(This is the first excerpt from the soon-to-be-launched book on dancehall superstar Beenie Man, entitled Who Am I?: The Untold Story of Beenie Man (Great House, Kingston, Jamaica). Over the following weeks, Sunday Entertainment will give our readers excerpts from this biography written by journalist Milton Wray.)
"Open the b@&&^ c@#%* car!" barked one of the gunmen, his hand steadily holding his pistol. He pointed the gun directly at her pregnant abdomen. Jacqueline was frightened, and with trembling fingers she fumbled with the car key until she managed to insert it into the keyhole and unlock the door of her Honda. It was approaching late evening. The shopping plazas in Half-Way-Tree were still teeming with shoppers, but no one seemed to notice.
She had come to the shops to fill her prescription for the iron tablets, recommended by her prenatal caregivers. Just minutes before, she had made her purchase, with no premonitions, no warning of the danger that awaited her in the parking lot, where the hoodlums had been lurking.
"Woman, go inna de r@&& c@#%* car and drive!" one of the gunmen demanded. Jackie winced at his shiny, silver-looking gun. "Okay, okay, don-t shoot," she begged nervously, stiffly sliding into the driver-s seat of the car. The man with the silver-looking gun slid in beside her, while his accomplice opened the back door and frantically ducked.
"Drive!" the gunman ordered menacingly, his gun trained on her belly. She felt she had invited this upon herself. She had always worn too much jewellery. She loved jewellery. After all, she owned her own store and chose the finest and richest pieces for herself, even when she was dressed casually. She never gave enough thought to the possibility of being targeted. But it was her jewellery that had attracted these thugs now, and they didn-t care that she was pregnant.
Her heart was pounding violently, her knees weak as she steered out of the parking lot. A million questions raced through her mind. If they wanted her jewellery, they could have snatched the necklaces, watch and bracelets and disappeared. They clearly were not after her jewellery. So what exactly did they want? Were they assassins sent to extinguish her for some foul reason of which she was unaware? Who would be behind such a sinister plot? She checked the mirror for the face of the man in the back, but it was unfamiliar. Neither was she familiar with the face beside her. Both were just featureless masses of danger. She had to be brave. She was certain she was quivering, but she had to be brave. "What unnu want?" she stammered, as the car headed down busy Half-Way-Tree Road.
"Just shut yu mouth and drive the car," snapped the one in the back. Jackie could see his face in her mirror now. He was as ugly as his voice. The other one, the one with the silver-looking gun, was younger.
She thought of Beenie Man. He would be devastated by her death. They were living together now, sharing a life as they prepared for the arrival of their newborn, the bundle of joy that would seal their bond. With one hand on the steering wheel, she brought her free hand to her tummy. Her baby.
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