A King's Ransom

by Shawn Bailey

  Everyone around nodded. Apparently, they all knew Ae-Jong very well.

  “No fuss,” Rin repeated.

  “Does he know about the three kings?” Ga asked.

  “Yes,” Rin answered. “Andrew was there when they paid me a visit recently. King Kashmi was only offering a mere ten Arabian horses for Jongie’s hand in marriage along with several gem mines. Andrew made it very clear that Ae-Jong was already spoken for.”

  It took a few minutes for the words to sink in. Prince Deming got the drift first. “You’re dating Ae-Jong?”

  “Yes,” Andy answered. No one seemed surprised that Ae-Jong was gay, not even the emperors or their wives.

  Prince Fai looked upset. Prince Cheng just smiled. Something told Andy that Cheng already knew this. “So, I would appreciate it if you fellows would stop allowing Ae-Jong to drink so much that he kisses other guys even though they’re just friends. And I’d like you all to continue to be his friend now that you know he’s off the market.”

  Jung-Woo chuckled. “I like a man with a firm hand. I am sure Ae-Jong will learn to behave on Andrew’s watch.”

  “Good luck,” Emperor Haung said to him. “Jongie is a handful. He has bewitched everyone in my palace. They all love him.”

  “Mine, too,” Emperor Ga said.

  “Has everyone forgotten that Ae-Jong is engaged to me?” Deming asked.

  “No,” Everyone said at the same time.

  “Maybe you two can settle it in the ring,” Cheng suggested. “The winner gets Ae-Jong.”

  “I am not a consolation prize,” a familiar voice said.

  Andy looked around. Ae-Jong had arrived looking fan-fucking-tastic in a white brocade suit with a royal blue tie. Andy felt his cock start to harden as Ae-Jong’s signature scent invaded his nostrils.

  “Of course not, Jongie,” Cheng said. “I was just joking. We were just getting to know your new manager. Unc was just telling us about him winning the King’s Ransom.”

  “Lucky strike,” Ae-Jong said.

  “You slept like a babe,” Ra teased. “Unfortunately, Ae-Jong has not been sleeping well lately. Perhaps he and his manager could spar a little.”

  “Ae-Jong will not be sparing with anyone except me,” Deming said. “He is going to be empress in my kingdom one day.”

  “I was five, Deming. Get over it,” Ae-Jong said.

  “A promise is a promise, Jongie,” Deming argued.

  “You two can settle this in the ring,” Cheng said.

  “I am a lover, not a fighter,” Deming admitted.

  “What about you, Fai?” Cheng asked.

  “Are you kidding? I might break a nail.”

  Ra smirked. “The ball is in your court, Prince Ae-Jong.”

  Ae-Jong turned to Andy. “I am sorry for being a brat, and for getting drunk and for allowing one of my friends to kiss me. I promise it will never happen again. Do you forgive me?”

  It was hard to say no since the gaze of all his friends and relatives were on him. “Yes.”

  Ae-Jong smiled at him.

  Andy was about to comment when all hell broke loose.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hundreds of masked ninjas entered the grand ballroom from the ceiling, catching everyone off guard, including Ra and the rest of the palace security. In a blink of an eye, Ae-Jong was plucked from his side and taken through the air by a masked guy riding on a repelling cord.

  Andy tried to run and catch him, but the thief was too quick and too high above the ground for him to reach.

  Ra had summoned the guards and dispatched them to go after the ninjas who had disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

  Edward came hurrying over with Noel. “What just happened?”

  “Ae-Jong has been kidnapped,” Ra answered for him.

  “Can you identify any of them?” Edward asked.

  “The guy who grabbed Ae-Jong was black,” Ra answered. “I saw his hand.”

  “That’s not much to go on,” Edward said.

  “Ae-Jong has been taken by a South African King,” Andy said.

  “But which one?” Jung-Woo asked frantically.

  “One rich enough to pull this off,” Andy said. “I’ll comb the entire African continent until I find him. Come on, Eddie.”

  “Damn,” Edward said. “Didn’t I just save Tomahiko from some lunatic?”

  “Where are you two going?” Noel asked.

