The men stood there, fear in their eyes. They couldn't believe what had just happened. The boy was standing there, right in front of them. How could this be? One of them was thinking, "Who is this boy, that he could do these things to us?" It was all over in the blink of an eye.
Kai stood there, looking at them, and said, "You know, I told you to be cooperative and give her to me, but you pulled out guns. You don't always listen."
One of the men was thinking, "This boy is talking like he's some big shot." Then Kai heard what he was thinking and said, "I heard that. I'm not thinking I'm a big shot. I am a big shot."
The other guy was thinking, "Did he just hear me? Did he just hear what I said? This is bull." And Kai said, "Again, you should stop thinking about those things. This is not bull. This is me taking over and taking care of the situation."
The other guy thought, "Oh no, am I dreaming? Is this fiction?" And Kai looked at him and said, "No, it ain't fiction. This is real."
The guy thought again, "He can really look into my mind. Oh no, I should stop thinking. I should stop thinking about how we import guns and drugs and do jobs. I mean, there was one time that we kidnapped a guy and threw him in the river. No, I should stop thinking about that too."
Kai said, "Interesting. So you threw a guy into a river. So you took guns and drugs. Hm, the police have to hear about this."
Both of the men were like, "Uh, no, we...only..." Kai said, "No need. I can already hear what you're thinking." He raised his hand in a gesture, and they fell silent.
Kai asked, "Who told you to kidnap Emily?" One guy thought again, and the driver, who was standing next to him, thought, "We cannot tell him that it was Vanessa Makanda."
Kai looked at him and said, "So, is that girl Vanessa?" He looked at Emily and said, "Emily, I think you should go and sit in the car. I'm going to sort this out. I'm going to have a little chat with these guys."
And she walked away, saying, "Okay, Kai." As she walked away, she was thinking, "I hope Kai can handle those guys. They look dangerous."
Kai looked at her with a smile, knowing what she was thinking, and then looked back at the men.
Kai looked at them with daring eyes and said, "So, you three are in big trouble now." Kai took a step, hit the van, and the van shifted a little, with a dent. Those guys were shocked, and one guy was thinking, "Is he made of metal?" Kai heard him but didn't respond.
Kai said, "You see that van? Look at your body - you're not made of metal. Can you feel it?" And he said, "So, how much did Vanessa pay you to kidnap my Emily?" One guy said, "Uh, he gulped and said, uh, it was...it was twenty thousand rand."
Kai said, "Twenty thousand rand? She must be kidding. This girl has money." And tell me, where is she now? The guy was stuttering and said, "I think she...she was...at the restaurant."
Kai said, "At the restaurant? Okay, call her and tell her the job is done. And when you do that, tell her to come to this location. Tell her you have strapped her nicely. I want to see what this girl wants."
One guy said, still stuttering. Kai said, "Let's get into the van. You know, let's get in." Then all three of them got into the van. They were unsettled and afraid of Kai, afraid of what Kai might do to them.
They called Vanessa, and one guy spoke in a trembling voice, "Missus Makanda, we...we have the girl." Vanessa's voice was calm and collected on the other end of the line. "Good work. I'll be there soon. Just make sure she's secure."
The kidnapper nodded, even though Vanessa couldn't see him. "Yes, ma'am. We'll wait for you." He hung up the phone and looked at Kai, who was watching him with an intense gaze.
Kai said, "I'm sure she'll be here soon. In the meantime, let's get comfortable." He leaned back against the van wall, his eyes never leaving the kidnappers.
Twenty minutes passed, and then a sleek black car pulled up beside the van. Vanessa stepped out, followed by her boyfriend, Greg Rammala. They walked towards the van, their faces expressionless.
Vanessa opened the van door and stepped inside. Her eyes scanned the interior, taking in the sight of Kai and the kidnappers. "So, you've got her," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "Where is she?"
Kai smiled, a cold glint in his eye. "Oh, she's safe. For now."
