asked Raven, dropping the knife he was holding and facing them.

Raven gulped, “yes you did, but she was—”

“I told you that I am the only one who gets to touch her, didn’t I?” Chike said.

Raven gulped again, “I was just trying to keep her mouth shut, she was—”

“I like my people to be obedient to me, to take orders, as simple as they are, Raven.”

Obi watched the exchange and didn’t say a word. Kosarachi was in too much pain to interrupt.

“Yes and I’m very obedient,” Raven tried to reassure Chike.

“So you won’t speak again till I tell you to. You won’t hit Kosarachi again?” Chike smiled at Raven.

Raven smiled back, “I won’t speak or hit her again. I promise.”

“Good girl,” Chike said, “Obinwanne, make sure Don Billy’s order is delivered to him before the end of the day. I’ll be too busy with Kosarachi to supervise you and the boys. You think you can handle it?”

“You know I can do everything boss,” Obi replied. He looked at Kosarachi with so much anger. His boss didn’t think clearly whenever Kosarachi was involved. He wished he had had the chance to kill her in Lagos. 

“Good,” Chike said, turning his back on Obi and Raven again, “one more thing…”

He turned back around to face them. They were not prepared for what happened the next second.

 Raven wasn’t prepared for the bullet that glided swiftly out of Chike’s gun to hit its mark, her forehead. She wasn’t prepared for the cracking of her skull or the collision of the bullet and her brain. She wasn’t prepared for the “thud” sound that followed immediately she hit the tiled floor. She wasn’t prepared for her quick death.

“Fuck!” Obi exclaimed.

“Oh my God!” Kosarachi screamed simultaneously.

“Clean that up!” Chike yelled to Obi, putting his gun back in its position.

“You didn’t have to kill her, boss,” Obi said to Chike angrily, “I promised her she’d be safe with me.”

“Well, some promises are meant to be broken. Now, don’t speak to me like that. What were you thinking bringing her here in the first place?” Chike growled.

Obi was too shocked to speak. He turned his eyes to Raven and saw her staring at nothing. He turned to face Kosarachi and noticed her tears. Those crocodile tears. If only he could strangle her. If only he could…

“She was a liability and a distraction. She was slowing you down. I don’t need that from you right now. I thought we could use her but she’s too impulsive. Now, take her out of here and do your job.” Chike said with a final tone.

Obi reluctantly moved towards Raven. He closed her eyes with his palm and lifted her body up. His boss called Raven a liability, what was Kosarachi? His boss said Raven was slowing him down, what was his hate and desire for Kosarachi doing to him, Chike, too? He hated Kosarachi so much and blamed her for Raven’s death. He left the room with Raven in his arms. 

Kosarachi was still crying when Chike came to her.

“Stop crying my dear, she hated you. You should he happy she’s dead,” Chike caressed her bruised cheek.

“Why should I be happy when you’ll still kill me?”

He chuckled, “at least you won’t die today. I promise you that.”

She didn’t say anything but stared at him through her tears.

“Now, you know what I’m capable of. You should fear me.”

“I am not afraid of you, Chike,” Kosarachi said boldly.

“Oh, you will, soon enough,” Chike said and left her in the room.

Kosarachi exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard the door bang. Raven was dead. She couldn’t believe it. Raven’s blood stained the brown tiled floor.

Raven was dead. 

That was the second time she was watching someone die. Raven’s was brutal and swift, her mother’s death had been slow and painful. 

What would she tell Nifemi? That is if she ever saw Nifemi again. She wanted to give up, to give in to the pain in her wrists and arms, to the pain in her shoulders and her face. She wanted to rest. She was so tired of everything. Now one more person was dead, because of her. Yes, Raven was vengeful but she was just an angry girl. She didn’t deserve to die like that. A part of her, Sara,  was a bit pleased with the situation but her humane self was so sorry that it happened. 

She had to snap out of her misery and self pity. What had happened had happened. She was still alive which meant she still had hope, she wouldn’t give up. She was alone for the first time since she got there. She looked around for anything that would help her escape. The room was small. It had windows that were behind her. She had noticed them when Chike dragged her in. But even if she got to the windows, would she be able to jump down for she was on the first floor? She tried the ropes holding her down but she couldn’t move. She let her eyes rest on the torture implements on the table, far from her reach. If only she could get something there, she’d cut the ropes. She sighed, where was Nifemi?

She heard footsteps and the jangling of keys. The only way she was getting out of the ropes that bound her was if someone untied her. She played with the idea in her head. Kosarachi didn’t want to, but Sara was willing to go through that kind of pain again if it meant getting free. The door opened and Chike glided across the room to where she was.

“I see that you have stopped mourning,” Chike said to her.

“There was no point crying for her. You were right, she did hate me. She deserved her death,” Sara said to him, with a convincing smile on her face.

“You never cease to amaze me, Kosarachi.”

“You know what would be more amazing, you and I rolling in the sheets of that bed,” Sara moved her head to the direction of the bed.

“Ohh, I didn’t know you were so eager for that,” Chike said, clearly turned on. 

Disgusting bastard.

“There’s no point struggling when we both could enjoy each other,” Sara tried to reply lustfully. It seemed her plan would work. She’d get Chike to untie her and she’d get to one of those sharp objects, preferably the knife and drive it into his neck before he even thinks of touching her again. If she can’t get to the knife before then, she’d endure the horrible sex and wait for him to be vulnerable then she’d strike. She’d think of how to deal with Obi and the other men in the house afterwards.

“I like how you’re thinking now my dear. Maybe I won’t have to kill you afterall,” Chike said, planting kisses on her neck.

