₦airaland Forum

Sorry guys, I tried to post a lot more yesterday but network messed up my plans, I will try again later today, I really hope it works.

Oh my God! Jerry told me about this place, this is probably where he is keeping my parents, why is he bringing me here? Are my parents dead? Oh no! No! No! don’t think of that, there are not, does he want to lock me up with them, I could feel my fear mingling with my tears they flowed slowly down my cheeks, no! no! Alice, don’t cry, you have to hold it together. All these were my thoughts, but the Iron door was rolled open and there was another glass door that slide open as we stood before it.
I came into a large hall that looked like a laboratory, the last time I saw some of those equipment was in my senior secondary one when I opted out for arts, it was actually the last time I visited a chemistry laboratory, I couldn’t even make sense of what I saw, it was as if my brain was transported out of my body, there were about seven guys and a lady, they were all dressed like doctors with lab coats, nose masks and white rubber gloves.
Alice! Alice!
Yes, I replied, and I realized Lucas had been calling me; I must have been lost for a while, here! Put this on, he handed me the nose mask, I realized they were all on nose mask even Max and the other two guys with us, the other guys we met were busy, something like distillation was going on, bubbling liquid, heating, stuffs that I think will only happen in a lab, others were transporting stuff in cartons to an inner apartment in the same hall, I couldn’t hold my curiosity again, I walked up to Lucas, I removed my nose mask because I was almost choking on it,
What is going on here?
If I were you, I will put that mask back on, what is this? I pointed to a vacuum that was kind of heating up, my head instantly felt heavy, it was as if Lucas noticed it, he collected the mask and put it back on my nose and dragged me into the inner room where pile of cartons were stocked.
What is going on here? I asked, it’s a laboratory as you can see, he replied,
I can see that, but what sort of lab? He chuckled, but I rushed, opening one of the cartons,
don’t touch that, he screamed, inside the cartons were white nylons that contained brown substance,
What the hell is this? I asked with eyes wide open, I may not have known what that was, but I had a feeling,
Drugs! Hard drugs! He replied sharply, my eyes popped open, you mean… like… I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth, I didn’t know the right question to ask, I could see the amusement in his eyes, you mean like heroin? I spat out the word at last,
Way tougher babe, this is locally made, from the strongest of our herbs and leaves, you know we Africans are truly blessed, but we don’t know it, this is a blend of some many things which makes it quite exceptional, something our white friends are paying so much to have, he smiled satisfactorily like he just finish giving a lecture on the discovery of a cure to cancer and Aids, I was still in my state of shock when he made a quick call to someone, I didn’t even know that the basement we were in opened up into the sea when ten minutes later, some guys in a boat arrived and loaded the cartons on their boat and sailed away. I was still dumbfounded even after we got to the penthouse, I couldn’t really think in a particular direction, Lucas was more devilish than I thought, I knew he traded drugs in here, but I didn’t have the slightest idea that he made them himself, what the hell are our law enforcement agents doing?
Here! He handed me a glass of scotch, I didn’t say no, because I needed it, what kind of drug is that? I finally decided the order of my question because I had too many, I didn’t know which one to ask first,

Mescaline! He replied, Mesca what? Oh! It’s not really that though, but I choose to call it that because of the final touch it gives to my stuff,
What touch? I asked, the hallucinatory effect, giving me a grin, it adds to the highness, he winked at me, a little over of a small quantity can either make you go loco or send you on an errand to your ancestors, it is highly concentrated, he said without any emotions,
Tell me what do you think? He asked in an attempt to shake me,
What do I think? You produce something that is against the law and harmful to fellow human beings and you don’t care at all, do you know how many people will die or have already died from this evil you are doing? I don’t think you really want to know what I think,
no, Alice, I didn’t mean what you think of my business, or should I ask what you feel about discovering THE TANK isn’t what you thought it was, that your parents aren’t there or that it is not a place I keep hostages,
I almost spilled my drink, how the hell did he know, is he reading my mind? Or has he been able to figure out Elliot and the others,
Are you disappointed or shocked? If you are, then you are right to be, because you are about to discover more shocking things in the weeks to come.
What does he mean by that? I thought, here! He handed me my tab, go ahead and tell whoever you are working for that you are fine, because I’m sure if they don’t hear from you in weeks, they will come looking for you, and I don’t want that, I don’t want anyone interrupting the fun we are about to have, Lucas said, why would I do that? I asked, my courage had suddenly returned, or you want me to contact them, so you can track them down, I won’t do that.
Lucas grinned and shifted close to me, do you really think Alice that I don’t know who you work for? I told you this is a game, and it just got more fun, so go ahead and send the damn message, he screamed. My courage suddenly disappeared again,
Is he serious? Does he know about Elliot and the rest, no, he doesn’t, he is just trying to intimidate me to tell him, I thought, but I did as he told me, I quickly accessed the hidden folders on my tab, Jerry came up almost immediately, I acted normal, giving away nothing, even when he kept pressing to find out if i was okay, I told him I was fine, but I so wanted to tell him I wasn’t, but I couldn’t because Lucas’ eyes were on me, and I didn’t want to get him angry after all the threats he had made, especially if he knew about them, I signed off and Lucas collected the tab from me,
You can go now, have fun! He said with that expression that showed he was hiding something, but remember if you try to leave or contact anyone via text or call or any means, I will kill all of you.
As I took the elevator down, I pondered over Lucas’ words, “You think I don’t know who you work for… I will kill all of you…” what is he up to? I was lost, I needed someone to talk to because I was going insane, and who do I talk to right now, at least someone to have a normal conversation with before I go crazy, because as it was, I had that tendency.
I stopped at the lounge, I barely walked in when I saw Amira, oh thank God, I murmured, I know she wasn’t the kind of person I would have loved to talk to, but I didn’t mind, Amira! Amira! I screamed as I saw her collect a big bottle of McDowell striding fast across the hall, Amira! I shouted once again,
What! She snapped at once and turned, oh! It’s you Alice, I’m sorry,
Are you having a bad day? I asked,
if you are, then we both should talk, I thought, yeah it was good until thirty minutes ago, she replied, I could feel the anger in her voice, c’mon what’s wrong, I asked going close to her,
That b.itch is back, just when I thought I was gaining Lucas’ attention, she popped up, why couldn’t she just die from that gunshot or whatever?
Okay, slow down Amira, who are we talking about here?
Who else? That bi.tch Naomi, my heart stopped for a few seconds on hearing her name, i just stared at Amira with my mouth open, I realized she was still talking, but I couldn’t make sense of what she was saying until I heard are you okay,
Yes, yes, I’m okay, I chuckled a bit to hide my obvious expression, I regained my composure, don’t worry Amira, I’m sure she doesn’t stand a chance, she smiled as if I had just fixed all her problems,
Hey, I heard you got in trouble with Lucas? She whispered, no, don’t worry, I’m fine, I said waving my hands as it was nothing, so where is the b.itch Naomi anyway? I asked, let me go check if she even stands a chance against you, I added, chuckling, to erase her suspicion,
She is in Lucas’ private lounge, she’s here just thirty minutes, yet she seems to be all over the place, is Lucas in there? I asked,
No, I don’t think so, she replied, Amira I will see you later, I bolted away not caring if she will suspect me or not.
I stood outside Lucas’ private lounge contemplating if to go in or not, I kept seeing flashing images of what Naomi and her people did to me, I felt fear and pain at the same time, I just wanted to get in there and strangle her, my courage decided to show up at the right time. I pressed the button, the door slide open, there she was, backing me, I didn’t know what she was staring at, but for some reason she didn’t turn when I stepped in,
She was wearing a fitted red gown with a big V shape opening at the back, it showed her curves, i stood there for about two seconds, and she didn’t turn, is she expecting me? Is she prepared for me? I thought,
Hey, we meet again; this time in a more con… my words were cut short when she turned,
Who are you? She asked,
I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved or angry, she wasn’t the person I thought her to be, this face was completely different, she had an oblong face which matched her sharp nose and bright eyes, it’s no wonder Amira feels threatened by her, but more importantly she isn’t the Naomi I thought her to be.
I’m Alice, I managed to speak finally, but she just smiled, Lucas always love them hot and cool, nice to meet you Alice, I’m Naomi, she said stretching out her hands which I reluctantly took, then without waiting another second I bolted out straight to my apartment. What game is Lucas playing?
What does he think he is doing? I laid down there lost in thought until I dozed off.
When I woke up, everywhere was dark, I wondered how long I had slept, I felt more relaxed and light, it was already eight P. M, so I rushed into the shower, came out, changed into short gown that rarely went beyond my thighs, wore a sandal and stepped out, first I needed to eat, then get myself drunk, because I knew I might not be able to sleep after having slept that long in the day, and not being able to sleep meant thinking all through the night, that, I didn’t like. I made my way straight to the ground floor, the main club, I didn’t bother looking for Lucas or Adeline or anybody, and I was trying to put away the craziness of the day. The club was hitting up already with the tons of people pushing in, I totally forgot about food, I walked up to the bar, there was the guy I met the first day, but for some reason he wasn’t comfortable with me like he was the first day,
Oh! I get it, word’s out that I’m Lucas’ whatever, so he kept a professional look, and then he pulled out a bottle of Carlo Rossi and placed it before me, I would have loved that, but I needed to initiate a conversation to be sure why he isn’t comfortable,
I didn’t ask for this, I was blunt, Lucas wanted me to give you that, if you ever came around, he said giving me a soft smile,
Off course he did, I murmured, then grabbed the bottle and walked away to an empty table, after two glasses, the sudden urge to step into the dance floor came on me, but just when I was about getting up, I felt a hand touch me on the shoulder.
I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or I was hallucinating, but I think the face I saw was Sam’s, I almost lost balance, but I recovered almost immediately, I pulled him by the hand to the bathroom, at least that was one place I knew there was just one camera facing the entrance, I pushed him to the wall where the camera might not capture us,
Sam… what… I mean…how? I didn’t even know the right question to ask,
What the hell are you doing here? His tone seemed angry, Sam, you have to believe me, I did not kill Evans, I would never do anything like that,
Alice, I know you did not, for one second there, I didn’t know if he was being serious, I know you did not kill Evans, that’s why I’m wondering what you are doing here, you should be out of town,
What? You believe me? How?
Look, the night Evans was shot, his neighbours confirmed that a green colour Nissan pathfinder drove into his place, about thirty minutes later, they heard a gunshot, so they were scared to go out, they thought perhaps they were robbers, but immediately after the gunshot sound, the Nissan quickly drove out, but I didn’t really understand all this until I met Fred your neighbour few weeks ago, he then paused, I was anxious,
So you met Fred, and?
Fred told me that at about nine P.M, a certain green colour Nissan pathfinder drove into your compound and made straight for your apartment, somehow found a way in, so he thought perhaps you were the one, so he came to check on you, but when he met this guy that was busy turning your apartment upside down, so he wanted to scream because he also thought it was a robbery, but the guy pointed a gun at him, and ordered him to lie down till he left the apartment, Alice that was about thirty minutes after Evans was killed, maybe you were also a target. I could feel the blood freeze in my body,
Sam, why didn’t you guys go to the police, I said raising my voice, calm down Alice, I didn’t know any of this until three weeks ago when I met Fred, besides Fred was scared to death, you know what our police force is like, and they might turn the whole thing against you. But the big question is what are you doing here, don’t you think you might be in danger?
Sam, it’s a very long story and I got no time, I said scanning my environment, but believe it or not, I think I know who killed Evans, that’s why I’m here,
What? i.. mean…he wanted to ask more questions, but I interrupted, like I said I don’t have time, do you have a pen? I asked,
Errrm.. he stammered, searching his pockets for one, then found it, I stretched out my palms, write your number here, he hurriedly did, Sam, I will talk to you later, I bolted away, while he tried to speak but I was already out of earshot.
I made straight for the private lounge where I knew Lucas will be, the lady I met in the afternoon was sitting in one of the couches, I ignored her and made straight to the large red couch where Lucas was sitting,
You think you can fool me? you can’t, whatever game you are playing, I will find out what you did you son of a b.itch and when I do you will pay, I am no more scared of you, you can go ahead and lock me up, kill me, but I promise you, I will get to the root of this, I found myself screaming, my voice echoed as the soft music that was playing in the lounge had suddenly stopped, I was enraged, I had never been that way in a long time, I couldn’t even remember when I was that angry,
What’s going on here? The lady asked from my back, oh! You stay out of this missy, I screamed at her, but she shifted closer, while Lucas calmly stood signaling her to back off,
You are quite angry Alice, I can see that, he said, I didn’t know when I picked up the bottle of bourbon on the table and swung it so fast that it almost got to him, but he ducked and it landed on the wall splattering around,
Naomi quickly ran towards me screaming as she pushed me to the couch, I punched her as we engaged in a serious fight, I couldn’t believe what I was doing, she fought like someone who had been trained, like Gloria did the first time we engaged in a fight, but the more surprising thing was the way I defended myself, I didn’t know all of Jerry’s training paid off until that moment, Naomi was actually doing good, until I kicked her making her lose her balance, she fell to the ground while she tried to retrieved a knife that was tucked to her boots, but I pressed her hands down, while I reached out to grab the knife, we were both struggling when we heard a gunshot in the air,
Enough you two! Lucas screamed while two security aides restrained restrained both of us,
Lucas who is this b.itch? I thought you said she was just some cheap w.hore, she doesn’t fight like one, she said panting,
Oh! Yeah you are the cheap wh.ore I replied,
Max, take Naomi out, Alice stay, let’s fix this once and for all, Lucas added,
Yeah it’s about time you started talking, I snapped, arranging my strayed hair while putting myself back together,
You are angry because you are beginning to see the possibility of the fact that I’m not guilty of all you are accusing me of, you are beginning to see that I don’t have your parents, and you are scared of what more you are about to find, that is the real reason you are angry,
Don’t play games with me Lucas, I snapped, No I’m not, and you know it, he cut in, first this morning, you discovered that THE TANK wasn’t what you thought it to be, you thought it was where I held your parents hostage, you didn’t recover from that shock when you met Naomi, she wasn’t the person you thought her to be right?
What are you talking about? If you have something to say, why not say it fast, and stop playing games with me, I snapped again,
No, I won’t Alice, you are going to figure this out on your own, and finally tonight as fate will have it, you met Sam,
How do you know Sam? I screamed, not being able to contain the fact that Lucas knew everything I thought was a secret, tell me what you know now! I said banging my fist on the table; I could even feel the edge in my voice,
NO! I WON’T, he screamed back at me, I told you Alice, and you are a smart girl, THINK! Use your brain like you did the first time you figured out a way to come to me, figure out who did this because the only thing I can tell you now is that I didn’t kidnap your parents, and that you are starting to know that, but you don’t want to accept it because it’s too hard, if you accept that now, it will mean that everything you have believed in the past months, every hope you have held unto, every anger you have felt towards me, every chance of revenge will be gone and you will be left with nothing,
Shut up! I screamed,
No, I won’t Lucas said,
I said shut up, I screamed again,
Alice, face the truth, open your eyes,
Shut up, I screamed, launching myself towards him, but he restrained me in such a way that I couldn’t fight anymore, I just broke into tears I believed had been building up in the past hours, while he gently let me down slowly unto the cold marble floor,
Open your eyes wide Alice, the truth is staring you in the face, he held my chin up so that I’m facing him, staring at me were those dark eyes,
Search! Think! I’m sure you will find the answer, if you will excuse me, I have a business meeting to attend to, he said as he turned and headed for the door,
One more thing Alice, he added without turning to look at me,
I don’t bleeping drive a Nissan Pathfinder, it’s an ugly car.

