“You think you can escape from me?” I heard a dark husky voice saying over a radio in the bus… “Please who are you?” I asked as the faces of the men in the vehicle were covered…They didn’t respond to my question and neither did the man over the intercom say anything, but I heard Rejoice cursing… “Oh Shit.., Oh damn…, I am finished!” Rejoice said and I suspected this had to do with her. “Rejoice, you know these guys…Answer me? Who are they and what do they want from me?” I asked “I am very sorry… I shouldn’t have come to you! He is my husband…” “You are married?” “I will explain to you later!, it’s complicated!” She said “Oh my God!, I hope her husband doesn’t feel I am sleeping with his wife!” I exclaimed silently in my heart… “I should have burnt the bridge, I should have sent her away when she came, but lust and old emotions came tugging at my heart. Oh my God!, Was I about to be killed?, What will happen to my teenagers , and Favour…”. I reasoned silently “Please, I am not dating her, she only came to me for help, I didn’t know she was married, I was her teacher over 7 years ago…She said she saw me on T.V and traced me to the facility for homeless children I am managing… Please drop me off and you can take her back to her husband…” I pleaded but the men did not pay attention to me one bit. I looked around the bus there was no sign of a gun. I decided to outsmart them. I rushed at the bus handle and pulled it. Fortunately it opened, I was about jumping out when two of the men, pulled me back. I felt a prick on my neck and that was the last thing I remembered… “You dumped me because of your old lover” I heard the same husky voice from a distance as I was waking up from sleep. I tried to force my eyes open but it felt really heavy but I forcefully did… I could see laptops, I could see young boys, and then I saw a lanky middle aged man sitting on a presidential chair and Rejoice held by a man with her two hands to the back. I tried moving my hands, but I noticed something was restricting me. I looked at my hand, and it dawned on me, that my hands had been hung up. “Your boyfriend is awake!” The man said “I ….am…n…not her boyfriend…” I managed to say “You are saying something?” He said sarcastically as he walked towards me. “Yes sir, Rejoice was an old student of mine…” I said “Really? Scorpion, play the audio!” “Mr. Chuks… better still, let me call you Uncle Chuks like your people call you over here… I am missing you like crazy… We can do this and no one will know… Don’t you miss my lips? (Followed was the sound of a kiss)” This had happened three days earlier. Rejoice had come to my office late at night after everyone had slept and she came in full force seducing me. I felt I could not fall, and a part of me was having fun at her childish behavior. I knew I couldn’t fall for her seduction…, but before I knew what was happening she had kissed me, of which I pushed her back. I was wondering how they recorded our conversation. I looked towards Rejoice she was shocked as well, but the husband walked towards her and forcefully pulled a chain with a gold key pendant from her neck… “You think I would waste 5 million naira pendant on you without having a good reason for it?” The man said… “Oh! So her necklace and pendant was an audio monitoring device…” I reasoned “There was no way I could get out of this, except by the help of God…I just understood the power of burning the bridge. I thought I was teaching the children on how to burn their pornography magazines and even making them drop their phones, but when it was time to send Rejoice when she came around, I didn’t do anything!”…. “Gloria had not burnt her bridge and that has landed her in the big trouble of childhood pregnancy. Am I any different from her? I also could not say no, I couldn’t burn my bridge, thereby making me to be out of God’s will. “Get him off the chain and lock him in the dark room…” He said but Rejoice pleaded… “Please let Him go, He is innocent…” “You know that’s not possible sweetheart, I am not that nice to let him go…Come on, We have a lot of work to do, business has been bad since your you left…” “I will not do anything, unless you release him at least…” “Are you threatening me?” He asked “Yes!, You are the one who needs me, I am your idol you have to worship, I have nothing to lose, and if you like, kill me if you want…, but I will not give you what you want unless you release him.. To be continued
