"I'll get even with you, Karmale." Ryxel seethed.
"In your nightmares, devil. I'm leaving this hell!" Karmale ran upstairs.
When she shut her bedroom door behind her. She pulled out her bags and packed a few clothes. She slipped on her jeans and wrapped the straps of her purse on the suitcase holder.
She carried her bag downstairs and existed Ryxel's house. In the driveway, she got her car keys from her small bag and opened her car trunk. She placed in her bag and sped off.
___
"Don't let the lady leave!"
"Boss, she just did."
The line went silent.
Ryxel stood in his dim lit office. He took off his coat and sat down.
"Caramel!"
__
The woman who was on his mind drove silently through the cold of the morning. Her windows were down as the wind messed with her hair.
She drove via the lounge just for the neon lights to flash G.B lounge in her face.
"Hmmmn." She bit on her lower lip in thought as she looked at the Google map on her screen. She then increased her speed and left the place.
__
KARMALE'S POV
"Seems like you are scared of your bedroom. Grab one of my shirts and get in my bed." Was Ryxel's shameless offer. How he said it so easily, I don't know. What did he think? That I would jump in elation due to it and most so take it? Pathetic! I thought to myself as I walked out of his room.
Taking the door to the swimming pool, I saw a trail of stairs I think had never seen in his house before. Maybe because it was as dark as the devil. Curiosity got the best of me as I descended them. Despite the thudding in my chest, I walked further. My hand slid along trailing the metallic balastrade. I made sure my movements were far from loud as I continued my quest. It took me a while to get to the end and the journey got darker and darker. I pulled out my phone and turned on it's flashlight.
Before me was a black door with a golden knob. My hand instinctively met it. My chest simultaneously rose and fell but I was not about to alter. I pressed forth and surprisingly, the door was open. Just like that.
"Hello!" I peeped in and called but darkness, the smell of smoke and blood was the response. I cringed my nose in disgust but the desire to know urged deeper.
"Anyone?" I stepped in. The side lights flashed revealing nothing at the most a dimly lit room.
The second step and the third almost followed one another and my vision seemed to take in two aspects at once. For a brief second, a male body sat chained to a chair in the centre of the room and a low lamp hang over his head. The next second a spectacular bar was set up at the other side of the room. From the white light of the lamp, it was the irritating purple, yellow and red of the bar lights. For the first image, I feared. Funny enough, I couldn't get my legs to lead me back upstairs. I was a curious cat. I took one step back and I got the image again. The man sat shirtless with a bruised back and fallen neck.
"Who is he?" I asked as I moved towards him.
The room didn't light up further and when I reached the man, the bar went dark and so did the sides of the room. Only the lamp above his head shone.
I crouched so as I could examine the man. His body was bruised on every inch. Everywhere was swollen and red. My fingers trembled as I touched his chin and hoisted his face. I was petrified of how he would react but I wanted to know so the fear was instantly buried away.
The moment our skins came into contact, he woke up. He literally jerked out of his chair as fear wore over his body. He shook and begged.
"Please don't kill me! Please!"
"Who are you?" I asked but the man continued begging for his life leaving the question unanswered.
"I don't taint my hands, mister. What's your name?"
After hearing my first statement and how serious I was about it he relaxed a bit.
"Give me an answer." I asked once again.
"Matthew Jordans, ma'am."
"What are you doing here?"
"I don't know."
"I would not like to think that as a lie. You cannot be ignorant of why you are a victim of- I want the truth, Matthew!" I held on his thigh for support to stand and he didn't formulate any cry of pain. His lower body had not been beaten.
"I was brought here last night. I don't even know where this is or why I'm here, ma'am."
"Of course the location is a must not know." I scoffed, "but not the pretext of why you were brought here!"
"I'm not going to say anything more, ma'am. I'm certain your boss wants to use my words against me. But I'll stick to what I said before-"
I listened closely to the last part.
"-i did not kill his parents. Please I beg for mercy. I have a wife and two sons to go back to. I'm a father doing all he can to make ends meet for his family and not a killer. I didn't kill your boss's parents."