  “Outside to search the perimeter,” Edward answered. “Luke, look after Noel and make sure he gets safely back to the hotel. And no kissing him.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Tomahiko asked.

  “Nothing, babe,” Luke assured his nearly six-foot-tall Japanese spouse. “Eddie is just being funny.”

  “No, I’m not,” Edward said as he and Andy ran out of the grand ballroom.

  It took a while to finally get out of the building. Unfortunately, the culprits were driving away. Andy took out his phone and got a picture of the insignia on the back of one of them and the license plate number. It had to be one of the kings pulling this kind of stunt because they were already in Seoul. Now he had to figure out which one and how they had gotten all of these ninjas past customs.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Republic of Zimbabwe, South Africa

  “What can I do for you fine gentlemen today?” Mayor Abebe Bayu asked in the Queen’s English. He spoke with a mixture of British and Shona accent.

  “I’m looking for my son,” Jung-Woo said in English. He passed a recent picture of Ae-Jong to the man.

  “Why would you think he is here in Harare?” Abebe asked. He passed the picture to the guy standing next to him.

  Andy noticed a leer on the man’s face as he passed Ae-Jong’s picture to the guy next to him.

  “Because recently three kings from this area visited my brother in South Korea, offering jewel mines and horses for him.”

  The men made lascivious jokes in their native language. Andy didn’t react.

  “Horse?” the mayor asked. “Is your son someone special?”

  “Yes, besides being my son, he is also a musician in my country.”

  Andy didn’t think the mayor knew that Jung-Woo was a South Korean prince. Edward had told them to keep their identities as low-key as possible.

  “There are many kings in this country. Do you happen to have their names?”

  “Yes, King Bello, King Contee, and King Kashmi.”

  That wiped the grins off of all the guards’ faces. The mayor’s, too. Some of the men began commenting again. Ae-Jong’s picture eventually made it back to Jung-Woo.

  “That is quite a list of names,” Abebe said. “They are very prominent businessmen in our country. All three have many beautiful wives. Why would one of them want a young man?”

  “Why do you think?” Andy finally said. “There are plenty of men in the world who enjoy the pleasure of another male. The last bid was several sapphire and ruby mines, and ten Arabian horses.”

  “Ten horses,” Abebe said like he didn’t believe him.

  “Yes,” Jung-Woo said.

  “How do you know that one of them have him?” Abebe said.

  “Because we got a good look at one of the guys on camera when we pulled the security tapes. They came through the ceiling of the place where we were celebrating my brother’s fortieth anniversary. My son had just performed. Several cars bearing this insignia were seen leaving the scene.” Jung-Woo showed the mayor the picture Andy had taken.

  “Many tribes have the same insignia, gentlemen.”

  The mayor was stalling. Andy hoped Edward was having better luck than them. He had called in a few favors and had some friends from the CIA working with him. Several months ago the same team helped him rescue Tomahiko Akiyama who’d been kidnapped by one of his ex-lovers.

  “I’m sorry we have not been much help,” the mayor said. “Africa is a big place. Your son could be anywhere.”

  Andy frowned. Nice try to throw us off track.


  Jung-Woo put the picture and the paper away. “Thank you very much, gentlemen, for your help.”

  What help?

  “Will you be in town long?” the mayor asked.

  “That depends on how long it takes for me to find my son,” Jung-Woo said. He stood and bowed and then turned and headed for the door.

  Andy and their interpreter, Celestine Ait followed. Celestine didn’t have to do a thing since the mayor spoke English. The three of them got into the car and drove back to the hotel. Edward and the others hadn’t returned.

  “What do you think?” Jung-Woo asked Celestine once they were back in Jung-Woo’s suite.

  “Unfortunately, the mayor was less than truthful. One of his guards recognized the insignia. It belongs to one of the youngest kings in South Africa. He is just twenty-six years old. He has a business degree which he earned at a university in the United States. He inherited most of his wealth from his family, but he is also a shrewd businessman. And he has invested wisely in real estate, oil and gold mines. His net worth is about a billion dollars.”

  “What is his name?” Jung-Woo asked.

  “Rozi Masvingo,” Celestine said.

