IAmkingoludav Chiprince007 Jenkvnq LightQueen Eberechi24 Doubleprof1 phoenixchap Evold queenitee Oroolorun donkelz Dnimaa mitchelljnr Ann2012 Oluwaseunliz ADECULATE kaycee9242 helenbee charming Silvertrinity rowdymind honourable356 pweetygiftofGod EkopSparoAyara Silensa do4luv14 (happy bday bro) mimilight


:::::::::::::
LAGOS: HOLDING LOCATION


The slim woman came back to the room 20 minutes later and by then Ada had done a full survey of the room. The room was basically empty, just the water dispenser in the corner, the empty cupboard and the bare table.
Even the cup the woman had made her drink from was gone.

Her head was still pounding and for a second she considered if the pills were actual pain killers. But there was a survival instinct in her- which surprised her and refrained her from taking the pills. Instead she knelt down and drank from the dispenser direct, then used the cold water to wash her face. It left quite a mess on the floor but she didn't care. She found the pills and at first wanted to hide them under the bed. She observed the huge oval pills, she had never seen any drug like this before, it would definitely require a lot of water to swallow these. It made her queasy just looking at it and she bent down to throw it under the bed but she stopped and stood up. She studied the pills. By this time they were rock hard and dried up.

Strangely she wiped it on her dress and tucked it in her bra, safely nestled between her bosom. Then she heard a noise from outside and hurried back to the bed, holding her head.

The woman was back. Ada held her breath and stayed still. She could feel the woman's gaze on her. Then she heard the dispenser switch on and off and the sound of water splash to the little puddle on the floor.

The woman continued watching her and Ada tried her best not to move. Being an avid swimmer, she had decent breath holding capacity.

"how are you feeling now?" The woman asked, the silence was deafening.

Ada relaxed her eyes and her features as the woman came closer to the bed. No eye or nose twitching, or any movement at all. Playing dead had been a frequent occurrence during her childhood. Having two elder brothers 5 and 3 years older than her meant she played their shooting 'police and thief' game with them frequently. It was always she and her immediate elder brother Noah, playing the part of the police and trying to catch Emenike. Emenike was always the criminal. And more often than not, he got Ada in his range of water bullets and she had to go down and play dead, till Noah found her and gave her a tap. And if Emenike's next water projectile got Noah too (which was mostly the case) then he won the round.

Strange that this is what she'd be thinking of now. The woman touched her leg and it was so sudden that Ada almost jerked away. She tried her very best to deaden her right leg which the slim viper ugly woman had wrapped her hands around...her ankle to be precise. She could feel her press her finger to the back of her ankle.

"How are you feeling?" Madam 3F asked again.

She almost, almost replied but the instinct kicked in again. This woman had just felt for her pulse right now..was still feeling, fingers pressing gently and staying still. She was checking if she was alive.

Ada's lungs were beginning to get hot.

Then something happened, one of the men knocked on the partially open door.

"what is it?" 3F turned, thankfully removing her hand.

The man lowered his voice but Ada could still make out most of the words.
"There was a hit at the mansion...two policemen. And..." He lowered his voice more and Ada's ears almost expanded like satellite dishes. "Cedric hasn't buzzed in from the hackers place. He took a quad"

There was silence for a long time and it almost seemed like 3f hadn't heard him then she said, "I have to make calls...watch her."

"isn't she..."

"watch her and shut the hell up!"

Her footsteps faded away and during the exchange, Ada had managed to refuel her oxygen tank.
Now the man's footsteps grew closer and when he spoke, his voice was closer still.
"And you were a fine girl...what a waste.."

Then she felt cold, clammy and reptilian - like hands on her legs, sliding up slowly.

"Let's have some fun shall we? You can't talk after all."

:::::::::::::::
L.U.T.H

You know what? Maybe her family was cursed with terminal illness. First losing her mum to cancer when she was 10, before falling terminally ill herself, 3 years later. The collapse had come from nowhere, on the sea-saw in the school playground and the organ failure had followed minutes later, it had been a grave emergency. The Apapa general hospital had been the closest to the school and the school bus had rushed the dying student there, and she was miraculously stabilized.

Then the diagnostician had brought the inconclusive result, claiming delayed diagnosis which at the time led her father to snapping point and the famous punch he threw at the then Dr Rasheed which was like a Deontay knockout.

Then steps in a mysterious figure, Mr X, who sponsors her treatment and sends her to India where she recuperates and remains to complete her studies and then her father informs her the kind stranger was willing to cover her university expenses so she could school there also.

By this time her father was now working with the Mr X, eternally grateful and indebted to him and so was she. But school wasn't her thing. Two years later she flunked out of school and enrolled in acting classes but after having a couple of brushes with the law, her father sent for her immediately. A Nigerian in India clashing with the law was definitely on borrowed time. Not to talk of a female although she didn't always behave like one.

She was just shy of her 20th birthday when she returned to Nigeria. Gradually she began to find out about the animosity between Mr X and Chief Amunike mostly from her dad. Then almost a full year later, Mr X himself sent for her. It was during the day and his scars were horrible but his soul wasn't as rotten as it would later become.

He wanted vendetta but he wasn't consumed by it. His daughters were alive and well, completely monitored by him and totally oblivious to it. And indeed they were the reason he had sent for her. He wanted her to make contact with his second daughter. She was doing her IT (300L Industrial Training) in an insurance firm and a similar spot had been arranged for her there, she was to make contact and become friends with his daughter-Fome. Gain her confidence and try to get any knowledge at all about the Chief who was Fome and Moana's godfather and basically just keep tabs on her life, report any changes and give feedback about her relationship status, i.e; the then 3 year old relationship with the nerdy kid who just graduated from her school.

But instead they had fallen in love. Yes, she liked to believe Fome loved her just as she loved her. And with their new intimacy she was able to tell Fome about the history which she didn't know, only this time she thought her father had died in the fire, set up by his best friend, Chief Amunike.

With time Moana had become privy to the details and the sisters hatred for Amunike began to grow. Betran told them about the secret powerful group behind the Chief which was in turn the reason he could kill their father and take over his business and get away with it, and that wasn't all, this secret group was the reason he could run his women trafficking ring successfully under the guise of a NGO.

There was a correspondence of members of this group and her father had hammered on this fact that those names were needed urgently. Of course she knew the reason, if not the details, which the girls didn't know. Their father (Mr X) needed the names and knew for a fact the chief was in possession of the red letters and he wanted it.

On the side she had been pestering Fome to leave the boring boyfriend. The guy was so dumb he didn't even have a clue what was brewing, but Fome loved him. She loved them both.

The realization that they may never be together was the frequent sprinkler on the seeds of resentment against the boyfriend-Rex, which had been planted the very first day she met his girlfriend-Fome.
Then the idiot went and popped the question and Fome became engaged. But things went downhill from there. The bastard (she really hated him, really) went and snooped around the very first chance he got with the chief and then got Fome killed not only Fome but her sister too.

And the bastard became a National hero. Oblivious to the fact that he had become a chess move by the hole, to disable the Chief whom, higher forces decided had become careless with his operation and money laundering.

While the fool had smiled for cameras and granted interviews, been branded the golden detective, with a golden agency that set the standard for police work. Just imagine the phony. And to add insult to injury, he had moved on, found love and married. Her lover's flesh in the ground hadn't even decayed yet- she had been the one to exhume the body and switch it later so she knew.
The bastard should never have that happiness, not after all he had done, he was the reason Fome and she were never really together (To be honest this was the very root of her hatred)

And he had caused her death, it irked her that no one else blamed him.

Her father on the other hand adored him; "nothing else any man could have done! The boy has character, let your grudge go."

Her father had held her at bay while Mr X snapped finally and threw his plan in the open, targeting the event for the personality of the year award.
That would have been a little closure for her, seeing all the good for nothing, self pompous, so called dignitaries and the chief and his entire privileged family choke to death on the deadly nerve gas but no, she was denied that by who else but this same Rex Obasi..

Then the family curse had reared its ugly head once more and her father was knocked down with kidney failure, totally reliant on dialisis. This was literally, the final straw. With the information she had, she started her own personal vendetta against the hole but first against Rex, her personal enemy who never knew of her existence before but was going to receive a reality check.

The machine beeped and brought her out of her long state of melancholy. Her father Betran was still sleeping and unaware of her presence in the room. She had to consciously relax her face muscles, she had twisted her mouth into a frown as she thought about Rex Obasi. God she was one bitter woman.
She had really wanted him to suffer and feel pain like she had and that's why she had attacked his family but maybe the only solution to release the knot in her chest was if he was dead.

Her phone rang and she checked the true caller window that popped up, thinking it would be her baby cousin Christie.

The screen read - Prince. She didn't know any Prince.

"Hello, who is this?"

"it's Sparrow, I need your help."

She was stunned. "Ayara, you took the baby..." She accused.

His voice was soft and firm, "Listen to me, I need you to head to BROTA we now have the letters let's end this once and for all."

"BROTA? Never! I'll never work with that..."

He interrupted her, "you can finally make it right, set it right, the RIGHT way. If the man who saved your life and his daughters are not important to you...." he trailed off and ended the call.

Sparrow was really a sly bastard. Bleep him!

She stood up and began to pace round the hospital, but she knew it was fruitless. She would go.
The bastard just knew the right words to say.


::::::::::::
BROTA

The video clip finally loaded up and Bami peered at his screen intently. He hit the fast forward button, the attack had happened late at night.

He didn't know how late or early, which is why he had asked for the young forensic expert TERRY. But of course the phony cops hadn't wanted any crime scene investigator.

He forwarded the playback from 03:41:22pm till 09:05pm when A van drove up to the gate and remained there, the engine was still running because the brake light was showing, but the van wasn't driving off, it remained in the spot for close to 15 minutes then a man came down, he held what resembled a box or bulky suitcase in his hand then he moved out of the camera's range. About ten minutes later, the compound was thrown into darkness and only the outline of the van was vaguely visible. The engine was off now.

Bami strained his eyes and caught glimpses of movement. There was a solar street light a couple of houses away and the little dim reflection was the only source of light in the video and it wasn't enough. He brought out his pen and opened his first drawer for a notepad. He noted down the time the van had pulled up, the time the man had come down with the toolbox and the time the lights had gone out. There was a little passing reflection and it took him some minutes to realize it was the gate being opened, he noted the time also, figuring the gate man was getting murdered right then. Then he watched for any other movement, fast forwarding and squinting.It took a whooping 35 minutes before headlights approached and he slowed the video and sat up in his chair and used the chance to scrutinize the van which was lit up by the car's headlights.

He could make out the last 3 digits on the plate and he wrote it down. - 0ta. That was a start. Somewhere to focus on, very good.

He resumed the video and he could just make out a tall form get down from the car. That had to be the boyfriend, he was wearing a bright coloured shirt, maybe white or yellow but it was a bit more visible and bright in the otherwise macabre video.Then it was out of view.

After some minutes it was back again, Ada was in a short black dress so she wasn't really visible but then the car's inner light came on and her pretty face was visible as she settled in. Then there was a blue low flashing light, he paused and analyzed it too, it was a tazer, had to be. Someone had sneaked up on the bright shirt and tazed him. The tazing horror continued every few seconds and even lasting for 5 seconds once. Then almost immediately, the flash of a gunshot followed, twice. It was unmistakable and you just knew it was a head shot. This was a gruesome murder caught on tape, it was just very unfortunate it wasn't any good.

At this point his desk phone buzzed and he grabbed it immediately.

"Sir two cars are.."

His mobile phone also began to vibrate on the table. It was Bigelow. They were here.

"Just hold on I'm coming."

He grabbed his gun and phone off his desk and rushed out.

"Hey Bigelow..."

"We're outside.."

"I know.."

"what's up with the security not buzzing us in..."

"I'm coming right now.." He was already outside and rushed to the gatehouse where the automatic control for the gate was.

"Buzz them in when I go out and give the signal.." he said to the security sitting in front of the computer. He entered the code to the door and went outside as it opened and shut immediately. There was another keypad on the outside to reenter.

The second security was here, Looking sharp in his dark blue BROTA polo shirt tucked into black combat trousers, tucked into brown jungle boots, His rifle was cocked but pointing to the floor.

"Stand at ease soldier," Bami muttered as he passed him. He looked past the cars, there was no other vehicle or suspicious presence behind. He turned and raised his hand to the camera and the gate slid open noiselessly.

Dagnet's car was a Toyota camry and he waved at the bewildered faces in it. The pretty woman and the little boy in the backseat and the tired looking short man in the front. They didn't wave back.

Then his pal Bigelow drove in. He waited for some minutes, gun still in hand watching for any movement. But no vehicle branched off the highway to the street that led to BROTA.

Satisfied he turned and punched the code on the door. He signaled the armed guard to follow him in. There was no use standing out when he could stay inside and watch through the camera, plus the steel door was bulletproof and only the 5 digit code could open it.

:::::::::::::::
Short Sam's wife was a pretty woman in her late 20's or last 20's since she was 29.

As Dagnet drove into the BROTA premises she marveled. "This place is big."

That was the first thing she was saying after a barrage of; "what have you done?" she had fired at her husband earlier.

She had been shocked to see her husband in the bank, the shock had increased when she saw he held little Junior, in his uniform. Her husband had a fearful look in his eye and she glanced around, looking for a quiet spot they could talk.

"Mummy!" Her little boy shouted happily when he saw her. And she smiled, looking round the banking hall. Her desk corner wasn't really private, the second customer care staff was in the next desk few feet away. She was conscious of the stares from both customers and her colleagues and she took his hand and followed him outside.

"honey, what's going...." Her voice trailed off when she saw the woman standing near the bank security guard, asking him questions. She looked at her fidgeting husband. "what's going on?"

"Moyo we need to leave and go somewhere safe, something happened today, I'll explain in the car." He leaned into her and lowered his voice, so their son wouldn't hear him. The boy wasn't even interested in what they were saying. He was looking at everyone and everywhere at once, taking in the dozens of cars and the people coming in and going out. It was big fun.

His mother nodded mechanically, "let me get my bag." She hurried into the bank again. Dagnet would have followed her but her gun would no doubt trip off the door alarm.

She was back in less than a minute, bag in her hand which Dagnet helped her stow in the booth as Bigelow materialized from the atm queue and headed for his car.

Short Sam's wife, Moyo, could really do with the speech Dagnet had given Ss earlier. She was entering panic mode and Dagnet had to continuously caution her; "mind the child ."

"Sam not again....what have you done?" had finally become her preferred phrase throughout the ride. Until she fell silent and began stroking her son's cheeks which had the trails of dried tears.


Now, arriving at BROTA, seeing the severely armed guard and the fancy and sturdy gate. The depth of events seemed to really dawn on her and she called out to Sam. "dear, what have you done?"

This time the question was honest and direct, not condescending.

Dagnet replied. "Your husband's work for the agency in service to our Nation brought him across the radar of....enemies of the state. So until the situation is resolved and the threat nullified, it's safer this way."

"For how long?"

"As long as your safety is important," came the reply.

His wife nodded and Dagnet killed the engine.

do4luv14:
Hi guys today is my birthday...

since oga souloho19 don drop update


so SOULOHO19, how e go be nah??

shey make we expect another update to celebrate nah ehn

Happy birthday in arrears bro. I'd drop an update later today, make you use am relax. More blessings man!

Arrestdarrester Shurley22 donkelz rattyo3 Ann2012 Evold Kaycee9242 Eberechi24 HisGrace0000001 EkopsparoAyara Cerowo phoenixchap Princevirus charminee rowdymind donteanz LightQueen Light4life mitchelljnr Chiprince007 chizzymaris EbonyQueen001 kimmiebabie honourable356 queenitee Tania Silvertrinity Melvin11 mimilight Silensa ADECULATE hfinest1 enigurl HelenBee criis RegArmani...

:::::::::::::::

BENUE - Airport pursuit

The government had come up with the idea of erecting a toll gate just before the airport. Whether that was a brilliant or stupid idea depended on your point of view.. It was no doubt brilliant considering the cash inflow and revenue increase but it felt pretty stupid to me right now. Just two booths were available for the 'going' lane and it caused traffic.

