Lieutenant Vee couldn’t remember what happened or where he was or who he was with. He woke up dazed and confused from whatever they used to drug him. It took him a while to calm down and actually find himself. This time he woke up sitting up straight, with his hands bound behind him and his feet tied to the floor. He couldn’t move his legs and feet just in case he wished to start kicking and screaming.

He wondered how long he was out for and whether it was day or night. At least he wasn’t lying face down on the cold surface anymore. He actually felt the warmth of an air conditioner, but he was still thirsty and hungry. The worst part was that he could smell food in the vehicle they were travelling in and he sure could use some grub.

He wanted to signal his captors and make them aware of the impending predicament regarding his stomach. But then again, he thought these guys might not be so friendly, after all, they did kidnap him.

Lieutenant Vee thought he wouldn’t bother his captors on the account that he was trained for such situations. His body and mind was always ready. He had been ready for this moment ever since he rescued his brother from Nigerian kingpins, from the sweaty jungles of Nigeria to the urban streets of Lagos.

His brother, maThousan’, made a deal with Nigerian drug lords to exchange 300kg of cocaine for guns. maThousan’ was supposed to come up with the guns, but decided to double cross the Nigerian drug lords and keep both the cocaine and guns. He thought he would slip out of Nigeria quietly without anyone ever suspecting a thing, but that’s where he was dead wrong.

You can’t just come in Nigeria and kill a bunch of their people and steal their drugs and make a clean getaway without setting off any alarms. maThousan’ made it to the harbour but after that it was all a blur. The Nigerians drugged him and he crashed his car at the entrance to the harbour. His car went off the road and he crashed into a large container containing cargo and he passed out and woke up with his friend’s heads on spikes and two of his fingers cut off. The Nigerians claimed they would cut him into a thousand pieces so he could take after his name. maThousan’ gets his name from his old days of selling cocaine on the streets.

He was the first hommie in his hood to slang dope (sell cocaine) and he made so much money that he would carry a thousand Rands in each and every pocket he had. He used that money to make more money and when he figured he made enough money he managed to convince Lieutenant Vee to join in on the fun and even dropped out of school. maThousan’ figured there’s nothing there that they can teach him that he doesn’t already know. Besides, he only wanted to do business studies and he excelled at it at school so there’s no need to go after a diploma when you can spend all that time you spend at school applying the knowledge you have gathered from there and start making real money in the real world.

After maThousan’ was captured by the Nigerians his brother and his quadrant who were stationed in Nigeria. At the time Lieutenant Vee received word that maThousan’ has been captured and they went in guns blazing. Lieutenant Vee has always dabbed his feet in both sides of the law, but in the recent years he has tried to be a model citizen. He doesn’t see the need to commit crimes anymore because he is richer than his wildest dreams and he actually got away with those crimes. What more could he possibly want? Little did he know, that his past was about to catch up with him.

Lieutenant Vee dozed off for a few minutes and when he came to, he heard one of his captors on the phone.

“Yes sah! No sah!”

He was not giving up any information, until…

“Yes, sah! I am sure this is the Wingman, sah! He has the tattoos to prove it, sah!”

These people knew exactly who he was if they referred to him by his gang name. He thought that he might even get out of this alive. But then he started coughing violently and started moving around to the point where his captors could clearly see that he was wide awake. The vehicle stopped moving and the door right next to Lieutenant Vee opened. Someone rolled him to the side and lieutenant Vee started feeling cold, then a bit warm.

He fell asleep right away.

***

Tell us: What do you think is happening to Lieutenant Vee?