Chapter Twenty

5pm,
Tramun city,
Block A
Dell housing complex.
"What's going on here?" I asked with fear. My father and Peter Mack exchanged glances, Keddy sighed. Tears were in his eyes.
"I'll tell you what's going on here," My father laughed hysterically. "I'm here to take what's rightfully mine." He licked his lips in a disgusting and lustful manner, I was yet to understand what was happening. My gaze shifted from Keddy, to my father, to Peter Mack.
"You, my dear… are going with me, to a place that I have designed, just for the both of us. You are about to see how much I love you." Peter Mack laughed the moment my father said that,and father joined in the laugh. Keddy stood calmly, he was looking so helpless. "Camilla my dear. When I brought you into this world, I was so grateful that you were a girl. You have older brothers, sorry I never told you. I just disliked them so much, because I can't be gay."
Peter Mack interrupted him, "Are you sure about that?" They both broke into another ear itching roar of laughter. My father spoke on. "I gave them up for adoption." He paused, looked at me carefully, then continued. "They were handsome, chubby, robust and worst of all, they were my blood. I just couldn't stand them, I gave them to whoever needed them. All two of them. Of course for a huge sum of money. And then, you came along, a perfect model of all I have prayed for, you were all I have waited for. I ordered my men to get rid of that bitch who bore you." I cupped my mouth with my hands, I couldn't believe what I just heard. Not like I could believe any of what he had been saying. I knew now that he was a demon. Evil, a murderer, but he killed my mother? I let the tears go. Or maybe he meant something else when he said "get rid" of her. My father said she died after she gave birth to me, but meeting Joe this afternoon reminded me that she was with me till after I turned three.
"Don't cry baby. I learnt you were gonna call child services on me." The whole room was filled with laughter, all but Keddy and I were rolling. "Even the government dare not get into my affairs. I'm Pedro, the leader of the most dangerous mafia gang in all the neighborhood cities. No one stops me. When I want something, I go for it! How sad of Keddy to think he can keep you here. And did he really take Peter and I for fools? He thought he could come back to our base whenever he pleased? He will be in a lot of trouble after now, that's for sure. But before then, we will take our leave now." He twisted his fingers around my wrists, pulled me up from the bed, and dragged me out of Keddy's bedroom. Keddy ran behind us, I could hear him gnash his teeth in pain.
Although he said nothing, I was certain of one thing. He cried. I could hear him too. So softly and tenderly, he sobbed. Before we were halfway down the stairs, I also heard him say what would be the last words I will ever hear him say in a lot of months. "I had one job to do, to protect her! And I failed."
I knew what I wanted to do, and although it seemed impossible, I would do it. I don't need Keddy! He tried, he failed, I'm grateful, but that doesn't change my perspective about men. Keddy probably had ulterior motives too. I knew just what to do, I knew what I could do, and I knew how I would do it. A grin lit up my face, as my father tossed me into his luxury car that used to be a place I enjoyed being. I wasn't scared, I wasn't bothered. I could protect myself.
Joe, my cousin, saw us coming down the stairs and rose to a standing position. What was he thinking? He ran to where my father and Peter were, and genuflected. "Lord!" he spelt the words out with so much pride. My father tapped his back and walked on.
"Bind her in chains, we are going to keep her blindfolded too. We don't want her knowing her way around, especially to the new base." Peter nodded and got to work immediately. He had cuffs for my hands and for my legs, and a black material for my eyes. In a few minutes, I was in the dark, completely helpless. I had left Keddy's house without my phone, which also meant that I had been rid of every means of communicating with Shully or with anyone else. I was wearing Keddy's baggy jeans and his oversized T-shirt, and asides that, I had nothing else on me. I had used his hair products on my hair too, I smelled like him. I was wondering when next I would have a decent shower.
The road we took had a lot of bumps in it. If I weren't new to this town, I would have been able to guess what path the car had driven on. But I was new here, and I knew nothing about the city, neither did I know my way around. The car drove for half an hour or more, Peter Mack was the driver, my father sat next to me.
"I'm really thirsty, do you think we should stop and have something to drink?" Peter's voice echoed.
My father grunted. "What do we do about her?" I knew he was talking about me. "Leave her here cuffed, and come back to her later."
"Okay, Peter!" The car came to a slow halt, my father and Peter exited the car.
"Be sure to lock the door." My father was speaking to Peter.
"It's locked." Peter checked again. I heard him trying to unlock it and it didn't bulge. "Even if it isn't, she can't get out." He giggled. The whole time, I was silent. I didn't move a limb, I didn't say a word. I kept my thoughts in my mind, and my plans in there too. A few minutes after they left, I was ready to take action.
It wasn't hard to slip my wrists out of the cuffs. I was very slim, so it didn't take long for me to squeeze my hands out. And then I took the blind fold out of my eyes. The light surged into my eyes with full force, it was blinding. I blinked repeatedly until my eyes adjusted.
The cuffs on my feet however seemed impossible to remove. I tried slipping it off the way I did with my hands but it was hurting my ankle. It seemed securely locked. I recalled seeing in some movies that earrings could open some locks, so I tried using mine to unlock the cuffs but it wasn't working either. I had spent more than five minutes already, I opened the door, and left the car.
It was nothing close to easy, my two legs were cuffed and I had to jump. My eyes met with Peter Mack's and he gave me a wide grin.
"What's that?" My father asked Peter, about to turn in my direction.
"It's nothing, Pedro. Come on, let's get a seat Inside, it's hot out here."