Sabby

It’s 19:45 already, I’m still not dressed I can’t even find my keys and glasses. I didn’t even complete my assignment. Where exactly am I going? My phone is ringing somewhere in this place. I quickly pace to my room, where it lies, vibrating on the bed.

“Hello?”

“You’re late the group is complaining. I can’t keep defending you. The study will start without you. Please hurry up!” Leah yells over the phone.

“I’m on my way, please try to calm them down.” I plead with her as I don a reasonably long dress. I don’t know how I missed the keys that were clearly on the counter; it's typical dumb of me.

Rushing to the door and opening it with no care at all in this world an unconscious man who was clearly leaning on the door for support drops on my feet and I scream my lungs out, though of course no one heard me or cared enough to come and check if they did. In this apartment complex, no one talks to the other, everyone just minds their business. Unless they hear the alarm, you’re pretty much on your own. Even if I were to kidnap someone and loudly torture them no one would even think about checking what’s going on. I step aside and stand beside him, my eyes never leaving his lifeless body. I have to be careful …this could be a trick. Some robbers use these sick tricks to get into people’s houses. The corridors seem pretty much vacant. No one is here. I’m shaking right now. Fear is having its way with me, I cannot think straight. Should I push him aside, leave him there, and continue with life? No, I wasn’t raised like that…what if he’s dead? I slowly kneel next to him praying the Lord protects me for my good heart, place two fingers on his neck to check for his pulse and fortunately, it is there. “Wake up,” I whisper foolishly and nothing happens. I stare at him closely and I notice that he is really hurt. He has cuts all over his face. He’s wearing something that must have been a suit but now just a bloody rag. “S-sir?” I call him.

I don’t know when I agreed with myself to stand up and kick him but after doing so he almost moves and I immediately get on my knees again. “Are you okay?” I ask him in a panicky tone and his eyeballs move under the lids. “Sir, are you okay. Should I call an ambulance? The cops?” I ask him and he almost grunts. Is he waking up?

“Don’t call anyone?” He struggles to say. “I’ll call my own doctor.” He continues. Should I leave him here then? He releases a series of coughs and I look at him in worry, what if I leave him and he dies here? It’ll haunt me all my life. He slowly closes his eyes. “No no no, wake up please,” I say and he just goes black. What do I do now! My phone rings again and I know it’s Leah. “I won’t make it,” I tell her before she scolds me again. “Why? Is there a problem?” She asks and I hesitate to tell her. I know Leah, by tomorrow morning I’ll be in the Daily News paper for apparently saving a dying man. “I can’t find my keys, and it won’t be wise to leave this place unlocked. Plus my mom said she sent something for me so I have to wait for the delivery guy.” There I’ve lied to her

“Did she have to send it at night?” She asks.

“Girl I don’t know, bye I’ll talk to you later please send me the notes and stuff. See you tomorrow on campus.” I hang up and go back to the problem.

Okay, this might be the dumbest decision I’ve ever made in my life but I’m going to do it. I grab both his arms, position myself at the entrance, and pull him into the apartment. I stop by the carpet next to the couch. I guess I should try to nurse him back to consciousness, then he’ll call his people and leave.

After taking off his top gear and cleaning his bloody handsome face I wipe him with a hot towel and I notice movement…progress! He looks like he’s in his late twenties or early thirties. He is a very muscular man, I wonder what happened to him. Who would do this to another human being? Maybe it was a car accident but why did he end up outside my apartment? Where could the accident scene be? Or maybe he was beaten up by goons whatever the reason may be I don’t think it is right. As I attempt to move his head off my lap to get him a glass of water to coax him to drink, he opens his eyes.

“Sir you’re awake?” I ask him.

“Hello.” He greets me and I smile in relief.

“Hi, so please give me the number of someone I should call before you go unconscious again please.” I plead with him.

“Okay.” He instinctively says.

“Okay let me get up and get you water to drink.” I almost decree for him to move his head from my lap and he moves.

“Here. Can you hold?” I ask him and he nods as he tries to sit up. He gulps the water like he’s been thirsty for years. I don’t think he’ll faint soon so I think it is time we call someone.

“Umm, who should I call?” I ask him and he looks like he’s thinking deeply.