Episode 7
I was locked up in that cell for three days, the only face I kept seeing was one of Lucas’s security aide or whatever he was, and that was because he kept bringing my meals, it was surprising that he wasn’t starving me like the first time he locked me up here, but it was frustrating that he kept me anxious by not showing up or making me know what he was going to do to me, not that the strong face guy who kept bringing my food said any word to me, all he did was bring in the food and take it out the dishes later, The first evening he brought in the food, I pounced on him like an angry dog, but he didn’t exert much energy overpowering and locking the door behind him, I kept screaming like a rabid dog, but after two days of screaming, no one told me to keep calm because it wasn’t yielding any result. At about the third day I wanted to establish a real conversation, I hadn’t spoken to anyone in three days, at least when I was first locked in here, Lucas came from time to time to interrogate me, and silently I wish he came.
You guys can’t keep me in here forever, I said, but he just took one look at me and turned around locking the door behind him, I felt like really punching him in face, at that point I could understand why most people that have been in solitary confinement rarely made it out sane, the silence is enough to drive one insane, but I realized that Lucas was playing his twisted game as usual, I was fed up, the anticipation of what he will do to me, I even started having nightmares of dead bodies by the beach, I realized I thought too much about what Amira and her friends told me Lucas does to people who mess with him, I thought about Elliot, he warned me, I told them not to contact me, will they figure out that I’m not okay? as much as I wanted to play Lucas’ game, I was so anxious to know what will happen next, I was still reveling in my thoughts when the metal door creaked open, it must have be Mr. straight face bringing my food,
You know keeping me here and feeding me shows that your boss or whoever he is to you doesn’t have a plan, I said thinking it was Mr. straight face again, but the air in the room felt different, the cologne, I could even feel the pride, I turned around, there he was, dressed in his favourite colour of black jean and a black polo, he looked good as usual, but devilish, he stood there looking at me with his dark piercing eyes, for a second there, I felt adrenaline rush through me, I couldn’t really tell if the expression on his face was that of anger,
Well, well, it’s about time you showed up, what do you hope to achieve by locking me in, I will suggest you go on with your plan that is if you even have one, because I will never tell you anything you evil son of a b.itch, I said summoning the last courage in me,
Do you mind if I smoke? He asked in a tone that almost made me explode me with anger, he took out one of those big cigars from his pocket and lighted it, who is putting you up to all these heroic acts you are trying to display? you see from the moment you walked into this place, I have been honest with you, but you were lying to me the whole time, you were betraying me, he said, sounding not angry,
What is he talking about and why does he sound cold and composed, he wasn’t some days ago, I thought, he shifted close to me puffing the cigar on my face,
I spat on his face, f.uck you! you can go ahead and do your worst, I said I’m not helping you, a sudden anger reflected on his face as he wiped the saliva off his face composing himself again,
Why would I kill you just yet, when I can torture whatever I want out of you, before killing you, he said clenching his teeth, for a second there, my courage disappeared and I could feel the fear again, but once again despite your treachery, I’m still going to be honest with you,
You don’t fool me Lucas, you don’t, you think I don’t know, you killed someone, pinned the murder on me, kidnapped and tortured my parents, tried to kill me why?, I could feel the tears holding up somewhere around my throat, I have spent the last few months of my life on the run because of you, the tears began streaming down my cheeks, my family is torn apart because of you, but you know what Lucas, I said wiping my tears, and my courage seemed to have bounced back, from the moment I walked in here, I was prepared for the worst, but I swear to you, I will make sure that I don’t go down alone, so the only thing you can do is to kill me right here and now or the slightest chance I get…I paused, giving him the evil smile he likes giving me,
Nicely stated, he said clapping in a mocking way, how do you intend to do that? Kill me exactly?
Okay, that is so not the point, he said in an attempt to make light of the situation which got me thinking again of why he is so composed and not angry, even after spilling my guts to him, even after making him realize my reason for being there, or did he already know I was lying to him the whole time, does he know about Elliot and the others? Are they safe? I felt a gripping fear surging through me,
Tell you what Alice, you are right about all you said, I’m evil, but I want you to know that I did all that for a reason, so now, if you just give me a chance to explain, I will let you out of this cell, you take a warm bath, then we sit and talk like civilized people over drinks,
What? Is he okay? What is he trying to do? He is up to something? i thought,
And why would i do that? I asked, because Alice, you didn’t pull all these stunts on your own, there are people on the outside helping you, I want to know their names and in return I will still stand on every promise I made to you, he said squatting in front of me, revealing the gun, tucked neatly in the waist part of his jean,
If Lucas is asking for names, that means he hasn’t figured out Elliot and the rest, this is a good thing, I could feel a little bit of relief, and if I accept his offer, I could get a better chance of getting out of here or at least warn the others, but I can’t trust Lucas, he is up to something, I have to be very careful, I thought,
So what do you say? Lucas asked as he stood up, fine, I agree, I said, composing myself so as not to give up my intention, he turned around as I quickly grabbed the gun from his waist pointing it at him,
What the hell are you doing Alice?
Turn around you son of a b.itch, you think you can fool me? You never even denied my accusations, which means you tried to kill me, you put me and my family through a whole lot, now where the f.uck are my parents?
Drop the gun! He said, I could feel the fear in his voice, as I held it firmly closer to his face, even if you shoot me and make it out of this room, do you think you can make it out of the building?
Oh I can! You underestimate me,
So what now? He asked, reminding me that I don’t have a plan, how could I have had a plan when grabbing the gun was just an impulsive action, but I had to do something fast, I thought,
Now call off your guys in the hallway, I’m sure one or two might be there, go ahead, I lifted the gun again to his face, divert their attention somewhere, now!
There is nobody in the hallway; Max and peter are in the technical room,
Great! So they are watching us from Technical?
No, I asked them to turn the camera in here off,
You are lying! I screamed,
I’m not Alice, trust me, you don’t want to shoot me, you don’t have it in you, I know you couldn’t have come up with all these on your own…
Shut up you son of a b.itch, I screamed,
Alice, drop the gun!
shut up, I screamed again and with anger I aimed the gun at his leg and pulled the trigger, but it got jammed, I pressed it again, it was still jammed, that’s when I realized what was going on, there were no bullets in it,
Lucas broke into a hysterical laughter, Alice; you try so hard, so so hard, you know this is why I like you, you are strong and feisty as hell, I rushed towards him, but he flung me in a way that I landed so hard on the bunk bed hitting my back, while he rushed towards me pinning me to the bed, you think I will leave a loaded gun like that, how stupid do you think I am, it was a test Alice and you failed he said through clenched teeth, then he broke free from me, as I sat up panting and coughing,
I knew if I made you that offer, you will jump at it, because it will give you a chance to strategize, so I knew the odds, but I was really hoping you wouldn’t try something stupid, so I decided to test you and you failed, but you know what? My offer still stands and this time don’t be stupid, or I will kill you without thinking, he clenched his teeth again,
I will never help you, I said clenching my teeth too,
Oh! You will, not just yet, you will even beg me to take my offer, give it time, he said walking towards the door, while I kept screaming I will never help you until I broke into tears as I heard the metal door close. The days dragged like an old woman, I could have sworn I had been there for a year; I kept remembering Lucas’ words that I would beg to see him, I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction, but I didn’t also have a plan, I was clinging unto the hope that Elliot and the rest would figure out everything and come for me, but I also knew that it was a one out of ten chance, with every passing day, my courage seemed to grow weaker, I couldn’t hold it anymore, I remember saying to the straight face guy,
Okay, tell Lucas I’m ready to talk, I said it with the last bit of pride left in me, I wasn’t expecting an answer from straight face guy, because I knew he would not talk to me, I was expecting Lucas to show up which he didn’t, straight face guy kept coming and going, I had even lost my appetite for food,
Hey! Did you give my message to your boss? I asked with arrogance, he didn’t reply, you think I care about this stupid food? I said kicking the food tray away, but he silently closed the door behind him, I realized what Lucas’ words meant, that I would beg to see him, is this his way of making me beg?
By frustrating me, if it is, then it’s working, I thought as I looked at the food I kicked away, my stomach grumbled and I regretted my action immediately as tears sprang to my eyes.
I didn’t hear from Lucas not until three days later when I was frustrated up to the point I couldn’t hold myself anymore, I began crying wailing and screaming, it was way past my breakfast time, straight face didn’t bring my food, I was beginning to wonder what’s going on because I was extremely hungry, but then the door creaked open, instead of the straight face guy, it was Max, the guy that follows Lucas around,
Lucas wants to see you. Max said with a straight face, I almost couldn’t believe my ears, I couldn’t believe that I was excited about meeting the guy I hated with all my guts, I didn’t even think of what he might do to me, because something in my guts kept telling me that Lucas would not hurt me at least not as far as he doesn’t know who I’m working with, and I hoped he will not find out anytime soon.
Max led me straight to the apartment I occupied, for a moment I wanted to ask him why he brought me there, Adeline was there, immediately she saw me, her eyes lit up, I couldn’t tell why exactly, but it was partly relief and partly happiness, she didn’t quite know what to say, so she managed a soft good morning, the shower is ready, and I will still be here by the time you get out in case you need anything, I didn’t know what to say to her too, so I walked past her into the bathroom, I noticed that Max didn’t leave the door, in fact he left it open, I’m sure they were worried that I might pull a stunt, I wasn’t sure I could even if I had the chance. The feel of the warm water on my body was indescribable, water is indeed life, I thought as I wiped the water off my body, I soon realized that part of my frustration might have come from not having had a shower for about a week, because as I stepped out of the bathroom it was as if a large fog hovering over me has just cleared off, I was less angry, less frustrated, I could even feel my brain think again. Adeline was sitting on the bed; Max was still by the door,
Do you mind? I need to change, I snapped at Max who gave me a little smirk and shifted away from the door. Your clothes are here, make ups, shoes… Adeline scurried around in a nervous uncomfortable way.
Adeline! I snapped, have got this, okay. I’m sorry; I said realizing I just snapped at her, I’m just tired,
It’s okay, just get dressed, I’m sure Lucas is waiting for you, she said in a soft tone, then she turned out into the hallway, it didn’t take me twenty minutes to get dressed, I wore a grey sweater and a black jean with boots, I didn’t bother applying makeup, I just tied up my hair in a bun, and stepped out of the door, immediately Max saw me, he moved, I didn’t need to be told I had to follow him, as usual the breakfast table was set with Lucas sitting relaxed in one of the chairs he was looking businesslike with his Jacket, white shirt and black tie, my stomach turned immediately I saw him,
Does this i.diot expect me to eat with him, I thought, but I quickly dismissed that thought, I wasn’t about to do anything that will get me thrown back into that room, so I took my seat facing him, I kept a straight face and he did too.
Now let’s be clear, if you try to do anything, I mean anything stupid like what you did the last time I will kill you, he said clenching his teeth, but I ignored his threat,
Where are the hell are my parents, what have you done to them?
But he banged the table and carried the table knife in a way that spooked me; I said do you understand me? I could see the darkness in his eyes,
Yes I do,
I’m so going to love putting a bullet in this a.sshole’ head, I thought as I struggled to bottle up my anger.
If you try to call or text anyone from this place I would know, and I will kill you, if you to try to run, I will kill you, you will do as I say until I figure out what to do with you. Now eat, we have some things to do today. He said.
What things? I thought, but I dare not ask him, I was at least relieved, because I knew he isn’t going to hurt me, we ate in silence, until his voice broke the silence,
I didn’t kidnap your parents; he said with a straight face, I chuckled,
Yeah, yeah, my grandmother is a virgin, I thought, you expect me to believe that? I asked, I so wanted to tell him that I know he did, I saw your car at Evans’ funeral, I know about Naomi, in fact I know about you more than you think, I so wanted to tell him how I know, but I couldn’t do it without implicating Elliot and the rest, so I decided to swallow my next statement.
No, I don’t, because it doesn’t matter, by the time I’m done with you, it won’t matter, he replied,
What the hell did he mean by that? I didn’t asked, we both finished our breakfast, come on he said, I stood up and followed him like a puppy while Max and two other guys joined us, we took the elevator, we were soon in a hallway I have never used since I got here, we walked down the long hallway and then turned left and descended down a staircase, I was beginning to get scared where is he taking me to, I’m sure if anything happened to me here, nobody will ever find out, what does he have planned out? I was itching to ask him, but the fear in me swallowed all my courage,
As we went further, this place was beginning to seem familiar, I haven’t been here before but it felt like I knew where we were. Then there it was written boldly on the main entrance door SB3.
My voice almost betrayed me, this was where Amira and her friends talked about, the restricted area, I knew it felt familiar, i must have caught a glimpse of it in Trevor’s office on the screen before he turned it off, we walked further and came to a stop at a large iron door like a mini gate, up on the entrance was also boldly written THE TANK.

