Subdued (18+)✔️ [A Nigerian Romance]

68~Scared to hell

Although she'd insisted that Kachi shouldn't stress Usman with coming to pick her up, she knew he wouldn't listen. So, Aria wasn't surprised when a man waved her over immediately she left the airport.

"Good evening ma. You're Miss Aria Okoye, right?"

"You are?"

"I'm Emeka. Mr. Kachi sent me, he said Usman won't be able to pick you up."

"Okay," she replied, digging for her phone so she could text Kachi. Emeka loaded her bags in the trunk of the car while she got herself seated at the back. She finally found her phone but was disappointed to find the battery flat. "Do you have a car charger with you? Or a powerbank?"

"Yes ma. Let me plug it for you." He stretched out his hand and she handed him the phone. After making sure it was charging, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

"Are we going to my place or his?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Whichever you want ma. Do you need anything to drink?"

"Water if you have. Also, let's go to Kachi."

The young man nodded before handing her the water. She had a few drinks before closing her eyes again. Her body felt heavy and she couldn't wait to get out so she could have a proper rest. She really should have listened to Mama Peter when she'd suggested taking the morning flight. But she'd been too excited about seeing Kachi so she'd refused.

They hadn't done much talking in the days since he'd been away, at least not about what happened. They'd exchanged a lot of funny memes and Kachi had admitted to missing her. They'd even decided on having the long awaited conversation immediately they saw so they could work things out.

She knew now that Rose had made everything up. Ada had replied under the supposed engagement photos and called Rose out which had led to a drawn out fight online. It had ended with an apology from Rose stating the photos were a prank and Ada was blowing things out of proportion. Aria had even gotten an apology from Rose who  liked to talk and had told her everything about her relationship with Kachi. She'd blocked Rose after and was more than ready to move on with her life.

Hopefully that life would involve Kachi and maybe a happy future for the two of them. With those thoughts in mind, Aria slipped into a dreamless sleep.

***

"You're sure you got to the airport in time?" His employer asked him for the third time.

Usman was anxious now because it was obvious something had gone wrong. He didn't need his boss to spell it out for him to know. From the moment he'd come from the airport and Mr. Onyekachi had told him Ms. Aria was unreachable, he'd known something was up. Whether it was his fault or not was yet to be seen.

"Sir, I was there thirty minutes before her flight arrived and I didn't leave my spot till much later." He took a few cautionary steps back. Mr. Onyekachi wasn't exactly a rational man when pissed and now that his woman was concerned, he could lose it at any moment.

"What exactly did her neighbor tell you when you went to her apartment?"

"That she'd not been home in weeks, sir." He watched his boss pace the length of the living room. "I even went to her friend's place and he seemed worried too. The last time he heard from her was before she boarded."

"So she's missing?"

Usman knew it was a rhetorical question but he still answered. "I'm not sure sir," he said. "Is it possible she lodged in a hotel?"

"Usman, we made plans for this evening and Zariah is not the type to cancel without prior notice."

"Sir, did you perhaps do something to anger her? You know you guys were fight—"

"Usman!"

His yelled name came as a shock, jolting the man. He realized he'd opened his mouth without thinking. "I'm sorry sir."

"Get out. Just get out."

"Ok sir." He turned to leave but was stopped by Mr. Onyekachi.

"Keep trying to reach her, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Yes sir." Usman wondered if this was the right time to remind his boss that today was his wedding anniversary and Mr. Onyekachi had promised to let him go before six pm. It was almost ten now, four hours later than he'd planned. Perhaps it was a good idea to call some of Mr. Onyekachi's friends?

***

Aria's eyes fluttered open just in time to see the car veer off into a bush path.

Bush? Her eyes immediately opened wide as she took in her surroundings. What was she doing in this place? She looked around for her phone in order to check the time, it was then she remembered Emeka had took it to charge for her.

Looking forward, she saw that he was not the only person in the car with her. In the front passenger seat, there was another man seated there.

"Excuse me? Where are we going? And what's the time?"

None of the men answered her so she tapped the back of the driver's seat.

"Hello? Where's my phone? Did Kachi ask you to bring me here?"

The man in the front passenger seat let out a loud laugh. "It's funny how she still doesn't realize what's happening to her yet."

Fear gripped her then as she slowly understood what kind of situation she was in. "Kachi didn't send you right? Stop this car right now!" she yelled, slamming her hand into the back of their seats.

"Guy, take care of this situation. I don't want to hear her voice," Emeka said to his companion who nodded and then turned to her.

"You can keep quiet or I can shut you up. Your choice," the man said to her, a huge grin on his face. She couldn't make much of his face in the dim interior of the car but she could tell he wasn't masked.

If they were showing their faces, didn't that mean they didn't plan on letting her go alive? Because if she got free she could identify them immediately. Maybe not the new man, but definitely Emeka. Were they ritualists? The ones her mother had warned her about? Where they thieves? If they wanted to steal, they could have robbed her blind while she slept. Kidnappers? It's not like her family had much to offer in ransom.

It had to be ritualists then! They wanted to harvest her parts for blood money. She had heard about many people falling victims, but never in her entire life had she expected to be caught in the same predicament.

"Let me out!" She refused to be quietly taken to her death. She would scream and make it difficult for them. It didn't matter that fear was turning her muscles to jelly, Aria was determined to fight. "If you don't let me out, I swear I'll—"

The slap stunned her and brought instant tears to her eyes. She was momentarily blinded by the impact and the tears so she couldn't see or stop the second blow.

"Jesus! Jesus! Please don't kill me." These men were not here to play. Forget fighting, she would beg and plead with everything she had. "I'll pay you, I'll do anything. Please don't kill me."

"Guy chill!" Emeka scolded his accomplice. "We were told not to touch her. When he finally comes, hell will break loose if he finds out his woman was hurt."

Wait! These men kidnapped her to lure Kachi? A new kind of fear crept into her mind. Better she die than to watch Kachi get hurt. She began screaming again.

"Emeka do something so she keeps quiet o. I'm tempted to knock her out," the accomplice said.

Emeka spared her a glance before nodding. "Make it clean." That was the last thing she heard before the excruciating pain came, followed by the dark quiet.

***

I'm fucking scared for Aria guys!

What do you think will happen and who do you think is behind this?

Please don't forget to vote and comment! I've missed talking to you guys.