Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
Chapter 26
Rishabh sat alone in his study, wondering how he could convince Benuaji to stay and carry out their plan. Nasir told him that it was not the time for Benuaji to change his mind. They needed him to follow through, even if it meant using the boy to compel him to do so. But Rishabh knew that Benuaji would never take orders under such circumstances. What to do?
He got up to pace, trying to figure out some way out of their predicament but he couldn't see any way out. It was almost midnight and Benuaji was expecting his call. He picked up his phone and called Nasir first, telling him he was going to make it a three-way conference call with Benuaji.
"Why can't you talk to him yourself?" Nasir said uneasily, preferring to be kept out of it.
"All of us are in this together, so you're going to help me talk him around! Now hold while I call him," Rishabh refused to listen to his protest.
"I thought you have forgotten, I was about to call you," Benuaji sounded displeased.
"I'm sorry but I have some business to take care of. Nasir is on the line. Listen to me my brother, we have discussed it and we can't do this without you," Rishabh hoped to get him to change his mind.
"I told you I want out and nothing will change my mind!" Benuaji said adamantly. "Considering they are watching me right now, you and Nasir would be better off if I take myself out of the picture. You don't want them to find a trail leading to you, do you?"
Rishabh had to admit that he was right. He had never looked at it from that angle.
Benuaji continued. "I would advise you to drop the whole plan. Eliminating the remaining witness will cover up all tracks. It's too risky to continue."
Rishabh sat down with a sigh of frustration. Benuaji was right but all that money was just within their reach and he was reluctant to let it go.
Benuaji spoke again, "I know what you're thinking but it's not worth taking the risk. Let it go, Rishabh."
Nasir spoke for the first time. "We put in so much time and effort and you're going to call it quits now? By tomorrow this time, we would have everything in our hands! I'm with Rishabh here; we should go through with our plan. I'm really disappointed with you, Ben, how can you quit on us now when we are so close to attaining our goal?"
"You are not being watched, Nasir. Would you have carried on if you were in my shoes?" At his silence, Benuaji said, "I don't think so. If you two want to go through with it, by all means do so, but leave me out of it! I just want my boy back!"
"But he's a witness, we can't let him go!" Nasir protested.
"He's a member of my harem and under my protection! You have no right to take him away from me and tell me what I should do with him! I want him back, do you understand?" Benuaji demanded.
"Tell him, Rishabh!" Nasir urged him to speak.
"Tell me what?" Benuaji asked coldly.
Rishabh massaged his temple, feeling a terrible headache coming on. Nothing seemed to be going well. Nasir handled the situation badly and raised Benuaji's hackles and now expected him to do damage-control.
"Are you there, Rishabh?" Benuaji wondered at his silence.
"I'm here. I'm trying to think," Rishabh responded in a tired voice.
"There's nothing to think!" Nasir cut in. "Just tell him that if he doesn't help us, he won't get his boy back!"
"I warn you if you don't return him to me, I'll be forced to take drastic measures!" Benuaji growled in fury.
"Stop it, both of you! We are in this together and we shouldn't turn on each other!" Rishabh shouted in exasperation.
"I'm trying to save your necks!" Benuaji raised his voice. "If you refuse to heed my advice, fine, do what you will! You can come and get Orton but I want my boy, one-to-one exchange. You hurt him, Orton goes down, and I'll come after you! Do you hear me?"
"Are you going to let him threaten us?" Nasir asked furiously.
"Nasir, do me a favor and shut up!" Rishabh snapped. Nasir grumbled but held his peace.
"So, what will it be?" Benuaji asked impatiently. "Are you going to return my boy to me or not?"
"You can have him back only after Matt Hardy signs the papers and not before then," Rishabh spoke in a determined voice.
That wasn't what Benuaji wanted to hear. "You know that I may lose him if something goes wrong. I can't let you do this. Where is he? I'm coming to get him!"