"What's your occupation, Matthew?"
"I'm loyal to someone who isn't you. I don't share my job to anyone." The man flexed in arrogance.
"Mafia! There is nothing as secretive as that. So is that how you fend for your family? That's dirty money!"
"But it's good money! I only soil my hands a little and there I have it."
"So it's true! You did kill my boss's parents! Who do you work for?"
"Ma'am, I didn't kill them. I don't even know who your boss is."
"How old are you?"
"Forty."
"You look younger than that." The man in rugged black jeans had a broad and firm body. It was youthful and strong. He was certainly less than forty or so I thought.
"At what age did you join a crime organisation?"
"A year ago. I was desperate. I could not afford college fees for my boys."
"There is a mistake here." I had to admit.
"Matthew is not the killer. I assume Ryxel's parents died many years down the road and this man only joined the Mafia of recent. He cannot be the one." I silently meditated.
"I didn't kill your boss's parents, ma'am."
"I know."
"Please help me then."
"I will." I answered impulsively. I didn't care whether I could manage or not but I would not let an innocent man be punished for something he didn't do. That was unjust. I would even help Ryxel make his hands less bloody. It would save him from a long period of time in hell.
"Ma'am, the pair of scissors is under my chair. Help me please."
"Not just yet. You will leave immediately I'm done."
"The last thing I would like is to mess with Ryxel Grande Black."
"I thought you didn't know him." I asked confused.
"I beg you, ma'am. Help me out of here. My family needs me."
"I know that but tell me something I don't."
"Yes, ma'am?"
"I'm starting to doubt your intentions. Why are you here?"
The Ryxel I know is very careful when it comes to his business. He could never make a mistake as big as this. A mistaken victim? No way!
"Matthew! If even that is your real name."
"Ma'am, it is. And yes, I know Ryxel. Who in this business doesn't know the leader of the Black blood gang? He is too famous-
"to have just a good number of foes? Like you?"
"Ma'am, you are getting it all wrong."
"Mister, you are the least of people to be trusted. Regardless, I don't think you did what you are being accused of but that doesn't make you any pure. I think you came here for something in disguise of why you were brought here."
"Miss, please-"
"I'll let you go but you'll walk out of here with no fulfilment of your mission because I don't think it's more important than your life." I raised a gun to his head.
"I swear on my pregnant mistress, I have no business here. Trust me."
"Hmmmn!" I lowered the gun I had picked from Ryxel's drawer a few minutes ago and bent down.
I got the pair of scissors and cut the seal that enveloped the hugely rimmed metal. The heavy chains fell to the ground and the injured man was free.
"Thank you!"
"I saved your life, Matthew. Return the favour. Take nothing from here. If you do, I could be your worst imagination ever. I would not think twice before I stub you in the stomach to death." I threatened.
"I'm indebted to you, miss. I can do that much. I won't carry even the scent of this place with me." The man easily moved out but with a bent back.
__
I lifted the cushion in my co-driver's seat and there lay the heavy fire arm.
"Matthew may have deceived me and taken the drugs which are apparently more important than my existence but he isn't responsible for the murder I barely know about. How can a human be so secretive?" Wait-" i pulled my car to a stop in the familiar parking lot and a fresh wave of anger wore over. "It's the devil we are talking about here."
I picked up my phone from the holder and exited the apple maps. I grabbed my purse and made for my old apartment.
"Hello!" I greeted the security guard.
"Good evening. Miss Karmale?"
"Yes."
"Here are your keys, ma'am."
"Thank you. Has the landlord left already?"
"Yes, ma'am. He said he would come back in the morning to check whether you are settling fine."
"Mm okay. Thank you. Good night."
"Same ma'am. It's four in the morning though."
"That I know. But my night's still on. I'll go rest." Karmale chuckled.
"Good night, miss."
_
Karmale reached her former doorstep and all she could remember was the kidnapping that had taken place there with her as the victim.
