EPISODE 1
It was a beautiful Friday evening.
Time: 7pm. The streets of
Ikorodu were busy as usual,
different kinds of people. The
conductors were shouting at the
top of their voices trying to
outdo each other in the clamor
for passengers. People hurrying
in opposite directions. Many
were corporately dressed trying
to catch the next available bus to
their final destinations, after a
hard day’s job. Agric Bus Stop
arguably boasted of one of the
highest number of people that
lived in Ikorodu. A market
woman screamed at a man who
was half running to catch a bus
that had just one more seat left,
and in the process, scattered
some of her fresh peppers on
the ground.
“Oloshi..Oloriburuku…Weyrey!!!”
she screamed obscenities at the
man at the top of her lungs. The
culprit was already in the bus. If
he heard the curses rained on
him, he didn’t show it. I smiled
wryly, bent and began helping
the woman pick the pepper
scattered on the floor. I washed
my hands with the water she
provided and continued on my
way home. I was feeling
particularly happy though. I had
just experienced a wonderful
time in the arms of my
heartthrob. I called in sick from
work and had spent the past
5hours with her. She was going
to be away for quite a while,
studying for her Masters in
Canada. I had a quick flash back
in my subconscious. The smile
grew wider.
I crossed to the other side of the
road. I needed to take a “keke
napep” to the entrance of my
street. I still had a little bit of
distance to cover so I increased
my pace. I wondered why there
were so much people in this part
of Lagos. It is the outskirts of the
commercial center of the city and
yet it was a host to a lot of new
tenants every day. I dreamt of
one day owning plots of land in
Banana Island, having properties
on Queens Drive Ikoyi or even a
big Hotel in Lekki. Not this
dumpster I had to hide in
because of my past.
“Owa o.” I said to the driver as I
got to my bus stop. I paid him,
collected my change and
watched as he zoomed off. I
waited patiently at the bus stop
for the road to clear so I could
cross and enter my street. I was
still waiting there when all of a
sudden, a black tinted Toyota
camry screeched to a stop in
front of me. The back door
yanked open and a huge man,
dark glasses, wearing a mafia
suit came out of the car, gave me
a blinding slap and then bundled
me inside the car. The car sped
off. All happened in seconds.
My head was ringing; I felt bl0*d
on my lips. I touched my lower
lip. There was a little cut and it
was a bit swollen. It took a while
for my eyes to readjust to the
darkness inside the car. I was
sandwiched between two huge
men. The one who hit me was on
my right. I could tell because he
still had his glasses on. I studied
my environment trying to make
out any detail that would help
me. The dimly lit car did not help
matters. Two guys. I guessed
they were thugs. The other guy
wore a body hugging t-shirt,
silver necklace and had a huge
mustache. He was smoking and
did not seem to care about me.
The driver wore a face cap. Met
his eyes about once or twice
from the rear view mirror. There
was no other passenger in front.
I could feel the eyes of my captor
on me. I wanted to speak but
was afraid to. I opened my
mouth. Nothing came out. I was
still in a state of shock. I quickly
said a prayer for God to forgive
me of my sins. I was too young
too die. Different thought
crossed my mind. These guys
looked a little bit sophisticated. I
did not owe any one money. I
did not do any bad deals. Had my
old life finally caught up with me?
I managed to catch a glimpse of
the macho’s wristwatch. It was
pure gold. Welders. Were they
ritual killers? I shuddered at the
thought. So this was how I was
going to die?
We were driving at high speeds,
avoiding the small roads and
sticking to the freeway. My eyes
were accustomed to the dimly lit
vehicle. I decided if I was going
to die, I should at least know
what was happening. As I made
to open my mouth, Macho man’s
phone rang.
“Hello ma. Yes ma’am, we got the
package. Okay ma.”
The other guy finished his
cigarette and lit another one.
Package? Am I the package? A
woman was calling the shots?
I decided to be brave.
“Good evening sir. Please sir
what I have I done? Where are
you taking me? I beg you in the
name…” I began to say, facing
Macho man. naijacard.com
The smoking thug gave me a
powerful back hand slap to the
side of my face.
Episode 2
The room was spacious and
wide. Exotic furniture neatly
arranged at the corners of the
huge sitting room. The blinds
were slightly drawn allowing a
trickle of early morning sun into
the room. There was a huge
plasma on the wall and a bar to
its left. The walls were painted
white with an accent of bl0*d
red here and there in the room.
