26. Ghost
I sat up in bed,listening intently. Despite the sturdy tents, I heard footsteps outside, large animals perhaps, sniffing around the camp. Eventually, I lay back down and managed to drift back to sleep. It was only when I heard the men talking that I got up, making sure my gun was secure in its holster before leaving the tent. To my surprise, I found two other men outside.
“What’s going on?” I inquired, trying to grasp why they would be here.
They turned to face me. “These men will be with us for the rest of the week,” the guide announced. “They said there have been raids by rebels, and Americans have been kidnapped. Three women were taken yesterday.”
“Don’t you think we should try and rescue the women?” I suggested, frowning. All of them shook their heads.
“It’s too risky. They’ll kill us and then take your wife. We can’t take that chance,” another man explained.
“I thought we were on national parkland. Are they allowed to do this?”
“They don’t ask permission to go anywhere. They just do whatever they want to do. We will not allow them to take your wife, but we can’t help the other women.”
“What happened?” Allison asked, walking to us. I could tell she was surprised to see two other men.
“Nigeria Militant Rebels have taken Americans for ransom. They kidnapped three women yesterday,” I explained to her, watching her reaction carefully.
“Do we know where they’ve taken them?” Allison inquired, turning to the men for answers.
“No,” they said, shaking their heads.
“We have to help them. I’m sure they are scared to death. Do we know anything about the women?” Allison asked.
“It’s three college friends who were only on a three-day safari. They had three college boys with them, but they were shot. All three are in the hospital,” one of the men explained.
“That is so heartbreaking. Can we call Viper and a couple of others to help find the college girls?”
“I need to talk to the law. But this will interfere with our honeymoon,” I said, glancing at her.
“We can take a honeymoon some other time, and I don’t want to worry about rebels coming here shooting you and taking me,” Allison said.
“You heard my wife. We’re leaving, and I’ll see what I can do about rescuing those women.”
“What you are thinking is very dangerous. There are hundreds of rebels out there, probably thousands. You’re just one man,” one of the men cautioned.
“I might be able to enlist some help. We have connections in the rescue business. I”ll need a guide to locate where they”ve taken them,” I replied, considering our options.
“I’ll help you,” one of the new men said. I reached out my hand, and he shook it.
“My name is Ghost. What’s your name?”
“Abe, I’m happy to help you, Ghost. Why do they call you Ghost?”
“That’s my Delta Force name, so it just stuck. I think we should get out of here and get the ball rolling. I hate to think what they are doing with those women.” We turned around and went back the way we came.
Two hours later, we were surrounded. “Everyone stays in the vehicle. Allison, don’t even look at them. I’ll shoot at the first man who tries to touch you,” I instructed preparing for the worst.
“Out of the bus, now! Move, or I’ll start shooting,” the hostile voice commanded.
“Allison, stay on the bus. We’ll handle this,” I urged, but she had her own thoughts.
“James, there are ten armed men out there. If they order me off this bus, I have to comply. I can’t risk you getting shot. James Belmont, I love you more than anything in this world. Please don’t get yourself shot?”
“I love you, sweetheart,” I whispered back, feeling a surge of protectiveness. Suddenly, shots rang out. I discreetly placed my gun in Allison”s jacket pocket, raising my hands in surrender, seething with anger. I could have taken on a few of them, but not ten. And I couldn”t risk putting Allison in further danger.
“Out!” the man barked at Allison. She stepped off the bus and came straight to me. “You Americans think we will let you come here with all your money and leave. We won’t. You will go with us, and your family will have to pay to get you back.”
I was glad I had already contacted Viper, I knew he would be here in twelve hours. I can’t let them take Allison without me. I looked at the men, who looked just like they did on the television. I knew Allison was scared; she was shaking.
“The woman goes with us, and you can have her back when we get our money. Stand away from her,” the leader demanded his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
“You have to take me, too. My family has lots of money, and they’ll pay what you ask for to get me back,” I knew he was calculating the risk of taking me with them.
“We’ll take him, and if he tries anything, we’ll kill him, and her. And if you talk to each other, we will shoot and kill her first,” one of the rebels asserted, pushing us with the butt of his gun. He didn’t know it, but I could have his neck snapped before he blinked and three others, but with Allison by my side, I refrained from any rash actions.
Allison glanced at the man who spoke. “I’m a doctor. Can I grab my bag in case someone needs my help?” she asked calmly.