"Hmmmn!" She said as she inserted her keys in the lock. They only stopped at quarter way. That only meant that there was an already inserted key. Karmale was left with knocking. Her call was immediately responded to.
"My dear."
"Mummy!" She fell in the elder woman's chest.
"Oh God! This is such a pleasant surprise. I'm glad you are here." Karmale said as she wiped the tears at the edge of her eyes.
"And I'm glad to see you again, honey." The woman pulled away to look at her.
"You look tired. And I feel you shiver from the cold. Take a warm shower and get under covers."
"Okay, mummy."
"What do you want to have? I have cooked already but I doubt you'll have it. How about ice-cream?"
"Okay. That will do." Karmale sadly smiled.
"Go bathe honey." Mrs. Hart peeked her forehead.
Karmale entered her bathroom and locked the door. Like the sitting room it was organised. All her bathroom equipment had been placed out for her.
She moved to the sink and picked up her toothbrush. The reflection in the mirror above the ceramic bowl took her aback as her fingers shook. She dropped the toothbrush and started to cry.
"I'm not a play toy, Ryxel! I'm not a slut for your pleasure! I would never be that! Not even your servant to follow around your commands!" She screamed.
"I would never be any of those. I would never. But you reduced me to that. Why did you do it, Ryxel? If you didn't feel anything other than detest for me, you should not have touched me. You should not have made me feel the things I did till I quivered and I gave in. You dare devil! I can't believe i gave in. Actually, it was total submission. You are such a fool Karmale. A fool!" She hit herself and cried.
_
Karmale woke up at 10:00am and had a glass of ginger water. Mrs. Hart massaged her forehead, temples and the shoulder neck area with peppermint oil to further help with the hangover.
Karmale's head lay on the elder woman's lap as she spoke, "Mummy, I want to go back to sleep."
"It's okay, dear. When you wake up I want to spoil you with my cooking and lots of wine."
"Oh wow!"
"Yes, honey. We need to talk. But go to sleep so long."
_
Just as Mrs. Hart had promised, Karmale woke up to a delectable meal. She surely ate to her heart's content.
"Honey, you didn't have the ice-cream yesterday."
"Yeah. I was scared of topping up on the alcohol."
"It's okay dear."Mrs. Hart sadly expressed.
"But I can have it now!" Karmale cheerfully beamed.
"I'll get it. As long as you leave room for the wine."
"I will." Karmale chuckled and picked up the plates.
"Mummy!"
"Yes, dear."
"Let's leave the ice-cream."
"You're sure, honey?"
"Yeah. Let's settle for wine! I'm excited!"
"Oh, dear."
"Uh-huh! I'll load the dishwasher." Karmale said turning away from Mrs. Hart.
"Are you sure, Karmale?" She clasped her arm and soothed it. Karmale wiped her eyes with her sweater before she turned back.
"Yeah. I am. Come on, mummy. I know how it's done." She dryly said.
"Okay, honey." She smiled at her and placed the can of ice-cream in the fridge.
_
Karmale sat down on the carpet with a glass of wine between her index finger and fore finger. Mrs.Hart sat above her in the chair.
"How have you been, my dear?"
"Fairly well, mummy." She sipped on her wine.
"Fairly well is not enough, honey. Is everything okay?"
"What can I say?" Karmale rose her shoulders and let them fall.
"How is Ryxel?"
"Good." Her eyes teared up and she looked down to hide it away.
"Dear, I'm not going to ask questions anymore. Tell me yourself. What happened?"
"Everything happened! Just like that he made me feel useless and empty." Karmale broke down and cried.
"Come here, sweetheart." Karmale placed down her glass and then her head on the lady's laps.
"I doubt I deserved the harshness." Karmale cried silently.
"Shh, honey."
"It hurt ma. It hurt so bad." She sobbed.
"I'm sorry, dear but it only hurts that bad if you love someone. Do you love him?"
"No!" She sat up straight.
"It's okay, dear but if he said sorry would you forgive him?"
"Mummy, come on. On who's side are you?"
"I'm not picking sides, Karmale."