The blinds were red, the couch,
the reclining chair, the little table
and even the bar was painted
red. Every other thing was in
pure white including the ceiling.
Sophia paced uneasily to and fro.
She had a bottle of Baileys on
one hand and a wine cup in the
other. She was restless. She was
worried. Bruno and Marshal
were yet to get back to her. This
was a simple mission. Get the
boy, and bring him to the safe
house. She did not trust those
fools but they had been highly
recommended by Gambo. Now
they were nowhere to be found.
Her phone rang again, it was the
General. She had this strong
desire not to answer the phone.
But the General always knew. She
answered it on the first ring.
“What is the situation on ground,
S?” The General asked. She could
see the wrinkles on his forehead.
The General always knew. She
was sure he already knew what
the situation was. He had spies
everywhere. That was why he
was called the General. Everyone
feared him. No one dared him.
Very few people have met him.
And the General hardly calls.
When he did, there was trouble.
“The situation is under control
sir.” Sophia answered.
“I did not ask if the situation was
under control. I asked WHAT the
situation is. I am going to call you
pretty soon. You had better have
an answer for me.” He said and
hung up.
Typical General. Always the last to
speak and never failing to seize
an opportunity to keep you edgy.
She knew that he knew that the
fools she had sent to bring in the
boy were MIA. This was her first
major assignment. She really did
not want to flop. She originally
wanted to take a subtle measure.
Lure him in with some girl. But
that would take time and there
was a chance he would not fall
for the bait. Force was the only
option.
They had been watching Sean for
three months now, twenty four
hours round the clock. They had
a different agent on him every
six hours. He had been chosen as
the ideal candidate. Perfect
height. Perfect age. Perfect face,
countenance, education and
work orientation. All that
remained was to determine his
lifestyle and how a typical day for
Sean looked like. Sophia spent
hours going over each agent’s
report about Sean. She was
always with her radio; the agents
would phone in to say that Sean
had changed routine or gone
somewhere away from their
jurisdiction. This was where her
leadership came in. She would
order them to follow or let him
be. She had pulled her strings
twice. Sean had made plans to
travel out of the city. He had
bought a ticket to fly to Abuja.
This was going to put a huge
hole in their plans. He had to be
kept in the city at all costs. A call
was made to the General. Sean
was held back at work and
denied leave to travel. Another
time, his office had made plans
for his department to travel for a
refresher course in Kenya. Sophia
was informed. The trip was
terminated. They had contacts
everywhere including the
government. When they wanted
something, they always got it.
They had considered kidnapping
his girlfriend. The General did not
want the silly police force
involved. They would just be
crawling everywhere, impeding
progress. This was going to be a
snatch and grab operation. Very
few witnesses, if any. Sean lived a
reckless life. His mother hardly
monitored him. She believed he
was capable of handling himself.
They sometimes went three
weeks without communicating.
He had no close friends. His
girlfriend was travelling out of
the country. She was the only
worry. A slight worry that could
be easily fixed.
So they had decided to ‘grab’
Sean. They waited patiently for
the opportunity. A black Toyota
Prado was parked across the
street opposite New Inn, the
hotel that Sean and his girlfriend
were in. They waited for five
hours, listening in on their
conversation and their s-x. Sean
had been bugged. As usual.
There was a different agent
every day and a different agent
for this purpose. A handshake, a
hug, a collision, whatever
brought physical contact. And
they were good. The microchip
was planted on him. The
transmitter was live. Sean never
suspected anything. They most
times knew of his plans for the
next day. So they had planned
the smash and grab to
perfection. They knew he was
going home to see his mother
that evening. They knew his
girlfriend was going out of the
country. They knew he would
always wait to cross the road
when he got down from the
“keke napep”. That was when
they would strike. They only
hoped that he would not cross
the road too soon or decide not
to go home. If that happened
they would have to hatch
another plan.
A Toyota Camry was at Agric bus
stop waiting for the signal to
know when they would move.
The Toyota Prado trailed the bus
Sean was in. It was easy. Sophia
was listening in the whole time
via radio communication. She
chipped in orders here and there
and monitored the whole
operation. The Toyota Camry
traced the “keke-napep”,
increased speed when Sean got
off and picked him up at the bus
stop. It was done. Mission
accomplished. She called Marshal
to confirm if he had the package.
