24

SHOCK was an understatement as to what Jeremy was feeling at the moment, he was more than shocked, astounded and dumbfounded.
Jasira on her own was also shocked to see him. So, this was the guy she had come to save? This was the emergency Tarmah has talked about huh? Well, she gonna sit her down and hear what she has to say about this, but for now, she need to leave, she and her guys.
Jeremy in his own world was lost for words staring at this beautiful lady of his, huh? So, she… she has just really saved him. But how? Why? How had she known?
Instantly, he made move to talk to her, he just couldn’t let her pass him by again this time.
“Guys”, he heard her call, “we gotta leave, now, now”, she said and turned then sprinted away, and the two guys joined her and they both vanished.
“Wait…”, Jeremy called but it was late, they had already vanished. He cussed and fisted his hands, staring towards the direction that had taken.
At this juncture, he heard the honking and screeching of a car behind and he turned to behold a red Ford screeching to a halt closer to his car and he watched.
The doors of the car flew open and his guards bursted out, four of them. He cussed and began walking up to his own car.
He knew they were gonna come after him, he did.
“Hey boss, are you alright?”, one of them asked running up to him.
Without as much as a reply to any of them, he ignored them and walked up to his car.
The guards expecting that, looked around the scene and saw the four bodies lying on the floor, groaning and wincing in pains.
Then they dallied behind, deliberately waiting for their boss to drive away, so they could follow.
The minute Jeremy zoomed off, they rushed into their Ford, glancing around as they did, and then they zoomed off too, following Jeremy behind.
While in the car, Jeremy kept banging and banging on the steering with his fist, cussing and angry that he hadn’t a chance to speak with her.
Fate kept bringing them together but yet, nothing. The lady in question seems not to even be interested in him, and that has made him more interested in her.
He likes and prefers them the hard way, hard women that would make him sweat, give him countless of sleepless nights, make him yearn, make him suffer, before he would get a chance to even speak with them.
But hold on, this isn’t adding up at all. Who had sent those guys? Who the hell were they? And who told his beautiful lady that he was in danger?
Was she a detective or an undercover FBI? Jeez! She really looked like one, with the way she had commanded those two guys, and they obeyed.
Hmm, he loves such authority filled women. All these thoughts melted his heart, but still he wasn’t happy she had left and slipped off his sight, again.
Still cussing under his breath, he drove back to the company.
***
Jasira and her guys got home within minutes and she alighted as soon as the car door was opened for her.
“Great job guys, nice one”, she said and shook their hands.
“Thanks Boss”, they replied in unison.
“Remember our plans, just keep this secret, no fourth ear should hear of it”, she said and they nodded in affirmation.
“Good, have a nice day”, and she turned and walked into the mansion.
She got to her room and immediately dashed into the bathroom for a fresh bath.
As the warm water fell on her skin and smoothened it, her thoughts ran wild towards the man she had gone to Soweto 5 to save.
Hmph, the way he had stared at her at the minute he removed his blindfold and turned to her. God! The stare was hypnotizing, and coming from such handsome face of his?
Jeez! Was that really love, or just infatuation? Can she even really be loved? Would someone ever find her attractive, not to talk of falling for her?
She that had a very bad past, a whore right from the young age of thirteen, and then now, a killer, a murderer, someone whom have got blood on her hands, who makes her money through dubious ways? Can someone ever really love her?
Slowly, she raised up her left hand and slapped her cheek, jolting herself back to the reality.
“You shouldn’t be thinking about this Jasira, stop it”, she said to herself and then sped up with the bath, she needed to meet up with Tarmah as soon as possible.
Soon she was done and she came out of the bathroom. Few minutes later she was good to go, dressed in another set of casual wear, she grabbed her keys and sauntered out of the room.
Along the hallway, she placed a call across to Tarmah, asking her to meet up at a particular cafe.
Then she increased her steps and got to the parking lot, as she was about entering into the car, a voice halted her and she startled.
“Going somewhere again?”, the voice asked and she looked towards the direction of the voice, it was Venice, he was leaning against a car and listening to music, she frowned.
“Yeah”, she shortly replied and looked away, about to board the car.
“Seems you now have something special outside, preoccupying you these days huh”, he said sarcastically and she hissed, and ignored him.
She entered the car, and then zoomed off.
Few minutes later, she was at the cafe and there on their favourite table, was Tarmah already sitted, she had sighted her through the glass casings walling the cafe.
Hmm, Jasira wondered if she ever stays at home at all. She was always punctual to every meeting like she was already lurking around the corner only waiting for the call.
Jasira parked then came out, and walked inside the cafe and up to the table.
“Stubborn girl”, she said as soon as she got to the table and Tarmah looked up, she was reading a book.
Her face broke into a smile instantly seeing Jasira.
“Sis, good afternoon”, she greeted.
“How are you?”, she asked and sat down, dropping her car key and phones.
“I’m good”, she replied and nodded, smiling.
