Bear In The Rough: Book 1: Treasure Hunt (BBW Bear Shifter Romance) (53 page)

Jay-Jay and his fierce looking men appeared rambling inside Nobuhle’s apartment. They barged into the bedroom and realised she had moved out. The expression on Jay-Jay’s face turned dead. In the lounge he noticed Nobuhle’s photographs on the mantle, and went over staring closely at one of them, removing it from its frame. His boys turned to him. They really needed to get Nobuhle and the money she owed them. Without wasting any more time they proceeded outside the neighbourhood looking for Mr. Noel’s grocery supermarket. Jay-Jay entered inside the shop looking very mean with his solid shoes. His fierce looking men parted into each of the grocery units, one of which had a small girl busy shopping at a deep freezer. The girl quietly dropped her ice cream back into the freezer and ran out of the shop in fear. Across the counter Mr. Noel and Ayanda noticed the men. They noticed Jay-Jay rambling around the deep freezers, moving from one freezer to the other. In the first were all sorts of Ice cream. The second had vegetables, and in the third freezer were fresh red meat, 2 kg bags of chicken, assorted chicken necks and livers etc. The third one got Jay-Jay's attention. He slide the door open trying to figure out the brands. The meat had different names written on the packs. Some "Darling", "Farm Girl", and others "No name". Mr. Noel made his way across the counter and met him. "You need help with the meat?" He asked. "As you can see, they’re very fresh. We got them in this morning." The old man added as Jay-Jay turned to him. "Come here my friend. Let’s have a little chat." He said. "What is your name?" "Well, the people call me Mr. Noel." The old man replied looking a bit frightened as Jay-Jay moved his big hand across his shoulder. "Who called you Mr. No?" Jay-Jay asked "No. It’s not Mr. No. I mean Mr. Noel." "Oh you mean Mr. Know? Your name is Mr. Know. Not Mr. No." Jay-Jay elaborated. "Yes. That's right." The old man agreed out of fear. "So your name is Mr. Know?" "Yes. That's right? Mr. Noel." He nodded "Okay Mr. Know." Jay-Jay slipped something out of his pocket. He showed it to the old man. A gloss sparkling photograph of Nobuhle. "What do you know about this woman?" he asked "You mind if I have a look?" Mr. Noel took the photograph and quickly moved across the counter to where he usually kept his old 1960s spectacle. He started to look at the photo very carefully. "You know a lot of photographs of nowadays are so colourful that my eyes just can't get around them." The old man murmured, and the look on Jay-Jay's face suddenly grew cold. "Well I can see a layer of very smooth substance that outlines what looks like a figure, but I'm not quite sure what it is." he added as carried out his usual technique of checking fake money paid to him by some costumers. Having had enough of the nonesense, Jay-Jay slipped out his gun, clearly not the kind of thing anyone would want to play with. He held the gun up and slowly reloaded it right in the eyes of Mr. Noel and his little boy Ayanda. "Look at me. What do I look like to you?" He asked pointing the gun straight at the two, terrifying them to death. "You want me to put a bullet in your head or what?" he added "Mr. Know, you are going to tell me everything you know today." "I told you I don't know anything." "So you think I'm playing? You think I'm playing huh?" "What are you going to do?" Mr. Noel responded out of anger. Jay-Jay was ready to shoot him and Ayanda in the head if he didn’t get Nobuhle or his money. Then one of his thugs rushed over to the freezers with a plastic bag and quickly threw in a few packs of meat filling up the bag. "Okay let’s go. Let’s get out of here." Jay-Jay called and the men started to leave the shop with their new captives Ayanda and Mr. Noel. In a couple of minutes’ drive, they arrived at Mr. Noel’s cottage in Melville. Jay-Jay kicked the door open making way for his thugs to frogmarch the old man and his boy Ayanda in. With that done, Jay-Jay maliciously began to move around in a circle looking down at the captives. "How many people live in this house, and where is your wife?" he asked "Its just the two of us." Mr. Noel replied. "So where is she? Where is Nobuhle!?" "I told you I don't know where she is!" "Liar!" Jay-Jay responded pulling out his gun. "Listen old man, Mr. Know or whatever your name is, If you lie to me again, this house will turn into a mess. A real mess you understand that!?"Jay-Jay warned. "Now let me ask you again. Where is she. Where is the sexy little woman. Where is she!?" "I don't know what woman you're talking about." Mr. Noel replied Jay-Jay got angry and knocked his head to the ground. Ayanda started to cry. "Tie him up. Tie them up" Jay-Jay directed his men to action and stepped away looking around the house.

