The new deliveries of Shadows: a Crime and Legal Thriller by Tony Ekwoaba. Copies are available at Terra culture, VI Lagos, Lawschool Bookshop, VI Lagos. CSS bookshops Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano. Glory land book shop Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Sarafina Bookshop art and craft centre Abuja, Silver Bird Bookshop Abuja, Destiny Bookshop Emab plaza Wuse II Abuja etc. If you are within or outside Lagos and Abuja and want to get a copy pls you could send me an SMS. There are lots of distributors across states in Nigeria. You can SMS me on 08032273517. The cost is just a N1000 for people here.

Hi Royalkeed everything has been fine only that I had been working on getting print copies of the book out. Now the books have been delivered and available in shops across Nigeria. Mostly for those of us in Abuja and Lagos. As I promised, I have added a few reviews of readers from nairaland, so you will be happy to see your name on the print book.

Congrats Oyinlola. It's good to see that Nairaland is creating new avenue for promising authors to get some exposure. I'm elated to see a fellow writer come up with interested stories as this. It takes a lot to write good stories like this. Once again, congratulations.

dimssy:
Its really SHADOWS oo.
Op,nice work ehn.

Thank you Dimssy

* * * * * * *
ABOUT THE FIFTH NIGHT after Barrow returned from the hospital. Annabel was sitting down with Barrow, peeling oranges for him, while he watched Super Story on TV, she’d said, “Baby, this burial thing is really weighing me down. It’s as if we haven’t even done anything. We need to travel early to the village, so we could have things done there, too.”
“Okay, baby,” Barrow said, with his focus on the TV.
“The funeral wake is here in Abuja, that one, too. It’s as if I have to do everything myself.”
“Sorry about that baby,” he said, still facing the TV.
“I was wondering if I could get someone to help me out in some of these things.”
“Okay, that’s good.”
“I could tell my friend Maggie to come over and do some things for you since I would be away for some time.”
“Maggie, which Maggie?” He’d moved his face away from the TV. He was looking directly at her.
“Maggie, my female friend, the one in sociology, you remember her?”
“Of course I remember her,” Barrow snapped. “Sorry, I know her. The one I call Miss Africa?”
“Yes, she is the one.”
“That’s okay, if that would make you happy.”
“That reminds me, wonders shall never end. Maggie told me this story I can’t believe it happened.”
“What story?” Barrow asked. His face was back to the TV screen.
“She said that a white man from America came looking for her in the school. The man said that he and Maggie had been dating for months now. He even said he was in love with Maggie.”
“And does Maggie know him?”
“Maggie swore she has never seen him before. I would have had her head reexamined if she had said otherwise, baby. The man is in his late fifties. Imagine a nineteen-year-old in love with her grandfather’s age mate.”
“Did the white man say how he met her?”
“Online.”
“Online scam, the Man has been duped by scammers.”
“Oh, my God! Could that be true? But the man still insists he was sure, that he had been speaking with Maggie on the phone. In fact, he has several pictures of Maggie. How could he have gotten them?”
“Scam, anything is possible with those guys. I know their method of operation. I will talk to Maggie and find out.”
“Lord Jesus! These scammers won’t kill us in this country. Oh, my God!”