I spoke into the phone and asked Clyde if he had passed the toll gate yet.

"yes, like 7-8 minutes ago," he replied.

"so where are you now?" I asked

"I'm going to the car park in the airport, I'm sure the car is somewhere in the park."

"shiit." I pressed the horn a couple of times, the car in front finally cleared to the next lane so the ambulance would pass. "Clyde don't forget it's not the car we're after but the person in the car, he has a flight to Abuja...he's not gonna be sitting in the car park...we'll be there very soon, it's just this stupid go-slow..." I leaned on the horn in frustration again.


Finally I paid the 100 naira toll and waited patiently while the light on the road block turned green and the mechanical pulley began to lift up off the road very slowly indeed.

I totally forgot about the unconscious driver in the back. He very well looked like the patient especially with the oxygen mask Dagnet had put over his nose. Of course it wasn't pumping any oxygen. I drove like a mad man, speeding and it was when I stepped on the brake suddenly, to climb a speed breaker that I remembered the driver was in the back; when the stretcher slid and hit the side of the van and he rolled off and landed on the floor with a thud.

I accelerated slowly, there was a taxi in front of me and the whole family were getting down with their bags. I used that chance to really look around.

"One minute remaining!" My phone warned me from the dashboard.

"Hey Clyde any luck..what's happening now?"

"The car is here, the stretch..."

"And?"

"He's not in it, just the driver."

"Hold on to the driver, make sure-"

The line had already disconnected. The one minute was up.

The family in front were still getting their luggage from the booth. I tapped Tonye's arm."Come take the wheel."

"where are you going?

"Departure."

:::
10 minutes later I sat dejectedly on one of the chairs in the arrivals section.

The Slimy bastard!
Not a flight actually but a private jet had been waiting for him. Along with a photographer and videographer and a journalist for an "on-air" interview. The young airport worker, who had been kind enough to tell me this piece of news, after collecting 2k that is, had stars in her eyes when she described my in-law. It started with me describing him, intending to ask if anyone fitting the description had passed by, then she took over the description, annoying me with the star struck reverie she pronounced each syllable; "...fine, his hair, he has grey hair that he shapes with waves on the front, then his voice..."

I managed to close my mouth which had hung open in shock earlier, and interrupted her, asking her if he had flown alone to Abuja.

"oh no...the video people were here waiting for him earlier. I stamped their pass, they're all heading to Lagos"

"Lagos? Not Abuja?"

"No Lagos..." she repeated. Then she frowned, "What did you say your name was again?"

"Okay, goodbye." I turned and walked all the way to the arrivals section going through this new information. A private jet, no doubt belonging to sir Holly or one of the coded names in the red letters. There were some real moneybags there. Even Sam himself was rich although I didn't know how rich. I could remember Cynthia paying down my two years rent in my first house after my youth Service and that was like 8 years ago.

I saw Kirsten just before my phone rang, she was looking for me and our eyes met and she summoned to me as I picked the call.

"Rex where are you....check for..." It was Tonye.

"I've seen her, I'm with her right now. We're coming." I replied and ended the call.

"sir."

"Kirsten how are you?"

"fine sir, follow me." I followed her out the airport to the car park which went underground a bit.

"His driver is still there, says he's supposed to drive overnight and meet him tomorrow morning." She explained.

"What a life." I muttered as I walked towards the ambulance and the stretch. The ambulance was parked across the stretch, wedging it to the wall....good driving Tonye. Then Clyde and Kristen's car had blocked the other end.

There were a couple of curious cats here and there, watching us but I didn't care. Not even for airport security.

Sam's driver was in the stretch but he was no longer in the driver seat. He was a passenger now, Tonye was in the driver's seat. The windows were down and I could see she still had her phone in her hand like she had wanted to call me again.

"let's drive this prick to the location my dad sent." I said curtly.

"we don't have the address." Clyde said. He was standing in front of the stretch, a bit nonchalantly for the sake of the few curious folks in the park and maybe for the sake of any cctv cameras, if any. I wasn't going to stress myself to check.

"I'll lead the way and forward the directions to everybody, just get in let's move out."

I hurried to the ambulance, checking to make sure our "patient" was still knocked out. He was.

Tonye started up the stretch and I could see the driver was handcuffed. He had something like a smirk on his face, like he didn't believe anything would happen to him.
Well...we'd see about that.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lagos: BROTA

Bami was missing his wife. He hadn't spoken to Tonye in a while. But he didn't want to call and distract her. She was definitely in the midst of something serious right now, with Rex and Kirsten and Clyde. And he also had something pretty serious in his lap to take care of.
He drove into BROTA, stopping to have a word with the two security personnel at the gate post.

He had given them a lot of trouble when Sparrow had pulled his earlier stunt and broken into the premises undetected. Till tomorrow he'd never know how the man had pulled it off and now he announced to the duo that BROTA was in some major 'soldier ant' status.

"it's war, we're on total lock down. A little convoy is on its way bringing some people in for safeguarding...just let me know of any vehicle approach...I'd be in my office."

"yes sir!" came the reply, accompanied with the reassuring snap of reloading firearms.

Jimoh had been the last person in BROTA, before Bami had called him with instructions. Now he would be at the hospital, watching over Andy. Damn...hope Andy was safe, Jimoh was not a fighter.
These were Bami's thoughts as he gained entrance into the building and hurried to his office, the CD tape was in his hand.

::::::::::::::::
Limbo?

There was no pain at all....he had a floaty sensation in his spine, like he was floating horizontally and he could only make out blurry shapes hovering over him. He couldn't hear anything and he could hear everything at the same time. There was a stabbing sound in his ear, more like a vibration, going higher and shriller, increasing in tempo yet not stopping till it became more than a sound, and he couldn't hear it any longer.

It continued on and on like that. He couldn't move, couldn't force open his eyes and he tried his best, straining as hard as he could without even moving half an inch.
Then he was drifting off again, eyes closing once more, shutting out the loud silence in his ears.


And in the operation theater, one of the roaming nurses had said: "he's awake again."
To which the surgeon replied, "knock him out.


:::::::::::::::
BENUE: Enroute 'safe' house

The address my dad had sent was as alien to me as if he had typed the coordinates to Mars. Thank God for Google maps. I inputed the bus stop address, my phone's location was still on and soon enough the navigation was running.

The voice rang out from my phone every few seconds, informing me to take a left or take a right. I obeyed immediately, and the stretch and sedan two cars behind shadowed me perfectly. Everyone was on the watch out. The theory I had about the first minister not giving any orders yet because of my sister may not be spot on in this situation. The bastard may be in his private jet right now, angry about the airport chase and making a call and giving out our last seen location, for a highway hit.

Or maybe he won't, surely he'd want to wait till his wife was completely out of the scene? Well, I wasn't a psychologist, the fact was we had to 'shine our eye' case closed.

The voice announced; 15 minutes estimated till destination.


::::::::::::
Obasi residence


Alli no joy had really gotten his daughter to open up, a little bit. She confided in him that the marriage wasn't going as smooth as it looked. Her husband acted strange at times and it has been happening more frequently. She was almost certain he was having an affair. For one thing he had this device he was always with, typing and typing he also received messages on it but he never made calls with it, he used his other phones to call. At least she hadn't seen him use it call, but why the secrecy?.

Did he have mood swings?

Oh no, he was a good father and even husband just his suspicious behaviour.
She stopped and looked at her father with a raised eyebrow. "Dad what's happening?"

"Oh nothing at all darling, what of young Charis?"

"C.j is still in school, they're preparing for WAEC."

"He's still in boarding?"

"Yes daddy."

She laughed. "Dad all these your questions, I hope I'm safe sha?"

He smiled thinly. "when last did we have a chance to catch up."

His daughter was touched and hugged him.

"You people are doing father and daughter there..." Utebo said from the dining. She was just having her breakfast as Martha had gone in to stay with Olivia. She and Cynthia began to laugh.

Alli's phone had vibrated like 3 minutes ago and he used the opportunity to check the message as he stood up, while his daughters conversed.
It was from Rex;

We're there dad, saw the key in the flower pot like you said.


He replied;

Do your thing but don't leave a mess.



::::::::::::::
Lagos

Short Sam's 5 year old boy was in Nursery 2 in the Little Saints Primary School.

Dagnet drove swiftly, overtaking Bigelow as the hacker directed her, quite animatedly. After a while she stopped seeing the van through the rear view. Sparrow was gone to dispose the body because he didn't want Short Sam's family dragged into any police and media frenzy. That was really thoughtful of him.

"And what could possibly be making you smile?" Short Sam asked, all 5'5 feet drenched with perspiration.

"Nothing is going to happen to your family."

He didn't reply.

She continued, "you're going to have to be strong for your kid. Kids have a sixth sense about these kinds of things. You know this is a break from routine, he's going to wonder why. Don't let him sense your anxiety."

He looked at her and nodded determinedly. "The school is just up ahead."


The school was a colourful duplex with the name; 'Little Saints Nursery & Primary School,' on the wall. Dagnet parked in front of the gate and Bigelow parked a little way off. He remained in the car, watching as Dagnet and the hacker got down. Short Sam was quite a slight man and there was a manner of urgency in the way his short legs rolled like bicycle tires. Dagnet followed, walking fast to keep up, both hands holding the end of the jacket to conceal her weapon.

It seems S.s was well known in his son's school, he greeted the elderly man in the security uniform, sitting in one of the reception chairs, squinting at the television, trying to read the subtitles to the Yoruba movie showing on the TV.

"Pa Momoh well done o,"

"Aaah! Chairman! Welcome daddy!" the old man exclaimed, losing interest in the movie immediately.

Dagnet thought the man would be around 65.

There was a desk at the other end and behind it sat a woman, she was busy with her phone, apparently not interested in the movie or the new arrivals.

Dagnet followed S.S to the desk and noticed the woman was very pregnant. That was one big stomach.

She looked up finally and smiled at S.S immediately. "Oh Mister Sam, good morning sir." Her eyes drifted to the wall clock. It was 15 minutes past 12.

Short Sam's eyes also followed, "Afternoon Mandy, please send for my son I need to see him"

She looked at him and glanced at Dagnet. "I hope everything is alright sir."

"yes sure, it's fine...fine, splendid. How's the baby coming along." He blurted out. That was S.S idea of not letting his anxiety show. Dagnet did a mental face palm.

"It's fine sir...Actually the children'd soon be coming out for break by 12:30."

"No no, help me get him, I have to take him somewhere. Oh! You shouldn't even be working at this stage, don't worry I'd go to his class myself."

"Actually I'd just call his head teacher." She held up her phone and Dagnet could see she had been looking at baby accessories online.

She dialed a number and regarded them with the phone pressed to her ear as it began to ring at the other end

"How's mummy sir?" she asked

"Oh she's fine she's at work."

" Hello Mr Anosike, please there's a parent here to see Junior Awani. Let him come with his school bag and lunch box." She looked at them, "please have a seat, he'll be here shortly." She looked at Dagnet when she said this and they joined the security man, filling two empty seats for a second until Dagnet stood up, The jacket revealed the gun when she sat so she stood.

The old security man was studying S.S, "sir how the family na."

Short Sam's eyes were on the other door, waiting for his son to come out. "They're fine."

"we thank God o!" He looked at Dagnet. "Madam welldone o.."

The excess greeting was definitely his way of canvassing for tips.

"Thank you." She replied.

"Daddy!" the little boy burst through the door. His son was surprised to see him but filled with excitement at the interruption.

S.s hugged his son tightly, then he straightened up. "Thank you." He said, waving his hand in a kind of gesture, showing the "thank you" was for everyone in the office.

"Sir I don't suppose he'd be coming back today?" The slim young man who had brought his son asked.

"It depends on if we finish on time with where we're going. I'll bring him back myself."

It seems the question; where exactly are you taking him? hung in the air for a while.

"Okay sir, I've already put his homework in his bag."

"Oh thanks, have a good day. Mandy, my regards in advance to the twins (she beamed and said amen) Pa Momoh...." He handed the man a 500 note and the man greeted him and Dagnet more and more, bordering on eulogizing them.

S.S held on to his son tight and immediately they were outside he carried the boy.

Dagnet was already opening the door. She helped sit the boy and fasten the seat belt in the back seat.

"Daddy where are we going?" he asked.

"errrm..." S.S rubbed his head and got into the car. "Let's go and see mummy." he said finally, forcing his voice to sound upbeat.

It worked, the boy clapped excitedly.

Dagnet gave Bigelow a OK sign before entering the car and starting the vehicle. He waited until they passed him then he reversed and turned his car and started following her.

"Where's your wife's bank?" She asked.

"It's not too far, head for the bridge...."



To be continued..

Dedicated to

Chiprince007 rowdymind Silensa phoenixchap LightQueen Ann2012 Oroolorun RegArmani EbonyQueen001 iamloyalty Joislim queenitee IAmkingoludav HelenBee mitchelljnr ADECULATE Do4luv14 RegArmani HisGrace0000001 Chiprince007 light4life princessadeola emmyN Cerowo Silvertrinity HORLADSTAR Mynet11 hfinest1 Eberechi24 mimilight MhisTahrah WAACUT coolie1


::::::::::::::


The man who who was tasked with killing the dogs was dressed in some kind of Armour get up, at least his forearms where in some kind of gear, like a metal sleeve and his groin was protected with something similar to what sportsmen wore, a jockstrap. He also had on a helmet.

There were three men in all, and on the other hand, three BROTA strike team, or rescue team to be precise. Anyway, the team stayed still and observed the enemy trio as they fellowshiped outside the gate. The gate was locked, bolted with two huge padlocks from inside and the two canine beasts were barking and gnarling, trying to reach the legs of the attackers through the one inch space under the gate.

"what are we waiting for? Let's get them" Bigelow whispered hurriedly.

Sparrow raised a finger up and looked round, as if smelling the air. Bigelow rolled his eyes; a tad bit dramatic don't you think? He wanted to say, but he said nothing.

"there's one more in the van, the getaway driver." Sparrow replied in a lower voice.

"oh..."


SSSHHHRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!

Their eyes were drawn to the 'shrill' sound coming from the gate.

"great they have an iron cutter" Bigelow said dismally.

"it's a chainsaw" Dagnet said.

"What it is, is a cover for any little sound we will make." Sparrow looked at the both of them with clear grey eyes. "You two handle the men at the gate, once and clean through, don't give them the chance to even turn and fight back." he began to sneak back, going round the stationary cars.

"Where are you going?" Dagnet asked.

"I'm gonna disable the driver."

"I can clock two out in a second" Bigelow whispered to Dagnet.

"yea, but it's that dog killer that may be a problem." Dagnet replied, stretching her neck to look for Sparrow over Bigelow's shoulder.

"Hey focus, he is an expert, we need to play our part here" Bigelow said.

She looked at the gate immediately, a little embarrassed. There were sparks flying now, as the men were cutting through the hinges, they started with the down one, probably in a bid to get the dogs out. Before they can scamper all the way out, bullets will be buried skull deep.
The dog killer stood a little way back, gun at the ready.

"that son of a bitch got an assault rifle." Bigelow sighed. The minute the words were out of his mouth, the gate beside Short Sam's house opened. It was the main gate, a boy of about 17 opened the right sliding gate, hooking the bolt to the interlocked floor without bothering to look up as he opened the gate. Dagnet and Bigelow went still, the boy opened the gate and turned, he was listening to music through the headset over his ears and was very very absent minded. However he noticed the men hurdled in front of his neighbour's gate. He removed his headphones and his eyes widened as he took in the guns. He dashed inside immediately but not before the second goon, pointed his pistol to the young boy's retreating back. Dagnet and Bigelow were crouching and moving slowly behind a car, the open gate had impaired their vision and they didn't have a clear shot anymore.

Suddenly the man who had pointed the gun fell to the ground, as he collapsed he pulled the trigger reflexively, but the aim was thankfully off.
The dog killer who had been solely focused on the gate and the two growling muzzles underneath it, now straightened up and looked at his bleeding partner who was trying to stop the blood from pouring out his throat.
The first goon who was operating the iron cutter/chain saw stopped and raised the goggles from his face. mmediately, another death star zipped into his throat. The machinery fell to the ground and he followed seconds later, landing heavily on his knees and falling to his side like a sack of beans.