As promised, Nobuhle went out with Rossi showing him around the city. They both walked from one street to the other, moving past all sorts of street types, shops and roadside traders in downtown Johannesburg. "So where are we going?" Rossi asked "Normally I'd be on my way home. But now I'm just going to show you around." Nobuhle replied "It’s nice outside." Rossi said looking at the crowed of street side businesses and taxi buses ahead. "What do you like to see?" Nobuhle asked. "Lets just keep walking." "Okay. But I think you look cool outside. Indoors, you're like a monster." “I don't believe that." "Have you seen the movie Monster?" "Tell me about it" "It’s about a woman who goes around sleeping with different men." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means a monster can be anyone. You could be one by just being unusual." "So you're monster?" "I'm a black woman." "That doesn't make you a monster." "What does it make me?" "It makes you special." Rossi replied and Nobuhle smiled. Clearly the both of them were getting along nicely. They entered a walkway in the garden at Marshals Town, an area of Johannesburg city center. "Let me tell you a story." Rossi said "Its about a Nigerian woman." "I like to hear that" Nobuhle responded "I took a few photographs of her and her children." "What about her?" "She had a roadside business she was doing for a living and sending her kids to school." "That's good." "But there was a problem. Each time she fell sick her kids would get her medicine from the local chemist and she would be fine." "How did you get to know her?" Nobuhle asked "I was working in Lagos. I met her and her kids. Soon she fell sick again but then, instead of going to the local chemist, I insisted she must go to the hospital." "So why wasn't she going to the hospital?" "I don't know." "Tell me what happened to her?" "At the hospital the doctors looked at her, and discovered she's been suffering from stomach cancer." "So she never knew what her problem was?" Nobuhle asked in a soft voice looking really sorry. "She and her kids were managing with it all along." "So she died?" "Yes. Each time I look at her photographs, I feel bad about myself." "I don't know what to say." Nobuhle said and continued to walk slowly with him. They proceeded to a busy street with restaurants and stopped next to some meter-taxis on the street side. "Nobuhle, what's going on with you? I want to know." Rossi asked staring at her. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." She replied "I don't believe that." "Why not?" "Because I want to be sure about you." That got Nobuhle. She never thought Rossi could care so much about her. "The thing is I've made some mistakes in my life that I have to live with. Sometimes I think about them and I feel, maybe I’m just destined to be a victim in everything I do. But believe me, that's going to change." "What's going to change?" Rossi asked. Nobuhle hesitated but really to her it was either she told him the truth then or never. "I’m a prostitute. And am HIV positive." She said looking at Rossi in the eyes. "You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know." She added and checked her watch. "Look, I have to go now. It’s late. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and turned to start leaving. "You mind showing me to your place?" Rossi tried stopping her from leaving so soon. "Sorry I can't. I have to go now." Nobuhle quickly moved over to a meter taxi. She stepped inside and drove away leaving Rossi frustrated.