  Masvingo? The name did not ring a bell. “Never heard of him,” Andy said. “He wasn’t one of the kings who visited us in Seoul or Hong Kong. How would he know about Ae-Jong?”

  Celestine shrugged. “One of the other kings must have bragged. You know how we men are.”

  Someone knocked at the door. Andy went to answer it. He found his cousin Edward on the other side. Andy put his finger to his lips so Eddie wouldn’t blurt out information. Even though they’d hired Celestine as a translator, it didn’t mean he could be trusted. He could be a plant.

  They left the foyer and went into the sitting room. Jung-Woo was still speaking with Celestine.

  Andy introduced him using a fake name. “This is my cousin, John,” he said to Celestine. John, this is our interpreter and translator, Celestine Ait.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Edward said.

  “Where is his palace located?” the prince asked.

  “In the desert,” Celestine answered. “It’s several days’ ride away by camel.”

  Camel? Andy never rode one of them before.

  Edward smirked at him. “Greenhorn.”

  “How far by car?” Jung-Woo asked.

  “Several hours through the hot desert,” Celestine answered.

  Edward pulled out a map of the area from behind the sofa and laid it down on the table. He gave Celestine a pen. “Show us.”

  Celestine drew the route from the hotel to the palace. He pointed. “Here.”

  “Have you been there before?” Edward asked.

  “Yes, once when his father was alive and in power. The palace is heavily guarded.” He drew a guard stand and a gate in front of the palace and one above in back of the palace. “The place sits at the edge of the desert and behind the buildings is a wooded area loaded with wild animals. You’ll be seen before you get near.”

  “I wonder if the good mayor can get us an invitation,” Jung-Woo said.

  “I doubt it,” Celestine replied. “He’s not very well liked.”

  Andy tried not to smile. It did not surprise him that Mayor Abebe was a crooked politician.

  “Rozi is not going to let you just show up there uninvited,” Celestine said. “If he’s kidnapped your son then he is expecting you to come hunting for him, so he’s not going to make it easy for you to get him back.”

  “Thanks for the information,” Jung-Woo said. He handed Celestine a bag of gold.

  Celestine bowed. “Thank you. Just call me if you need me.”

  Andy walked him to the door to make sure he left. When he returned, he found Edward making a sweep of the hotel room for microphones.

  “So how are we supposed to get to Ae-Jong?” Jung-Woo asked.

  “I have a plan,” Edward said.

  For the next hour, Edward filled him and Jung-Woo in on what was about to take place. It sounded dangerous to Andy. He supposed now he’d have to finally use all the skills his family had trained him to do.

  * * * *

  “I don’t know what Rozi sees in you,” Yuna said to Ae-Jong in English.

  Ae-Jong had been at Rozi’s palace for at least two days, and Yuna was the only person allowed to speak to him. Yuna, he’d discovered, was Rozi’s number one wife. She was older than him, Rubenesque and wore her hair natural and pulled to the top of her head in a thick bun. She was dressed in what he thought was traditional garb, a short-sleeved print skirt set, and sandals. The skirt came down below the knees, and the top stretched across her ample bosom. Yuna appeared to be the jealous type.

  She placed a tray of food down on the table in the room. He was in luck, everything he’d been served so far was vegetarian.

  Ae-Jong was in a room fit for a prince. Besides the bed and table, there was artwork on the walls, carpet on top of hardwood floors, a dresser, and a private bath. Unfortunately, armed guards stood outside the door so he couldn’t escape. “Thank you,” Ae-Jong said. He lifted the fork and sampled the dish. It tasted of coconut and plantains. It would do. He knew if he was going to survive this ordeal, he had to keep his strength up.

  Yuna watched him while he ate. “You don’t even have breasts.”

  She had enough for both of them. “That’s because I’m a boy.”

  Yuna hissed at him. “Does Rozi know this?”

  Ae-Jong nodded. “Yes.”

  “You have bewitched my husband with your beautiful face and shiny black hair. You can’t give him sons, and you don’t have a pussy.”

  Ae-Jong cringed. “Your husband knows that, yet he took me away from my home and my family.” He went back to eating. “Where am I anyway?”