The dog killer spurned around and released a burst of heavy gunfire. He noticed their driver wasn't behind the wheel in the van, as his eyes widened, he continued shooting sporadically, momentarily confused, he was sure the person was hiding behind the van but he couldn't shoot the van, or could he? That was supposed to be their getaway vehicle, or wasn't it?

The little second of indecision which laxed his index finger for a second as he hovered on the brink of turning the deadly weapon on his van was all Dagnet and Bigelow needed. Gunshots rang out and continued ringing. Dagnet and Bigelow had gotten a little space squeezed between two cars and with perfect aim. His body jerked backwards as a combined effort of about 7 bullets ripped into his chest and torso. He staggered but didn't fall. Two more bullets ripped into his helmet, bursting the glass, courtesy of Bigelow, it brought a little feeling of dejavu to the moment he had shot the shadow through the helmet also.
The dog killer went down finally, pulling the trigger, mostly in their direction. Dagnet and Bigelow lay flat on the floor, literally kissing the dust in order to stay alive.

Everything was quiet for some seconds, then sparrow appeared from behind the truck. He was dragging a man by his afro. The man had a busted lip and swollen eye and was probably the driver. He nodded at Bigelow and Dagnet, or mostly Dagnet.

The ex cop and ex DSS agent appeared from behind the parked Volvo, guns in hand. The boy who had caused the diversion was nowhere to be seen. He had dropped his car keys on the floor in his haste to save his life and the highlander remained parked inside but there was no sign of him. He was probably under his bed in a locked room upstairs. But the neighborhood was residential and everyone must have heard the gunfight, no matter how swift.
The dogs were going crazy.

"pick up pick up pick up." Bigelow muttered as he pressed his phone to his ear like he wanted to merge it with his cheek.

Bami finally picked the second time. He sounded out of breath. "Hey, I was going to call you..."

"Call your guy tell him we're outside, he should hurry the Bleep up, we gotta go!"

"okay okay I'd call him right away!" Bami shouted.


Dagnet wondered off to where Sparrow stood, his upper half body bent into the van as he went through the pigeon hole. The unconscious man was on the floor by his feet.
Sparrow straightened up, holding a sheet of paper, reading it intently. "I think I have something"

"what is it?" Dagnet perked up.

He didn't reply immediately. He folded the paper and put it in one of his many pockets. "Let's get out of here first."

".....also tell him to call off his dogs...hello...hello..dammit." Bigelow put his phone in his pocket and turned. "That was Bami the guy is on his way." He said, "what are you doing?"

Sparrow dragged the unconscious driver. "I need you to handcuff this guy and put him in your backseat Bigelow, when the man comes he and his family would drive with Dagnet, I'll drive their van and catch up after I dispose these bodies."

"is he out or what...?" Bigelow looked at the unconscious goon thoughtfully. "what if I'm driving and-"

"he's not going to wake, for atleast an hour." Sparrow assured him. "now help me get the bodies into the van."

They had thrown the first two victims of Sparrow's deadly star and were about to load the third and last body; The dead dog killer.

"I just have a feeling someone is videoing us from one of these windows to post on Instagram." Dagnet said, looking at the houses down the close.

Sparrow wiped his two death stars with a rag he saw in the van. The bodies had bled out and left a little mess immediately in the back of the van.


"Hello....Hello.." a shaky voice rang from across the gate.

"Mister Sam, we're from BROTA....I believe you spoke with agent Bami, we need to leave here sir" Bigelow hopped down from the van and rushed to the gate.

"I heard gunshots earlier.."

"we've taken care of it, we need to leave here immediately." Bigelow repeated, raising his voice a bit.

"what do I do with my dogs?" S.s asked.

"I'll suggest you cage them." Bigelow replied. He glanced at Sparrow who had somehow managed to get the dog killer into the van. "This guy's crazy." he whispered.

"geniuses usually are." Sparrow replied drily.

There were sounds of; 'here boy, here boy' and whistling and resistant short barks then finally the gate opened slowly. S.s peered out then the big head of his bull mastiff followed, he had it chained with what looked like double chains wrapped around his fist.

Bigelow was closest to the gate and jumped back in shock. "blood of God!"

"I'm sorry." S.s looked at them, looking like he could let go of the chain any moment but then he smiled nervously. "I'm sorry my nerves are frayed, please give me a minute." He reentered the compound with the unwilling dog.

Bigelow's heart was still racing. He was not pleased, he called out, "hey don't be sneaking your dog on people like that you'll get it killed"

Moments later, S.s re-emerged without the dog but with a laptop bag.

:::
They set out just as Sparrow had outlined earlier; S.s sat in the car with Dagnet as she reversed out of the close, following Bigelow closely. The unconscious getaway driver was handcuffed in Bigelow's booth.

Then Sparrow drove the van to the which had the inscription 'Lagos Water Works Corporation.' Three dead bodies were in the back.

:::::::::::::::::::
Dagnet had to keep on assuring S.s his family was safe. "it's okay, we'll head to little saints and pick up your boy then we'll go to sterling bank for your wife." She told him.

"Then what?" He asked

"we head to BROTA."

"Then what?" he asked again.

"frankly I do not know."

"So you mean my family and I are homeless now?"

Dagnet glanced at him, held his gaze. "Welcome to the club."

He saw the golf bag in the back seat, her only possessions. Same way the laptop in the bag on his lap was his only too.

:::::::::::::::::::
Meanwhile in the car ahead, Bigelow spoke with Bami on the phone.

"You guys would meet me there, I've almost reached." Bami was saying. "You guys did good."

"How about the other kidnapping case?" Bigelow asked.

"I'm still on it, it's been crazy so far but I hope I've stumbled on a breakthrough."

"okay, we have one of them in the booth."

"That's great, hopefully he'd come with answers."

"oh he'd better..." Bigelow said watching his rearview mirror. Dagnet was really close to his car and he could see she and the hacker were talking. There was no sound from the booth. The man was still out cold
"ok, stay safe and see you soon." Bami said and ended the call.

:::::::::::::::::::
Sparrow had killed too much people in so short a time and it troubled him. He drove quietly, in a surly mood. Even now he was going to dispose the bodies somewhere, he didn't really know where. But there was no way he was going to leave the bodies in front of the man's house.
He continued to follow Dagnet's car closely, brooding silently; He had killed about half a dozen men just that morning alone, what was really, really, really the driving force behind his actions, was it a burning need to avenge his father's death or was it the burning need to save the hackers young family.

"He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he become a monster." ~He couldn't recall who had said that but he wasn't going to lie to himself. It was a mixture of both.

After a while he diverted the van away from the road, he was going to set the van on fire somewhere lonely where it could burn real good. The bastards had launched an operation called purge, taking them as waste to be incinerated. There was going to be fire alright, there was going to be!

He snapped his finger suddenly as the name popped into his head; Nietzsche. Friedrich Nietzsche was the philosopher behind the quote quote he thought of earlier.

Finding his way to BROTA without a car wouldn't be a problem for him, Sparrow was a survivor.

My people thanks for the check up, sorry for the delay it just couldn't be helped, I'd be updating soon thanks for your well wishes and once more wishing everyone a successful 2019.

Do4luv14 lmao
Melvin11 concerning your request I'm sure an angle would pop out
Eberechi24 more blessings for you this year
Hfinest1 welcome on board bro

Jah bless!

EbonyQueen001:
Haaaaaaaaa

Souloho19 has "keed" me o, see suspense dey hook person like something else.

I practically forgot how to critic literary works and got immersed in this beautiful masterpiece.

Thanks so much for the mention. I still dey follow you bumper to bumper.

Keep up the good works.

Oh, I noticed some errors in the last one posted... "Dagnet let one of the death star fly", I think it should be Sparrow's name there. Some typo was noted, I guess you must have been rushing to feed us with some of this mind blowing story.Pls, edit at a later time.

In all, kudos Bros!!!

thanks would definitely scroll through and edit the errors. Gracias.
My regards to the fam and happy new year in advance!

Also my sincere thanks to everyone who has stuck with me even when the updates weren't coming. Jah bless you richly and as we enter into the new year, may it bring a new era of success in all our endeavours.

The plan was for the story to end this year but as usual it headed in another direction, but it's winding gm down already. Thanks for reading and your contributions.
Jah bless you.
Happy New Year!

mimilight:
Soul dear. thanks for the dedication and update.
Please ensure nothing happens to SS and his family or any member of BROTA again, they have suffered enough joor.
Beautiful story and a beautiful Brain you got there.
And To you a very happy new year in advance.

Thanks a lot, happy new year in advance. Jah bless

Ps: IAmkingoludav forgive me bro and welcome back
Rattyo3 thanks for your kind words boss

Oroolorun:
Oga Souloho19, there is something I don't understand. The shady work of the two officers did not look like that of professionals. Why wait till after experts had gone through crime scene before cleaning finger prints and planting evidence? I believe the first thing crime investigators would check at a crime scene is cctv. How come the professional killers left the crime scene without retriving the disk or manipulate the cctv? And the police came, took away the corpses, marked the crime scene yet failed to check the cctv? At least not all officers of the police are under the payroll of the director, so there should have been one officer who still remember what he learned in police academy about what to first check at a crime scene.
Bami came to the crime scene late, very late and the fact that he lay his hand on such evidences made the last update sound more like 9ja Nollywood script and that is very unlike you.
Except maybe what was in Bami's hand are fake disks.
Ride on Oga Souloho19, more grace.

Happy new year in advance. Thanks so much for your input. But may I suggest you consider some hidden meanings, I never specifically emphasized on the fact that cops had been thoroughly through the scene, instead I hammered on the fact that the coroner had come to pick the dead bodies, as evidenced in the tire tracks. And remember the crime scene never showed which is why when Bami asked for Terry they scoffed at him.
Finally remember your imagination is the coauthor of this story, the director of the MPD is a member of the hole and a couple of episodes ago when Dagnet was thinking back to the days in the force concerning the explosion investigation she alluded to the fact that the director would only allow what he wanted to be investigated, so you can as well imagine he sent few officers with the instruction not to tamper with the crime scene. The possibilities are many, just read between the lines and have fun
Compliment of the season baba

:::::::::::
A single police car was at the scene when Bami arrived. He parked his car a little distance away and observed the neighborhood first. He checked the ground as he walked, hoping to see tire tracks but there were a lot of them. Tire tracks of police cars and probably the coroner's bus which had carried the dead body away and possibly the killers/kidnappers tracks too.

The floor had been marked with chalk, outlining where the boyfriend body had been found, apparently murdered in cold blood. Bami stopped and studied it, he looked around for any of the policemen but there was no sign of the driver of the cop car. There was a patch of drying crimson in a big circle on the floor near the car. The floor had been washed and sprayed but evidently not properly, the bloody map was still going to remain visible even if just barely.

The gate was slightly ajar but the police red and white caution tape with the words: Keep Off! ran across the open gate.

Bami walked slowly, wondering about the evidence the police had about the case and wondering where their investigation had gotten to. But more importantly, wondering where the hell the cops who owned the car were. He heard voices and unhooked his holster and touched his gun instinctively. Just a brush with his fingers, it was very reassuring.

"which new seasons dey out now?"

"men na season 9 we dey wait for..." the voice trailed off when he saw Bami poke his head through the gate.

There were two policemen, they stood outside the security house, one of them had a magnifying glass and was studying the window. The second officer stood, arms on his waist, a kind of disinterested look on his face. He was the one who trailed off, now he looked at Bami. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to look at the case, what's going on, what do you guys have?" Bami had experience dealing with cops and knew to always go for what he needed confidently. It worked everytime.

"errrm...nothing much, we're still investigating. It's a double homicide. Very nasty, both bodies have been transferred to the morgue." the man with the magnifying glass straightened and Bami saw he had a small rag in his other hand.

"where's everybody?" Bami asked, he looked around the compound, even the dog cages were empty. Then his eyes settled back to the edge of the CD packet sticking out the pocket of the second policeman. His arms were still folded but the disinterested look was gone, replaced with a kind of nervous edginess.

One of Bami's strength or perhaps his most important strength was the keen act of observation. He realized the purpose of the rag and the magnifier; they were searching for fingerprints and cleaning them, a quick glance round the compound revealed the stylishly hidden cctv cameras. One was even above the gate, with a view of the entrance and definitely the spot where the kid, what was his name? Bridge....had been murdered. The CD was most likely the CD containing the attacks caught on camera. These cops weren't investigating, they were cleaning up!

These thoughts flashed through his head in seconds, as he asked the question and he noticed both men were armed, the good news was their holsters were strapped. That gave him like a minisecond advantage.

"who is everybody?" the cop with the folded arms laughed. "They've taken the bodies and we're here checking out the crimescene. How many people do you think should be here, O ye golden detective?" he gave a short sarcastic laugh.

"na wa o...." Bami put his hands on his waist, a kind of exasperated gesture but it brought his right hand closer to his gun.

Two pairs of eyes followed the movement and he was sure they registered the important fact that his holster was unstrapped.

"you said bodies...where was the second person killed?" He moved closer, keeping his voice light and acting like he was tired and not really interested in the reply to his question.

"In here...he was the security guard. It seems he was stoned senseless, he was electrocuted..it was quite messy."

"What of Terry? Has he checked the scene out yet?"

"Terry? Who the hell is Terry?"

"Terry our forensic guy.." the second police man said, he squeezed the rag and put it in his pocket, also bringing his hand close to his weapon.

Like they had done him earlier, Bami's eyes followed the movement. Still he remained nonchalant. "Any luck with the bullet shells and slugs?"

"Errm...yeah...yeah sure, it's in the lab right now."

"what kind of gun?" Bami asked. The man was clearly lying, he wanted to see how fast he thought on his feet plus he had to make a move any moment from now so he had to try get them distracted a bit.

"Errm...it's hard to say, but probably a glock 9." The first police man replied and unfolded his arms, letting it hang at his side and dangerously close to his gun belt.

That's it!
Bami had his gun out in a flash and he pointed it at the two of them, it was a good thing they were standing close together. "Freeze! Put your hands up...slowly, where I can see them. Slowly!" he barked.

"hey what's come over you...relax bro we're on the same side here." the first cop said placatingly, laughing nervously.

His hand moved fast, but the half-second it took to unhook his holster put him at a serious disadvantage.
He could only raise the hand midair before the bullet passed through his chest, rupturing his lungs on its way to his heart.

"I'm not here to play games. Raise your hands up!" Bami barked through clenched teeth. His eyes were stranger than ever, the left one bloody red and the right shinning white.

The 2nd cop raised his hands immediately. A bit too fast and Bami was a whisker away from pulling the trigger.

"I said slowly, you're playing with your life!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" the police man said in a really high pitched voice. He kept looking at the dead body of his partner on the floor. "I don't want to die"

"Then do as you are told. Who sent you?"

"The director!"

"Hmmm....go on" The director of the MPD was also a member of the hole.

"sometimes he gives us instructions like this, to perform under the radar then he transfers crazy amounts of cash to our accounts"

"who kidnapped the girl?"

"I swear I don't know, crime scene got pulled off and he sent us here to clean up the scene."

"what exactly did you erase?"

A couple of fingerprints, the shell casing and we were gonna plant evidence"

"what evidence?"

"A blood stained BROTA business card."

"where is the card now?"

"It was still with Robert." He looked at his dead partner.

"Okay, this is what you're going to do. You said you didn't want to die, you're going to slowly unsnap your holster, and listen to me....with your thumb and forefinger only, grab your gun by the butt and throw it to the side. Any funny move and I shoot you straight. I should even shoot you, you have no use being alive."

The police man whose name tag read; Kevin Efe nodded and swallowed. He did as Bami had instructed and flung his gun far to the side.

"Good. Now you're going to move slowly to Robert and get the CD in his pocket and the complimentary card you talked about earlier. One misstep and I Mishoot. Go"

Officer Efe moved slowly, like a child just learning how to walk. The dude truly didn't want to die. He stood over the body and Bami instructed him to kick the gun away first. It had fallen out of his hand when the bullet had hit. He kicked it far away and bent down to search the dead man's pocket.