Chapter Thirty
IN THE LATE AFTERNOON BREEZE, Barrow stepped out on his crutches and strolled towards the balcony of his house. It was his second effort at stepping out in the open, and his first towards the gate. The nurse said he needed the fresh air and some exercise. When he got around the grassy area, he noticed that some of the grass needed weeding, something his boys would have cleared if it were before all this. They would be hiding somewhere watching him; he knew that. He was however surprised they hadn’t made any move yet. What were they waiting for? Was it that they wanted him to notify them on his homecoming? He wasn’t going to do that; he would wait on them. Whenever they showed up, he knew just how to handle them.
He staggered forward, making sure the clutches didn’t fall. Lots had changed; he was thinking, so small a time with too many a change. This grassy part of his house was the area he strolled, taking surveillance, and if Annabel wasn’t around, he smoked while he did this. He wasn’t sure he would be smoking again, not with the doctor’s warnings, not with the growing indifference he was beginning to have over such things.
Some noise was made at the gate.
“Who’s that? Open,” Barrow shouted. He wasn’t expecting anyone.
“It’s me.”
It was Maggie. He knew from the voice. Once she’d succeeded in opening the gate, she walked into the compound, a bag of clothes in one hand and a set of books in the other. Long legs, big sexy eyes, she wore a jean trouser and a sleeveless top.
“Hi dear. Was the gate locked?” Barrow asked.
“Yes, I locked it while I was leaving.”
“I thought I told you not to lock it?”
“You did, but I had to all the same.” She still locked the gate from the inside.
“Ani said I shouldn’t leave it unlocked for security reasons, and I share her reasons.”
“You girls and fear, I don’t get it.”
“Don’t mind us. How are you, Jare?” Maggie asked, and she turned to face Barrow.
“I’m fine, as you can see; I am learning to walk again,” Barrow replied and limped forward.
“What about the nurse? Has she been here since I left?”
“I didn’t hear her knock on the gate, but even if she’d come, the gate was locked.”
“I’m sorry about that. Who will now dress the wounds?”
“She will come and dress the wounds; they are healing fast and the pus is dried up.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Let me help you,” she offered, dropping her things by a cement pavement nearby so she could help him with the crutches.
“No thanks. It’s good that I walk on my own. The crutches are enough help already, and I’m looking forward to when I can walk without them, when I can run, dance and do other things I enjoy doing, without pains. So tell me how did your day go?”
“It was just same old things,” she stated and sat on the pavement. “It’s been all about reading, lectures and preparation for exams.”
“And your lover man, any news from him?” Barrow inquired.
“He embarrassed me again today. He was already in my department, when I got to school. He saw me and started following me about, complaining I wasn’t picking up his calls.”
“And did he call you?”
Maggie winked, “How could he call me when he doesn’t even have my number?” She shook her head. “And I will not let him have it. Who knows who he’s been calling in the past that said she was me?”
“But he may have called someone. That would be the same person he’d been talking with thinking it was you. It must have been the fraudster.”
Maggie stood up, as if her time was up.
“That’s his business.”
“That’s your business, too.”
“How do you mean?”
“You have to do something to stop the man from following you. The only way you could stop the embarrassment, as you called it, is to help him discover who defrauded him. Let me ask you; don’t you pity the man?”
“What do you expect that I do? Kill myself for him?”
“That’s far from it. Then I will help you do it.”
“You will do what?”
“I will fish out the fraudster, but you have to lead me to your lover man or lead him to me.”
“But I can’t bring him here. I can’t have him following me either, a man old enough to be my father. And you can’t go anywhere with your condition. Tell me, how then will you do it?”
“Just watch. I will.”
“Whatever,” she said, walking away. “I have things to do. I’m out of here. I want to make you rice for dinner. Don’t stand too long a time; try to sit a little.”
Barrow didn’t say anything.

While Barrow was still outside, his phone rang in the room.
“It’s Annabel. I will get it for you,” Maggie ran and gave him the phone.
“Thank you,” Barrow said to Maggie and into the mouthpiece, he said, “Hey Baby.”
“Hi love, how are you?”
“I’m fine, just stepping out into the open.”
“Great, how is your body? Any injections from the nurse today?” It was a joke. Barrow could hear the giggle on the other end; Annabel was laughing because she knew he could faint at the sight of a needle.
“No, it’s just the capsules I have been taking.” He pretended he didn’t notice that. “She hasn’t come today. The wound is healing.”
“It’s good to hear the wound is healing. Baby, I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, and thanks for your friend, Maggie. She has been helping a lot. She’d just brought those clothes you dropped at the laundry.”
“Say, ‘hi’ to her. Is she there?”
“No, she has gone back inside. I think she is cooking or washing dishes in the kitchen.”
“That’s great. I will call her. Baby, I have been thinking about you all day here.”
“Me, too, but just do what you ought to do and get right back, okay.”
“I will.”
He was beginning to feel pain from standing too long, so he stooped until he sat on the cement pavement. Once he was seated, he said, “So tell me, how the arrangement is going?”
“It’s not been easy. People have started coming to the house to sign the register. We have opened the condolence register, and we are doing the wake here tomorrow.”
“When are you traveling to the village?”
“The day after tomorrow. Baby, I can’t leave without seeing you. I will come see you by then.”
Barrow didn’t say anything. She continued, “We are flying my dad on a chartered plane, with Ambrose accompanying him. They will keep him in a mortuary in the state capital until the funeral on Friday. I’m going by road with the driver.”
“Baby, I hate to say this, but I got to go. They are shouting my name outside, seems some more condolence visitors are out there in the sitting room. I will call you back,”
“Okay then.”
“I love you.” She hurriedly dropped the call.