He was positive. The journey
would take approximately 8
hours. They knew that. All
contingency measures had been
put in place. All possible
loopholes were closed and taken
care of. And if anything else came
up unexpectedly out of the blues,
there was Bruno. He was the
brain. He had the ability of split
second thinking. He was able to
come up with ideas to go past
seemingly impassable hurdles.
But Sophia did not envision any
problems. She had spoken to
Marshal again at 2am when they
were leaving Benin City, Edo
State. All was going smoothly. She
had decided to take a much
needed nap.
She woke at 5am and found 7
missed calls and a message on
her phone. All were from Bruno.
She checked the time of the calls.
3:19 am. She checked the
message:
“Mission in jeopardy. Bees on tail.
Taking precaution.”
She panicked. She called the
number. Switched off. poo! Why
wasn’t she awake? She was
angry with herself. She did not
panic. The ability to keep cool
under life threatening pressure
was one of the abilities required
of the agents at her level of
clearance. She took a bottle of
Baileys from the bar and calmed
her nerves with the creamy
alcohol. She was pacing and
thinking. Then the General called
and almost made her lose her
wits. She was not called The Iron
Lady for nothing. She thought for
a while.
She called Gbenga.
“Gbenga. Yes. Take an SUV.
Government plates. Take the
mission route to Benin, Edo state.
Sniff out Marshal and Bruno.
Keep your eyes open and you
head low. This is a Code Yellow.
And take Mark with you.”
She hung up.
She sat down and crossed her
legs, the bottle in one hand and
the wine glass in the other. She
tried to think of possible
occurences that may have made
Bruno call her. Bruno was
capable. He was one of the
candidates in line to succeed her.
She shrugged. She decided to
ease off. She took the home
theater remote and pressed play.
Yanni’s attraction played from
the speakers. Soulful jazz. It
helped her relax. naijacard.com
Just then the door opened.
Bruno entered, covered in mud
and dirt.
Episode 3
I woke up with a banging
headache. My stomach churned
and my throat was dry. I was
very thirsty. I squinted, trying to
adjust to the brightness of the
room. I was sitting on a wooden
chair, my hands tied at my back.
It was a tiny room. The only piece
of furniture was the one I was
seated on. My shoes had been
removed. I raised my head and
looked around. There was a pile
of plywood to my left. A water
dispenser was by the iron door.
There was a tiny bed to my far
right which could only take one
person comfortably. d–n, I was
hungry. I tried to recollect what
happened and how I got here. It
was all fuzzy. I tasted the dry
bl0*d on the cut on my swollen
lower lip. I silently cursed the
Macho man who hit me.
I had to get out of here. With the
tip of my fingers, I felt the tape
used to tie my hands. Masking
tape. I looked around for any
shred of metal I could use to
loosen myself. None. I tried to
force the masking tape off me by
pulling my hands apart. I
groaned and struggled. It did not
come off. The 100 watt bulb was
blinding my eyes. There were no
windows and the fan was
blowing at a very irritating low
rate, making funny noises. Tiny
drops of sweat formed on my
forehead.
What time was it? Where was I?
Was this where I was going to
die? Is this the slaughter house?
All these questions ran through
my head in milliseconds. I started
crying. I was weak, hungry and
afraid. I was not going to die
here I told myself. I looked round
the tiny room again. This time I
looked very slowly and very
carefully. As I looked past the
door, something shiny caught my
eyes. There was a part of the
door which had a little
protrusion. It looked sharp. It
was very small, like a design of
some sort. This could work I told
myself. I had watched The
Avengers where Black Widow
was held captive in a similar
situation when a call came
through to her. Her deft mastery
of martial arts helped her escape
and defeat her captors. I wished
I knew martial arts. I prayed
quickly and silently. And I lifted
myself up with the chair. The
wooden chair was not heavy
after all! I hopped and hopped
and hopped. Finally, I got to the
position of the shrapnel looking
protrusion on the door and
turned my back against it. I tried
to locate the shrapnel by trying
to feel the door, my hands still
tied behind the chair.
“Fvck!” I cursed. The shrapnel cut
my finger. I felt the warm fluid
trickle out. I wanted to suck it to
stop the bleeding. I could not. I
continued, trying to trace the
shrapnel and get it to where I
could successfully pierce the
tape. I found it. I tried to pierce
the masking tape with the
shrapnel.