"Ben, please work with me on this one last time and I'll never ask you for any more favors," Rishabh appealed to him. "You don't have to be there but I need your boy to be present. We can be sure that Matt Hardy will insist on seeing him. I promise you I'll hand him back to you after the deal is done. Now, just tell me where you have kept Bobby and I'll come and collect him myself."
"No deal! If you don't tell me where my boy is, you won't get your hands on Bobby!" Benuaji refused to give in.
"Why are you being so difficult?" Rishabh asked in exasperation. "I've given my word that I will give you your boy back after we settle our deal. Don't you trust me?"
"It's too risky and I don't want to lose my boy. You can just forget about Matt Hardy's fortune and just keep your focus on Orton's instead," Benuaji asserted himself.
Rishabh thought quickly. Benuaji refused to give way and if he continued to fight him, both sides would end up with nothing. He had no choice. "Okay, it looks like I can't change your mind and I don't want to waste any more time arguing. Let's meet. You bring Orton with you in exchange for your boy. Tomorrow noon at my place in Riyadh. You have the address."
"Rishabh! What are you doing?" Nasir shouted at his end.
"There's no sense arguing about it, Nasir, time is running out! At least we won't come out completely empty-handed," Rishabh explained.
"I'll be there with Orton!" Benuaji said brusquely and hanged up.
"Rishabh …" Nasir began to say but he cut him off. "Don't say anymore! This is the best I can do under the circumstances, but I want you to come to the meet. We need to sit down and finalize the finer details of the plan."
Nasir reluctantly agreed and hanged up. Rishabh decided to make sure his precious captive was properly secured, he didn't want anything else to go wrong. But he was shocked to find the door to the storeroom unlocked and the boy was gone!
-ooo—
Rauf drove quickly, still unsure where he was heading but his primary goal was to get them as far away as possible. Going back to his parents' house was not an option as Rishabh would be sure to check there first. He knew he would have to ditch the car soon. Rishabh was bound to make a police report and the authorities would be looking out for his vehicle. Jeff was curled into a ball next to him in the front passenger seat. He had tired himself out with all that crying and had fallen asleep. Muti was in the back and had Kaseem's head cushioned on his lap. He was nodding off and the injured boy was muttering incoherently in his sleep.
Rauf thought back to the conversation he had with Rishabh, which actually made up his mind for him. Rishabh did not mince his words, stating that his livelihood was on the line as he had deliberately disobeyed instructions. However, he was prepared to give him a second chance as he had always been a faithful employee. He stressed that Jeff should remain locked up pending further instructions from him, and told him there would be consequences if he disregarded his orders again. When Rauf pressed him for an explanation, he snapped, "He'll be gone by tomorrow, so just do what I say and don't ask so many questions!"
There was finality in the way he spoke about Jeff and it unnerved Rauf. What was Rishabh going to do with Jeff? When Rishabh asked if Jeff said anything to him, Rauf reluctantly admitted that Jeff told him he was kidnapped. Rishabh warned that for his own good, it was best he forgot what he heard, or bad things would happen. The threat underlying his words did not escape him. Rishabh then instructed him to terminate Kaseem's services, stating that it was not practical to keep him on considering the problems between him and his brother. He wanted him gone as soon as he could walk.
Rauf heard enough, realizing then what he had to do. His feelings of loyalty to the family were no longer an issue. The first thing he did when he left Rishabh was free Jeff. They then went to get Kaseem and found Muti tending to him. Rauf asked Muti to pack Kaseem's things and when pressed for an explanation, told him that he didn't have time to explain. He just needed to get them out before Rishabh found Jeff missing and told Muti he won't be coming back. Muti sensed something amiss and made a decision to go with them. Rauf warned him there was no turning back once he crossed that line but Muti said, "Something must be wrong for you to turn your back on the family after working here for so many years. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but I would like to come with you. Just give me five minutes to pack my things." They were on the road in fifteen minutes.
"Wake up, Jeff," Rauf shook the boy. He had been going through his options and realized that he didn't have the means to fly everyone out, so he was left with one last alternative. Once Jeff was roused, he asked, "How soon can your brother get here?"