“I’d love to call my bodyguard first please.” Of course, he has a bodyguard, he is the kind. Wait where was the damn bodyguard when this happened? He pokes a few numbers and puts my phone to his ear.

“Tell me how that bastard tampered with the brakes of my car and then shot me when you even swore on the lives of your family members that I was 100% safe?” He snaps at his supposed bodyguard. He got in a car accident and was shot? What? He looks at me when he sees how shocked I am.

“I need you to come and get me, I’ll tell you everything…I’m going to text you the address and tell Dr Siziba to be on standby.” He dictates.

“….what!” I almost run when he yells.

“… you know what just come here and we’ll see what to do Kai. I’m texting you the address.” He hangs up then texts the address.

“Are you hungry?” I ask awkwardly and he looks at me like some dumb kid.

“A stranger just talked about gunshots and you’re asking him if he’s hungry?” He laughs a bit. A sight worth watching.

“Would you give me all the information if I asked you what really happened?” I question him and he looks down.

“See? So are you hungry sir?”

“I’m Jordan by the way.” He says carelessly.

“I’m Sabrina. You can call me Sabby. So are you hungry?” I ask him.

“I’m okay, my bodyguard will be here in a few minutes. Thanks for the offer though.” He drawls.

Once I get to the kitchen I take out the cake I baked yesterday, cut a few slices, and put them in a lunchbox then I place it aside. Someone knocks on the door two times and I look at the injured man he nods for me to go and open and I do. A tall dark man wearing a knee-length leather jacket, black pants, and heavily tinted glasses stands in front of me. So giants do live. “Hello, sir,” I say in fear. He might either be the killer or the bodyguard I need to be sure. Earlier Mr Jordan called his bodyguard Kai so I need to confirm if he’s really Kai. “Hey, young lady.” He greets me politely, takes my hand, and gives it a light peck. The drama!

“I’m looking for my friend.” He tells me.

“Who’s your friend?” I try to act as naturally as possible this could be a trap.

“Jordan Siza.” He becomes more confident.

“Sorry, sir but who are you?” I question him and he raises his eyebrows in confusion.

“Is this apartment number 5 Brook floor?”

“Depends on who is asking sir. You haven’t told me your name, sir.” I note and he rolls his eyes

“Kai.”

“Okay, may I please see the text that sent this address and may you please tell me what time you got your boss’s call?” I attack him and he almost says something but then somehow stops himself and shows me the text and I step aside to let him in.

He enters, looks for Mr Jordan and once he sees him on the floor he runs straight to him and kneels next to him.

“How did this happen?” He asks him.

“You’re asking me?” Jordan queries.

“I have super disappointing news. I don’t even know how to break it down to you.”

“You’ll tell me everything in the car, do you have cash on you?” Jordan asks Kai while I head to my room to get my brother’s jacket and I pass through the kitchen to grab the lunchbox.

“This is my brother’s jacket, your shirt and blazer were ruined please wear this in the meantime, and then here’s cake. You guys will eat on the way.” I announce when I come back to the living room and they both look up from their money-counting process. They don’t make any attempt to take the things from me so I just put them on the table and head to the kitchen to pretend like I’m busy so that they do whatever they were doing freely.

“Bro we have a problem,” Kai whispers to his boss, and Mr Jordan looks at him in a puzzled manner.

“This is the safest place to be at the moment.” He tells him.

“Huh?”

“The reason why you were attacked is because Sam is working with someone from the inside. And as I dug deep, I even requested JB to send me the footage of the event and I saw the doc tempering with the brakes.” He says.

“Doctor Siziba switched sides?” Jordan asks louder than intended and he peeks at me, I try to act busy and he goes back to his conversation.

“Looks like it. I’m not sure why though I’m still digging. Sam wants you dead and I know he’s kind of pissed you escaped today and all your hideouts may be danger zones since the doc knew them all so this place is safe and unsuspected. You will be protected here at least for a few days until we figure out our game plan.” What? No!

“What?” Mr Jordan exclaims.

“I know it sounds crazy but it’s the only way, I had to use a taxi to get here so that they don’t follow me cause at the moment we can’t trust anyone.”

“Sabby!” Jordan sighs. I’m not agreeing to this.

“Yes?” I settle on the couch. It’s so weird that there are two complete thug looking strangers in my living room who seem pretty much like gangsters and I’m just relaxed about it.