Shadows continues...

I just want to specially appreciate my Manager. Michael Agene. Amic Network. A truly dependable and awesome guy. I will say again and again that I wouldn't be here without you.

Michael at @iamAmic https://m.facebook.com/amicnetwork, http://www.thinkfulfillment.net/contact/ I remain ever grateful.


Beautiful people. Shadows is available at amazon, konga, okadabooks etc.

Hi Niyah and UncleLuke...easy. there isn't any reason to exchange such words. I appreciate both of you and your great contributions

niyah24:


Hi Freshwaters...I chose to quote the whole chapter so the mistake would be easy to find and correct n now i know IN the sun is correct. Had to continue reading cos i think every chapter of this story is a hit backto back.

Niyah24 thanks a lot for pointing those things out. Good to see your attention to detail. You will make a good editor.

kingphilip:
freshwaters I need the print copy

Please email me your location and phone number. I will get it across to you or tell you the closest bookshop to get it once I have more copies available. The copies we have now have been exhausted.

Persons interested in the print (Hard) copies should kindly send me an email.

tony@tonyekwoaba.com

Thank you.

Chapter Twenty-Nine
BARROW KNEW, upon dropping the call with Koso, his cover was blown. Even though the call wasn’t to MX5, it had been made, and the underworld had a way of connecting itself. Sooner or later, the news would be everywhere that he was alive. He knew people were looking for him; he would not have them smoke him out like some rat. He wouldn’t give them that opportunity. Annabel! Annabel! They would have put a surveillance on her by now, he thought. He wouldn’t let them hurt her.
He was beginning to feel much better, even though he had flashes now and then and intermittent pain from the injuries. A few things might never change; the rage and mood swings were part of it. He had always thrown emotions all over the place, but he couldn’t help it. It would be different now. He could only focus on what he was able to make out of the future.

Barrow nagged that he was going home. He would rather get better at home. The doctors had maintained that he would have to spend more time at the hospital, but when his troubles became unbearable, they let him go. A private nurse was arranged to attend to him at home.
His new friends were there the day he was discharged. Steve tried to pay the hospital bills, but Annabel would not let him. She was possessive all over Barrow. When the taxi she had called finally arrived, they said, “Good bye,” to the nurses and everyone. She and Barrow left for his house which she had remodeled within the past few days. She did it in such a manner she felt it wouldn’t remind Barrow of any of his past life.

