All I want to do right now is to cry and scream and let it all out because it's killing me inside.

•|•|•|•|•

Tristan sat in the airport in a shocked daze. He still couldn't believe he had lost Kim. Sometime later, Darren and Iyke arrived at the airport and ran to him. "Tristan?! What happened?!" Darren asked worried. "Did you find Kim? Where is she? Talk to us?!"

Tristan just stared unable to answer and Iyke instantly knew Tristan wasn't able to save Kim. He quietly put a hand on Darren's shoulder and shook his head. "Let's take him home" Iyke said quietly.

"Iyke..." Darren tried to argue but a soft look from Iyke shut him up. He helped Iyke pull Tristan up and to his car.

"They took her...I couldn't even..." Tristan mumbled devastated. He was too shocked to protest or react when they took him to his car and drove him home.

They arrived at Tristan's house and saw Carter, Deborah and Kazeem waiting for them. "What are you doing here?" Darren whispered to Deborah.

"I was worried, what is going on Darren? Where is Kim?" Deborah asked near tears. She clocked Tristan's lost expression and it worried her.

"Shh" Darren just said. He and Iyke took Tristan to his room and came back to meet the others. The mood was solemn.

"He couldn't save her right?" Carter said quietly.

"You..." Darren angrily said and grabbed a fistful of Carter's collar. "Why did you come here? Was this your plan? To distract us while your father took Kim?" Darren accused angrily, "did you come to spy on us?!"

"Back off!" Carter hissed, pushing Darren away. "I came here because I wanted to save Kim. She was the only one who...bothered to think of how I feel. Maybe I should have warned you earlier but I didn't know if I could trust you."

Darren glared at Carter and Carter glared back. Sensing the hostility, Iyke held Darren incase Darren would attack. "Wait! So Kim is in the hands of that terrible man?!" Deborah exclaimed in shock.

"You have to save her, you have to save her before they kill her." Deborah said, clutching her brother's shirt.

"We will but we can't do anything while Tristan is in shock" Iyke said, glancing at the hallway. "We have to wait for Tristan, Tristan will get out of this, for now...Carter, are you with us or against us?"

Everyone turned to Carter. "Only for Kimberly" Carter said.

"Good, if your father doesn't know you are with us, you have to return to London." Iyke said. "you have to protect Kim for us."

"No problem" Carter answered.

"We should go now, Tristan needs some time alone" Iyke said.

"I will stay here to watch over Tristan, and him" Darren said, giving Carter the stink eye. "Tristan can't be completely alone."

"No problem, just, don't fight. We have bigger things to concentrate on" Iyke said, "let's go." Iyke took Deborah and Kazeem with him and it was just Carter and Darren in the living room.

Darren and Carter eyed each other distrustfully then sat opposite each other. They stared at each other hatefully.

In Tristan's room, Tristan was seated on his bed staring into space as moments he spent with Kim flashed through his eyes. "Kim...Kimberly...I..." Tristan began to say before he suddenly screamed in rage.

"AHHHH!!! KIMBERLY!!!" Tristan roared angrily before crumpling to the floor in tears. He sobbed profusely, "she should have stayed away from me, she should have run away. Why was she so stubborn?!"

Tristan cried for a while before he marched out of his room and entered his boxing room. He wore his boxing gloves and began punching the sandbag mercilessly.

"Rargghhh!!!" he screamed in frustration.

When punching the sandbag wasn't enough, Tristan began punching the wall repeatedly. "Kim...I'm sorry. I failed, i'm a failure" he said, sinking to the floor self pity.

At the airplane, Kim finally roused from unconsciousness. She looked at her unfamiliar surroundings and bolted up, though she was held back by the ropes on her hands and legs.

"What is this?! Where am I?!" Kim said in alarm. She struggled to free herself.

"Don't bother" Thomas, the man who was following her said nonchalantly. He was seated on another chair opposite her.

"Who are you?! Where am I?! Answer me?!" Kim yelled scared.

"I guess you have a right to know, you are on a plane to London right now" Thomas said. "the boss has been waiting to meet you for months now."

"What boss?! Why keep me like this? This is illegal" Kim said.

Thomas scoffed amused. "Illegal?" he chuckled, "there is no illegal dealings in Bruce Smith's book, only profit."

"Bruce...Smith? Tristan's father?" Kim gasped and Thomas nodded. Kim protested immediately, "No! Leave me! Help! Somebody help me!"

"No one here can or will help you so shut your mouth" Thomas snapped. "You can open your trap to The boss once you meet him. i'm sure he will like to hear all about his son."

"No! Leave me! Leave me! Let me go!" Kim cried tearfully as she struggled. "Uncle, please. My family...Tristan...why me?! Just let me go!"

