TASTELESS

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Joe, what happened?" Mercy asks. Joe is listening to Vincent's heartbeat.

"He is not breathing," Joe replies and looks at Kayla.

"Mercy, what is happening?" Kayla asks. Mercy seems shocked as she gets closer to listen to Vincent's heartbeat.

"He is breathing," Mercy says. She holds Vincent's hand and calls his name. The child does not respond. Joe seems relieved.

"Vincent!" Joe shouts. The child slowly opens his eyes and starts crying.

"Kayla, leave us alone," Mercy says as she holds Vincent against her chest. Kayla walks out.

'Something is not okay here.' she tells herself as she walks to her room.

Mercy and Joe are left in their bedroom looking at each other. Little Vincent stops crying.

"Now what?" Mercy asks.

"It has not worked," Joe says.

"What do we do?" Mercy asks.

"I will figure it out tomorrow. Don't worry." Joe says as he scratches his head. Mercy looks at Vincent who is innocently resting his head on her chest.

"How did we get here? Where is that British person from?" She asks Joe, who seemed carried away by thoughts.

"Beby please, let us not go there," Joe says. He knows that if they start talking about his client, the conversation will not go any longer. He saw Kayla's eyes turn white, but he has no idea what was supposed to happen.

"Can you call him? We need to be sure." Mercy says.

"No, I will visit his office tomorrow," Joe says and walks out.

While in her room, Kayla is clueless about what happened.

'It is time for me to go. I don't trust them.' she tells herself. She remembers her mother's advice and regrets why she ignored it.

Mercy, while still holding Vincent, looks at a photo frame of her with Joe during their wedding. She was so deeply in love with Joe. She looked forward to getting married to Joe, who was by then a young advocate. It has been five years in marriage. Vincent came and cemented their marriage.

'Now, what is happening? Some unknown white person wants me to leave Joe? Why?' Mercy asks herself. Tears are starting to form in her eyes when Joe walks back.

"Bring Kayla here again." He tells Mercy.

"What will they do to her? I have to know." Mercy replies.

"That does not concern you. Just bring her here, we are running out of time." Joe says.

"Kayla is my cousin. Promise me that nothing bad is going to happen to her." Mercy says.

"I cannot promise. Mercy, do you want us to lose our son?" Joe asks.

"No, but I don't want to lose my cousin either." Mercy replies. Joe looks at her.

"So you need us to divorce?" He asks. Mercy seems confused.

"Is there no other option? Why don't you just return their money?" Mercy says.

"This is not games! This is serious. I told you they will not accept it." Joe says.

"Hold him." Mercy says and hands over Vincent to Joe, then walks out towards Kayla's room.

Kayla is holding her phone. She is contemplating calling her mom when Mercy gets into the room.

"I'm sorry for everything Kayla," Mercy says.

"Finish up the story, are you going to let Vincent die because of money?" Kayla asks.

"Kayla, there is something else." Mercy says and closes the door.

"Why are you closing the door Mercy? Is Vincent okay?" Kayla asks.

"The boy is good. Joe refused to divorce me. They said they would kill Vincent, he refused too." Mercy says.

"So what will happen now? They will kill him what?" Kayla asks.

"No, the white dude gave Joe another option. He was told to bring one of my relatives here for three months." Mercy says.

"Ooouh wow! And here I am. Ehehe, and then?" Kayla teases.

"Kayla, you know I love you, right? I cannot let anything bad happen to you. That is why I have decided to tell you the secret." Mercy says. Before Kayla could say anything, there is a gentle knock at the door. Mercy opens it. There is no one.

"Did you hear the knock?" She asks Kayla.

"Yeah, I think Joe knocked went back," Kayla says.

"How fast?" Mercy says and walks to their master bedroom. She finds Joe playing with Vincent.

"Where is she? We are running out of time." Joe says.

"I'm convincing her. Did you knock on the door?" Mercy asks.

"Which door?" Joe asks.

"Kayla and I heard a knock, I thought it was you," Mercy says.

"It was not me. They have started. Bring her here." Joe says.

"Started what?" Mercy asks. Joe seems disturbed.

"You cannot understand. Go and convince her to come here." Joe says. He seems worried. Mercy gazes at Joe for a moment, then walks out.

"Joe wants me to go with you. Let us see what he wants to do." Mercy says.

"Are you serious now?" Kayla asks. Mercy pulls down her hood to expose a small mark on her chest, just below the neck.

"You see this? It will protect us. Don't worry." Mercy says.

"Let us go. You will be fully responsible in case of anything." She tells Mercy and leads the way back to the master bedroom. On seeing Kayla, Joe seems terrified.

"Is not this what you wanted?" Mercy asks Joe.

"Mercy, something is wrong." He says.

"What?" Mercy replies. Joe signals her with eyes to get Kayla out of the bedroom.

"What's wrong now??" Mercy asks.

"She is protected." He murmurs. Before Mercy responds, a text message gets into Joe's phone.

"It is the white person." He tells Mercy.

"What does he say?" Mercy asks.

"He has given us one more week," Joe said. Mercy is relieved. She was not ready to lose Kayla.

Kayla is slowly getting to know what kind of people are Mercy and Joe. They seem to be accommodating, yet very hard to understand.

'I don't trust them.' she tells herself.

The following day, when Kayla arrived at her job place, Andrew came straight to her.

"We have a special visitor coming in the afternoon. Please prepare for an interview." He tells Kayla. On looking at the visitor's details on her computer, Kayla discovers that the special visitor is Joe, Mercy's husband...