FORTY-TWO

EVANGELISTA'S POV

The only thing on my mind was a way of escape. I had watched a number of movies where girls were taken in as sex workers. They would drug the girl until she became addicted; and they would invite different men to have sex with her, or rather to rape her, while the human traffickers got paid. In some movies which I had watched, some of the girls were even sold to faraway lands!! Oh no! Tears would run down my cheeks every time I thought of that. It scared the daylights out of me!! I hated watching movies of such kind; and to imagine that I was going to be a sex worker in real life; not even in acting; that on its own scared me to death! I mean, I don't think I was able to even act as a sex worker, and yet Zuri and her team meant to make me one in reality!

I was so desperate to escape that I even planned to seduce Troy. Among all the man, he was the only one who was a bit easy to talk to. Not that he was friendly; but at least I could talk to him. And also, I had noticed that he was close friends with Lucas. The two seemed to want to keep their friendship a secret, but because I spent a lot of time with Lucas, I knew that they were close.

I went up the stairs and I was about to walk into the main room when I heard Zuri's voice saying,

"Who is betraying me?"

No one said a word.

"There has to be someone betraying me! All this time I thought it was Lucas la Martina; and now that the man is dead, why do I still see some traces of betrayal?"

What! Lucas la Martina was dead? How? When? I thought he was taken to a hospital. I never knew that he died. I felt tears, my eyes suddenly began to swim in the hot wells. I felt pain. The pain was much deeper than what I could have imagined. Lucas was not my friend. If anything, he put me in danger by insisting that I was Anisha. But somehow, I ended up getting close to him. He spoke to me like a big brother. He was nice to me. But all the same, if someone had asked me, while Lucas was still alive, how I would feel if Lucas was to die, I probably would have just said whatever happened to him, I really do not care. Yes; I believed I did not care a bit about him, until he was dead. When I heard about his death, that was when I began to feel the pain.

"Who is the mole?" Zuri's voice boomed, bringing me back to reality. I sat down and wept freely, I did not try to hide myself. Zuri and her people never saw me as a threat; and I am sure I was not one. Unlike what they did with Lucas, I was never tied or blindfolded. I was left to roam around the huge house, moving from one room to the other at will. Of course I had specific rooms which I entered; I did not go to all of the rooms. Zuri and her people often acted like I did not exist and I liked it that way.

"What are the surveillance cameras showing? Did anyone carry my boxes out without my knowledge?" Zuri continued with her interrogation.

"There is nothing, boss", one man said in a low voice.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" Zuri was hitting on a table with her clenched fist. I dared not look. I hid behind the wall and continued to listen while I also cried quietly.

"Who is the mole? Who is betraying me! Rama!! It must be you! You never take my orders!"

"I do take all your orders, boss…"

"Enough of your nonsense! From the day that you betrayed me, I am seeing more of the real you! I told you from the beginning not to kill that woman, but you did! It's you, Rama! You are the mole!" Zuri went on and on, spitting out the words with great rage.

"No, boss, no no. I am not a mole, I have been forever faithful to you, boss. The only reason why I killed Larissa was because she was fighting me. When I got to her house she was in the shower. I only meant to abduct her, as per your instruction, but when she heard my footsteps downstairs, she came in with a towel wrapped around her. She got into the kitchen first before me and grabbed a knife, that's why she managed to cut me on my hand; you can see this scar, boss! I would have never killed her, but she proved more powerful than I thought. She fought me. She fought like a man. Even when the towel around her body fell off, I expected her to act like a lady and try and hide her nakedness, but she still fought me, boss! She was going to crack my head open with a kitchen stool, but I dodged her. Having no other option, I had to stab her multiple times, just to make sure. That woman was no ordinary woman, boss. She would have killed me. You have to believe me, boss. I would never betray you!"

There was silence.

"You are weak, Rama! You can't fight a woman! Instead you have to kill her!! I wanted her alive!!" she screamed.

"But boss, I thought that was a thing of the past!"

"It is, but now it's causing us more trouble! I am referring to that as proof that you are the mole in my camp!" Zuri shouted angrily.

"I promise you, boss Zuri, it was not me!" Rama begged as if his life depended on it…or maybe it did!

"Rama, I am…"

"Boss, believe me…." Rama spoke before Zuri finished her sentence, much to the latter's fury.

"How dare you talk while I'm talking! Traitor!! Troy, give me my gun!", Zuri screamed.

"No boss, no no no please no no …."begged Rama.

The door from behind Zuri was flung open by a man who ran in and was immediately stopped by the former.

"Can't you see that we are busy!!" she sounded like she was going to burst from anger.

"Boss, it can't wait!" the man said.

"What can't wait! It better be good or I will send a bullet through that thick head of yours!" Zuri swiftly moved the gun from Rama and pointed it straight at the man who had just entered the room.

"Boss, I have very bad news!"

"Bad news?" Zuri sounded seriously agitated.

"Yes boss" the man nodded nervously.

"Well then spit it out!" she screamed.

"A reliable source has said a rival is back in the game. We all thought he was dead, but he was just lying low. He is back in full force!"

"Who?" Zuri asked with widened eyes. I could be wrong, but I think I heard a trace of fear in her voice.

The man cleared his throat and rubbed his palms together anxiously.

"Speak! Who is the rival?" Zuri yelled.

"Israel Bassard!" the man barked.

What? Israel Bassard? My own brother? He was Zuri's rivalry? Really? Ok, I was surprised. I knew my brother and although I did not know too much about his business, being acquaintances, or even rivalries, with the members of the mafia syndicate was too much for me. Huh? Israel and Zuri knew each other? Did he… my brother… did he also deal with human trafficking and selling of human organs illegally? How bad can you be, dear Israel?

"Israel Bassard? Didn't that man die a long time back?" Zuri's hands began to come down slowly, her grip on the gun obviously loosening.

Dead? No. Israel Bassard was not dead. My brother was alive…and well, I hoped.

"Israel Bassard is very much alive, boss. Eden Salatto is the name that he is using!" the man spoke.

IN A REMAND CELL IN SOUTHRAIN

A police officer opened the door to see an exhausted Valentina.

"Where is your sister?" she asked.

"I have told you many times. I don't know anything." Valentina's voice sounded very weak.

"You shall talk!" the woman said in a cruel voice. Valentina remained lying down, not moving an inch. She did not cry. She just covered her face with her hand, and did her best to endure the emotional pain in silence.

"She called you! The last number she dialed with her cell was yours!" the woman sounded angry.

Valentina remained silent.

"If you didn't know anything," the woman continued, "then what were you two talking about when she called you from Southrain City Lodge? She told you her plans, didn't she? Are you part of the kidnapping team? Who is your leader? Why did you kidnap the la Martina baby? Tell the truth now!"

"I don't know anything," Valentina repeated.

"You shall talk," the woman spat out before leaving in haste.

Valentina removed her hand from her face, struggled to sit up, and then she permitted the tears to run.