He sat comfortably on the cushion chair, awaiting her to finish. While he waited, his eyes took a stroll around the entire room. As his eyes surveyed the area, he concluded she must be a fashion enthusiast based on what he saw in the opened luggage. Beside the luggage was an open trinket box filled with exotic jewelry. On the bedsheets, clothes and underwear were scattered here and there. He could also see a fat, slightly opened envelope, revealing new dollar notes. He heard her sneeze again, and not long after, she opened the bathroom door.
"Sorry, Mr. Timi, for taking your time," she said politely, stepping out into the room.
She had only a white towel wrapped around her bosom.
"Not to worry," he replied, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets in appreciation of her flawless skin and beauty. She is absolutely sexy, he thought.
As he watched her search through the luggage, he wondered where her kind used to be when the most beautiful girls were being chosen at both national and international beauty pageants. She could virtually win a beauty pageant effortlessly, he concluded.
"Do you know I never knew I lost it until you came? And I would have been utterly destabilized if I had lost it completely," she sneezed again, reaching for her handkerchief to wipe her running nose.
"Is there any hospital nearby? I think I have a cold," she asked.
"Yes, there are hospitals around. I had actually wanted to suggest that to you earlier," he replied.
"It's the Nigerian atmosphere, I think," Timi said, still having his eyes on her glowing skin.
"Yeah! I thought as much. For it all started after we left the airport, and I wondered what the hell was causing it," she reached for a panty and a bra among the pile of clothes on the bed. And immediately, she left for the bathroom again.
Timi looked at his watch again; it was 1:15 PM. Knowing that he would not be able to go back to the airport again for business if the woman delayed him further, he completely relaxed on the cushion chair and fiddled with his smartphone.
Some minutes later, Jane was back in the room with only the panty and bra on, and Timi felt embarrassed. He could not actually figure out why a total stranger he had just met less than three hours ago could be so free in his presence to the extent of going half-naked. Here she was, so tempting in every way.
His mind raced in thought, imagining her completely naked. She was a busty lady, and almost half of her breasts were revealed through the lace bra that exposed all her cleavage. Fresh like ripe mangoes, they were dangerously eye-popping. As she walked around and bent to pick things, they jiggled to the rhythm of her steps and movement, and only the most holy hearts would not be enticed by them. He really felt it was wrong for him to remain there while she remained half-naked. So, he suggested, "Can I excuse you and wait downstairs at the reception while you dress up?" trying to be polite as he made a move to stand up.
"No! Don't trouble yourself, only if you feel uneasy anyway ," she replied, smiling.
Timi shrugged for a while but decided to stay. As long as she did not feel embarrassed being half-nude in his presence. He watched her select clothes and, after deciding on what to wear, struggle to wear her tight jeans trousers.
"What do you do, madam?" Timi asked to kill the silence and keep his mind away from her sensual figure, which was already arousing him.
"Call me Jane, please. I am a model," she replied, and having already put on her jeans trousers, she went in search of a top to match.
"Yes! I knew it!" He soliloquized under the face mask, but she heard him.
"How do you mean?" She asked and sneezed, wiping her nose with the handkerchief and walking toward the table where her purse was. She picked it up and came over to him, stretching her hand to get the card from him.
"The card, please!" She requested, and he picked it from his shirt's front pocket and handed it over to her.
"You catwalk unconsciously," he remarked and got a bright, sexy smile from her.
"And you are a very beautiful woman, I must say too," he quickly seized the opportunity to express his mind about her beauty. And like a rush of soothing breeze, he felt a wind of relief blow through his mind, and he was pleased.
"Thanks, people…," and there was a seizure of words until she sneezed.
"Sorry, people say so," she said and sneezed again. She put the credit card in her purse and grabbed her handbag and her room key. Then, she walked up to him and turned her back to him.
"Please help me with the blouse button," she pleaded. And gladly, he stood up to do it. Forthwith, when he had gotten closer to her to perform her request and perceived her perfume, he agreed that nothing smelled more inviting.
The button done, and she signaled for them to go. Her black blouse on her blue jeans with matching pink sneakers complimented her beauty, and he could not think of the right words to describe her ravishing beauty.
"I came for some commercial video shoots for an international brand, and we are starting tomorrow morning. But now that I feel strange and tired, how do I cope? Could it be jet lag or something?" she asked under the nose mask, while they descended the stairs.
