Hollow Hearts 51-60

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 51

JANE

Muneiwa and I used the same bedroom we used the last time we were in the house while Yolanda shared hers with the kids. She was good with them and it was such a relief on my side, at least didn’t have to deal with them.

Mune:”it’s been a really eventful night” he said as we take of our clothes and getting ready for bed

Me: “more like an eventful morning…it’s after mid night remember?”

Mune:”yeah eventful morning I mean…at least we have the kids” I smiled looking at him

Me: “I never thought I will ever say this to anyone but thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my siblings…you are the reason why they are back here and yes I am not really thrilled because the idea of family still scares me but it’s good to have them back, it’s a good feeling to know that they are free and that they won’t have to go through the same s*** I went through” he looked at me and smiled

Mune:”and your dad? You are not worried about him anymore?” I looked at him and breathed

Me:” Clifford let me suffer for years Mune…as much as I am thirsty to experience what it’s like to have a father I don’t know if he is the kind of father I need. He even lied to that poor little Yolanda can you believe it? The poor thing grew up thinking that its mother is dead” he started laughing and that took me by surprise

Me: “did I crack a joke?”

Mune:”why do you refer to your siblings as ‘things’? What’s up with that?” I giggled

Me: “it kinda seem suitable” he laughed some more

Mune:”you are really crazy” I laughed

Me: “and you love my craziness”

Mune:”for some odd reason yeah”

Me: “so that’s that…I don’t even know if I can be a good sister to all these kids but Yolanda seems sweet…she’s not that bad and I am feeling a little bit of connection between us” it was the truth

Me: “so I guess I am stuck with her and the kids but Clifford can wait for now…we need to deal with Duke first” he raised his hands up to stop me

Mune:”how did we move from you trying to be a sister to your siblings to dealing with Duke? For now we should enjoy this moment Jane…once we go on a fight again there is no telling what could happen so let’s enjoy this moment and the next 24 hours and after that we can start planning okay?” I breathed

Me: “okay”

Mune:”now come here…I really missed you” I smiled shyly.

It’s funny how our lives were getting busier and busier every day and we were hardly finding time to be intimate. To think that we used to do a lot of sex while he was still staying in the hotel. I hadn’t realised it until now but I missed the set up at the hotel. We could have a lot of sex and when we were tired we could go down to the bar and have a drink and get back at it again

Mune:”what’s that smile?”

Me: “I miss your hotel room” he smiled

Mune:”I don’t” I raised an eyebrow

Me: “why not? We had lot of sex in there and it was always epic…you always blew my mind” he shook his head standing up

Mune:”I also blew other bitches minds in there Jane so it’s not really my favourite spot”

Me:”ow”

Mune:”yeah”

Me: “so what’s your favourite?” he smiled

Mune:”you remember our first date in that restaurant? One day I wanna take you back there with our kid Jane…that place is our fucking spot” I smiled

Me: “I love you” he returned a charming smile and I melted. Was I ever going to get used to him being mine? He was hard to get used to…I always felt like I was dreaming, like I will wake up and find that it was all just a dream

Mune:”I love you more…now come here” he sat on the bed with nothing else but his underwear. I went to him and wrapped my legs around him while facing him. My top was already off and I was only left with just my underwear

Mune:”we are going to be parents” he whispered looking at my tummy…it still looked the same…it was flat like there was no baby

Me: “you’re excited about it” he looked at me

Mune:”you should be too” I breathed loudly

Me: “it’s scary…too much responsibility…it’s a life time responsibility” he cupped my face

Mune:” do I look like the kind of man that can’t handle his s***?” I shook my head

Mune:”then you have nothing to worry about Jane…I don’t remember much from my parents but they were two loving people who showed me nothing but love so yeah we will love this kid and protect him or her against anything…I will never disappoint you Jane” I looked at him and smiled…my heart was flooding with love

Me: “you make me have hope for the future” he smiled

Mune:”enough about this emotional talk…I really wanna sex you and the more we talk the more I want it” I burst out laughing

Me: “wow you killed the f*****g mood” he laughed too

Mune:”Jane please” he said that and cupped my breasts and I looked at him with a smile and biting on my lower lip. Guys I was in love…this guy right here gave me hope about this life…he made me believe that anything was achievable

Mune:”how do you want it?” he whispered

Me: “blow my mind” he let out a slight laugh and got up with me in his arms and my legs still wrapped around him. He laid me gently on the bed. He looked at me once and said

“Game on my sweet little thing” he said that and quickly took off my underwear and before I could even begin to prepare myself for what was to come his mouth was all over my cookie jar

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 52

After the call with Mondi, JT realised that something was up. If Duke really went on vacation like he told him and Patrick through that message then why didn’t he tell them about the guy who has crucial info regarding Norman? If he was really going on vacation he would have told them that there was someone who was going to help with the info since he gave an order for them to ensure that Norman is found by the time he comes back. JT took his phone and called their IT department, it was in the early hours of the morning but there was no sleeping in this business and all the employees were very much aware of that.

“Hello” Shiraz was clearly asleep

JT:”Shiraz its JT…I want you to wake up now and go to your computer room, its urgent”

Shiraz:”who’s dying?”

JT:”more like who died?”

Shiraz:”huh?”

JT:”just get the f*** outta bed already damn”

Shiraz:”okay okay…what am I checking?”

JT:”check if Duke’s phone has been turned on since he told us he was going on vacation, also check if his email has been opened at all or if his Computer has logged on…check for his car in the street cams okay? Do it now and give me a call”

Shiraz:”JT what’s going on?”

Shiraz:”do you ever just do what you’re told without asking questions that don’t concern you?”

Shiraz:”okay fine”

TJ dropped his call and stood in the middle of the room as he started worrying. He was truly hoping that his instincts were wrong and that his boss was still okay. He started pacing around the room with his heart rate rising. If Duke was really outta the picture then he was gonna have to contact the President and the board so that they can be aware of what was happening. He scratched the idea of calling the President and the board immediately…if Duke vanished without a trace then he was going to prove himself as the second in command so that the job may rightfully be given to him. On the other hand he didn’t wish for all of that to be true because Duke’s death was going to send out more uncertainty on the organisation and the board was going to lose its trust on the whole team. Like how did they fail to protect the boss? He paced in the room for what seemed like years and finally his phone rang. He immediately ran to it and picked it up

JT:”Shiraz?”