At the cottage in Melville, Jay-Jay stood across the living room, staring at Mr. Noel and Ayanda tied up on two chairs for nearly five hours. The old man looked at Ayanda and felt sorry for him, the poor boy was innocent. Jay-Jay checked his wristwatch and turned to his boys. "I think am hungry. Go inside the kitchen, put some of the meat on fire." He ordered, and his boys responded "Okay boss" The Nigerian man unclipped his leather belt. He pulled it out stirring forward to Mr. Noel. "You know what old man? I'm going to teach you a lesson. I'm going to teach you a good lesson." He said "Teach me a lesson for what?" Mr. Noel asked with bitterness. "Okay give me one reason why you're doing this? Why don't you just leave this woman alone? She doesn't love you anymore." The old man continued furiously. "What love are you talking about?" Jay-Jay responded in amazement. But Mr. Noel wasn’t done. He began to fluff in an attempt to prevent Jay-Jay from using the leather belt on him or his little boy Ayanda. He said, if Nobuhle really ran away from JayJay then she doesn't love him. He needs to go out and find a woman who will love him for what he was. This surprised JayJay for a moment but still he couldn’t understand what the old man was on about. "Do I look like someone who is in love?" He asked starting to get really upset. Mr. Noel reckoned and quickly changed his tone out of fear. "Okay believe me, when my wife left me for another man I thought it was the end of the world. I wanted to kill someone. But then I realised all I needed to do was take a walk and be the man I want to be." This got Jay-Jay even more upset. All he could pick out of the nonsense was the feeling that Mr. Noel’s wife probably left him because the old man did not take care of her. He got angry and gave him a good slash with the leather belt. Suddenly the two heavily built men appeared from the kitchen. "Boss the meat is a lot. I think we are going to need some tomato sauce or mayonnaise." One of the men suggested looking at their boss Jay-Jay as he looked on to give Mr. Noel another slash. The thought of enjoying the red meat with some nice sauce sprinkled on them hit him. He stopped and looked at the old man who was yet to recover properly from the slash. "Look here my friend; do you have some tomato sauce in the house?" Jay-Jay asked with a slight look of doubt in his face. "What do you want?" "Tomato sauce, you have some?" He replied "Who needs tomato sauce? You?" Mr. Noel looked at the men thinking what exactly these people want from him. First they wanted Nobuhle, and then they packed all the meat in his supermarket. Now they want tomato sauce. Jay-Jay reckoned and felt a bit embarrassed that he was suddenly more concerned about food than the woman running away with his money. In spite of that the men moved on to a table in the room. They started to make a lot of noise as Jay-Jay placed a tray full of their poorly grilled red meat on the table "My brother, come let us eat jor. Did you manage to get some sauce?" "Yes boss. There it is on your right" "Give it to me." "My man, give him the tomato sauce." "So where did you find the it?" Jay-Jay asked. "In the cupboard. The other one." Jay-Jay smiled happily and drizzled the sauce over the whole meat. Just as they start to eat, Nobuhle pushed the door open and stood at the entrance unnoticed for some minutes. Mr. Noel raised his head and his eyes quickly grew big seeing that Nobuhle was around. The excitement on Jay-Jay’s face shortly became tainted as Nobuhle proceeded inside the room. He washed his hand and approached her. "So this is how you decide to pay me? This is how you decide to pay me after everything." Jay-Jay asked pulling out his gun. "You think you can run away? You want to work for yourself? "You don't know what I want. You never know what I want." Nobuhle replied with anguish. "You want to make more money, is that what you want?" He asked "You knew I was desperate. I was too stupid to stay away from you" Nobuhle replied starting to cry. "Jay-Jay, why don't you just leave me alone? You're ruining my life! Stop ruining my life, please." She pleaded getting Jay-Jay confused again. "What are you talking about? No one is ruining your life!" he said "This is not what I want. I don't want to be like you." Nobuhle mumbled "Listen my friend, don't talk shit. What is your problem?" "Stay away from me." "Okay where is my money?" He asked. Nobuhle rushed over to find her handbag where she dropped it on her arrival. "Okay here is your money. Here's all I own you." She handed Jay-Jay all the money Rossi gave to her. The Nigerian held the money in his two hands looking amazed. His thugs began to wonder. Even Mr. Noel also admired the loads of cash out of surprise. "Nobuhle, you know am so proud of you? We could make a lot of money together" Jay-Jay said "Okay how