"thumb and forefinger only!" Bami barked. The CD was easy to extract but the card not so much plus he wasn't allowed to deep his hand fully into the pocket.

"Turn him over, check the breast pockets."

The obedient cop obliged immediately and few seconds later he had the BROTA complimentary card. This time it was stained with fresh blood. The irony.

Bami looked at the cctv over the gate. "thanks for your cooperation." He had to go take care of something. The camera would be recording this.

He shot officer Efe straight in his right lap, the man doubled over immediately and yelped in pain.

"you guys are sick, two men were murdered here yesterday. A girl was kidnapped and may be dead as I speak and you're here to derail the investigation?" He walked to the kneeling officer whose hands were stained red from trying to stop the blood from pooling out of his thigh.

"I'll be doing the world a favour if I should blow out your brain."

"uuuuuuuughh." The cop grunted in pain.

Bami gave him a concrete smack on the heed with the butt of his gun then he removed his hand cuff from his belt and Handcuffed Efe's right hand to the sliding remote controlled gate. It had been manually forced open the previous night and the hinges were most likely damaged.

With the police man out cold, Bami headed towards the main house, he didn't intend to waste time. He was about to break into a run when he noticed the cameras didn't have the red recording light on. It just remained the same, no red or green light, not even a flicker. Then it occurred to him that Efe and Robert must have disconnected the cameras when they picked up the CD.

He spent half a minute searching the floor then he finally saw the shell casings from the two shots he fired. He pocketed it and looked at the unconscious police man. He couldn't leave him alive, he was definitely going to talk to his colleagues and spin the tale somehow plus he got the bullet wound, the media would probably get along. It would have just been easier if he had tried to get his gun but the motherfucker just had to be a coward that was too scared to die. But happy enough to watch other people die and cover it. Bami didn't go near him, he didn't want any blood to splash on him. He aimed the man in the face then with something like strange compassion lowered the gun to the chest area, the heart to be precise. He pulled the trigger and the body jerked, twice and was still. Dead.

It took him nearly five minutes but he found the shell casing and wrapped it with the others, in his handkerchief in his pocket.

The CD was the important thing now, he had to head to BROTA to view the attack caught on camera. He hurried out of the compound.

:::::::::::::::::
Dagnet drove behind Bigelow closely, unable to stop her pulse from racing. She had never met Short Sam but had witnessed his interaction with Tonye, the way he received their requests and delivered the data was fascinating. He was definitely a major cog in the BROTA machinery.

But the fact that Dagnet had only known about him this past week was testament to the fact that he was way behind the scenes. Unknown. Nobody knew him. There were rumours of course, about the badass hacker who had hijacked the network in the presence of the Governor and other dignitaries (and of course chief Amunike) but no concrete identity.

The car was silent, too silent. She glanced at Sparrow. Then again his lips were moving and even with his eyes closed he had a relaxed expression. She almost called his name but she stopped herself. Instead she increased the pressure on the throttle, causing the car to surge forward, her fender almost kissing Bigelow's taillight. "This place is far." She complained.

Their bodies jerked in their seats when she hit the brake suddenly but the seat belts held them firmly in place.

Sparrow's eyes widened and, he looked at her. "Dagnet you need to slow your pulse, relax...take a deep breath, deep...breathe in....good.now count one to three,1,2,3...okay release it slowly..."

She did it few more times, and each time it seemed the air she exhaled was more than the inhaled, plus She was more in control of her breathing and it showed in the way she now handled the car.


:::::::::::::::::::
I looked left and right, forward through the windscreen and through the rear view. My eyes dashing everywhere over and over again for any sign of the stretch.
"Clyde...Kirsten...I can't see you"

"same here boss, we can't see you yet but we can hear the siren."

"hmmmm...okay, any landmark around there? Maybe a building or billboard."

"wait a minute..." I heard Kristen's voice and a peculiar sound like the window opening. There was no sound for good ten seconds then the same peculiar sound again as the window went up. "The ambulance is behind us." She announced

"Shiit!" Tonye and I shouted at the same time and I literally floored the pedal.

"we're already at the airport." Clyde announced few moments later.

"Damn it!"

"should we pull out sir?"

"no way, you stay on top of him." I said hurriedly. I switched off the siren but left the red flashing light on and automatically my speed reduced as I got closer to the airport. By the time I was driving through the airport gate the needle on the speedometer was fully balanced on 20.

[b]::::::::::::::::[20
Back in the Obasi home, Alli no Joy and Paul came up with excuses about Rex and Tonye's whereabouts. Actually Paul didn't really know what was going on so Alli did most of the talking.

"oh.......well......if you must know....you people sef like to know everything....hahahaha (trying to buy time and think of a good lie) actually, they got a call from the police station here, there was some kind of fresh evidence and they were needed"

"evidence? What kind of evidence? Where did they find it, here or Lagos?" Utebo fired.

"Ahn Ahn...Utee..let the people that went come first now... It's only them that can answer all these your questions," he laughed again, it seemed like the laughs were forced.

"They should have eaten first now, Al you shouldn't have let them go without eating." Of course you'd know that that was Mrs. Obasi.

"Martha no one was even thinking about food." Alli replied, at the same time dragging the small table in front of him so Cynthia could place his breakfast tray on it.

He looked at his daughter, remembering what he had just found out about her husband. "Hey, Cynthia, come and stay with your old man, sit down let's talk. Mmmmm...."

His daughter was shocked. He patted the seat beside him. "Come my daughter, it's been long"

"More like, it's been never....she thought drily to herself. Still she sat down and studied him. Sometimes when he had been drinking he was in a happy jolly mood but he didn't look like he had tasted a drop of alcohol.

"first how is my grand son doing? Secondly, your husband how is he...hows your marriage going?" he buttered his bread with the avocado.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow, wondering the cause for the sudden interest.

[b:::::::::::::::::::::::[/b]
Bigelow parked the car and Dagnet parked behind him. They were a couple of houses away because there was a van in front of the house. And the engine was still running.

"The guys who attacked earlier had a van just like that." Sparrow said softly.

The trio got down and began moving towards the house from the other side. They bent their body from the waist and used the long line of parked and abandoned cars as a shield from the side mirror of the van.

Their guns were drawn, cocked and loaded, that is apart from Sparrow who didn't use guns. Well not that he didn't use guns, he didn't carry guns. But this time he had two death stars. And in his hands it was as dangerous as a gun.

More of a ninja weapon, the death star is...well, shaped like a star, except for the extra sharp teeth and balanced weight to make throwing effective. And sparrow was an expert at severing the carotid artery with just a throw. However, both stars were in one of the dozen pockets in his combats trouser.

Bigelow was the first to see the man. He came out from the van and crossed to the other side, he stood between two cars and was relieving himself. Time seemed to pause, but it was obvious the moment he looked sideways, they were going to be sitting ducks.

"Shitt...no silencer" Dagnet sighed from the back.

"we're likely going to have a shootout" Bigelow said, meaning once he shot the man, the rest would be alerted and engage them in a gun fight.

He shut one eye and began to go on a knee, that was his best shooting posture.

WWwwwwhhhhhhhrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiipppppp!!!
Sparrow let one of the death star fly. It buried itsef at the back of the head pisser's neck. Exactly where the spinal cord began. The star went real deep because Sparrow had to place his feet on the body and push it down before he could pull out the star.

They still had the little element of surprise on their side so they continued their stealthy movements slowly, ducking behind the lime of card.

The dogs in the compound were going crazy and barking furiously. One of the men opened the door and jumped down. He had an automatic rifle and he was tasked killing the dogs.

The other side of the van opened and two men also got down.

To be continued...

Dedicated to

mitchelljnr mimilight honourable 36 okeyben10 phoenixchap do4luv14 genius Silensa Charminee Kaycee9242 Donkelz Oroolorun Ann2012 Eberechi24 IamLoyalty EbonyQueen001 nkemdave LightQueen Evold Doubleprof1 EkopsparoAyara queenitee rchilee Joslin explosiv04 paqman stevodot22 Teehsticckz EVARISTOMONARCH wine ChisomDgreatest Oluwaseunliz Horladstar Mynet11 Dnimaa KpagoGIN Whocarex Chiprince007ChizzyMaris arrestdarrester helenbee MhisTahrah helenbee silvertrinity


::::::::::::::::::::::
It was like a maze, the turnings were many, left, right, left again I glanced at the screen intermittently as I followed the instructions, one from the voice in my ear - my dad was still on the phone, and the mechanical yet oddly sultry feminine voice from the navigation app.

The road wasn't that great either.

"And this is supposed to be a shortcut?" I asked, glancing at Tonye as I slowed down to enter a gulley.

"here, see." She showed me the phone screen, zooming out so I could see the highlighted trail. It was more or less a straight line.

"what's the game here, how do we play it?" Dagnet asked as she put the phone away.

I glanced at her, "straight abduction. We get him, stun him and dump his body in the back." I pointed back where the driver was still out cold. There was a foldable stretcher on the side with a giant first aid box in the corner.

"but that his car, did you get a good look at it, it's definitely not going to be easy"

She was right, Sam's ride was solid.

I placed my palm on my face. I was moving that slow because of the bad road.

"I never should have let it get to this point." I muttered.

"come on, what's done is done, what matters now is how we react and deal with it...take this right street." Tonye said.

I dialed Clyde's number and put it on the speaker, the windows were up so the blast of siren wasn't really loud and Clyde's voice was audible. Shaky from the motion of his car but audible nonetheless;

"we can't see any sign of you guys anywhere, their car is super fast but we're keeping up. But I'm sure the airport is around the corner, and there'll be security presence."
His voice was a bit shaky but there was a different tremor this time.

I took a deep breath. "Clyde can you hear any siren, like an ambulance?"

"Oh, I was hearing it earlier but now, not so much."

"that's us....we should make impact in like 5 minutes. I'd like you to try your best and close the stretch in, to block it off as much as possible. Can you do that for me?"

"you got it boss!"

"OK, good. Good one, good job."

The line got disconnected and thankfully the road had become better and straight!

I had placed the phone on the dashboard when I put the call on speaker earlier, now I grabbed it and Redialed Clyde's number.

"hello..."

"don't end the call, let's keep the line open to converse with each other." I said.

"okay..."

"Is Kirsten there?" Tonye spoke up.

"yes I'm here.." her assistant replied in her cute tiny voice.

"how are you holding up?"

"it's been okay so far." This was the very first time she was involved in something like this - and 'by this' I mean something different from the Wikipedia and research articles she was used to. Now she was in the field, in the heart of the chase and of course the danger.
"I can hear the siren." Clyde said excitedly


::::::::::::
"I hear it too." Kirsten added, looking out her window, trying to place the direction.

"This fucker is pulling away!" Clyde exclaimed suddenly, he sounded surprised.

The road was becoming more busy by the second but the stretch didn't slow down. It breezed through the cars, overtaking every vehicle that stood in its way. The driver - Junior as Senator Sam had called him had perfect handling, the distance between both cars began to grow again.

"We're 3 minutes out" Rex announced from the phone.
Clyde began to think 3 minutes was a lot of time.


:::::::::::::::::
The street linking the express had been tarred recently but then speed breakers had been added. A lot of road bumps indeed and I didn't completely slow down, making the ambulance bounce and we also, with every bump we climbed.

There was a stop sign with the inscription; children crossing.

I remembered the school I had seen in the previous street, that was the reason for the numerous speed breakers.

Finally I drove into the express lane. "Hey Clyde where you at, I'm on the main road."

"do you have eyes on the target?" he asked breathlessly

"of course not, how about you?"

"Sir that car is something else, he just sped up and disappeared and there was a little traffic after that I didn't see any sign of him..."

my eyes almost bulged out of my face, "calm down...calm down...wait where are you guys right now"

"We're at the spot where houses and shops were demolished, on both sides. Hol up I can see the ambulance!"

"Damn!" my eyes began to scan the semi busy road for the stretch, there was no luck so far. The ambulance was like a divining car, it parted a lane for itself as everyone wanted to clear out for the emergency the ambulance was headed to/from. I continued to scan around for the stretch as my heart began to pound, and the possibility that we had lost began to ring in my head.

Seasons greetings to you fam. Thanks for reading and commenting. Jah bless!




::::::::::::::::::::::

Bami floated round the hospital after his call with Rex. So many things on his mind, so many threats. He had to deploy agents to S.s for his safety and family's safety. Rex had every right to be worried. They hadn't really grasped it before but now it was clearer to them: The hole took no prisoners.

He looked around the hospital, almost absent-minded, scanning for the doctor he had seen earlier to give him a breakdown of what was happening with Andy.

He replayed the conversation with Rex in his mind. He had to deploy the troops, they were undermanned right now, it was a great deal of luck that they had gotten a boost in manpower in the trio of Sparrow, Dagnet and Bigelow. He needed to get Short Sam and his family to BROTA headquarters, at least the headquarters could serve as some kind of Fort.

He thought of which of them to contact first and decided on Bigelow. Back in the agency they had both worked on a terrorist case together and exchanged data even though Bami had been a senior agent, so subconsciously he veered towards Bigelow as his choice, sent a message before hitting the dial button.

The phone rang just once and Ryan was on the line. Apparently a good choice.

"I'm at the meeting point, just spoke to Dagnet, she said they're two minutes out." Bigelow said

"yes yes, look I just sent you a message, it contains an address of a member of BROTA. His life is in danger as we speak, you guys are to go and bring him and his family to BROTA."

"family?"

"yes, he has a five year old son and a wife, she works in a bank but I'm sure Sam would be able to reach her"

"okay, I'll let Dagnet and Sparrow know once I see them"

"okay good"

"how about you, what you doing?"

"I guess I'll have to go after the chief's daughter"

"what happened?"

"kidnapped"

"damn it!"

A silence then, "what of Andy, any word?"

"not yet but I don't plan on leaving here without some kind of information"

"okay, I think they're here. Keep me posted"

"likewise"


He ended the call and scrolled through his call log, among the calls he had received earlier. He dialed one of the numbers.

If possible S.s picked up the call before it rang.

"Hello"

"Sam how are you?"

"I'm not fine...I'm scared"

"it's okay, just hold on tight....where are you?"

"I'm inside my house. I let my boerbull and bull mastiff loose in the compound just in case...but...." his voice shook. He really sounded scared. "Have you spoken to Rex? What did he say...I have a wife and son man....and I've put them in danger"

"relax Sam, here's what's going to happen. Don't go anywhere, don't answer the door. Remain inside your house with all the exits locked both doors and windows. It's a good thing you have dogs. A couple of agents are heading your way as we speak. They'll call you when they're at your place. You're going to follow them, you'll go pick your son from school and your wife from work then follow them to headquarters. You'll be safe there"

"okay...oh shit!" he snapped suddenly

"what is it?" Bami said, alarmed.

"simba is barking." Simba was his dog. "okay it has stopped....please tell your agents to hurry up," he pleaded.

Bami ended the call and looked around. There was still no sign of the doctor, there were other doctors bustling around. Walking briskly like the fate of the world was in the pockets of the shinny white lab coats they had on.

He didn't feel like asking any of them randomly so he retraced his steps, back to the waiting room he had been earlier. There was a worried looking woman who had been there all along, he had met her there that morning and even now she remained sitting on one of the few chairs, eyes fixated on the television in the corner with a worried tug at the edge of her mouth.

A bomb expert was apparently educating an audience on force field and the way a bomb blast goes off, which Bami thought was stupid. All of a sudden everybody was interested in bombs. The so called expert on TV was even trying to explain how the explosion had happened. What was there to explain? There was a bomb blast and someone had died. All the talk of first wave, second wave, sound wave and the rest was just fancy gibberish to him. He sighed and peeled his eyes away from the television. He moved towards the double doors the doctor had come out of earlier and tried to peer through the thick small circular window above the handle. The glass was thick and he could only see blurry movement as he squinted.

Finally he straightened, took a deep breath and pushed the door. There was a glass door immediately after the double doors. This glass door had been responsible for the distorted vision earlier.

