Jabali's Redemption - Episode 29

 

A loud bang had Neema and Jabali springing apart from their embrace. It seemed to be coming from somewhere upstairs. Neema distractedly touched her lips still feeling Jabali’s kiss even after they had separated.

‘Did you hear that?’ Jabali asked his whole-body turning tense and focused she wondered if he had been affected by the kiss like her, ‘it sounded like a window breaking, stay here,’ he pushed her behind him and started to walk away but Neema held his wrist back. She remembered the man on the garden earlier and her blood ran cold . That man could do serious damage to Jabali and she didn’t want that.

‘No Jabali don’t go,’ she held on to his arm shaking her head.

He turned towards her, ‘What is it Neema? Why do you have that look in your face? Did something happen?’

‘Yesterday in the garden, I thought I saw someone…I…’ she trailed off avoiding his piercing gaze

‘Why didn’t you say something? you could have been seriously hurt. Stay here I have to check the noise out,’ he tried to pry himself from his grasp but she dug her fingers deep into his flesh, holding him tightly.

‘No,’ she said stubbornly, ‘I will not let you put yourself in danger,’

The rough lines in Jabali’s face softened and he turned towards her, ‘It will be fine,’ with a light peck on her lips he had managed to free himself from her grasp, ‘stay here,’ in a flash he was gone, leaving her alone in the brightly lit kitchen.

Neema didn’t waste a second, she took off after him, the heavy knife back at her hand. By the time she had reached the bedroom Jabali was dialing his phone and talking rapidly to it

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/jabali-s-redemption

. The wide window glass had been broken and the splinters had fallen inside the bedroom. A paper wrapped on the small stone sat neatly on the carpeted floor. She made her way to it, her heart thumping loudly.

‘Don’t touch that, this is a crime scene,’ Jabali held her from behind preventing her from bending and picking up the stone, ‘come sit down, you are shaking so much,’ he led her to a sofa inside the bedroom. He turned back to his phone after seeing her seated.

‘Yes, I need the police here right now, my home has been attacked and my wife was nearly assaulted yesterday in our own garden.’ Jabali turned back to his phone barking at the person on the other end.

‘Yes, at the Kasri mansion…okay…’ the call ended and he threw it on the bed turning back to Neema, he sat beside her and pulled her to into his arms. He had thrown on a t shirt and Neema nearly crawled into him. Who could be doing this? Her gaze fell on the paper wrapped on the rock and wondered if there is a message to it. She should read it. Was she going to be assaulted again? Was someone stalking her? Was it Majid? Or someone else. What was she going to do?

‘Stop thinking about it Neema, no one will hurt you again, I promise you that.’ Jabali growled into her hair, his arms tightening around her,

‘What if you are wrong? Majid nearly did it the first time.’ She asked in a trembling voice,

Jabali sat up straight and turned her directly to him, ‘I will double the security, I will use all of my resources to find the person behind this. He won’t get away with bullying you. No one will get away.’ He said with much conviction that Neema felt tears prickling her eyes, her gaze turning hazy, ‘don’t cry. It breaks everything in me to see you in tears,’

‘What if you…get hurt in the process?’ she asked her voice breaking, she just realized she would be broken if something happened to Jabali. She couldn’t lose him. The thought scared Neema more than anything.

Jabali released a half smile, ‘Nothing will happen to me, don’t worry sweetheart.’

Suddenly the shrill sound of police sirens was heard, ‘they are here,’

They both went downstairs and found the house helps were also awake and were huddled outside the door together whispering silently.

‘Neema, I came as fast as I heard. Are you okay? ‘Officer Mukabi’s was the first to step off the police jeep when it stopped in front of the house. He was accompanied by two other officers whose sharp eyes looked around the compound.

‘Yes, Officer,’ under the security lights on the front porch Neema could see the obvious stress marks marring the older man’s face. Neema knew that her mama would hear about her attack. Officer Mr. Mukabi never kept much from her mama. Jabali was talking to the other two officers.

