Afraid To Love – Episode 27

By Patience Ahworegba
80

Allan lifted his hands up – a sign of surrender.

“We have to remain here,” Jeremy insisted.

“Why don’t you give us the d–n reasons. Then we’ll decide whether to stay or not.” Darren propounded, seriously.

“I agree with him,” Allan seconded.

Jeremy sighed. These men, he thought. “As you all know, the man who took Purity Theodore-”

“Not took,” Darren interrupted. “He’s only as a suspect. We don’t have any vivid evidence nailing him to the crime,” he corrected Jeremy.

“Whatever you say,” Jeremy blurted out. “He always drinks and likes to party. I want us to keep an eye on him. I’ve got no way of tracking him down, this is only what I have in mind.”

“Can we discuss this elsewhere?” Allan asked. He wasn’t comfortable at all in such a place. And as a doctor, it wasn’t good for his health and he’d never recommend a patient to such a place.

“Dang!” Jeremy exclaimed. “Just forget about what’s happening. Concentrate, remain focused and listen to all that I have to say.” Jeremy was not going to agree to leave that bar, that was were he was going to have that discussion and nothing was going to change that. Period!

“Alright, alright.” Allan resigned, reluctantly.

“We’re gonna follow him. If he shows up, we’ll monitor his every move. He has to lead us to Purity. I don’t really care about any evidence, I just want her, safe and sound. I know what Ernest can do.”

“He suspects Tricia Cayson too,” Darren informed Allan.

“Tricia?” Allan questioned. “Oh, yeah. I saw her at the hospital today and we had a really nice conversation.”

“What did you talk about?” Darren was curious to know. The Tricia had showed up unannounced at the Broderick’s mansion and Jeremy carried out a dirty game on her.

Allan tilted his head to a different position in order to give his friends the full details of his encounter with Darren at the hospital. Then, his eyes caught a familiar female figure. She was with a man whom he was sure he had seen somewhere, but he couldn’t clearly recall. “Holy cow,” he drew the attention of his buddies. “You need to see this.”

Jeremy and Darren turned to the direction of Allan’s gaze. They saw what Allan was seeing. Darren recognized the woman, but the man, he had never seen in his life. He had to be sure. He had to confirm. “Who are they?”

“Ernest and Tricia,” Jeremy answered before Allan could. At that moment, he was much more convinced that Ernest and Tricia were accomplices. They both kidnapped his beloved – Purity.

When all three noticed that Ernest and Tricia pointed at their direction without seeing them, they turned their gazed simultaneously and lowered their face caps; hiding their faces from the couple. Good thing that they had it on. It was Jeremy’s idea. Tricia and Ernest walked past the three friends without even noticing them. The friends were glad that they were invisible to them.

Jeremy had mentioned to him the reason he suspects Tricia. Seeing her with the cousin and main suspect, he knew she had something to do with whatever happened to Jeremy’s fiancee. He had to help his friend. There was something really familiar about this Ernest. That intrigued him and he wasn’t willing to share that information yet.

“Jeremy, you are right. What do we do now?” Allan asked.

“Keep your voice down,” Darren cautioned. “Quick, tell us all you know. I have an idea.”
*
*
*
“The doctor’s eyes are on us,” Tricia said, as she settled down on the chair she was offered. She was really in a haste to solve the problem with the doctor.

That really upset Ernest. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t felt she had won and acted in a sassy manner, the doctor wouldn’t have confronted her. She was bringing up her problem. If he had his way, he would stay out and away from her. He had already gotten his Melisa. He whooshed in a breath. “What exactly did he say?”

Tricia straightened up. “He said he’s aware that I…. no, not I, we kidnapped her and he’s watching us. His eye is actually on me.”

He grunted. “If you’ve not been flaunting the fact that you’d be his next fiancee, this wouldn’t have happened!”

She shot him a warning look. “It my right! We were dating before her left me for that wench. I am no cause of this. Its all her fault. She’s going to pay, she-”

“Enough!” Ernest interrupted her abruptly. “It isn’t her fault men are after her and chose her over you. You are to blame. You don’t have him yet but you act like you do. Leave Melisa out of this!”

81

Tricia gazed sternly at him. His words stung her. So, he actually viewed her as a good-for-nothing. How dare he? All the troubles were now her fault? She had helped this demon out and even watched his back just to protect him and he feels she’s nothing compared to Purity? Her anger blazed against him. She stood up to leave. “This meeting’s over.”

“What?” Ernest was astonished. He never imagined her reaction to be that way. “Where are you going? We haven’t even had any discussion yet. You can’t leave now.”

“Yes. I can leave whenever I please. Whenever I want to.” She lifted her purse off the table. “And I choose now.”

“Common Tricia,” he stood up, “You don’t have to do this.” Ernest didn’t actually need her help. He could handle the problem on his own. He only needed her to be on his side for her to keep her mouth shut and she also had good connections. He couldn’t waste the chance he got.

Tricia rolled her eyes. “You want to fill my head with insults,” she remarked, sarcastically. “I am really not interested in that. I resent such persons.”

He inhaled deeply and held her hand. “I am sorry. It was just anger. Please, sit.”

Without hesitating, she sat down. “Don’t talk to me that way again.”

He resumed his seat. “It won’t repeat itself. But don talk that way about Melisa, respect her. I have never abused Jeremy, at least not to your face.”

That was going to be difficult for her to accept. But what could she do? “Fine.”

“Who was that guy that bumped into us and fell under the table?”

“No idea,” she replied absent minded.

“Now, lets go straight to business. You say the doctor threatened you? How did you know that Jeremy recovered his memory?”

She dragged in a breath. “I eavesdropped. I heard Jeremy tell him about the surveillance cameras at that country house. He also mentioned that they needed to get the tape and rescue Purity. He doesn’t believe she broke the bottles on his head. He remembers everything.”

