AN EVENING WITH EVA 3

He gave his opponent a ‘close line’ and his
opponent fell down, knocked out. He looked at
the crowd and waved his hand before his
eyes. The fans shouted, “You can’t see me!!!”
He picked up his opponent and launched his
trade mark finishing move. His opponent lay
on the floor of ring, dazed. Not moving. No
one was yet to survive this deadly finishing
move. The champion went on top of his
opponent and raised the left leg. The referee
rushed to their side, and began hitting the
ring floor:
“One. Two. Three!!!” and the bell rang.
John Cena had just defeated The Undertaker
to retain his crown as the WWE Champion. He
crawled away from the body of his opponent,
stood by the ring side and posed for his fans.
They were chanting his name and raising
placards which had boldly inscribed on them,
“WE LOVE YOU JOHN” “YOU CAN’T SEE ME”
“JOHN CENA, SIMPLY THE BEST.” Sean was
delighted. He had been counting with the
referee and jumped when John Cena won. He
loved wrestling. John Cena was his Idol. What
made it more special for him was that The
Undertaker had previously defeated John Cena
during Royal Rumble when they were the last
two people in the ring. There had been a cheat
when John Cena’s rivals came into the ring
and hit him with an iron chair. This gave the
Undertaker an advantage which gave him the
victory. It was payback time.
He was still basking in the euphoria of this
victory when there was a knock on his door.
He turned down the volume of the plasma
television on the wall and listened again. The
knock came again.
“The door is open.” Sean said as he half
guessed who it was.
“I need some help with the door please.” A
female voice replied.
It was Sophia as he suspected. He got up and
opened the door allowing her to come in with
the tray she had in hand. She dropped the tray
on the small bedside table and opened the
contents of the covered china glass plates. He
closed the door and joined her on the bed
keeping considerable distance.
“I brought dinner Sean. Let’s eat.” Sophia
said. It was more of a command than a
request.
They dug into the Amala and Efo riro eating
the Amala from one huge plate and also the
Efo riro from another huge bowl. After the
meal, they took turns washing hands in the
sink in Sean’s bathroom. Sophia went first.
While Sean was washing, she called someone
to bring them refreshments.
Sean broke the silence.
“How did you know that I like efo riro and
amala?” He asked smiling.
“We know everything about you. We have been
watching you for quite a while. Have you read
the files I gave to you?” She asked.
“Yes I finished reading last night.” He
answered.
“So you know what you are in for?” She
queried.
“Do I have a choice?” He replied.
“There is actually a choice. You can walk out
that door and call the police. You will not be
alive to finish and drop the call. And they will
never find your body” Sophia said with a
deadly smile.
Sean was scared but did not show it. He had
somehow gotten tougher by all the events that
had happened to him and eventually landed
him here. His next statement was a mistake.
“I know I am supposed to be scared right now.
But the funny thing is, I am not.” Sean
boasted.
Sophia shined her pretty teeth.
“No one is asking you to be afraid boy. You
see in …” Sophia began but was interrupted by
a knock on the door.
A young man came in with a bucket
containing a bottle of McDowells, two bottles
of Vodka and many cans of Power Horse. He
had ice in a smaller bucket. He served the
contents and took away the tray with the
plates of food. He was leaving and almost at
the door when, Sophia called him back.
“Thomas.”
“Yes ma’am” He replied.
In one very quick motion, she pulled her pants
(Trousers) up at the ankles and brought out a
small gold embroidered pistol. From her
sitting position, five meters from where he
stood she pointed the gun at him and pulled
the trigger. Blood splattered on the wall
behind him as he fell down in one heap, the
tray falling from his hands. He was breathing
softly and was in pains. He groaned. Sophia
got up, walked to the body and stood in front
of Thomas, looking at him. She aimed at his
heart and shot him again. He was dead.
Sean was shocked. He had already peed on
himself. He was scared and afraid. He was
shaking visibly. Sophia slowly put her gun
back in the holster strapped to her ankle and
covered it up with her pants. She smiled very
warmly at Sean.
“Lesson number one: Be Ruthless. Be very very
ruthless. Be as gentle as a dove and as
dangerous as a shark. Stop shaking and clean
up this mess. You have two hours to scrub
this room clean and get rid of the body. Chop
it into pieces and feed it to the dogs in the
fortress. Bring the head to me. See you at
11pm.” Sophia finished and walked out of the
room.
Sean was speechless.
Eva woke up in a very strange room. She got
up slowly from the bed as she squinted at the
lights that were almost blinding her. Tzhe
room was painted in white. Everything was
white and clean. The sheets, the bed, the
curtains, and the walls were all white. Was she
dead and in heaven? She thought to herself.
There was a man sitting a few meters away
from her, legs crossed, and watching her. He
was dressed in a black suit, white shirt and a
black tie. He had slippers on. What kind of a
bush man is this one? She thought. The man
was incredibly handsome though. She sat
upright on the bed. She yawned.
“Hello Eva.” Shina greeted
“Where am I? Who are you?” What’s
happening?” Eva asked.
“You have been here for two days. My name is
Shina. You are at The Mansion.” Shina replied.
“A lady took me from the Dinner and Award
party. I want to speak with her. Please.” Eva
begged.
“She’s dead.” Shina replied and got up.
Eva moved into her bed, folded her arms
around her legs and looked scared. What was
happening? She thought to herself. She was
promised a safe return by the woman who
took her away. Now she is dead? He must be
bluffing. As she thought about all these, she
began to recall the events of that evening. She
remembered the woman in the bathroom at
the Hall and how she got out. She
remembered stopping at Law School by the
Lagoon. Then she gasped. Everything was
coming back to her now. She remembered how
Shina had ordered everyone to come down and
how the agent was killed. She remembered
how her body was dumped in the lagoon.
These people were not jokers. Her heart began
to beat fast. Shina walked towards her and sat
at the edge of the bed. He was calm. He
smiled.
“Beauty was a double agent. She was a spy. I
had to take her out. And just so you know, I
was glad to. This is a huge corporation and
we will not allow anyone to foil its operations.
If I got an order to kill you Eva, you would be
dead. I do not know what The General has
planned for you, but I am sure you mean a lot
to him for him to use his Lieutenants in
missions as these. Everything you need has
been provided for. You have everything you
might need in the wardrobe. We got you new
clothes, shoes and underwear from your
favorite store, Kinky Women. We also got you
a pack of Tampon because we know your
period is starting tomorrow. Your special
cream, soap and shaver have also been
provided for. If there’s anything else you need,
just dial *345# for the list agents at your
command and their designations.” Shina said.
“How do you know all these things?” Eva
asked. She was shocked and inwardly
impressed.
“We know everything about you Eva. We do
our homework well.” Shina replied.
“But I have to be at work. My mother would be
worried sick because I see her every day. I
have a fiancé. He would have started a search
party by now.” Eva said.
“Your Boss received your letter of resignation
last night. Your fiancé is out of the country for
4 months. He got a promotion at the Dinner
Ceremony and resumed immediately. Your
mother is safe and taken care of. She has been
getting text messages from you and your
fiancé telling her not to worry and that both of
you are together. We have your phone. We
hacked into Kunle’s phone. Not a big deal. We
have made him so busy; he doesn’t even have
time to suspect a thing. Your mother’s phone
is controlled too. We interrupt her outgoing
and incoming calls to any suspected number.
We are everywhere.”Shina replied.
Eva was shocked. She wanted to speak but
Shina asked her to be quiet. He brought out
his phone and dialed a number. It rang once
and the line clicked. Someone was on the
other line. Shina put the phone on speaker.
“Francis, what’s the target’s status?” Shina
asked.
“She’s preparing Aditan soup in the kitchen.
Wearing a long blue dress over an Ankara
wrapper. She just finished her daily
devotional. She is singing and cooking in the
kitchen.” Francis replied.
“I need visual confirmation. Initiate video.”
Shina commanded.
Shina placed his phone on the bed in front of
Eva as she watched the camera zoom in on
her mother. She was convinced beyond doubt.
She was looking happy and was dancing at
intervals while slicing the Aditan leaves. Tears
welled in her eyes. Shina grabbed the phone
and spoke to Francis.
“Stay alert, Francis. Good job.”
“Oga mi, I want some real action. This woman
is boring. Can I go in and kill her? I really…”
Francis was still speaking when Shina cut him
off.
He smiled at Eva.
“Please I would do anything you want. He
should not harm my mother.” Eva sobbed.
“He won’t touch your mother. No one will. As
long as you behave yourself, everything will be
fine.” Shina assured her. He held her right
shoulder and shook her a little.
“Can I speak with her? Please?” Eva begged.
“We have arranged for you to visit her tonight
and spend the night with her. You can
convince her you are travelling or anything.
Just let her know you won’t be seeing her in a
long while. Don’t try anything funny sweety.
We will take you out. Trust me. We have back
up plans just in case you try anything funny. I
won’t think twice about killing your mother
and leaving you in the hands of Francis. He
loves dead pretty women.” Shina said, getting
up from the bed.
“Thank you so much.” Eva replied. Shina
ignored her.
He looked around the room, wore his slippers
and grabbed his ‘panama ‘cap from the chair
he was sitting on.
He faced her. She was still sobbing. She will
get over it, he told himself.
“If you need me for anything, just press and
hold 0. It’s my speed dial number.”
Eva nodded.
He was halfway across the room when he
turned.
“One more thing. Breakfast is at 8am.
Someone would like to meet you.” He looked
at his wrist watch and continued, “You have
less than two hours. She hates to be kept
waiting.”
He walked out and shut the door.
Detective Ahmed was woken up by a very loud
bang in his compound. It sounded like a
gunshot. His dogs were barking frantically
and all of a sudden went quiet. He was
automatically alert and reached under the bed
to get his pistol. At the same time, his right
hand traced the wall above him and found the
light switch. He turned it on. There was a
huge white paper on his door with a message
written in red ink:
“BE CAREFUL AHMED. YOU WILL NOT BE
WARNED AGAIN.”
He got up and inspected the ink. It was blood.
He checked the door. It was not forced. It had
been opened from the outside. He got out of
his room and went to the sitting room. He
turned on the lights. The same message was
on the left wall of his sitting room. He smiled.
He went outside and found his two dogs dead.
He was angry. He knelt beside his best friend,
Jimmy. The dog had been with him for 5
years. It was his best friend. He got up. His
eyes were red.
These guys had just messed with the wrong
cop.
He paced for a while, circling his dead dogs.
He moved them beside each other, sat down
on the floor beside his them in a yoga
position and closed his eyes. He put his
hands on his laps and said to himself.
“THIS IS WAR


Ahmed stayed up in his yoga posture for
about 50 minutes. He sat deep in thought and
seriously meditating. He thought about the
trend of events that had happened to him
lately. He had been hospitalized, there was the
death of his protégé Agent Mercy, there was
the attack and theft at the office, and now his
dogs had been killed. The first conclusion that
came to him was that the incidences were
related, most probably carried out by the same
group of people. He marveled at the organized
way in which the actions were perpetrated.
What did his dogs do to deserve their fate? He
decided it was time for action. No more lying
down and taking hits. He needed to be a step
closer. He opened his eyes. His usually white
clear eyes were now red and blood shot. He
was angry. Very angry. He got up and went
into his room. He searched his drawer and got
out a torch and a plier. He took them with
him to the front of his compound where his
electricity meter was connected. He pulled
down the lever on the meter to shut out the
current. All electricity in his compound went
off. With his torch, he carefully traced the
cables that supplied current from the meter
into the main house. He found them and cut
them with the plier. He turned the lever on the
meter back on. The security lights around his
compound came on. His house was dark. He
had a feeling that whoever had been causing
him all this trouble somehow had access to
his home.
With his torch switched on, he found his way
to his bed, sitting at the edge. He looked
round his room, pointing his torch at every
corner, and studying every nook and cranny
for anything suspicious. When he was
satisfied, he picked his phone and dialed the
number of the only person he trusted; his
uncle, Retired Colonel Giwa Haruna.