Shiraz:”he’s been offline since…there is no sign of him anywhere…”

JT:”so you are saying that his phone and laptop have been off and his email hasn’t been opened and that his car just disappeared?”

Shiraz:”and his tracker is in his house”

JT:”f***”

Shiraz:”you don’t think he is in the house do you?”

JT:”f*** you’re stupid” he said that and hung up the call. He dialled Patrick who was head of security right at that minute

Patrick:”JT” Patrick didn’t sound like he was sleeping…which explains why he was head of the security

JT:”any sign of Norman and his b****?”

Patrick:”not yet J...but I have my eyes open okay? We will find them”

JT:”please be thorough and ensure that we find them as in yesterday”

Patrick:”sure thing” he hung up and breathed

.

He then went to his received calls and called the guy who called him earlier on asking about Duke. The guy didn’t take long to pick up the call

Mondi:”hello”

JT:”my name is JT and I am Duke’s second in command…you said he gave you my contact number right? Well I talked to him now and he confirmed it so how about you give me the info you have”

Mondi:”uhm…did he tell you about the deal between me and him? Like this is huge so if I give him this info then he should let me go and not threaten me ever again” JT rolled his eyes in frustration

JT:”just give me the info already” he was dying to know what the stupid guy on the end of the line had

Mondi:”okay…uhm I tried to call him several times and that’s because I was about to have a meeting with Ayanda and her boyfriend”

JT:”the boyfriend being Norman?”

Mondi:”yeah him…they made a deal with my boss to give them Ayanda’s siblings in exchange of her father so I tried to contact Duke so that he can finally get hold of Norman but he wa-“

JT:”where is Norman now?”

Mondi: “I am not sure b-“

JT:”so if you don’t know where Norman is why are you still tryna contact me?” he was now pissed

Mondi: ”because I know someone who might know…someone very close to Ayanda and who surely knows her whereabouts and obviously she is with the man you are so desperately trying to catch” JT breathed

JT:”keep on talking”

Mondi:”Ayanda has a sister who was staying with her father…Ayanda gave us the address of where her father was which means that she’s been in contact with him and therefore she’s been in contact with the sister so it’s either she went back there in that address to stay with the sister or the sister knows where she is” JT felt relieved …finally he was getting somewhere

JT:”send me this address on the sms and I will take it from there”

Mondi:”and my freedom?”

JT:”as long as your info checks out then consider yourself a free man” Mondi laughed

Mondi:”thank you…I will send the sms shortly”

JT:”sure” he hung up and the then called Patrick again

Pat:”hello”

JT:”we have a problem and you need to keep it to yourself”

Pat:”okay”

JT:”I think Norman has Duke”

Pat:”what? But he said-“

JT:”he didn’t say it…it was an sms and that sms came after there was security problem in his house…coincidence? Norman is the only person who can be able to go over our security system because he knows everything”

Pat:”ow no”

JT:”I have a tip on how to find Norman so I am going to deal with that but in the meantime keep your eyes open for anything suspicions and as soon as you spot something talk to me okay?”

Pat:”okay”

JT:”and you need to keep this strictly to yourself…we don’t want everyone to start panicking “

Pat:”sure”

Hollow Hearts

Chapter 53

JANE

After the love making that made me feel brand knew we fell asleep. The following morning I was woken up by someone opening our bedroom door…my first instinct was to reach for the gun and so I did. As expected, Muneiwa also heard the intruder and reached for his gun. We all aimed at the door at the same time

Jennifer:”Ow my God…uhm” she stood at the door looking speechless and obviously scared to death. I rolled my eyes and put the gun away

Mune:”Jennifer what are you doing here?”

Jen:”uhm…I…well” you should have seen her…she was a total wreck, just seeing two guns pointing at her and she almost peed on herself. See? See why I didn’t want to do this whole thing? The damn child was totally shaken to the point of dying. I looked at her and ran out of strength and knew that I didn’t want to deal with her anymore. She was shaking in fear and I couldn’t understand why. So I fell back on the bed and let Muneiwa deal with her

Jen:”I just…I jus-“ God is this how normal kids behave?

Mune:”it’s okay Jen…I hope you understand why we reacted the way we did…I mean after what you guys wen’t through, we have to be ready any time”

Jen:”I get it”

Mune:”so…did you wanted something?”

Jen:”i…I just wanted to tell you that I made breakfast for everyone…I wanted to thank you for everything”

Me:”ow” I sat up looking at the girl….maybe having siblings wasn’t such a bad idea

Jen:”yeah…its ready” she said that and turn around to walk away

Mune:”we will be there in a sec…thank you” she walked out of the door and Muneiwa looked at me with a smile

Me:”okay okay there is no need to give me that look…yeah it’s not as bad as I thought…I admit” he laughed

Mune:”I told you we needed this break…now let’s go have some breakfast” he said that and bounced off the bed…he really was excited and I loved seeing him like that. I don’t know if I was emotionally ready for everything but things were starting to look up for us and I was starting to come to terms with where I was and it didn’t seem as bad as it once looked.

We both left out room and went to the lounge. Zweli was already sitting on the floor with his breakfast plate and juice. Wow this kid wasn’t all useless…I mean yeah maybe she didn’t know how to operate a gun and she was a weakling and I hated that about her but she sure was a good cook…my mom taught her well I guess. The thought about my mom darkened my soul and I decided to divert my attention elsewhere. Yolanda was in the kitchen dishing up for herself. She looked at me and smiled and then looked at Muneiwa with the look that made me frown. You know the look that kids make when they see another kid passing with an ice cream when they have nothing? She was looking at him like that…like she really wanted him and that cut to the core of my heart…she liked him

Me: “Morning Yolanda” I said that to try and distract her from the show she was enjoying…the show that belonged to the dearest little old evil me. I don’t know why but for some reason I didn’t feel like starting a fight or approach her about it. I also didn’t want to start annoying Muneiwa because it’s those kind of things that could really drive him away. Plus he told me that he loved me and that he would never do me like that…as much as it wasn’t easy and tolerable to see the little bitch Yolanda looking at my man like that…she promised me that she won’t do anything to hurt me so I was betting on the fact that she meant it or otherwise heads were going to roll.

