"Hello, dear Nio," a voice thick with an accent I was not familiar with menacingly sneered.
I felt chills run down my back.
Why was he talking to Nio? What did he want from him? A ransom?
I could not make out where I was because I had been blindfolded, probably so that when I regained consciousness I would not be able to point out the area to the police.
"If you want to see your doll," the man ran his hand down my thigh. Shivers ran through my entire body as I tried fighting against the tight ropes on my hands, his hand burnt a hole through the sweats I had decided to wear. With each passing second the man tightened his hold, eventually causing me to whimper out in pain. "You will stop trying to infiltrate my house and your little doll over here will be left unharmed but if you continue with your endeavour, I will not hesitate нажмите кнопку и отправьте части тела вашей куклы одну за другой."
He finally let go of my leg, allowing me to let out a sigh of relief despite knowing that the death grip was sure to leave a scar.
I rubbed the sore spot before the words registered in my mind. Infiltrate. Doll. Endeavour. Nio... Nio. Why would he try to attack this man's house? What was going on? Did they know one another? How so? What on earth was going on? Was Nio hiding something from me?
No! I could not allow this situation to sow a seed of distrust within me. I trusted Nio with my life, he would never hide anything from me. I knew everything about him and he knew everything about me.
However, the questions in my mind did not subside but they grew instead. I needed answers. Why had I been kidnapped in the first place because as far as I knew, Italy was safe and no one would kidnap an innocent woman from her home without reason.
The conversation continued but I could not make out what was being said due to the foreign language the man was using but I was able to hear these seven final words loud and clear, "Forty-eight hours, or I will press the button."
Suddenly, I felt the weight on my chest, it had been there since I had gained consciousness but I had been too numb and engrossed in the back-and-forth quarrel that was going on between the mysterious man and Nio. Was a bomb strapped to my chest? Did he want me to explode if Nio did not agree to whatever they were talking about within forty-eight hours?
My heart started racing. Was this how I was going to die? Alone, cold and kidnapped without the love of my life?
How had I even found myself in this predicament?
FLASHBACK
"Hi, it's Thato. I am not available at the moment, please leave a message after the beep and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as I can."
Beep...
"Hey, Thato. It's me again. Please get back to me as soon as you get this message. We need to talk," this was the third message that I was leaving her and I still received no response. It was like she was purposefully ignoring my persistent messages but how could I fault her? I would probably do the same thing if the tables were turned. But, there was another possibility, perhaps she had not seen my call and her phone battery had died. I really hope that that was the case.
I had preoccupied myself with some household chores throughout the day, dusting, spraying, sweeping, wiping and mopping down every inch of the place that I had once called home. However, today this place was no home, the word even left a foul taste in my mouth. Home was nothing without my best friend, her ambience, obnoxious humming, and sharp attitude made this place home. She was home. I missed her hugs, her constant chattering, her tantalizing food and everything that made her Thato.
But, I had destroyed all of that. Oh, only if I had known how a single moment of anger could cause a lifetime of pain.
I watched as the sun set over the horizon, Thato had not been home for the entire day. Had something happened to her?
Father, please command your angels over her.
Suddenly, my cellphone started ringing and my heart started racing. Perhaps it was Thato. The words that I wanted to say for the entire day were stuck in my throat and I was tongue-tied but I took hold of my phone and brought it to my ear without bothering to check the caller ID. I did not want my nerves to get the best of me, prohibiting me from answering the call.
"Hello."
" Amore, where are you right now?" Oh, it was Nio, his voice reaching me like a gentle breeze, stirring within me a complex blend of emotions. At that moment, I found myself caught between the relief of hearing his voice and the frustration that threatened to spill from knowing that Thato was not the person at the other end of the call.
"I am currently sitting at home," I replied, fully aware of the concern that must have been gnawing at Nio's heart. After all, I had recently shared my plans to take my belongings and go on a journey to permanently live with him. However, this had intervened, spinning everything in a bewildering one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.
"Very well, I will send someone to come and pick you up because I'm still busy with something important," he responded in his efficient manner, his urgency palpable even through the other end of the call. Before he could abruptly conclude our conversation, an impulse seized me, demanding that I share a revelation.
"However, I must tell you that today I will not be able to come to your house. I am still waiting patiently for Thato's return, yet she has not yet returned and she is not returning my calls," I lamented, burdened by the weight of remorse that demanded expression. "So, I find it necessary to apologize for my behaviour and rash judgment towards her."
"Apologize? For what? What have you done?" Nio enquired though he held a demeanour of calmness, yet I discerned the undercurrent of agitation that surged within him. Indeed, my safety was his number one priority as he had said more times than one.
"I regretfully fired false accusations upon her, unjustly painting her with a coat of jealousy towards my life," I confessed, my voice heavy with shame. A torrent of tears welled up, cascading down my cheeks, a testament to the profound remorse that enveloped me. "I accused her of coveting the affection that you have with me," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Nio emitted a deep sigh, his breath laden with a mix of compassion and exasperation. "Do not succumb to the torrents of tears, Destiny. you are unfortunately letting your emotions blind your thoughts, you are not thinking rationally. I mean that just yesterday amore, you spoke of how Thato had betrayed you, expressing how you had intentions to sever all ties with her. Which is why I am asking where this sudden change of mind stems from."