Colonel Giwa Haruna was the younger brother
to Ahmed’s father. He took care of Ahmed
when he lost his father at age 4. He took care
of Ahmed up until military school. They had
only seen each other twice in the past three
years. The Colonel was the complete detective
during his active days. Complete in every
sense of the word. He was physically well
built. He was 6ft.5inches tall, had broad
shoulders, bulging muscles, and a handsome
face. He was vast in English, Igbo and Yoruba.
He also spoke French and German at an above
average level. He was the smartest man on
the force. His ability to decipher codes,
retrieve destroyed evidence, and sift clues from
debris made him the most respected agent in
the field. He had a reputation for hard work
and never left any stone unturned in his bid to
solve a case. He was famous for his famous
bust of the Marine Mafia and Drug Cartel
which had been terrorizing and killing police
officers for over 8 years. He went undercover
and infiltrated the Cartel. He was put to
various tests. He faked the deaths of police
officers and transportation of guns and hard
drugs to rise to the level of Trusted Knight.
There were only two people who had this
position and they protected the King of the
cartel. For years no one heard about the
Colonel until one day he brought the Cartel to
the cleaners. He single handedly destroyed the
organization.
He retired seven months after the operation at
the age of 45. No one knew what he looked
like after undergoing facial reconstruction. He
had many dark organizations on his tail. He
retired into a deep village in Ibadan and had
been living peacefully since.
He had made many enemies. He had to cool
off. Two years had passed without incidence.
Only six people had his number. The person
calling him had to be family. The Colonel
picked Ahmed’s call at the second ring.
“Hello.” A hoarse voice spoke from the
background
“Uncle, it’s me.” Ahmed replied.
“Son! It’s been a while. How are you?” The
colonel asked
“Hello Uncle. There is something going on I do
not understand.” Ahmed replied.
“What is the matter son? You sound very
worried.” The colonel replied.
Ahmed could visualize the frown on the
colonel’s face as he spoke the words.
“Uncle, you know that I only call you when
situations are out of hand. I am sure you can
vouch for me that there is hardly a situation I
cannot handle. However, this is beyond me.
Believe me when I say you would be very
interested.” Ahmed replied.
There was a pause at the other end of the line.
“Hmmm. You have my attention. What do you
need?” The Colonel said.
“I need your help Uncle. I know you are retired
but this is beyond me. And I think it started
when you were in office.” Ahmed said
“What started? How do you need my help?
Come out with it son.” The colonel said
hurriedly and impatiently.
“Uncle, we need to talk about this. Face to
face. I can be at the villa in 3hours.” Ahmed
said.
“No. Don’t come. I will. I haven’t been out of
this place in three weeks. I need the journey. I
will be with you in two hours son.” The Colonel
replied.
“Thank you Uncle. Please be careful.” Ahmed
said.
“I may be retired son, but I am still an agent.
Old soldier never die!”
They both laughed at his joke. After
exchanging pleasantries and asking about
loved ones, the colonel was about to hang up
when Ahmed said
“One more thing Uncle. Mercy is dead.”
He could feel the tension. He imagined his
Uncle’s stony face all soft at hearing the
news. Ahmed had never seen him shed a tear.
He always held it back. After a few seconds,
the Colonel replied:
“I will see you in 2 hours son.”
He hung up.
Directly to the right of Ahmed’s compound,
there was a brown painted bungalow which
had just recently been completed. Bruno and
Marshal sat opposite each other in the living
room by the door, with a wooden table in
between them. There were earphones in
Bruno’s ears. He was listening in on the
phone call Ahmed was making. There were
various boxes scattered on the floor, some
were open while the rest were locked. The only
other piece of furniture was a huge mattress
which was placed on the ground in the middle
of the room. Marshal was cleaning his gun
and settling it into a briefcase. He left Bruno
on the chair and carried a small gallon
containing the remaining goat blood he had
used to write the inscriptions on the huge
white papers. He poured the contents in the
toilet, flushed and covered the gallon. He
dropped it on the floor and resumed his
position opposite Bruno, awaiting his orders.
A few days earlier, Detective Ahmed was in his
office trying to decipher the status of Agent
Mercy, when Bruno and Marshal entered his
compound. They had gotten a copy of his keys
and entered the house with ease. Bruno
marked the spots while Marshal planted the
bugs. Tiny powerful micro cameras, which
were the size of a Coke bottle cork. They were
designed lemon green, the same color with
which the rooms were painted. There were two
in his bedroom, four in his sitting room, and
one each in his bathroom, toilet, kitchen and
store. After assessing the work and confirming
the stealth settings, they exited his house. It
did not take 20 minutes. The Ghosts
Corporation had previously bought and
renovated the bungalow beside the detective’s
compound. They were only waiting for the
right time to move in.
Bruno brought out the keys and entered the
bungalow, with Marshal following just behind.
There was just a bed and a table with two
chairs. That was all they would need. They set
up the devices and Bruno left Marshal in the
bungalow. Marshal was to watch Ahmed for
two days before they made their move. He
could take care of himself.
At 6pm on the night of the scare, Bruno took
a taxi into the detective’s estate while Ahmed
was at work. He brought the guns and the
blood that would be used for the job. Marshal
woke up when the door opened and went
immediately back to sleep when he saw it was
Bruno.
10pm.
Bruno woke Marshal. Marshal carried his
heavy frame out of the bed and sat on the free
chair opposite Bruno. Bruno had already set
up the small palm top screen which had four
different views. The bedroom, sitting room,
bathroom and toilet. They went over how the
operation was to be done for the third time,
covering all possibilities and loop holes.
Bruno gave Marshal the artillery, while he took
the huge white paper and spread it on the
floor. He scribbled a message on three of the
papers.
At 12:17am they played cards over a light
bottle of Vodka. Bruno was letting Marshal
win the games and the bets were getting
heavy. That was his strategy. Marshal always
performed excellently when he was in a
fantastic mood. Bruno increased the bet to
5000 naira per game. Bruno lost the next four
games. Deliberately. Marshal did not suspect
a thing. All the while they were watching
Ahmed sleep in the palm top monitor on the
table.
At 3am, Marshal made his move. He sneaked
to the front of Ahmed’s gate and watched for
any movement within the premises. There was
nothing. He threw his knapsack over the gate
into the compound and jumped over the short
gate. Gun in hand he moved slowly and
stealthily towards the front door. He got to
the door, kept his gun inside his belt and
entered with his spare key, shutting the door
behind him noiselessly. He checked the
countdown timer on his left wrist. He had four
minutes and fifteen seconds more. He was
already behind schedule. He opened his bag in
the sitting room and pulled out one of the
huge papers. There was a small white earpiece
hanging in his ear. Bruno was watching him
from the bungalow and directing him. He was
done in 90 seconds, hanging the two papers
in the sitting room. The tricky part was the
bedroom where Ahmed was lying down,
asleep. Bruno had watched him for close to an
hour. He decided that they could enter.
Marshal tip toed into the bedroom and opened
the door slightly, just enough for him to
squeeze through. As he was about to go in,
Bruno spoke into his ears
“Hold on. Don’t go in yet. He is stirring.”
Ahmed turned in his bed and changed his
position. He was now sleeping with his back
to the door. After 26 seconds, Bruno said,
“Go in now. And please, hurry!”
Marshal entered the room and pasted the
white paper with the inscription on the door.
He was done in less than 20 seconds. He
didn’t bother to lock the bedroom door behind
him. He checked his wrist. 1min 59ecs left. He
picked his knapsack and zipped it as he
walked out of the sitting room. He closed the
door shut and was locking the door when he
heard the wicked snarls of two huge
Rottweilers. He was taken aback. He left the
door and backed up on it as the bigger of the
two dogs came towards it. They were angry
and snarling, saliva dripping from their
mouths.
“I have a situation here Bruno. Two dogs.
What do I do?” Marshal said through clenched
teeth. His hand was going to his gun.
“I can see. Take them out. Use your silencer…”
Bruno was saying but did not finish.
Marshal was trying to locate his silencer from
the knapsack when the huge dog came at him.
He turned just in time and shot the dog
squarely in the face. There was a loud bang. It
fell to the ground. The other dog began to
bark as loud as it could. Marshal had gotten
his silencer now. He shot the second dog.
There was no sound.
“Shiiiittt! He is awake. Get out of there,
now!!!!” Bruno said.
Marshal ran to the gate and escaped just in
time. He took a back entrance to the
bungalow and sat on the bed panting. His
hands were bleeding. He went to the
bathroom, washed off the blood and came to
sit with Bruno. Bruno looked at him and
nodded. Marshal nodded back. They both sat
down to watch as Ahmed paced, sat beside
his dogs and after a long time went to his
room. They saw him get some items from his
drawer and go to his electric meter. A few
seconds later, they could not see anything
anymore.
The screen went blank.
Bruno was pissed.
“Shiitt!!!” He cursed.
He buried his heads in his hands. Suddenly an
idea occurred to him.
He brought out a small device, turned it on
and adjusted a knob by the side. After a while
he got the correct frequency and smiled.
Voices came on from the device. One of the
voices was Ahmed’s. He was making a call.
He quickly called Tawo.
“Hello” Tawo answered with a very alert voice.
Music was playing softly in the background.
“Trace Ahmed’s call. It’s a code 11” Bruno
said.
Bruno, Marshal and Tawo listened to Ahmed’s
conversation with the Colonel till the very end.
When Ahmed dropped the call. Bruno asked,
“Did you get the location?” Bruno asked.
“Positive. Well done, Bruno. I’ll take it from
here.” Tawo said.
Tawo called Shina.
“The Colonel has finally come out of hiding.
Dispatch some of your guys at Berger and I’ll
be at the other entry point to Lagos. Ready
some of your best buggers. The Colonel is
coming to town.”


Eva stepped out of her room at a few minutes
to eight. She looked very pretty and sweet. She
wore a short red flowered gown which stopped
just above her knees. Below that was a tight
ash colored jegins which accentuated her hips
and brought out her bum. She looked good.
She walked into the sitting room and went left
towards the dinning. Shina was already seated
and he beckoned her to come and sit beside
her. There were two other men with stern
looking faces. She sat at the table and joined
the others as they waited for Sophia to arrive.
She came in at exactly 8am, looking fresh as
usual. She wore a pink silk shirt with stopped
just after her elbows. She was in a blue bum
short jean. Her ars3 was out of this world. Eva
found herself staring at Sophia’s hips all the
way from the door to the dining table. Sophia
got to her chair and Shina immediately got
up. The other two guys got up too. Eva joined
them. They waited for Sophia to sit first, after
which the rest followed suit. Each person had
his favorite meal already prepared and covered
in front of him. Sophia said a very short prayer
and opened the cover to her plate. Every other
person did the same. Eva concluded that they
all had to do what Sophia did. Eva was
amazed at what she had in front of her. She
had indomie in her plate. Not just any kind of
indomie but her favorite kind. It was
garnished with diced carrots, green pepper,
prawns and best of all two huge snails. She
looked at Shina with a wide smile on her face.
Shina nodded back at her as if to say “We
know EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU DEAR”. Sophia
had a small grin on her face too.
“Let’s eat” Sophia commanded. Eva could not
wait.
Colonel Giwa Haruna got out of his house and
walked to his garage. He had previously given
his driver a key and asked him to wash the
red Murano jeep, informing him that he should
get ready to drive him to Lagos. He was ready
in record time wearing a body hugging black
t-shirt and white loafers. He added a brown
‘kangor’ cap to the mix and was ready to go.
His driver started the ignition as the Colonel
approached the car. He got into the back
seat.
“Let’s go” He ordered his driver.
As the driver shifted the gear to reverse and
began to move the car, the colonel stopped
him.
“Stop the car James.” He said.
James stopped.
“Drive back into the garage.” The colonel
commanded. James obeyed.