The blur was a bit better now, he could see it more clearly. Andy's lengthy frame was on the surgery table and there were at least half a dozen forms clad in green overalls, nose masks and latex gloves hovering around him, plus two more moving round the room. He stood transfixed by the movements on the other side of the glass door, the frantic race against time, struggle against death. But what really chilled him to the bone was the red splashes that seemed to give the surgery room a blurred red undertone or to be precise, a bloody undertone. That was blood, Andy's blood.
Jesus.

One of the two hovering surgeons turned out to be a nurse as she opened the door briefly and stuck her head out. "please you have to leave here....you're not allowed in here"

"how....how is he?"

She lost track for a minute and blinked, "he has a fighting chance. He's very strong and not ready to give up the ghost." Then she frowned, "your being here is not helping him but on the contrary, the surgeons don't like being watched...your presence is distracting and disconcerting."

That was the last thing Bami needed to hear. He rushed out of the sliding doors, his heart beating madly. Once he was outside he reached Jimoh, Rex's assistant and instructed him to come stand watch at the hospital to monitor the progress. In return Jimoh told him he had successfully booked two seats for a flight back to Lagos the next evening. He hadn't been able to reach Rex and Bami assured him it was under control.

Bami left the hospital thinking of his next step. What could he do for the Chief's daughter. He had no single information. No place to start from. He decided to start from the beginning. The crime scene.

He drove towards the house she had been abducted and her boyfriend murdered the night before. Emenike's house.


:::::::::::::::::::
Hurried hugs and handshakes and the quick relay of the instructions Bami had given and they were back in their cars. Sparrow was in a hurry to get to BROTA and get the letters to help implement the plan he had talked about earlier. The plan which according to him was the best chance they had of striking back.

But the fact that a young boy could be left fatherless and a young woman, widowed and the further possibility that they could all be killed settled it for him. He settled in the car, saying nothing as Dagnet sped down the road, following Bigelow closely. The traffic was yet to build up seriously-thankfully and he estimated in 45 minutes they'd be at Agbara, in Short Sam's house.

:::::::::::::::::
The chase was almost fruitless. My dad had sent the address we were supposed to interrogate the first minister. But we had to catch him first, and to be frank catching him was looking like an impossible mission.

At least from the way Clyde narrated the happenings over the phone. He was barely managing to keep track and keep up with the stretch which was getting closer to the airport.

"shit...he's going to get away....there has to be another way...an alternative route?" I said.

"I'm on it." Tonye muttered beside me. She brought out her phone and I saw her launch the Google map application.

"I don't know boss...this place is quite strange to me." Clyde said

"don't worry, don't let up. We'll see what we can do from this end."

I called my dad's number next and studied Tonye while it connected. "Any luck?"

"I'm still rerouting directions....the network is really slow...."

"H - hello?"

"dad..."

"you got my text?"

"what text?"

"the address."

"yes, please I need your help again....I'm presently at the mall, the one around downtown. I need another route, like a shortcut to get to the airport in like 5 minutes."

"errrrr.."

"not necessarily the airport per se, just somewhere I'd burst out, somewhere close enough"

"let me see," I could tell he was scratching his jaw thoughtfully. After a while he said, "okay, if you passed the mall, keep on going straight, you'll see one catholic school on the left, St Michael's something... There's a road beside it..."

At the same time the recorded voice from the navigation app Tonye was running spoke out, "in 900metres, turn left."


To be continued

:::::::::::
My dad came outside to meet me where I stood watching the dust settle as the stretch disappeared.

"what is it son?"

By this time I was going through some major internal war and guilt. What did Sam mean when he said; "when they see the car, tell them to take it."

Why the hell did I let him go? I should have fleeced good information out of him, I should have been more threatening, I should have-

"come on boy, whatever is the matter you better share it," my dad urged, clapping impatiently as I looked on, dazed.

I shook my head. "Dad, remember the letters the agent who killed the shadow brought to the headquarters that early morning?"

"yes, you guys called it red letters or something"

"it had a list of their members and it turns out Sam is among, the second in command, he goes by the alias, 'first minister'

" Sam....which Sam?"

"Cynthia's Sam."

My dad's expression was indescribable for a moment, then he looked at me like I was out of my mind. "Sam? What evidence do you have about that? The very same man who just left here?"

Tonye came outside next. "What happened?" she asked.

"he denied it, but it's him. There's no two ways about it....he mentioned something about taking one car when we see it, something like that...." I said

My dad looked at Tonye. "Is this thing true?"

"yes sir, your son in-law is the enemy"

"wait wait wait.... Cynthia's husband, kidnapped Emma?"

"No, but the person kidnapped her because of him and the people he works for. But I believe he's responsible for the bomb blast."

My dad looked at me, "good Lord, Rex is this true?"

"yes, last night, I saw this picture," I brought out my phone, Kirsten had sent the picture to me that morning. I opened the gallery and showed him the picture immediately. "that's him, that's the shadow assassin there....in the background.."

My dad scrutinized the picture then looked at me again, but this time his expression was different. "My God, Rex...so he's responsible for what happened to Andy?"

I nodded,

"Why didn't you let me know?" my dad asked incredulously.

"I don't know...OK I was scared, I've made some decisions in the recent past that had terrible outcomes, I guess I froze..."

Short Sam's trace scare had shaken me up a notch, I thought of his family and the possibility that someone was on to him.

I looked at Tonye, "did you make the call?"

"Yes, Clyde and Kirsten are tailing him."

My dad looked confused, "what?"

"Pa, I noticed he kept on hammering on the fact that Cynthia would take the early morning flight tomorrow...whatever he has planned, won't happen while his wife is around. We got less that 24 hours."

"24 hours for what?..........hmmmm.......so what are you thinking?" he asked. He had gone through the different phases, in a short time (surprise, ridcule, disbelief, denial...etc) and now he just looked tired.

This time Tonye answered him, "our agents following him are going to try and get him to miss the flight, if possible the airport. It would have been good to somehow coerce him to a location, but we don't have any point or safe house in Benue"

My dad looked at me, "location is not a problem, there are plenty spots. Are you sure you can get him there?"

I nodded. "It is imperative they shouldn't know," I jerked my head towards the house, "especially mama and Olivia, Olivia has gone through enough already and mama worries too much."

Apparently Clyde had come back to the house during the night and driven the agency's car back to the hotel. Tonye(bless her soul) had just given him the instruction as a possibility of shadowing the stretch if the option became a viable move. But come morning, with the news of the bomb blast rocking everybody, the moment I watched the stretch speed away and called Tonye, asking her for the keys to the agency's car, that was when she told me that Clyde and Kirsten were on my in-law's tail already. At first, they had followed the stretch with the intention of returning the agency's car but midway through, she (Tonye) had called them and given them what seemed like a mission impossible.
Clyde and Kirsten were to interfere with the vehicle, diverting it away from the airport and to the location my dad would supply, without causing any noise...literally.

She had also assured them that we were on our way, right behind them so we had to move.

I really believed my theory about my in-law not giving any order as long as my sister-his wife was still under the roof but I still had to think twice about leaving them. The two people That I had almost thought I would never see again; my wife and daughter were here...I should be with them not leaving them to go after someone. But in the long run, if I let Sam get away again....

There wasn't time for any back and forth, my dad said, "don't worry son, Paul and I will look after everyone here."

As if his name conjured him, Paul the newly promoted Lt-colonel strolled out.
"What's happening?"

"Paul, please bro, we need your car."

"woa....I'll have to take you, you know that's my service issued automobile"

"but that's the only car we have right now and we need your presence here." I said

"Rex, you can get into big trouble, all it would take is one military check point on the road..."

Tonye looked at me, "he's right...and we still have the ambulance"

I looked down the road. The doctor had left last night, immediately after checking Olivia for the night, according to him, all she needed was rest and time to heal, but he'll be by to check her again in the evening.

It seems my in-law had commandeered the ambulance for the whole day, I could see the outline of the driver hunched over the steering.

"what? Surely you're not thinking of that..." Paul said in disbelief, "ok, take my car, or let me go with you so I'd drive, the other agent can stay," he nodded at Tonye.

"Paul, if I had the opportunity, to stay with them, be with my wife and daughter and never leave them alone during this period, I'd grab it with everything in me. I need you to do that, and be that, for their sake, for my sake."

He nodded and dug into his pocket for his car key but I shook my head, "don't worry, we'd use the ambulance"

"we better hurry!" Tonye called out.

"I'd send the address of the place you can bring him to, once I make some calls," my dad said.

"okay" I thought of rushing in to hug my wife but had to walk briskly to the ambulance. The chief's daughter was on my mind too, she had been kidnapped. Andy was on my mind; my assistant had not yet reached me with ticket confirmation, for the flight to Lagos. Olivia and Emma were on my mind; I couldn't leave them, Short Sam and his family were still on my mind; I had to make sure they were safe. The reporter(God rest her soul) was on my mind and would probably remain there forever, then I was thinking of Clyde and Kirsten and how they were holding up...I increased my pace.

The driver must have woken up as Tonye and I made our way to the ambulance.

I opened the door, "why don't you go into the house and relax," I said to the driver. It sounded like a suggestion...almost. I noticed the keys were still in the ignition.

He shook his head, "I dey OK...this is my job, I earned money for it." I could tell whatever Sam had paid him had been beyond his imagination which as a result had churned out this fierce dedication.

"We need to make use of this ambulance, we need to go somewhere," even as I said it my phone rang. It was Bami, my heart quickened its beat as I answered the call, hoping for good news about Andy.
"hello Bami"

"Rex, hold on... I have Sparrow on the line"

A minute later the musical voice of the sensei came over the line. I moved away from the ambulance as Tonye and the driver were still haggling over releasing the vehicle.

"Sparrow," the relief in my voice almost gave me a foreign accent. "you came back"

"we're under attack Rex, I told you never rest when dealing with the hole"

"I know I messed up, do you have any suggestions?"

"Get in touch with Carmichael, let him get you to Betran, you may also need to get Beatrice too..."

"wait...for what?" Beatrice had killed the fake shadow, she was Fome's lover, Emma's kidnapper, shooter of my wife's kneecaps. I never wanted to see her again, except perhaps behind bars.

"we need every help we can get, Rex"

"okay, but any heads up in the direction we're taking?"

"Mr X had a plan, but the only problem was he never knew the members of the hole. During his last days he lost control and chose a random gathering with some dignitaries with the hope that members of the hole would be among the high profile guests."

I remembered it all too clearly. He had given me a trickish code, after I managed to chip his bitterness a little with the mention of his daughters.

"it's about what you stopped from happening then, making it happen this time but with a targeted audience. I can't say more than that, make contact"

With that his voice faded away and Bami's voice came back on the line. But my mind was already racing. The media had carried out the news two years ago, misdirected as always that a time bomb had been stopped - by me, saving the governor, and a hall full of commissioners and dignitaries, politicians, journalists, etcetera. It was not a bomb but a deadly nerve agent, called sarin gas. One whiff of the gas was all it would take and death would occur within one to ten minutes.

"how are you holding up?" Bami asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I feel like shit, naturally. We are terribly understaffed at the moment, but we need to find a way to get short Sam and his family to safety."
"I'm on it." Bami said. "What of Tonye?"
"she's fine, another thing is the chief's daughter. Ada was kidnapped last night, apparently because Emenike surrendered the red letters to us, but Emenike himself is missing, having absconded in the middle of the night. Ada was caught in the crossfire, wrong place wrong time."

"Good Lord, how do we do all these things at once and try not to get killed at the same time?" Bami complained

"I'd try and work it from this angle, I'd call you back once I get any useful info."

"wait wait....what about what Sparrow told you?"

"I'll also get it, any info that he knows, as long as he knows, I'll get it"

"wait Rex, you have to come to Lagos you know it. We need you over here men, Andy's fighting for his life for God's sake" Bami's voice broke and also broke me.

"I'll get back to you soon," I said as I saw Tonye wave to me from the ambulance. I locked my phone screen and hurried towards the ambulance as I pocketed my phone. I couldn't see any sign of the driver and when I got to the door I saw why; Tonye had tazed him and he was out cold, on a stretcher in the back, a gas mask over his mouth just for effect.

"Jesus, Tonye."

"Hey, he refused to budge, then I began to suspect he could have been placed there by the first minister"

I opened the door and got behind the wheel. I started the engine and was surprised the engine started off once and was very smooth and steady.

"any word from them yet?" I asked Tonye.

"let me call them again"

She dialed a number and put the phone on loudspeaker as we listened to it ring.

"hello, k-c what's your status" (kc was Kirsten and Clyde.)

"Still tailing the Fm, Google map estimates 20 minutes till airport." Clyde replied, his voice vibrating from the motion of the car. I guessed he was driving.

"just try, improvise...anything you can, give me ten minutes and we'll be there." I flipped on the siren and flashing lights, activated the central lock and put the windows up as the ac began to cool. I cracked my neck and revved the engine. I planned to drive like Lewis Hamilton right now.

I reversed out of the street completely, and zoomed unto the highway, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

"just try and delay the car for 10 minutes, tell me your location"

"head for the round about." Kirsten said

"OK, don't forget outside Lagos, we're just Private detectives, no matter how popular." Tonye added, a subtle warning to stay safe.

::::::::::::::::::::
Rex had indeed guessed correctly, Clyde was behind the wheel. He was two cars behind the stretch, which wasn't speeding exactly but at the same time wasn't crawling.

"So how do we go about this?" Kirsten asked for like the thousandth time.

"it would have been better if he didn't see us, but he knows our face, even the driver would recognize us." Clyde replied

"Rex said to improvise," she muttered

"maybe that's an opportunity up ahead." Clyde said squinting. There was a little traffic just before the round-about because of the street light and it seems a noodles company was having their official launch.

Over a dozen youths littered the road, wearing the red polo shirt with the noodles logo, holding bags and carton of noodles, squeezing in between the slow moving cars, sharing about 3 packs each to passersby and vehicle owners. Up ahead was their pickup truck, covered with banners of the noodles and speakers blasting Davido songs.

Clyde accelerated - greatly, weaved past the cars and past the stretch too, watching the rear view mirror intently to make sure he switched lanes if the stretch did.

The damn light was showing green as he approached and he slowed down as the noodles marketers stood to the side of the road, eagerly waiting for the light to turn red. The stretch was getting closer in the rear view. The driver had increased his speed, wanting to beat the light no doubt.

The driver switched lanes when it became obvious the grey Toyota in front was slowing down, probably to turn at the round about which was like two lanes away, "stupid drivers," he sighed.

Clyde watched the light and the rear view mirror, his eyes going back and forth like a pendulum bob. The light began to blink, it would be changing in a matter of seconds.

As the stretch got closer, Clyde switched on the hazard light and veered into the next lane- directly in front of the stretch.

The stretch blew its horn immediately and the brakes screeched. For a second it looked like there'll be contact.

"Clyde!!" Kirsten couldn't help but call out as she flinched reflexively, expecting the stretch to ram into their car from behind.

The light blinked once more, and turned red. The noodles marketers went into action immediately, flooding the road and approaching the cars, creating "awareness" of their product.

Because of the way Clyde had changed lanes and slowed down suddenly, about four of them approached the car.

Clyde's eyes were on the rear view mirror. Their car and the stretch were practically fender to bumper.
There were two guys trying to market the noodles to the stretch but the tinted windows were up and afforded a view of only their reflections.

On the other hand, Clyde and Kirsten engaged the marketers as they swarmed the car.

"what's the name of the noodles?" Kirsten asked.

"it's chilly crisp noodles ma, it's better than all other noodles, and healthier, no Wax at all ma, but fresh vegetables dey inside"

"you sure? Na so you guys go dey hype yourself every time" Clyde said, eyes still glued on the rearview mirror.

"Sir just one trial will convince you, just 500 naira for half a dozen, it's our special bonus package."

"Oh! You guys are even selling? I thought it was free." Clyde sounded disappointed, he looked at the traffic light, it could turn green in any moment.