Vanessa was astonished, standing there thinking, What is this boy doing here? I thought they caught the girl. Are they confused? I said they must kidnap a girl, not a boy. And she thought to herself, But they said they have a girl. So this may be a trap.
Greg, standing next to her, spoke up, "So you didn't catch the girl, but you caught a boy?" All three kidnappers looked at Greg and Vanessa, but didn't speak.
Kai spoke up as the van door closed. "Now that I have your attention," he said, "tell me, what gave you the audacity to kidnap my girlfriend? Hm?"
Vanessa sneered, "You think you can waltz in here? Your father has some money, and you think you can threaten me? Do you know who I am?"
Kai replied, "Hm? I don't know who you are. But I'm telling you that you are in big trouble now. You kidnap my girl, send guys to kidnap my girl, and you come here talking like you're in charge? Come on. Be serious."
Kai snapped his fingers, and Vanessa felt like she was drowning in a river, the water rushing past her face. Kai snapped his fingers again, and she was back in the van, gasping for air.
"What...what did you just do?" she asked, disoriented.
Kai smiled. "How was the water?"
Vanessa was confused. "The water? Where was I just...I thought I was in a river. I was drowning. Now you're telling me how was the water?"
Kai snapped his fingers again, and Vanessa felt herself being pulled under the water once more. Greg, sitting next to her, tried to speak up, "Hey, you little brat! What are you doing?"
Kai turned to him and said, "You should shut up." Greg tried to open his mouth again, but he couldn't. His tongue felt thick, and he was unable to speak.
The kidnappers sat in silence, looking around in fear. Their minds were racing, trying to process what was happening.
Vanessa was panting, horrified. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling. "How could you...how did you just do that?"
Kai looked at her, a hint of a smile on his face. "I'm your worst nightmare," he said. "I'm the light in that darkness."
Vanessa's eyes were wide with fear. "I just...I just wanted to show her a lesson," she stammered. "But now I see I was wrong. I shouldn't have messed with you."
Kai's expression was unyielding. "You shouldn't have messed with me long ago," he said. "Now you're trying to rattle yourself out of this. Come on."
The van was silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the kidnappers. Kai broke the silence. "Okay, let's do this. You will go to jail for kidnapping her. And you'll confess to that. If I don't see you in jail, I'll find you wherever you are. And don't think about skipping the country. I'll get you and bring you back and make you confess."
Vanessa thought to herself, I don't want to go to jail. I'm only twenty-three years old. My life is just beginning.
Kai looked at her, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Hm, you're twenty-three years old," he said.
Kai pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "I'm going to call the police now," he said. "You just sit tight."
In a nearby Mercedes Benz, Emily was startled and locked all the windows. She was alone in the car, thinking, I hope Kai gets out of this. I only saw him going into that van. What are they doing there so long? Maybe they're trying to kill him or something. Oh no, what am I thinking? Emily said to herself, Kai is going to be alright.
In the van, Kai said, "You three just sit tight." He looked at Vanessa and said, "Huh, Missus Makanda, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. And now you're going to go to jail."
Vanessa spoke out, desperation in her voice. "Please, anything but jail."
Kai's expression was unyielding. "No, I've made up my mind. Jail is for you."
Kai picked up his phone and called the police. "Hello, emergency services?" a voice answered.
"Yes, hello," Kai said. "I need to report a kidnapping. I have the kidnappers right here. They were trying to kidnap my girlfriend."
"Okay, sir, can you please give me your location?" the operator asked.
"We're on the corner of Kliprivier and Swartkoppies Road in Soweto," Kai replied.
"Alright, sir, help is on the way. Can you please stay on the line and keep the kidnappers contained until the police arrive?"
"Yes, I'll stay on the line," Kai said.
A few minutes passed, and then the sound of sirens filled the air. "Wee wee!" Kai stayed on the phone with the operator, waiting for the police to approach the van