Jasira looked at the table and saw nothing, well, she doesn’t even expect her to order for anything though.
“What do you care for?”, she asked and Tarmah rolled her eyes, then shook her head in the negation.
“Nothing sis, I’m just fine”, she replied.
“You sure?”, she asked.
“Yeah”, she nodded.
Jasira sighed.
“Alright then, to the discussion of the day. First of all, what was those calls and text all about Tarmah?”, she asked, now wearing a straight face.
Tarmah marvelled. How she changed her facial expressions within seconds was another mesmerizing thing about this lady sitting before her.
“Hey, I was only just trying to help okay, nothing more”, she said.
“Were you trying to either… implicate or set me up?”, Jasira asked and Tarmah’s eyes widened in shock and disappointment.
“Ahhh no Jasira, nope. I was only just trying to help like I said”, she insisted.
“Okay, so help who? Me? Or the billionaire CEO who already has a whole lot of guards at his beck and call?”, she asked again.
“Jeez!”, Tarmah mouthed, “to help the billionaire CEO”, she replied flickering her eyelids.
Hold on, does Jasira already knows him?
“Someone that already has a whole lot of guards, but Tarmah, you know I do not mingle with the CEOs, you know that, then why are you painstakingly trying to link me up with this one?”, she asked and Tarmah was taken aback.
Who had said that? That she was trying to link them up? Does Jasira really want her to do that?
“Believe me Jasira, I am saying the truth. Nothing but the truth”, she said and raised up her hands in surrender.
“I can’t believe you”, she sat back into her seat and Tarmah gasped.
“You can’t what?”, she asked.
“I didn’t speak with coffee in my mouth, I won’t believe you”, she said.
Tarmah was taken aback, and astounded. She has never gotten on her bad side and has never known how bad it is. She instantly began feeling sorry.
“Okay, I know how you feel big sis, I’m really sorry. I’m sorry for not informing you at first before taking a step, I’m sorry”, she pleaded with a downcast look on his face.
Jasira looked at her and then looked away, then after some minutes, she turned back to her again.
“Provided you won’t have to repeat that stunt you pulled again”, she said and Tarmah nodded so vigorously.
“I won’t, except for an emergency”, she said and Jasira furrowed her brows and then bursted into laughter, the others laughed.
“You and emergency, this girl, stubborn!”, she said, laughing.
Tarmah pouted.
“So, why was it Jeremy that was involved? I have been trying all I could to stay away from him”, Jasira gushed even before she could stop herself.
Tarmah looked at her with a start.
“Huh? Stay away from him? Have you both met, or had an encounter before?”, she asked, and that was when Jasira discovered she had talked too much. She shook her head.
“Ugh, not really, nope. We haven’t met, just you know, remember I said I do not want to have anything to do with CEOs”, she said and Tarmah slowly nodded her head.
“Okay. But tell me why? Why don’t you want to have anything to do with them?”, she asked.
She rolled her eyes, does she really have any reason? Like any tangible reason huh? None, she just waved her left hand, waving the discussion away.
“So, what was that all about? Who had wanted him killed?”, she digressed, “I mean, Jeremy? Your supposed brother in law”, she added and winked, smiling amusingly.
Tarmah scoffed at the last sentence.
“Brother in law indeed. Oh! Yes, it might be my brother in law, but married to another sister of mine”, she said and winked as well, smiling sheepishly.
Huh? Jasira looked befuddled.
“What do you mean?”, she asked.
Tarmah laughed.
“Come on, from another sister”, she said, still laughing. Jasira looked at her inquiringly.
“Do you have another sister that I do not know about?”, she asked.
“I meant, another sister from another parents”, she said, demonstrating with her hands.
Jasira raised her brows.
“Oh! And who is that?”, she asked and Tarmah laughed out, confusing Jasira all the more.
“You sis, you”, she said.
“Huh?”.
“Yeah, don’t you like the feeling? You and Jeremy, married”, she said giggling and clapped her hands.
Jasira sighed, stupid child.
*
*
The tension in the room at that moment was so tense as Mr Redford paced about, walking to and fro.
There was a man standing in the room with him, with his arms behind him, and carrying a mean straight face.
“Hold on, so you mean to tell me that suddenly, just suddenly and out of the blues, someone just came and saved that boy?”, he asked and the mean faced man nodded.
“Yes sir. That was the reports of the guys, they are presently in the hospital now, receiving treatments”, he added.
“Oh enough with the treatment of the guys. They had even failed a simple task I gave to them, a simple one”, he said.
He continued walking to and fro, thinking about what to do.
“Jeez! All I just planned to do was just to get him and threaten him to put a ring on my daughter’s finger, promising to take her to church the next Sunday, that is all I planned to do. Holy shit!”, he cussed and clapped his hands in anger.
The man growled, like a dog.
“We going to try this again Scott, again”, he said and turned to the man.
The man nodded.
“Always at your service Sir”, he said.