i have been trying to update, but i dont know what is going on, will keep trying.

Episode 7
I was locked up in that cell for three days, the only face I kept seeing was one of Lucas’s security aide or whatever he was, and that was because he kept bringing my meals, it was surprising that he wasn’t starving me like the first time he locked me up here, but it was frustrating that he kept me anxious by not showing up or making me know what he was going to do to me, not that the strong face guy who kept bringing my food said any word to me, all he did was bring in the food and take it out the dishes later, The first evening he brought in the food, I pounced on him like an angry dog, but he didn’t exert much energy overpowering and locking the door behind him, I kept screaming like a rabid dog, but after two days of screaming, no one told me to keep calm because it wasn’t yielding any result. At about the third day I wanted to establish a real conversation, I hadn’t spoken to anyone in three days, at least when I was first locked in here, Lucas came from time to time to interrogate me, and silently I wish he came.
You guys can’t keep me in here forever, I said, but he just took one look at me and turned around locking the door behind him, I felt like really punching him in face, at that point I could understand why most people that have been in solitary confinement rarely made it out sane, the silence is enough to drive one insane, but I realized that Lucas was playing his twisted game as usual, I was fed up, the anticipation of what he will do to me, I even started having nightmares of dead bodies by the beach, I realized I thought too much about what Amira and her friends told me Lucas does to people who mess with him, I thought about Elliot, he warned me, I told them not to contact me, will they figure out that I’m not okay? as much as I wanted to play Lucas’ game, I was so anxious to know what will happen next, I was still reveling in my thoughts when the metal door creaked open, it must have be Mr. straight face bringing my food,
You know keeping me here and feeding me shows that your boss or whoever he is to you doesn’t have a plan, I said thinking it was Mr. straight face again, but the air in the room felt different, the cologne, I could even feel the pride, I turned around, there he was, dressed in his favourite colour of black jean and a black polo, he looked good as usual, but devilish, he stood there looking at me with his dark piercing eyes, for a second there, I felt adrenaline rush through me, I couldn’t really tell if the expression on his face was that of anger,
Well, well, it’s about time you showed up, what do you hope to achieve by locking me in, I will suggest you go on with your plan that is if you even have one, because I will never tell you anything you evil son of a b.itch, I said summoning the last courage in me,
Do you mind if I smoke? He asked in a tone that almost made me explode me with anger, he took out one of those big cigars from his pocket and lighted it, who is putting you up to all these heroic acts you are trying to display? you see from the moment you walked into this place, I have been honest with you, but you were lying to me the whole time, you were betraying me, he said, sounding not angry,
What is he talking about and why does he sound cold and composed, he wasn’t some days ago, I thought, he shifted close to me puffing the cigar on my face,
I spat on his face, f.uck you! you can go ahead and do your worst, I said I’m not helping you, a sudden anger reflected on his face as he wiped the saliva off his face composing himself again,
Why would I kill you just yet, when I can torture whatever I want out of you, before killing you, he said clenching his teeth, for a second there, my courage disappeared and I could feel the fear again, but once again despite your treachery, I’m still going to be honest with you,
You don’t fool me Lucas, you don’t, you think I don’t know, you killed someone, pinned the murder on me, kidnapped and tortured my parents, tried to kill me why?, I could feel the tears holding up somewhere around my throat, I have spent the last few months of my life on the run because of you, the tears began streaming down my cheeks, my family is torn apart because of you, but you know what Lucas, I said wiping my tears, and my courage seemed to have bounced back, from the moment I walked in here, I was prepared for the worst, but I swear to you, I will make sure that I don’t go down alone, so the only thing you can do is to kill me right here and now or the slightest chance I get…I paused, giving him the evil smile he likes giving me,
Nicely stated, he said clapping in a mocking way, how do you intend to do that? Kill me exactly?
Okay, that is so not the point, he said in an attempt to make light of the situation which got me thinking again of why he is so composed and not angry, even after spilling my guts to him, even after making him realize my reason for being there, or did he already know I was lying to him the whole time, does he know about Elliot and the others? Are they safe? I felt a gripping fear surging through me,
Tell you what Alice, you are right about all you said, I’m evil, but I want you to know that I did all that for a reason, so now, if you just give me a chance to explain, I will let you out of this cell, you take a warm bath, then we sit and talk like civilized people over drinks,
What? Is he okay? What is he trying to do? He is up to something? i thought,
And why would i do that? I asked, because Alice, you didn’t pull all these stunts on your own, there are people on the outside helping you, I want to know their names and in return I will still stand on every promise I made to you, he said squatting in front of me, revealing the gun, tucked neatly in the waist part of his jean,
If Lucas is asking for names, that means he hasn’t figured out Elliot and the rest, this is a good thing, I could feel a little bit of relief, and if I accept his offer, I could get a better chance of getting out of here or at least warn the others, but I can’t trust Lucas, he is up to something, I have to be very careful, I thought,
So what do you say? Lucas asked as he stood up, fine, I agree, I said, composing myself so as not to give up my intention, he turned around as I quickly grabbed the gun from his waist pointing it at him,
What the hell are you doing Alice?
Turn around you son of a b.itch, you think you can fool me? You never even denied my accusations, which means you tried to kill me, you put me and my family through a whole lot, now where the f.uck are my parents?
Drop the gun! He said, I could feel the fear in his voice, as I held it firmly closer to his face, even if you shoot me and make it out of this room, do you think you can make it out of the building?
Oh I can! You underestimate me,
So what now? He asked, reminding me that I don’t have a plan, how could I have had a plan when grabbing the gun was just an impulsive action, but I had to do something fast, I thought,
Now call off your guys in the hallway, I’m sure one or two might be there, go ahead, I lifted the gun again to his face, divert their attention somewhere, now!
There is nobody in the hallway; Max and peter are in the technical room,
Great! So they are watching us from Technical?
No, I asked them to turn the camera in here off,
You are lying! I screamed,
I’m not Alice, trust me, you don’t want to shoot me, you don’t have it in you, I know you couldn’t have come up with all these on your own…
Shut up you son of a b.itch, I screamed,
Alice, drop the gun!
shut up, I screamed again and with anger I aimed the gun at his leg and pulled the trigger, but it got jammed, I pressed it again, it was still jammed, that’s when I realized what was going on, there were no bullets in it,
Lucas broke into a hysterical laughter, Alice; you try so hard, so so hard, you know this is why I like you, you are strong and feisty as hell, I rushed towards him, but he flung me in a way that I landed so hard on the bunk bed hitting my back, while he rushed towards me pinning me to the bed, you think I will leave a loaded gun like that, how stupid do you think I am, it was a test Alice and you failed he said through clenched teeth, then he broke free from me, as I sat up panting and coughing,
I knew if I made you that offer, you will jump at it, because it will give you a chance to strategize, so I knew the odds, but I was really hoping you wouldn’t try something stupid, so I decided to test you and you failed, but you know what? My offer still stands and this time don’t be stupid, or I will kill you without thinking, he clenched his teeth again,
I will never help you, I said clenching my teeth too,
Oh! You will, not just yet, you will even beg me to take my offer, give it time, he said walking towards the door, while I kept screaming I will never help you until I broke into tears as I heard the metal door close. The days dragged like an old woman, I could have sworn I had been there for a year; I kept remembering Lucas’ words that I would beg to see him, I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction, but I didn’t also have a plan, I was clinging unto the hope that Elliot and the rest would figure out everything and come for me, but I also knew that it was a one out of ten chance, with every passing day, my courage seemed to grow weaker, I couldn’t hold it anymore, I remember saying to the straight face guy,
Okay, tell Lucas I’m ready to talk, I said it with the last bit of pride left in me, I wasn’t expecting an answer from straight face guy, because I knew he would not talk to me, I was expecting Lucas to show up which he didn’t, straight face guy kept coming and going, I had even lost my appetite for food,
Hey! Did you give my message to your boss? I asked with arrogance, he didn’t reply, you think I care about this stupid food? I said kicking the food tray away, but he silently closed the door behind him, I realized what Lucas’ words meant, that I would beg to see him, is this his way of making me beg?
By frustrating me, if it is, then it’s working, I thought as I looked at the food I kicked away, my stomach grumbled and I regretted my action immediately as tears sprang to my eyes.
I didn’t hear from Lucas not until three days later when I was frustrated up to the point I couldn’t hold myself anymore, I began crying wailing and screaming, it was way past my breakfast time, straight face didn’t bring my food, I was beginning to wonder what’s going on because I was extremely hungry, but then the door creaked open, instead of the straight face guy, it was Max, the guy that follows Lucas around,
Lucas wants to see you. Max said with a straight face, I almost couldn’t believe my ears, I couldn’t believe that I was excited about meeting the guy I hated with all my guts, I didn’t even think of what he might do to me, because something in my guts kept telling me that Lucas would not hurt me at least not as far as he doesn’t know who I’m working with, and I hoped he will not find out anytime soon.
Max led me straight to the apartment I occupied, for a moment I wanted to ask him why he brought me there, Adeline was there, immediately she saw me, her eyes lit up, I couldn’t tell why exactly, but it was partly relief and partly happiness, she didn’t quite know what to say, so she managed a soft good morning, the shower is ready, and I will still be here by the time you get out in case you need anything, I didn’t know what to say to her too, so I walked past her into the bathroom, I noticed that Max didn’t leave the door, in fact he left it open, I’m sure they were worried that I might pull a stunt, I wasn’t sure I could even if I had the chance. The feel of the warm water on my body was indescribable, water is indeed life, I thought as I wiped the water off my body, I soon realized that part of my frustration might have come from not having had a shower for about a week, because as I stepped out of the bathroom it was as if a large fog hovering over me has just cleared off, I was less angry, less frustrated, I could even feel my brain think again. Adeline was sitting on the bed; Max was still by the door,
Do you mind? I need to change, I snapped at Max who gave me a little smirk and shifted away from the door. Your clothes are here, make ups, shoes… Adeline scurried around in a nervous uncomfortable way.
Adeline! I snapped, have got this, okay. I’m sorry; I said realizing I just snapped at her, I’m just tired,