“Don’t you get it?” he rhetorically asked. “Jeremy told Allan the truth. They got to the tapes first. If Allan know about the kidnap, definitely Jeremy does too.”

“Allan mentioned to me that he was discharged this morning,” she recalled.

Ernest shook his head in disagreement. “It means he lied to you. Jeremy was either discharged yesterday morning or afternoon. And they sought out the tapes. If they had waited till morning, we’d have them. They are up to something.”

“And he’s using me. Jeremy’s using my feelings as a bait to get me. He’s never going to look at me as before.”

“Worry about that later. They have nothing to hold you. Be yourself and deny their accusations. You can report to your father. But what ever you do, don’t give them a single clue. Don’t even do that with Jeremy, be very careful around him,” he cautioned wisely.

Tricia nodded. She was just going to be herself. Never going to say whatever would arouse suspicions. She wasn’t ready to lose Jeremy and she was going to keep him. She smiled to herself.

“I have to go check on Purity. Good night.”
*
*
*
The fight was almost over; he had achieved his aim. Has he or was he getting there? Purity was all going to be his and as a matter of fact, she belonged only to him. She was a charmer, he was under the influence of her beauty and enchantment. She had not done much, neither had she said much the very day he met her, but her appearance and etiquette enticed him. It clung to him and refused to let go. Those feelings, those emotions, he never forgot. They lived inside of him, they were part of him. Forgetting them, going them up would be like taking away his own will to live. The every essence of his life. She emanates power, confidence, weakness, beauty and much more desirable qualities in a woman. All that propelled him to want to make her his. He wasn’t giving up. He smirked. He was in love.

He drove swiftly, wanting to get to her quickly. She was going to be scared of the dark. Something prevented him from getting to her – a vehicle. It trailed behind him. He had gone round and round in the same exact street. They still remained, following him. He couldn’t see their faces clearly, but he was sure the wanted something from him. He pulled his car over to the side of the road. He brought out his hand gun from the glove compartment and hid it in the inner pocket of his suit. He got down from his vehicle and walked up to them.

82

“Tricia.”

She was startled to hear her name. No just the name – the very person who had called her by that name. She looked up at him and gasped. “Jeremy. What are you doing here?”

He smiled and took the seat opposite her. “I saw you and came over.”

“Saw me?” she couldn’t quite get it. She had been sitting all by herself since Ernest left to meet Purity. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts, hatching a plan. A plan that could make Jeremy hers for life. She wasn’t certain yet, but she’d cherish the moments she was going to spend with him. But how long had he been here? Had he seen her with Ernest? She had even lost track of time. “Have you been here for up to an hour?”

Jeremy glanced at his watch. “Um….not really. Let me say ten minutes.” He looked back at her.

“Oh,” Then he had not seen her with Ernest. She heaved a Sig of relief. “What brought you here? I never knew you visit places like this.”

He chuckled. “Purity has been to a place like this.”

“She’s still on your mind, huh?” she muttered with a glint of unhappiness in her eyes.

Jeremy brushed that aside. “Why are you here?”

“Um….” she held his gaze, smiling gleefully. “I’m here to celebrate all by myself. You had said nice words to me today. It made me happy. My day was blissful. You didn’t throw me out. I am here to celebrate all that.”

He meant that much to her? “I’m glad I could be here to join you.”

There was an empty glass in front of her. She poured wine from the bottle into it, filling it to the brim. She refilled hers too. They cheered and drank.

“Would you please call me Purity for once?” Tricia requested.

Jeremy coughed immediately. “What?”

“Just look at me the way you look at her, even just tonight. Tell me the nice things you say to her. Please, do it just once.” Her voice was exceedingly subtle. She never left hush gaze. Her eyes were full of warmth and compassion. She expressed what she really felt for him and dropped the subtle hints of anger she felt towards towards him for choosing Purity over her.

“But you are not Purity. It doesn’t make sense calling you that,” Jeremy protested. He was not ready to give up his chance of being with Purity. Not for Tricia. No matter how much she love him, Purity will always come first. No one else.

“Do it for me, please.” Tricia insisted.

Jeremy sighed and rolled his eyes. “Just tell me a pet name you want me to call you,” he blurted out.

Tricia beamed. That’s it!
*
*
*
“Keep your voice down!” Ernest commanded Purity. She was screaming on top of her voice. He had just dealt with a man who had followed him and presently, she was making a lot of noise. How was he going to handle her? He flashed a torch at her direction. “Stop it!” he warned, again.

The feel of rays of light on her face calmed her. She squinted her eyes and threw her face from the face of the torch. She was panting and sweating. She had strained herself by shrieking loudly. “So, its you! You!” she yelled.

Ernest couldn’t get it. Whatever was she talking about? “Where you expecting someone else?”

“d–n you!” she fiercely shot at him. “How can you do this to me? You don’t even have an ounce of decency to tidy this place up and make it much more convenient for me? Do you know how frightened I’ve been? You say you love me and you treat me like trash!” She let the tears freely fall. She couldn’t believe what was happening to her. Ernest really locked her up. There was no food or water for her to drink. She was bundled to a chair like a criminal should be, but she was no criminal. She was simply having feelings for a man. What was going to happen to her? What was he going to do with her? She couldn’t decide or conclude yet. She was stricken with fear and intense hatred for the man standing before her.

Ernest couldn’t stand to see her cry. He allowed the bags he carried fall to the ground and rushed to her. He gently took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry, my love. I’ve been so stupid and reckless. I haven’t taken good care of you. Forgive me, forgive me, my darling.” he comforted her.

Purity rested fully on his back. “Untie me. I’m hurting,” she pleaded, weakly.

“I’ll do just that,” Ernest acquiesced.

… To be continued