Tarasha 2 – Chapter 3 Part 1

And then it met, there was a knock sound as their foreheads hit. 

‘Ouch!’ Tarasha rubbed her forehead as she withdrew. Henry also rested back on his seat, rubbing his forehead with a frown. ‘You do really need to learn how to kiss, you are very bad in it.’ Tarasha accused playfully. 

‘No, you are the bad one.’ he accused back. 

‘No you are,’ Tarasha insisted. She got up from the seat and shifted the plates farther from his front, she then sat on the table at the space in front of him and then slowly stepped down sat on his laps, she wrapped her hands around his neck and her breasts pressed tightly against his chest. She touched his forehead with hers.

Henry wrapped his hands around her waists and they both stared into each other’s eyes briefly. He had not bargained for something like this when he decided to come for his breakfast. Now his heart was pumping faster than usual, he could feel the blood rushing faster through his veins. His whole body became warmer as his hands rubbed her exposed thighs as the mini gown she was putting on had pulled up with the way she was sitting. His lips were expectant but just as it was about to happen, a phone rang and it’s vibrating on the table could be felt on Tarasha’s back.

Still sitting on his laps, Tarasha turned back and stretched to reach for the phone. She checked the caller’s ID before answering the call.

‘Where are you now?’ she said into the phone, holding it to her ear with one hand while the other was still on Henry’s neck. ‘You need the cameras down now?’ she asked as she withdrew the other hand from his neck. She placed her opened palm against his chest and opened the top button, then she ran her fingers into the shirt  tickling him softly and slowly proceeding towards his nip*le.

‘You’re already entering into town?’ she asked in a surprised tone, taking her hands off from Henry’s chest. 

‘Yes,’ Henry could hear a female’s voice which he recognized to be Aisha’s.

‘Why didn’t you inform me earlier?’ Tarasha asked as she got up slowly from Henry’s lap. She straightened her gown beside him and then turned to where was previously seated to put on her shoe.

‘I already informed you through the messenger but I had to call when it was still marking unread,’ the voice replied.

‘Oh!’ Tarasha exclaimed on remembering that her conversation with Henry had made her forget about the phone totally. ‘I’ll get it done immediately,’ she said and cut the call. 

She flashed a look at Henry as she picked up a key on the table. Henry had a defeated look on. ‘I have to use the workroom now,’ she excused herself and hurriedly left the dining. 

Henry heaved a heavy sigh as he watched her leave. His temperature slowly returned back to normal and his heart beat returned to the usual speed. He buttoned his shirt and took a glance at his plates of food which were now far away, he had completely lost his appetite for food. He closed his eyes briefly and tried to imagine what could have happened if the call did not come in. Maybe she would have taken off his shirt completely after first engaging him in a long kiss and then more taking off of clothes would have happened. But then he opened his eyes and shook his head in disagreement with himself, he shouldn’t be thinking of having sex with her yet. There were several challenges ahead. 

He sat for some few more seconds, thinking of what to do next and finally decided to join her in the workroom in case she needed company before she finally left the house. 

He got up from the seat swiftly, another glance at the dining table made him pause. He remembered that Aisha wasn’t around to clear the table and he wasn’t sure Tarasha would be chanced to do it. He arranged the plates together and proceeded with them to the kitchen. Few minutes later, he joined her in the workroom. 

Tarasha noticed the door opened while she worked on a laptop, she was sitting at the exact spot Cole used to sit and work. She had been hoping he would come and was glad at his entrance but she consciously chose not to look towards the door.

‘Are you very busy?’ Henry asked after closing the door and taking two steps forward. 

‘No,’ she turned briefly to him and gave him an encouraging look to join her. 

Henry proceeded forward and took the seat beside her, there was another laptop at his front but he gently moved it away and placed his elbow on the table, staring at what Tarasha was doing. 

‘She’s at Owo now?’ Henry asked after ten seconds of reading, taking a quick glance at her face. 

‘Yes,’ Tarasha replied without looking at him. 

Henry kept watching silently  for the next ten minutes. He had no questions to ask as he understood all she was trying to do.

‘For how long are you shutting it?’ Henry asked. He was talking about the security cameras.

Tarasha took in a short breath, she was expecting the question but was at the same time hoping he would not start telling her how dangerous it is to shut it down for long. ‘As long as it takes her to pass trackable areas,’ she finally replied. 

Henry gave no reply and kept watching silently until she was about rounding up. ‘I believe you guys must have something very important to do in Lagos?’ he said.

‘Yes, Aisha and Cole has something very important to do.’ she replied. 

‘Are you also going to join them now?’ he asked the question that had been bothering his mind. 

‘No,’ she replied with a smile, staring at his face. His question had revealed his desperate desire of not wanting her to leave. ‘I’m not joining Aisha and Cole, I have something else to do here.’

‘Truly?’

‘Yes.’

Henry heaved a sigh of relief at her confirmation, he closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. ‘May I know what they went to do there?’ he summoned courage to probe further. 