Jeff came fully awake at the mention of his brother. "I don't know, but I can call and ask him. May I?" he asked hopefully.
Rauf handed him his phone. "Call him now! You have to get out of here before they catch up on us!"
Jeff dialed Matt's number from memory. It rang but he didn't pick up. "I don't know what's wrong, he's not picking up," he frowned as he tried again.
"Can you call the house then?"
Jeff tried to remember but he was always house-bound and never bothered to remember the number. "I don't know the number," he gave him an apologetic look.
"Is there anyone else you can call?" Rauf asked.
Jeff shook his head with embarrassment. He only remembered the first three digits of John's contact but not the rest and Paul was always by his side and he never bothered to ask him for his number.
"Try your brother's number again," Rauf said with a sigh. But after several attempts, Matt still didn't pick up.
"I don't know what else to do. Does anyone have any suggestion?" Rauf was at his wit's end.
Jeff thought for several minutes and then tugged at his sleeve. "I was flown in by private jet. The pilot is very nice, maybe he can fly us out?"
"No, he works for Rishabh, it's too risky," Rauf was against it.
"He may still help us. Matty can pay him for his efforts once he gets us to Morocco," Jeff said in his guileless manner.
Rauf hesitated but Muti spoke from the back. "We should give it a shot. If he doesn't want to help, we will be gone before he gets word to Rishabh."
They really didn't have any other choice, so Rauf started for the private airfield that Master Rishabh always had his jet on standby. If it was any consolation, he doubted Rishabh would even consider they would actually use his plane to get away.
-ooo-
Benuaji had Bobby knocked out with a strong sedative and put into his jet. Although the meet was at noon, he was anxious to get to Jeff. His nerves were fraught as the jet took off. He and Rishabh had an agreement but somehow, he didn't trust him. Rishabh stole his boy and Benuaji saw no reason to trust his word. He decided to show up early and catch him off-guard, intending to show up without Bobby in case Rishabh lied and did not have Jeff with him. His phone rang, rousing him from his reverie. Frowning at the unfamiliar number, he wondered who would be calling him on his private line.
"Yes?" he answered cautiously. He was surprised when the caller identified himself and listened to him carefully. "I assume you want something for the information that you have just provided me?" he asked once the other party finished speaking.
Tariq smirked at the other end, "That goes without saying. You know how it is and since I'm doing you a big favor, you should reward me. Where can we meet?"
Benuaji considered his offer. Tariq had identified himself as Rishabh's brother and told him that he knew where Jeff was kept. He had described Jeff to a tee so he knew he wasn't lying. "Before we get to that, tell me how you did you know the boy belongs to me? Did Rishabh tell you that he stole him from me?"
"No, my brother never tells me anything. I spoke to his henchmen, the ones who brought the boy to our house. I led them to think that my brother let me into his scheme and they were eager to share how they got Jeff away from you. It was so easy to get them to talk," Tariq bragged.
Benuaji sneered. So, Rishabh had a fall-out with his brother who was selling him out as they speak. Well, he should play it to his advantage and he agreed to meet up with him. They fixed a venue and time and rang off. Benuaji sat back with a smug. With Tariq's assistance, he was fully assured that Jeff would finally be returned to him. He didn't need Bobby anymore and he could dispose of him right then, but somehow, his instincts told him to keep him around just in case things didn't go as planned. He shut his eyes to get some rest, a smile on his face. Soon, he would be reunited with his precious jewel.
-ooo-
Matt woke up in the morning and realized only then that his phone wasn't on his night table. He tried to recall where he put it last but his memory failed him. After a quick shower, he went about searching for it but couldn't locate it. "Where can it be?" he muttered to himself as he lifted the cushions in the living room to check.
John came down to see him turning the room inside out. "What's up Matt? Did you misplace something?" he asked curiously.
"I can't remember where I put my phone!" Matt said with vexation.