When James was back in the garage the
Colonel opened the door and got out of the
jeep. He went inside the house, without saying
a word to James. In ten minutes he was out.
He had changed his clothes. He was now
wearing a pure white linen attire, with
matching trousers. He still retained his
‘kangor’ cap and loafers. He had a key in
hand. He walked to another car, a black 2003
Honda Accord and opened the door.
“I changed my mind. I will drive myself. You
can take the rest of the day off. I will call you
when I get back.” He said to a bewildered
James.
“Okay sir. Thank you sir.” was all James could
say.
James watched his ‘Oga’ drive out of the villa
and into the dirt road that led out of the
premises.
He picked his phone, pressed and held 0 on
his phone.
“He decided to drive himself. I had planted the
tracker in the car he asked me to wash. He is
currently driving a black Honda Accord with
plates AA106SMK. It is a very ordinary and
plain car. His rims are alloy and gold plated.
He just left.” James said to the mouthpiece.
“Where is he likely to pass through? Challenge
or Sango?” Tawo asked.
“Sir, I cannot really say. His actions this
morning took me completely unawares.”
James said.
“Ok Agent James. Keep this up.” Tawo said
and hung up.
Tawo had been waiting a long time to take
out the Colonel. Tawo hated him because he
was the only one whom he could not figure
out. The Colonel was the General’s ward in
military school and loved him like a younger
brother. That was the only reason he was still
alive. Moreover, the Colonel had done The
Ghost Corporation a huge favor by taking
down a huge rival, The Marine Mafia and Drug
Cartel. The Cartel was loud and everywhere
and raking up the profits. They blocked
business for The Ghosts Corporation who
preferred to operate in the shadows. The
General’s gift to the Colonel for his effort was
his life. However, the General made sure that
the Colonel was being watched at close range.
They had place over fifteen different agents
around him in the past three years. Cooks,
drivers, fiancées, hookers, personal assistants,
and even family. They knew where he lived.
They knew when he had facial reconstruction.
They knew everything about him. It was their
job to know. Just in case a day like this came.
And that day had finally arrived. Tawo was so
happy his father, the General had entrusted
him with this operation. He had also warned
him in clear terms.
“DO NOT ENGAGE TARGET.”
Tawo was a very patient agent. He had a
strong feeling that a day would come when he
would finally conquer a worthy opponent.
Even though he could not still do anything
now, he was happy that the Colonel was
finally making a move. A very silly move. He
had initiated and planned the ‘scare’ at
Ahmed’s residence hoping that Ahmed would
contact his beloved Uncle. All was going
according to plan.
He went into his control room. There were
three touch screen plasma monitors on the
wall. Two trusted agents sat adjacent each
other decrypting codes and aligning
coordinates on keyboards connected
wirelessly.
‘Where are we?’ Tawo asked.
“We are currently monitoring the status of Iwo
Road and Ring Road. We are watching other
major areas Challenge, Sango and Apete. All
lights are green at the moment sir.” One of the
agents said.
“The situation is dicey sir. He is driving a very
common car and he is going to be hard to
pick out.” The second agent said, zooming in
on the images on the large screen.
“Which satellite are you connected to?” Tawo
asked looking closely at the screen.
“The Saturn-U134 sir.” The agent replied.
“Not good enough Ope. Merge the connection
between Saturn –U134 and Mecury-00A.”
Tawo said.
The agent did as instructed.
“Now, bridge them and merge their
transitions. Use the WSPTA protocol to rewrite
the imagery and log into all CCTVs, mobile
phone and every fuccking device that has a
lens and is in proximity. Launch a new
search.” Tawo commanded.
He watched intently as the agent obeyed his
command, moving his hands on the keyboard
in light speed and writing codes. After a few
minutes a new clearer map appeared on the
screen, different lines and route lined up the
screen. Tawo nodded.
“Parameters sir.” The agent asked.
“Begin Ibadan, End Lagos. Data ID: Number
plates. Content: AA106SMK. Database:
Vehicle Registration. Unique Search: Plate
Numbers.” Tawo spelled out.
Ope entered all the details swiftly and a red
button flickered atop the screen. A search
sequence was initiated and the screen began
to change in milliseconds. Images and images
flashed on one section of the screen while the
other screen had a small dot running around
in all directions on the map.
“Now all we have to do is wait.” Tawo said.
Thirty minutes later, the screen stopped
moving with a large rectangular box showing
a message: “MATCH FOUND”
“We have got a hit sir.” Ope announced,
hitting a key on the keyboard.
Tawo rolled his swivel chair beside agent Ope
and watched as a green dot was moving
slowly in the map.
“Zoom in on that.” Tawo ordered.
Ope zoomed in and they got the location of
the Colonel.
Tawo called Shina.
“The Colonel is about to pass through Mowe.
Set up your guys at the MFM area. This
should be as easy as taking a pee.” Tawo
said.
Shina hung up.
45 minutes later a black OPMESA patrol Van
was parked across the Lagos – Ibadan
express way on the route coming into Lagos.
The 3-lane road was now reduced to one as
men in military uniforms were stopping and
checking cars. Shina did not get down from
the Van but had given directions for the plate
number they needed. After a while the army
officer doing the search radioed Shina that
they had the car in view. Three cars away.
Shina was excited.
“Make sure he parks and do as instructed.”
Shina radioed back.
They motioned the black Honda Accord to
stop. They directed it to pull over just behind
the patrol van.
The man knocked on the door.
“Can you roll down your mirror?” The man
asked.
The mirror rolled down.
A young lad who looked like he was in his
early twenties was at the wheel.
The Colonel was nowhere in the car.


Two years ago after the Colonel had brought
down the Marine Cartel, he was riding on his
success. His name was on every islander’s
lips. Criminals feared him. Mobs shook at his
presence. He got a letter from Headquarters at
the Silicon Place in Abuja, asking him to
appear for a second debriefing and a possible
promotion. Although no one knew this, he was
overjoyed. People still saw him with his
trademark straight face and no signs of
flooding emotions. However deep inside, he
was very excited. The Silicon Place was the
highest command of hierarchy of the West
African Union Intelligence Force. The Force
was overhead by a group of seasoned spies,
exceptional detectives with unbelievable IQs
and soldiers who had fought in the fore of the
2015 West African War.
He was shocked and delighted when he
entered the Conference Room at the Silicon
Place and saw that his mentor, The General
was part of the board. After the debriefing,
cross examination, and encouragement, he
was dismissed and told he would be
contacted. The General showed no sign of
recognition and he felt bad. He was surprised
however when later that evening, he opened
the door to his hotel room and saw the
General standing in his room, his back to the
door.
“Come in Giwa Haruna” The General said in an
unfriendly tone, still backing him. The
Colonel’s smile disappeared.
“Good evening General. I thought this was
supposed to be my room sir?” The Colonel
asked.
“It is your room. No one knows I am here. I’ll
be quick.” The General said. He turned to face
the Colonel and took of his glasses.
“You did a good job with your last operation.
No one thought you would pull it off. For that
I am going to give you the best gift you could
ever imagine. Your Life. Leave town. Go
somewhere remote. Resign. It is for your own
good. You have another option. You can
ignore my advice. You won’t live to celebrate
your birthday. Good day Colonel.” The General
finished and walked out of the room.
The Colonel was surprised and dumbfounded.
He watched as the General left the room and
shut the door behind him. This was hardly the
man who he took like an elder brother. This
was not the man who dotted on him all
through his stay in Military School. Something
had definitely gone wrong. He was not about
to dig into the General’s past. He knew better.
He did as the General commanded.
From his experience on the force he knew
better than to trust anyone, so he always took
extra precautions. He always had plans A-Z
just in case. He was aware that there were
spies set up around him in his villa. He did
not know who exactly the spies were but he
was very sure at least one of the people
around him, from domestic staff to Personal
assistant was a spy. He shuffled his staff
randomly without warning. It kept the number
of spies reduced but did not totally eradicate
them. He knew this, so he was always private.
Always. He always stayed one step ahead.
So right from the time he received Ahmed’s
call, he became extra vigilant. He called one of
his mechanics who ran interstate errands for
him.
“Wait for me at your shop. I will be there
soon.” He said.
He knew he was going with the black Honda.
The black Honda was a brand new car that he
had not used before now. He was saving it for
a day he would need to get Watchers off his
back. He knew there were eyes on him, but he
has not had any cause to shake them off
recently. Now that he did, he deliberately had
his driver get the Jeep ready. He was not
ready to make his movement known to
anyone. He saw the alarmed look on the
drivers face when he switched cars. He had
suspected James for a while and his actions
that morning sealed the coffin. He wanted to
sack him immediately. But he knew that
whoever planted him there would suspect that
he knew about James and would probably
plant someone else who would even be
deadlier than James and that would take him
sometime to figure out. So he decided not to
sack him. He planned to give him a raise
when he came back. This way he could
monitor him closely, at least now he knew who
his enemy was.
When he got to the Redeemed camp, he picked
the mechanic he called earlier. They did not
stop the car. The Colonel moved very slowly
allowing the man to jump in. He opened a
lower compartment in the car and brought out
a brown envelope. He handed it to the
mechanic.
“Did you bring your passport photograph as I
texted you to?” The Colonel asked.
“Yes Oga.” The mechanic replied.
“Good. This is what you will do. You will drive
this car like a normal human being from here
to Ojota. Don’t drive the car like it’s your
Danfo. Do not over speed. The envelope in
your hand contains the particulars of this car.
Everything is in your name. If any policeman
harasses you, give them my number. Do you
understand?” The Colonel asked.
“I dey feel you baba.” The mechanic said
nodding his head. The car was moving slowly
at snail pace.
“Good. When you get into Lagos, go to that
Total filling station at Ojota and act like you
want to buy fuel. Stay in the car. When the
attendant is done fuelling the car, come out
and create a scene. Make enough noise and
demand to see the manager. He is tall, fair,
has a moustache and is bald headed. He will
ask you if you want to go with him to his
office. Tell him you need to pee first. Don’t
forget! You need to pee! He will show you the
rest room, and then take you to his office. He
will ask you for the thing and give you a small
paper. Write your account number on that
sheet of paper and the account name. DO NOT
SAY A WORD. 100,000 naira will be credited to
your account in two weeks. The manager will
give you 40,000 for the trouble. Remember, do
not say a word!” The Colonel finished, stapling
the mechanic’s passport photograph on one of
the papers.
“Na the job be that, Oga mi?” The mechanic
asked.
“That’s all you have to do. After you get the
money, you leave the premises then do
whatever you like with the money and the car.
If anyone asks you how you got the car, after
today, tell them it was a gift from me. And if
police gives you trouble give them my
number.” The Colonel finished, stopping the
car and getting out.
The Colonel moved to the service lane of the
road while the Mechanic got into the driver
seat. He pressed the horn a few times and
was so excited to own a new car.
“Tuale!!!! Baba o!!! You are mouthed. Iyalaya!!!
Won gbe leko yi se! Awon omo covenant ma
ku. Olosho meta ati Ogidida!!! Lale yiii!!!!!
Let’s go to Moscow!!! Baba o!!!” The Mechanic
was saying and pressing his horn.
“Hey!!!” The Colonel said bending over at the
passenger window and showing him a finger.
“From now till you leave the filling station,
behave like a human being! Or else!!!! Am I
clear?” The Colonel warned.
“Oga mi, you clear pass pure water o.
Olorun!!!” The Mechanic said.
The Colonel frowned at him.
“Sorry sir. I will totally ‘behafe’ myself.” He
said and drove off.
The Colonel stopped a Danfo and entered it.
Shina approached the Black Honda. He could
not believe his eyes. They had monitored the
car all the way. This could not have
happened. How did the Colonel get out?
“Yes officer, what is happening here?” Shina
asked the man who stopped the Black Honda.
“Sir, I am guessing this car is stolen property.
He says it was a gift and the number he gave
is not going through.” The man replied.
