TWENTY-SIX

Scarlet Sapphira screamed as they bashed Amane in the head with the back of a gun, then he remained motionless with his head lowered...

Scarlet Sapphira looked at Chienembe then begged,"Please, it's my dad you want, let Amane go, I'll... I'll do anything just please..."

"As I said I know both your dads, he did something wrong too, I had men tell him...warn him to lose that fight last night, but did he listen? No, all because he wanted to put a good show for little miss inamorata sitting over here, so in a way, it's your fault and if I did this, it will be too..."

He brought out a push dagger again began progressing towards Amane's unconscious body and Scarlet Sapphira screamed for him not to touch him, begging him till she snapped the ropes from behind her and ran towards Chienembe, who didn't make a movement till she was hit with a taser cable and fell to her knees.

Chienembe chuckled at her futile attempt then thrust the dagger into Amane's chair as he suddenly sprung back and headbutted him in the nose, then grabbed him in a rear naked choke while holding the dagger to his neck, then said,"Let her go or I'll make this man meet his maker..."

"Let him go, son..."

Amane looked behind himself, right before he received a knockout punch to the cheek...

***

This time even I was worried, she hadn't called all morning, yet promised she'd call three times each day, at six am, twelve noon and six pm, she had missed her first mark.

What was that boy doing with my daughter?

"I knew it! That boy was bad news, but did any of you listen?! No! You didn't! Who's laughing now, Rose?! Ha!"

"Tommy, sit down."Lucy said.

I obediently sat down as Lucy placed her ear back on the phone then let out a sigh of relief then asked,"Luis, where are you?"

Luis was presently in his car, eating potato chips and ice cream with dark circles under his eyes and when the phone rang, he could barely turn over to pick it up.

After several seconds, he was finally able to reach into the phone buried in garbage on the next seat, then answered with a coarse,"What?"

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed as she asked,"Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, what is it?"He asked, soulless.

"If this is a bad time I could do it myself..."

"No, no, it's fine, what kind of husband would I be if I couldn't get the milk..."

"The what?"

He spontaneously burst into tears on the other side of the line then she switched off the speaker and went someplace private then asked,"Luis, what is wrong with you?"

"It's Lucille..."

"What about her?"

"I found her..."

"Really?"

"Yes, and you were right, she didn't want to come back..."

"That's why you're crying? Honey, she's a grown woman and can take care of herself, but Scarlet Sapphira isn't..."

He immediately jumped up in the seat and there was all sorts of clamour as the junk food packaging seethed around then he asked,"What happened to my Tabby cat?!"

"She...went to Japan with her boyfriend and hasn't called back in a day."

"What?! Why the heck would you let her do that?! Do you know who she is?!"He yelled.

"Honey, she's changed now, much has changed, but we think something might be wrong."

"Where did she go?"

"She said to Mount Fuji..."

"... I'll bring her back honey...and teach that boy a lesson..."

"Just be mild with..."

He hung up and she pursed her lips, they were dead.

She then walked to me as I sat, nervously fumbling with my fingers, then spoke,"Tommy, I need you to do something for me..."

***

Scarlet Sapphira slowly opened her eyes again then tried to move but winced in pain as the barbed wire sunk into her neck and ribs.

She slowly turned to Amane, who was slowly walking up as well and saw Chienembe and a huge man talking casually.

Scarlet Sapphira looked at Amane and whispered his name as loudly as she could, but he didn't respond.

She was getting anxious till he began tapping his foot, she slowly looked to her side and also began tapping, they spoke in Morse code.

After that, the man slowly walked closer then said,"Son, you really hit the jackpot this time, didn't you?"

He began to laugh when he lifted Scarlet Sapphira abruptly by the chin then asked,"What is your name, girl?"

"Go to h*ll."She said and spat.

"One with an attitude, I see... Chienembe, teach her her place as a woman as I taught my wife..."

Amane lost it as he began yelling curses at his own father, but his father grinned then said,"You're angry, aren't you? Let's see how angry you are when...she loses her value..."

He gave the signal then some men began dragging Scarlet Sapphira away on the chair as she screamed, but not half as loud as Amane as his father turned his head to the glass doors of the room where they began tying Scarlet Sapphira to a bed.

He yelled till he eventually said,"Do it to me!!"

Everyone looked at him as he said,"Please leave her alone and do it to me...her father would never come here if you raped her, but if you did it to me... I'll learn my lesson."

There was dead silence as his father fell silent, then said,"No..."