"The bags are free sir" one of them, a lady said, she peeled off and gave Kirsten two nylon bags printed with the noodles name; chilly crisp noodles and a mouthwatering dish of the said noodles, garnished with all manner of protein.

The light began to blink again and the marketers rushed through their deals, made last minute sales and released change.

The stretch was already blasting its horn impatiently, even though the light wasn't green yet.

"God what do we do?" Kirsten asked.

For a split second Clyde wanted to ask Kirsten who she had asked the question, but the light turned green and the stretch was blowing the horn carelessly.

The road was quite busy and there was a momentary confusion as the line of cars behind the stretch increased. Clyde let the car jerk a little bit, using both feet to accelerate and brake at the same time. He stretched his hand out the window, gesturing and apologizing, that his car was experiencing fault. The cars began to switch lanes as he repeated the jerking trick. The moment the stretch trafficated left and entered the next lane, the car also veered onto the same lane, still in front of the stretch. The driver horned and horned, leaning on the steering. The stretch had a powerful intimidating horn and both the marketers and hawkers and pedestrians standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the next red light and the cars that passed them all looked at them.

It would have been embarrassing, if any of them cared. Their sole attention was on the agitated sleek ride directly behind them.

Clyde slowed down almost completely, "I hope Rex gets here soon."

The stretch had to slow down completely or run into them. The driver reversed a little and turned right. Clyde followed, blocking the stretch yet again. By this time it was clear that the Toyota was bent on blocking the vehicle behind from overtaking it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" a man in a Mercedes said as he drove past.

"My transmission is acting up!" Clyde shouted in explanation. The traffic light was blinking again, the only problem was they were at the round-about, while the cars behind them would be stopped, those coming from the sides will be activated. Once again the stretch reversed and shot forward, this time it was too fast for their car, when Clyde tried to block it again, it breezed past, brushing their fender in the process.

"Shit!" Clyde exclaimed, he accelerated immediately, chasing the stretch. The transmission he had complained about just few seconds ago was now apparently okay.

Plus he could hear a siren faintly. Strange, but it sounded a little like an ambulance but he was sure he was mistaken, it had to be the police.

Clyde and Kirsten or K-C as Tonye had referred to them had the bad state of the road to thank, if not the stretch would have surely disappeared out of sight. Even now, with the numerous pot holes, it still pulled ahead.

A little distance away, (behind) the ambulance blasted past the other cars, the siren was on full blast and most cars cleared out of the way, thinking it was an emergency, a case of life and death. They were not exactly wrong.

::::::::::::::::

The only time Ada had experienced this kind of headache was the morning after she turned 18. She had celebrated her 'adulthood' by partying with her girlfriends in the brand new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster, which her father had surprised her with. She had gotten drunk like never before and the next morning her head had felt so heavy, she spent an extra hour on the bed, trying to get up without moving it and also trying to figure out who the naked man beside her was.

Now she felt that way again, staring unblinking at first at the ceiling, unable or unwilling to think or remember the painful nightmare she had gone through the night before, Bridge....

Even now the headache multiplied and she had to stop thinking, stop remembering. She was on the floor, and her hands were bound with duct tape, which was good as well, because she wanted to hold her head so bad, but if she did, she feared it would probably explode.

She could hear low voices from outside the door, (which was slightly ajar.) She tried to look without raising her head which was almost impossible but she could see the upper half of the door.

One of the thugs had failed to catch her when the handkerchief was pressed against her face, choking her while the chloroform did the rest. As a result she had hit the side of her head on the corvette, which was a major source of the headache that worried her now.
She heard the sound of a gate opening, then the mumbled over tones of a woman's voice and her assailants as they no doubt gave a status report and answered the woman's questions.
Maybe that was the person who would initiate the ransom call, she thought to herself, a little sign of hope.
The volume of the voices increased as they got closer to the open door and she heard the word; F-three clearly, F3? What the hell was that?

Not a what but a who apparently, she entered the room, a remarkably thin woman sharply dressed, with expressionless eyes and a poker face which somehow managed to hint at impatience and irritation.

Florida Florence Fumilayo aka F3 or 3F, number 12 in the red letters, was a successful business woman and the only female in the hole.
She lived an extremely quiet life, away from the public eye and despite owning a chain of jewelry stores across the country and in South Africa and the Uk, was still almost anonymous.

Ada wouldn't have known her, couldn't have....but somehow she recognized the face or remembered the face;
She was about 14 and her parents had been having dinner parties once a month during that period. Family and friends came around, well maybe family in the most singular form imaginable, cause the chief didn't have anybody on his side; no brother, no sister, no father or mother(or so they thought,) while his wife's brother came occasionally with his wife and teenage son. The rest of the guests had been friends - her father's friends mostly, She and her immediate elder brother used to study the guests then later make jokes about them and she was absolutely certain she had seen the woman before because immediately she saw her again, the same joke she had made up years ago- (likening the woman's 'flat' surface to the tarred road of the Ibadan expressway,) came to her mind. She could tell, this woman whoever she was, had once attended the dinner party, probably more than once, which would explain why she could recognize the face so well.

The woman studied her without expression. Ada was still in the gown she had worn to dinner with Bridge. (Thinking of him brought a sharp pang to her heart.)
She felt exposed under the woman's gaze. The gown wasn't short but was a bit hitched up her thighs, exposing part of her laps and legs.

"Did they touch you?" the woman asked

Ada had been knocked out but she knew she hadn't been defiled at least not in that manner. On the other hand, her little dignity, hope and love had been defiled. Plus she had been groped mercilessly which was why her body was sore all over.

The way the woman asked the question showed that there'd be trouble if they had touched her.

The hole was clean and efficient. They played dirty but they were not filthy. They were professionals. Sir Holly had made sure every single member of the hole, (from the main members down the chain of command to the thrall, foot soldiers and street enforcers,) had understood that philosophy at the expense of few scape goats that had served as perfect examples.
Ada didn't reply and the woman called out, "come help her up"
Two men came into the room immediately. They still wore the blue electricity company jumpsuit like last night and holding her by the legs and hands, they lifted her and placed her on a bed she didn't know was even there.

"why did you leave her on the floor?" 3F asked.

"she must have rolled and fallen down during the night. We placed her on the bed." One of the men replied.

That would partially explain the other part of the splitting headache....again! Ada thought to herself.

But what really had her worried was the fact that the people; her kidnappers; (these two men who helped her to the bed just now were definitely among the attackers the previous night) didn't wear any masks and this woman who was clearly in charge of everything hadn't bothered to hide her face from Ada or atleast to have her blindfolded. It seems they were not bothered that she had seen their faces, which could only mean bad news, (like they say; dead people don't talk......or to be precise; like her father used to say)

At the woman's direction, the duct tape holding her wrists together was cut with a knife and the two men exited the room.

"You can sit up," the woman said

Ada tried to, lifting her body to rest on the headboard. It felt like her head would fall off.

"I know you're disoriented and confused, but I can make all these go away if you tell me what I need to know. Where is your elder brother Emenike?"

"I...I don't know..." her voice was a whisper, "I got to his house and he wasn't there...."

"where could he have gone? Does he have a secret house in this country? Outside?"

"I don't know.."

"your father is not a stupid man, at a point he must have told you something, given his children some kind of instructions, things to do, places to go incase of any emergency.."

She shook her head and winced, and the 3F lady observed her. "you must have a terrible headache," with that she walked to a cabinet, and opened it, she removed a pharmacy's nylon bag which had the usual green and white cross on both sides. Ada heard the sound of a container opening, then the rush and sound of the pills as the small plastic cup was bounced a bit, to get the right number of pills into her palm. Then she heard the container clamp shut and water rush into a glass cup from a dispenser she never noticed in the corner. Then the woman was nudging her and handing her two brown pills that looked like the mini version of a rugby ball and a glass of water.

"here, take this drug, in a couple of minutes the headache and any other pains would be gone."

Ada took the drug gratefully, she opened her mouth as the woman, who didn't seem so bad after all, helped her tilt the cup so she could drink well without bending her head.

Then the woman straightened and looked at her. "You can rest for a while, remember you still have another brother studying medicine in Michigan but I feel it's better you tell us whatever we want to know so we don't need to ask him."

With that she walked out, still holding the glass cup which was almost empty.

Ada waited for some seconds before spitting out the tablets she had tucked under her tongue. It left a nasty taste thanks to the water the witch had forced down her throat. She spent the next two minutes gargling and spitting like she was pregnant. They were done with her already, she didn't know how she knew, but she knew the pills the woman had practically shoved down her throat were lethal. Then she remembered last night; the split second after the gun had shot Bridge straight in the face at point blank range. The way his handsome face had been disfigured. She wished she hadn't seen it, then she wished it hadn't happened.

She began to sob gently. She knew it was over. She was finally going to pay for her most gruesome sin; being born into the Amunike family.


::::::::::::::::
Sparrow got on the floor and practically crawled under the car, checking for any IED. While Dagnet stood back(a safe distance away,) full of fear. The dimension of what was really happening seemed to finally dawn on her.

Next, Sparrow opened the door, slowly...she marveled at his stillness. He opened the door so painfully slow, it looked like it wasn't moving. He studied the ignition then removed the encasing, under the steering, studied the wiring and replaced the casing, so gently that it still didn't make a sound. Then he pulled the lever that popped the trunk, after exploring the engine and poking about for some minutes, he shut the bonnet, apparently satisfied.

He finally signaled it was safe for her to get in and she entered the car feeling scared but still safe in Sparrow's presence.

She got behind the wheel while he settled in the passenger seat, reading the instruction filled paper he had recovered from the van.

The purge
-All waste products and affiliated garbage
-method of disposal: incenerator
-Locations Lagos, Benue(On hold)
Time frame: 48 hours.

In the van it was also very clear what had been intended. There was a 20 litter keg of petrol.

The house next to Dagnet's was vacant, the 'for rent' sign had been on the door for so long, it had faded from red to pink. It remained vacant partly because of the ridiculously high asking price of the landlord.

Sparrow had piled the bodies on top each other, then he poured the fuel strategically, in every entrance point, the windows and exit doors, then trailed the petrol to the kitchen, splashing it over the cylinder and the gas cooker, which he also opened the knobs and released the valve.

Then he left the house and joined Dagnet who was standing away from the car like he had instructed. Then he proceeded to inspect the car for any bomb.
When they settled in and she started the engine. He brought out his gun, closed one eye and aimed through the front door of the house which he had left open, then he pulled the trigger.

The house engulfed in flames immediately and was quickly followed by a loud explosion.

"It's better they believe they got us in there....at least even if for a while," Sparrow said as she shot the car forward and away from the carnage that had been her home. Now her only property was the small golf bag she had squeezed in some clothes, documents and her weapons. Sparrow had surprised her by coming out of her house with a light blue drycleaned police uniform in a dusty plastic bag. It was her old uniform, before she had been promoted to detective, she hadn't worn the uniform in years and it wasn't even the same uniform with the one being used since the Lagos police force had been (upgraded?) to the MetroPoliceDivison or MPD.

"I have a premonition it's going to come in handy," he had said before handing it to her and proceeding to inspect the car. Now as she sped away, she glanced at the uniform hanging on the back seat.

She couldn't stop herself from muttering, "I also have a premonition and it's scary"

He surprised her by placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "Just take a deep breath, everything is going to be alright. The first chance we have, I'd take you through the lifting the sky exercise, you're full of shock and fear and some negative expectations. You need to clear your soul, pure belief and pure hope is what you want to have right now"

Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Dagnet almost veered off the road. Just the kiss, which was more like a peck, sent electrical jolts down to her toes. Sparrow was full of energy, like he had some serious fire burning inside him. She began to have hope....pure hope, of a future with him.


:::::::::::::
Ryan Bigelow woke up that morning feeling lethargic. Some kind of dullness came over him the minute he opened his eyes. Maybe it was because he was in his brother's home, his brother's room, had slept in his brother's bed. Enveloped with his brother's sharp scent, courtesy of the after shave and cologne which Ryan had complained countless times to his brother before, was too sharp and strong.
But now it was not sharp or strong enough.

He was surprised to see the time was 8:33am. He and the young mother and her son, little Arinze had sat on the stairs for hours, then the boy had gone in to sleep but he and the woman had remained on the stairs. Her head still on his shoulder as she received the little comfort and support he could give and vice versa. He had gone inside by 3:44am, finally, after she went in, he stumbled on his bed and slept off before his head hit the pillow.

He didn't switch on the television or radio when he woke up, instead he sat on the bed, staring out the window. He had literally woken up on the wrong side of the bed. He wasn't even thinking about anything, just staring out the window.

When the call came in at first, his mobile ringing on the bedside table which was on the right side of the bed. He let it ring twice, showing no intention of stretching across the bed to grab the phone. Then it gave the short beep signifying an incoming message then there was a little silence.
He looked at the phone and it began to ring again. This time he grunted and stretched, grabbed the phone and answered it, "hello"

"Bigelow, it's Bami, are you okay?"

"yea, what happened....you're shouting"

"you've not seen the news? The H is on to us...we need to meet up, Dagnet and sparrow are on the road, I'll patch you to them...hold on.."

By now Bigelow was on his feet. His phone glued to his ear as he opened the wardrobe, scanning for any of his brother's clothes to wear. The brothers were of similar physic, although Thomas Bigelow had been more broad shouldered. Still the shirt would fit perfectly. Ryan selected a checkered shirt and a camo hoody.

By this time his phone buzzed again. Dagnet was on the line, he calculated the time and suggested a round-about they should meet.

Doubleprof1:
We knew. He knew and I knew.
He knew I knew.
And I knew he knew I knew.
This is deep. Bravo Souloho 19. Such an impeccable write up.

Thanks boss

LightQueen:
I am here now.
Well done Souloho

Welcome on board queen

Eberechi24:
Soul, you didn't give us mention. e no good o

My dear no vex, @ readers pardon me for the lack of mention once more as I'll be updating soon

* could only edit this one halfway...pardon the grammar errors*

Dagnet lived in a 8 bedroom bungalow which had been halved into two; 4 bedroom flats. The landlord definitely had a keen eye for profit.

Her home was sparsely furnished, the general shade set the tone as devoid of emotions; grey curtains, black leather seats, a grey center rug, ash ashtrays (it was a habit she was determined to stop, she now smoked just two cigarettes a day, sometimes three)


She woke up that morning, feeling as sour as she had gone to bed the night before. For a brief moment she had thought of her dull home and repainted it in her mind, something bright and full of life, imagining a couple of paintings, but then Sparrow had dropped the bomb, in a cold voice which may as well be a computer recording had informed her "he was traveling"
Just like that.

She brushed her teeth-the first thing she did every morning and washed her face then she walked to her parlour, drying her hands on the small towel. She used the remote to switch on the air conditioner. Dagnet was cold blooded, literally. Her house was always almost at freezing level all the time.

She switched on the television then proceeded to mount the treadmill. Her target was 3 miles.

The TV was muted naturally and she swiped her phone which was connected to the speaker via Bluetooth and began blasting out some old school R. Kelly jams. She realized, listening to slow music made her have more control over her pulse and keep it steady-or close to steady.

She blocked every thought of Sparrow Ayara, the most interesting man she had ever met in her lifetime. She focused instead on regulating her breathing, and taking each step just as Robert Kelly sang about stepping in the name of love.

She glanced at the TV and her steps lost rhythm. She grabbed the remote and unmuted the TV, at the same time pausing the music on her phone and disconnecting the bluetooth, freeing the speakers for auxiliary.

".......always gave her best to her career in investigative journalism. She is survived by..."

The photograph that had caught Dagnet's attention covered the screen again. She was sure of it, this was the same woman they had met with the day before, the woman Andy handed the data on the hole to.

She hopped down from the treadmill, (after it almost tripped her) and went to stand before the TV, her mouth wide open in shock.

The journalist was dead, there was some kind of bomb blast that early morning. The explosion had been controlled and thought to be a car bomb. The police was very much on the case and going over every iota of clue with a magnifying glass.

They would not rest on their laurels until the perpetrator(s) were brought to justice.