‘Hmm…’ she stopped and turned to stare at his face, the laptop was shutting down already. She folded her arms, ‘They went to save their parents.’

‘What happened to their parents?’ he asked in a concerned tone. 

‘If you’ve been following the news, you should have heard that Aisha’s Bello’s parent have been abducted.’

‘Oh! I read about it,’ Henry replied thoughtfully. ‘I wasn’t just conscious of the fact that she’s the same Aisha.’

‘Cole’s parents were kidnapped too but it wasn’t well noised as Aisha’s and that’s because Aisha has been previously declared wanted by the police.’

‘That’s serious!’ Henry exclaimed with a serious look on his face. ‘But who abducted them and why were they abducted?’

‘Same guys who killed my brother, I believe.’ a strong frown formed on Tarasha’s face as she replied. ‘They want to use it as a bait for me.’

‘But do you think they can handle it themselves, I mean your guys, how about the authorities?’

‘The anti-kidnapping squad  have been on it for days without much progress,’ she replied. 

‘And don’t you think they need help? Would they be able to defeat the kidnappers?’

‘They would have to defeat them anyway,’ Tarasha replied. 

‘You don’t think you should have gone with them?’ he implied. 

‘Go with them? Hell no!’ she exclaimed, staring at him as she folded her arms again and relaxed back. ‘That would be walking into something unnecessary.’

There was a short silence which was interrupted by Tarasha’s ringtone, she reached for the phone and answered the call. 

‘What’s up Cole?’

‘I thought I should inform you that Aisha has gotten to Owo already and I need to get details of her location and where she’s waiting for me. My tracker 03 is on already and I need you to initiate the process for me,’ Cole said. 

‘I think you should just call her, ‘ Tarasha replied. ‘So far, I’ve detected no one or device following you. It’s safe to use your phone.’

‘Okay Boss, thanks.’ the call ended. 

Henry was staring intently at her all through the duration of the call but he took off his eyes immediately after the call. There was another long silence between them. 

‘Where are you going out to?’ Henry asked, after noticing that she checked her wristwatch twice. 

‘I have something to do at Asokoro,’ she replied him.

‘What’s that? Can I follow you?’ Henry asked. 

‘Humn… I’m not sure,’ Tarasha said in a sharp tone. 

‘Not sure? Is it because I’ve not done anything to disguise yet?’

‘No, not that.’ Tarasha folded her lips in and let out a short breath. ‘You may not like what I’m going to do there.’ 

‘What’s that? What are you going?’ Henry asked with an unclear mind. Her silence made him more anxious but with the change in the look on her face, he could tell that it wasn’t something pleasant. 

________

‘Do you have all your boys stationed at the right place already?’ Rex said into the phone. He was in a car, driving with a hand on the wheels and the other holding his phone. 

‘Yes boss,  they’re all waiting for their arrival.’ Don’s voice replied him. 

‘Capture the both of them as quietly as possible, make sure you avoid being in a gun battle with them.’ Rex cautioned. 

‘Okay Boss, but is it possible to capture Tarasha without involving a gun battle?’ Don asked in a doubtful tone. 

‘Don’t worry about Tarasha, she’s not coming to you.’ Rex said. 

‘But we saw the sign you asked us to look out for,’ Don argued. 

‘Yes, you saw a sign showing that she’s aware of their trip. She’s not going to come with them, I’m hundred percent sure. ‘ Rex said confidently.

‘Okay, anything you say Boss.’ Don replied and the call ended. 

Rex increase his speed and joined the fast lane. He stared at the picture of Kimberly E. Alex again, he knew she was coming, right into his trap. 

_____

James carefully parked his car at the space opposite the gate, he stepped out of the car and crossed to the other side. He stood in front of the gate and began to scrutinize the lock to the smaller entrance. 

He waved at someone who came out of the neighbouring compound. The man approached him slowly with a suspicious look. 

‘Good morning,’ he greeted before looking at the man’s face. ‘Sorry for disturbing you but I’ll like to ask some questions about this house from you.’

‘It’s okay but please be fast about it,’ the man answered. 

‘Okay, do you know for how long those staying in this house have been away?’

‘Ermm…I think it’s more than three weeks now, they just left as quietly as they came. But no one can really tell if they really left because I believe the apartment was rented for a year or two.’

‘Okay, but have you by chance seen anyone of them around again?’

‘No, I’ve not.’

‘And nobody else comes to look for them?’

‘Several people comes. I think one of them used to work at the NSCC, so officials from the NSCC are part of those who used to ask of them.’

‘Okay, that’ll be all. Thanks,’ James dismissed the man with a smile. 

‘You’re welcome,’ the man replied as he walked away. 

James stared around for a little while before turning back to his car. In the next minute, he started the engine and sped away.

The glass of the driver’s side of a small black car was wound down slowly, a young man who had been watching James from the car took off his dark eyeglasses. He peered towards the place for some seconds before winding up the glass and driving away.