‘Officers if you follow me, I will show you the vandalized room,’ Jabali cleared his throat and faced Mr. Mukabi head on, his hard gaze speculative.

‘Sure,’ Mr. Mukabi squeezed Neema’s hand and followed Jabali inside the house.

The officers inspected the room while taking notes and talking in low tones. Neema huddled by the door and gave her statement about her attack the previous day. Jabali gave his account and hardly left her side, Neema didn’t know how much she would need his support. Seeing police officer brought back a lot of memories about her attack years ago, how Jabali had saved her in a nick of time before Majid had done his worst. She was beaten and battered by that psychopath. Jabali had rushed her to the hospital and called the police to report the matter.

‘Neema, can I speak to you privately?’ Officer Mukabi looked at her closing his notebook. He cast Jabali a sideway look and Jabali refused to bulge from her side. Neema understood Jabali’s doubt on the older man. After her attack by Majid all those years back Neema had to withdraw her case from the police station because Mr. Mukabi begged her mama and her not to take Majid to court. Jabali had been so furious and he didn’t understand why Neema withdrew the case and Majid was free to walk away with no consequence to his heinous action. Naiti had been worse, he had hunted Majid down and did some serious damage to him.

‘She is my wife, whatever you want to say to her you can say to me too,’ Jabali pulled her closer,

Officer Mukabi sighed, his deep frown deepening, ‘That is fine as well, is should congratulate you on your marriage, when your mama told me you two were married, I thought it was a joke.’ He chuckled. Neema smiled sadly at him.

‘It was a secret wedding. We have not yet announced it to the public,’ she answered, she hoped her mama had not divulged all the details about her hurried nuptials to Jabali. That would be embarrassing.

‘I noticed you were limping, are you okay?’ Mr. Mukabi pointed a walkie talkie to her injured leg,

‘Um…I slipped and fell sometime back. It has nothing to do with the garden attack,’ she explained embarrassed of her clumsiness.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked again throwing a suspicious look at Jabali, ‘you know that you can trust me right,’

‘Are you speculating something here officer?’ Jabali was now annoyed that Mr. Mukabi was accusing him of something and he didn’t hide it.

‘am concerned for Neema that is all,’ the older man replied in a terse tone, ‘she is practically my daughter and I have to know if she is safe with you or not.’

‘She is my wife,’ Jabali answered back and Neema decided to intervene before things got worse.

‘Jabali can I have a word with Officer Mukabi in private?’ after a few seconds of stare down between Jabali and Officer Mukabi. Her husband decided to leave them alone for a few seconds.

‘I will be outside the door if you need anything,’ he whispered and left slightly squeezing her arm in support.

Officer Mukabi released a relieved sigh after the bedroom locked, ‘Neema, I am worried for you. Staying here in this large house alone and this hurried marriage. You are doing everything opposite of your character and I am concerned,’

Neema smiled at the concern of the man, her heart warmed. Officer Mukabi was not a bad person. He had helped her family countless times in the past and it seemed he was never going to stop.

‘You shouldn’t be so worried. Jabali is a good man, he will take care of me,’

‘I don’t know Neema, I feel like there is something you are not telling me.

Read " The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior " by the same author ( Razia Iminza )

. ‘

‘Am sorry Mr. Mukabi, I should have informed you of my marriage to Jabali but it was hurried and we wished to keep it close to us. I should have told you, being part of my family,’ Neema paused waiting for thunder to strike her where she stood. She was spewing lies after lies. Though she was honest about Mr. Mukabi being part of her family. She wondered how he viewed her. Was he judging her of getting married to her brother’s killer?

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Hey Ebonites.

It has been long and i am really sorry for not aploading. Life has been a bit rough on my part but that is not an excuse to keep you waiting for this long. I am deeply sorry. I will try to make up for it.

Always i adore you guys so much.