Dagnet scoffed. Even the director himself, the pig who had fired her because she refused to perform a sex act on him to save her job. She had seen his name in the red letters, he was a member of the hole. The MPD would only fight what they want to find and release what the director deemed fit.

Still she had one or two friends in the station, who could share some insights about the investigation's status.

She had spent just about ten minutes in the presence of the journalist but she had liked her, the warmth and pure energy emanating from her eyes alone(she was beginning to sound like Sparrow *face-palm*)

Then they mentioned the second person who was yet to be identified and fighting for his/her life in ICU and her blood ran cold.

When her phone rang, It took her a second to realise the ringing wasn't from the mobile in her hand but the landline at the other end of the parlour. She walked briskly and snatched the receiver "hello"
"hello?"
"hello?"
"hello?"

There was no reply, yet she was almost certain she could hear the controlled breathing coming from the other end.

"hello?"

Then the dial tone.

She replaced the receiver, frowning and thinking what the call was about, probably a prank call, but when last did she even receive a prank call? Where people still doing that?

It rang again and not until she had snatched the receiver to her ear that she realized it was her mobile phone ringing this time around.

The number was a strange one.

"hello?"

"Dagnet? This is Bami..This is a warming call, the H is on to us, they've struck us this morning already, I'm sure you've seen the news. You have to be extra careful until we can regroup and strategize, as at now, this is war"

A knock sounded on her door.

"who was that? Where are you?" Bami asked over the line, he sounded worried.

She was also getting worried. The day she had been fired or to be precise, had walked out on the job, her badge and service revolver had been turned in at the items desk but she had two pistols in her home, plus extra cartridge boxes. The P.89 was in her suitcase under the bed in her room. But her glock9 was closer, it was taped behind the plate rack in the kitchen.

The knock sounded again and she moved slowly and as noiseless as possible. To the kitchen, on the third shelf, the plate rack....she stretched her hand and her fingers brushed the gun.

She flipped off the safety, she was locked and loaded.

Bami was still hollering in the phone, "just stay calm, I'd try and reach out to any agent we have in Lagos, Rex's assistant is around" he said reassuringly but Jumbo wasn't an agent, he was more a file carrier than a gun carrier.

"Bigelow! I'd get in touch with him right now, you just..." she ended the call and dropped the phone on the counter. The knock sounded again, softly, almost like whoever was there believed no one was in and just wanted to confirm it.

"who is there?" she asked, moving close to the door. She parted the curtain on the side mirror, just a little bit but she didn't see anyone. Whoever was there was deliberately standing to the side, to avoid being seen.
She wished the damn door had a peephole.

"who is there?" she asked again.

"good morning ma, please I'm from the waste management organization and we're having our first quarterly splash..called the purge, we have a questionnaire for you to fill on ways to improve our service then there are lovely gifts we're sharing as part of the purge theme"

Subconsciously, she lowered the gun a little. "The purge...what does that mean?"

"it's just something our p.r.o thought about to give the exercise more meaning. Basically we're purging ourselves off dirt, we have suggestions on how to dispose food waste as compost and enrichen your soil, if you have a garden and also the different and cleanest methods to bag the waste, how to separate the ones getting recycled from the incinerator bound, the new colour codes for waste bags we're sharing and introducing new."

That was a lot of explanation for one simple question. The voice sounded spry and light, she could imagine him on the other side of the door, holding different folders and questionnaires, wearing the committee's polo shirt or whatever he called his organization.

She opened the curtain wider and craned her neck, and indeed she could see parts of a dustbin, a bucket, a dustpan and a broom. Apparently all new and brought for her.

"she's behind the door," the voice was low but she heard it and realized it was different from the one that had spoked earlier.

It happened like a dream, or better yet magic. Sparrow Ayara, emerged from behind her, she heard the sound and turned at the last minute, her gun raised and ready to shoot, not that Sparrow gave her a chance, he flung his body on her, tackling her like a rugby player. Midway to the ground, in the air- in a state of shock, alarm and fear, Dagnet heard the gunshot and knew why.

They had seen the curtain move and concluded correctly she was behind the door. A pump action had been used to blast a big hole in the door and no doubt get her down too. The shot was deafening.
She was still confused, where the hell did Sparrow appear from, could he actually disappear and appear at will...it was crazy....maybe it was the slight bump she'd gotten when they landed on the floor.
Another shot blasted into the door, eating the catch and blasting a hole where the key lock was supposed to be.

Sparrow was up like a fog, he pointed for her to get low behind her Grey 3 seater. Dagnet almost snapped she was not going to leave him to fight alone, she was not a coward.
Two kicks from well worn timberland boots smashed in what remained of the door. A man burst into the room armed with a short gun. He chambered the round in as he stormed in, the two syllabled sound that followed was very deadly, Dagnet had always felt it was just like waiting to die when you heard it, because the few seconds after the reloading sound is full of the apprehensive expectation of the much louder sound of the bullet discharge.

Now as the man's hand moved beneath the barrel, loading the shot gun shells for fire, there was no time to feel trepid about the incoming bullet, Sparrow was over the man, she only saw him lean into the man and perform some kind of upper body twist, she couldn't see it clearly from this angle (she was still in the process of scrambling up)

But suddenly Sparrow had disarmed the guy off his gun, he fired the shot, straight to the midriff of the assailant. Then he threw the gun on another person, (she heard the crunching sound) and rolled to the side just as a bullet burst through the open door. By this time, Dagnet was on her feet, or precisely on her knee, in a shooter stance, she had the 3 seater in front of her, as some kind of cover/base for target.

She had a clear view, with Sparrow out of the way, and the other man with a nasty hole in his stomach on the floor. She saw the target. One was on his knee, holding his forehead which looked like it was bleeding. On the floor beside him was the gun Sparrow had thrown earlier.
The second guy standing in front of the buckets and dustbis had a gun, it looked like a semiautomatic, but she saw him first, she aimed first, she shot first and she killed first. He collapsed to the ground noiselessly, the bullet buried deep in his skull, entry point; between the eyes.
Dagnet noticed the men were all dressed in orange shirts with the logo on the arm 'Waste Management Organization' W.M.O
They wore these under jeans jumpsuits. To be honest, they looked exactly like what they portrayed.
Sparrow grabbed the third guy roughly and pulled him in. He was bleeding profusely, the gun had done a lot of damage when it had struck his face, his eyes were almost swollen shut, he had a cut over his eyebrow and blood was trickling down, dripping off his chin and blinding his half blinded eye in the process.
Dagnet wondered the sheer force Sparrow had used in throwing the gun, she had heard the sound, and the yelp of pain, Sparrow never just did anything. Everything he ever did was to a thought out and intended purpose, if he threw a gun, he wasn't just throwing a gun, he knew what he was throwing the gun for and he got it. She looked down at the attacker. He was incapacitated, just like that.
"I think you better shut the door," Sparrow said.
That jolted her to life "where did you come out from? You've been in my house? How there you?" she was furious.
His voice was calm, different lilts not from emotions but more like a seductive caress. It was hypnotic.
"At first Dagnet, I missed you. I remained in the airport after our call but I didn't get up when they announced boarding, I sat there and missed my flight. I tried to meditate and I began to sense this foreboding...I began to shadow you.. I followed you through out yesterday, to the eatery you and your colleagues met with a young woman then I followed you back, but I was watching, watching anyone watching you. But then these men arrived in a truck just before dawn, they parked a little distance away but I watched them while they changed and talked. I waited for a while then decided to come warn you, I used the last few minutes of darkness before the complete crack of dawn and I slipped in, at first I wanted to wake you, but you looked so tired...its been a crazy couple of days."
Dagnet looked at the man on the floor. He had unhooked the jumpsuit and untucked his shirt tails which he used to dab at his eyes. "so you've been in my place since when?"
"a little after six"
"where were you?"
"In the last room you use for a store. It had the best positioned window with the best frontage view"
Dagnet rubbed her arms.
"look I'm sorry, I know it's all shades of creepy and I should have woken you up, but it's just how I am, it's how I'm programmed to work, to think...then again there was the possibility of a listening device and waking you up to talk would have spoilt whatever surprise we had"
"no sparrow, it's okay...I'm glad...I owe you my life." she looked down at the man. Now his nose was running.
"do you know who sent them?" she asked him
"no...they keep going on about the purge. I'd check their van, I'm sure it would hold some clues"
"it has to be a hole. Bami called me that they were on to us.."
"Darn it! We have to leave here, this was what I tried to warn Rex about"
"why did you come here....who sent you?" Dagnet asked
"Bleep you bitch...I'd die before I talk" the man hissed and spat a bloody mouthful. He was a bit off on her direction thankfully and the bloody arc fell well away from her.
"we need to move, no time...call Rex, I need to speak to him"
With two powerful strides he was before the attacker who had just indicated his willingness to die.
Sparrow made a fist but allowed the sharp knuckle of his third finger to jut out slightly, like a spear head on both fists.
Like lightening he delivered two rapid fire punches right in the center of his chest. The attacker began to vibrate and have a seizure suddenly like he was going into cardiac arrest.
Few seconds later, he was still...dead.
Dagnet looked at Sparrow in shock.
"ever heard of Mas Oyama? The sensei famous for killing bulls with one punch and breaking off their horns with a karate chop? I spent my eleventh and twelfth year in his Oyama dojo, mastering the kyojushinaki" he smiled at her, "let's just say a punch is like a fan switch, you just have to learn the controls and you'd be surprised."
He spoke calmly but his eyes were roaming everywhere, the window, the bodies, the blood, her face, the door behind her...everywhere! "now where is your car...we need to leave" he said finally
She nodded, speechless. She was still in her workout joggers and tank top. Sparrow spotted the jacket where she had left it on the chair earlier and handed it to her.
She grabbed the car keys key and tried not to look at the dead bodies.
In the car she finally picked the call. Bami had given her up to 30 missed calls since they spoke last and she had cut the call, while the knocking had been going on.
"I'm going to patch you through with agent Bigelow for the main time, we'd have a recon back in BROTA once we've run extensive checkups on security...(a pause) are you sure you're okay?"
"yes, Sparrow is here too"
"which sparrow? Agent Ayara?" the voice was loud and energetic all of a sudden
Dagnet stretched and gave the phone to Sparrow. "Hello, agent"
"agent Sparrow" Bami almost cried out in relief "men it's so good to hear your voice."
"yes, yes, look the hole has turned on us, they won't relent, it's just like when a dam breaks." he unfolded the printed note he had kept aside, "they call it the purge"
"the purge?"
"yes, there's only one way..you need to get me through to Rex, the only way is to get through this one clean offensive, you don't run away from the hole, they cut you deep, there's a plan that has been laid down for almost a decade by Mr X, only frustrated cause we never knew who the members were, we never saw the red letters. Get Rex then get the doctor, Carmichael " he looked at Dagnet, her eyes were glued to the road.
It was easy to sense Bami was nodding as he spoke, "Okay, I'd patch you with Rex, in the mean time, Bigelow would call so you guys can team up. Ermm....Sensei, thanks for coming through for -"
"I do this for Marcus Ayara" Sparrow said easily.
Marcus Ayara's name had been among the names in the red letters. Right before the word in the bracket 'deceased' Sparrow knew the story, had made it his business to know; his father had been in charge of the hole's drug trade, making trips to Asia. On one such trip he met a young Chinese lady and fell in love, not long after she gave birth to a son. His father had wanted out of the hole but as expected there was only one way out, Plus Ayara Snr. had been a vital part of the early influx of cash. Taking advantage of the early increasing demands, making the hole mad money and never getting caught.
The very first episode of the widow's initiative was sponsored out of the proceeds of a major profit boost.
But if you were not for the hole then you were dispensable to them. And so M. Ayara had been eliminated, leaving an unknown child with the young mother in China. The mother, after waiting for her lover, panicked and left the child in front of the shaolin temple. The rest was history.

Bigelow finally came on the line, he spoke with Dagnet for some seconds and they agreed to meet up at a major roundabout in 15 minutes.

::::::::::::
My in-law, Sam, was already late for the airport, but I he didn't feel too pleased that my sister was staying behind for an extra day, and that was worrying to me.

I needed to confront this man. I looked at him from my chair as he buttoned his suit jacket and shook his head sadly as Paul recounted some explosions he had experienced during his stint at the war front in Liberia.

There was no time to massage anybody's ego, my best friend, scratch that, my brother was in ICU fighting for his dear life again. And I'm not a kind of self-righteous prick who enjoys taking the blame but if we really look at it, both times were my fault. The first, I had made a moment's decision and contacted the crazy Tosin shadow at the wharf that night, which had ended in a bullet through Andy's spleen and now I had gotten the reporter killed and maybe Andy too. Knowing the full power of the hole or at least an extent of their power, surely I could have understood it was too great a risk for one reporter to shoulder alone?

"Ma, please stay strong, these are just trying times, they will pass, that's why once I'm successful next year, the first thing I'll do is to lobby for harder rules and even the death penalty against crimes like this" He hugged my mother, who was sobbing into her face towel, shook hands with my dad and Paul, hugged Cynthia and told her his assistant had booked her the next morning flight.

He waved at Tonye and looked at me, "Rex, come on my man, lighten up....things will surely get better. I'd call you,"

"don't worry I'd walk you out"

"okay, I'd like to see Olivia first and tell her goodbye"

I smiled thinly, (it was very difficult) "oh, sure"

The mood in Olivia's room was upbeat and lively, or meant to be. Cause the children were 100% worry free and happily rolling round the room and roaring, probably acting out their own documentary of the wild cats of the serengeti.

However to me the mood was filled with fear, or should I say every reason to fear. The defenseless and happy children, no inkling about the current events and even Olivia....who was still relishing the reunion between mother and daughter.

Of course Utebo had not told her anything and she did a great job trying to relax her expression and smile at Olivia and maintain the casual, happy voice while feeling like screaming and ripping something to shreds...just like I was feeling right now. But then again here I was, standing beside the man who was probably responsible for it all and smiling as he joked with my wife about her recovering so fast she'd go jogging by weekend.

He hugged my sister Utebo, whispered some encouraging words in her ear and high fived the kids.
Olivia didn't want me to go, but I assured her I'd be back in a second. Kissed her cheek and rushed after my in-law.

"I guess your driver would come pick you?" I asked as he walked briskly to the main gate.

"he's already waiting outside, for the past fifteen minutes"

"he can wait some more, hold on," I held his shoulder and he half turned but didn't miss a bit. "I have to be in the airport in less than 40 minutes, I'd call you once I land"

He opened the gate and I shut it, causing a loud clanging noise. I saw the blinds open to one of the windows in the house.

I quickly opened the gate and gestured to Sam to step out, like he was having trouble opening the gate and I had to assist him.

The moment we were outside he sighed, "Rex, I don't know what that was all about, but I'd let it slide.. I know you're tired-"

"you're the first minister aren't you?" I watched him closely and I could literally see and hear his heart skip a couple of beats. The question was unexpected and knocked the wind out of him. However in a few seconds he had recovered, "first minister of what? I wouldn't mind petroleum," he winked and laughed.

His driver was a little ahead and he started the stretch(still unsure if it's a jeep or a limo, calling it a limo seems like a stretch, so we'll just call it stretch)

He reversed the stretch expertly to the curb and my in-law filled me with humorous eyes.

"I know about the hole, I know about the red letters, I know you're the first minister, I have manual correspondence of all your sinister activities as far back as '83. I want you to corporate with me, we're family, so talk to me, let me know all there is to know and when we bring the hole down...cause we would, but when we bring it down, you can save yourself and not jeopardize your political career"

(Of course, I don't need to tell you I didn't give a rat's ass about this man or his so-called career, you should know me by now)

After the initial shock and seconds of naked emotions clouding his eyes, now he seemed to have put on a cloak of indifference.
"Rex, I don't even know what you're talking about...but you sound like you believe it, believe me, channel the energy to something else or maybe use it to investigate the case from another angle, you may come up with a more favorable option or conclusion."

He turned to leave but I gripped his shirt. "whatever you're up to, leave my family out of it, don't hurt one hair on any of them...not one! They don't know anything about the hole."