DAYS BACK, while Barrow was still at the hospital, she had gone to inform him of her father’s death. He was unusually cool and distant acting, when he saw her. Annabel had expected him to be angry with her, considering that they fought the last time they were together. But he did say he was sorry.
“My Love, I’m sorry,” Annabel had responded, believing it was over their argument the other day.
“No baby, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” he had repeated.
“Is it about the other day?” She asked. “Please forgive me. I…”
“No, it’s not about the other day; it’s something far worse than that.”
“Then, what is it?”
“I’m not the guy you think I am. I have never been the guy you have known me to be.”
“I don’t get you.”At this point Annabel questioned if he was still having the same memory problem or something else? How could someone she had known for years suddenly begin to claim to be a different person? Something told her to keep quiet and just listen.
“I have been a killer, a murderer, a secret cult leader and a criminal,” Barrow said. He trembled and heaved with shame once he had let it all out.
“That must be in your dream or something.” Annabel was laughing and she added, “My love, see how serious you look with this joke. You are so funny.”
“So you don’t believe me?” he asked, trying to look more serious.
“Of course, I don’t believe you. You!” she pointed jokingly at him. “You mean that you are a killer? You that can’t even hurt a fly!”She thought it wise to laugh more.
“Those were all part of the tricks we played to prevent people from knowing.”
“Oh, I see,” Annabel mocked. “Wait, are you trying to scare the shit out of me? Oh, I’m scared. My boy friend is a killer, I’m scared!” she added playfully, “I see, so you want me to believe you are some tough guy, so I don’t get to think my father’s boys were the ones that did this to you.”
“Baby, I am not trying to scare you. Your father is one of my clients,” Barrow interrupted.
“Now, you are beginning to lie,” Annabel insisted.
“Annabel, I am not lying. I can tell you things you don’t know about your father. I was his number one killer.”
“That’s not true. I have been watching you make this joke, maybe that’s a tough joke, but such a joke with a dead man. I consider that…”
“Did you just say, a dead man?” Barrow was startled at the statement.
“I was going to tell you about his death before you started this whole thing. He was found dead in his car. He’s been dead for days now,” she revealed and shakily dried her eyes with the back of her palm.
“I am so sorry, baby. I am sorry,” Barrow said, and he meant it.
He considered it for a while. The MX5 must have killed him in their reprisal attack. It was obvious they did it. He thought. It was one secret he would have to take to his grave. She had no idea who her father was.
“Baby, I’m really sorry about your dad,” he said.
“It’s okay. I will get over it soon; at least I have you.” She forced a smile.
They stayed quiet for a while, and Barrow added, “Baby, I am serious about what I told you before. I am the leader of the MX5.”
Annabel just stared at him.
“I mean I was. I’m not going back to that lifestyle again.” Barrow said and came closer to her.
“Why do you think those boys flooded my house? You know how they came every time, and we pretended we were a study group. You could tell from their looks that they were no study group. Most of them have even dropped out of the diploma program. I remember you warned me about them. Why do you see me go out most nights, and I lied I was going for night classes? I travel all the time, and I lied that I was going to my village, to one Uncle or the other. Uncles that I refused to introduce to you. You think I liked that? Baby, the truth is that I don’t have any Uncles, none that I know of. I’m an orphan and I don’t have any blood relation.”
Annabel was still staring in disbelief.
“The last trip I made, the one I told you I was going to my Uncle’s place. I lied. I didn’t go to no Uncle’s place. I went to Lagos to execute a job for your father. I have known your father for many years even before I met you, and I’d gone to Lagos to kill for him. On my return to Abuja I was going to kill Mr. Steve, the same man that saved me. You can ask him. Your father was mad at me because he didn’t want someone like me around you. He’d hired me to watch over you and not to get personal with you.”
Annabel stared on with red-rimmed eyes of tears.
It better not be true that the same guy she knew was this stranger. The same guy she shared the same bed with and everything was a criminal, a secret cult leader.
“I’m telling you this because I have repented,” Barrow continued. “I’ve changed. I’m not going back to any of those: Barrow, Code 555, X or whatever they called me. Baby, I’m different now. I’m going to make all the changes I can. It’s going to be difficult for me. Baby, it’s going to be difficult, because they will come after me. The underworld will try to pull me back into itself, but I give you my word even in death I will never be associated with it. Call it cultism, criminality, evil, anything. I promise.”
Barrow was glad he’d finally told her the truth. He, however, feared she wouldn’t forgive him, with the way she stared at him. But Annabel had forgiven him, and she was happy he told her the truth; at least she hadn’t heard it from some another person or even worse, a stranger.


@ Royalkeed, Kingphilp and others, kindly get the book at Okadabook and amazon. Those of us that want print copies, do let me know.

You can email me: tony@tonyekwoaba.com

Thank you.

Shadows continues..

jnichole:
thanks i will love to partner with you,i write stories you publish and we share the proceeds 80-20 or 70-30 with you taking the larger share.

I will not encourage that @ Jnichole. Reasons being that:
a. Intellectual property, such as books aren't things anyone who wants to build a legacy would trade in such way;
b. The act of writing, or any other act of creativity doesn't flourish when money is the key motive. While money is a necessary reward for good work, it blurs creativity. So, going into such with the sole aim of making money isn't good, make good stories, create a good name, keep legacy and money will come;
c. You should always take credit for your work, (no creative person does otherwise willingly). That's the priceless beauty of creativity, I want you to experience that feeling;

As I told you, i'm ready to help. I can help you through the processes and help you become a better writer and all that. I'm building a strong career in writing, and I strongly believe in the very near future I should be up there as a widely celebrated author.