  “In Rozi’s palace in the desert,” Yuna answered.

  “What country?” Ae-Jong asked.

  “South Africa,” Yuna told him.

  “Will you help me escape?”

  Yuna frowned. “Sorry, no. Rozi would kill me if I interfered.” She paused. “Are you rich? Maybe that’s is why you were taken. Yes, that must be it.”

  Ae-Jong didn’t want to bust her bubble, so he lied. “Yes, that’s the reason why.” There were plenty of men like Rozi who were married, but who craved sex with other men. Ae-Jong finished his meal and drank the soda. Rozi had tried to get him to drink water yesterday, but Ae-Jong had refused. No offense, but he only drank bottled water.

  Yuna left, taking his tray and empty plate with her.

  Ae-Jong looked around. Trying to escape was futile. The room had no window. His only two chances were to surrender to this Rozi person or to try to run away.

  Ae-Jong didn’t know how many hours went by. He’d taken a nap, and the sound of the door opening woke him up. Ae-Jong sat up. Rozi appeared with two young women. He said something to them in their native language. The young women looked at Ae-Jong, and then at Rozi. One of them said something to him.

  Rozi laughed. “She wants to know if you’re really a young man.”

  Ae-Jong yawned. “Yes.” Why did he have to go through this everywhere he went?

  Rozi introduced them. “This is Arjana and Candis, two of my wives. His name is Ae-Jong. They are here to prepare you for me.”

  Ae-Jong knew what that meant. Rozi wasn’t bad to look at. In fact, he was quite handsome, around his age and appeared to have a decent body under his native garb. Both young women were cute and wore their hair in braids. They wore skirt sets similar to Yuna’s but in different colors and prints. They all had very dark skin and coarse hair.

  Rozi continued speaking to the two women. Both left the room, leaving him alone with Rozi. “I will promise to be gentle with you.”

  “Why do you assume that I’d let another male fuck me?” Ae-Jong asked.

  Rozi looked shocked. “You are not gay?”

  Ae-Jong frowned at him. “Even if I am or not, that is no excuse to take me from my home. Why did you do it? It’s not like you
need the money.”

  “Because those bastards Kashmi and Contee were both bragging about finding a peder male in Asia they were trying to buy so they can have the best of both worlds. I listened to their story about how they followed you from Hong Kong to South Korea and learned that you were a prince of Seoul. I did a little research over the internet and found you, and then I sent my men for you.”

  Ae-Jong guessed peder meant gay in this country. “So, you went to all of this trouble just to best them?”

  “We have always been very competitive. I am richer than they are, so I should have the male lover they are fighting over.”

  “Have you ever been with a guy before?” Ae-Jong asked.

  “No, but how much different can it be than having intercourse with a virgin?”

  “Different hole,” Ae-Jong said.

  Rozi smiled at him. “I have eight wives, and I’ve taken each and every one of them that way. I am not some uneducated human. I know which hole I have to fuck.”

  This one wasn’t going to be a pushover. “What would you say if I told you that I already have a lover that I need to stay faithful to?”

  “Do you?” Rozi asked.

  Ae-Jong nodded.

  Rozi laughed. “Too bad. He is not here, so you’re still stuck with me.”

  Ae-Jong didn’t know if he could have sex with anyone who wasn’t Andrew Green. Just thinking about how disappointed Andrew was when he saw Fai kissing him made Ae-Jong sad. He bet having intercourse with another guy, even if he was in this situation, would surely mean the end of their relationship. Ra told him that tops were very territorial about their bottoms, knew them by their scents and would not like another man fucking them.

  The two young women returned with clothing and toiletries.

  “Wash him from head to toe,” Rozi said to them.

  “I am perfectly capable of bathing myself,” Ae-Jong said.

  “Are you embarrassed because they are female?” Rozi asked. “Or would you prefer that I do it?”

  Ae-Jong inched back on the bed.

  “I have embarrassed you?” Rozi asked.

  “No,” Ae-Jong lied. “I am used to male attendants.”

  “I have many guards outside this door, but I doubt if you’d want one of them to see you naked.”