“What about his papers? His license? Are his
documents complete?” Shina asked frowning.
“Everything is perfect sir.” The man answered.
“Olorun oba, Wahlai na dis kain tin na him dey
vex me pass wahlai. Wetin be dis na? Which
kain yawa be dis? I say dem give me gift, na
offense? Mo ma bora sibi yi o.”
Shina had a bug between his fingers. It was a
very tiny pin that he would insert into the
wrist of his target. It was the size of a rice
grain. Even experts had a hard time figuring it
out when it was inserted in a target’s body.
He approached the Mechanic and spoke to
him.
“Sorry for taking your time sir. But next time,
try and make sure that the number you have is
always reachable. Other police men may not
be this nice. Thank you for your time.” Shina
finished, outstretching his hand.
The mechanic took the hand and the shook.
As their hands met, Shina inserted the bug in
the mechanic’s wrist. The mechanic did not
notice a thing.
“Have a good day sir.” Shina said as the
mechanic entered the car,
“Thanks sir. Jabor lona fun mi jare. Olobe!” He
said to the man who stopped him.
He drove away.
“Let’s pack up boys. Today’s done.” Shina
said to the leader of the pack.
He got into his own car and started the
ignition. He picked his phone and called
Tawo.
“Target was not in the vehicle. He somehow
maneuvered his way and we lost him. I put a
tracker on his decoy. Trace it and have a man
on him.”
Ahmed was woken by a ringing bell. The bell
rang only in his room and the sitting room.
The ringing continued. He opened his front
door and stood at the entrance. He stared for
a long time at the person at the gate. The
man at the gate was looking like a hippie.
Dark shades, huge T-shirt, baggy jeans and
white trainers. He wore a hood over his head.
He looked like a mistake from a fashion book.
He was waving at Ahmed beckoning him to
come closer. Ahmed wasn’t scared. He just
did not want another mugger. He felt his gun
at his sides, covered by his pyjamas.
After serious thought he approached the gate,
all his senses alert.
He was at the gate and looked at the man. He
did not recognize him.
“How can I help you?” Ahmed asked the man.
The man pulled his dark shades a little low
just above his nose and said,
“Don’t you recognize me son?”
Ahmed opened his mouth, surprised.

Ahmed was happy to see his Uncle after quite
a while even though he was hoping it were
under ‘prettier’ circumstances. He opened the
gate and tried to hug him. The Colonel backed
away, shaking his head slowly. Ahmed
understood and stepped aside for his Uncle to
come in. They walked into his house making
sure that there was a wide gap between them.
He opened the door allowing his Uncle to
enter the house first. He followed soon after.
As soon as The Colonel was in the house, he
saw the white paper with the inscriptions in
blood on the two opposite walls of the sitting
room. He walked up to one of them and
smelled the ink.
“Blood. Probably from a cow or a goat” he
thought to himself.
He motioned Ahmed to come close to him. He
hugged him tightly and whispered into his
ears,
“Is there a room you hardly ever use?”
Ahmed nodded and led the way into a small
corridor. There were two rooms at the end of
the small corridor. He opened the one to his
left and flashed a torch. A rat ran across the
floor. There were a few cobwebs on the ceiling
and the room was dusty and dirty. It didn’t
look like anyone had been here in months. The
Colonel took off his disguise clothes to reveal
the sparkling white linen he had earlier worn
from home. He spread the large t-shirt he just
removed on one of the stools he found and sat
on it.
“This room is perfect.” The colonel said.
“It is so good to see you Uncle.” Ahmed said
rushing to his uncle and hugging him.
“Sometimes, I wish I lived a normal life Uncle.
Being a cop is a difficult life. I keep looking
over my shoulder. I wake up every day not
knowing which of my enemies is close to
taking me out. It freaks me out sometimes
and there is always no one to talk to.” Ahmed
said looking at his Uncle.
“Son, our profession is a dangerous one. Till
we die, we are always going to be wanted by
the bad guys. You know that. And if you say
you are scared, what should spies, double
agents and people like me say? Each day you
wake up is another opportunity you have.
Look at the bright side. You are better than
the average man on the street. Your senses
are sharper, you have strong instincts, you are
trained in hand to hand combat, martial arts,
and you have excellent skills in weaponry. You
cannot be taken down by just anybody. So
son, use this amazing skill set you have to
make a difference in the lives of the people
you have sworn to protect.” The Colonel
finished.
“Always Uncle, always.” Ahmed said.
Typical Colonel. He never misses an
opportunity to give his ‘son’ a lecture. Ahmed
was used to it now. They caught up on old
times, telling each other about what has been
happening in the past few years. The Colonel
loved to play video games just like Ahmed.
They talked about what games they were
currently playing and the stages. The Colonel
said he just stumbled on HITMAN SUICIDE
MISSIONS. Ahmed was going to try it out.
Recently a lot had been happening around
him. He had not had time for himself let alone
video games.
“So what brings me here son? Let’s hear it.”
The colonel said.
Ahmed cleared his throat and began to narrate
the story. He started with waking up in a
hospital, and losing his memory of the past
few weeks. Doctors said he had slight amnesia
and may recall the things he could not
remember over time. He also talked about how
he found out about the death of Mercy, how
his office was burgled and the guards were
killed. The Colonel raised up a hand to stop
Ahmed.
“Your office was burgled? What was stolen?
What really happened? Describe every detail.”
He questioned Ahmed.
“I had just left the office and was about to
drive into the Estate when I got a call from
Sheila that I should come back immediately…”
Ahmed said.
“Sheila still heads the Combat Department?”
The Colonel asked, interrupting him.
“No Uncle. She is now the Head of the
NIGHANA Intelligence Operations department.”
Ahmed said
“Hmmm. Go on son.” The Colonel said.
“So I got to the office and found an
ambulance, a few coroners and Sheila. Sheila
said that there were two guards dead, a
corrupt file system on our database and a
missing hard drive. Mine. The alarm from the
disrupted servers sent a signal to the local
police and they were here in 6 minutes. They
did not see anyone as they came in. The
guards’ necks were twisted from behind. There
was no trace. There were no clues”
“Any fingerprints, hair strands, blood, bullet
casings?” The Colonel asked.
“None. The only bullet casing was from the
gun of one of the dead guards. His finger
prints are the only ones all over it.” Ahmed
finished.
The Colonel sighed. He was rubbing his
temples. Ahmed had seen this a lot of times.
Whenever he did this he was getting some
ideas and thinking seriously.
“These guys must be professionals. And they
must have been watching you. What have you
been doing on your computer during the days
before the hard drive was stolen?” The Colonel
asked
“Just monitoring Agent Mercy. Following up
on her leads, and matching finger prints. When
I got a message on my phone that she was
just buried, I rushed to the office to confirm. It
was true as her file had been deactivated. I
could not continue with it so I left the office.
Barely an hour later was the theft discovered.”
Ahmed finished.
“What agency was she infiltrating?” The
Colonel asked.
“Something about a ghost organization. She
was still a rookie in their ranks so she was not
really privy to any confidential stuff.” Ahmed
finished.
The Colonel bowed his head. He should not
have resigned. He closed his eyes. Everything
began to make sense. The stealth, the
perfection, the absence of clues. No mistakes.
That was their style. Now he understood why
Ahmed had called him. The Colonel had been
doing preliminary tracking of the Ghosts after
his time with The Marine Cartel but dropped it
after the General’s warning. He could sense
Ahmed watching him. This was too much for
Ahmed to handle. Sheila was a fool. She
should not have sent Agent Mercy in. What
was she thinking? Just because Mercy was an
excellent spy did not automatically translate
to invincibility. She still had a lot to learn
physically and psychologically. Mercy did not
have the slightest idea about the Ghosts. The
name alone said it all. They were invisible.
And only someone who could be invisible
could undertake such an infiltration. Ahmed
was a fantastic detective. The perfect cop. But
he was a terrible spy. He always allowed his
emotions get in the way. He did not know how
to mask feelings. That was the number one
criteria for a double agent.
“Are you okay Uncle?” Ahmed asked.
“I am fine son. Tell me what happened in this
house. I saw the banners.” The Colonel
replied.
Ahmed narrated how he wasn’t comfortable
that night. His instincts told him to get up but
he felt reluctant to. He was tired from a busy
day. A loud gunshot woke him and he got up
to see one of the banners on his bedroom
door. He got to the sitting room and saw
another two banners. He opened the door to
the house to find his two dogs dead. His
instincts told him he was being watched. His
doors were not tampered with. They were
opened from outside, which meant that the
criminal had access to his home. He
immediately cut the electricity to the house
and has been in darkness since. He did not
know what else to do so he called.
“I think I have an idea what is going on. But
first we need to do some work. You will get
out of the house now. Go to any mobile phone
store. Get a new phone and a new sim card,
preferably a very low tech phone. The cheapest
Nokia phone or China phone would be perfect.
Do not register the sim card. If the attendant
gives you trouble, get it somewhere else. You
would be followed right from the time you step
out of this house. I think you are being
watched. Do not take your car. Enter a
commercial bus. Do not head straight to your
destination. The nearest shop is 15 minutes
from here. Get there in one hour. Zig zag your
way across town. Come down at any random
bus stop then start walking. Turn back after 2
minutes of walking and start jogging. Look for
shops with mirrors and stand in front of them
abruptly while walking. Look behind you
through the mirror. You should see the agents
tailing you trying to catch up. Since they are
following you, it’s going to take a while to
shake them off. It is not going to be easy but
try and enjoy yourself while at it. Be sure to
have them lost before you get the items.
Repeat the same thing on your way back to
the house. The whole journey should normally
take you about 30 minutes. Make sure you use
over two hours. When you come back to the
estate there will be agents already around the
gate watching you enter. You won’t see them
but believe me they are there. Not to worry.
They don’t know where you were and what you
got. You will have them guessing at where you
have been. These guys hate guessing. So they
would be tighter next time. But that’s not a
problem, son. I know what to do.” The Colonel
said.
“D--n it. Uncle, this is what I have to do
every day?” Ahmed asked.
“Yes Ahmed. This is just the beginning. If
these people are who I think they are then we
still have a lot to do.” The Colonel said
getting up.
“Who are these people Uncle?” Ahmed asked.
“Son,” The Colonel said, putting a hand on
Ahmed’s shoulder
“Just do as I say for now. You would know in
due time.” He finished.
They walked towards the door of the dirty
room. As Ahmed stepped out into the corridor,
the Colonel held him by the collar and drew
him back inside. He shut the door.
“What the hell is wrong with you son!!??” The
Colonel barked through clenched teeth.
“This is no longer your house. I am sure this
place is bugged! Until we get out all the
devices that have been planted here, you
behave as if there are land mines at every
step! You have to calculate every step, be very
alert and always be patient!!!” The Colonel
finished.
“Noted sir.” Ahmed replied. He was scared.
“Let’s go to your bedroom.” The Colonel said.
They moved to his bedroom very quickly
without saying a word. The Colonel pulled
Ahmed close and asked him for a DVD disc.
Ahmed rummaged through a drawer and found
one. He handed it to the Colonel. The Colonel
took a chair from the sitting room and stood
on it. Carefully, he placed the disk on the top
left edge of the bedroom wall and began to
scrape. He was scraping gently and moving
slowly sideways. He was almost half way when
a small cork sized object fell to the ground.
Ahmed bent to pick it.
“Don’t!” The Colonel stopped him.
The Colonel got down from the chair and bent
to examine the object. He took a pencil and
flicked the object over a few times.
“This is a very high tech digital surveillance
camera for enclosed spaced usually installed
in pairs, called ‘screw and knot’. You can
install one called the ‘bolt’ which works well,
but is not as efficient as the pair. After
installation and boot up, these devices must
never be handled with bare hands. They have
been designed to be sensitive to the touch of
the skin and would immediately inject the skin
surface with a deadly toxin that would
paralyze the handler if handled for more than
two seconds. If you had touched it, you would
have become a ‘vegetable’.” The colonel said,
turning the device around with the pencil.
