Chapter 43

Dare along with his security guys and Greg hit the road at top speed in their mini entourage consisting of four black SUVs. As they approached Lekki Phase 1, he put a call through to the manager of the Protea Hotel in Lekki to inform her of what he was coming there to do and why. The manager was a business acquaintance of his and she was more than happy to help. She told him that she would notify her staff to let him, and his entourage have full access to the hotel room where a possible kidnapper might be hiding.

By the time they got to the hotel, the day had dawned into a bright morning. Dare was pained that Tiara had had to spend the night in captivity simply because of Jemimah’s unjustified vendetta against her. He wished he could strangle the flamboyant pimp with his bare hands, but he knew that wouldn’t help Tiara, so it was pointless.

The hotel security let them in without questions, so they all marched straight to the reception desk with Dare leading the team. The receptionist gave them a quick description of how to locate the room they were heading to. This time around, Greg was in front as they rode the elevator to the second floor. In the hallway, they came across an elderly couple on their way out, who seemed startled to see Dare’s combatant guys sneaking down the hallway. They motioned for the couple to be quiet and waved them into the elevator. Once the team was all up and in position, Greg got the go-ahead to knock on the door of Room 204.

“Hey, Jemimah. Open up, it’s me.” He said as he rapped on the door with his knuckles.

“Oh shoot! Chude, you should have left since. Greg is here,” they heard Jemimah saying from inside. Her voice sounded muffled but close enough for everyone outside to know that she was standing near the door.

They heard a crash inside and what seemed like feet shuffling before the key turned in the door. As soon as Jemimah opened the door, the leader of the combatant guys kicked the door in with his heavily booted foot. Jemimah fell back and landed on her big butt on the carpeted floor.

“What the hell!” She shouted as she tried to get up. When she saw Dare behind Greg and the half a dozen commando-looking guys march into her room, her rage turned to fear. “Wh-what’s going on?” She stuttered.

Her half-naked male companions were trying their best to fade into the background, but it was impossible. There was nowhere for them to hide under the watchful gaze of the mean-looking guys in black with loaded guns.

“Where is Tiara?” Dare asked her coldly. “Don’t make me ask you twice,” he said when she remained mute.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” she said unconvincingly.

Dare retrieved his gun from the back of his pants and cocked it before aiming it at her head. “What did you say?” He asked her through clenched teeth.

Jemimah swallowed hard. Ok, maybe the billionaire is not in the mood to play games with her right now, so calling his bluff may not be the smartest move for her to make.

“Wait, calm down,” she said quickly with her arms raised to shield her face. “Look, it’s a long story ok, but please put the gun down and let me explain.”

“The gun stays up,” Dare said menacingly. “Now start talking!”

“Oh dear,” Jemimah said, flustered. What have I gotten myself into?

“Please don’t shoot me,” she pleaded. “I know you will be mad when you hear what I have to say, so please put the gun away, let me tell you where she is.”

“Ok,” Dare said and lowered the gun, but it was now pointing at her left foot. Jemimah quickly withdrew her foot and tucked it under her.

“Look, I’m sorry, ok,” she said with a shaky voice. “I was so angry, and I just wanted to teach her a lesson.”

“Where is she?” Dare thundered at her.

Jemimah flinched at his tone. Her eyes watered, and her heartbeat quickened. “Please don’t kill me,” she whimpered fearfully.

“Just tell him where she is, damn it!” Greg snapped at her. Even he was already losing patience with Jemimah’s dilly-dallying.

“I-I arranged for her to be kidnapped and then I …” she trailed off, unable to say the next part of her confession.

“Don’t make me commit murder, Jemimah,” Dare warned her. “What did you do?”

“I s-sold her…”

“You did what?” Dare whispered in horror.

“I sold her to the Black Scorpion gang. I’m sorry, Dare, please forgive me,” she pleaded and began to cry.

“What the fuck!” Greg yelled. “Why the fuck would you pull that kind of shit? Are you crazy? Have you lost your fucking mind?”

Dare became even more alarmed by Greg’s reaction. “Do you know the gang she’s talking about?”

Greg rubbed his face in frustration. “Yes. Those guys are a band of ruthless killers. They also work closely with some corrupt politicians and unscrupulous medical agencies. They kidnap people or buy them from other kidnappers and kill them to harvest their organs for the black-market organ trade. They also engage in human trafficking, and they have connections everywhere. They’re like a fucking powerful cancer cell that keeps growing and growing in the shadows. Look, man, it’s going to take a miracle to ever find Tiara again, and I’m not trying to scare you. I’m being real here; those guys are evil. You don’t want to mess with them.”

“What if I offer to buy her back?” Dare asked quickly, thinking on his feet.

Greg sighed. “I don’t know, man. But we could try.”

“How do we get in touch with them?” Dare asked Jemimah who was still sobbing on the floor.

“I have the phone number of their middleman. I can give it to you,” she offered.

“No. You will call them and arrange a meeting with them,” Dare spoke as a plan began to form in his head. “Tell them you have another person to sell to them.”

“What?” Greg exclaimed.

“That’s a clever strategy, but it is also a very dangerous one,” Dare’s head of security friend told him. “Baiting them will only make them mad. I suggest we tell them the truth upfront and let them know we want to repossess one of their captives.”

“Ok, ok, that could work,” Dare conceded. “Quick, make the call now, and let’s set things rolling. I want Tiara out of their den before nightfall. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if she spends one more night in captivity. Now call the kidnappers!”

Jemimah scrambled to her feet and made for the nightstand where her phone was laying on. With shaky fingers, she quickly dialed her contact person in the Black Scorpion gang, but even as the phone rang on the other end, Jemimah knew it would take a miracle, just as Greg said, to get Tiara out of there. And that’s assuming she was still alive.