It’s okay, just get dressed, I’m sure Lucas is waiting for you, she said in a soft tone, then she turned out into the hallway, it didn’t take me twenty minutes to get dressed, I wore a grey sweater and a black jean with boots, I didn’t bother applying makeup, I just tied up my hair in a bun, and stepped out of the door, immediately Max saw me, he moved, I didn’t need to be told I had to follow him, as usual the breakfast table was set with Lucas sitting relaxed in one of the chairs he was looking businesslike with his Jacket, white shirt and black tie, my stomach turned immediately I saw him,
Does this i.diot expect me to eat with him, I thought, but I quickly dismissed that thought, I wasn’t about to do anything that will get me thrown back into that room, so I took my seat facing him, I kept a straight face and he did too.
Now let’s be clear, if you try to do anything, I mean anything stupid like what you did the last time I will kill you, he said clenching his teeth, but I ignored his threat,
Where are the hell are my parents, what have you done to them?
But he banged the table and carried the table knife in a way that spooked me; I said do you understand me? I could see the darkness in his eyes,
Yes I do,
I’m so going to love putting a bullet in this a.sshole’ head, I thought as I struggled to bottle up my anger.
If you try to call or text anyone from this place I would know, and I will kill you, if you to try to run, I will kill you, you will do as I say until I figure out what to do with you. Now eat, we have some things to do today. He said.
What things? I thought, but I dare not ask him, I was at least relieved, because I knew he isn’t going to hurt me, we ate in silence, until his voice broke the silence,
I didn’t kidnap your parents; he said with a straight face, I chuckled,
Yeah, yeah, my grandmother is a virgin, I thought, you expect me to believe that? I asked, I so wanted to tell him that I know he did, I saw your car at Evans’ funeral, I know about Naomi, in fact I know about you more than you think, I so wanted to tell him how I know, but I couldn’t do it without implicating Elliot and the rest, so I decided to swallow my next statement.
No, I don’t, because it doesn’t matter, by the time I’m done with you, it won’t matter, he replied,
What the hell did he mean by that? I didn’t asked, we both finished our breakfast, come on he said, I stood up and followed him like a puppy while Max and two other guys joined us, we took the elevator, we were soon in a hallway I have never used since I got here, we walked down the long hallway and then turned left and descended down a staircase, I was beginning to get scared where is he taking me to, I’m sure if anything happened to me here, nobody will ever find out, what does he have planned out? I was itching to ask him, but the fear in me swallowed all my courage,
As we went further, this place was beginning to seem familiar, I haven’t been here before but it felt like I knew where we were. Then there it was written boldly on the main entrance door SB3.
My voice almost betrayed me, this was where Amira and her friends talked about, the restricted area, I knew it felt familiar, i must have caught a glimpse of it in Trevor’s office on the screen before he turned it off, we walked further and came to a stop at a large iron door like a mini gate, up on the entrance was also boldly written THE TANK.

I know some folks might be pissed or disappointed, but I really wish I could help these delays.

But I haven't abandoned this thread,it's not over until it is over. Next episode is revealing our mystery killer.

0lushola:
A lowprofile follower of this great writeup.. swithrt, keep it up. more updates in range i guess.

all kinds of followers are welcome. Yeah more updates.

So do you mind telling me what you discovered?
Excuse me? I said, you said it is fascinating, what really is, he kept pushing,
Wow! I murmured, he had good taste like Elliot said, most of the interior decors I saw I wasn’t even familiar with, he had a thing for artworks, because they all adorned the walls, the fluffy rugs, the chandeliers, the out-of-this-world couches, the wine bar was art itself, then he picked up a remote and pressed a button, something like a shelf opened up exposing a large TV screen and a fireplace beneath, I knew he was trying to impress me, but the more I tried to hide the fact that I wasn’t impressed, the more I looked stupid,
Wow! Nice place you have here, it must really cost a fortune, I said in an attempt to distract him from the subject at hand, he chuckled, thanks, he said walking over to the wine bar,
Wine ?
Scotch ?
Juice ?
Water? He asked,
Wine, I replied,
Red or white?
Seriously? I asked, yes, seriously, he said frowning, I could see he was trying to control me and I was already scared of his reaction,
Red, I said, he handed a the glass of red wine, while he lifted up his glass of scotch,
To new discoveries,
I cringed, what new discoveries? I thought, but he still held his glass up in the air and gave me that dark stare still frowning, then I raised my own glass,
To new discoveries, I said reluctantly, he gave me a smug smile, then drained the content of his glass, so I was asking what really fascinates you about this place, well, i..errrm, I struggled to find the words to begin, but I couldn’t , I hope this wine is strong enough, because if I’m to stand up to this bastard, I need something strong, I thought as I drained the content of my glass too.
Well, I will begin by saying the technical room is the most fascinating. His eyes widen as his straight face curled up into a smile, I was confused, what is amusing about what I just said,
Go on, he urged,
Is this really about security or you just having some sick need to control people, taking advantage of people’s vulnerability? I asked not believing those words actually came out of my mouth, but it was already too late to take it back, the things most people do here are bad enough, reliving the act is something I can’t even think of, take Hon. Abass for instance, he is a family man; a public figure, if people were to see that, it could tarnish his image, it could be devastating for his family and friends, I know what he did is wrong, but… I added trying to play down the statement I made earlier,
Oh my God! Now he is going to unleash hell, but on the contrary, he burst into a loud laugh that got me confused,
You are right, some part of me likes to control, but I wouldn’t call it control, you see we humans have dwelt too long on one perspective of life, but I like to see life from different perspectives, I like to see good where people see evil, the truth is life is like a cage, people want to live it the best way they can, but for some reasons, they are always made to feel they couldn’t always live the way they want to, so some people end up not really finding true happiness, I sit down here starring at this screen every night watching people do their thing, they look happy, and that makes me happy too because I have succeeded in giving these people the true happiness they deserve,
You mean allowing people do drugs, prostitution, and everything illegal and morally wrong is making them happy? I asked not even able to hide my contempt anymore, I’m just saying some set of rules or laws shouldn’t dictate for people how to live their lives, he said standing up from his seat and walking towards me, I was uncomfortable having him that close to me, so I decided to keep the conversation going in order to distract him from anything he might have in mind,
That doesn’t still explain why you invade their privacy, I asked disgusted by the mere words coming out of my mind,
Alice, apart from being a liberal, I’m a business man, and every good business man anticipates risks, hence must be prepared for one, he said giving me that smug smile again,
Oh my God! You use these footage to blackmail; it is more of your insurance policy than it is a security measure, oh my God! This guy was creepier than I thought; he was totally a psycho, a criminal, I thought,
But he gave me a grin, I wouldn’t call it blackmail, but Alice, you are one hell of a smart ass, too smart that it got me wondering why you would kill your own boyfriend out of jealousy when they are several other ways you could have handled it or better still kill him without making it obvious that you did, he stood up and went to the bar refilling his glass, though I was relaxed that he got up, but I was suddenly unnerved again at the swift turn of conversation, he walked back with the bottle and tried to refill my glass, but I shook my head to mean no, he gave me that look again that always paralyzes my courage, I reluctantly let him pour more into my glass, you know at first I thought your move was dumb, but then again, a criminal smart enough to not be caught by the law must be given some credit right?
Okay, first of all, I didn’t kill anybody, and… I wanted to add more, but I figured I might be saying too much, the truth is i don’t trust the law to figure out I’m innocent, besides, didn’t you say you were going to help me clear my name, free my parents and find me the asshole that framed me up? I said swallowing the urge to say I know you did it asshole, but he just sat there looking at me, I could see it written all over him that he did it,
I did say I will clear your name and free your parents, but I can’t remember saying I will find the person you claim is responsible, he replied, avoiding my eyes,
Why, because you are responsible? I almost found myself saying as my heart began to constrict in anger, I was few seconds from exploding, I couldn’t believe he could still sit there and play games with me,
Well, if you are done, I will like to retire to my room, because the more I sit here and talk about my parents not being rescued or the psycho holding them not being found, the more my anger towards him builds up and I’m just seconds from doing something crazy, I said spitting out my words and making him understand every bit of how I felt, I watched him clench his jaws too like he was angry, this guy is border line sick, does he even have any right to be angry? I thought as I stood up, grabbed my tab,
I like smart girls, it’s a turn on for me; his voice caused me to stop, oh my God! Is he always this chatty? I couldn’t bear to listen to his voice one more time or I might just do something very stupid, I didn’t turn, but I could hear him get up from the couch approaching me, I held my breath and closed my eyes to stifle the over whelming anger I felt towards this psychopath, but before I knew it, I felt him standing before me, I opened my eyes to those mean dark eyes piercing through me, I almost died when he ran his hands down my cheeks as he continued his annoying speech,
You are very beautiful and smart and daring, he said as his face assumed a dark expression I haven’t seen before, but like all smart people, there is always a moment of stupidity, that tiny moment when they just slip,
What are you talking about? I managed to find the courage to talk, but he didn’t reply, rather he held my tab in an attempt to collect it from me, but i held it back, but I looked into his face again, and I didn’t have a choice than to let him have it,
Oh my God! What does he want with my tab? What is going on here? I could feel my heart somersaulting in my chest, what is this guy up to? I thought, my legs were already shaking, he must have noticed,
You might want to take a seat, he said, errrm… I’m okay; I stammered trying to convince everyone but myself that I was okay,
You know, the first time you walked into my club, I told you there was something about you, off course you gave me your story which is true to some extent, but there was this cool exterior you had, but a burning fire below, so I wanted to explore, at least you don’t meet such women every day, I tried to wrap my head around you, but you played me down, he said chuckling in a somewhat evil manner, I could see he was trying to conceal something,
What are you talking about? I managed to speak again, but every nerve in my body were up, he just looked at me and picked up my tab again and drew out something like a small SIM card, but much smaller, he held it up,
Do you know what this is? He asked, I shook my head to mean no, not because I didn’t just know what it was, but because I had lost my speech organ, okay Alice, I will play along, it is a micro sensor, it receives signal and responds to it in a distinctive manner, I must have peed in my panties, because it looked like I was beginning to understand what is going on here,
The only thing you came with into this place was a tab, at first I dismissed it as nothing, but it got me thinking for a girl who is on the run, the only thing you held on to is your tab, you don’t receive calls, but you make use of it occasional, from the looks of it, you don’t have much on it, yet it is that important to you, so I did some digging, off course, your story checked out, but then an unusual thing happened, something that hasn’t before,