"Yeah! I think so, and coupled with the change in weather too," he replied.
Walking beside her, he could feel the pulling force of the scent of her perfume. It absolutely matched her personality, and he guessed it must be expensive too.
At their last steps at the base of the stairs into the reception room, they saw two soldiers standing by the desk. One of them was the limping soldier.
Obviously, he looked sickly, as if he needed urgent medical help. He rested on the shoulder of the other soldier and was groaning.
"Please ladies, do you know any hospital around here?" the healthy-looking soldier asked the receptionists as he tried to adjust the AK-47 rifle at his other side.
"Yes, there are two that are not far from here," one of the ladies replied behind her face mask.
"Pick a cab outside the hotel gate and ask to be taken to Merryland Hospital," the other receptionist added.
Jane overheard them as she and Timi walked past, and she quietly asked Timi if he could give them a lift to the hospital, and he obliged.
"Your wish is my command, madam," he replied jokingly, and Jane gave him a frown.
"Jane, please!" She insisted to be called by her name.
"Oh! I'm sorry. Yes, Jane," Timi corrected himself, smiling.
Returning his smile with a smile, she sneezed and walked away to the taxi.
Timi walked back to the soldiers and informed them that they were going to the hospital too. He asked them if they would like to join them, and they were happy to say yes.
Monster-J had been back adjacent to the hotel gate and had waited for so long. He was reclining against the electric pole, making a false call every time the gateman opened the gate. So, when Timi drove out of the hotel, he noticed that the occupants of the car were four, and two were soldiers. The Japanese girl sat at the front, while the soldiers occupied the back seat.
Doing exactly what he was sent to the spot to do, he hurriedly left to inform his team about the new development. And off, they drove after Timi's cab at a distance.
Roja's phone rang, and he picked it. He held the phone with his left hand and a stick of cigar with the other hand. It was Evans that was calling.
"Boss, do you remember the soldiers I told you about? Two of them left the hotel right now with the target in the same cab that brought her to the hotel. We don't know where exactly they are heading, but we are trailing them," Roja said.
Sounding calm, Evans replied with a tone of assurance that all was still in order:
"Don't worry much. I just got information from our partner in Japan that she will be in this nation for the next three days," Evans said.
"Okay then, boss. I had wanted to ask if we should strike, not minding the military boys," Roja said as he smoked his cigar, puffing and blowing the smoke intermittently.
"No! That would be a bloody operation, and such is not needed in this situation. Just keep trailing them. We will get our target at last. Talk to you later," Evans concluded and ended the call. Then, he reached for his pipe, filled it with tobacco, and lighted it. Taking a drag of the smoke, he sighed. And the thought of quitting crime ran through his mind. He had promised himself to quit the next year, for by then, he would have made enough money to venture into the oil and gas business. Crime doesn't last forever, but legitimate businesses do. That was the quote that always reminded him of his mother's warnings.
When Timi drove out of the hotel, he contemplated which hospital would be best to take Jane to. The closest and best his mind opted for was St. Luke's Hospital. It was owned by the Catholic Mission, and it was one of the best in the country, as their services were top-notch. In the past, he had taken some of his clients there, and it was on their recommendations he based his judgment.
Timi headed to St. Luke's Hospital, keeping an eye on the two sick people in his taxi. Jane kept sneezing all the way and was beginning to have a headache, while the wounded soldier groaned all the way too, because he was in a very bad shape. His broken leg was his source of discomfort.
Within forty minutes of leaving the hotel, they got to the hospital and drove into its parking area. The car pulled up, and they all got down from the vehicle. Timi locked his car and led the soldiers and Jane into the hospital.
The three kidnappers that trailed them to the hospital waited in the SUV they occupied outside the hospital premises. They had to be careful with the abduction so that the soldiers would not repel them.
At the hospital reception hall, Timi sat on one of the metal chairs and waited for Jane, while she and the soldiers were being attended to. The wounded soldier had sustained his injury during their training the day before, and as his subordinate narrated to Timi on their way to the hospital, he had been attended to by military doctors who gave him injections and assured him he would be fine. But when he developed a fever hours after the medical attention, and the pain escalated, he decided to visit a hospital immediately.
Timi watched Jane fill some forms at the counter, as did the wounded soldier. After all the documentation, he saw her and the wounded soldier ushered into the consultation rooms.