“I know you’ve pretty much stretched your hand further than you should have but I need more help. My life is in danger, this is the only place the people out to get me won’t find me please allow me to stay.” Begging surely doesn’t look good on you Mr.

“Sir-“

“Jordan.” He corrects me.

“Jordan. I’d love to help but I can’t.” I simply say.

“Please, I’ll make sure you’re safe I know that’s the issue here. Please trust me.”

“I’m just a university student I don’t want to complicate my life. Obviously, if these people keep digging they’ll end up finding my place then that puts me in danger as well. I’m sorry but I don’t think I want to agree to this.” I look at him sincerely. I really don’t want to put my life on the line.

“I’ll make sure you are safe,” Kai interjects

“Sir with all due respect, I can’t trust you with my life, not after Mr Jordan’s incident.” I stare at my fingers. May he not shoot me for voicing my opinion? I think I heard Jordan chuckle.

“I didn’t put ‘Mr Jordan’s’ life in danger. His doctor did. Look I know it’s really hard for you to accept this and if that’s okay we’ll put a price on the idea. How about that?”

“I don’t want your money sir and I think it’s time for you guys to leave. I already missed my study session earlier may I not miss it now as well? I want to study.”

“Please Saddy, that’s your name right?”

“It’s Sabby. This conversation is over.”

“Please. They might kill him, this guy has already killed half of his family.”

“What?” I am bewildered.

“Yes. So please help us. We will do anything. Right now I can’t really do anything because he went to the damn cops and media and told them I was after his life. I can only tolerate his behavior now Sabby please let me stay here.” Jordan begs.

“If I have to let you stay here you have to tell me everything, and I mean everything. What is going on, why this guy is after you, what you did to him…everything sir.”

“Jordan.” He corrects me yet again. This is really not the time to be my teacher.

“-it’s a really long story but I guess I should have the decency to let you know what we’re dealing with.”

Did he just say “we”? He and the bodyguard.

“So that’s it, you’re going to keep hiding? Until when?”

“Until the noise dies down. Kai is working on finding some mass distraction type of news to sway the attention away from me then we attack.” What?

“So peace and mutual understanding are not part of the plan?”

“Ummm, no.” He says while looking at me, like the word “peace” disgusts him.

“O-k..a..y . So this stay, how many days, weeks, months, years are we talking here?” I enquire.

“If this guy does exactly as I instructed him and the media leaves me alone, I’ll be out of here in a week or two.” He points at Kai and the latter stands up.

“Okay, I’ll do my best otherwise I have to get going. May he use your phone for communication, it’s only safe to use yours.” Kai requests and slowly I shake my head, why am I being inconvenienced?

“I think you should find a new number for him. I use my phone all the time, I go with it everywhere and yes I agreed to help you guys but right now I feel like I’m shrinking myself a lot please no.”

“Kai, get me a cellphone and a laptop please. Sabrina has done more than enough please.” Jordan speaks and Kai gives me an annoyed look. I do not care this is my house and this is my phone as well.

“Fine, I’ll get going then. Bro I’ll send a nurse to take care of your wound cause clearly you might just die here.” He smirks at me and I roll my eyes. I hate him.

“If you think he’ll die why don’t you just take him with you and see if he lives for the next few minutes?” I snap at him.

“I’m gonna go now, and I’ll take that.” He reaches for the cake and marches towards the door.

“I have a feeling he doesn’t like me,” I admit.

“He does, he just has issues with first impressions.”

“Mmmh. So what to do with the bullet on your thigh sir?”

“Jord-“

“Jordan!” I correct him instead and he chuckles.

“I can take it out myself don’t worry, I just need to bathe, if that’s not too much trouble.”

“What do you mean you’ll take it out yourself, that’s dangerous. I won’t allow it, I have a friend who’s a nurse let me call her and she’ll help you.”

“I’ve done this before Sabrina. That’s why Kai didn’t even bother himself to try and take it out. I got this really. All I need from you is lots of hot water, salt, and a first aid kit.”

“Umm, I don’t have a first aid kit,” I admit and he gives me a disapproving look.

“- I rarely get hurt,” I add awkwardly.

“Okay. Do you have a clean cloth maybe?” He asks softly and I stand up and search my cupboard…good there’s mutton cloth.