Yoli:”Morning Aya…our little sister made breakfast” she was smiling at me

Me: “she is a darling isn’t she?” I was smiling too and for the first time since I started this acting career of mine while working for Zach, I wasn’t sure if the smile was genuine or not

Yoli:”yeah she really is” she finished dishing up and walked to the lounge.

Mune:”I don’t remember the last time I experienced this kind of an atmosphere” he whispered on my ear

Me: “what kind?”

Mune:”the family kind” I turned around and looked at my siblings and found myself smiling

Me: “do they all look like me?” I asked him with a smile

Mune:”Yolanda is just a thicker copy of you and those two have a resemblance that shows that you are siblings” I giggled

Me: “it feels weird….good weird” Muneiwa kissed me on the cheek and then we went to join the others in the lounge

Jen:”I don’t know if this is the right time but when are we having the funeral?” Muneiwa and I looked at each other…Yolanda also looked at us in search for answers

Me: “we….uhm….with everything that’s going on, we won’t have one Jen”

Yolanda: “but didn’t you like made peace with the guy who took them? My dad was the bargain for peace right? Can’t you negotiate and get her body and then we can have a proper burial?”Muneiwa swallowed his food and then looked at us both

Mune:”I will see if we can get it done” she looked at him and gave him the exact same smile and this time I almost lost it but I still kept my cool

Zweli:”so mom is gone? I will never see her again?”

Jen:”you saw it happen Zweli” she said irritably

Zweli:”I know…I dreamt about it last night” he said with tears falling from his eyes

Yoli:”Ncooo” this was kind of Yolanda’s thing…talking to crying kids and making them feel better about the world that wasn’t better

Yoli:”come here” she went to him and carried him in her arms

Yoli:”everything is going to be fine boy…everything will be fine…tonight you will sleep with me okay? Whenever you wanna take a nap just talk to sis Yoli and I will sing for you and make sure that you don’t have bad dreams again okay?” the boy nodded and then she puts him down

Yoli:”now eat your breakfast okay boy?” she was genuinely smiling at him and the boy sat down.

Yoli:”so what’s the plan now?”

Me: “this is the plan” I said looking around the room

Me: “We are going to bond for a day or two and then Muneiwa and I will get down to business while you keep the kids safe”

Yoli:”I can do that”

Me:”yeah”

Yoli:”and I was thinking th-“ my attention left the room because I felt and heard something…yeah my instinct and all my senses were not that of a normal people…I was made to know when things are about to happen before they actually do…like I could smell trouble from far. I looked at Muneiwa and he had the expression that told me that he felt it too

Mune:”f***…everybody hide….now…Yolanda hide the kids” he said that in a very calm whispering voice

Yoli:”what’s happening?”

Me: “just do as he said now…down on your knees and crawl to whatever hiding hole you have in here…you must have a basement or something like that right?”

Yoli:”no basement but there is a place in my room”

Mune:”then go” she crawled out of the room with the kids. Muneiwa and I quickly ran to our room and get the guns

Me: “how did you know?”

Mune:”the same way you knew…I kinda heard something”

Me: “me too” I went to the window and checked

Me: “it’s a whole f*****g country”

Mune:”let’s show them what we got then”

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 54

JANE

Me: “we don’t have enough bullets”

Mune:”then let’s not waste what we have…every bullet is someone’s head” I looked at him and found myself smiling

Me: “I love you”

Mune:”I love you more Jane…now follow me…I have a plan” I followed him out of the bedroom and to the bathroom where he climbed on the toilet seat and reached for the ceiling opening

Mune:”I thought it would be easier if we are up here”

Me: “great idea” he took his gun and tried to open. I heard the living room door burst open and looked out of the bathroom window and saw several people outside tip toeing and speaking in sign language while holding machine guns

Me:”Muneiwa they are here”

Mune:”I know” he said that and opened the door and stretched his hand to take mine

Mune:”come…you need to go in first” I didn’t question him but rather took his hand and he helped me up and I made my way up on the ceiling. He was about to follow me when someone walked through the door and Muneiwa jumped on the guy and fist him twice on the face and then hit him on the head with a gun

Mune:”we can’t waste bullets” he hurriedly walked back to me and then I helped him climb up. When we were done we closed the door and looked at each other. It was obviously dark but we could slightly see

Mune:”come here” he pulled me to him and kissed me passionately. I hated the kiss and how good it tasted and how emotional and tense Muneiwa was…it felt like a goodbye…like a final goodbye. I immediately stopped the kiss

Me: “no” I said shaking my head

Me: “it’s not goodbye okay? It can’t be and it won’t”

Mune:”I didn’t say it was” he said calmly

Me: “let’s do this when we are done”

Mune:”go to the living room and I will make my way out of here and up on the roof so that I can kill the ones waiting outside”

Me:”okay”

I crawled towards the living room and didn’t even bother looking at him. I just wanted to get this over with and then be with him again. I didn’t want to think about things going south for us because I couldn’t honestly imagine my life without him. So I crawled to the lounge and went to the middle of the room where the light was connected. I tried to quietly remove the light so that I can see what’s happening down inside the room but the bulb fell to the floor and I saw the five guys who were in the room quickly looking my way and pointing their guns at me but I didn’t give them another minute to decide what to do with their guns…like a bitch I was…I shot them all without missing. I smiled when I realised that they were now all on the floor. I felt the adrenalin rush kicking in and my blood finally flowing in the right direction…I felt alive and excited. It wasn’t the same excitement that I got when I was with Muneiwa….nahh it was a different excitement but it still felt good either way. My gun had a silencer so I was safe. Two guys walked in from outside and I ended their little pathetic lives. I looked around the room again and noticed a guy coming from the passage…he was looking around slowly and carefully

Me:”hey handsome” he looked at me but his glance was greeted by a bullet on the forehead. I wondered if Muneiwa was doing okay or if I had to worry. I decided not to worry about him and trust that he was a big boy and therefore could take care of himself. Several more guys walked inside the room and I took them out. I did so with everyone that walked into the room until I ran out of bullets.