Momentary signal interference. Last night, you remember? I didn’t reply, because as far I was concerned he was talking to a dead woman, my brain couldn’t think anymore, I was bleeped as far I was concerned, you see I didn’t think it was just an ordinary security breach, he continued, squatting before me, I could feel his anger, his voice has started to change, so I went on a witch hunt, I slipped this little man on Max’s phone, Adaline’s phone, Trevor’s phone, and off course your tab,
You have to do something, say something, defend yourself, don’t just sit there, these statements flowed through my mind, but I didn’t know what to say, so I just chuckled, I don’t understand you, I managed to say, but he stood up, walked to where the large screen hung, slot in the small card somewhere on the large TV, pressed a few buttons on the remote,
I almost fell off the couch when it displayed every one of the last conversation I had earlier today with Jerry, every one, then I saw some other files which appeared like corrupt files,
Unlike other micro sensors that just emit and receive signals, this one goes a long way to save data, I’m still working on the retrieving aspect of it, that’s why it couldn’t retrieve your previous conversation.
So honey, let’s start with the simple question, who are you working for? He asked, pouring almost a glass full of scotch, then he poured some white substance on the table, I really hoped it wasn’t what I thought it was, but it was,
Cocaine! I could feel my heart bursting out of my chest, as he cut a line through and snorted it, all I could think of was what Amira and her friends told me about a girl that defied him and died of drug overdose, I prayed that I wouldn’t share the same fate because he once told me they are many ways he could kill me, then it felt like a threat, but at that moment I didn’t quite know what to think of that statement,
Now tell me what I need to know, he said holding my chin up to his face, his eyes had suddenly turn blood red, I had to do or say something, I feigned a sob all of a sudden,
I don’t know what you are talking about, but my sob seemed to have ceased abruptly when I heard the loud clatter of glass, he had flung his glass of scotch against the wall, kicking over the table and with one swift lifted me from the couch in a way that his hands were on my neck,
The fear in my mind had surged through all parts of my body, but suddenly another emotion kicked in, it was anger mixed with fear, I didn’t know if it was the alcohol, but the anger seemed to overwhelm the other suddenly,
I swear to God, if you don’t start talking, I will…
what will you fucking do? My voice suddenly echoed throughout the large room, I couldn’t believe the sound of my own voice,
Strangle me? Drug me?
I am not scared of you Lucas; I could see the momentary surprise in his eyes as he pushed me back on to the couch,
You can go to hell, I am not going to tell you anything, I said, I didn’t know where the sudden boldness came from, but I instantly knew I was screwed, it would take a miracle to get out of this building alive, but if the last thing I do will be taking this son of a bitch down with me, then that’s what I will do,
Something came to my mind immediately, something I picked up from one of my sessions with Jerry, I sat still bidding my time, in one swift mode without actually thinking If i could successfully pull the stunt, I grabbed his tie, dragged it as he struggled, grabbed my wrist, the next thing I felt was a spank across the face, and that was unfortunately the last thing I remembered when I woke up to find myself in the cell I was kept the first few days I walked in that building.

…Episode 6 ends…

I pressed a button, suddenly I was on the ground floor, I took the hall way into the club, it looked different, the seats and tables were rearranged, a nice scent of expensive air freshener filled the hall, I’m sure it was concentrated to mask the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, few people were at the bar, I was surprised no one actually stopped me to ask questions, I took a walk across the hall ignoring those at the bar, then turned left, the hallway was as I remembered last night when Jerry showed up, I stood for a minute contemplating on what will happen as soon as this door opens, I remember immediately Lucas and me stood before the door, it opened up, they were either expecting him or they saw us approaching, I didn’t quiet finish my thoughts, the door swung open, I was face to face with the tall lanky man, he was a lot less stressed than the other night, or maybe it was because he was in a more relaxed mode, I soon realized he was in charge,
Hello! I managed to utter, smiling, his eyes shone bright as if he was struck by the smile I gave him, but he managed to regain his professional self,
Hello, may I help you?
Yeah, no, I mean yes, I said stammering, Lucas said I could just get my bored self out of the apartment and take a look around, he grinned,
Errrm.., please ma, Alice is the name, I cut in, okay Alice, I’m sure when Lucas said that, he didn’t include this part of the building, I’m sure he didn’t, I murmured to myself, I wasn’t about to let this lanky man get in my way, I maintained my smile which was hurting my cheeks by the way, because it wasn’t genuine,
Well, neither did he tell me where to and where not to go, okay look, Mr.… Trevor, Trevor is the name, he said getting back at me, oh yeah, Trevor, yet another fake name, I murmured to myself again, okay, Trevor, I’m just fascinated by these twenty first century gadgets, when I came in here last night, I was totally wowed, so I wished to be here again, and when Lucas said I could look around this morning, it was like my wish was granted, please don’t send me back, you could even check in with Lucas to be sure, I said chuckling while giving him a cute baby face plea.
Okay, fine, twenty minutes max, I can’t let you stay in here, thanks Trevor, I said as we walked into the hall, there were not as many as they were last night, all the monitors were still up, I waved to a few people who kept starring at me, some lustfully, some were like what is she doing in here?
It’s nice in here, seeing this entire massive building in a glance, I said trying to poke Trevor to talk, it’s not as fun as you may think, he said in an attempt to be in the conversation without actually giving out information, come on, watching people who have no idea they are being watched, I can’t think of a better way to have fun, it feels CIA ish, you know,
I was surprised that got him laughing, I guess my poking was working, but he quickly pulled up a straight face, so what is that place? I pointed to the glass compartment, oh that’s my office/ private security room, he said,
Wow! I’m sure I can see a big “out of bounds” written on it, he turned to look at it, and quickly realized the irony, so he laughed again, well you are right, it is out of bounds, but since it’s your lucky day, I might just let you check it out for five minutes, wow! Today is really my lucky day, I said beaming.
In there, it was even colder, there were about five monitors, most of the gadgets were laid out on the large table, one side of the compartment was more like a flat, I guess Trevor stays in here, I thought, on the far end of the wall was a board filled with buttons in a grid like form,
What are those? I asked Trevor who was pouring drinks into two glasses, pointing to the buttons, think of them like keys to every door in this building, I could lock or open any door from here, and when I do, it overrides the main lock, he said with an air of authority.
What? I said pretending to be surprised,
yeah, don’t you just love technology? He said feeling impressed,
So how do you know which is for which door? I asked, he walked over to me handing me a glass of chilled white wine,
Well, the buttons on each grid represents each floor, or I could just enter it from the system over there, okay, go open that door, he pointed to the glass door of the compartment we were in, just press the button on the side, I did, it swung open, now press it again, I did, it closed up, he walked to the wall, pressed a button, the door swung open, now press the button on the wall again he ordered, I did, but the door didn’t close, he pressed the button from where he was, the door closed, I smiled like a child with candy, which made him feel he had impressed me,
Then beside the three grids representing ground floor, first floor and the penthouse, there was another grid which had just two buttons, I didn’t need to be told where those buttons controlled, but my curiosity just wouldn’t let me,
What about the other grid? I asked, but he simply looked at me and smiled, draining his glass, it controls a place somewhere in this building, I didn’t need more answers, he had already given me the answer I needed.
Well, I hope you have used your errrmm, he said checking his expensive wrist watch ten minutes wisely, I even gave you an extra five minutes, I drained my glass, I know that is you asking me to leave, I will, we both laughed, but Trevor thank you for your time, he smiled and nodded walking me across the hall to the door.