“Ahhhh..Fvck! God!” I cried as the
shrapnel cut my palm. I could feel
bl0*d oozing out. I smiled. The
masking tape was loose. I quickly
freed my hands from the chair
and got up. My palm was hurting.
I cut some foam from the bed on
the floor and tried to clean the
bl0*d. I cut more foam and
cleaned the drops of bl0*d on
the floor too. I scrutinized the
area to see if any changes could
be easily noticed. It was not.
I bent my neck at the dispenser
and opened the tap. The taste of
cold water was soothing. I had
my fill and let out a loud belch. I
saw the bed and a huge desire
to just lie down on it came over
me. But a lot of work was yet to
be done. And if I was found
unbound and on the bed, the
next restraint they would put on
me would not be a masking tape.
I carried the wooden chair back
to the exact spot it was kept
initially and sat on in. I paced the
room, deep in thought and trying
to work out a plan. I can’t die
now, I told myself, shaking my
head. I was just 27. In my prime.
I meant so much to my mum. My
girlfriend would break down if
anything happened to me. The
office would freeze for at least a
week before they could get
themselves back up. I had to do
somwthing. But what? I put my
head on the dispenser bottle and
tears trickled down my eyes. I
prayed to God to forgive me my
sins and that I would dedicate
my life to him if I ever got out of
this alive. My nose ran. I dragged
it in.
Just then I heard footsteps. And
then the footsteps got closer.
Designer shoes. Maybe cowboy
boots. It could also be a woman
in high heels. But from the
sounds I heard, I knew that there
was a corridor of some sort
outside this door, which was
either tiled or very smooth. I
made to resume my prayers on
the dispenser when I heard the
jangle of a bunch of keys and a
key go into the lock. I
immediately rushed to the chair,
sat down and put my hands
behind the chair, in the position I
was left making sure I didn’t
make a sound. The Iron door
opened and someone stepped in,
closing it behind him. The door
made a soft thud when it closed.
I kept my head low, my heart
was pounding so hard in my
chest I was afraid he would hear
it. There was a moment of
silence. I could feel his eyes all
over me, trying to survey me. He
kicked my legs gently. He kicked
again. Then he came closer.
“Hey” He said tapping my chin. I
kept mute.
“Hey! Boy!” He said louder, this
time tapping my chin a bit harder
twice and lifting my face up.
I pretended to be waking from
sleep. I opened my eyes slowly. It
was Macho man. My heart beat
faster. This brute of a man was
so merciless. I still remembered
the ringing slap he gave me
hours ago. I groaned.
“We are leaving” He said.
I dropped my head again as if I
was fainting. He stooped to look
at me, a certain worry in his eyes.
That was his mistake.
I don’t know where I got the
courage or the idea. I felt this
sudden rush of adrenaline and I
was not even thinking about my
actions. Even I could not believe
it. As he stooped to look at me, I
freed my hands from the back of
the chair and gave him two
heavy slaps on each eye. I put all
the power and force I could get
into the slaps. I was afraid I had
blinded him. He screamed and
held his face. I pushed the chair
back and landed a huge kick to
his ball5. He fell on the ground
gasping for air. I made for the
door but he held my leg. I turned
and kicked his hand with all the
might I could muster. He was still
gasping for air. I got to the door,
turned the handle and bolted.
The corridor was long, with
doors left and right. The floor
was tiled and clean. It looked like
an apartment in progress that
was nearing completion. I got to
the end of the corridor and
opened the door. The Toyota
Camry that picked me was
parked neatly inside the
compound. It was not a very
huge compound. The floor was
interlocked with bricks. I dashed
to the gate, got out and
continued to run. I had no idea
where I was going.
I was on a small pathway that
could barely take two cars. There
were bushed all around. No trace
of civilization. I looked farther
ahead. Nothing. Just a lonely
pathway with bushes
everywhere. I was getting tired. I
had been running for a while. I
had no phone. My wallet was still
with me, but it was of no use. I
looked behind me a few times,
trying to see if Macho man was
coming after me. No sound of a
car or anything of the sort. I
stopped to catch my breath. After
a while I began walking slowly,
tired and hungry. I was fatigued.
I sat down on the floor beside
the road, praying to get help. I
began to cry again.