Me:”S***” I said to myself and then turned around and looked for an opening where Muneiwa must have used to go up on the roof. I found the opening and got out. I found Muneiwa lying on the roof while his finger was on the trigger

Me: “I am out” I said that as I lay next to him. He pulled the trigger with his one eye closed and got ready to pull the next one

Mune:”I am almost out too” he said that and pulled the trigger again

Me: “there are lot of guns in the living room…the guys I killed in there had guns…I can try to get them” he shook his head without looking at me

Mune:”no…that will be suicide…its almost over for us Jane and we can see that already so we can just decide how it ends or let the fate decide for us” he said that and pulled another trigger. I couldn’t believe that he just said that

Me: “you can’t say that” I said shaking him. He looked at me once and then looked straight ahead

Mune:”they won’t leave without me and if I run now they will trash this house until they find something and that something might be the kids….we don’t want that to happen”

Jane: “but we can’t just give up…I can try get the guns…I am good at this” I was desperate to make him understand

Mune:”I am not doubting your abilities Jane…you are pregnant and I won’t ever forgive myself if anything happen to you or the baby…I have to start thinking like a father, I have to protect you and the baby…and this is how I get to do i-“

Jane:”I don’t even know why I want your permission to do this…I am doing it anyway” I said that and tried to get away but he held me with his hand

Mune:”Jane don’t make me angry and don’t push me…you are going to stay here and follow my plan or I can just shoot you right now and kill you because walking out there is a death trap on its own…rather I kill you than them” I was shocked

Me: “you wouldn’t do that” I said breathing

Mune:”how long have you known me? This is not the time for petty talks and arguments…you are going to climb that tree and hide Jane…I am going to give myself up because I am out” my heart ached so much

Me: “they will kill you” I cried

Mune:”they won’t…not until they know what happened with Duke so for now i have leverage I can use against them…they will torture me and all that but they won’t kill me”

Me: “there has to be another plan” my heart was in so much pain…it was as if Munewia was just standing there stabbing me repeatedly

Mune:”this is the only one that saves us both”

Me:”Muneiwa don’t do this”

Mune:”once they take me everything will be in your hands Jane….it will be your job to look for me and to find me….i will also try to escape and if I do I will contact you but you need to keep the kids safe and try to find me too” I shook my head

Me: “don’t do this”

Mune:”I think the most pressing issue here is the fact that someone in Zack’s team sold us…”

Me:”ow no” he stood up with his hands up in the air and I could literally feel my body failing to take in some air…I couldn’t breathe

Mune:”their attention will be focused on me now…so get the hell out of here Jane…go to that tree” I crawled away from him with tears in my eyes. I was climbing the tree when I saw it happen in slow motion and everything in me collapsed and my heart was in pieces.

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 55

It was in the afternoon and Clifford was still in the same room he was in since they brought him. He was still tied up to the chair and was really tired. He listened carefully to hear if anyone was close by. The whole place was awfully quiet and that’s what he was waiting for. He started working on untying the rope that tied his hands at the back. It wasn’t easy and took longer than he expected but at the end he succeeded. He was about to get up when he heard the footsteps. He sat back on the chair and prayed that whoever it was wasn’t going to walk into the room. His prayer wasn’t answered because the guy walked into the room and looked at Cliff

“Still okay old man?” Cliff said nothing.

The guy smiled and was about to leave the room when he stopped on his tracks and then looked back at Cliff. Clifford knew that the guy noticed the rope on the floor and that he was busted. With the speed of light he ran to the guy with chair still tied up to him and spun around with the chair and hit the poor guy in the process. The guy fell and Clifford quickly went to him and positioned the foot of the chair to his mouth and sat on him with so much pressure. He wanted to kill the boy without him screaming for help because that would have called everyone back into the room. He then untied his feet from the chair and looked at the dead body on the floor and sighed

Cliff: “you had your moments suckers” He slowly walked towards the door and peeped outside. His main problem was that he didn’t even know his surroundings so that was a huge disadvantage from his side. 

.

He tiptoed and walked out of the door while he make sure to observe every other direction to make sure that he was safe. One thing was good about this whole thing…whoever was going to see him was not going to kill him because he was a special package for the old grumpy Zack so they were just going to try and catch him…which wasn’t going to be easy. He was now in the passage…he then made his way outside the door. He had no idea where he was or where this house was situated but he knew he had to start running. He looked around for a car and he saw three cars parked outside. Starting the car without the keys wouldn’t really be a problem…the problem would be trying to get inside the car. He looked around for something he could use to open the door but there was nothing. The house seemed to be situated in the middle of nowhere so he took his chance and ran for the bushes. He still didn’t know where he was going or what was waiting for him but he realised that sticking around that place for too long was too much of a risk. He couldn’t go around looking for something to help him get in the car as if he owned the place while he was their biggest asset. The adrenalin rush kicked in and he ran like a maniac. He had no idea where he was running to but all he knew was that he had to run as fast as he could and be as far away from that house as he possibly can.

Mondi took a drive to town to get something to eat for him and the boys. He was driving back when he received a call from Zack

Mondi: “boss?”

Zac: “How is he?”

Mondi: “he is good”

Zac: “are you sure? Are you watching him right now?”

Mondi:”uhm not personally but someone is keeping guard”

Zac: “Mondi you should know that we are not talking about some small time criminal here…that man is good”

Mondi: “he is guarded…he wouldn’t possibly escape”

Zac: “I hope you are right because I am boarding a flight right now and this time tomorrow I will be there. That clown Norman delivered his end of the deal so I wouldn’t want you jeopardising things Mondi”

Mondi: “I won’t boss don’t worry”

Zac: “you sound like you are driving…where the f*** are you and where the hell is Cliff? You are supposed to watch him like a hawk” Mondi breathed

Mondi: “I was just getting food but I will be with him within few minutes”

Zac: “you have no idea just how long I’ve been waiting for this moment boy…no idea at all”

Mondi: “I won’t disappoint”

Zac: “you better not because s*** will fly” he said that and hung up

Mondi: ”drive fast bruh” even though Mondi was positive that Cliff wouldn’t possibly escape;…what Zac said made him a bit nervous. It was obvious that Zac really wanted this Clifford guy and that’s why he was even flying all the way to the country.

Guy: “I am on it”

Mondi realised that something was wrong when they were still few metres away from the house. The guys who were left in the house were running around like maniacs.

Mondi:”oww s*** what did these idiots do?”

Guy: “do you think that maybe he escaped?”

Mondi: ”shut the f*** up” the guy parked the car and Mondi flew out of the car and ran to one of the guys who were standing at the door

Mondi: ”what’s going on here?”