It's a thing of joy to help someone up.

jnichole:
happy weekend i have started a story,i want to discuss something with you

That's awesome Jnichole. I will like to help.

Uncleluke1:
mtcheew.... for dis tin na him u copy d whole post for..
'IN THE SUN' is perfectly correct

Uncleluke1 thanks but I do appreciate the suggestions for corrections. Even though this particular one isn't totally wrong, it was nice for such to have been noted by Niyah24. I appreciate both of you. Thanks.

franklin000:
This is a classy piece of work. keep it up bro

Thanks a lot Sir @ Frankline000

* * * * * * *
IT WAS WAY OVER 10p.m., by the time Philip finished at Jasper Park. He would have left the place earlier, had Koso not insisted he wait for Yaz and Mafi. It was an awful time. He’d tried to avoid any conversation with Koso, but it was not possible to do that with Koso. He wasn’t the type that spent a minute without talking, especially at times when he was fishing for something.
When Philip could not stay out of the talks, he decided to play along. He just avoided questions he thought could implicate him. He wouldn’t make himself a target after he left the place. He kept doing this until Yaz and Mafi finally arrived.

Yaz and Mafi were each nearly seven feet tall. Mafi was wearing sagging jeans and a military camouflage singlet that showcased a crazy tattoo on his shoulder. Yaz wore combat chinos and a heavy gangster polo top. They both had a cigarette stuck in their mouths. Philip remembered immediately; he had seen them before. They were the guys that held Kunle. It would have been crazy had Kunle come into the place with him.

As soon as Yaz and Mafi got there, Koso waylaid them to talk to them in private. They soon reappeared, with their attention fully on Philip. They were going to scare the hell out of Philip, but it seemed he knew their scheme early enough and comported himself. Mafi dropped the butt of the cigarette and took some wrapped cannabis from his pocket. The wrap loosened, he twisted it so it would not spill, and then he stuck it in his mouth. Koso held out a lighter and lit it for him. Once it was blazing, he sucked and puffed the smoke.
“So you had contact with Code 555?”Mafi asked, like he would never believe that.
“Yes, I’m sure Koso told you that?” Philip said as casually as he could.
“Where is code 555?” Yaz fired back, as he helped himself to his own wrap of cannabis.
“He would tell you that himself. It’s not my call to tell you that.”
“You are sure you wouldn’t tell us? You understand the implications when you refuse to tell us, right?” Mafi asked as he blew a ring of smoke into the air.
“What implication? Whatever, that’s not my duty,” Philip replied. It was becoming tougher than he thought, “Take it or leave it. You understand this game except you want to go against the orders from code 555.” Philip stated.
It worked. They were not going to counter the orders of code 555, and once they were reminded of the dangers involved with that, they sheathed their swords. Koso, who had been sitting quietly on one of the bamboo chairs, watched all the while, felt it was time he spoke.
“Okay, I think we understand each other,” he said, with a smile, over the darkened teeth.
“I thought so, too,” Philip said. He sounded as tough as he could, but he knew he was dying inside. He might just throw up before he had the opportunity to run. These giant criminals were before him and he was acting like some toughie. He had not talked tough, anything close to this before. He could have his head blown off any minute. He imagined who this Code 555 could be; who the hell was this guy that even these toughies trembled at the mention of his name?

Yaz and Mafi could not get anything out of Philip, other than the fact he was from code 555. They let him know he was free to go. They would do as code 555 had instructed.
Philip made for the exit in a nonchalant manner, but he craved so much to run. Before he turned to run, Mafi said, “Hey, what’s your name?”
That would have been the bombshell, but he knew somehow, they would be asking this question.
“Jack." He did not look back.
“Okay then, Jack we hope the next time we meet, it would still be on a positive note?” Yaz asked with a sardonic smile.
Philip said, “Yes,” and ran out. Thank God he hadn’t fainted while in the Park.
Kunle was snoring, when Philip huffed and puffed up to the car. He did not bother to wake him; he just searched for the car key in his pocket, found it, started the car and drove off.






The story continues...get Shadows on Amazon, Okadabooks.

Nad95:
Com'on man. This story is a bomb man. Wish this could be made into a movie. Its gonna be a thriller.