I hear d the sound of a car
coming from the direction I was
heading. I quickly stood up and
listened. It was approaching me
now. Any help would do at this
point. I flagged down the car but
it ewent past me. It got a few
meters away from me, then
reversed. I thanked God.
It stopped beside me and the
driver’s window wound down. It
was a woman. Thank heavens.
“Please ma’am. I would be
extremely indebted to you if you
could please give me a ride
anywhere out of here. If I can get
a bus anywhere, I would be very
grateful.” I begged.
She looked at me as if assessing
me and deciding whether to give
me a lift or not. When it seemed
like she was going to zoom off, I
begged her with tears falling
from my eyes.
“Please ma. I mean you no harm.
Please” I begged.
“What happened to you? What
are you doing here? And why are
you looking so tattered?” she
asked.
“It’s quite a story ma.” I replied,
my tears refusing to stop.
My tears seemed to give her a
change of heart. She nodded her
head to the side of the
passenger seat.
“Come in.” she said.
She opened the door and I got
in. The refreshing AC, the comfort
of the leather seat and the safety
in the hands of a good Samaritan
were all welcome developments.
We drove at some speed and
when we passed the house I
was held captive in, I glanced
and looked inside. The Camry
was still there. I was relieved. I
relaxed.
“So what is your name?” the
good Samaritan asked me after
an eternity of silence. She spoke
very good English. Gold earrings,
gold bracelets and a gold
necklace. She smelled of class.
What did I expect? She was
driving a Honda Civic 2012.
“My name is Sean ma.” I replied.
“Nice. I am Sophia.”
Episode 4
She felt good to be at the CEOs’
Awards dinner. Her boyfriend
was Regional Manager at one of
the top banks in the country and
she felt so happy to be privileged
to be a part of the event. There
were a lot of distinguished
personalities from 12 different
countries around the world. It
was a dinner that admitted
people strictly by invitation. She
knew she looked stunning. Why
wouldn’t she be? She had been
preparing for weeks. Kunle had
told her a month ago about the
very huge dinner and award
night and that she would be
going as his partner. She had
carefully searched the internet
and viewed catalogue after
catalogue of dinner gowns. She
saw a design she liked on a
show on Dstv and had her
designer make something
gorgeous for her. From the
moment she walked into the hall
in Oriental Hotels Lekki, she felt all
eyes on her. Kunle beamed a
wide smile. He looked handsome
in his Tuxedo as he strolled to his
designated seat, hand in hand
with his adorable girlfriend. He
knew she was stunning. This
could get him a raise, a
recommendation or best of all a
promotion.
She was dark skinned and very
beautiful. She measured 5ft.
7inches without the heels. Now
donning a 3-inch heeled shoe,
she was almost the same height
as Kunle. They had been dating
for almost 7 months and already
looked the couple. She was busty
and a little chubby with an as5
that made heads turn, both male
and female alike. Kunle was in his
mid30’s. Already climbing the
ladder of successful banking
business, he had very little
worries. He saw this as an
opportunity to invest, market,
show his class and get to meet
his superiors whose only contact
with him had been via emails. He
also hoped he would have the
courage to proceed with his
plan. He wanted to propose. For
her it was a night of pictures for
updates on instagram and bbm.
It was a night to flaunt her
beauty and her body. It was a
night to make her boyfriend very
proud. She knew it was a long
shot, but she did not mind being
whisked away by one of the
money bags present. She was
amazed at the caliber of people
she saw. She knew it was a big
night. She did not envisage that it
would be this big. He followed
her to her seat, pushed back her
chair, waited for her to settle in
and helped her tuck in before
going to his seat opposite her.
The table already decorated with
assorted wines and drinks had
his name and designation
already written boldly on a fancy
looking cardboard: MR KUNLE
BALOGUN – REGIONAL MANAGER
SOUTH WEST NIGERIA. They were
seated in the middle of the hall,
close enough to see the activities
happening on stage. She smiled
at him. He smiled back and held
her hand across the table. She
was so happy to mean this much
to him to be brought here. He
wanted so much to pop the
question to her right there and
then. He felt the ring casing in his
pant pocket.
“Soon,” he said to himself
tapping the pocket with his free
hand.
Outside Oriental Hotel, the venue
of the party was a parked dark
Nissan Armanda jeep. Shina was
in front in the passenger seat.