Guy2:”uhm”

Mondi:”f*** tell me what happened before I shoot your stupid head” he was shouting

Guy2:”he is gone and he killed Jerry”

Mondi:”ow f*** f*** f************k” he screamed and everyone looked at him

Mondi: “do you have any idea what you little shits have done? Zac is on his way here to see this man…did you hear what I said? S*** is going to fly if we don’t find this guy” everyone just blinked

Mondi: “we need to find him and we need to make sure that he is alive…what are you still doing here looking at me? This damn place is a game reserve with animals all around…you better make sure that the lion doesn’t get to that idiot before we do because someone will have to pay”

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 56

Mondi was now seriously worried. He knew that Zack’s arrival was definitely going to be the end of him if Cliff was not found. All the guys left the house and were out there looking for Clifford. Some of them were in a 4x4 bakkie driving through the firebreaks in search for Clifford. They all had Radios to communicate just in case someone finds Cliff.

Cliff on the other side was busy running for his life. After running for about 30 minutes without stopping he could feel that he was really tired and that he needed to rest but he didn’t have time for that. He ran for a while and decided to stop and rest for a minute or so. He stood under a tree and put his right hand on the tree as he rest. It was during this moment when his eyes met the Kangaroo’s eyes. He looked at the animal and remembered that even though it wasn’t capable of biting him…it was powerful in such a way that one push on his chest from the Kangaroo could be the end of him. The animal wasn’t really the best runner but it was good. So Cliff ran the opposite direction and decided that stopping was no longer an option. He was busy running when he found himself in a road that looked more like a firebreak. He looked from his left to his right and wondered which direction was leading outside this place and maybe to the main road. He was still standing there undecided when he heard a car coming. He went for the bushes and that’s when his eyes spotted a Cheetah right in front of him…the animal looked at him once and then started to walk to him slowly…Clifford knew for a fact that a Cheetah was the fastest mammal on earth so he couldn’t possibly outrun it. He turned around and went back to the road and the moment he stepped on to the road the 4x4 hit him. The driver only realised when Cliff was on the ground that he hit something.

JANE

I was climbing the tree when someone shot him once and he collapsed. I felt my whole world shuttering on the floor and everything I had planned disappeared. I couldn’t have a nice view of his body so I couldn’t even see where they shot him. I held the tree tighter as I felt my whole body ache. I looked at him while lying on the floor and my whole world collapsed. Muneiwa was my one and only hope into having a better life…seeing him lying on the floor broke every little dream of normality I had in me. I put my one hand on my tummy and for the first time since I found out that I was pregnant I could believe that I was a mother to-be and the idea of raising this baby without him was horrifying. I wanted to run out there and try to save him but I had to do what he told me to do…I had to save myself and the baby…that’s what he wanted and that’s what I had to do. I knew that people were probably climbing the roof already and trying to get to him so I climbed further up on the tree with tears gushing down. I got to a secure place and made sure that I was hidden but still managed to look at what was going on down there. After few agonising seconds I decided to hide my face and not watch what was going on anymore. I don’t even remember how long I stayed on that tree but it was hours. Every time I look down I would spot people leaving the house carrying bodies and carrying those who were just injured.

It was late at night and the place was already quiet when I decided to climb down and then made my way to the house. I made sure that I was careful and slow enough. I slowly opened the door and I found Yolanda holding a bag with the kids and about to leave.

Yoli:”you survived?” she ran to me and hugged me tight. I wanted to break down and cry in her arms but I couldn’t…it felt wrong to cry in her arms when we were in this type of situation…all I had to do was try to ensure everyone’s safety instead of crying. She broke the hug and looked at me…she had tears in her eyes

Yoli:”I thought they took you” she said that and hugged me again

Me: “they took him” I said that and swallowed. Yolanda looked at me as if expecting something else from me

Yoli:”I am so sorry”

Me:”yeah I know…we have to get out of here as soon as possible and we need to use a different route just in case”

Yoli:”yeah there is another route”

Me: “good…let me make this phone call first”

Yoli:”okay”

I took out my phone and called Zack from the same number that Muneiwa called him on. His receptionist picked up the call and I asked her to transfer the call to him and she did. I waited for a while and then Zac picked up the call

Zac: “hello”

Me” after everything we did for you and this is how you repay us? I knew we couldn’t trust you Zack…I knew that Muneiwa was wrong to trust you” I said that and sniffed, the fact that I had no idea if Muneiwa was dead or alive was eating me up so bad

Zac: “what are you talking about?”

Me: “I will hunt whoever took him and I will find him…after finding him I will make sure that I kill every one of your people and then come for you” the beast in me was unleashed and all she wanted was blood

Zac:”okay little Ayanda what are you talking about? I kept my end of the deal and gave your so called boyfriend your siblings…the f*** are you on about?” I went silent for a while

Me: “you didn’t take him?” then who did? If Zack didn’t do it then who did?

Zac: “why would I do that?”

me: “but your people are the only ones who knew this place? We were attacked this morning and the people who did that took Muneiwa with them…I was convinced that it’s you”

Zac: “you’re wrong” he said in his angry voice

Me: “then who did it? Your people are the only ones who knew…are you sure none of your guys is working with Norman’s boss? Because if it wasn’t your people then it had to be Norman’s boss and you are not working with him are you?”

Zac: “you don’t have the right to question me about anything Ayanda…I’ve already told you that it wasn’t me and that should be enough”

Me: “I am sorry for accusing you but can’t you at least try to find out from your team if anyone communicated with Duke’s people?”

Zac: “and why would I do that? Doing something like that will be a waste of resources and time” I sniffed…

Me: “I will owe you one” a tear escaped my eye because I never wanted to find myself grovelling at this guy ever again. The only thing I wanted to do to him was kill him

Zac: “sounds fair…I will find out if anyone in my team betrayed me”

Me: “thank you” he hung up. I stood there looking at the wall and tears started coming out. I wiped them off and then turned around and looked at Yolanda and the kids

Me: “let’s go”

Jen:”where are we going?” I looked at Yolanda who looked back at me…she also had no idea where we were supposed to go

Me: “we don’t know yet…we just have to be safe”

Zweli:”the bad men were back for us again?” I looked at Yoli and nodded…I wanted her to talk to the boy and try to comfort him because I suck at that typa s***

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 57

JANE

Me:”uhm…while you are busy trying to get him to calm down I am going to be busy with this over here” being myself and also having kids around me wasn’t easy but I was trying my best

Jen:”with what? Can I help?”

