Dedicated toRhodagana

I know, I know, I'm dead meat only that I'm a fish instead..😅

I apologise, really, God knows the past two months have been craze filled..

I'll try my best to finish this book by the end of this year (book will soon finish sha), even if I've lost my readers I'm sure.🥲

Anyway sha, in compensation, this chapter is 🔥

Enjoy!

~♠♠♠~

_Chidinma_

"Well, what do you know? I honestly thought you wouldn't come." I heard her voice before she emerged from the darkness with her lackey Gerald.

I just stared passively at her as she cackled maniacally to herself. I was past caring or feeling anything at this point. All I could think or care about was how to save Kelechi and also make her pay for what she had done. I smiled internally at myself as my phone, which was hidden under my long coat felt warm against my thigh, as if to reassure me. My plan was to record whatever will go on in the place she was taking me to.

"Search her." Sega said, her voice losing all it's false warmth. My heart palpitated and my courage faltered for a second as I heard her speak those words.

My phone was in my jean pocket.

I had to think fast.

Her lackey Gerald came over to search me, but he withdrew hesitantly as I gave him a scathing look. Hissing in annoyance, Fega pushed him out of the way and search me herself, all the while smiling evily at me. She stopped abruptly when her hand skimmed over the pocket that concealed my phone. Shaking her head in dark amusement, she pulled it out and threw it into the car's glove compartment after switching it off.

My plan had been foiled.

"Honey, I seriously didn't think you were this dumb. Did you seriously think we wouldn't search you? What were you planning to do, record whatever we're planning to do to you?" She said after searching me.

I didn't justify her question with any response whatsoever, even if inside I died a little at my folly. As I looked hard into her eyes, Fega came up close and patted my check.

"Even if you succeeded in doing so how do you want someone to get it?" She leaned to the side and put her mouth to my ear.

"Don't you get it? You came here to die bitch." I blanched instantly at her words, all the while praying that my face didn't betray my obvious terror.

Chuckling at little under her breath she turned to her lackey.

"Proceed." She ordered, her voice cold.

He nodded once and came up to me with a cloth sack. I didn't flinch when he put it over my head, neither did I show any sign of discomfort when he bound my hands behind my back with thick cords, although I almost broke at the acutely overwhelming sense of deja Vu. I steeled myself as they roughly led me to their car and pushed me into the backseat, something I felt was highly unecessary.

The drive lasted for hours before we finally came to a stop. I felt disoriented and lost as I was pulled out of the car. We walked a long distance, sometimes turning in a different direction altogether. It seemed like we were walking through a forest, because occasionally, I would hear the rustling of leaves and the cracking of twigs. I stumbled and fell countless of times as the ground was deathly uneven. Sometimes, when my face hit the rough earth, filled with twigs and stones, I would hear them cackle evilly at my expense, which made my blood boil with anger and something stronger.

Hatred. I hated them.

Soon, I felt that we had entered an enclosed space, which smelt strongly of rotting wood and rusted iron. The air was dank and stale; it smelt like a place without life, a place of death. And to think my brother had spent close to four days here--the thought made my stomach coil. Then I felt strong hands forcefully shoved me into a chair and tie my hands and feet to it's legs and arms.

The last time something like this happened to me, I almost died. Now, there would be no almost.

Suddenly, the bag was roughly yanked off my head. I winced a little as the dull but otherwise bright in the dark room overhead lamp was the first thing that caught my eyes. When they finally adjusted to the lighting, I saw Fega standing at few feet away, staring at me, her black eyes glinting maniacally.

"Where is my brother?" I asked, willing my voice to be strong as I looked at Fega dead in the eyes.

"We didn't bring you here for a family reunion." Fega replied hotly, scoffing.

"Where is my brother Fega?" I asked again, feeling the burning need to see him, to know if he was okay, but I couldn't risk portraying the urgency I felt.

Fega's countenance changed suddenly, her eyes seemed to hold a glint of surprise. "Huh, baby girl is really trying to be tough..okay oo. Gerald biko bring in her precious brother."

Not before putting the bag over my head again, I heard Gerald's footsteps fade away as he left the room. Just what was this place? Suddenly, I heard grunting and chair scraping violently against the ground.

My heart started to beat faster and my blood started to boil when I heard muffled screams, followed by a low thud. Did they hit him? They hit my baby brother. With out think twice I started to scream and jerk in my chair as tears pooled in my eyes. How dare they?

Suddenly, the grunts and struggling stopped and my ears were met with a painful, deafening silence. Squeezing my eyes shut to stop them burning from tears, I drew in the deepest breath my current confinement could allow me to. Immediately I did, the bag was yanked off my face. As my eyes roamed my surroundings, I grew hysterical when I didn't see him anywhere.

"Where is he!?" I screamed, my voice hoarse. The witch just laughed.