"I'll help you look," John offered but they couldn't locate it in any of the downstairs rooms. "Let's check your study, we were there last night." They found it there, tucked away safely in the drawers of his desk.
"The battery's dead," Matt noted. "I'll get the spare and then meet you in the breakfast room." He headed back to his room while John headed downstairs. The rest of the guys were already there.
"Morning guys," John greeted them and helped himself to the coffee.
Adam studied him critically. "You look like shit! Didn't get any sleep, did you?" he gave him a sympathetic look.
John gave him a tired grin but didn't say anything. He sipped carefully on the piping hot coffee, deep in thought as Matt walked in, wearing a puzzled look on his face.
"Is anything wrong?" Chris asked, noticing the dark rings under his eyes.
"I have a few missed calls, all from the same number but I don't know who it is. I've tried calling back but I can't get a tone," Matt said worriedly.
"Whoever that was will call back," Adam assured him. "Sit down and have a good breakfast. You look like you need one."
"I'm fine, just a little under the weather," Matt said with a wan smile. As he sipped on his coffee, his mind wandered to the unknown caller. He suddenly sat his cup down as a thought struck him. "What if they've been trying to reach me to arrange for the meet?" he said in a panicky voice as he stood up. "I have to try and trace the number, see who and where it's coming from!"
"I'll come with you!" John said, just as anxious. He was about to get to his feet when Matt put out a hand to stay him. "Let me check it out. You stay and get some breakfast" and was gone before anyone could stop him. John sat back down reluctantly.
Paul sighed. "He is under a tremendous amount of stress. Giving up the company under such circumstances … I wish there is some other way to get the others back."
Matt suddenly called down from upstairs. "Chris! Your department just faxed in the information you wanted. I don't know how many pages there are but they're still coming in. Come up when you're done."
Everyone got up and hurried upstairs to join Matt in his study. He gestured to the papers still churning out from his fax machine from behind his desk. "I believe we have to sort out the information ourselves" before returning his attention to the caller he was on the line with. As Matt sought assistance to trace the call, Chris and the others crowded around the machine and started to read sections that were coming through.
"It'll take a while to process all these," Drew remarked.
"Let's get started then," John said as he tore along the perforated line and gathered up the bundle of printed papers and led the way to the settee in the room. They began to study the information together.
Matt's voice suddenly went up a few notches in excitement, drawing their attention. "Where did you say it come from?" …. "Riyadh? Are you absolutely sure?"
They abandoned their paperwork to crowd around him, waiting anxiously for news. Matt thanked the party on the line and turned to them. "Those calls came from Riyadh and from the information I have gathered, Sheikh Rishabh holds residence there! It could be Jeff! Let's check it out! Paul, you stay here with Glenn. Call me if anything crops up."
To everyone's surprise, Matt had a private jet standing by at an airfield. "I didn't know you have your own private jet," Adam gawked at the sleek plane. The pilot stood waiting on them.
"I don't. I made arrangements to hire one since yesterday. I thought it'll be useful if we have to get somewhere quick," Matt explained. They were airborne in ten minutes. They didn't know what to expect when they got there but Matt seemed certain that Jeff was presently in Riyadh.
"How can you be sure it was Jeff who called?" Jay asked.
"I don't know but my gut feeling tells me it's him," Matt said and left it at that. Jay exchanged looks with the others; were they going on a wild goose chase? Matt headed towards the pilot, keeping his thoughts to himself. He didn't want to tell the others that his instincts also told him to get there fast!
-ooo—
Rauf looked to Jeff, "Are you sure about this?" They had spotted the pilot in question but Rauf was still uncertain if it was wise to approach him.
Jeff nodded. "If he says no, we run."
Rauf studied the pilot from where they were hiding behind a wall. The pilot was seated at a table in the cafeteria, reading the newspapers with a cup of coffee in hand. "Okay, let's do this." They made their way towards him quickly, Jeff in the middle. They decided it was best to leave Kaseem in the car in case the pilot tried to stop them and they had to make a run for it.