There was a white earphone in
his left ear which he held in place
with his left hand. Iyke and
Francis were at the back
smoking white London. Francis
wound down his side of the
glass and threw away the butt of
his finished cigarette. He wound
up and closed his eyes. Iyke hit
him playfully with his elbow. He
dipped his hand into the insides
of his faded brown leather jacket
and brought out a silenced .45
revolver. He smiled wickedly as
he brandished it before Francis.
“Baba, relax. As long as this baby
dey here, no shaking.” Iyke
boasted.
“Shhhh!!!!” Shina said from the
front suddenly looking sharp and
continued. “Brenda is going in.”
he finished.
All three men were suddenly very
sharp and alert. The two at the
back were looking at Shina and
watching his facial reaction. If he
felt or heard anything he did not
show it. He was the best at
masking how he felt, no matter
how good or bad. That was why
The Ghosts hired him.
Inside, an announcement was
made for everyone to order
appetizers. Kunle and his
girlfriend picked up the menu in
front of them and chose their
appetizers. There was an
attendant for every table. When
they had made their decision,
Kunle signaled the waitress.
When she was close to them, he
looked at her name tag. BRENDA
“Brenda, could you please get
item 17 for my beautiful princess
and item 3 for me?” Kunle asked
smiling.
“Fantastic choice sir” she said
scribbling on her pad. “I’ll be just
a minute please.” She finished
and left.
She got into the kitchen area and
presented the piece of paper
where she had written the
couple’s order to the chef. She
quickly went to the side of the
room and whispered into the
collar of her suit.
“I’m going in.”
Three minutes later Brenda came
back with a tray containing the
ordered meal. She placed Kunle’s
in front of him and then the
girl’s. She opened the red wine
and poured two wine glasses
half full. She straightened up.
“Is there anything else you may
need sir?” she asked smiling at
both Kunle and his girlfriend.
“No, thank you Brenda.” Kunle
replied.
“Your fiancée is really beautiful
sir. Lovely gown too.” Brenda
said smiling wider.
“Oh yes she is. Eva is the queen
of my heart.” Kunle said.
“Have a good evening sir and
ma’am. And please feel free to call
me if there is anything I can get
you.” Brenda finished.
“Thank you Brenda.” Eva said.
As Brenda made to turn around,
she deliberately used the tray to
hit the wine bottle such that it
spilled on Eva’s dress. She made it
look like an accident. She had
rehearsed this move for days.
She was a pro. A few eyes turned
to look at their direction. But the
gazes did not last for long.
“Oh my God! I am so sorry. Please
forgive me. Please, let me get u a
napkin.” Brenda said begging
and apologizing as the liquid
made a little stain on her dress.
Eva looked horrified. Kunle was
worried but calm. She quickly
composed herself and accessed
the damage. It was not much.
Nothing a little dab could not
clean up. She asked for the rest
room. Brenda pointed at the
ladies, apologizing as she
directed. As Eva got up, Kunle
tried to get up too but she gave
him the “I’ll be fine my love” look.
“Please excuse me baby, I will be
right back.” She said to Kunle
smiling.
Brenda led the way as they took
a door to their left, went behind
the hall and entered a corridor to
the rest room. Just about the
same time, a fair skinned lady
with glasses got up from her
chair in the hall, kissed her
boyfriend lightly on the cheeks
and headed in the same
direction as Eva. As she stepped
out of the hall, she tapped her
collar and spoke softly into the
collar,
“I’m making my move.” She
walked towards the ladies.
Brenda was still begging Eva. Eva
was getting irritated and asked
her to leave, saying that it was
okay. She could handle herself,
she told Brenda. Brenda
apologized again and left the
bathroom. As she left she passed
by the fair skinned lady in glasses
and winked at her. The lady in
glasses just nodded. She did not
smile back.
The bathroom was deserted, just
Eva.
The lady in glasses took out a
glass container and sprayed the
contents on her handkerchief.
She opened the bathroom door
and went in.
episode 5
“Start the ignition!” Shina barked
at the man at the wheels. He
obeyed immediately. The engine
roared to life, making a very
silent and barely audible
humming sound. Iyke and
Francis watched Shina closely,
desperately trying to know what
stage of the plan they were at.