Me: “not really…it’s kind of complicated”

Yoli:”you wanna be busy with what?”

Me: “I have to check where those people went…there were many of them here so they must have been travelling in a serious convoy so I need to know where they went” Yolanda came to me while holding Zweli in her arms

Yoli:”you wanna follow them?”

Me:”Muneiwa was shot and I am not sure if they killed him or not so I have to at least try and save whatever is left of him…even if it’s a body…I will need it here with me” I said with so much emotion. The thought of him being dead was weighing on me

Yoli:”it’s okay Ayanda I get it...wait here Zoli…everything is going to be fine okay?” the boy nodded and she put him down. She then switched on the computers

Yoli:”I don’t know how good you are with computers but I used these with dad everyday so I can help” she switched two of them and they both went on. I looked at Jennifer who was talking to Zweli about something, the boy seemed better by now

Yoli:”okay let’s check this one” she said that opening a folder from the computer

Me: “which one is that?”

Yoli:”the traffic cops”

Me: “Even though we didn’t see their cars …we are looking for a convoy”

Yoli:” okay…check this one out” she then went to the other computer and opened the folder and looked at it.

Me: “I think this is them” I said looking at the computer screen…this was after an hour of searching

Yoli:”let me see” she came to my computer screen

Yoli:”oww yahh…now let’s see where they headed” so we used traffic cameras to pinpoint their every turn until we reached one location somewhere in the middle of nowhere and we couldn’t spot them anymore.

Me: “the last place we saw them is here and then we can’t see them anymore” I was pointing at the computer screen

Yoli:”meaning that they are somewhere around this area”

Me:” it’s still a big area but at least we have an idea of where they went…now let’s go before anyone else come here”

So I left the house with Yolanda and the kids. Yolanda was leading the way for us since she knew the place better than me. I was worried about a place to stay…I had no idea where we were going to go…my biggest worry was the kids, if it was just me and Yolanda then we were going to easily survive. My mind kept forcing me to think about Muneiwa but I didn’t want to think about him at all because the thoughts of him hurt so badly.

Zweli:”how long do we still need to walk?” I turned around and looked at the boy who was walking behind me

Me: “a little while” I said with nothing but irritation

Zweli:”I am tired” he was looking back at Jennifer who was behind him.

Jen:”I know Zweli but we need to be safe” Yolanda looked at me

Yoli:”we should at least take five and let him eat something”

Me: “but we’ve been walking for less than an hour. Yolanda there is a lot we still need to do…we don’t even know where we are going to sleep tonight…dammit I need to find him as in yesterday” my heart was not here at all…I wanted my man back here with me

Yoli:”I know…but he is a kid” I rolled my eyes

Me: “okay come here little weakling” Yolanda gave me a horrified look

Me: ‘what?”

Yoli:”weakling? Really?”

Me:”i offered to carry him didn’t i? That should at least count for something” I carried the boy on my back and we continued walking. After what felt like decades we finally made it to the main road. It was already dark by then

Me: “let me get us a car and then we can take it from there okay?”

Yoli:”sure”

Even though I was one heartless bitch…the idea of stealing a car with my young siblings watching wasn’t really something I wanted to do. Taking someone’s car is not really a friendly and clean gesture…if a person tries to fight you then you are forced to fight back so I didn’t want the kids to witness that side of me. Is that human enough? The fact that I didn’t want them to experience that side of me…is it human?

Me:”Yolanda”

Yoli:”yes?”

Me: “just go over there a little bit…just until I get the car”

Yoli:”oww yeah…guys come” she turned around with the kids while I pretended to be someone looking for a lift.

The whole stealing car thing was becoming a lifestyle. I wondered if I was ever going to be able to live a normal life again after all this. Especially if Muneiwa don’t make it. After about 30 minutes of standing there I finally scored myself a car. I then called Yoli and the kids and we both got inside. I put the driver of the car in the boot and planned on dropping him off somewhere in town instead of leaving him out here in the middle of nowhere. See? I was becoming more and more human.

Yoli:”what now?”

Me: “now I get you guys a secure place to stay and then go look for my man…there is only one person who can help us with that…my previous boss” I was going to ask for a yet another favour from Zack…I know it was a bad idea but I was desperate here. I needed a team and a safe place for the kids and Zack was capable of helping me with both. All I had to do was make sure that I kill him at the end of it all so that I don’t have to be indebted to him.

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 58

After realising that they hit someone they guys got out of the car and found Cliff lifelessly lying on the ground

Guy1:”oww no….ow f*** no”

Guy2:”s*** if he is dead then we might as well kill ourselves”

Guy2:”check the pulse” he said that taking the radio and switching it on

Guy1:”uhm okay” he went down to Cliff and put his hand at the back of his ear

Guy:”uhm…I think…well he has it…there is a pulse but its weak”

Guy2:”okay okay it means he is still alive” he switched on the radio and connected to their local network

Guy2:”Mondi Mondi do you receive?” after a while Mondi replied

Mondi: “yes I receive what’s going on?” he sounded tired and stressed out

Guy2”we found him”

Mondi: “what? Where are you? Is he okay? Did you catch him?”

Guy2:”we…uhm kind of hit him with the car but he still has a pulse”

Mondi:”oww s*** keep doing CPR and I am coming to you…where are you now?”

Guy2:”uhm the firebreak close to the trail”

Mondi:”fokof man there are hundreds walking trails in this place…animals use them every day…care to give me a damn name?” he was shouting

Guy 2:”oww uhm it’s called…ehh Rembu what’s the name of this trail again?” he looked at Rembu who was busy doing CPR on Cliff

Mondi:” oww my God f*** me up right now…give me the f*****g trail man” he screamed again

Guy2:”Rembu the trail”

Guy 1:” I don’t know the name but tell him it’s the one heading to the lake”

Guy2:”the one heading to the lake…there is a fire break just before we reach the lake and that’s where we are right now”

Mondi:” I don’t understand where our recruitment got such dumb people….like you are dumb broer…the dumbest person I know…your stupid dumbness is out of this world, like you are the king of dumbheads…dumbheads have you as a leader…like that’s kind of…” The guy looked at the radio with his sour face and disconnected it immediately

Guy2:”the f*** is he calling dumb?” he went to join the other guy on doing the CPR

Guy1:”the pulse is getting weaker”

Guy2:”let me do this” he went to do CPR in the hope of getting the pulse to be better but it didn’t work. Mondi arrived on the spot and ran to them

Mondi: “let’s get him to my car…I need to get him to our doctor right now” they carried Cliff to the car and then Mondi went to the driver’s seat and drove off with the patient. The Doctor was an hour away and the guy at the back was doing CPR tirelessly in the hope of saving Cliff’s life.

