Heir to the Khalil Throne✔️

25: Otherside

"There were no fingerprints besides yours on the door handle. The camera footage is gone and your neighbours did not see or hear anything."

He has been gone for nine hours, still no ransom call. Darius' family came as soon as he called to tell them. I keep myself busy by making food and tea.  

"We should have recieved a call or a note by now." Danika says

"How were they able to get past security?"

"I don't know." he answers, he is drained by this and while he is trying to seem put together, there is not much he can do. "I wish there was something I can do." with those words I rememeber that I could get the footage.

I head to my study where my laptop and scrambler is. They barely notice my disappearance.

It took me three hours but I finally have the footage. It confirms what we already know, they are professionals. The car has no liscence plates and they are wearing masks. Still, I anonymously send it to the police so they can have it.

"Bohlokoa!" I head downstairs where everyone is and the commisioner and a detective are there.

"We were sent the footage anonymously and we are still trying to figure out where it comes from." as the footage plays, the TV switches on.

In black, the french arms dealer I was looking for stands in front of a white wall.

"Hello Athena, its a pleasure to finally place a face to the name."

"How did you..."

He interjects "That's not what you want to ask."

"Where is my baby?"

"Good. I took your child, he is here right now if you want to say Hi." someone hands Darian over to him and he looks unharmed.

"Name your price." Darius says

"Athena, I took him because I want to test you. To get him back, you have to find me but be quick, I am giving you seventy two hours before you will never see him again."

"How the fuck am I supoosed to find you?"

"You are a smart girl, you will figure it out." the tv goes blank. I deflate onto the couch. How am I going to find him in seventy-two hours if I could not find him in three months?

"Who is he and what was that?"

"His name is Arsène, a French arms dealer that I was hired to find."

"What?"

"Ma'am, we would like you to come to the station with us."

"No. If you have questions ask them here."

"Who hired you?" Darius asks

"South African intelligence agency."

"We would need to verify."

"You won't get it. It's off the books, you could ask MI5 but they would turn you away because yet again, it's off the books."

"Who are you?" Destiny asks and the only answer I can give to that is a look.

"Any more questions?" no one says anything "Cool, I am going to find my son."

"Ma'am, if you interfere in the investigation..."

"To save you time, I am the one who recovered the lost footage. You will not find him without my help and you can either work with me or get out of my way before I speak to your boss' boss." stunned they keep quiet and I head to my study.

Getting into a chat with crackers from all over the world, I leave a message for crackers that I have worked with in the past to call my burner phone.

As I wait for the calls, I go through my file on Arsène. Taping the papers to the wall, I build a mind map of what I know so I can find it what I do not know.

A soft knock on my door "Enter." Darius walks in and sits down while looking at my mind map.

"So were you ever going to tell me?"

"Darius, we are two strangers who fuck sometimes and have a child. Was I going to trust you with my secret? Would you trust me with your secrets?" he stays silent giving me my answer

"But your secret could be the reason I lose my son."  I stay silent, there is no answer to give, I can not think of a justification or explanation that will make him feel better.

My phone rings and I pick it up

"It's Cyrus, what do you need?"

"Everything you can get me on Arsène, French arms dealer."

"Cool, will call you when I have something."

"Will wire the funds now." he hangs up and I get back to my map

"What was that? Who was that?"

"A friend helping me find our son."

"What can I do?"

"For now, you can get me a cup of coffee and a snack and for you some vodka, you need it." he chuckles before walking out and as the door closes, I find myself sinking, what if I can not do it in time, what if I fail Darian?

Pulling myself together, I walk back to my laptop to see what I could have missed maybe there is something I missed, there has to be.

He places the coffee with a slice of cake in front of me, he sits opposite me with a coffee mug in his hand. How did I get caught up in this? Why would Arsène want to involve my child? How did he find me?

Wait, how did he find me? No one has been able to find me and no one should be able to find me especially since I am in London.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"You look like you are connecting dots."

"Arsène should not have been able to find me, I have taken precautions and if they failed, I moved all the way here. If he was looking, he would have found me in Joburg, because even they people who know about me in SSA, don't know that I left the country."

"Okay?" he looks confused

"If he tracked me down in the way, I think he did, someone snitched on me."

"What if someone didn't snitch?"

"The list of people who know where I am, is only so long." I take out a paper and I write the list. Including his family and mine.

"You can scratch them off." he says about his family.

"Not yet."

"Bohlokoa be serious, they would never."

"You trust them, I don't. I barely know them."

"Fine." I send a text to Lerato asking if she told anyone where I am and she responded with The guys.

It is between Brandon and Tyrique. I checked everyone's bank statements and there are no large increases.

Brandon is cleared and hopefully Tyrique is as well because I have fifty two hours left.

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Total Chapter Word Count: 1128 Words ❤️

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Do you guys think she will find her son in time?