"So do you think I did something wrong? Like come on you know me and I have barely touched the whole story. Did you judge me that fast?"
"No, honey."
Karmale stood up.
"I'm going to take a walk."
"It's late sweetheart."
"I won't take long. I'll be back before eleven."
"Take care, honey."
Karmale walked along the empty streets. The silence loomed over the cold and she dug into the pockets of her black sweatpants.
She moved looking here and there. She had missed her environment. The mild noisiness from the late night markets and rare speeding cars. It was lively and attractive in a humble manner.
She plodded on but this time with her eyes on the tarmac. A shadow formed just beside her. She instinctively turned but there was no one. When she resumed her to the previous direction, the shadow was not there anymore. She rolled her eyes and continued walking.
She took a secluded route that led her to a wide sand and shell embroidered surface. The beach. Karmale stood at a distance as she watched the waves sway. It gave her a sense of tranquility. The feeling was so peaceful that it compelled her to move closer.
But the closer she got, the more the goosebumps on her skin increased. She moved back till she was back at her former spot. From there she picked up a few shells and placed them in her pocket. Then some stones that she threw at the water.
"I wanna swim. I hope I don't drown when I do it." She thought out loud. When the stones were done from her palm, she made for home.
Before she could leave, her phone rang.
"Yes, Angella."
"Ma'am, leave the beach right now."
"I was leaving already."
"Run if you must."
"What's wrong Angella?"
Gunshots rang four times in a row. Karmale run but rather to where the sound was coming from.
"Please leave that place, ma'am!"
"Angella someone is shooting but not at me! I want to see at whom they are shooting."
"Don't be stubborn, ma'am. Leave the beach!"
"I will Angella. In a few minutes time." Karmale hang up and she ran to the other end of the beach. Her toes collided with a bleeding body.
"Oh- oh my God!" Her palm covered her mouth as she turned and ran. She ran and ran and did not stop. The hallucination of the shadow resumed just that this time it was not a hallucination. It was real. Someone was closely following behind her. Even when she ran, the person was still so close even when they only walked.
"Angella!" Karmale called as she tried to get her phone out of her pocket. When she did, she called Angella who did not pick up.
"Oh my God! Did she forget that I'm her responsibility? Ryxel, how could you hire someone so inefficient? Oh God! I don't wanna die!"
Karmale ran faster and when she looked behind, she tripped over a pavement and fell into a trench. Her phone followed suit.
"Darn it!" She tried to pull her leg out of the trench. She had to take off her slipper so as to get her leg to pass through the metallic rims. For her life, she ran leaving the phone and slipper behind.
"Oh my precious phone and my poor slipper!"
When she reached her apartment she was sweating heavily and panting like a dog. She was in a bending position with her palms flat on her knees and her hair all over her face.
"What was that? Didn't that person have anything else to do. And why didn't Angella pick up? Darn it my phone!"
The person who was following behind her turned and left when he was sure she had reached but not before picking up her phone and slipper.
"Jeez!" Karmale turned but the figure had already disappeared in the dark.
"Miss Karmale. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Yes. I just had such an eventful evening but I'm okay. Good night." Karmale said to the security man.
"Good night, miss."
Karmale took the stairs so that she would take some time and appear less tense when she arrived in front of Mrs. Hart.
"Karmale, where is your other slipper?"
"Yes?"
"Slipper, Ms. Kane. And why aren't you picking up my calls."
"Mummy, I- it's not really something that should work you up. I'm here. Ain't i? So don't worry about me not picking up. My phone is on silent mode."
"Okay, dear. And your sandal?"
"It fell in a trench."
"Did you fall down somewhere?"
"Something close to that but it wasn't serious. See! No bruises! No nothing!" Karmale raised her palms.
"Mmm. Okay, Karmale."
"I'll go to bed, mummy."
"You just woke up, Karmale."
"The headache from the hangover has resurfaced. I need to lay down."
"Sure. I'll get you some-"
"Ice-cream!"
"That's no cure for a hangover! I'm going to get you more ginger water."
"Boring!"
"Boring helps."