“Oh my God! Who the hell are these people?”
Ahmed said putting both hands on his head.
The Colonel looked up at Ahmed from his
crouching position. He pitied the poor boy. He
had not even seen anything yet.
“Get a plier, a small plastic bag and another
DVD disc. This is a ‘screw’. The ‘knot’ should
be opposite this wall, beside your bed. The
Colonel climbed the bed and began scraping
the wall gently with the disc in his hand. He
was scraping gently and moving slowly. He
was almost at the center of the wall when
another object fell to the ground beside the
bed, similar to the one before. Ahmed picked it
up with the plier in his hand and added it to
the one that fell initially.
“Now, your bedroom is clear. I have to do the
other rooms. Go and get the items I told you
to. I expect you in not less than two hours.
Let’s synchronize our watches. Stop watch
timer should be set to 2hrs and 5minutes.
One. Two. Now!” The Colonel said.
They synchronized their watches as Ahmed
got out of the house and the Colonel moved
to the sitting room with a chair in one hand
and a disc in the other.
It was home cleaning time.
After breakfast, Sophia asked Eva to wait
behind. She beckoned her to the huge 4-
seater leather sofa in the sitting area of the
big parlor. After getting drinks from the bar,
she came to Eva sitting opposite her in a
small reclining chair. Eva took the offered
glass of red wine.
“I know you must be wondering why you are
here Eva. You really want to be with your
loved ones. Your mum and your fiancé. That
has been arranged. We have huge, huge plans
for you sweetheart. Believe me, with time you
would be glad with what we want to do with
you. Meanwhile, you are seeing your mother
tonight. I am giving you an extra day to be
with her. We have made plans for Kunle to
spend three days in the country. He is coming
in tomorrow. In your own interests, utilize the
time well and do not raise suspicion. Out of
the goodness of my heart, I am going to let
you be with Kunle till he travels back. I am
usually not this nice. You will see him off to
the airport. When he has boarded, someone
will pick you from the airport. If I smell any
foul play I will kill every single person that
matters to you. Every single person.”
Sophia was talking and smiling so pleasantly
at the same time. Eva used to have a Boss
like that who was so deadly, so she knew
Sophia was not bluffing. Eva simply nodded
and gulped her drink. The threats suddenly
made her throat dry. She swallowed.
“Oh, silly me. I forgot to introduce myself. My
name is Sophia. Just call me S. Few people
do.” Sophia finished.
“When can I leave for my mum’s please?” Eva
asked meekly.
“Your escort would be ready for you at 3pm.
Be ready then.” Sophia finished
Although she did not feel comfortable around
Sophia, Eva was in love with her finesse. She
had class, and looked like a runway model.
She loved Sophia’s light use of make-up, her
beautiful way of combining colors and the way
she carried herself. She was lost in admiration
of the physical qualities of this powerful
stranger.
Sophia’s laugh brought her back to the
present.
“Do you do girls?” Sophia asked. Sophia
already knew the answer to this question.
“I used to. But I stopped since I started
working. I haven’t felt the touch of a woman
in a long time now.” Eva replied.
“Would you like to have a taste of me, Eva?”
Sophia asked batting her eyelids and giving a
sexy smile.
Her dimples went even deeper and she bit her
lower lip. Eva blushed. She did not know if it
was the alcohol or her secret admiration of
the woman before her but she felt herself
tingle down below.
“Ermm…Ermm… I really don’t know.” Eva said
looking down at her glass. She was holding
the glass with two hands now, her heart
beating fast.
Sophia dropped her glass on the table beside
her and walked to where Eva sat, taking
calculated, sensual steps. She sat beside Eva,
took the glass from her hands and dropped it
on the floor. Sophia stroked Eva’s fine natural
hair with her hands, slowly and passionately.
Eva’s legs shook. Sophia bent to kiss her ear,
flicking her tongue in Eva’s ear in quick fast
succession. Eva closed her eyes and her body
shook with lust. Eva licked her lips.
Sophia held Eva’s hand in hers. Eva opened
her eyes.
“Let’s go inside. Follow me.” Sophia said


Sean woke up startled. He was sweating
profusely despite the intensity at which the air
condition was blowing. He just had a
nightmare. Was it? He saw himself chopping
off a young man’s body limb by limb. Each
time the sharp machete made contact with the
dead flesh, little spurts of blood were
deposited on his face. The dead man was
screaming for help and begging for pity as
Sean cut him mercilessly. Ignoring the man’s
pleas, he took the huge pieces of meat with
the bones dangling on one side and
approached the den in the Fortress. The sight
of the dogs alone brought fright to him. The
dogs were huge and menacingly wild. No one
in his complete senses dared to enter the
fortress when the dogs were not leashed or
caged. There were three Rottweilers, two
German Shepherds, one Husky, and one Wolf
dog Hybrid. Ferocious dogs that were usually
made to go very hungry before they were fed.
The last time they ate was the evening before.
And they were quite hungry, and ready to
pounce. As Sean approached they began to
bark in their den, the Rottweilers spewing
huge amounts of saliva from their mouths.
Sean stood a few meters away from the Den.
Even though the cage was locked tight, he still
did not want to risk taking any chances. He
began to throw the pieces of flesh into the
cage. Some got in. Some did not. In the
demented rush for the meat, the Wolf Dog
Hybrid forced the cage open. It came after
Sean and the remaining pieces of flesh he had
with him. Sean ran for dear life. He ran as fast
and as swift as his legs could carry him. But
Sean was not fast enough. The Wolf Dog
pursued him and caught up with him. It
pounced on him, sinking its teeth in Sean’s
right arm which he used as a shield to cover
his face. He screamed.
Sean woke up.
He was sweating. He turned on the bedside
lamp, partially illuminating the room and
casting a small shadow on the walls. He
looked up at the wall clock. 3:26am. He could
not go back to sleep. He was haunted by the
dogs. He got up from his bed and opened a
door to his left. He entered the bathroom and
saw a large brown bucket stained with a
reddish liquid. He moved closer to inspect the
bucket. He was shocked at what he saw
inside. There was a human head soaked in a
pool of blood. His heart raced. So it was not a
dream after all. He suddenly wished it was all
a dream. He remembered all that happened
the evening before. He recalled how Sophia
had wasted the life of a promising young man
just to prove a point. A ridiculous point. What
in the world did they want with him anyway?
He stopped starring at the bucket and face the
small rectangular mirror on the wall by the
sink. He washed his face and looked up at his
reflection. He was looking very haggard. He
hadn’t shaved in days and looked very
unkempt. He made a mental note to ask for a
clipper in the morning.
Sean got back to his room. He switched on
the lights and looked around. He had
previously scrubbed the tiled floors clean. The
walls still had a little blood stain. That could
be ignored, he told himself. He opened the
drawer attached to his bedside table, pulling
out a file. The first few pages contained a
summary of his whole life and the past 4
months were summarized in more detail. He
skipped that part and concentrated on the
second module of the file. This contained a
list of things he was supposed to do and a
timeline for the completion of the tasks. He
was expected of produce a 90% accuracy at
the least.
There was a 3 months special online course
on Cybersystems and Cyberspace. After that, 2
months of Router Hacking and Password
Decryption. He had another four days of
Wireless Systems, Radio Configuration and
Cloud Redirection. His performance after all
these would determine if they would continue
with him to the advanced stage or discharge
him. He did not like how that sounded.
‘Discharge’. He had a feeling that he would
not be let go so easily. He feared the worst.
He closed the file and thought about his
girlfriend in Canada. He had not spoken to her
in over a week. He missed her. He missed his
mother. He knew there were agents at her very
doorstep and that really worried him.
He heaved a huge sigh. He was going to get
to the bottom of this. No matter what it would
take, he was not going to give up until he got
to the end of the line.
He closed his eyes and drifted into dreamland.
Tawo was furious. He was angry at himself
and at the whole team. He was raging and
venting his anger at anyone who as much as
spoke a word to him. He sat on his swivel
chair swaying left and right, both hands on
his forehead. He was rubbing his temple and
trying to find out where everything went
wrong.
“Sir, there is…” Agent Ope started but stopped
when he saw the bloody look of anger in his
superior’s eyes
“You have 15 seconds to say what you wanted
to blurt. If I am not impressed, I will have you
monitoring the CCTV at Park ‘N’ Shop by
tomorrow.” Tawo threatened.
The Agent hesitated for a few seconds. He
kept quiet. He knew that if he still did not
speak, the same fate awaited him. He decided
to say what he wanted to and hope that it
impressed his Boss.
“Sir, upon gruesome scrutiny of the playback
tapes of the bugging operation, I noticed a
blind spot. We overlooked that little glitch but
upon proper inspection, I noticed that it was
actually not a glitch.” Agent Ope said.
“You’ve got my attention. Go on.” Tawo said.
“There was a point that the target was
stationary for about 90 seconds. That was our
blind spot. I decided to check it out. I was
able to override one of the surveillance
cameras around the Redemption Camp. The
nearest camera was a CAM70-Extreme. I
zoomed in on it and adjusted the capture
area.” Ope said, getting up and moving to the
large touch screen monitor on the wall.
“This is where the target was blinking for 90
seconds,” He said touching a portion of the
map. The touched portion grew large filling
the whole screen. He continued.
“From here onwards for about 500 meters,
there was no traffic and there are no fuel
stations, restaurants, shops, fast foods or
anything to make him stop. He was constantly
on the move.” He touched a smaller portion of
the now expanded map.
“This is the most acute angle that the camera
could pick. I will rewind the footage of the
camera at this point of the map sir.” Ope said.
He pressed a button on the screen and a
video footage appeared in very slow motion, at
the exact point the mechanic came out from.
It showed the Mechanic coming out of a small
hut which served as his workshop, crossing
the road and going left. There was nothing
after that. Exactly 90 secons later, the Black
Honda zoomed past.
“Impressive Ope” Tawo asserted a smile on his
lips.
“Thank you sir. The Colonel is very smart. He
had the Mechanic come meet him at the exact
spot where he knew that he would not be
captured by the cameras. He deliberately put
this Mechanic on the spot. We have no
records against the young lad sir. I am sure
he knew that. We can’t make him talk. It
seems he is going to win with this one.” Ope
concluded.
Tawo was thinking. His fingers were playing
with small beard. As the video replayed,
something caught his eye.
“Stop that. Yes. Start the footage all over. And
pause it on 03mins:14secs” Tawo ordered.
Ope obeyed. They watched the video all over
again. From the beginning, cars were passing.
At 01mins: 16secs, the Mechanic crossed the
road and started walking left. He was not
visible anymore. At 02mins:55secs, they
watched as the Black Honda zoomed past.
Nothing happened for the next 17 seconds.
Two seconds later, Tawo half screamed,
“Pause Now!”.
There was a Danfo in the footage, pause as it
was accelerating.
“That Danfo is just accelerating. Zoom in on
the front passenger seat.” Tawo barked
Ope did that. A blurred face with a white
background.
“Now take that that image and move it to the
facial ID defragmenter. “ Tawo commanded.
Ope pressed a button on the screen, used the
tip his fingers to trace the edges of the image
and pressed another button. With his two
thumbs, he flipped the traced image in one
very swift fast motion onto the next screen by
his right.
“Image received. Scanning and
Defragmentation in progress” came a
computer voice from the screen.
They waited 12 seconds and then an image
appeared before them.
It was The Colonel in his white linen,
Tawo smiled.
“Get me that bus registration plates.” He said
to Ope.
“Yes sir.”
Ope zoomed in on the registration plates,
defragmented it and printed it out.
“Done sir.” Ope said.
“Good.” Tawo replied getting the printed sheet
from him.
He pressed a button on his table. His voice
went into loud speaker mode in another office
on the previous floor below them. There were
eight trained search agents in that room. Give
them a tiny detail (a name or a place or a
phone number) and they would search out and
deliver every single information regarding it.
