Chapter 48
After the heavy meal, Tiara had stumbled back to her neat cell to lie down on the narrow bed, and she’d promptly fallen asleep. She enjoyed a dreamless sleep that lasted for two hours, and when she woke up, she felt very refreshed. She’d lost track of time since she arrived at the Black Scorpion Gang’s den, but judging by the position of the sun, she guessed the time should be around 3 p.m. or so.
The moment her feet landed on the floor, the door to her room swung open and Ramone strode in, dressed in an Ankara shirt with the same faded jeans he wore before. His closely cropped hair was covered with a black beret, giving him the original cult leader look. However, what caught Tiara’s attention was the stern look on his face.
“Who are you?” He asked her.
Tiara didn’t understand the question, so she gawked at him for a few moments before collecting her wits. “I already told you my name,” she said, confused. “My name is—"
“I didn’t ask for your name,” he cut her off. “I asked, who are you?”
She could sense that something was wrong because this wasn’t the same jovial Ramone she had shared a meal with a few hours ago. This Ramone was the deadly gang leader who could slit her throat without hesitation if she gave him the wrong answer.
“I-I am a student. I’m an art student in UNILAG,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, lest he noticed how terrified of him she was.
“Are you from a wealthy family?”
“Me? No, why would you think that?”
“Because someone is willing to pay millions of naira to get you out of here tonight.”
This piece of information brought Tiara so much joy that she couldn’t hide her relief and excitement. “Are you serious? Someone is about to pay to get me out of here?”
“That’s what I said,” Ramone boomed. “The same person that sold you to us is now asking to buy you back for whatever amount we want, and that struck me as odd. Why would she sell you to us and then change her mind? What if you had been killed? And why does she want you back when she doesn’t even like you? Something about this doesn’t sit well with me, and my instincts are always right.”
Tiara thought quickly. “The truth is, that woman and I used to work together but then we had a misunderstanding and fell out with each other. Everyone who knows us knows that we have beef with each other, so I’m sure all eyes must have turned to her the moment it was discovered that I’ve gone missing. Maybe she’s catching some serious heat out there from my family and my friends, and that’s why she’s trying to get me back to save herself. She’s not doing this because she likes me, she’s doing it to keep herself out of jail.”
Ramone was silent for a while, thinking about what she had just explained. It all made sense, still…
“So, this woman in question is rich enough to afford a ransom of 50 million naira? Like, she just has millions lying around in her house that she can just dispose of on a whim?”
She heard the suspicion in his voice, and she saw the path to her freedom slowly disappearing into thin air. Of course, Mama J couldn’t afford such a huge amount of money. That was definitely Dare’s handiwork, but how would she explain away Mama J’s access to such an amount of money without exposing Dare? She didn’t want him to become a potential target for Ramone and his boys, but she had to give her captor a convincing explanation to make him agree to collect the ransom money without asking questions that would put her boyfriend at risk.
“You’re right,” Tiara conceded. “That woman doesn’t have 50 million naira at her disposal to give away willy-nilly, but she knows people and she has a lot of friends. Wealthy friends,” she stressed the last part of her statement for emphasis.
“I see,” Ramone said, not quite convinced. “But, if it turns out that you were sent here as a spy under the guise of being kidnapped and sold, I will find you and that your seller and kill both of you and everyone associated with you.”
Ramone’s threat made her blood run cold. “I assure you, I am not a spy. I have never heard about your gang before, nor did I even know that you guys existed until two days ago. I promise you that if you let me go, nobody would know anything about this place from me. I will not say anything about you or your boys, or whatever it is you do here. I give you my word on that, Ramone. I promise.”
“Of course, you would say all the right things just to get out of here,” he scoffed. “I am only agreeing to this trade because of the amount of money involved, plus, keeping you here will not be of any benefit to me except for the great sex.”
Yeah, you’re right about that, she thought wryly, and said, “Thank you for agreeing to let me go. I will never forget this act of kindness. Thank you.”
He shrugged as if to say, whatever. “I’ll be back to get you once we have confirmation that the money is ready. Until then, enjoy your last moments in seclusion.”
Ramone turned around and left the room, locking the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Tiara laid back on the bed and exhaled slowly. Dare had done it! She would be leaving this godforsaken shit hole tonight. Wow!
A part of her felt a pang of guilt when she remembered that she had willfully cheated on Dare in an attempt to set herself free. Perhaps, if she had been a bit patient, she wouldn’t have had to do that. Now, the same man that she had betrayed was the same one chipping off his wealth to rescue her. What a mess!
Remember, what happens here stays here, her conscience reminded her. You didn’t know you would be found, or that Mama J would change her mind, or that Dare would be willing to drop that humongous ransom money for you. You did what you did to keep yourself alive, and that’s called survival, not betrayal.
“That’s true,” she said aloud to herself. “I did what I had to do to survive, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if it is the one thing that would keep me alive. I refuse to slut-shame myself.”
Feeling empowered, she sat up on the bed and smoothened the front of her braids to detangle all the small, knotted curls around her forehead. She had entered the valley of the shadow of death and survived it, and that made her a brave woman. She will hold her head up high and walk out of here majestically like the queen that she is. Many people had entered into this dangerous den, and they didn’t make it out alive, so she refused to knock herself on the head for making life-saving decisions that may not have been morally right.
Fuck morals, she thought defiantly as she straightened out the oversized shirt that Ramone had given her. I’m alive and still breathing, and that’s all that matters.