"Hello," Jeff greeted the pilot awkwardly.
The pilot looked really surprised to see him. "Hello," he responded with a kind smile before eyeing Rauf and Muti curiously.
"Do you remember me?" Jeff asked anxiously and to his relief, the pilot nodded and smiled warmly at him. "Yes, I remember you. Is there something I can do for you?"
Rauf took over. He explained they needed him to fly them to Morocco. Jeff promised that he would be duly rewarded once they get there. The pilot asked cautiously, "Are you running from Rishabh?"
Rauf looked to Jeff before meeting the pilot's eyes. "If we say yes, will you still help us?"
The pilot shook his head. "I'm sorry but I work for him. You should get out of here before someone sees you."
His concern for their welfare convinced Rauf to try and persuade him to change his mind. "Please, we need to get Jeff out of here quickly! I work for Rishabh as well but he has kidnapped this boy and I fear now for his life. Jeff's brother resides in Casablanca and he's a very wealthy man. He will pay you for your trouble." At the pilot's hesitation, he decided to come clean. "We don't have enough money to fly out of here ourselves and Rishabh and his men are close on our tails. We can't hide from them, not here. Please, you are our only hope to get out of this place."
The pilot looked uncertain. "Did you try calling your brother?" he finally asked Jeff.
"I tried to but I can't reach him." Jeff's lower lip started to tremble. "Rauf's phone went flat and we don't know what else to do. Please help us," he pleaded with him. "I don't want to be locked up again. I..I just want to go home," and two fat tears fell.
The pilot's heart wrenched at the sight. The boy had been on his mind since he last saw him. His conscience gnawed at him as in some way, he was guilty of being an accomplice to his employer's vile deeds by keeping quiet and following his instructions.
Jeff said tearfully, "There's no place we can hide here and it won't be long before he catches us. My friends risk their lives to help me and I don't want anything to happen to them. I know you're not a bad person. Please help us. You're our only hope."
The fact that the boy remembered and trusted him enough to come to him for help warmed his heart. The pilot made a decision. He handed his phone over, "Call your brother and let him know we're on our way. I'll get you to where you want to go but we have to leave quickly! Rishabh left word for me to standby for departure today. It could be anytime. It's best we leave before we cross each other's paths."
To his pleasant surprise, Jeff moved up and gave him a hug. "Thank you!" he thanked him. Rauf and Muti grinned broadly and echoed their thanks as well.
The pilot cleared his throat and patted Jeff awkwardly on the back. "You're welcome. You make that call and then, meet me outside. I'm going to check the plane before we take off." He hastened out, wanting to take off as soon as possible.
Rauf turned to Jeff, "Will you be alright by yourself for a while? We need to go and get Kaseem and collect our bags." Jeff assured him he'll be alright and told them to go ahead. Rauf said, "Wait here for us" and left with Muti.
Jeff punched his brother's numbers and prayed he would pick up this time. Matt answered on the second ring. "Who is this?" The familiar voice was filled with anxiety.
"Matty, it's me!" Jeff cried out before bursting into tears. He had never been happier to hear his brother's voice.
"Jeff! Oh my God! Are you alright? Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you!" Matt spoke in a rush.
Jeff calmed himself down to tell him. "I'm in an airfield in Riyadh but I don't know exactly where. I met some good people and they have helped me to escape. The bad people are closing in on us but we'll be getting out of here soon. We are flying out to Morocco in a few minutes."
"Listen to me, Jeff. I'm on a plane to Riyadh right now and we should be there under two hours. Can you tell me your exact location?" Matt asked.
"Hold on, I'll go and ask the pilot." Jeff ran outside, trying to catch sight of his friend. There were several planes on the ground, but which one belonged to Rishabh? They all looked alike and his pilot friend was nowhere to be seen. He guessed he must be onboard the plane. "I have to find him first, Matty, I'll call you back." Jeff ended the call and ran towards the planes. He hoped his friend would see him and come out to get him.