"Just shut up or I will make it so you can't talk!" Thomas threatened, suddenly pressing a knife to her neck. Kim nodded slowly with tears on her eyes and bit her tongue when he backed away.

'No, Uncle, Cindy, Tristan...' Kim thought devastated.

The next day, Carter and Darren came out to see Tristan in the living room with blood stained hands and a blank look. "Tristan! What did you do?!" Darren exclaimed, rushing to him. Carter just stared in shock.

"I wanted to die" Tristan said lifelessly, "but then I thought, 'why should I die?' I am going to kill that bastard instead. How dare he take my Kim? I swear I will destroy him."

Darren helped Tristan clean the blood and Tristan looked at Carter. "Carter, if you really want to help me, go back now" He said, "you must protect Kim. I need you to watch over her till I am able to come and save her. Try not to get caught."

"Okay, I will leave today." Carter said and Darren looked at him.

"You better not betray us. I will kill you if you do." Darren threatened seriously and Carter stared at him disdainfully in response.

"You can try" Carter retorted and walked away.

Later, Darren and Tristan managed to convince the workers at Green Acres that Kim was transferred to Tristan's company and was working for him so she wouldn't be reachable for a while.

"How do we explain this Kim's family?" Darren said worried, "if they find out, they will honestly...I can't imagine the shock."

"We can't tell them yet" Tristan said thoughtfully. "we will find a way to stall. What I need to do is get on the next possible flight to London. I can't let Kim stay there for long."

"Carter is on his way there, we can only hope he does a good job protecting her" Darren said concerned.

•|•|•

In London, Kim had arrived and she was taken to Bruce's Mansion while she was unconscious again. Thomas dropped her in a large room with Bruce and several armed guards around.

"This is my son's fiancée?" Bruce asked curiously, "what a great pleasure it is to see her in person...wake her up."

"Yes sir" Thomas said and began nudging her with his foot. "Wake up! Wake up." He walked away when it wasn't working and came back with a jug of water that he splashed on her.

"Ah!" Kim gasped awake and shook, staring at her surroundings fearfully. She looked at Bruce who stood out with his elegance. "Who are you?" She asked in a raspy voice.

"I am Bruce Smith, or as you must know, Tristan's father" Bruce answers. Kim kept quiet and he continued, "you must know a lot about Tristan's life to not ask any questions. You should have left before it got to this."

Kim still kept silence. "So your name is Kimberly Ono-Onochie, is my pronunciation right? Whatever?" Bruce waved it off, "Tristan has been very naughty, ruining my plans, my businesses...revenge? What child's play. The brotherhood is mine to control, how could he try to ruin it."

Kim just stared at him.

"I have to admit, I like that boy regardless. He has guts, unlike my useless son Carter. He is such a disappointment" Bruce tsked and Kim gripped her skirt tighter. "Now, say something anything. I want to know what is so special about you that my son proposed."

Bruce waited for Kim to talk but she said nothing. "You don't want to talk?" Bruce asked, "I see, maybe I can ask your sister or your uncle? They don't like him very much, and your parents, they are dead aren't they?"

"Don't touch my family, I swear I will ruin you if you do" Kim said tearfully in anger.

Bruce stared at her surprised, then laughed in amusement. "You would ruin me, you are such a jokester" He said smiling, "now will you talk or should I make you?"

"What do you want me to tell you?!" Kim yelled, "you had me watched so you could surely get information about Tristan from him. What could you possibly want to hear from me?!"

Silence reigned and it was broken when Bruce walked to her with a scarily calm face and crouched in front of her. He grabbed her hair tightly and Kim yelped in pain. "When I demand for something, you answer. Don't try to be sassy with me because I will surely kill you" Bruce said menacingly. "You are only alive because I need you to see Tristan."

Bruce pushed Kim and she fell to the floor. "Just hope you remain useful for long" He said and got up. "Thomas, give her our good hostage welcome and make sure you send a picture to Tristan."

"Yes sir" Thomas said and Bruce walked away. Thomas gestured for the men to take her and they carried her to secret room in another part of the building. It looked like a cell and they threw her in.

Thomas came in with a whip and started beating Kim mercilessly. Kim cried in pain and huddled in a corner to hide. When Thomas was tired of the whipping, he kicked her a bit. He finally stopped and began to take a picture. Kim forced a laugh.

"You know nothing" She taunted, "people like me are used to such beatings. We are Africans, our parents discipline us like this on a daily basis."

"Bitch!" Thomas cursed and slapped her hard. He kicked her and left her trapped in the room. Kim looked at the closed door and slowly unhuddled herself when she felt safe.

Kim looked at the sores she got and shook in pain. "You are doing well Kim" she quietly told herself. "You will endure, stay strong till Tristan comes for you. He will come."

•|•|•

In Lagos, Nigeria. Tristan was so sick with worry that he couldn't focus on anything. His mind was filled with how he could travel as soon as possible and save Kim. "I should leave tomorrow right?" Tristan asked Darren, "Kim must be waiting for me."

