Trafficked

5. Bought

CHINYERE'S HEART BEAT faster as the old man walked up to her. He grabbed hold of her arm and looked at Tobi. "I want her."

"Ah, that one," Tobi's father climbed into the truck with help from Tobi. "She's our newest. She's a golden egg, so we're picking the price."

"But I'm your most loyal customer," the old man said, "at least let me choose the price."

"Sorry," Tobi's father said, "but that is impossible. Eight million Naira."

"Eight million?!" the old man yelled. "All that money? The last one I bought wasn't this expensive!"

The last one? Chinyere pulled her arm out of the old man's grip. Chinyere could feel the ropes around her wrist dig into her skin.

The old man didn't seem to mind. He rather focused all his attention on Tobi and his father.

"This one is even thirty five percent off, oh," Tobi said without looking the man in the eye. "Take it or leave it."

The old man was not pleased. Chinyere could tell from the frown he had on his face.

He stood for a while, deep in thought before answering, "I'll take her. But just know that I am not pleased!"

The old man stomped and climbed out of the truck. Tobi tried to help him get off the truck but he refused his help.

Chinyere watched as the old man jumped down and stumbled. He would have fallen down if it wasn't for the other customer who held him up.

At normal circumstances, Chinyere would have laughed but this wasn't the time for laughing.

She had just been bought, by an old man, for eight million Naira. She thought she was worth more than that, maybe three hundred million Naira.

"Adam," Tobi said, "take her out."

Chinyere's eyes widened and she tried to move away from the muscular man who had just stood up but there was no place to move to.

Adam carried Chinyere over his shoulder, as though she was a sack of rice.

Chinyere tried her best to kick her tied legs and screamed, "Help! Help!"

Warm tears ran down her cheeks when the man jumped out of the truck without letting go of her.

Her head and body ached and her throat was parched. She gave up screaming and took to hitting Adam on the back but he tightened his grip.

"If you don't behave, I'll kill you, bury and no one will ever find your body," Adam said.

Chinyere stopped what she was doing and studied her surroundings.

She didn't know where they were at all. They were being sold behind an abandoned house, but she just didn't know where.

Her thoughts came to a stop when Adam threw her into the backseat of a jeep.

There was a young man sitting in the driver's seat and the old man who had bought her was riding shotgun.

There was a man at the right hand side of Chinyere and Adam entered the jeep.

Chinyere felt like a slice of cheese in between two slices of bread as the men squeezed her between them.

No words were spoken as the car started.

Chinyere couldn't see where they were going because the windows were up and the men squeezed her so tight that she could not see through the windshield.

She wanted to cry for help but she couldn't. Even if she did, no one would hear her.

Chinyere didn't know how long they drove but by the time the sun went down, she knew that they had been driving for several hours.