"Chill madam," she drawled, "he's behind you." Immediately she said this I heard muffled sounds behind me. Kelechi was there. I turned my head as far as it could go.

The eye I could see was swolken shut and multiple bruises marred his handsome face. My brother was murmuring nonsense under his breath and groaning from the pain if all he felt. It broke my heart seeing him this way. It broke my heart because I was the one who caused it.

As angry tears sprung from my eyes, I called his name and tried to rouse him with the jerk of my chair. Before I could go any further, Fega yanked my face back, towards her.

"That's enough." She snarled.

Then, determination came to me stronger than ever. I wasn't going to die tonight. No matter what, I was going to walk through this, Kelechi was going to walk through this, alive. All I needed to be was smart.

"You know," I started, chuckling darkly under my breath as I looked up at my captor through swollen eyes, "It's funny how you threaten me like this Fega, like you masterminded this entire operation."

She just laughed darkly, her face concorting maniacally. "I know what you're trying to do chibaby, and honestly, it's not going to work. As much as I want to jam a knife through your throat right now, my boo will be here very soon and then, he will put an end to you. Just be patient okay?"

My blood froze at her words, but somewhere among the blood that rushed to my head and through me, I heard Kelechi's voice say my name in a question. Hope. I needed to be smart. I needed to beat her at her own game.

God, please give me strength.

"Really? Are you that obsessed with him that you can't see that he's using you!?" I spat at her face trying to rile her up. Her face twitched a little as a dark look passed over her features. Before I could process what was happening, my left cheek stung. She had slapped me so hard across the face that my ears were ringing.

Chidinma be strong. Be strong, I repeated to myself as tears threatened to spill from my eyes. To dispell this thought and show no sign of weakness, I made a show of squeezing my eyes shut and rotating my head on it's axis.

"Wow." I crooned softly under me breath. "That slap just showed me that I'm actually unto something. Tell me Fega, how does it feel to love and not be loved in return?" I asked, raising my head while I looked at her squarely in the eyes.

Fega bristled above me, her frame racking from the anger she was trying to control. I had no idea what I was trying to do, all I wanted was for something to work in my favour and there was only one thing I could attempt to manipulate.

Her feelings.

I shocked when Fega actually spoke, her voice nothing but a low, shaky growl. "Dinma I'm warning you. If you like yourself you'll just shut up!"

Although my heart was racing at the thought of what she could do to me next, I sniggered under my breath. "Or what? You'll slap me again or you'll go crying to your boo that doesn't care about you? Face it Fega." I spat, narrowing my eyes. "You're nothing to him. You're just a pawn in his game."

The look I saw on Fega's face shocked me. She looked pure evil, maniac even. I knew then that I had struck a nerve. It was either she killed me there and then, or she'd tip the scales in my favor.

Somehow.

I felt a chill go down my spine when I heard her laugh. It was sick and twisted, in the way someone would laugh at seeing a puppy dead.

"You know who was pawn in his game?" She questioned, eyes flashing with hatred as she glared at me. I raised an eyebrow in response. Taking it for acquiesce, Fega continued.

"Chioma." She whispered, yanking me closer to her by my shirt. I could feel her hot breath fan across my face. She was losing it--she was going off the edge.

God help me.

I willed my facial muscles and expressions to show nothing other than nonchalance. "You don't say." I replied. I saw her eyes harden the moment the words were out of my mouth. Shaking my being roughly, she spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh I say. Chioma was nothing more than an object of sexual glorification. He wanted the filthy witch to be his queen. Only God knows what he saw in her. Like the fool she was, she actually thought he cared for her. She followed him everywhere he went, and start basking in the glory that should have been mine!"

She shoved me away from her with so much force that I actually toppled over with the chair. As my being came in contact with the cold comfortless floor, I heard Kelechi whimper, no doubt out of fear. He had been listening to what we were saying. I couldn't imagine how confused he must feel. Suddenly, like as if my hands had a mind of their own, they started to search the floor awkwardly, looking for anything sharp.

With my cheek to the floor, and the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, I continued. She couldn't know. She need to talk. She needed to keep talking.

"So you conspired with Terror to kill her? All because you were petty and jealous!?" I asked, my voice a strained whisper. It was at this moment, my hand closed in over something. As I held it tight in my hand, it painfully cut through my skin. Glass.

As I secured it, my eyes shifted back to my captor. I watched as she just shook her head, muttering things to herself. For a moment, I pitied her. She was obviously deranged. She needed love and care, not whatever Terror did to make her think he cared.

"I knew you wouldn't understand! She took what was mine. Mine! Nobody takes what is mine. And your chibaby brought her death upon herself. She started poking her nose into what didn't concern her. After we killed that wretch as a warning, she didn't stop. It actually made her more curious, more thirsty for the truth. Fucking Nancy Drew, she started asking questions, started pestering him and acting like she actually cared just to get his approval. And her plan worked until the day she found out."