Yes Nad95. The book will make a great movie. I haven't got the right partners to work on that yet.

LarrySun:
Hello freshwaters, How are you? This is a nice work. I need to discuss online publishing with you. If you're interested, kindly contact me via larrysun4real@yahoo.com.

Bless you.

Thanks LarrySun. The book is published and online. It was published in the U.S and available on Okada books, and Amazon. And at affordable prices too. It's 750 naira on Okadabooks and $2.9 on amazon. To get the copy, you just have to search SHADOWS By Tony Ekwoaba, on amazon or Okadabooks. Thank you for your interest in the book, I appreciate that.

Chapter Twenty-Eight
THAT NIGHT, at about seven o’clock, a Boeing 747, Lufthansa flight from JF Kennedy Int’l Airport NY through Heathrow London en route Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja approached its destination. Communications were made from the cockpit and soon the sexy air hostesses were announcing the arrivals.
Brian Kaplan was sitting in the business class coach, covered with the Lufthansa- crested blanket. He had been sleeping, but then the announcement had awakened him. He looked around, first at the small television screen, then the debris of chips and drinks he’d left on the fold out tray. The other passengers around were asleep.
50km to the airport, the pilot gained the landing clearance he needed from the controllers, and the plane touched the ground. It lined up for the runway, and then taxied off to parking. Brian ran off to reclaim his luggage from the rotating carousels. It did not take long before he was through with customs and immigration checks.
The tropical weather hit him at the arrival wing. It felt better than the cold he’d known in the U.S. It was his first time in Africa.
Eight months ago, if he had been told he would be in Africa, he would have bet his life against it. He was very sure about it. It was not until he got hooked up online.
Brian was a U.S. veteran who had been widowed while in service, fighting some crazy wars somewhere in Iraq. And in the process he had lost two little daughters to drugs, partly due to his absence. Bad parenting it was called, goddamn it! He was serving his fatherland. So since he retired, he had been lonely. Loneliness was going to destroy whatever was left of him when he stumbled upon social media.
Soon he was surfing the Internet looking for companionship. First, it was Hi5.Then he discovered Myspace and Facebook. He registered a profile on all of them. He hoped to get a local love, as he’d lost his ability to woo women. But the local love was not forthcoming; those making advances were distances away. The world was rounded up in a single mix; it had never been this small. He had women from Europe, Asia, all oldies like himself. He liked the fact that they kept him busy, but he was not sure he was looking for oldies. The truth was that Brian didn’t really know what he wanted.

Brian didn’t know what he wanted, until he got a friend request from some young beautiful African girl. He ran through her profile. She was single, nineteen, Nigerian, and in the university studying sociology. He accepted the friend request.
It seemed the acceptance gave him a clue to what he wanted. He suddenly, wanted love, real love, the type the African girl could give him. And he had just found her, even though he was not sure yet she would accept to be in a relationship with him. It was not easy finding a young girl who would date a sixty-year-old man, unless he was a billionaire with billions of dollars buried somewhere, or he was some dumb ass celebrity, and he was not any of those.
Brian sent the girl a love message, and she replied with even a lovelier one. It was a miracle, he thought. Maggie hadn’t just replied to his message; she swallowed up his love life. Now, his day began with him speaking with her. They talked to each other often, in fact, everyday. They had pictures exchanged every now and then. He had sent her all kinds of pictures, including those he took in Iraq. He even sent her his nude pictures, but when he requested her nude pictures, she had been angry, and asked if she was not his for keep. He agreed he would get to see everything when they met face to face. Since then he imagined, how she looked with no clothes on her. He thought of when he would kiss her and hold her close to himself. These thoughts tormented him.
Brian got tormented enough; he sent Maggie money to fly to the U.S. She had said she didn’t have a Nigerian passport. He had sent money for that, too. So many other things he sent money for, he could not really remember all of them. When he began to prepare to receive her in the U.S., she emailed that the embassy rejected her visa. He was devastated.
Brian decided to visit. He would spend some time in Nigeria, and probably marry her and have her fly with him back to the U.S. He had wanted to inform her he was coming, but she had said she was preparing for her exams. He wouldn’t tell her, he thought. It was perfect timing. He would stun her.
The moment Brian stepped out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport terminal, he was fascinated with the beautiful breeze of the African night. It was beautiful, just like the damsel he was coming to meet. There were men carrying placards with names, and company logos, everywhere at the arrival wing of the airport. He hadn’t expected anyone to wait for him, so he moved on.
Brian had done a little research before embarking on the trip, a few of which was getting himself a credible taxi firm and finding some good hotels. And just as he looked up ahead, he saw someone with a name plate bearing the name of the taxi firm he had seen online.
“Taxi?” the man asked, as he saw Brian looking his direction.
“City cab?” Brian asked, just to be sure.
“Yes,” the man replied.
“Take me to Sheraton Hotel.”