He looked at her for a moment before answering. “Get it.” Allison rushed back onto the bus and retrieved her bag. The man took it and opened it up, and then he handed it back to her. We drove for only two hours before stopping amidst rock formations towering like tall houses. Four other men stood in front of a large tent.
Allison exchanged a look with me, I know she wanted to say something, but I shook my head. I knew the man wasn’t just talking when he said he would kill her if we talked. I took her hand as we got off the bus. They pushed us into the tent. Inside, I spotted the three missing women sitting in a corner, bearing bruises from what looked like a struggle. They appeared to be around twenty years old.
None of them spoke upon seeing us, a relief under the circumstances. Allison approached them, displaying her medical bag. One of the women turned and showed her side to Allison I could see a long cut. She must have tried to attack them.
Allison tended to the wound, disinfecting it and carefully taping in together, so the scar wouldn’t be so noticeable. I watched as Allison whispered in her ear. “The guys you were with are in the hospital and we’ll be okay.”
We settled in and I knew Viper would be here by night time. The flap opened and the man motioned for us to follow him. I went out first positioning myself in front of Allison. They handed over a phone and said for us to call our families and demanding one million dollars for our ransom.
Allison dialed as number, and I recognized Viper’s voice. “Hello, Viper, this is Allison. Some rebels have taken me, and they want one million dollars to release me,” she stated, her voice steady despite the circumstances.
“Are you fucking kidding me?Does trouble follow you everywhere you go? Or is it Ghost that trouble follows? I could tell he knew we were on loudspeaker. “It’ll take a while to find that kind of money. How are we supposed to send it?”
“We”ll let you know on another call. Just ensure you have the money ready,” the rebel in charge interjected before terminating the call abruptly and handing me the phone. I called Rebel, trying to suppress my amusement at the irony of the situation.
“Hello,” my cousin answered. I opted for his real name. “Hey Dash, I’ve been taken by some rebels here in Africa. They”re demanding one million dollars for my release. Make sure you have the money ready when they call with instructions.”
“I thought you were on your honeymoon,” Dash chuckled. He must be on his way here with Viper. “How am I supposed to raise one million dollars in a day?”
“We are on our honeymoon, and don’t you dare mention it again. Just send the money so we can finish our honeymoon. Are you going to let me talk before I’m pushed back into the tent? Or are you going to laugh the entire time I’m on the phone?” I said, letting Rebel know we were inside a tent.
“We’ll inform you where and when to send the money,” the rebel declared before cutting the call off. Then he pushed us back inside the tent. The others watched us as we sat down on the ground. I never let go of Allisons hand. Five water bottles were thrown into the tent, at least they weren’t going to let us die from lack of water.
It will take at least twelve hours before the Delta Force arrived, I mentally plotted our escape. I knew my team would sneak into the camp and not charge in. I knew they were planning our rescue as well. The sun was going down when they allowed us a bathroom break.
I heard a helicopter overhead and wondered if that was my team. They had to have seen the fire burning. These guys thought they were untouchable. I was relieved when I saw the fire that would make everything easier for the Delta Force to find us. And unless I’m mistaken, they just found us.
I waited for another hour; Allison and the other women were sleeping, and I was waiting for a sign that we were found. It didn’t happen until the middle of the night. I saw the knife sliding down the tent. Rebel stuck his head inside. “You’ll have to hang tight until we get all of these men tied up,” he whispered.”
I nodded. “That was fast,” Allison whispered in my ear. I smiled and kissed her soft lips. “We’ll be home before you know it,” I whispered back. When I raised my head the women were watching us. I put my finger to my lips so they wouldn’t disturb what was taking place outside of this tent.
Viper stepped inside and grabbed Allison in a hug. “Ryan said I have to wrap you in bubble wrap to keep you safe,” he glanced over at the women and motioned for them to follow us. “Let’s go,” he said, leading the way outside.
“Thank you for rescuing us. I doubt my parents could raise a thousand dollars much less a million. I’ll have to call them as soon as I can, they must be worried sick,” Viper handed her his phone so each girl was able to call their family. They said the men hit them when they tried to fight but other than that they weren’t touched.
“We’ll call the hospital and see how your boyfriends are doing,” Allison said, hugging each girl. Do you want to ride home with us, or stay here with your boyfriends.”
“We don’t have any of our things, our passports and what money we have left was in the bus,” the girl we now knew as Alice said.
“The company took your things to the hotel,” We’ll stop and get everything. I’m sure Ghost and Allison’s things are there as well,” Rebel explained.