Amid, the pilot saw him from the cockpit where he was checking the gauges. Everything seemed to be in order. He got up and made his way out, scrambling down the steps and called out to Jeff, waving to get his attention. Jeff saw him and started running towards him. The smile on Amid's face fell suddenly and he froze. "No!" he sprinted towards Jeff who did not see the other man making a beeline for him.
"Got you!" Tariq called out gleefully as he grabbed Jeff from behind.
Jeff shrieked in fright, dropping the phone and tried to tear himself from his grasp but Tariq held him firmly. "How did you get away from my brother?" he demanded to know just as Amid reached them.
"Let him go!" Amid reached for Jeff but froze when he heard the click of a gun. Tariq pointed his pistol at him as he held the terrified boy firmly against him with one arm.
"Who the hell are you?" Tariq glared at Amid with narrowed eyes.
Amid maintained his silence, his eyes watching the gun nervously. Tariq threw a quick glance at the plane that he saw Amid exiting from. "That's Rishabh's plane! You traitor! You're helping them get away! Once my brother finds out about this, you're a dead man! Now, turn around and get back on the plane! Move!"
Amid had no choice, he led the way back to the plane, hoping that Jeff's friends saw what happened and hightailed out of there. He felt sorry for Jeff though. Jeff whimpered with fear at the sight of the gun. "Come on, move those legs!" Tariq ordered as he dragged him along with him. Once they were on the plane, Tariq ordered Amid to shut the door. "Get me some ropes!" he barked out. Soon Amid and Jeff's hands were bound. As an extra measure of precaution, Tariq bound Amid's legs together as well. He hauled Jeff to his feet, "Move!" and pushed him to take the spiral stairs leading to the recreation area.
He studied the luxurious settings and grinned. His brother knew how to live it up. He could live there if he wanted to. He forced Jeff to one of the huge settees and stood back, a sneer on his face. "I don't know how you got away from the house but it must be fate that we meet again. There's no one to interrupt us now." He set his gun on the counter top and quickly unzipped his pants.
Jeff flew into a panic when he realized his bad intention. He tried to flee but Tariq pinned him down before he could. "I can't believe my luck! I've arranged to meet someone here but I never expected to see you here. Since we still have time, I might as well have some fun with you before I hand you over to him." He laughed as he started to force Jeff's pants off.
"No!" Jeff struggled beneath him, but without the use of his hands, he was helpless to stop him. He was stripped off his clothes from his waist down quickly. Tariq wet his lips at the sight of him. "I see why Benuaji wants you back. Now, let's sample the goods," and without preamble, he plunged his erect cock deep into him. Jeff screamed in anguish as the man above him ravaged him. Warmth trickled down between his legs as Tariq grunted and rutted against him mindlessly. His rapist came quickly and rolled off him, panting heavily. Jeff curled himself into a fetal position, shaking and crying softly.
Tariq laughed out harshly on his back. "To think I almost didn't get the chance to have you. Benuaji sure knows how to pick them. I may not have another chance again, so …" he sat up and gave his order, "Get down on your knees before me!"
Jeff shook his head, "Please, no more …" he pleaded with him.
Tariq grabbed him by his hair. "I've tried your sweet ass, now let's see how good your mouth is. On your knees, boy!" he forced him to the floor, yanking at his hair and made him cry out in pain. "Open your mouth!" He thrust the head of his hardening cock against his lips but Jeff shut them tightly, refusing to yield even as his tormentor and rapist yanked his head back by his hair to force him to comply.
"You ask for it!" Tariq's eyes flashed maliciously as he pulled the boy up to lie on the settee on his stomach. Jeff didn't know what to expect until he lifted his hips and brutally impaled him from the back. Bloodcurdling screams filled the air as pain tore through his body. It came to a point where he had to shut down his mind to the pain and his screams died as he fell submissive, closing his eyes and remaining a rag doll as Tariq had his way with him. Grunts and harsh growls were the only sounds heard as Tariq continued to rape him over and over again.
-ooo—
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