He remained seated on one of the metal chairs meant for patients and visitors. A light-complexioned lady was sitting next to him. Timi assessed her to be a tall person, judging by her long legs and body frame. Glancing at Timi once in a while with eyes almost touched by her flower-designed facemask, there was no doubt she had an interest in him and wanted to start a conversation at all costs. She had started eyeing him the moment he sat beside her, and Timi was aware of her body language.
"Hi! May I know the time, please?" the lady gave Timi a smile that was seductive enough to attract even the Pope.
Timi took his phone out from his trouser pocket, looked at the screen, and replied, "2:58."
"Thanks. The day is so hot and humid," she turned to look at him.
"Yeah! So hot!" He replied and quickly added, "It's the season, or what do you think?"
"Yes, it's the season. How I wish the rainy season had started already," she winked.
Although Timi understood every one of her gestures, ladies with small or average bosoms never appeared attractive to him. He preferred ladies' bosoms large or extra-large, and that sounded like what Jane possessed in addition to her super curves.
They were still talking when a girl of about 15 years of age came and joined her.
"Are you through already?" the lady asked, and the young girl nodded in the affirmative, adjusting her facemask.
"Sorry, I need to leave. She's my sister. She came for treatment and she's through with it. I am Folake, I work with the Black Diamond Bank," the lady gave him her hand for a shake.
"It's a pleasure meeting you. I am Timi, I drive Uber, and I am here with a client," Timi shook her hand and gave her a warm smile.
Folake returned his smile with a smile as she grabbed the hand of her sister and said, "Bye." But then, after three steps away from Timi, she stopped and walked back, dipping her hand in her bag, she brought out a card.
"Here is my card," she said. Her smile, still seductive.
Timi collected the card and smiled again.
He was a ladies' man, and he knew it. He not only had a handsome face but was tall and athletic also. Consecutively twice, he had won Mr. Uni-Ace in his undergraduate days at Ace University. Wooed by ladies many times, and even fought over by them, he was never a womanizer. He was a one-lover-at-a-time kind of man. And in fact, despite his good looks, he had no girlfriend at that moment and had no intention to have one until he was buoyant enough financially, for he was forced to believe money sustains love by a bad experience he had when his girlfriend of almost two years jilted him for a rich guy six months back. And in his words, the guy could pass for the record of the ugliest man in the world without a stress. Although the ugly man was famous and known by everyone as Tall Joe, a name that was contrary to his size, being so short that he could be called a pygmy. In addition to his dwarf size, he had a head that could make Humpty Dumpty feel envious and a set of eyes that could win him a contest in the owl kingdom. But above all, his bank account was so fat that he had won the customer of the year award consecutively for three years from the three foremost banks in the country. But when his time was up to be exposed of his source of wealth, he was arrested for fraud by Interpol on Christmas Day of the previous year, and was promptly sent for trial in Bangkok and was subsequently jailed there. And when Timi heard about his arrest on the 25th of that December, his belief about 25 being a lucky number was strengthened.
Timi's eyes stayed glued to the screen of his smartphone while he waited for Jane to be through with the doctor. His mind suddenly drifted to the thought of his mum, and he decided to call her, for it had been almost two weeks since they spoke last, and he had missed her. He logged off from his Facebook page and dialed his mother's cellphone number. She was his best confidant since he lost his father four years ago, and there was almost nothing the two could not discuss. They were friends.
When his mother received his call, she was more than excited, and the laughter and giggles that accompanied their discussion were instant. They had talked for almost an hour and had been so involved that Timi was not aware that Jane's consultation was actually taking a longer time than necessary.
He was still on the phone when a nurse came to call him, and he had to excuse himself from the phone conversation to give the nurse his attention.
"The doctor needs to see you in his office," the nurse informed him from some meters away.
Timi left for the doctor's room immediately, wondering what could be the reason why his attention was needed. The consultation room being a few meters away from where he stood up made it a matter of a few steps to be furnished with what he was wondering about. He got to the door, tapped it before opening it, and stepped inside the room. The room was of moderate size, and in it was a leather-top single bed placed by the left side of the room, and a writing desk in-between Jane and the doctor. On the desk was a stethoscope, a sphygmomanometer, pieces of paper, two writing pens, and a few bottles of injections. Like every other wall of the interior of the hospital, the walls were in cream.
Seated was Jane, directly opposite the doctor. She looked paler than how she looked before she entered the consultation room, and she was quiet. The doctor wore a face mask and gloves, and he instantly diverted his attention to Timi when he sighted him.
