Scattered Stars

Chapter 41

I can still remember the look of fear in that man's eyes when I ripped the rag off his face, he looked at me in disbelief and I looked back at him with empty eyes.

For the first time since Kg held him captive, he was truly frightened, his breaths came out rapid and ragged and his body shook from the cold and wetness of the water dripping down his face.

He pleaded for his life for an hour telling me that he wants to tell me where she is but if he does he puts his whole family at risk and that somehow gave Kgotatso an idea. After another hour Kg's phone dinged and a sly smile crawled onto his face then he turned his phone to the man and boy did he sing like the caged bird he was, it was a picture of his sister with a gun to her head.

Lesedi was being held on some old property that belonged to Big John, they were some trucks that were meant to pick up the cargo and transport the girls to Europe in twenty-four hours.

Kg didn't seem surprised at the revelation that Big John was the one to have taken Lesedi because he said Big John wouldn't have let my family go unpunished for not paying that month we were away. And in retrospect it made sense, I mean Big J came himself to collect the money and choked me because my mother didn't have the money and this time he took Sedi.

The car ride was intense nobody said anything, and I kept a stoic facade because I knew what I did to that man was heartless, maybe this was the final straw in mine and Dian's relationship. He was sitting on the far end of the backseat with his eyes watching the world go by him and I did the same to soothe the ache and worry in my heart.

Kg dropped us off by the main road and he took Buhle home but he said he would be back to execute a plan.

"Say something," I said breaking the silence, we were standing on the main road looking like total strangers.

"I need to go home," Dian said simply.

"Then let me walk you to the station."

"No it's fine--"

"--look we are not about to leave this as it is, we are going to talk it out, you don't get to run without understanding."

He nodded silently then stuffed his hands into his pockets and we started our trek to the train station.

"Naledi, what you did was unexpected, I'm still trying to process what the hell happened back there."

"Okay." It was unexpected, I didn't even expect it I don't even know where the idea came from.

"You could have killed him, you know, you could have had someone's blood on your hands", he stressed.

"I think you need a reality check, he knows where my sister is, my innocent thirteen-year-old sister. If I hadn't done what I had Lesedi could become a sex slave or a prostitute, so sue me for trying to protect my own sister. Put yourself in my shoes, if I had done that for Victoria if I had somehow managed to get you information on how to get to your sister would you still feel the same way."

He stopped and sighed looking over a group of children playing jump rope, "that's not fair."

"How is it not fair? Both our sisters are missing neither one of us have an advantage over the other so I can make the comparison."

"You have the advantage, someone is at least looking for your sister."

I sighed and shook my head. It's so easy for people to talk big when they aren't the ones with the gun in their hand. It's always, why didn't you run? Why didn't you call the police? Why didn't you shoot his leg instead of his face? What they don't realise is, I am in that position, not them it was my decision, not theirs and I am the one who will be haunted by my actions.