Our Stormy Ride

*48 °Bleeding Hearts

Jamal

"I'm sorry Mr. Jamal but I can't let you come with us," Mr. Badmus says, strapping a bulletproof vest to his chest.

I raise my voice so he can hear me clearly above the noise. "If you think I'm going to sit around and do nothing then you're wrong."

He yells some orders at the group of policemen gathered around us before turning to me.
"We have no assurance that she hasn't been moved to a different location, so it's best if-"

"I leave it to you?" I interrupt, impatience and anger building up. "Your first priority won't be to search for my wife, but to apprehend every criminal in sight. So I'm not going to let this chance slip by to do it myself."

Mr. Badmus cocks a gun while glaring at me, his attempt to intimidate me into backing down.
I cross my arms and return his stare, my fist clenched in trying to keep myself together.

Ever since I'd gotten the call informing me of Nadia's location, there's not been a moment of rest for me. All I want is to reach her as soon as possible, and to find her safe and alive.

It'd come as a shock upon releasing how useless our efforts were in thinking that their hideout would be in the usual spots. Every uncompleted building in the city had been searched, abandoned structures and even the surrounding towns as well.

And each attempt had been futile.

It wasn't after the policemen had found out about Mr. Freddy's involvement with the case that everything started to fall into place. Before that, no one had thought to look into Badra's constant visit to his house, or the reason behind the weekend parties he hosted across the several mansions he owned.

Nothing had prepared me for the utter bewilderment and anger I'd felt after learning that Nadia was being kept hostage in the same house I'd built, standing right there in the open and under our noses. All this time I'd felt she was faraway, but in reality she'd been so close within reach. The knowledge of it had stripped my heart, exposing it to a different level of pain I'd never felt.

I'd later learnt that every single one of Mr. Freddy's mansions had a warehouse or a basement of some sort meant as a storage facility, except it was for a completely different reason. By hiding those children in his own property, he'd cleverly covered up his sinful activities and avoided any suspicions.

"You do realise that I'm not supposed to be doing this?" Mr. Badmus grits out at me, halting my train of thoughts.

I push myself off the wall I'd been leaning on, giving him a nod.

"You come with us, and you do so at your own risk," he says sternly, then calls out to an officer. The other man joins us and Mr. Badmus assigns him to me, ordering him not to let me out of his sight.

We leave soon after, each team heading to a specific location. It takes a couple of minutes before we arrive at Mr. Freddy's premises, and everyone goes silent as the car slowly comes to a halt. Faraway, the lights from the house shine through the darkness like slits, some rooms obscured from view by curtains.

The police men go over their plan of attack again, as well as other alternatives in case of any complications. And while they murmur in agreement, all I can think of is Nadia being locked up in one of those room, frightened and alone.

Ya Allah, please help me find her, and keep her safe for me.

"...We go in stealthily and put an end to these criminals, am I clear?"

"Yes sir," comes the enthusiastic chants as they begin to drop down from the back of the van one after the other, until it's just two men left.

I make to get up from my seat, but a hand shoves me back.