 Sara had to pretend to enjoy the kisses.

“Maybe you should untie me and take me to bed now,” she finally said.

“Maybe I’d do just that,” Chike said, he was about to untie her hands when a loud noise distracted him.

“What the hell was that?” he growled and went to the window to look outside. 

He saw that the gate had been opened ajar and police vehicles were parked outside and some blocked the entrance. Policemen were also entering the compound. Normally, he wouldn’t be bothered because he had some friends in the police but none of these men were his friends. Besides, his gate was wide open and his gatekeeper was sprawled on the ground, probably dead. Before he knew what was going on, the gunshots started.

“What’s going on?” Sara asked, alarmed.

“Shut up!” Chike slapped her when he stormed back to her. “You. Did. This. You brought the police here even though I’m not sure how you’d know the ones to talk to.”

Sara winced in pain at the slap. She didn’t call the police, but it only meant one thing, Nifemi and her father came through.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sara replied finally.

“Do you expect me to believe you?” Chike said, holding her jaw again.

“I don’t expect anything from you. But I should be the least of your worries. The police is here for you.”

Chike looked at her with so much hate. He wanted to hit her again but thought otherwise. The gunshots continued and he knew he was running out of time. By now the police would be entering the building.

He had cocaine in the building. 

They would search and they would find it. Obi had left to dispose of Raven so he had no one he could completely trust in the house. The other boys would give in immediately. He had to act fast. How had they found him? So many thoughts went through his head. For as long as he had been the head of his organization, he had never been ambushed like this. Obi was right, Kosarachi was trouble.

He untied Kosarachi without thinking. That could easily pass as the most stupid mistake he’d ever make. She almost fell on him but he pulled her up by her arm forcefully.

“Stand upright you bitch,” he yelled at her.

She managed to stand upright, while he dragged her to the door, his gun to the back for her gold head.

“I won’t hesitate to shoot you if you do anything stupid, Kosarachi,” Chike said to her.

She said nothing and he just held the gun to her head, waiting for the police to get to the door. He forgot that he had locked the door.

“Chike, I am Detective Maurice. You are surrounded by the Nigerian police. Come out of the building, to avoid more bloodshed. Turn yourself in,” Detective Maurice said to Chike through a megaphone. 

The police were already in the house, searching each room for Chike. They had found the tons of cocaine in one room and had arrested some of the men in the house. Some had put up a fight, hence the gunshots, some had been hit. Now they were very close to the only room in the house they hadn’t checked, the room where Chike held Sara captive.

Chike made sure his voice was as loud as possible, “I will not turn myself in. You people should leave my house immediately or I’ll kill the girl I’m with and I’m not even playing games.”

Detective Maurice paused, he signaled for two of his men to keep going towards the direction of Chike’s voice, steadily.

“You know we can’t leave now that you have said you have someone with you,” Detective Maurice said calmly.

“Take your men and leave or I’ll kill her. If you leave and grant me passage from here, I’ll let her live,” Chike replied.

Detective Maurice sighed, his gun was in his hand. He had walked to the door where Chike was, his men were awaiting orders. If he left with his men, Chike would disappear, even with the hostage he had. He had learned not to trust the words of drug lords or criminals. But then again, the IG had told him that one of the hostages Chike had was the daughter of Emenike Igwe, he wouldn’t want to put her life in jeopardy just because he wanted to apprehend Chike. He wanted to shoot down the door.

“Okay, don’t kill her. Tell me what you want Chike,” Maurice cajoled. 

“I want a car that would get me out of here. I would have asked for mine, but it’s stuck inside the compound you said you’ve surrounded. I want something I can easily navigate out of here with,” Chike responded.

“How am I supposed to get—”

“The car or I’ll kill her.”

Maurice sighed, this wasn’t what he envisioned taking up this case. 

“I’ll make a call and we’ll find you a car, now I need to know the hostage is alive first.”

Sara had listened as Chike bargained for her life with the detective, the gun still resting majestically at the back of her head. As soon as the detective demanded to know if she was alive, Chike hit her on the head with the back of the gun. She cried out in pain and she was sure Maurice heard her.

“Okay, I heard her voice,” Maurice responded, “don’t do whatever you did to her again. I was told you had two ladies in your custody and we have been talking about just one, where’s the other?”

“She’s dead, and if you don’t want this one dead too, you get me a car. I don’t care if it’s the one you came with, get me one. You have ten minutes,” Chike replied with a final tone. 

He jerked Sara back and forced her to sit down on the chair, ignoring her cries. He kept pointing the gun at her, not taking his eyes off her. He didn’t think of tying her on the chair.

 Two things could happen. Obi would come back in time and help him get rid of the policemen or the car would come. Either way, he was getting out alive. He would find a way to end Kosarachi before he got away, if it came to that. He couldn’t believe what was happening. One minute he was happy, the next minute everything he had worked for was about to vanish into thin air. He couldn’t even go to his office and take the money in his safe before disappearing.

Maurice didn’t know which of the ladies Chike had said he killed but he didn’t have time to think about it. He made a call first to Chief Emenike who had already arrived Asaba in his private plane. He wondered why he called the man first.

“Sir, Chike has demanded a car to leave with or he would kill the hostages,” he said to Emenike. He avoided telling him that one of the hostages was already dead.

“A car? A car is not a damn problem, Detective. If that’s what he wants, give it to him. I’m on my way to Onitsha right now. The IG said I could trust you, make sure that man doesn’t kill my daughter.” Emenike hung up.

Rich men and their demands. He was making another call requesting for a car for Chike when he heard a gunshot from the room Chike and his hostage were. He was still in shock when he heard another gunshot.