Timi's instincts told him something was wrong, but he did not know what exactly it was.
"Are you the driver that brought Miss Jane?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," Timi answered, and the question confirmed to him that his instincts were right. Something was actually wrong.
"You won't be going home today, Sir," the doctor looked straight into Timi's eyes.
"Why?" Timi asked.
"I'm sorry, Miss Jane tested positive for COVID-19, and you are one of her contacts," the doctor announced.
"What! Coronavirus?" Timi exclaimed in shock, and he sharply turned to look at Jane. She had her eyes staring at the floor.
"Coronavirus? Oh, my God!" Timi exclaimed again.
On the spot, a very strong heat arose within him, and sweat formed urgently on his face, for he panicked. The doctor continued talking, but for some time, he could not really pick anything from all he was saying. His mind had traveled far. It was the social media videos of COVID-19's effect on China and Italy that started playing in his head. How it had killed thousands and rendered their government almost hopeless. He sighed and shivered for fear.
"I have pulled a call through to the government agency taking care of this, and you don't need to fear at all. The government has made adequate preparation for it, and there are doctors already on ground to deal with the situation," the doctor assured them.
Timi looked over to Jane, and he saw tears roll down her cheek.
"Jane! Jane, you will be fine," he summoned courage to utter the words to console her. But sincerely, deep down within him, he was terribly worried for his own life as well.
Jane looked at him and said, "I am sorry for the trouble I have put you through," and tears strolled down her cheeks again. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sighed.
"Miss, this is not a death sentence. A lot of people caught the virus and survived it," the doctor said, to encourage her to be strong.
"Come on! Take these and put them on. You are going to be fine," he said again, as he gave them face rubber gloves.
They collected the gloves and put them on. And while the doctor was still talking, there was a knock on the door, and two men and a woman came in. They wore face masks, gloves, and overall suits of rubber. Timi looked at them and uttered inaudible words under his face mask. And Jane, on sighting them, became more worried too. She hoped all that was happening to her was but a dream.
"You are welcome," the doctor said.
"She is the one who tested positive, and he is the driver that brought her," he informed the health officers.
"Alright, the rest of our team are outside. They will help in sanitizing the hospital and also tell you other things you should do. Please don't allow anyone in or out of the hospital from now on, until our team are through with their job. It is important for the safety of everyone," one of the men in overall suit instructed the doctor and afterwards told Timi and Jane to follow them.
Jane began to sob, and Timi kept on encouraging her to be strong. But she continued to sob till they got out of the hospital.
Outside the hospital, Jane and Timi saw thirteen medical officers dressed in the same rubber suits as the ones who had come to fetch them from the doctor's office. Some held spraying guns and tanks of sanitizer and were already disinfecting the hospital premises. Others were addressing the nurses and doctors, while all patients were advised to stay put so that the spots and places Jane and Timi had come into contact with could be disinfected before normal movements and activities resumed. The soldiers who came with Timi and Jane were sought after, but it was discovered they had returned to the hotel once their consultation and treatment were complete. Therefore, another team of medical experts was immediately dispatched to the hotel.
Monster-J remained at his spy post in front of the hospital. He didn't know exactly what was transpiring inside, but he saw the two soldiers leave the hospital grounds in another taxi. He sat on a pavement adjacent to the hospital gate, fiddling with his cellphone.
The three medical officers who had been in the doctor's office with Jane and Timi occupied one of the white 16-seater buses that brought the medical crew to the hospital and told one of their colleagues to join Timi and Jane in Timi's taxi. Timi opened the back door of his cab for Jane, walked around to the driver's side, entered, and turned on the ignition. The medical officer sat in the front beside him.
"Jane, you know what? Don't panic," Timi said, then drove behind the 18-seater bus as ordered.
When Monster-J saw the cab emerge, he noticed there were three people in the vehicle and that the cab was following the white bus. So, he quickly left his spot to inform his team about the latest development. And quickly, their car, driven by Luke-the-dude, pursued after the two vehicles at once.
"Now guys, this is the time we have been waiting for!" Roja announced.
"Overtake them now!" he ordered Luke-the-dude. Immediately, Luke-the-dude increased the car's speed to overtake the two vehicles in front of them.
In minutes, the SUV overtook both the taxi and the bus, then slowed down before stopping directly in the middle of the road, forcing both the medical vehicle and Timi's car to stop.