_
The morning was bright as the luminous sun penetrated through Karmale's mauve curtains and kissed her face.
"Really? Someone didn't even have to draw the curtains first-" she complained.
"I'll do the honours."
"Ella? Ella! Oh my- Ella!"
"You're welcome, ma'am." She drew the curtains as Karmale hugged her from behind.
"When did you get here, miss?"
"Two minutes ago."
"Thanks for coming."
"You're welcome but I'm leaving just now. I have to go to work."
"Oh yeah." Karmale said with a sad smile.
"Girl, what's with that long face? I'll come see you soon."
"No problem, Ella." Karmale hugged her best friend goodbye.
When Ella exited, Karmale drew the curtains and fell back in bed.
At ten, Mrs. Hart knocked and came in.
"Karmale!"
"Mmhm?"
"Ella was supposed to get you out of bed and bring you to the table."
"She-she- she-said-" Karmale spoke with a lot of effort.
"She-she-" tears escaped her eyes.
"Karmale!" Mrs. Hart touched her forehead and immediately pulled away the back of her palm.
The lass in bed tried to get up but she could not.
"Ma- mummy! What-what is-happening with me?" Karmale cried.
She was literally glued to her bed.
"My dear it's a fever. Don't panic! " Mrs. Hart called in horror as she paced and cried. She was the one panicking.
Tears uncontrollably fell out of Karmale's eyes.
"Someone help my daughter!" Mrs. Hart cried as she ran out and came back with the neighbor.
A strong well built man who was supposedly going to work given his official outfit, carried Karmale out of bed.
The man with glasses placed her in the back seat of his car. Mrs. Hart sat with her all the way to the hospital.
On arrival, blood samples were taken and medical tests done. Karmale was injected to help normalize her body temperature. The injection was effective but it put her to sleep for a while.
When she got up, her hand had a cannula that was connected the IV drip.
She looked around and took in the new environment. Mrs. Hart slept by her side.
She opened her mouth to say something but was scared that she would fail to talk like in the morning. But she had to try or else she would never know.
"Mum- Mummy!" She called and moved her hand to touch Mrs. Hart and she did it successfully.
"Honey!" The woman woke up immediately.
"I thought you had fallen asleep. Were you crying- worrying about me?"
"Oh honey. I'm glad you can talk properly again and move your body."
"Yeah. Me too. What did the doctor say?"
"He said that you'll stay here for the next two days."
"What? All those?"
"Yes, honey!"
"It was only a fever! Jeez! These people are exaggerating."
"They are not, dear. Anyway, I brought some of your belongings from home." Mrs. Hart pointed at the sofa in the hospital room. A bag and one of Karmale's bears sat in it.
"Can I have the bear?"
"Of course, honey." Mrs. Hart picked up the bear and brought it to Karmale.
"Thank you, ma. What did the doctors say about the fever?"
"They said that it had been in your body for a while. You had not yet recognised it and it kept multiplying hence becoming this serious. Honey, weren't you taking proper care of yourself?"
"That's Ryxel's question to answer, mummy. Let's talk about the bills instead."
"They have been cleared already. The ones for toady and the ones for the next two days."
"Woah! Woah! I'm not a charity case. Who paid them? I'll give them an earful before I repay their money."
"That won't be necessary, Vanilla."
"Louis?" Karmale sat up and hugged the purple bear to herself.
"Don't get up, sweetheart. I'll come to you." Louis strode to Karmale's bedside.
"I can pay my own bills, Louis."
"I know, Vanilla. I'm sorry if you felt offended. I am only trying to make up for-"
"So you have turned me into some charity case just to console your conscience?"
"No, Vanilla."
"Stop it, Louis!"
#MADAM LAWYER.
It's been a while...
Regardless, I finally updated.💃
How did you love it guys?
Comment lots and don't forget to vote. Xo.
This note would be longer but what can I say my sister is literally pulling me to watch House of Secrets with her. 😻😅🤧
Bye guys...
Nyts💕
Love y'all ❤️
Authoress
Andria 💋