Shina was not scared of the two
criminals despite their menacing
look, especially Iyke. Iyke had a
deep scar that ran from his
forehead through the middle of
his eyes and stopped just by his
left nostril. A scar he had gotten
while in a brawl with a ‘friend’
who owed him money. His friend
had come at him with a matchet.
He had just his hands. That was
how he got the scar. He served
four years in jail because of that
incident. He was lucky. His friend
wasn’t. His friend currently lived
in a permanent wing in a federal
hospital popularly called Igbobi.
He was paralyzed from the neck
down. Iyke was a brute. He did
not fear anything or anyone.
People shook and trembled at
the sight of him. Even Francis
secretly feared him. And when he
got angry every one took to their
heels. But not Shina. Shina
detested him. Shina could finish
him with just a phone call. In a
way, Iyke knew he did not
intimidate Shina. He did not
know what kind of strings Shina
pulled. He was always keeping
his distance from him. Somehow,
THE GHOSTS had a way of putting
up the perfect team for an
operation. Shina was the head
for this mission. A smooth,
calculating man, never under
pressure and always with back
up plans A – Z, no matter the
situation. Francis was the very
handsome and s#xy serial killer.
He loved to kill pretty women for
fun. He was never caught. When
he was accosted by The Ghosts
he had no choice. They could
give him away. They offered him
good money, a good home and a
family. And they were letting him
kill once in a while. He was
satisfied. Iyke the brute. The kind
of thug you need when the
situation gets tough and needs a
deal of rough handling. No one
does it better than Iyke.
Iyke was getting irritated at
Shina’s silence.
“Oga, wetin dey happen na? You
just keep us for silent since.
Which ones na? Abeg wetin be
scores? How e dey go? Time don
reach to arrange the baggas?”
He barked.
Shina just smiled. A kind of smile
that could annoy the meekest of
men.
“Move to the pick-up point.
Now!” he said to the driver
raising his voice with his left
hand still pressed to his ear.
He looked at the two men at the
back, then said,
“Beauty has got the girl. We are
moving in to pick them up. We
expect no incidence. This should
be as easy as dipping a hot knife
through butter. But if anything
comes up you know what to do.
Iyke, stay alert. Francis, you have
your orders.”
Francis was relaxing with his
hands across his chest and his
eyes closed. His back was resting
firmly on d seat and when Shina
spoke he just nodded, his eyes
were still closed. Iyke was almost
falling off the edge of his seat in
his eagerness to pick up every
word Shina spoke. The jeep
moved slowly and turned right
towards the waterside. It turned
again, reversed and re-parked
facing the traffic light. They were
looking directly at FourPoints by
Sheraton with the back door exit
of Oriental Hotels to their left.
They waited.
Beauty, the pretty woman in
glasses opened the bathroom
door and entered. She moved to
the last cubicle, entered and
gently folded the handkerchief
into place. She listened carefully
as Eva stepped out of her own
cubicle and approached the
central mirror, admiring herself
and adjudging the extent of
cleanup she had done. She felt
contented. She looked into her
purse.
Beauty stepped out quietly and
approached Eva from behind. She
took four quick steps. Eva
brought her head up from the
bag and noticed someone in the
mirror coming at her. She saw
her too late. Beauty placed the
handkerchief on Eva’s nose,
making her inhale every bit of
the handkerchief. There was very
little struggle. Beauty dragged
her into the cubicle she was in.
She felt Eva’s pulse. Normal.
Things were going according to
plan. She brought out a tiny
whitish substance and put it into
Eva’s nostrils. She jerked as
though she had just come out of
a nightmare. Eva regained
consciousness. She was weak.
“Who…who…who are you? What
do you want?” Eva said, looking
at Beauty. She was very afraid.
“Do you want to die, dearie?”
Beauty asked rhetorically, her
face totally hard.
“No ma. Please I don’t.” Eva
begged.
“Then listen to me very carefully.
Do you inderstand me?” She
asked.
Eva nodded.
“Do exactly as I say and no harm
will come to you or your uncle in
Gbagda. We also know your
mother lives in Ajegunle and
goes to church by 6pm on
Fridays. Your younger brother
attends the University of Lagos.
He stays in Jaja Hall, Room B212.
We know everything about you
Eva Makinde. We just need you to
help us with some information.