Monster-J and Roja instantly opened the doors of the SUV and jumped out. They pointed their guns at the occupants of both vehicles, who became terrified at the sight of rifles in the hands of the men who had forced them to a halt. Monster-J entered Timi's cab and sat in the back seat with Jane, while Luke-the-dude picked up his bag and left the SUV to take over the driver's seat of the 18-seater bus after ordering the driver to go and sit with the other medical officials in the back seats. Roja sat in the midst of the medical team and sternly warned them to obey his instructions and never try to free themselves or alert anyone of their abduction if they didn't want to die. He ordered Luke-the-dude to turn on the ignition and drive the bus, and also ordered Timi to drive his taxi behind the bus. The official bus of the medical workers and Timi's taxi sped off, while the SUV was left in the middle of the road.
Roja and his team knew the police must have been informed about the hijacked SUV and must have been on their trail since it was hijacked in the morning.
Jane, who was perplexed watching the whole incident, wasn't really sure if it wasn't a nightmare. She kept quiet but kept sneezing and wiping her dripping nose. She was seeing her father's fear about her trip to Africa playing out like a movie.
"Timi, what is happening?" She summoned courage to ask, not minding the mean-looking man that sat beside her, holding a rifle. She was in bewilderment.
"Jane, I don't know, but I think we have been kidnapped," Timi replied as he kept driving and following the bus in front, according to the order of the armed man who sat behind him.
"Kidnapped?" Jane exclaimed and started another round of sobs.
"Jane, be calm!" Timi urged her.
"Hey! Hello, you two. You. Should. Be. Quiet!" Monster-J said softly, picking his words one after the other.
Jane gave Monster-J a glance, and the look on his face sent a cold shiver down her spine. She sneezed again and could feel a slight headache across her forehead. She held her head in her hand, and Timi noticed her actions through the rear mirror.
"Jane, how are you feeling?" Timi asked as he drove.
"I have a headache," Jane replied.
"Sorry," Timi said.
The medical officer who sat in the front seat beside Timi kept quiet, wondering why the two abductees would not keep quiet as instructed by the daredevil holding a gun in their midst.
Luke-the-dude drove the bus towards the forestry reserve area of the city, and Timi followed with his cab as instructed. In twenty minutes, they got to the bush, and everyone was ordered to get down except Timi, Jane, and Monster-J. The place was a thick tropical bush set aside by the government to preserve nature and promote tree planting for the local production of timber and forestry research. It was a place that no one visited except the governmental researchers, who didn't visit often.
Roja ordered the four medical officials to sit on the ground, back to back in twos. He brought out a rope from his pocket, walked to the first two, and tied them together. He instantly walked to the other two and tied them together. When he was through with this, he turned to Luke-the-dude and said, "I need the sealer!" Promptly, Luke-the-dude hurriedly went back to the bus to collect his bag.
"Here it is," he said, giving Roja a roll of black nylon tape. Roja collected it and used it to seal the mouths of the four guys sitting on the ground.
"Pray someone comes around to set you free. Else, you will all die here," he told the medical officials without a bit of pity.
He faced Luke-the-dude and ordered him to enter Timi's taxi. Luke-the-dude entered the back seat by the left, while Monster-J maintained his spot beside Jane. Now, Jane found herself in-between Luke-the-dude and Monster-J, and helplessly, she felt like she was caught up in-between two demons. Roja sat in the front seat beside Timi, who maintained his driver's seat.
"Start the engine and drive, Mr. Uber!" Roja said sarcastically, and Monster-J and Luke-the-dude burst into laughter.
"Follow my order so that you can stay alive and don't play any silly pranks," Roja warned Timi.
"Okay, Sir," Timi replied.
"Put on the radio!" Roja ordered him.
He did not wait a second before he obeyed Roja's order. After he had put on the radio, Roja ordered him again to keep changing the channels until he got to a channel where news was being broadcast, and he told him to leave it there. Roja wanted to know if any of the attacks had become news and also to know what steps were being taken by the police to track down the perpetrators.
He picked his phone and dialed Evans' number. His husky voice came online.
"Hello, Roja," Evans yawned. He had been woken from sleep by the ringing phone.
"Yes boss, operation successful. On the way with the target and her driver," Roja reported.
"Wow! Good job, guys, I'm proud of you. Expecting you," Evans said excitedly and ended the call. He stood up from the bed and walked out of the VIP room to get prepared for the new captives who were on their way.