I took the elevator upstairs to my apartment, I thought of what to do with all these information, i need to talk to Steve, he is the only person that could make sense of it, I know I might have gone through one or two months of tutorials, I can pull a few tricks, but that doesn’t mean I should go fool around, I can’t risk it for now, but how am I going to get through to Steve?
Then the idea hit me like a bomb, where the hell is my tab?
I retrieved it from the wardrobe, brought it on, then accessed the hidden folders, entered the password, come on! Get the signal please! I murmured, getting really anxious, it wasn’t quite five seconds,
Message from PINOT NOIR, it worked! I almost screamed to myself, but then again, i could be watched right now, I thought, so I kept on a straight face again,
Are you there? I typed, but I didn’t get any response, then I remembered I hadn’t entered the identification code, SHIRAZ, he typed back SHIRAZ with a question mark,
The black bag under the table, I typed,
Seriously, Alice, You shouldn’t ever forget the identification code, he typed, I know, I was just anxious to get to you, I typed, why didn’t you write like we earlier agreed, I told you what you are doing now is risky,
I told you things aren’t as we thought it to be around here, plans have changed, I just discovered that where Jerry asked me to check out is a restricted area, and every door in this place is electronically wired, it can be overridden from the technical room, tell me you can do something about this, I want to check out that place,
Wait! Wait! Wait! Slow down, you can’t just do that, you have to know what you are doing, besides I can’t just do anything, except you can get back in there, and let me have access to the particular system with the codes, anyway I will figure out a way to do something, Steve typed, before i could type the next thing,
Sign off! My signal is bouncing, someone is trying to… before he could even finish, I was cut off, and all our messages were wiped,
Shit! I need to go back to that technical room, I don’t really care what will happen, I thought, I stood up, changed into a white shirt and a black jean and a pair of black boots, applied a little make up, picked up my tab and opened the door, I almost fainted when I came face to face with Lucas, I wondered how long he had been standing there, he was wearing a sleek suit with a grey tie that gave him a smart look, though he still looked all devilish with his dark piercing eyes on me,
You scared me, why didn’t you just knock or something? I asked trying to cover up any atom of fear that might have shown on my face, but he didn’t say anything, his expression was blank,
How was your tour? He asked with that grim smile that always showed he was hiding something; it was interesting I guess, I replied trying not to give away anything,
Hmmm, interesting? Which part of it? He asked walking across the part where we had breakfast earlier into the other part of the penthouse where he mostly walks into after our meal together, while I followed him; I knew that was a trick question that could give me away,
All of it, it’s a large and fascinating building,

It totally looked different in here from the night life, I wasn’t sure what changed, less people or the absence of nudity, though they were few people on the couches drinking, I was still scanning the hall, when I heard a voice behind me,

If it isn’t the boss’s new favourite girl, I turned, it was Amira, all I could picture when I saw her was her hands all over Lucas the other night, but this morning she seemed different , at least she was dressed in a bum short and loose top that showed her belly button, the other two girls with her I didn’t recognize, one carried a gold colour sprayed low cut hair with a nose ring, the other with a weird wig, I didn’t need a prophet to tell me they were like Amira in profession. She gestured to me to move towards them which I did, that must have been my lucky day because she was the one person I was looking forward to talk to, I sat in one of the empty seat I was offered,

Hello everybody!
I said sounding polite, I’m…the girl in low cut stopped me midway, we know who you are, you are the new Naomi, she said, I noticed their eyes were blurry, at about 10 A.M, though they had a bottle of red wine before them, I didn’t really think it was the drink, until I noticed the other lady kept rubbing her nose and itching her palms,
Oh my God! Drugs! They are high, but ever since I heard the name Naomi, that name sounded familiar, I wanted to get more of this conversation, who is Naomi? I asked chuckling, because they kept laughing about nothing, I knew it was the effect of the drugs they were on,
Oh! nasty bitch, she was Lucas’s favourite bitch, she came in here just like us, working in the lounge for a couple of months, next thing I know Lucas is all over her, not that she bleeped better than anyone, but you know what they say about luck, she was removed from the lounge and next thing we know the boss started sending her out on jobs,
What kind of jobs? I asked sounding naïve, but they all burst into a loud laugh, the one in low cut shifted close to me, oh! babe, they are a lot of shitty things that go on here, things you don’t even want to know, well, personally I don’t know what kind of jobs, they all laughed again, while I joined them too in the laughter,

So where is Naomi now? I asked, Cos obviously Amira seems to be the favourite now, I could see from her face she was flattered, well, we don’t know, we heard she was shot, the girl with the weird wig whispered,
I gaped, not because of what they told me, but this was the Naomi I know, and now she is somehow connected to Lucas, the only person I had shot in my life, last thing I remember before running off from my captors was a girl named Naomi in a pool of her own blood, this wasn’t a coincidence, so it was really Lucas, things began to unravel, mysteries, I was hoping Amira could help me, but she and her friends didn’t just help, they gave me far more than I thought possible, Lucas was a beast, a beast I was willing to do anything to put down, I felt a full blown hatred course through my heart, but I had to keep calm because I had to get at least one last information,
Bar guy, a glass for our friend here, Amira screamed across the hall to the bartender,
No, thanks, I don’t want to drink, I’m fine,
or you want a little something? The girl in the wig asked, as they all laughed again, it took me some seconds to realize what she asked, No! No! No! I’m good thanks, I said.

So you guys all live here? I asked, yup! Lucas can’t afford to let his “employees” out of his sight; Amira said making sure she let me understand the quotation marks in the employees,
Wow! He must be paying you guys a lot, I poked, well, he lets us make money from other means like the dope, he pays us extra for some special jobs plus the dressing allowance, I chuckled, more like bikini allowance, I thought.
So what’s your deal with him? The girl on low cut asked, or hasn’t he told you where you fit in yet, how do you mean? I asked sincerely, well, Lucas chooses who works for him, how and where,
Oh I see! So why did Lucas decide to let his little bird out of the cage? The girl in the wig asked, oh! He wants me to take a tour of the building, Amira choked on her drink, you must be kidding me? The girl on low cut said, No way! The girl in the weird wig added,
What! Why are you all surprised? I asked, Because that does not happen, you don’t just go anywhere, Lucas doesn’t allow it, he hates for people to snoop around and he is granting you a free pass, he must really like you, Amira said,
Really? I asked,

If I were to be given this opportunity, first place I will check out is the Sb3, the girl in the weird wig said,
Sb3? Where the hell is that? Sub basement 3, it’s a restricted part of this building, it’s like the Pandora’s box of the horns, all the secrets are locked in there, and it’s always a beehive twenty four seven, I’m totally rooting to know what goes down there,
Don’t listen to her, Lucas may have asked you to check this place out, but I’m not sure he wants you there, I’m with Vee on this one, if I had my way I will, the girl on low cut added,
Are you girls fucking crazy, or you just have some memory loss? I guess you have forgotten so soon what happened to whiskey, the other two girls just looked apprehensive all of a sudden like something really bad happened,
Who is whiskey and what happened to him? They all looked quiet as if it was top secret, they all had been giving away so much since, why are they suddenly careful not to speak, I thought, but I knew that if they aren’t speaking then it is the one information I needed to hear, so I decided to go a little deceptive on them,

But before I could even display my deceptive skills, the girl on low cut decided to speak in a tone as low as possible, whiskey used to be like Lucas’s top guy in here, even though Lucas doesn’t like us getting it down with his guys in here, but whiskey and me used to, you know, he was good and he tipped me well, that was a detail I didn’t want to know, while it amused the others, all I just wanted was for her to get to the point, but I didn’t have to push it to avoid suspicions. He was kind of like Max now she continued, I didn’t know who Max was, but immediately I understood he must be the guy who follows Lucas about, but they kind of had a disagreement, she continued, next thing we heard was that he tried to blackmail Lucas with the secrets in Pandora’s box and every other stuff that goes on in here, she paused, turning the last content in the bottle into the glass and draining it in a gulp as if she was trying to mask some pain that just hit her, I couldn’t hide my curiosity,
So ? I asked, his body was found three days later by the river bank over there, Amira completed the story,
Fucking handsome guy, the girl in low cut screamed with pain in her voice, that the others had to signal her to lower her voice.
Which river bank? I asked bringing them back to the subject; they all looked at me surprised, you must be kidding me, there is a freaking beach at the back of this building that opens up into the island, the girl in low cut added,

I felt a sudden fear grip me, it dawned on me at once, the men that came to the beach, everything was beginning to add up, Lucas is really up to something, does he know about the others, I prayed silently that nothing should happen to Elliot and the rest, well, if Lucas is going to kill us, then I mustn’t let our death be in vain, at that point it wasn’t about my parents anymore, it wasn’t about what I had been through anymore, it was going to have him pay for everything he had done, everyone he had hurt, I suddenly felt heroic, like I wanted to save the world, I had never felt that way, though I was always protecting my friends and the people I loved, I had never thought of putting myself in harm’s way to save people. The fear soon culminated into anger, I didn’t mind blowing my cover to get what I wanted, I guess the things going on in my mind showed on my face as Amira quickly brought me back to reality,
Are you okay? You seemed suddenly not okay, is it about all we said, relax! You are in his good books, he wouldn’t hurt you, until I fall out of his good books, I replied, anyway, you know we ladies like to hear things and talk, you know those things may have not even happened that way, she said, I noticed she was scared,
Oh my God! Does she think I might go to Lucas with all they have said, anyway, I have to leave, it was really nice meeting you ladies, my name is Alice, I said politely
Vee and Naya, I’m Amira, not real names anyway, Amira said, they all laughed, and for the first time I actually laughed genuinely, okay, girls, see you around, I shifted my chair backwards as I stood up to leave,
Hey girl, I turned, it was the girl in low cut,
Be careful, she warned, I nodded and they all nodded back as I disappeared into the elevator.

mariamferanmi:
Am so wowed!!! Nice one crixina, I love dis ur story I pray Alice get out of there safely............ Dis is superb #chopknuckle#

thanks hun.

7kahfe:
Crixina, I'm mavelled, ur writing skills is incredible, I jst like hw u fussed ur story with romance, crime nd suspense, you're a blessing to literature. Weldon. Updates asap pls

i'm flattered, thanks, update coming up.

Galaxdiva:
Wow,jerry in love? He shud nva let elliot knw.... I dnt want alice to end up being caught in d middle...they shud beta let d whole mystery get solved b4 lettin their heart out.... Crixina,tnks for that,u make d story real and imaginable...thumbs up... We are waiting 4 more...

thanks dear.update now.

The suite was in the hotel in a wing different form where the club was, I still remember from the blueprint that when you come from outside it can be accessed differently, but from the club there was a link, an elevator or something, all I just knew was that the we took an elevator which opened into a long corridor that housed the suites, that property was way bigger than what we saw in the blueprint, I stopped at suite 204, the door swung open and we stepped inside, then the security aide looked around and nodded to me, as the door slide open again and he walked out, I stood there lost in where I was, the interior design, the furniture, everything was impeccable, it was so cold that I looked around for where the air conditioner was but I couldn’t find it, when I lifted up my eyes, I noticed that it was embedded in the glass like things that served as ceilings, I didn’t even know what they were called because I had never seen one before, I wanted take off my boots which were hurting my toes, but a thought struck my mind, there are cameras in this place, so to satisfy my curiosity, I looked for it, I checked the corners of the suites, I checked the glasslike ceilings, but I couldn’t find it, so I decided to take off my boots and lie down for a while on the large bed that even had a mirror on the bed rest, I felt drowsy already, I knew it was the alcohol, I had thirty minutes before the pig arrives, I could doze off a little, but my eyes caught the beautiful flower vase at the far end of the bed rest, I reached out to feel the beautiful flowers, as I touched them, my hands felt something that wasn’t soft and feathery as the flower, it was something like a micro chip, then it occurred to me,
Son of a bitch! He wants to watch me have sex with one of his clients, not just him, his team of technicians too, that was one moment I felt it was better not to know they were cameras everywhere. I was still trying to digest that, when the door slide open, a stout man probably in his late sixties, with pot belly and annoying goatee walked in, his black jacket looked expensive and classy, but for some reason, it didn’t quite fit, I didn’t know if it was the jacket or the man, his trouser seemed longer, I could see the excitement all over him as he smiled, revealing his tobacco teeth, I didn’t know what to do, should I greet? If I’m to greet, how am I supposed to do that? For God sakes this man is probably old enough to be my father, what do I do? I thought as I stood there trying to stifle my resentment, with all the training Gloria gave me, i still found some things intriguing and this was one of it,