kindly drop your comments.


The Story Continues...


Shadows by Tony Ekwoaba (Complete Book) is available on www.okadabooks.com and www.amazon.com

Chapter Twenty-Seven
THEY HADN’T EVEN gotten close to Jasper Park when Kunle demanded Philip stop the car. His excuse was that Jasper Park was a place of alcohol and as a Muslim, he was forbidden from alcohol. He lied. Philip could see it in his eyes that he was lying. One would wonder the lies people tell in the name of religion. Anyway, Philip obliged and stopped the car. He made up his mind to help, and he would not turn back now. He would not blame Kunle. Only God knew what he must have gone through in the hands of those guys. He would do anything to avoid its second occurrence.

Philip parked the car miles away from his final destination and started out for the club, trekking determinedly down the streets. It was not long before he saw the entrance gate to the Park. Once he was inside, he quietly took an empty table in one of the shacks, away from the crowd of football fans watching a match. He pretended he was a regular, waiting for some lady on her way. It was early, yet the whole place was already crowded. Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC were playing and the fans were everywhere. The match commentaries roared from speakers and big TV screens hanging on the wooden pillars. The place shook from the massive noise every now and then.
When the waiter came, Philip ordered beer and requested that she call Koso. She just nodded and disappeared.
It did not take long before the waiter reappeared, and a short, tiny guy, with some baby face, was following her. If it were not for his bearded face and scrubbed shiny skull, one would think Koso was a kid. He was in his late thirties.
Philip rubbed his palms together, once he saw them coming. He was shocked to see that the little guy was the Koso. He did not look like a killer. All the same, Philip took the phone and dialed Steve’s line.
It was on a second ring when he said, “Good evening. Is this Koso?” Philip stretched out his hand for a handshake.
“Who is asking?” Koso replied, his stringent eyes, wagging suspiciously. He did not take the handshake; rather he drew out a packet of cigarettes and lit a stick.
So alas, the tiny thing was Koso, Philip thought. One should not underestimate anyone.
Koso was wearing jeans and a simple polo shirt. He had been with the crowd of fans, and no one would believe he was a member of a criminal gang that terrified Lagos. Barrow had been leader of the gang before he moved to Abuja. That explained why he used them every now and then for some jobs in Lagos. Koso was the talking type, and he could blend in anywhere. He was small and boyish, but because he was unpredictable, the other gang members feared him. Once any message to the squad came through Koso, no one would doubt it. Barrow knew this, and that was why he would use him.
“The call is for you. It’s from Code 555,” Philip said.
Koso took the phone and someone at the other end said, “Hello.” It was Barrow.
For thirty minutes, Koso clung to the phone. At first, he did not believe it was Code 555. In fact, he was going to put a bullet through the guy that gave him the phone. But once he heard the voice, he knew the person on the other end was Code 555.”
Koso smiled, revealing his dark teeth that had darkened from years of excessive smoking. The conversation changed, with Barrow taking charge. Now, he hated to do this, but he had to. He gave instructions that the search for Kunle be called off, and that Kunle’s car be taken to an address which he gave and warned that the car should not be watched. “It is all part of the deal,” he commanded.
When he was asked about his disappearance, he opted that such information was not meant for a phone conversation. Koso did not push harder. At least the boss was okay. That was all that mattered. The orders would be communicated to the others, and they would be followed.

The minute the call was over, Philip tried to bolt, but Koso invited him to follow him. He was going to spend some time with Philip while he introduced him to two other gang members, Yaz and Mafi. They would wait over a few bottles of beer while Yaz and Mafi arrived. Koso had wired them a text message to come quickly.









The Story continues...