because of the brandy from the plane or maybe from fear, but either way she narrowly missed Fasinaâs shoes. I briefly noticed the lack of carrots before I stepped away. In a bid to escape the embarrassment of the situation I decided to ask Tracey if she thought her phone might work sufficiently to make a local call for a taxi. As I went to speak the men moved forward quickly, grabbing both our arms around our bodies and dragging us to a shack behind the main entrance area of the buildings. Tracey squealed as Chike pushed her along, using all the force of his knee against the back of her thighs. She was still barefoot, so her attempts at stamping on his boot-clad feet had no effect. She did, however, manage to get a bite of his forearm, which might have been noticed had she paid more attention to her dental health in the past. I heard a crunch and she spat out what looked like a crown onto the dusty floor.
âGet off me, you fucking brute. Iâll do you for frigging assault, you motherfucker,â said Tracey, sporting a very noticeable gap in the front of her teeth.
Chike kicked her harder at this point and grabbed her hair, pulling her head backwards before throwing her onto the floor inside the shack.
âGet in there and shut up,â he shouted before turning on his heel
Fasina was a little more gentle with me, either out of deference for my age and class or possibly because he was concerned about experiencing any further issue from our stomachs. I didnât struggle, deeming it pointless in view of his superior physical strength, but he still used more effort than necessary to push me into the room with Tracey before quickly pulling the door shut behind him.
The next thing we heard was the sound of keys in the padlock that had been hanging off bolts to the side of the door and Fasinaâs voice.
âSee you later, ladies. Make yourselves at home.â Then he laughed and his footsteps disappeared into the distance, leaving we two unlikely room-mates looking around our new accommodation with mutual disgust.
Tracey reached round to her side to get into her shoulder bag for another cigarette, only to find the packet was missing.
âBastards,â she spat. âTheyâve got me fags.â
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The shack was made of various types and shapes of wood and was reinforced with steel struts, held together with bolts and brackets and covered with chicken wire. As much as we tried, using all the brute force I and my shoeless companion could muster, we could see no way to force an exit.
There was a pile of blankets and two mattresses in one corner, a small chair in another, and a large washing-up bowl and a jug of water on a chest that should have contained drawers but was empty. Strewn across the floor were a selection of old British newspapers and magazines, cigarette ends and dirty mugs. A light bulb hung from a pole stretched below the ceiling and dimly lit the room.
âThis is just outrageous, I said to Tracey, who was pacing up and down the twenty square feet or so that was available to her.
âWhat the hell do these people think they are doing?â Tracey said, crying and making even more of a mess of her make-up.
I felt for her a bit at this point, particularly as it seemed she had still to notice her missing tooth and the extremely unattractive spike left in its place. Despite the bluff and bluster, and the badly disguised advancing years, she seemed quite vulnerable, if incredibly thick.
âWell, I may be being a tad pessimistic, but Iâve a suspicion weâve been kidnapped,â I said, aware I might have been stating the obvious, but apparently not.
Tracey wailed at this information, which she clearly hadnât considered. Big sobs left her heaving body, forcing her bosoms to move independently of each other, in different directions. I marvelled at the sight, having only ever had marginal movement in my own 34B bust, even when breastfeeding for
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