"sounds like you're bargaining with lives. I heard that about you, valuing lives over others, I never believed. I must say I'm disappointed," he seemed to have let go for a minute then he shook his head and the cloak was back. "Anyway, what's the point to all these?"

"Stay away from, BROTA, stay away from my family. I understand all orders are filtered through you. Don't give it," I didn't even know if I should threaten or beg, I knew I sounded eager and pathetic.

He jerked his arm free from my grip, he opened the door and got into the stretch. I saw my reflection in the gleaming body and the tinted glass. I looked like the image you can find under the word, 'apprehensive' in a picture dictionary.

The glass, came down a little, just affording me a view of his forehead and his eyebrows. "when the car comes, tell them to take it"

With that the glass went up and the car sped off.
My phone was still ringing, the Chief had been bombarding my phone with calls and my phone had been vibrating since forever.

Ada was missing, he was offering to give us intimate data that would enable us get the hole. But he wanted me to find his daughter first.

I let the call run out then scrolled through my contacts, thinking of dialing S.s to get him to fish out the local news and police reports plus the investigation status concerning the abduction last night. Everyone was talking about the bomb blast.
But then I remembered Bami's message; S.s had been tracked, he was also probably in danger.

I watched the dust settle as the stretch became a dot in the distance. BROTA had bitten off more than they could chew this time around, that was even being generous, we had bitten off what could hardly even enter our mouth.

That morning, Short Sam, aka S.s woke up as usual by 6:15am. He hit his alarm before it could ring the second time and disturb his wife. He was an expert at this; catching the alarm after the very first shrill beep.

Although to be fair, his wife was quite a deep sleeper. Not that it really mattered, because she was up as usual by 6:30 am -barely 15 minutes later. Then again maybe it did, considering she'd spend the next 30 minutes prepping their little son for school. His school bus came every morning at 7:10am.

Short Sam's routine was simple; get a cup of coffee, settle in his comfortable leather seat, behind the ancient oak desk, crack his neck and hands (resulting in a sharp 'craaaaaaack' sound,)- he did this every time, switch on the laptop and sip from his giant big brown mug which had the words; 'the adventures of huckleberry finn' sprawled round the sides in faded block letters. The mug and the desk were sacred items to him, from his days in school, when Obasi had been his roommate and the passion for hacking began to burn deep in him.

The moment the laptop loaded up, he was gone - to work, right there in his 'home office'
He saw the pop up mail immediately his laptop booted up. It was from Bami. He stiffled a yawn and clicked on the icon and the dialogue box popped up:

Hey, Sam, it's Bami. Rex says you should check out this name: Samson Igyevureh. It's very important. He says and I quote; 'it's red ant'


Of course Rex had said no such thing but Bami wasn't far from the truth. In fact, he may have as well said, "soldier ant," if only he had an inkling to what was really happening.
Rex had come up with the idea of taking the word 'ant' which they coined out of the word 'important' - a step further;
"red ant" - very important
"sugar ant" - not really important
"soldier ant" - very serious, it may involve some form of physical confrontation.

The code was quite silly and at the same time ingenius. They'd thrown the words and exchanged data round the ears of policemen, civilians and even a few politicians without them having the slightest clue, what it was all about. The closest sign of understanding being one or two apprehensive glances on the floor for any ants.

Seeing the two words on his laptop screen sprung Short Sam's fingers to action immediately.

"Junior tell daddy bye," his wife's voice came from the open door.

His son was dressed in his uniform; light blue shirt tucked into navy blue baggy shorts. The little boy would be five in a month's time.

"His bus has come?" S.s asked, sparing the slightest glance at his family, before his eyeballs fell back to the screen as if being magneted.

"yes, I'm going to work from there. Don't forget to take breaks, rest your eyes and stretch. Remember what the physio said about the CTS"

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or in his case "the bear claw," happened when the numbness in his fingers became so severe that his wrist became stiff, from hitting the keyboard at almost a machine gun rate for hours straight.

"sure honey," another swift glance-and a smile at his little boy, "bye Junior"

"bye-bye"

S.s had half a dozen name and face app search softwares but the name alone was familiar to him. Although he wasn't one who was particularly interested in politics.
As a result he kept the database local, and surely got over a dozen hits. About three tabs opened automatically, each showing data, about his life from different angles and timeline.

It was like a blueprint to a mansion, studied and scrutinized to select the perfect spot to plant the single stick of dynamite that would bring it down. That to Sam was the perfect analogy of his job.

There were also a lot of walls; for instance, hidden call logs, with no recorded data concerning the caller or receiver, just the call duration and time of call was visible. There were a lot of calls, some 30 minutes, 10 minutes, and a lot followed the same pattern and fell within 2 minutes.

Then there were Proxy servers that may have been merged with the AI of a basketball's profile- considering the way it kept bouncing phony addresses.
(S.s loved basketball and had a weird sense of humour)

Short Sam took another sip and rubbed his hands in anticipation. He remained firm in his belief that there was no network setup that was unhackable. He was going to have fun, it was like a chess game to him and he had a lot of moves that'd result in a check mate. He muttered, "finally, a challenge."

A very low beep replied him and a low red blinking light began to flash on the bottom right corner of his screen.
If Short Sam wore glasses, he would have pushed it down his nose and peered at the screen in surprise and disbelief, but he just squinted instead as he went into hyperdrive, hitting buttons and sliding out of whatever database he had been tangling with.

The blinking light could only mean one thing; someone had attempted to access his laptop remotely. But in Sam's world...the hacker's world, 'attempted' was very dangerous.

You were only safe from attack when there was no attempted attack. 90% of every cyber attack was always successful, so long the person on the other end knew what he was doing. Sam knew this fact first hand and he powered down his laptop quickly, chewing his lower lip in contemplation. This was the first time something like this was happening. Did it mean someone was on his trail?''


:::::::::::::
I don't know if it's just me, but you know one funny thing I've noticed? Why is it at the crack of dawn, when the first cock crows that the sleep suddenly becomes sweet? Plus I may have outgrown the couch but sleeping on it brought back a nostalgic dejavu, a warm familiar feeling and with my eyes closed and my mind in the conscious state of sleep, it almost felt like I time traveled for a second back to my preteen years.
Except, the damn rooster never used to crow on and on and on.....

"Rex, hey son, wake up, that's your phone."

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of my dad's voice.

That was not a Cockrell but my ringing tone.
My dad sounded like he badly wanted to sleep and I hurriedly traced the ringing to the floor, under the chair. It must have fallen there sometime during the night.
I managed to pick the call before it could go off.

"H-hello"

"hello, Rex! Boy...They've taken her! Adaobi! They've taken my daughter you need to get her back."

The words blasted into my ear, frantic and dripping with fear. My eyes grew wide suddenly as the traces of sleep began to disappear.

"Who is this?"

"it's chief Amunike! I need your help, they have my daughter."

I had never seen the chief act like that, I mean the trepidation in his voice alone painted a clearer picture and I could see him in my mind, pacing round his little villa of a prison cell, a huge green vein popping in his forehead and threatening to burst. While he barked into the phone. "They are asking for a trade, Emenike for her but I know it's a lie, they're going to kill her..."

I swung my feet to the floor and pressed my eyes tiredly, "Chief calm down, where are they holding her?"

my father was also awake now, he was still stretched on his back but watching me with interest.

"I don't know exactly, there are a million and one places but one thing.."

"wait Chief hold on first, I'd call you right back. I have another call and it looks like it's also really important."

"My boy, put our differences aside, you owe it to-"

I switched the call, with the intent of calling the Chief back immediately I rushed through this call, that is if he didn't remain on hold. I had a feeling he wouldn't. I checked the name and wondered why my assistant was calling me so early in the morning. I decided he wanted to congratulate me on Emma's safe discovery and also find out when he would be booking our flights back to Lagos.

"hello Jumbo, what is it?"

"good morning sir."

"morning"

"sir it's Andy, there was a bomb explosion early this morning. He was affected."

"Jesus!" I got to my feet immediately, "where, when, how...? Where is he? Oh my God...."

"sir, he's in the hospital, he's condition is still very critical right now, the second person died on impact."

"Helen" I whispered breathlessly, it had to be her. What had I done?

Jumbo was saying; "well sir, there's no identification as at now..."

But I wasn't listening. Just like Andy had said earlier, I just chose her like I had the right to disturb her life and throw her into the very middle of the fight with the hole.
It was all my fault, and now Andy...

"sir, sir, sir.....are you there?" Jumbo's voice floated to the surface again.

"book me the nearest flight to Lagos, quickly J"

"yes sir"


I looked round the parlour, as my eyes cleared to see my father watching me closely, standing at the other end were my two brothers in law and Tonye. My voice must have woken them.

"what happened son, who was that?" my father asked.
I didn't know what to say, the words were still ringing in my head. Andy...


:::::::::::
The news of the bomb blast traveled round the city like wild fire-fast. It was on the news, on the radio, even the newspapers had already been printed, waiting for the next day's release.

At first, the victims were unknown, then few minutes later, fresh information reached the news anchors on live TV, interrupting a rather boring soccer analysis of the premier league. One of the victims had been identified; Ms. H. Koker. A journalist with a very popular newspaper (name of which was withheld for professional reasons) The second victim was still unidentified but she was apparently in critical condition.

Bami gritted his teeth, loosing interest in the TV in the corner. it wasn't a she, it was Andy, his brother. While he'd been sleeping, trying to extinguish the fatigue at a go, Andy had...

He leaned his head back on the wall and sighed. He had driven down immediately he received the call and over the radio he had listened to each updated version of the incident as he sped towards the hospital.

Rex had been calling every two minutes, even now his phone rang again.

"Bami, any news? Have you seen the doctor? Can you see Andy?-"

"no, I'm standing outside, they've been in there for over an hour.....wait I see one of the doctor, hold on."

Bami's eyes had narrowed on the lab coat of one of the doctors as he breezed through the door and headed down the hall.

"Doctor...please...." his voice suddenly trailed off and the doctor stopped and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "the bomb case?"

"yes please"

"well...who is he to you?"

"he's... My brother." Bami replied without missing a beat"

"well...your brother was severely hurt. Blast lung, there's a rupture in his middle ear, as well as abdominal hemorrhage.."

Bami was hearing and at the same time not hearing the doctor. He kept staring at the man and blinking "doctor, what are you saying?"

The doctor sighed, "I'm saying you should pray, his injuries are extensive, both as a result of the initial explosion burst and a second wave assault of shrapnel and impact...but we're doing our best.."

As if on cue, a lady stuck her head out the hallway, "doctor we need you, chest x-ray is out"

"Good, prepare the thoracostomy" (-chest tube for air transport, anesthesia)

With that, he turned on his heels and hurried after the lady doctor.

Bami had forgotten the call was still connected. He could hear Rex's voice over the line.

His voice was inaudible. He wasn't really saying anything tangible, just short shrieks of despair.
Bami looked at his screen as it vibrated freshly "Rex....let me put you on hold. Short Sam is on my other line now, he may have something"


::::::::::::::::
My parents house was abuzz with a different kind of energy that morning. My parents sat on the couch, heartbroken. They had gone through this before.
Not Andy, not Andy....

"what did he say?" My father asked as I dropped the phone from my ear slowly

"he says...." my voice trailed as I looked round the parlour, and the dining at the numerous pair of eyes fixed on me.

"he says....he has a fighting chance"

"Any word on the investigation yet?" Sam, my oh so gracious in-law asked worriedly.

The investigation was calling and I was expecting a call back from Bami any minute to tell me what S.s had found about him and God help me, I was going to beat my in-law to a pulp right in front of my elder sister.

But instead I just shook my head, "nothing yet, the police is still around the scene"

As I spoke my phone vibrated but it was a message not a call.

Rex, S.s fears he's network was traced, he may be in danger. They're on to us. This is war. What do we do?
-Bami


I looked at my in-law, the supposed first minister and our eyes clicked. There was a kind of deep subconscious awareness and understanding. We knew. He knew and I knew.

He knew I knew.

And I knew he knew I knew.

My God, I must be running mad..

I shook my head and re-read the text again as Tonye came to stand over me to read what was no doubt the cause for heaven knows what expression was on my face.

Without saying anything, I typed in my reply to Bami:

Alert everyone.


To be continued...

mitchelljnr:
souloho19 I beg of you, come give us an update or just say something let's know lack of update is due to busy schedule and not anything negative please. God bless.

God bless bro, I'd be updating really soon.

honourable356:
Souloho19 the man who knew his soup and the exact time to add maggi or pepper.

....That awkward moment when you suddenly drop an update to please the ever demanding audience only to read it again and discovered that you erred here and there as in the direction you want the story to head.

Then trying to make a next update to fits or flows accurately with the already new direction is a huge work on its own...

You level of writing is extremely close to that of the kings or probably still up there with them...

so

Calm down dude and do your things majestically.
Soar on confidently also and ..
Grow from strength to strength for your story has already begun!

Ladies and gentlemen....wishing you all a great weekend ahead!

Thanks boss, you're deeply appreciated

My people sabali biko....there's a strong possibility this story would be ending this weekend so I don't want to rush eh...
@Leesah @light4life you guys weldone o

WAACUT:
SOULOHO. YOU NA BUHARI.... PROMISE AND FAIL TOO BAD

Bro these words are deep and extremely hurtful

But on a serious note, my method of writing is such that when I sit down to write, the idea of the story starts flowing, which is why most times it changes direction anyhow. When I say I would update tonight it means I would sit down and write tonight, that's why most times the update drops 12am or even 2am cos the storyline may head in a direction and I'd need to do some research. Sometimes a few minutes of Google may take care of it, other times it has to go deeper than that. So pls don't think I'm starving you guys updates on purpose. I've rushed updates in the past, this same story and going over it again I saw so many loopholes, not necessarily grammatical, I mean like plot wise, a lot of connecting dots I should have laid the groundwork for but which I skipped.

Then again I can understand that you look forward to the updates and that can only be because you enjoy the story so I'm glad about that and I tender my apology for "promising and failing"

After all these plenty talk, the update is not still ready
But it would be worth it, trust me.
Jah bless

IAmkingoludav:
Jesutofunmi won

or so i thought

Eberechi24:

Yea, we won
Soul, come and pay tithe.
Thanks to us for voting

Yea she did, thanks to you all that turned up for me. Cos I already made enough mouth that I have people that can turn it around
And you guys didn't let me down. Jah bless

The next update should drop either tonight or probably tomorrow, barring unforseen circumstances.
But in the main time I need your help for a little voting exercise.

This writer has been helpful in exchanging creative ideas and giving me tips to improve in aspects like dialogue construction and the rest. For example I never knew the importance of a (comma) in a dialogue tag. Like say: the old man shook his head sadly, "I heard an explosion killed the man and woman," he said, his voice dripping with emotion. Normally I didn't even know of this and so many more things I'm now learning because it was brought to my attention.

Anyway, before this post turns to update
Let me paste the link here.

Hi guys.

I'm a participant in the *Short Story Champions League* and I need your votes to qualify. No sign up needed. Just scroll to the bottom of the page, click on my name and vote. Feel free to read my story, it's of a different kind... � Click the link below:

https://swiftspeededu.com:443/short-story-champions-league-competition-commences-kelechi-odoemelam-vs/

Jesutofunmi Fekoya
Jemma


Please guys vote for the second story, the one about Sherlock Holmes by the second writer, Jesutofunmi. Jah bless you.

dimssy:
Dear Uncle Souloho19,
It is with a great heart that I welcome you back.
Thank you for consciously putting us in mind and updating this wonderful piece.
On behalf of the Readers Association of Nairaland (RAN), thank you so much.
Also, don't forget to give us more updates soonest


Regards,
Dimssy
Cc: queenitee (Vice president, RAN)
Bcc: Mhizgrracie01 (Fellow, RAN)

And I'm grateful for all you readers. It's been a pleasure to share the imaginations coming from this very large head with y'all and I hope it continues

wintersnow:
For your book cover designs

Cool designs bro

Nice update bro. I can't help wondering what Fola went through that made her change to this seductive and conniving girl. Her eyes haff open finish

Cc:
queenitee eberechi24 aminatope247 cadec007 meneski cindy1000 MhisTahrah