Page 29 of Possessing the Prince

“I know,” he wails and screams. When he composes himself he continues. “But they represented an Ewe holy man. Those fetish priests have powers; I couldn't take the chance. You never know what an Ewe will do.”

I reach over and snatch his head back by the crown of his head. “Iam an Ewe man. Have you forgotten?”

“No, but you sir, you’re different. Your father is Ashanti, so your blood is not poisoned.”

“You fool, you let your silly prejudice cause you to act foolishly. So, let me guess: They came back looking for Abena and I, thinking that we would be there. They promised you riches after they ransacked my house and could not find us if you would tell them where I was.”

He slowly nods. “Yes, sir. I figured their first offer would be riches, but the next would be my head. So, I went with the first offer. Then Mr. Christian showed up.”

I sigh and let out a deep breath. This shit is deeper than I thought. Why are representatives of a fetish shrine looking for Abena? I thought it was the Apeagyeis that wanted her for themselves to pay the blood debt. Something is not right, and I need to get to the bottom of this. But first, I need to get Abena out of Ghana—we will leave right away.

“Christian, ready the jet. Abena and I will leave at once.”

“Yes, sir. And what shall I do with him?”

I should kill him. I really want to, but I promised myself I would only kill in defense of the crown, my family, or myself. This shell of a man is no longer a threat. He will never be able to serve in royal households or those connected to us again. He cannot be trusted. “Send him back to his village. Make sure nothing from my house goes with him.” I lean down and look into his bloodshot eyes. “If I hear word about this in the village, I will find you and finish breaking every bone you have. You are to stay in the village and never come to the city. If I hear that you have left the confines of Tarkwa; I will make sure you are thrown in jail. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” He cries silently.

“Get him out of my sight.”

Christian calls for backup and I head back upstairs to wake Abena and tell her she has an hour to pack. I will explain everything to her on the plane. I can’t keep it from her anymore.

Once I’m upstairs, I pause. Something feels off. Over the years, the protection and intelligence work I’ve performed has heightened my senses.

The first thing I notice in my peripheral vision is the blinking green light by the front door. That’s my house alarm and it should blink red…for armed. Green means ready to be armed, which means someone disarmed it. And I know it sure as hell wasn’t me.Those bastards must have found the combination etched into the back of my safe.

That fucker downstairs is going to lose more than a fucking finger if Abena comes to any trouble. He should have died before he let them in my home.

My heart is pounding so fast, it’s damn near beating out of my chest. There’s only one thing in my house they would want, and that’s Abena. I should have locked her in one of my safe rooms. Now I’m running toward the bedroom, knowing she’s likely not there.Fuck, baby, I’m sorry, I’m coming.

When I approach the bedroom door, I stop. I remember distinctly closing the door behind me when I went downstairs. Now it is wide open. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I start to call Abena’s name in the darkness. But I know she’s not here.

I turn on the light and the bed is empty. I run into the closets and bathroom and they are empty, too. Then I see a note on her pillow. I smell the note and deduce the chilling message is written in blood. I read it over and over again. Four words produce more rage in me than I’ve ever known.

“We’ve taken what’s ours.”

* * *

In the pasttwelve hours since Abena was taken, my life has already taken a turn. I’ve committed murder, fired an entire staff of people, and cursed my brother Kofi out. The murder was warranted. I said I would not kill anyone else in my lifetime unless they threatened the crown or family. Well, that traitorous butler NaNa Aborah let men storm my home, pay him off, and find the security codes to this home. He died quickly--I gave him that mercy, at least. A quick shot between the eyes, my signature. No begging, no pleading, clean and quick. He died with the same surprised look he had on his face when I came back downstairs and stopped his transport to the bush.

My staff had to be let go because I don’t trust any of them. I'm sure the majority of them are loyal, but now my mind is fucked up. I will make their lives miserable by not trusting them. Plus, I’ll go crazy trying to decipher their actions. So, it is better if we all part ways. There were tears, but at this point I don’t care. I’m sure Christian will find them all placements once I find Abena.

Finally, Kofi denied me clearance to go immediately and get Abena. He deemed it too dangerous for civilians. He’s trying to be the fucking diplomat while my wife is being held in some fetish priest’s shrine in the bush. I bet if Ella was in danger, all caution would be thrown to the wind. So now, I am pulling up to his home to tell him to fuck himself one more time before I go and do what the fuck I was going to do all along.

When I pull up, I hop out of my truck with the car still running. I am on a mission and don't plan on staying long. Before I can knock on the door, Ella opens it. Her tear-stained face stops me in my tracks.

I push her to the side and look around her, searching for signs of danger. “What is it, Ella? Has something happened to Kofi?”

She closes the door behind her and shakes her head no.

“Then why are you crying?” I know she’s not that upset over Abena. They’re barely cordial.

She sniffs and clears her throat. “I apologize. I just hate that you and Kofi are fighting. Now Adom is in his office screaming at him, and you two have no idea how much he loves you and sacrifices for all of us. Don't you know that he would strap up with you and Adom right now to go get Abena if he could without causing an all-out war? How dare you say he's full of shit!” Her little body shudders as she screams at me. This is why I love Ella. She has Kofi's back no matter what. She will take on anyone that hurts him.

“What is Adom doing here? I didn’t ask him to do that.”

Ella rolls her eyes. “Look, I don’t know. But I do know that you three better get it together. Abena is in danger and you need a plan. Astrategicplan to get her out safely along with any other women there. This can’t just be about her, Senya. That is why you need to stop blazing through Kumasi on a murderous rage. You need to focus on the bigger picture.”

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