Thereafter you would be free to
go. If you make any funny moves,
we will poison Kunle. We have
people everywhere and we are
invisible. You would be released
in the morning. Try any funny
moves and the death of every
person you love and cherish
would be on your head. Can you
live with that? Do you want
that?” Beauty asked
threateningly.
Eva shook her head again.
Beauty had made her point.
She continued, “Now you will
follow me and make a very sickly
face. I will do all the talking. Don’t
say a word. Where is your
phone?”
“It’s here ma.” Eva said very
frightened.
“When I tell you, you will call
Kunle and tell him you had to go.
Your mum called and she is very
sick. He won’t be too bothered.
We have handled everything.”
Beauty finished.
“Okay ma.”
“Good.” “I have got the package.
Meet me at the pickup spot in
five.” Beauty said to her collar.
“Let’s go.” She commanded.
They went through the back,
passed a corridor and took a left.
She held Eva’s hand as they
moved through a maze of
corridors and doors. Finally they
got to the emergency exit. There
was a Mopol with a rifle. Shiiitt!!!
This was not planned. Beauty
wanted to turn back but there
was no time to. The man had
already seen them and she could
not risk raising an alarm. She
decided to risk it. She
approached the police officer.
“Please Oga, my sister is
pregnant. And she is feeling
dizzy. She needs fresh air. She
might faint any moment from
now. We were in the bathroom
and we lost our way trying to get
outside to get fresh air. That is
the only way she would be
better.” Beauty begged.
The police officer scrutinized
them. They looked exceptionally
dressed. He looked at Eva’s
stomach. There was no bulge.
Eva was supporting herself on
Beauty’s arm participating in the
drama.
“Wia una dey come from!” The
Mopol said eyeing both of them.
“We are from the CEO’s party in
the hall. Please sir, help us.”
Beauty begged.
Just then Eva contorted her face
and vomited on the floor close to
the man’s feet. Beauty patted her
and looked at the man. The man
dropped his rifle and began to
open the very difficult emergency
exit. Beauty took the gun and hit
him on the head with the butt.
He passed out falling on the
ground. Eva was shocked. Beauty
smiled at her.
Beauty spoke to her collar again.
“I encountered some hindrance.
He won’t be out for long. I need
evacuation now! I’m at the
zone.”
Shina signaled Iyke and he was
out in a flash. Iyke jogged to the
door and inserted a duplicate key
into the lock. He opened the door
from outside and the two
women stepped out. As Iyke was
shutting the door the Mopol
groaned. He was regaining
consciousness. Iyke dragged him
out and locked the door. He
collected the handkerchief from
beauty and emptied the contents
of her bottle onto the
handkerchief. He gagged the
mopol who was writhing and
shaking his legs. Iyke’s arm was
around his throat while his othe
palm forcefully pressed the cloth
on the mopol’s nose. After a
while, all became still. Iyke locked
the door and threw the mopol’s
body into the water.
They moved to the car and all
three got inside.
“Drive.” Shina directed.
They drove in silence. As they
approached Civic Center, Shina
nodded at Beauty. Beauty got out
Eva’s phone and told her to call
Kunle as planned. It took a while
for him to pick. He explained that
he was talking with his superiors
and asked where she was. She
explained that she was currently
in a cab going to see her mother
at Eko Hospital. She had suffered
another attack. He felt bad. His
proposal had to wait. He did not
pressure her to coming back. His
superiors were looking at him.
He asked her to be safe and that
he would be with her soon. He
did not plan to be.
They got to the traffic light at law
school and took their right into a
rough road where fish mongers
sold during the day. They parked
by the lagoon and every one
came down except the driver.
“The car was becoming too
heavy. We need one less
passenger. Francis, you know
what to do.” Shina said. He
nodded to Francis.
Francis smiled. He brought out
his .23 automatic. It was a
silenced pistol. He aimed at
Beauty and took her with one
clean shot. He got her in the
chest. She fell to the ground
lifeless. Eva was shocked. Iyke
had a grin. Iyke made to took her
jewelry. Shina stopped him.
“She was an undercover spy. A
double agent. What a waste.” He
spat on her body. Iyke deposited
her body in the water and
watched it float.
He came back to join Shina and
the rest in the car. Francis was
caressing his pistol that had just
carried out the hit and smiling to
himself. He would jerk off
tonight, thinking about the dead
body of beauty. He was happy.
Shina removed the earphone
from his left ear and said to no
one in particular
“Let’s go home”
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