Arrrgh! We going to party tonight, he said with a thick southern accent, which alone made me pay more attention to his face, oh my God! I know him! I had seen that face on TV a couple of times, he was a commissioner or something, I wasn’t sure which ministry he headed,
say something! I almost screamed at myself,
Yeeeah, I love parties, as I wriggle my body seductively, but my face didn’t match my voice, as the look of disgust was still there, he laughed huskily which further infuriated me, he strolled towards the wine bar pouring himself a glass of one of those expensive scotch stocked up, he drained it in one gulp, he strolled back to where I was still standing not knowing what to do, he smacked my backside and broke into a loud husky laugh again falling un to the bed, I almost broke out in rage, I found myself controlling the anger that was trying to show up, I knew I was being watched, I knew I had to play this game to the end, I knew I had to win, so I grabbed the bottle of scotch he left on the table by the bedside, gulped down enough of its content without a glass, I didn’t want to have any idea of what this pig might do to me, I didn’t even mind passing out while he performed his deed. I was about taking off my clothes and getting it over with, when the door slide open causing me to throw my clothes over my body again, a guy walked in, wearing a blue jean and a white polo that revealed his firm biceps, he was handsome. But what is he doing here? I noticed the man on the bed didn’t even flinch, he didn’t look surprised to see him, the handsome guy didn’t even look in my direction a second time, next thing he did was take off his clothes, as the man on the bed took off his too, laughing huskily and beaming with excitement, the handsome guy was now stark naked as he approached the man on the bed who was almost naked too, handling and kissing him, he responded,

I almost fainted, my eyes popped, my mouth went dry,
Gay? Is this real? I knew I saw things like this when I first walked in here, but at close range like this was something that dazed me, this old man; a public figure? What am I doing here? No! No! No! please let it not be that after this act, they will both turn to me, because I will just die, all these thoughts ran through my mind as I was once again returned to reality by the loud moans the stout man was sending out, the handsome guy was so serious in whatever he was doing to me, he seemed more professional than fun,
What do I do now? Walk out? To where? How would Lucas take this? I stood up from the couch about to move to the door, but I could barely stand, my feet lost balance as I fell back into the couch, next thing I knew my body felt numb, what the hell is happening to me? I tried to scream, it was as if I couldn’t even hear my own voice, it was the alcohol working against my body, I just sat on the couch and watched as the stout man let out a loud scream and fell like a log of wood on the bed, while the handsome guy stood up walking to the bathroom like an alpha male to the, he took one glance at me and gave me a smirk, all I could see from that point was blurry.
I was awoken by the heavy snores of the stout man, he was sleeping lifelessly, and the only thing that indicated he was alive was his loud annoying snores. The clock on the wall read five thirty A.M, I jumped off the couch, the handsome guy was nowhere to be found, I stood there starring at this stout man on the bed, how vulnerable he was at that state, the images of last night flashed through my mind, now I was more convinced I knew him, his face was familiar, a public figure?, a disgrace to the State and the nation, I noticed his left hand, there was a wedding ring on it, he has a wife and kids probably? Do they know what kind of person their father and husband is? The secrets; the wickedness, To even think that a place like this exist, where these same people that stand against things like these in public come around to patronize it in secret was even more wrecking, Elliot was right, the longer you stay here, the more you become like them, you begin to accept that things are normal this way until you become the evil itself.
Oh my God! That’s what Lucas wants to do, he wants to immerse me into all of these till I become like Amira, Adaline and the rest, the reality dawned on me, I pressed the button on the door, it slide open, I was surprised to see Adaline and the security aide that brought me here last night, they had the professional look in their jackets with white shirts,

Good morning! Adaline said smiling, looks like you had a rough night, but I’m going to fix all that,
Where is Lucas? I need to see him, Adaline pretended not to hear me, I asked, where the hell is Lucas? Calm down! You will see him when you are all cleaned up, she said assuredly, but now you just need to freshen up. In twenty minutes, I was all dressed in a short blue gown and white strap heel sandals, Adaline insisted on that, but I knew it was one of Lucas’s orders as usual, I didn’t care because I had issues to pick with him, I had let my anger simmer down, because I needed to be in the right frame of mind when I’m talking to him, I had cooked up questions I needed to ask him, I knew Gloria told me to be cautious when pushing for answers, but things did not exactly turned out as planned, Lucas is a player, he knows how to change his game, and I was quite sure that was what he did, in fact I was beginning to have this nudging feeling that he is playing me.
The table was for two like the first time, I sat at the opposite side of the table starring at him, he was dressed in a blue jean which had a matching jacket, he had a good sense of fashion, I could tell it was an expensive one; his expression was blank, Good morning! He said, giving me a cocky smile,
You knew he was gay, why did you send me in there? He stared back at me with those dark eyes that pierced the soul, I thought he was about to ignore my question, but he surprised me,

Mr. Abass is a man with special needs,

Like Mr. Vincent Abass? I asked surprised, I knew I was right, his face was familiar; Lucas had just confirmed that, Mr. Vincent Abass was the current commissioner of works,
What needs? I asked, but he ignored me, opening the dishes, we were having breakfast of fried plantain and omelet with tea, he served himself, I asked again, what needs? I asked struggling to still my angry tone, though he likes to bore anal holes and be bored too, but while at it, he loves having a nice little girl watch, and we make sure our clients have the best, that’s where you came in, he said munching the food in his mouth in a way to mock me,
So I’m the nice little girl? Why the cameras? I asked again, those are for security reasons, he answered,
Are you angry? He asked, I was surprised he could even care that much to ask, you shouldn’t be, when you said you wanted to work in the lounge, what did you exactly mean? You didn’t know this was part of the job description, or is there something you are not telling me? he asked frowning, he was right, not that I didn’t know, but I just expect you to tell me what I’m getting into, I said realizing the fact that I might get into trouble if I acted that way, I decided to change the conversation, but still poking around, what really do you do in this place? I asked avoiding his eyes which I knew will pierce as usual, as I served myself,
Well a lot, some of which if I tell you, I would have to kill you, because they are what I call powerful secrets, and you know what they say about powerful secrets, but I tell you what, why don’t you take a look around, the hotel, the lounge, the club, go where ever you want and try to see things for yourself, I wasn’t sure if I heard him well, as my spoon hung mid way between the air and my mouth,
For real? I asked, yes, and guess what he asked,
There will be no security to thrall you,

Oh my God! He wants to play me, he wants to see what I will do, I remembered the night of the security breach, he is on a witch hunt and probably I’m the prime suspect, he won’t get me,
Why are you suddenly cutting me loose, I thought you wanted to keep an eye on me? I asked, but he gave that grin that showed he was hiding something, he dropped his teacup, picked up the napkin, cleaned his mouth and leaned back in his chair while still looking at me,
Alice Daniel, you are beautiful, smart and intuitive, I would be damned if I ignored the potentials locked up inside of you, and let you pleasure those rich old fools who come in, though the cash that flows in is good, but that’s the least of my businesses and you are far more valuable than a cheap LovePeddler, I want you to sip this place in, take your time, because I have far greater tasks for you.
The deal I agreed to was that I spend some weeks here with you, while you give me my parents and clear my name, so far I have spent a week, and I don’t think you have done any of that, yet you are talking about some tasks, trust me I don’t go back on my word, he cut in, if you fulfill your own part of the bargain, I will do mine, fine, I’m ready, what is the task?
But he shook his head, no, I don’t think you are, do what I asked you to do, I will decide when you are ready, he shifted his chair backward and stood retrieving his phone from his pocket, have a nice day Miss Daniel, he headed for the elevator giving me that grin that hid something behind it.

I finished my meal and waited as usual for Adaline or the security aide to retrieve me, but it was the case, after five minutes, I quickly realized that Lucas’s game had just started, what does he really want, are you sure he hasn’t placed some bug on you, I thought, my heart leapt, as I quickly took the elevator down to my room, Steve had showed me how to check for electronic bugs, I took off all my clothes in pretense of an itching body in case I’m being watched as I examined every part of my me, I wasn’t bugged. There is a reason he wants me to check out this place, I decided I was going to, because I was curious anyway, I quickly took out my tab from the ward robe, brought it on, I retrieved hidden folders, entered the ten digit combination code, the menu popped open, I turned off my data service, because according to Steve, that is one of the fastest way they could get a signal interference if they bugged my tab, I clicked on the folder containing the elaborate blueprint of the building, almost immediately a text message popped up, my pulse raced,
Oh my God! I opened the message,

“PINOT NOIR”
I gaped, oh my God, it was Steve, how I could have forgotten that he told me anytime those files are accessed, he will get a notification, but to be sure it is me,

Pinot noir… Steve’s words

What! I asked,
My favourite French wine, which will be my cryptic identification message code, what’s your favourite French wine?
Seriously? I’m not a drunk like you; do you really expect me to have a favourite wine? I said concealing the fact that I didn’t know anything about wine, not to mention having a favourite.
Fine, “SHIRAZ” then, it suits your kind of person because it is a lame wine, so this will be your cryptic identification message code, just in case Lucas figure out how to manipulate these files, at least it will be a way to know if you are safe… Steve words.

SHIRAZ, I typed back immediately, tell me something, he typed, “the black bag under the table”, that phrase was a further confirmation that I was the one, he sent me the smiling smiley, what are you doing accessing these files? He typed, Lucas asked me to get a tour of his castle, I need a blue print, I feel he is up to something, how are you guys? How is Elliot? I didn’t wait to read his reply, tell him not to worry about me, though Lucas is playing a different game from what we thought, but I can handle him, I’m beginning to make headway with him.
Okay, fine, sign out, reach out to us when it’s conducive, they may be getting signals, he replied and then the dialogue box disappeared, I couldn’t find our conversation anymore.
What will become of humans and technology in years to come to, I sighed as I hid back the files and turn off the tab, I changed into a blue jean and black polo with a pair of sneakers, and took the elevator down, I was beginning to understand this place, there is the pent house, below it is the lounge, below the lounge is the club, the hotel was on another wing, like an adjoining wing, but on the blue print, there was a part of the building that I didn’t really figure out yet, I couldn’t even tell where it was, but something told me, there was something creepy, mysterious and strange about that part of the building and I was going to find out, maybe this tour isn’t a bad idea after all.But first, there was someone I needed to meet, so I made my first stop at the lounge.

I jerked up, how long have I been asleep? Did Adaline check up on me? I thought as I clicked on my tab, it was just few minutes to ten, i quickly remembered I was trying to figure out what to wear before I slept off, Adaline might be here any moment, I quickly jumped out of the bed, looking at the wardrobe, my thoughts slipped again to what Lucas was up to, all these clothes fit very well, were they bought for me? In one of the hangers was a white mini shirt and a black tube, it looked like it was picked out already, could it be Adaline or perhaps Lucas himself? This place and the people here are just full of surprises, but it was really surprising to me because Gloria had already twisted my psych to almost that of Lucas, so far what I had seen or known of Lucas was expected, I quickly dressed up, though I found another set of makeup kit in the wardrobe, I didn’t really feel like wearing much, so I decided on a light one, suddenly Elliot and the others crept into my mind, I missed Elliot and I was also worried he could try to do something since he hadn’t heard from me in four days, I couldn’t wait to get out of here, my thoughts were interrupted by the soft knock on the door, it was ten already, it was Adaline, she looked really different from the professional lady I saw earlier, she was dressed in a black bum short that exposed a little more than usual, with a tank top and black ankle pair of boots to match, her makeup was in contrast to mine, she applied a blood red lipstick to her lips, she looked good though, but different,

Ready? She asked avoiding my eyes that were still on her, no, you are not, she gave the reply as she walked briskly to the wardrobe, retrieved the same type of boots she wore, but a grey colour placing them at my feet, she retrieved the makeup box and I instantly knew what she wanted to do, but I objected immediately, you look beautiful Adaline, I said not sure if I meant the compliment or not, but it seemed she sensed it as she quickly replied,

I’m working in the lounge tonight, I wanted to ask what she meant, but I quickly understood that lounge is some euphemism for the brothel, a little disgust spread across my lips.
Ten minutes later, we were down in the club, it was as I remembered it four days ago, it was filled up as usual, some homemade hip hop resonated through the hall, it felt like the roof was going to fall off, no matter how many times I have been in a club, I am never going to get used to this noise,
I’m going to leave you here, go have fun, order for whatever you want, it’s all being paid for, Adaline said, screaming to me in order to beat the noise,