about I buy you a car with this money? A nice car." He asked smiling but Nobuhle was too broken. "Do you ever think that maybe I'm HIV positive, and I don't know what to do?" She asked, and Jay-Jay stopped smiling. He stared at her. "So you have HIV? How?" He asked. “I’m a fool. But believe me, I'm going to change that. I want to get my life back." Nobuhle started crying again. Jay-Jay regarded her and put his gun away. “Okay Nobuhle, please stop crying. Don't cry." He said looking at her with compassion. "I'll always be your friend. The kind of friend you want me to be." He added giving Nobuhle some courage. She stopped crying and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. The thugs went over to free Mr. Noel and Ayanda. The old man out of shock moved over to hug Nobuhle. Ayanda drew close staring at her in the eyes as if she was his mother who died of HIV aid a year ago. The poor boy started to cry and ran over to hug Nobuhle in an effort to have his mother back.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Nobuhle falls in love

Rossi threw a luggage open on the bed inside his JoziStar hotel room. He pulled some cash from a drawer and put on his suit jacket. In the nick of time, Nobuhle arrived at work as usual in the hotel reception. This time she was worried glancing around the restaurant hoping she would see Rossi. She grew restless and thought of dialling his room number. Surprisingly the Italian approached the reception with his luggage. He handed over his room keys to Debbie and quickly checked out of the hotel leaving Nobuhle in a shock. Really, she wasn’t expecting Rossi would react the way he did. Debbie noticed and tried talking but Nobuhle was too shaken to say a word. Rossi proceeded to the airport where airline officials carefully took his luggage from a trolley and passed it forward while he watched to make sure the bags were secured considering the valuable photographs he had inside. In a minute, he went up to check the flights departure board. All of a sudden, Nobuhle appeared quickly making her way inside the airport. She was tensed up. She stopped a security officer who directed her to take the corner leading to a checkpoint and join the queue. Nobuhle did as told but she was not so sure so she turned to first have a look at the departure board. She checked the flights departing and started to look around trying to identify Rossi. She rushed back to the checkpoint only to see Customs officials scanning and sending the last passenger for departure. Nobuhle suddenly got overwhelmed with thoughts of why she had to go through all of that. A woman and her daughter on the corner noticed she was tired. Two security officers also kept their eyes on her. As she turned to start leaving, Rossi emerged in front of her. She was so shocked she didn’t know what to say. "I’m sorry." She mumbled looking at him. "Sorry for what?" Rossi asked in a soft voice. "Please.... don't... go." Nobuhle pleaded. Rossi hesitated but that got him. He knew Nobuhle was right, he couldn’t imagine himself getting on the flight out of South Africa with Nobuhle still on his mind. "Come here." He said and slowly gathered her in his arms. The both of them quickly turned a television for different travellers especially an angry Indian man who had just missed his flight. Moments later Nobuhle sat in a restaurant pouring out her heart for Rossi who after finishing his drink, took her hands. "Let’s go horse riding. I know of a place" he said surprising Nobuhle so much her whole face suddenly brightened. In about one hour drive away from the airport, Nobuhle and Rossi arrived at a ranch in Megalisberg. Two saddle horses emerged at a cantering pace, trailing and starting to pick up pace. Nobuhle looked okay on the one in front. Rossi comfortably had the other horse to himself. "Hey! How’re you doing?" he called "I don't know!" Nobuhle replied laughing in excitement while Rossi’s horse started to move very fast. She turned to her horse and pulled the reins forcing the horse to slow down. This worried Nobuhle so she tried using her legs to get the horse moving but still it wasn’t working. Nobuhle noticed Rossi trotting far away with his horse and felt helpless. As she relaxed her arms, the horse returned the softness and started to run away with Nobuhle struggling to hold on to the reins. Rossi glanced back to see Nobuhle bouncing awfully on the saddle. To his surprise the horse approached him, and raced past forcing him to bit his horse so he could catch up with Nobuhle seeing that she was totally out of control. Eventually Nobuhle moved over to cling on to Rossi on his horse. They start to trot and roll around a half dried creek in the ranch. Nobuhle rested her head on his shoulder and it felt like this was it, exactly what Nobuhle really wanted with her life. To be free, loved and protected.