They had access to any electronic device that
had access to the internet or used a database.
They were the best.
“Bee Hive. This is Super-Agent Tawo. I want
all routes taken by commercial van with
registration plates BZ739FST between the
hours of 6:30 and 7:30. You have 15
minutes.”
He pushed back his chair, put his legs on his
table one on top of the other. He put his two
hands behind his head and closed his eyes.
“I am going to nail this b-----d.” He said to
himself.

Ahmed shut the gate behind him as he got
out of his compound. He walked towards the
bus stop to join a bus going to Ajah. As he
was about to turn the corner that led to the
main road, someone bumped into him. The
person was a female. Tall, light in complexion,
busty and very pretty.
“I’m sorry sir. I wasn’t looking. Please.” She
said pleading and making eyes at Ahmed.
Ahmed had a weakness for fair skinned
women. He could give his right arm for such
women. He smiled at her and told her it
wasn’t a big deal. He tried to flirt with her a
little but she was in a hurry. She gave him a
fake number. He smiled as she hurried along
and left him to continue his journey. After
walking a few meters, she put her left
forefinger in her left ear and said
“Bug planted.”
As Ahmed walked towards the shade at the
bus stop, he tried her number. The number did
not exist. He smiled. He turned and got into a
mild run. He wanted the girl. He figured that
since he still had about 2hours to spend, he
might as well while out time trying to get the
girl. He turned the bend and was walking
stealthily close to the fair skinned lady when
he saw her put her finger in her ear and say
those words.
He was angry with himself for falling so
cheaply. He decided he was going to play
them at his own game. He turned and walked
back to the bus stop. The girl had hit him by
the shoulder when they collided. He checked
his collar and both sleeves. There was
nothing. His watch was on his left wrist. He
took off his wrist watch and scrutinized his
hands. Something caught his eye. There was a
very small silver dot covered by his
wristwatch. It looked very foreign. He
scratched the surface of the object. It came off
his wrist and came on to his palm. There were
two very tiny pins attached to it. The pins
were barely visible. The pins tried to fasten
themselves onto his wrist. He quickly shook it
off and stepped on it with his heavy boots. He
crushed the bug.
He entered the Ajah bound bus, sitting by the
window in the middle row. It was a 14-seater
passenger bus. The bus moved at snail pace
and picked some more people at Lekki Phase
1. They looked very smartly dressed and
smelled good. One sat behind him and
another beside him. He was not comfortable.
He suspected them. He got down at the next
bus stop. He crossed the road and took a bus
going to Obalende. He got down and began to
walk very fast. He passed the Obalende canal
and walked towards the round-about. He
stopped abruptly, acted like he forgot
something and turned quickly walking back
the same way he came. He saw someone
quickly dodge behind a parked danfo. He
grinned. He was beginning to enjoy this. He
walked towards the parked danfo, acting like
he was innocently looking for someone. His
stalker continued to back off slowly. From the
corner of his eye, Ahmed could see the agent
moving back slowly and slowly.
He turned and crossed the road to the UBA
bank. He walked along the street, stopping at
intervals to buy a bottle of water. There was a
glass panel covering a building beside him.
With one eye on the bottle and one eye on the
glass panel, he saw a man in a black mafia
suit walk past him. He was staring at Ahmed.
He did not know Ahmed saw him. Ahmed
finished gulping the water and rushed to the
bridge. He heard a bus call “Ajah, one more
chance”. He quickly got on it. He got down at
Falomo and took another bus back to
Obalende. The guys trailing him were lost.
They continued their journey to Ajah. He
circled Obalende a few times to be sure he lost
them. When he was sure he had, he saw an
umbrella shed. He sat down and got a new
sim card. The attendant insisted Ahmed had
to register the sim card before he could leave
the place. He brought out three 1000 naira
notes and handed it to the attendant. He
smiled and allowed Ahmed to leave.
Ahmed circled Obalende twice again taking a
different route this time around. He made sure
he stopped abruptly at intervals, turning and
walking back the same way he came. When he
felt someone was trailing him, he would enter
very cramped streets and crannies, going
through places he knew from his 14 years in
the area. No one could keep up. After minutes
of circling, he walked to Onikan Round-about.
He stood at the place for close to four
minutes. There was a long stretch of road on
both sides of him. There was nowhere to hide
and it was impossible for anyone to pretend
not to be trailing him. He entered the bus and
headed home.
Eva woke up to find herself in a beautiful
bedroom. The room was large and decorated
with flowery curtains. The walls were painted
pink and almost everything else was in pink.
The huge kingsize bed rested majestically in
the middle of the room. She was nak3d. She
saw her clothes littered on the ground. There
was a pink colored candy panty beside her
leg. It was not hers. She recalled the events of
the past few hours. She bit her forefinger
seductively. She had not experienced such
intimacy with anyone before. It was explosive.
She had multiple satisfactions and did not
want it to end. The alcohol played its part too
in the experience.
She got up from the bed tying just the duvet
around her body. She admired herself in the
mirror and smiled. She stilled looked good.
She had a bath, dressed up and waited for
8pm when Shina would take her to see her
mother. She was in high spirits. At exactly
8pm, there was a gentle knock on her door.
“Finally.” She said to herself.
“Come in. It’s open.” She said loud enough for
whomever it was that was at the door to hear.
She had a huge hunch it was Shina coming to
take her to her mum.
A strange face appeared at the door. He came
in, put his hands behind his back and said,
“Ma’am. There is someone here to see you.”
He said.
“Who is it?” Eva asked already worried.
“Your mother.” The man replied.
“Where is she?” Eva asked, suddenly animated
and full of life.
“She is in the waiting room.” He replied.
She got up, brushed past the man and headed
for the Visitor’s room.
Sean had not heard from Sophia. He had
called her number and left her messages. He
did not want to barge in on her in her room
but now he had no choice.
He left his room and crossed to the other side
of the huge Mansion where Sophia’s wing
was. He passed by the Fortress where the
dogs were backing crazily. He remembered
last night’s events and felt a shrill down his
spine. He half jogged to Sophia’s wing and
entered without ringing the bell. He got into
the small corridor and decided to go to the
Visitors Room first.
He stopped dead when he saw the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen. Eva looked up
as he entered the room. Their eyes locked for
seconds.
As he made to approach her, a voice called
from behind him.
“Sean! Over here.”
Sean turned momentarily.
It was the devil herself. Sophia.


Ahmed got home to see the Colonel sleeping
in his bedroom.
“He must be exhausted. Tired Old man.”
Ahmed said quietly to himself.
He dropped the small bag he was carrying on
the floor, turned and made to exit the
bedroom. As he opened the door, he felt a
sharp pain at his back. He looked behind him
as he turned trying to touch his back where he
was hit. He felt his back soaked. He brought
his hand to his face. There was a reddish
liquid on his hand but it was not blood. It
was some form of poster color.
The Colonel who he thought had been asleep
was arched on the bed, a toy gun in his hand.
He had a raised eyebrow and the gun was
aimed at Ahmed’s chest. He fired again.
Another poster color ‘bullet’ hit Ahmed in the
center of his chest.
“Ahhh!!!!!” Ahmed shouted in pain. “What the
hell was that for?” he finished, wiping the
stain from his shirt and moving towards his
Uncle.
The Colonel sat upright and patted the free
space on the bed beside him.
“Sit, son.” The Colonel said.
Ahmed obliged him.
“Son, the fact that you need to be very very
vigilant can not be over emphasized. What if
it was the enemy, on the bed with a real gun?
We would not be having this conversation.
You have to be very very alert Ahmed.
Everybody is a suspect. Even me. Trust no one
at this point in time.” The Colonel finished.
“But Uncle, I left you in the house. I knew you
would still be here. There was no need to be
over zealous about this sir.” Ahmed replied
defensively.
“Keep quiet Ahmed!” The Colonel barked,
getting up. He was furious.
“What is wrong with you? Think boy! Think!
They got into your house, planted bugs and
you did not know. They even planted a banner
on your bedroom door while you were busy
snoring! Where is your sense of guard, boy?
You are lucky they did not want you dead!
You are being very careless and I will have
none of that boy. Just listen to yourself. You
knew I would still be here. What if I decided to
go get something outside the house and
someone else came into the house? Just look
at the way you came into the room. Totally
clueless and without any sense of guard! What
if they came in here and overpowered me? You
are a dead man. A dead man!” The Colonel
finished angrily.
He was upset and his face contorted with
rage. He had lost his son due to negligence
and saw Ahmed as a carbon copy of his
deceased son.
“Get up boy. I want fifty push-ups. Now!” The
Colonel said angrily.
Ahmed began to protest. The Colonel came in
front of him, pulled him by his collar, dragging
him to his feet. Ahmed used the back of his
right hand to hit the Colonel’s wrist
attempting to free himself from the choking
grip of the Colonel. The Colonel saw the move
coming just in time and released Ahmed.
Ahmed’s hand hit the air and he staggered
backwards. The Colonel moved closer to him.
Ahmed was angry. Why would the Colonel
hold him like he was a criminal? He was not
the least happy. He moved forwards too to
attack the Colonel. He threw his fists at the
Colonel. His right fist, then his left in a swift
one-two-jab motion. The Colonel weaved
Ahmed’s right punch and ducked the left
punch.
In his ducking position, the Colonel landed a
straight hard right hand punch into Ahmed’s
stomach, knocking the air out of him. Ahmed
moved backwards, gasping. He was out of
breath. He fell on the bed, holding his
stomach, turning and trying to catch his
breath. The Colonel towered above him.
“Have I not told you never to go into a fight
without a clear head? Always have a clear
head, you’re your anger is good but you do
not know how to channel it. I have always told
you. You should…”
The Colonel was still speaking when Ahmed
turned on the bed and kicked the Colonel with
all the strength he had. The kick landed on
the Colonel’s g---n. The Colonel grimaced but
it lasted only a few seconds.
“Impressive try Ahmed. But the mind is always
lord over the body.” The Colonel said.
Ahmed got up very quickly and tried a left
hand punch to the Colonel in the stomach. It
was meant to be just a decoy. Ahmed knew
his punch would be stopped. But he had other
plans. As the Colonel used his palm to deflect
the punch coming to his stomach, Ahmed
immediately swayed left and launched another
punch to the Colonel’s face with right hand.
The Colonel did not expect the punch but saw
it just in time. He countered the punch with
his left arm, wrapping his arm around
Ahmed’s punch and twisting the arm. Ahmed
yelped in pain. He kicked Ahmed by the feet
and swept him off the ground. He landed on
the ground with a very loud thud. Ahmed
turned and tossed groaning in pain.
The Colonel bent over him.
“You are very rusty boy! And as long as I am
here, I would have none of that. Training
commences at 04:00hrs. You’d better be
ready.” The Colonel said.
He picked the nylon bag from the floor and
left the bedroom.
Sean followed Sophia into a very small room.
He caught a glimpse of a small aluminum
caption on the room before they entered.
DEBRIEFING.
Sophia sat behind a desk and motioned Sean
to seat opposite her.’
“There are a lot of things going on that many
of our citizens are blind to. The current
government is corrupt. Its very bane is
corruption. I belong to a very strong
organization that seeks to end this corruption
and bring smiles to the faces of every
disgruntled citizen. We are raising a team to
help us with this. You have been selected to
be a part of this team. That is the major
reason you are here Sean.” Sophia said.
“What organization? What am I supposed to
do? How will you achieve this feat of ending
the corruption which permeates every fiber of
the nation?” Sean asked.
“Have you perused the file I gave you?” Sophia
asked
“Yes I have. It’s quite a lot of work.” Sean
replied.
“What you have on that file is nothing
compared to what we have in store for you.
We just want to see if you have what it takes
to be a part of this team.” Sophia answered.
Sean looked at Sophia. She was really cool
when she was not blowing up heads and
asking him to chop off limbs. She was actually
very pretty. She looked amazingly s3xy in her
short rimmed glasses and her ponytail. She
wore a blood red lipstick and no earrings.
