The Rise of Damola

Chapter 39- Consequences II

~DAMOLA~

The room felt as if the air had been sucked out of it, the weight of Bunmi's mother's words pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket. My mind spun in dizzying circles, trying to grasp what had just happened. Bunmi—my wife, the mother of my unborn child—had been taken. I couldn't believe it. Alhaji had gone too far.

I struggled to sit up, every movement sending waves of pain through my body, but my mind was numb to it. All I could focus on was Bunmi and the terrifying thought of her in Alhaji's grasp.

"Mama," I croaked, my voice barely recognizable, "how... how did they take her? Where? Did anyone see anything?"

Bunmi's mother was too distraught to answer. She clutched at her chest, her sobs uncontrollable. A nurse rushed in, trying to calm her down, but it was as if the whole world was collapsing around me. I needed answers. I needed to act.

My body rebelled against every effort to move, but I forced myself up, ripping out the IV attached to my arm and using the needle to unlock my handcuffs. A nurse tried to stop me, but I shoved past her, my vision swimming with determination and fear.

"Where are you going?" The nurse's voice was distant, muffled by the roaring in my ears.

"To find my wife!" I yelled over my shoulder as I stumbled into the hallway. The dull, fluorescent lights above flickered as if mocking the chaos swirling within me. I didn't know where to start, but standing still was not an option. Every second I wasted, Bunmi was slipping further away.

I headed for the main entrance of the hospital, barely noticing the policemen posted outside my door, who were now scrambling to follow me. My mind was a blur of questions and accusations. How had this happened? How had Alhaji gotten to Bunmi, and why hadn't I seen this coming?

A firm hand grabbed my shoulder just before I reached the exit, and I whirled around, ready to fight off anyone who stood in my way. But it wasn't a stranger; it was Bunmi's father.

"Damola, wait," he said, his voice a mixture of authority and concern. "You're not in any condition to go chasing after them like this. We need to be smart about it."

"How can you say that?" I shot back, shaking his hand off. "They took her! They took Bunmi! I can't just sit here while—"

"We won't sit here," he interrupted, his voice low and steady. "But if you go running off now without a plan, you'll only make things worse. We need to handle this carefully."

His words, though harsh, broke through the haze of panic clouding my mind. He was right. I couldn't just charge blindly into this. Alhaji had resources, power, and possibly a network that I couldn't hope to outmatch alone. If I wanted to get Bunmi back safely, I had to think.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, though every part of me screamed to keep moving, to keep fighting. "Okay," I muttered. "What do we do?"

"For starters, let's go back into the room," he said leading me back.

Bunmi's father entered the hospital room with a sense of urgency, his usual calm demeanor overshadowed by the intensity in his eyes. His presence commanded attention, and I knew immediately that something had changed. He pulled up a chair beside my bed, his voice low but firm as he spoke.

"Damola, we've found something," he said, his gaze locking onto mine. "A backup drive. It's from the night of the concert—the night Deray was killed."

My heart skipped a beat. This was it. The first real break in this nightmare.

"They found it during a sweep of the crime scene," he continued. "The drive was hidden away in one of the venue's security rooms. It looks like it recorded the entire event, possibly even the moments leading up to Deray's death."

For the first time in days, a glimmer of hope sparked in my chest. "Does it show who really did it?" I asked, my voice tinged with desperation.

Bunmi's father sighed, his expression cautious. "We don't know yet. The drive is encrypted—someone went to great lengths to hide whatever is on it. My team is working on decrypting it as we speak, but it's a complex system, and it could take some time."

"How much time?" I pressed, anxiety creeping into my voice. Time was something I didn't have. Bunmi had been taken, and Alhaji's threats loomed over us like a dark cloud.

"We're hoping to crack it within the next 24 hours," he said, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "But Damola, you need to be prepared. We don't know what's on that drive. It could exonerate you, or... it could complicate things."

I nodded, my mind racing. "I don't care what's on it, as long as it proves I didn't kill him."

"I believe you, son," he said, his voice softening. "But we have to let the process play out. I've already got some of the best people working on it, and once we have that footage, we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."

His words were meant to comfort me, but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread tightening in my chest. Alhaji's deadline was approaching fast, and Bunmi's life hung in the balance.

"Thank you," I finally managed to say, though my thoughts were still clouded with fear. "I just hope it's enough."

Bunmi's father stood, his face set with determination. "It will be, Damola. I'll make sure of it. But in the meantime, stay strong. We'll get her back."

Bunmi's father glanced around, making sure we weren't overheard. He leaned in close, his voice a whisper. "I've been doing some digging into Alhaji's activities. It seems he's not as untouchable as he likes to pretend. He's been making some enemies of his own in the underworld, and I think we can use that to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to focus on his words through the haze of adrenaline coursing through me.

"I know a few people who've had dealings with him. People who want him gone. If we can get them to work with us, we might have a chance to track him down without tipping him off. But we need to move carefully. One wrong step, and he'll vanish with Bunmi before we even know where to look."

I nodded again, my mind racing. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Who are these people? Can we trust them?"

"They're not trustworthy," he admitted. "But right now, they hate Alhaji more than they care about anything else. That's the only reason they'll help us."

The door to the hospital room burst open again, and Fauza entered, her expression grim. "I just got off the phone with the lawyers," she said, her voice tight. "They're already working on trying to unfreeze your assets, but it'll take time. In the meantime, we need money—fast. Whoever took Bunmi will want a ransom."

I swallowed hard, the reality of the situation settling into my bones. Alhaji had put us in a chokehold. He had my wife, and he held the cards. Even if we found him, what was to stop him from harming her if things didn't go his way?

"I've got some money," Bunmi's father said quietly. "Enough to start negotiations."

"He has refused to negotiate" I answer.

"Okay, in that case, we need to buy ourselves time to find her before we hand over anything."

Fauza nodded, her expression hard. "I'll reach out to the legal team and make sure they're prepared. But Sir..." She turned to me, her eyes locking onto mine. "If this goes south, you'll have to make a choice. Your wife or your freedom. Alhaji will make sure of that."

I stiffened at her words. My mind flashed back to Alhaji's ominous phone call, his cold voice promising wrath. He wasn't just after the money anymore; he wanted control.

"Whatever it takes," I said through gritted teeth, my hands balling into fists. "I'll pay it. I'll give him anything he wants. Just help me find her."

Fauza's eyes softened slightly, but she nodded. "We'll do everything we can."

I nodded, my mind racing with a million ways this could end.