Paid by whom? I asked, but she just gave me a warm smile which quickly told me the answer,
So where are you going to? I screamed back, I told you I have to work, she replied,
How do I find you? Don’t worry, I will find you, she said heading towards the elevator, damn! I thought of what to do, but I remembered I had to find a way to send a message to Elliot, I knew I had to be smart about it because apart from the cameras planted everything, I was also sure Lucas had planted people to watch me, so I took my time, I found one of the empty tables abandoned perhaps by one or two of the mad dancers, I sat there, just watching the lights flicker across the dance hall, calculating on what to do to get to Elliot, when a young boy I suppose was in his early twenties bumped into me from now where spilling the content of his wallet which was in his hands, I was already angry before I could even see his face, when I turned, I found him staggering, he was dead drunk I suppose, sorry, I’m sorry, he managed to scream, staggering down to the floor to pack the content of his wallet that were already being kicked farther by the enthusiastic dancers,
You are drunk, go home, I screamed, bending across to pick of one of his ATM cards that had spiraled across the table, when we were both down facing each other, I stretched my hands to give him the card, but he grabbed mine, I was about to be furious when he slipped a piece of paper into mine, I looked into his eyes, he didn’t seem drunk, in a swift he collected the card from me, stood up, and staggered into the throng of dancers, I was confused, but immediately I knew Elliot and the rest were up to something, so I squeezed the paper tightly as I made my way to the restroom,

Jeez! He even installs cameras in the restrooms, what kind of creep is this guy? I thought discovering the tiny red light at one end of the room, I’m sure a lot people here do not even know this, I walked to the end of the corner where the camera was, I noticed the lens faced the door thereby capturing anyone that came in, I was shielded a bit from it, at least I thought so, I quickly opened the paper, it just had two words written on it, three if I counted the exclamation mark,
DOWN SOUTH! What does this even mean? I pondered for a minute, I hope I’m not walking into a trap, I thought as I walked straight to the bar, it wasn’t the same barman I met, this one was more professional than the other, as soon as he saw me, he smiled, before I could even tell him what I wanted, he swung a bottle, tossing it up in the air, at the same time rolling a glass in such a way that it stopped right in front of me, then he poured a considerable amount of scotch into it. Wow! Bartenders magic, I exclaimed, as he smiled turning to the others on the queue, then a revealing thought came to my mind,
How the hell did he know what to give me? Adaline’s words registered, “whatever you want, it’s all being paid for, don’t worry, I will find you… Shit! I exclaimed loudly, lucky enough no one heard me, I’m being watched, Lucas’s spies are everywhere, what have they seen so far, well, in that case, I need this drink more than I thought, I drained it, dumping the glass on the table and walked away, the scotch was heavy as it instantly affected my eyes, but I guess it cleared up my brain as I remembered my conversation with Jerry a few weeks ago, when he realized how poor I was with directions, we were on the beach, when he talked about the yacht coming in from the south and stuff, I was confused, and we suddenly got into map reading,

Just picture a cross; the south of it will always be down… Jerry’s words,

So I turned immediately to my back, there was another door, I walked towards it, carefully, I pushed it open,
Another dance hall, but this one looked classier, it was the VIP section, I didn’t take three steps, when I felt a hand grab my wrist, dragging me to a corner,
Oh my God! Jerry! What are you doing here? Well, that took you almost forever to figure out, don’t tell you haven’t still gotten your map reading down, he teased and we both smiled, you shouldn’t be here, this whole place is rigged with cameras, I said, getting scared,
Well I know, Steve’s over rode it for ten minutes, that’s why we don’t have much time, we were worried about you, but obviously you look good he said with a tone that may have suggested I am off the rails, yes I’m fine, we have to tread carefully, this guy is not what I think he is, he made me a proposal to spend some weeks with him and he will clear the air, he even brought in Skiter, God knows what they have done to him,
How is Elliot? I asked feeling my heart beat, He is worried about you, he hasn’t been himself since you left, he gets us on duty watch all the time,
Tell him I’m fine, I’m sure Lucas needs those weeks to figure out what I’m up to, so I will use those weeks to figure things out too, you guys got to stop interfering like this, this guy is top notch in these gadgets things, what if he figures out one of his systems has been overridden, I said beginning to get scared, don’t worry, we know what we are doing, look out for a place called the TANK, something shitty is going on there, we figured that may be where he keeps his hostages, your parents may be there, I got to go, keep in touch please, as much as I hate to say this Elliot wants me to tell you that he loves you, I could see the pain in his eyes,
and I love you too, he added, walking away, I stood there confused, I couldn’t really process all Jerry just told me, my head was already fussy from the alcohol, there is a place called the tank in this place where Lucas holds hostages and my parents may likely be there, please let it not be a literal tank, the images from the snap shots ran through my memory, my heart constricted, anger resurfaced, I blocked that out of my brain by thinking of what Jerry just said before he left, he hates to tell me Elliot loves me, why? Does Jerry have feelings for me too? Maybe he is joking, but the last thing he said was that he loved me too.

I let my thoughts conflict for several seconds, then I finally gained composure, I turned round to walk out of the VIP, but there he was, a dark eyes piercing right through me, I almost fainted, oh my God! Did he see me with Jerry, I’m finished, this beast is going to slay me, what do I say? I thought as he stood there hands in pocket still starring at me, he was wearing a white shirt and white trouser, it was Lucas.
You look lost and alone, he finally spoke, I couldn’t read his expression, yes… I’m obviously lost, I stammered and chuckled at the same time, what are you doing here? I asked regaining my composure, when did you get back?
Not too long ago, I was informed of some major system errors by my technicians, so I decided to come check it out and at the same time to find you since Adaline said you will be around here somewhere, he said still masking whatever he felt,
Some system errors? I thought, these guys are going to get me in trouble,
Come! He said turning out of the VIP section as I followed him like a lost puppy, instead of heading across the large dance floor to the elevator where we came from, he turned left down a long corridor, where are we going to? I asked still scared, there were about four doors down the corridor, I wondered what all these rooms were for, but we came to a stop at the fifth, before he could even knock or press a button, the door slid open, we were ushered into a large room filled with electronic gadgets, systems, monitors placed all over, cameras with people who were so busy starring into their systems, the lighting here was different, too much, then a tall lanky man walked out from another apartment that had tinted glass doors , when he came out, I had a peek before the door closed again, I could still see monitors in there, then it hit me, this is where the magic happens,

The great ICT palace, but the man got to where we stood, shook hands with Lucas, didn’t even take notice of me,
It was just a system breach, I guess something like a signal interference, it could be the loud music from the dance hall, but it’s all good now, the tall lanky man said, but Lucas walked past him hands in pocket like some sort of god, I could feel the ego around him, it could be that or it could be someone trying to hack into our base, at the sound of that, my heart constricted,
Pull up all the feeds from twenty minutes ago, I froze, what is this guy up to, please God help me, I caught myself silently praying, it was done almost immediately, as everyone in the room paid attention, I couldn’t believe my eyes, there was nothing like privacy in the world anymore, I could see people coming in, drinking, even making out in the rest rooms, I wondered how these people would feel if they ever got to know, but I was more worried about what will happen to me if Lucas ever got to know, I almost fainted when the feed rolled to the point where the boy bumped into me, Lucas magnified it, I prayed for the ground to open up and swallow me, but then something happened, there was no feed of where I picked up his ATM and gave back to him, the feed skipped to where he gathered his things and walked away, everything seemed fine.
Oh my God! Steve is a genius, I quickly remembered something he bragged about, he said he called it Time lapsing, that many hackers in the country don’t really know about it, that he knows about some friends who will give a leg to know understand how it works. I caught myself beaming as Lucas looked dissatisfied, the lanky guy announced, everybody get back to work,
Lucas barked some others back to him about being more efficient, what was the problem over there, he asked, the expression in his tone was somewhat different,

What?
I pretended not to understand, the guy from the feed, he said,
Oh! He was drunk and he bumped into me, hello! Has your experience in club running not taught you that things like that happens?, but he just looked at me and smiled like he was hiding something, come on! Let’s go, he ordered,
I could feel the warm air in my nostrils again, we took the elevator to the lounge, it was as i remembered it, naked women, pornographic pictures on the screens, filled up, I might have been in that place before, but the disgust on face never changed an inch, they were all about their normal businesses, do these people know that they are being watched? Do they even care?
We walked across the lounge into Lucas’s private lounge, there was a girl waiting already in the lounge, she was on white bikini, I recognized her from my first day here, she was all smiles immediately we stepped in, Lucas private lounge was classy like his penthouse, it was nice to be in a serene place after walking in from the lounge, there were two flat screens too on the wall, a table for two by the side, Amira walked to the bar filled with exotic drinks, took out a glass poured Lucas a drink, he collected the drink like he was some kind of master and she a servant.
Sit! He ordered me, I almost objected, but it was too soon to show the other side of me, at least not after my narrow escape that night, so I sat at the table, while he sat at the other chair, Amira walked over and started massaging Lucas’s back seductively rubbing the endowments on her chest occasionally on him, she didn’t even care about my presence, I squirmed in my chair, I didn’t know what to say, I felt embarrassed, but Lucas was enjoying every bit of my embarrassment as he kept grinning at me,
Can I know why I’m sitting here with you? I gestured not really to him, but to the uncomfortable act going on before me, because we are having dinner, he pulled off the napkins revealing the fancy silver wares,

Dinner by eleven? I think I will pass, I answered showing my disgust, trust me love, you need to eat, you will be needing all the strength you can get, he said, before I could ask the next question, he completed his statement, I have an important guest coming in tonight, you will be keeping him company, he stated in a matter of fact manner, his face even assumed a serious status to show that he was dead serious,
How do you mean? I asked as the blood froze in my body, oh sweetie, remember the deal we had earlier, you help me, I help you, besides, isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?, I thought about what Elliot had said, all his fears about my going close to Lucas, I knew I assured them that I will be fine, but the thought of spending the night with some idiot like a LovePeddler was killing me more than I realize it would, but Gloria had prepared me mentally for this, I didn’t want to do anything that will hurt me or Elliot, I assured him everything will be okay, our guest will be arriving by midnight, you have less than an hour to drink, eat, and ready yourself, he said like he was doing me a favour,
So that was what this was all about? Why you are nice to me, do you get all nice to women before selling them out as sex slaves? I asked trying to sound tender,
Hey lady! Don’t get things mixed up here, I wasn’t nice, I just did what I do every day, now if you don’t mind, I think we better start eating, he said,
no thanks, I just lost my appetite, but I took the bottle of scotch on the table which Amira had earlier poured for him, poured a considerable amount into the glass, he looked at me with a cocky smile across his face, if I were you, I will go easy with that one, he said before I drained the last content of my glass. I wasn’t sure what the night or the dawn will be especially after two glasses of strong scotch in less than three hours, but I was going to be sleeping with some pig, I need even four more, coupled with the fact that I had to restrain myself from punching this psychopath called Lucas in the face thereby blowing my cover. Before I could even drop my glass, one of his security aides or whatever they were, was standing by the door to accompany me to one of his suites where our guest will be coming to, I stood up immediately, I slightly lost my balance,
Great! I’m losing my feet already, tonight is going to be fun, I thought, Lucas gave me a grin as I followed his security aide out, I didn’t know which was more annoying, the fact that he was mocking me or that Amira was taking his shirt off sliding her hands down south of his zippers right in front of me, I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine what happened after I left.

okay guys, now I'm back, sorry for the delay, it was kind of hectic for me, i had to sign off for a while, i appreciate all your comments.

you all rock!