Sophia could read his mind.
“What’s going on in that slurty little head of
yours, Sean?” Sophia said removing her
glasses. She leaned back on her chair, her
bosoms heaving and her ambience relaxed.
“Nothing really. Just some progesterone stuff.
You know how it is.” Sean replied.
Sophia unlocked her Ipad and swiped a few
screens.
“The last time you had s3x was two weeks
ago. With your girlfriend who travelled to
Canada. On the average, you have s3x every 3
days. That is not acceptable. And sorry, your
charms don’t work on me.” Sophia said and
smiled.
“You are free to go.” She finished.
Sean got up and left the room.
Tawo got an email alert on his computer. It
was from Bee Hive. It contained all the routes
that the commercial van plied as he had
previously requested. He transferred the
information from his computer to the large
screens on the wall. There were four detailed
pages, showing the four different routes he
plied, how many people got off and on the
bus. He was particularly concerned about
when the Colonel got off the bus. He got off
on the third route at Oshodi bus stop. There
were timestamps to every route.
Tawo shouted at Ope.
“Access the traffic surveillance at Oshodi
intersection. Rewind the recorded footage and
get it to 7:15am. That is the point where the
bus dropped the target.”
After a few minutes of fumbling, Ope spoke.
“Sir, I cannot seem to override the access
codes for the surveillance cameras. I keep
getting blocked out.” Ope said, sweating.
“Let me see.” Tawo said.
Ope moved his chair sideways as Tawo came
closer. Tawo bent low, inspecting the screen
for a few seconds. He touched his beard. He
was thinking.
“This is a complex firewall. You have to first
mimic the algorithm, and then unlock its
psuedocodes.” Tawo said.
Tawo pressed the keys on the keyboard very
quickly, mimicking the algorithm of the
surveillance camera. He battled with it for a
while and then was prompted for a password
override. He got up and paced the room. The
password was just a one trial option. He had
to get it right the first time.
He faced Ope.
“Ash, question mark, Shift Delta, Raven,
Orange, Peter, twenty percent Gamma.” Tawo
called out.
Ope entered the password and the screen
changed. Ope smiled. Tawo kept a straight
face. He slowly retraced the video footage till
he got to the time stamp. They saw the
Colonel getting off the Bus. 6 minutes later he
boarded a taxi.
Tawo got the plates of the taxi and asked Bee
Hive to track its routes and location. Minutes
later, Bee Hive sent back its report.
Fortunately, the taxi made just one trip that
morning. The only place the taxi went to that
morning was Ahmed’s Estate.
He called Bruno.
“Target is now red hot on the radar. Get ready
to pull the trigger.”
For the first time in a long while, Tawo smiled.
A genuine contented smile.


The Colonel sat in the living room, scrutinizing
the sim cards that the detective had just
gotten. With his personal phone, he called
Customer Care and complained that his
number was not going through. He could not
make calls neither could he receive calls. He
was asked to call the digits of his phone
number so that they could help ascertain what
the issue was. He called the digits on the new
sim and was put on hold. After a while of
holding on, he was told that the number was
not in use. It could be a new number or an
incorrect number.
“How long have you been using this line
please?” the Call center agent asked
pleasantly.
He hung up.
He tore the sim from its pack. He was going
to insert it into Ahmed’s phone later, probably
at midnight. He relaxed on the couch and
touched his g---n, rubbing his ball5 gently.
The kick Ahmed gave him had hurt. He was
surprised himself at how he was able to fake
the absence of pain. But such sacrifices were
necessary. He needed Ahmed to be ready.
There was still a lot of work to be done. The
Colonel’s eyes moved to the small table in the
center of the room. The bugs he had taken out
of Ahmed’s bedroom and also the ones he
took out from the living room lay scattered all
over. He had forgotten about them.
The bugs were powerful high functioning
cameras. But they could only be deployed and
monitored over a 200 meter radius. The
Colonel was in deep thought. This meant that
whoever was watching Ahmed had to be close
by. Very close. He had not seen or heard any
strange sounds in the house. This meant that
the control device was not there. Ahmed
walked lazily into the sitting room, holding his
waist. He sat on another couch, a
considerable distance away from the Colonel.
He did not want another lesson so soon.
“Son, have you noticed anything strange or
out of place in the attitude of your neighbors?
Or estate residents?” The Colonel asked.
Ahmed almost asked why but thought better.
“I have not Uncle. I do not have the time to
monitor my neighbors. I don’t speak to
anyone. The Old woman who lives two houses
away says a greeting every time I drive by. I
always murmur a reply. I barely hear myself. I
am not concerned about their affairs.” Ahmed
replied.
“Detective Ahmed Haruna! Don’t just say
whatever comes to your head boy! Think! Have
you noticed anything strange lately?” The
Colonel insisted.
“If I had said the first thing that came to my
head, we would be having another fight by
now.” Ahmed thought to himself.
“Uncle, nothing strange has happened. Believe
me, I would know. Other than a new resident
moving in the next house beside us, and then
the reconstruction of the drainage system,
nothing has happened over the past 7 weeks.”
“You have a new neighbor? Since when?” The
Colonel asked suddenly very interested.
“I don’t know. A couple of days back or so. I
was coming home from work and a truck
blocked half of my gate because it was trying
to off load furniture into the new house. I
asked for the owner of the house but whoever
it was wasn’t available. I haven’t seen or
heard anything since then.” Ahmed finished.
The Colonel’s brain was at super speed. He
was thinking deep and trying to draw logical
conclusions. Patterns formed in his
subconscious. Ahmed watched his with keen
interest as the Colonel drummed his fingers
on the table.
“From the moment you heard the gunshot and
the moment you got to the veranda, how
much time do you figure had passed?” The
Colonel asked.
“About two to three minutes. I even checked
the streets. There was no sign of any one. It
seemed like they just disappeared into thin
air.” Ahmed said.
He was thinking in the same direction as the
Colonel now. The escape was too quick and
perfect. It must have been planned and
properly rehearsed. His assailants had to be
close. Perhaps, too close.
“There is only one way to find out. My guts
tell me they are the occupants of that
building. We will have to draw them out. This
is what we will do. You are going to make a
call with your old sim. Let us hope it is still
being monitored. You will call Sheila. Tell her
you were attacked. Your dogs were killed. You
went out today and you noticed suspicious
men trailing you. You shook them off. You
know where their hideout is and you will need
backup to take them out.” The Colonel said.
“How does draw them out sir?” Ahmed asked.
“These people have a zero tolerance for
failure. The only reason they are called The
Ghosts is because they do not exist. They
leave no trails, no clues, and no souvenirs. The
do not make mistakes. They are thorough and
highly trained. The best part is, they do not
respond well to threats. If they sense a threat,
it is quickly neutralized.” The Colonel said.
“And my call to Sheila is a threat they will not
be willing to let lie fallow, thus bringing them
out and then we nab them?” Ahmed asked.
“Exactly, my boy!!! The phone call to Sheila is
a threat. They will make a move after your
call. Now this is the detective I know!” The
Colonel answered happily.
“I will send a cryptic message to Sheila after
you call her, telling her not to respond to your
phone call. We are on a trip together and we
just decided to play a fast one on her. We will
laugh over it. I have already ‘photoshoped’
you into a picture I took during my visit to
Massachusetts, USA. I will send it to her as
proof to calm her.” The Colonel said.
“I still do not understand sir. When are we
doing all this?” Ahmed asked.
“You will call her two hours from now. I will
send the message immediately after. Any
moment from then, we should expect
company.” The colonel finished.
“How many agents are they likely to send?”
Ahmed asked suddenly jittery.
“They are silent assassins. They do not draw
attention. Maybe one or two. They would want
to act quickly before Sheila’s fake backup
arrives. Then, we’ll have them for dinner!” The
Colonel finished and showed his spotless
white teeth.
Ahmed did not have cause to smile. The very
thought of the assassins coming to get him
made him shudder with fear. The Colonel
noticed this.
“Suck it up boy. I did not raise a coward! Be
ready when I ask you to.” The Colonel scolded.
Ahmed could only nod.
*****************************************
Bruno was sleeping on the chair in the
bungalow when Tawo called. He acknowledged
Tawo’s orders and dropped his phone on the
table after he hung up. He had underestimated
the detective. His men had lost the detective
for over an hour and saw him later when he
approached the estate gate. Where he was
and what he went to do was a mystery. Bruno
did not like mysteries. He was still pondering
how he was going to unravel the detective’s
past hour off the radar when Tawo called
telling him to ready himself for the kill. He
woke Marshal and told him to get himself
ready to take out the detective. Marshal
grinned. He had not killed anyone in a while.
He was really happy he finally had a chance
to. When Tawo ordered for the trigger to be
readied, it did not take long before the target
was wiped out. The longest it ever took was
18 hours.
Bruno relaxed in his chair and noticed a red
indicator on his transmitting device. Ahmed
was making a call. He quickly plugged in the
earphones and listened to Ahmed’s voice.
“…found out their hideout. It is beside my
compound here. I cannot say for sure how
many they are. Send backup just in case so
we can move in tonight. 2 hours. Good. I’m
ready. Bye.” He heard Ahmed finish and hang
up.
How the heck did this happen? How did
Ahmed know? Bruno was never one to throw
blames. He now needed to act. And fast! He
checked the time. 8:14pm. Marshal was fixing
the silencer to his .45 automatic pistol. He
called Tawo. It rang for a while and there was
no response. He tried to call Shina. It was
switched off.
This was his call. If he decided to wait, the
whole operation would be blown. If he decided
to flee, he would be ‘discharged’ by the
Ghosts. He had only one option. He had to
take out the detective.
He got his gun from a hostler strapped to his
waist. He fastened a silencer to the gun and
put the gun in his trouser by his waist and
covered it with his shirt. He picked his phone
and sent a text to Tawo.
“Operation at risk. New development. Moving
to take out target.”
He waited for the message to deliver. He put
off his phone.
Marshal was so happy. He would finally get to
shoot and kill someone. He was ecstatic. He
grinned at Bruno. Bruno’s mind was racing.
This could be the end of them. It could as well
be the best move he could take. But he could
not afford to sit idly by or to flee. It was
against The Code.
“It’s going to be a clean sweep. Get in, get
out. No trace. No mistake. Copy?” Bruno
asked.
Marshal nodded.
They packed their bags, wore their gloves and
got out of the bungalow.



Tawo got out of his 2 hour self-psyche feeling
very refreshed. Every day he dedicated two
hours into self-meditation and communication
with the cosmos. Nothing was allowed to
distract him. No phone calls, no knocks,
nothing. His steward had barged into his
Psyche Room one day while he was
meditating. His legs were crossed under him,
his palms on his knees and his head was
raised.
“Master, master, you get visitor.” The steward
said from the door.
When there was no reply, he moved to where
Tawo was and repeated himself. Tawo hated
the interruption but kept calm. He did not
move nor open his eyes. Later that night, he
almost had the steward ‘wasted’ but decided
against it. He called him and gave him stern
instructions never to disturb him when he was
meditating. The Steward never made that
mistake again.
So when Tawo’s phone kept on ringing
incessantly, the steward almost took the
phone to him in the Psyche Room. He was
already on the stairs when he remembered his
Master’s strong warning never to invade his
privacy. He shrugged and went back
downstairs, dropping the phone on a table in
the sitting area of the house. Tawo came
down an hour later whistling. He was in a
terrific mood. All he had to do was wait for
The Colonel to make a move and target would
be history. The day’s session was
magnificient. He had soared beyond the
cosmos and was gaining higher levels of
understanding. He picked his phone at the
same time talking to his steward.
“Was my phone ringing?” Tawo said as
unlocked his phone.
“Yes Oga. I been wan bring am for you when…”
The steward was saying when Tawo’s rage
caught him unawares.
“Shittt!! No!” He shouted.