This was it. This was what I needed.

"What did she find out?" I asked, my voice nothing but a shaky whisper, due to my anticipation. The blood in my body rushed to my head and made it pound as the suspense killed me. Fega said nothing for a while. Then I heard footsteps coming towards me.

My chair was suddenly yanked up and I was face to face with the mad woman herself. She eyes are back to dead calm, nonchalance filled. She laughed, a dry, hollow laugh that made wince.

"You think you're smart. Nice try, but I'm just gonna have to leave you guessing on that one b. You crazy bitch." And with that she pushed herself off and walked out of my sight.

Boo's here!! Gerald let's go!" She yelled as she walked out.

For a minute I stopped functioning. The man that was going to murder me had arrived. Countless of seconds ticked away as I realized that I was going to die today. No one was going to save me, not this time. I was already neck deep into depression when I heard Kelechi call my name softly. Immediately he did I snapped back into action.

If I couldn't save myself, I would save Kelechi.

"Your hands are tied behind your back right?" I asked, schooling my voice to be dead calm.

"Yes." Kelechi answered, his soft yet deep voice trembling.

"Good." I painstakingly and urgently maneuvered the shard of glass in my hand. When I had gained enough dexterity, I started to cut through the thick cords in frantic jabs.

"Chidinma! God what are you doing!? Is that glass!? Your hands are bleeding!" Kelechi whisper yelled,his eyes wide with fear, concern and awe. The glass cut deeper into my hands, but I didn't mind them. All that mattered was getting Kelechi free.

"It doesn't matter. Kelechi listen to me. When I successfully cut through these ropes, I want you to use that glass and try to cut through the bonds on your feet. Immediately you do, make a run for it and don't look back."

As soon as I had said these words, the ropes gave way. I made to give the glass to Kelechi but he wasn't taking it. Time was running out, this wasn't the time for him to be stubborn.

"Kelechi take the dammed glass!"

"No. I am not leaving you here!"

"You damned well are!" I spat, my voice growing an octave higher. If we didn't keep it down, someone would hear us, the last thing I needed to happen.

"Kelechi, I'll make it out someway okay? I came here to save you, I'll make it out someway..I'll be right behind you." From the way Kelechi's eyebrows were set, I saw that he had seen through my blatant lie.

"I. Am. Not. Leaving. Without. You. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you here. I heard everything she said Chi. She's going to..to..I can't leave you. I'd rather go with you." As he said these words, although his eyes were swimming, his jaw was set; a telltale sign that he had made his choice. I sighed heavily and smiled sadly, my eyes swimming too.

"Kel, you fool." I croaked.

My heavenly brother, just smiled sadly at me. "You love me." He replied causing us to chuckle at his feeble retort. Somehow, our hands, found each other's, even if mine were still tied awkwardly behind my back.

"I do." I whispered, my voice heavy with sudden exhaustion, as we leaned our heads against each other's.

At least, I would be dying with someone I loved.

It was at this moment, our hangmen entered the room, tailing who I supposed was Terror. My eyes widened as I took him in. Terror wasn't who I had imagined him as. When I had read about him in Chi's diary, I imagined him as someone who emitted everything bad people were. Ugly, always on black and evil.

But Terror wasn't on black. He was donned in a purple turtleneck and beige pantaloons, his hair a full afro. In all his handsome glory, he seemed to suck life out of the room, make everything still; he was attention itself. It was then I saw why Fega was drawn to him, same with Chioma. He carried himself like he was a Prince. But Princes didn't have black, soulless eyes.

Black, lifeless, soulless eyes that were currently, unwaveringly fixed on me.

I was finished.

~~~~~~

_Omniscient POV_

Bintu swung into action barely two minutes after Chidinma had left the house. Although Chidinma had strictly said that nobody should follow her, she couldn't help but disagree. Bintu Olaleye was a smart, quick-witted woman; that was why before Chidinma left the house to her death, she had given her a tight hug, a guise which she used to subtly plant a micro-tracker under the collar folds of her ward's coat.

Although, she had successfully tracked and saved her location, Bintu wondered who on earth was going to save her, and how on earth she was going to be saved. For all she knew, Chidinma's captors could have found the chip and wired it or destroyed it. She wondered because at the moment, as she stood, stealthily staring out through the window that faced the gate, she saw that the goons of whomever had taken Chidinma had stationed themselves in front of the house in two sleek, black cars, a few meters away.

They were watching her.

But then again, Bintu Olaleye was a smart woman, so she called the office.

A decoy was needed somewhere.

~~~~~~

Hmm? Hmm?

It's like all hope is lost for Dinma..or not? It was nice seeing her being strong for a while tho. All she needs to do is commit herself to something and she'll be able to do it.

She's strong like that.

Longest chapter I've ever written, fr.

I sparkly heart you guys! (if I still have guys that is🥲)