JANE

Yoli:”we can go to mom’s home” she said while I was driving

Me: “that’s a big no“

Yoli:”or book a room somewhere”

Me:”yah that’s sound better, you have some cash on you?”

Yoli:”yeah”

Me: “cool”

So we booked a room somewhere in Hamanskraal. We made it a point that we hide as we drive and that we don’t show our faces. I was even wearing a beanie to ensure that no one spot me in any camera. The room was cheap and not in town. As for the car I stole…we abandoned it in town and then got a cab to the bnb. We booked two rooms and I was to share one with Jennifer while Yoli shares with Zweli. Jennifer immediately hopped into the shower when we got there. I went to check on Yoli who seemed to be settling in well. I then left her there and went to the person in charge of the bnb. The bnb wasn’t fancy at all…in fact it was really kak but then we were in no position to start choosing. I went to the person in charge’s room and knocked since he asked us to knock if we needed anything else. He opened the door and stood there

Me: ”hi…uhm do you by any chance have a cigarette?”

“oww yah I do smoke…any preferences?”

Me:”as long as it’s cigarette”

“Okay” he went back inside and came back with one cigarette and a matches

Me:”thank you”

“it’s my pleasure” I walked away and he closed his door.

I went to the main door and opened it and stood outside and looked into space. I lit my cigarette and gave it one long pull and then closed my mouth to keep the smoke in. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a smoke. I was stressed and somehow I was feeling numb. Too many s*** was happening all at once and it was really getting to me in a way I’ve never felt before. Even though it was hard to admit but my heart was in pieces. Tears started falling and I stood there and let them fall…the pain in my heart was something I couldn’t even explain…there was this deep fire burning every single part of my body and I couldn’t do anything about it…everything hurt so much and I just stood there and let the pain sink. I thought about my mom and how her body was when I found her and then seeing Muneiwa getting shot was just a last straw. Someone opened the door behind me and I turned around to find Yolanda walking towards me. I turned back around and not acknowledge her presence

Yoli:”you are pregnant and can’t smoke” I looked at her with my lazy eyes

Me: “if having this one smoke is enough to kill this little s*** inside of me then let it die”

Yoli:”it’s a him or her” I rolled my eyes

Me: “now is not the time for that lame s*** Yoli…I have to come up with a plan to find out what happened to Muneiwa and then figure out a way to move forward” she looked at me and breathed

Yoli:”I am going with you”

Me: “no you are staying with the kids”

Yoli:”they can be safe…we just have to tell them not to leave this place…I can’t let a pregnant lady go out there alone...plus I am also trained…we are doing this together”

Me: “just how good are you?”

Yoli:”we’ll find out tomorrow”

Me: “the bnb seem safe so I don’t need Zack’s plan anymore and I don’t need his back up as well…it’s going to be just us…just me and you”

Yoli:”let’s do it then”

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 59

JANE

Yolanda and I woke up early the following morning and started packing the guns we were taking to our heist. We were doing all of that in Yolanda’s room with Zweli still sleeping. Jennifer walked in while we were busy

Me: “you heard what we said right? You don’t ever leave this place…you stay here and they will provide you with food the whole day…we paid for meals as well”

Jen:”uhm okay”

Yoli:”yeah, you don’t leave the gate until we come back”

Jen:”and what if you don’t?”

Me: “what if we don’t what?”

Jen:”what if you don’t come back” Yoli and I looked at each other and then back at Jennifer

Me: “we will come back”

Jen:”I am not dumb…you are not going to a fashion parade…you are going to war and there are chances of you not making it…there is always that chance so what do we do when you don’t come back” Yoli looked down

Me: “I don’t lose baby sister…I never do so we will come back and you should be here when we do”

Jen:”I just needed some sort of plan in case y-“

Me: “I said we will make it back…okay?”

Jen:”okay” she turned around and walked away

Yoli:”we are not really sure about that”

Me:”I am” I said with sadness in my voice, not because I was scared or doubted my capabilities but because I felt like Muneiwa’s life was in danger with each passing second and I needed to get to him.

MUNEIWA

For a second I couldn’t remember what had happened to me but I opened my eyes and found myself in a room where I was surrounded by the faces I knew all too well. The first person I saw was JT and then Patrick and then few of my former colleagues. I looked around the room and tried to think about what happened. I was in a hospital bed and was in machines…the f*** was happening?

Me:” what’s happening?” I said with my weak voice…my ribs were in pain and my left leg too.

JT:”give us a moment…all of you” the men left the room and left me alone with JT. I looked at him and finally remembered what happened. The moment everything came back to my mind I started panicking when I thought about Jane

Me: “let me go” I said looking at him…he had my hands and feet cuffed to the bed. I tried to move but I couldn’t

JT:”where is Duke?” he asked

Me: “somewhere where you won’t find him unless you let me go” I tried to move my limbs but I couldn’t

JT:”Norman this is no joke”

Me:”I know it’s not and that’s why I won’t hand him over to you unless you let me go” he punched me on the face.

Me:”go ahead and kill me and you’ll never find him…you off all people should know and understand that there is no pain in this world that will make me talk…so let me go and maybe…just maybe…I will let him go” he gritted his teeth looking at me.

JT:”we don’t have to hurt you….we just have to go back to your little girlfriend” I was tempted to start cursing and fighting but then I kept my cool and put my trust on Jane. I was silently praying that she had already made her way out of that house

Me: “okay”

JT:”just talk damn it” he said that and kicked the bed

JT:”Norman just talk and I will let you go free” I laughed

Me: “why would you let me go free if I give you the only leverage I have? Taking your little boss was like taking a candy from a baby so imagine what I can do to the rest of you little people? Huh? And as for my girlfriend…well she is good…she is almost as good as me and I know she is coming for me so you better up your security because the bitch won’t give you the time of day” JT strangled me right then and I heard the machine making a sound and then my body going weak and then he let me go. The Doctor came rushing into the room

Doc:”JT what’s going on?” JT covered his face with his hands

JT:”he has Duke…this little s*** head has Duke” I coughed and looked at the Doctor who looked at me in shock

Doc:”Norman?”