"Well, today, as I immersed myself in the sacred verses of the Bible, I came across a verse that revealed how I was the one in the wrong, how I shouldn't have accused her in the first place," I explained, my words infused with a newfound sense of enlightenment. The spiritual guidance I had received had exposed the error of my ways, instilling within me a profound realization of the need for repentance and rectification.
"So, you mean to tell me that you read the Bible and that was all you required to make a one-hundred and eighty-degree turn?"
Was that meant to be a rhetorical question? And why did it sound so scornful?
Nevertheless, I replied with as much love as I could conjure, "Yes, it caused me to change my mind because the Word of the Lord is God-breathed and it speaks life. The Bible never lies, for it comes from the mouth of the Lord. It directs, leads and guides as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says;
16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.
"Okay, it's okay. I have no wish to argue with you, just call me first thing tomorrow morning so that I can come and fetch you."
"Okay-" The call ended before I could complete my sentence.
He had just cut my call which was something that hardly happened. Was he angry because of what I had said? But what had I spoken which was out of line?
After eating a meal that felt empty, I needed to clear my head by taking a short walk outside. So much had happened in the span of two days. I was on the brink of losing my best friend and my boyfriend and I had our biggest fight over my faith. What was going on? Why was my life going south?
I put on some instrumental gospel music and wore a warm sweater, and just as I was exiting the door, I got a bit startled. Two men adorned in black attire were standing right outside my door arguing, rather loudly. Yes, this was a student accommodation but this floor hardly had any students, hence my surprise.
I decided to ignore them and go about my way, plugging in my ear pods as I locked my door and walked down the hallway till I reached the elevator and pressed the call button. Something told me that those men were following me and my suspicions were confirmed as the men appeared in front of me, clearly still arguing.
I could only out bits of what they were arguing about, "How will we get there?"
Oh, that's why they were arguing. I did not want to get involved so I kept quiet and scrambled into the lift as soon as it arrived. The men entered as well and I got to take a quick glance at them from my perpetual view. They looked like thugs, with tattoos running around their necks, and thousands of piercings. They were built like enigmatic figures, full of muscle and stormy eyes. However, I decided that I would not judge them according to their appearance and decided to listen to my music.
It was soothing to my soul.
As soon as the elevator opened its doors, I was the first to hastily step out but before I could turn into the accommodation garden which was filled with students just lounging around, I felt a tap on my shoulder and as I turned around I found the two mysterious fellows calling me. Something about them made me feel uneasy but I decided to shrug the feeling off, removing my ear pods.
"Yes? Can I help you?" I gave them a small smile.
"Sí, can you please show us where the negozio is?" One of the men asked politely, this voice was laced with an accent I was not familiar with. The other man stood awkwardly beside him.
I furrowed my brows, trying to translate the word he had just said and then I got it. Store! He was inquiring about where the store was.
Just as I was about to direct him, he interrupted me, "I'm sorry but we do not speak too much English but you can tell the man in that red car and he will be able to take us. He is our fratello," he explained and I understood. I didn't think he could be lying but he was also a stranger.
Could I trust them?
"Uhm, I don't know..."
"Don't be scared, we are harmless, we just want to go to the store and the car is just across the road."
After a bit of contemplation, I decided to help them. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? It's not like they would kidnap me, they just wanted some help. "Okay."
We silently walked across the street to where the car was, just as I was about to ask the driver to open his window, the two men suddenly took hold of both of my arms as a shrill scream and shock reverberated through my body. They opened the backseat doors and threw me inside before jumping inside on either side of me and before I could register what was going on, the car zoomed away into the night.
"NO! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!" I had never screamed so much in my life, what was going on? I kicked and screamed with all my might but the two men held me down. I even tried biting them to no avail.
Suddenly a cloth was pressed tightly onto my nose, and I fought hard not to inhale whatever substance was put on the cloth but my efforts were wasted as my vision began to get blurry and I succumbed to the darkness.
END OF FLASHBACK
Oh, how stupidly I had acted. I had trusted complete strangers with my life and now I was kidnapped but through this, I learnt an important lesson: Love everyone and trust nobody and always heed to the voice of alarm in your head, you never know what danger you could be shielded from.
I just hoped that Nio would come for me and give the mysterious man whatever he wanted from him because I had not even an ounce of doubt that the man would bring harm upon me if Nio did not comply.
"I will not touch a hair on her head if you stick to your side of the deal and deliver what is mine within forty-eight hours," and utter silence after the man confirmed my fears. The call had ended but this was far from ending.
There was still something firm on my chest and this man would kill me if Nio did not deliver in forty-eight hours. Every second that passed rang loudly in my heart as it thudded loudly in symphony with my racing thoughts.
I jolted out of my thoughts as the sound of keys and the door creaking open invaded my ears, at least the man was leaving.
But, as soon as that thought and relief came it disappeared as my blindfold was pulled roughly away from my eyes, forcing me to open my tired and groggily eyes to a dark room and a silhouette of a man standing in the distance. I thought the man was gone.
What would he do to me?
I glanced down at my chest and to my horror my suspicions were true, a bomb with 47 hours, 55 minutes and 60 seconds flashed red before my eyes. If I was scared before I was shaking now. The seconds raced by as though this was not my life on the line.
The light suddenly turned on, blinding me temporarily before my eyes adjusted to the brightness.
"So, Destiny we meet again," he smirked stalking towards me.
How could he be here? What was he doing here?
What was going on?!
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нажмите кнопку и отправьте части тела вашей куклы одну за другой - press the button and send your doll's body parts one by one.