"Tristan, we have to wait. We need to know the situation, we can't barge in like that" Darren said concerned, "you look sick, have you eaten?"

"How can I when i'm not even sure how Kim is?" Tristan answered. He raised his hand and rubbed his chest slowly.

"You need strength if you want to save Kim Tristan" Darren said sadly. Tristan's phone began ringing and Tristan took it. It was an unknown number. He stared at the phone suspiciously before answering the call.

"Who is this?" He asked after a silent moment.

"My son, it has been a very long time" Tristan heard Bruce's say and he clenched his fist angrily. Bruce continued, "you made me find you, it seemed you missed me that much."

"Where is she?" Tristan asked deathly, "where is Kim?"

"Oh, my soon to be daughter in-law? She is alive, but for how long? I don't know" Bruce taunted, "I ha to say, I'm disappointed. I thought you would ask how your father has been doing all these years, I on the other hand, have been so curious about you."

"I will come there and get her back. I will destroy you, I'll make sure of that" Tristan said with gritted teeth.

"I'm waiting. It will be a wonderful reunion for both of us" Bruce said, "lets see which one of us will die and which one of us will live." Bruce hung up and Tristan glared at the phone in pain.

"Was it...it was Bruce?" Darren asked shocked. At Tristan's silence, he knew it was true. He continued, "this is serious. He knows everything about you now, we have to move more carefully Tristan."

Tristan said nothing in reply. His phone suddenly pinged and he saw a picture of a battered Kim. His eyes pooled with tears. "Kim..." he whispered.

"What is it?" Darren asked and rushed to him. He looked at the picture and stared in shock. "Kim, oh God" he muttered worried.

"Ah" Tristan said, a sudden pain in his chest. His vision doubled and he staggered while clutching his chest. Darren stared at him in shock and worry.

"Tristan? Tristan?!" Darren exclaimed in shock and Tristan fell to the ground unconscious. "Tristan! Tristan wake up! Dammit" Darren cursed in worry.

In London, At Bruce's Mansion, Kim ate the food she was given and tried to stay strong. Meanwhile, Bruce was meeting with his people when Carter arrived.

"I heard you got my brother's fiancé" Carter said impassively when he saw Thomas. They stood side by side waiting outside for Bruce and a air of hostility lingered between them.

"I did, I heard you were in Nigeria doing some work. What work exactly?" Thomas asked suspiciously.

"It's none of your business. I don't see why I have to answer to you" Carter relied and walked towards the door just as his father came out.

"You are here, come with me" Bruce said and Carter followed him to his office. Bruce sat down and Carter stood in front of him. "Your brother will finally be coming soon, it will be nice to see how much he has grown."

"Dad, you do know that he will try to kill you right?" Carter pointed out.

"I know that and that is what I am waiting for. If I had found him back then, this wouldn't have happened" Bruce sighed, "I would have groomed him to be my heir but now, I will have to kill him."

Carter looked apprehensive about this. "No, instead, you can kill him" Bruce told Carter, "if you do, you prove you are my son. You can hen take over everything. It will prove to me that you have the potential to carry on the business."

"Yes father" Carter said obediently and left when Bruce had nothing more to say. He walked around the mansion and found out where Kim was kept.

He slowly approached it and opened the door. He saw a sleeping Kim on the floor and stared at her with an indescribable gaze. Kim roused from her sleep and saw Carter. "Carter..." she said in a dry voice.

"It's been a long while Kimberly" Carter said impassively.

At Lagos, Nigeria. Darren had rushed Tristan to the hospital and Iyke came to meet him. Iyke found Darren seated in the hallways clutching his head.

"What happened?" Iyke asked worried.

"Bruce called him and sent him a picture of Kim. It was horrible Iyke, he beat her so badly" Darren said, getting choked up.

"And how did Tristan collapse?" Iyke asked.

"The shock and pain was too much for him. He just fainted." Darren answered. "the doctor said it's the stress and the fact that he hasn't eaten all day."

"Is he awake yet?" Iyke asked.

"I don't know" Darren answered, "we have to save Kim quick otherwise, Tristan is going to get worse." Darren looked in the direction of Tristan's ward worried.

In Tristan's ward, Tristan was on the bed unconscious. 'It hurts' his subconscious said, 'my heart hurts.' A tear slipped from Tristan's eye.
__________________________________________________________

Losing Kim like this was a big blow to Tristan. It will take a lot of strength to recover if he is going to save Kim and poor Kim is just in the middle of this.

Do you guys think Kim should have left Tristan after knowing his dangerous mission? This could have been avoided if she left, what are your thoughts.

Next chapter will be more better though it will be difficult to connect Kim and Tristan now. Have a good day.

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