Me:”hey Doc…you’ve always been my favourite…make me well and maybe I will cut you some slack when I finally take the ropes around here” JT jumped on to me and punched me on the face again

Doc:”stop it…JT stop…why are you letting him get to you? He can’t even walk right now and might not walk for the rest of his life so why are you even threatened by him? I am a Doctor and I can make him talk okay?”

Me: “what did you just say?” the Doctor smiled

Doc:” your knee is quiet damaged and may result in permanent damage…I can and will remove all your legs if we don’t find Duke Norman…when I am done doing that I will remove your d*** and your balls and cook them and feed them to you…do you wanna know what I will do next?”

Me: “I will kill you” I said through gritted teeth

Doc:”Good luck…we will give you a moment to think about everything…give us Duke and we give you a clean death with no pain attached to it…just a clean shot on the head and its done…or keep Duke and have me play with your body….it’s all up to you” the Doctor said that and walked to the door

Doc:”there is no need to be emotional with this s*** JT, you just have to keep it real that’s all” he said that and closed the door behind him

JT:”I always knew you were a danger to this organisation, all those extensive trainings that Duke gave you weren’t good for anyone…I tried to tell him that but he didn’t listen” I looked at him with a smile on my face

Me: “if I was you I’d be scared…I mean with all the trainings I went through I might end up removing these cuffs and have you for dinner…start running JT…start running”

HOLLOW HEARTS

Chapter 60

JANE

Yoli and I left the BnB first thing in the morning. I was carrying a back pack on my back with guns we brought from Cliff’s house and Yoli was carrying a handbag. No one was going to suspect that two cute girls like us could be carrying guns. Yoli had some of her clothes so I was wearing her jean and a top…they were all lose on me but I didn’t care…it’s not like I was going to a beauty contest. We used a taxi to Olifantsfontein Industrial Area where the convoy ended. We were not exactly sure about the exact location but all we know is that the convoy disappeared somewhere in the industrial area. I tried to think about everything that Muneiwa and I have talked about and if he ever mentioned anything about their company’s hub being somewhere here but I couldn’t remember anything. We used public transport that dropped us on the side of the road

Yoli:”what’s the plan now?”

Me: “the plan is to walk around this damn place and see if we can’t spot the cars we saw from the cameras”

Yoli:”it’s a damn industrial area Jane…you must have a better plan than that”

Me: “do you have any other plan? We don’t want to draw cops into this place by dragging along a stolen car…we can’t steal a car and still drive around with it here…the only time we gonna steal a car is when we have Norman and we are leaving” Yolanda breathed

Yoli:”let’s walk then”

Me:”let’s separate and walk in different streets and whoever finds them should call the other” Yolanda nodded

Yoli:”give me your contact details” so I exchanged cell phone numbers with Yolanda and we went our separate ways. I walked around the area looking for any sign of the cars I saw on the cameras.

I then got a call from Yolanda after about an hour of wondering about

Me: “you found them?”

Yoli” yeah…come to my street right away” I breathed feeling relieved that I was closer to finding my man. I ran to the street where Yolanda was. I found her sitting in a corner

Yoli:”you see that building over there?” she was pointing at a fenced building that had four parked cars in front of it

Me:”yeah”

Yoli:”there are cars parked outside and they were part of the convoy…I think there are more cars inside the fence…it’s just that we can’t see past that fence wall but I am sure that this is our place”

Me: “did you manage to see what’s happening inside the fence?”

Yoli:”no I didn’t go close…I wanted you to come first” I breathed

Me: “okay” I looked from my left and to my right and even though it was day light, the street was quiet since it was an industrial area. I took out one fully loaded H&K riffle and wore its belt around my shoulder and then also took one 9mm pistol and looked at Yolanda who had her two pistols ready

Me: “let’s do this”

Yoli:”let’s go in” we walked towards the fence

Me:”Yoli I am leading this okay? You follow my lead and you follow my instructions…we can’t go in there for Munei and then leave you in there…we should both make it out alive okay?” as much as I was acting like a tough cookie, I knew I didn’t want to lose her and maybe it’s because I didn’t really despise the idea of having siblings

Yoli:”let’s go” we walked to the fence while observing our surroundings carefully and making sure that there are no surprises. We got to the first corner of the fence and I climbed the brick wall and peeped inside the fence

Yoli:”what’s in there?”

Me: “I see three guys walking around…more like security guards with guns…there are few more cars in here…I don’t see anything else though…I can see the entrance to the building so that’s how we go in”

Yoli:”can we take them out? Or maybe we should come back at night, what do you think?” I shook my head

Me: “no ways…I am doing this now…you can stay here if you are scared” I scanned the yard carefully trying to assess my movements when I finally make my way in. I did calculations in my head and then jumped to the ground and looked at Yoli

Me: “you’re in?”

Yoli:”I don’t have a choice”

Me: “okay so we jump in together at the same time and shoot the security guys…there are three of them so the first thing to do is put them down and then you follow me from then on…we don’t know how big this place really is and how many these guys are so we have to keep it clean and quiet”

Yoli:”we have silencers so it’s cool”

Me: “let’s go in in the count of three….1, 2, 3”

We climbed the wall and made our way inside. The guys saw us and we didn’t give them another moment to blink…we shot all three of them and ran towards the building…we were busy running towards the building entrance when I saw three more appearing and then an alarm going off…when I heard the alarm I knew we were f****d but then I wasn’t about to be a coward b****…Muneiwa was counting on me and I had to make it work

Me:”f*** they saw us”

Yoli:”Ayanda they saw us we have to leave” she screamed

Me: “I am not leaving” I screamed at her while running for one of the guys we shot

Yoli:”Ayanda we won’t make it”

Me: “I will make it…I know I will…go back if you want to but I am not leaving without him” Yolanda huffed

Yoli:”Ayanda please”

Me: “leave me the f*** alone” I said with tears in my eyes…I looked at Yolanda who ran back to the fence and jumped back out. This was the closest I’ve ever been to Muneiwa and I was not going to leave without him…never. I got to one of the dead guys and picked him up from the floor and used him as a shield. I held him in front of me while walking to the building entrance and shooting towards the door at the same time