He had just read Bruno’s text.
He tried to call Bruno back but his number
was switched off. Bruno had no idea that the
Colonel was now with the Detective. Tawo
knew that Bruno was very capable and had
never been found wanting. He was the best
field agent The Ghost Corporation had asides
from The Deadly Quartet. He was being
considered to understudy Ambrose and maybe
get promoted to a Super-Agent. Yet he did
not have the level of clearance to be privy to
that sort of information. Only the Super-
Agents were in the know of The Colonel and
his operations. Bruno did not qualify. Tawo
had spoken to Shina and Sophia earlier about
informing Bruno of the new developments so
he could be better prepared. The agreement
reached was that Ambrose should be at the
Bungalow at 02:00hrs to support Bruno. The
Colonel would be taken out at 05:00hrs.
Tawo wanted to call Bruno immediately the
decision had been taken but it was already
time for his personal meditation session. Now
Bruno had taken matters into his own hands
and gone in without up to date information on
the target. Tawo was sure that whatever it
was, Bruno had a good reason to go in all by
himself.
He thought for a few seconds. He switched on
his Ipad.
“Please give command” A voice prompt came
from the device.
“Open Damage Control on Mission Ahmed.”
Tawo spoke to the Ipad, folding his hands
behind.
The program opened all possible methods of
invading Ahmed’s compound and taking out
the Colonel. It also provided him with a brief
outcome of every method, giving each a
certain percentage of success or failure.
After watching the program for a few minutes,
he took out Ambrose and Shina from the
simulation and pushed in Bruno and Marshal
as replacements. He ran the program from the
beginning a second time.
In all the possible methods, the average
success was at 23%. The possibility of failure
was 89%.
He was disturbed. He was not really worried
about the safety of Bruno and Marshal. They
were agents and they could handle
themselves. He worried about losing The
Colonel. He had a difficult time catching up
with him before. Tawo did not want a repeat
performance.
He called Sophia.
“The Colonel Mission is on a code red. Of the
four of us, you are closest to the detective’s
location. Please move in. Your protégé
Bruno’s life depends on it.” Tawo said.
“What? You call me at this time of the night
and expect me to jump at your instructions?
Who do you think you are talking to one of
your dogs?” Sophia asked irritated.
“Please S. I really need you.” Tawo pleaded.
Sophia knew that Tawo had a reputation for
being arrogant, proud and cruel. So when she
heard him beg, she had no choice than to help
him out.
“Send me the details.” Sophia asked.
“No details S. Bruno is going into the
detective’s compound to decommission
Ahmed. He is not aware that The Colonel is
there. And I have a hunch that he is falling in
to a very big trap. If we don’t move fast, he
may not survive it.” Tawo explained.
“No. Nothing is going to happen to Bruno. I
will send a report in 90 minutes.” Sophia
finished and hung up.
She got up from her bed and opened a small
closet hanging on the wall beside her
bathroom door. There were different guns,
cartridges and bullets on the shelves inside
the closet. She picked a glod embroidered
pistol and a .45 silenced automatic.
She faced the mirror in her room and applied a
pink lipstick. She touched up her face and was
looking very pretty and s3xually provocative.
She wore a very short and tight purple mini
skirt, put on a white tank top and wore a
purple net over the tank top. She put her guns
in a medium sized purse. She entered her Benz
E280, began the ignition and drove out of the
mansion.


At 8pm The Colonel was ready. He got
Ahmed’s phone and inserted the old sim.
Ahmed took the phone from the Colonel and
dialed Sheila’s number,
“Wait son. Don’t make that call yet. We have
got to be ready immediately after the call.
How many guns do you have?” The Colonel
asked.
Ahmed frowned and shook his head.
“Not much Uncle, about two to three guns. Let
me show you.” Ahmed said, getting up.
He led the Colonel to the corridor inside the
house, opening the room adjacent the one
they were in earlier in the day. It was the last
room by the wall. The room was empty. Asides
from a stack of plastic chairs by the tiled wall,
the room was nothing to write home about.
There were no rooms, no entrances, nothing.
Ahmed looked like he was lost. The Colonel
waited for 70 seconds expecting the detective
to say something. Ahmed was mute. He gave
the impression that this was the wrong room.
The Colonel looked at him.
“There’s nothing in here boy! Is this a joke?
We have to move fast!” The Colonel asked
irritated.
Ahmed smiled. He had just gotten the
expression he wanted from his uncle. That
feeling of disappointment. He moved the
chairs, dragging them a little bit sideways
away from the wall making sure he marked the
exact height where the stack of chairs
reached. From the point he marked, he
counted four tiles north. When he got to the
fourth tile, he moved a finger to the edge of
the tile and pressed. The tile turned inside out
to reveal a small digital screen and a
numerical keypad. There was also a finger
print scanner and a retinal activation. It was
a high tech security safe. He looked back at
his Uncle. The Colonel was not impressed. He
had broken into more complicated vaults. He
could take down Ahmed’s safe in four days
max. Ahmed pressed a yellow button.
“Welcome Ahmed. Please provide retinal
recognition.” A voice said from the device.
Ahmed leaned closer and a mild infra-red
signal scanned his retina.
“Retinal Scan complete.” The voice said and
continued. “Please provide fingerprint
recognition.”
Ahmed placed his forefinger in the scanner
and another infra-red signal scanned his
prints.
“Prints accepted. Please enter password or
Voice recognition.” The computer said.
Ahmed was dying to impress The Colonel who
so far was staring with a straight face. His
arms folded across his chest. Ahmed pressed
a button on the device.
“Please enter voice password.” The voice said.
Ahmed read out the letters of the alphabet in
a song like fashion.
“A,B,C,D,E,F,G…Now I know my 1,2,3. My
name is Ahmed Haruna. Take it away.” He
finished.
The Colonel laughed hard. What a joke, he
thought to himself. He almost turned away to
leave the room when the was a soft whooshing
sound. A part of the wall where Ahmed stood,
caved in and moved to the left, creating a
small entrance into a room. Ahmed walked in
and turned on a switch. The bulbs came on,
illuminating the small room.
“Here we are.” The detective said, pleased with
himself.
“I can see where you keep your two or three
guns boy. This is impressive.” The Colonel
said.
The colonel smiled as he walked into the
enclosure. He was delighted at the caliber of
artillery he saw. He went to a shelf and picked
a rifle. It was a Kalashnikov AK-47 Assault
Rifle. One of the best he ever handled. He
remembered his time at the military academy
13 years back. It was the perfect weapon.
While he stroked the AK-47 in his hand, his
eyes scanned the room looking at the other
guns. There was a Thompson M1921 Sub
Machine gun, an F-2000 Assault Rifle, a 1965
HK416 Assault rifle (a rare spec), an SPG
classic, six .43 automatic pistols and a Uzi
Sub-machine Gun. Ahmed shared the same
taste with him when it came to ammunitions.
He turned and nodded at the detective smiling
pleasantly. As he checked the cartridge of the
AK-47 assault rifle, his eye caught something.
He bent low and pulled out the butt of a gun
from the lower chamber. It was a DSR 50-
Precision Sniper Rifle. His all-time favorite.
Every spy loved to have this deadly piece of
metal.
“Where did you get this my boy?!” The Colonel
asked delightedly.
“Scavenged it from a crime scene.” Ahmed
asked.
Ahmed picked one .43 pistol and inserted
bullets in it while the Colonel took another.
They corked their guns and got ready for
action. Ahmed closed the ‘door’ after his
uncle and pushed the chairs back. They exited
the room and went into the sitting room.
“Make that call now.” The Colonel said
handing the phone to Ahmed.
Ahmed dialed Shiela’s number. She picked on
the first ring.
“Hello ma. My house was invaded. My dogs
were killed… I don’t know. I can’t say. I did
some research on some clues I got. Unknown
men trailed me throughout today. I managed
to shake them off. I found out their hideout. It
is beside my compound here. I cannot say for
sure how many they are. Send backup just in
case so we can move in tonight. 2 hours.
Good. I’m ready. Bye” Ahmed said and hung
up.
The Colonel nodded at Ahmed.
“They should get here anytime from now. Be
ready. I will stand watch by this window and
join you later.” The Colonel said.
Ahmed left the bedroom, took station by the
bathroom, and waited for the Colonel to join
him.
************************************
Bruno and Marshal exited the bungalow,
walking in the shadows and avoiding the
‘street lights’ shinning on every area of the
street. They backed the fence, moving slowly
and quietly. Bruno signaled for Marshal to
hold on. They had gotten to Ahmed’s gate.
Bruno crossed to the other side of the road.
He walked past Ahmed house for 10 meters.
Marshal watched him. Bruno walked back
towards Ahmed’s compound stopping in front
of the gate. He looked inside and knocked. No
response. He knocked again. There was no
reply. The initial plan was to pretend to be
looking for number 12 of the street. If Ahmed
came to the gate, Bruno would ask him for the
street number and directions on how to get
there. While they were talking, Marshal would
appear from nowhere and take him out. So far
Ahmed did not come out. He nodded to
Marshal.
*************************************
The Colonel waited at the window for twenty
minutes. His instincts told him to move to the
roof. He would have a better view from there
and see whatever was happening outside the
compound. He climbed the ladder attached to
the water tank, continuing up until he was a
few inches above the roof. He leaped gently
from the ladder, landing softly on the padded
roof. He walked to the edge of the roof and
prostrated, keeping his jaw in both hands, his
elbows acting like a tripod. For six minutes,
nothing happened. On the seventh minute, he
saw a man cross the street and walk pass the
house. He immediately sensed danger when
the man crossed back to his side of the road
retracing his steps. When the man stopped at
Ahmed’s gate and began to knock, the Colonel
knew it was time. Immediately, he got up, half
ran across the roof and jumped on the ladder.
He raced down the ladder and got into the
house through the back door. He made it just
in time to see Ahmed moving to the front
door, about to open it.
As fast as lightening, the Colonel moved to
where Ahmed was, dragging him by the hand
just as he was about to grab the door handle.
Ahmed looked back frightened and almost
pulled the trigger of his gun, when the Colonel
put a finger on his mouth indicating that
Ahmed be quiet. He signaled to Ahmed that
they had company and that he should be on
the alert. Ahmed nodded. The Colonel signaled
again that Ahmed wait at the door and do
nothing, while he went to keep watch at the
back entrance. The Colonel was as calm as
ever. Ahmed’s heart was racing. He swallowed
saliva and nodded again like a dummy.
*************************************
After Bruno nodded his head at Marshal,
Marshal leaped over the fence from outside,
landing in Ahmed’s compound. As he landed,
he simultaneously brought out his gun from
his hip area and scanned the area. He did not
want anyone to take him unawares, especially
dogs. When he was sure no one was alerted,
he moved cautiously to the gate and silently
opened the smaller area for Bruno to come in.
Bruno shut the gate behind him noiselessly
and moved ahead of Marshal. They decided to
take the back entrance.
Ahmed saw the way the two men entered his
compound. He noticed they had military
training. Their signals, silent communication
and perfect sync scared the living daylight out
of him. He watched them move very slowly
taking calculated steps toward the back of the
house. They moved like they knew where they
were going with the heavy one behind looking
behind and scanning for aerial and ground
threats. He decided he would attack them
from behind. Two quick head shots and they
would both be dead. They would not see him
coming. He smiled.
As the thought crossed his mind, his uncle
stole into the sitting room.
“Any luck?” The Colonel whispered, barely
audible.
“They are going to the back entrance. I will
take them from behind. It would be easy.” The
detective said.
“No! Don’t! I will handle this. Just cover me.”
The Colonel ordered.
As the Colonel took silent steps towards the
back entrance, Ahmed felt disgusted. Why
would The Colonel want the glory for himself?
For God’s sakes he was retired! His uncle did
not completely trust him. He felt he was not
good enough. All these thoughts ran through
Ahmed’s head in milliseconds. He decided he
was going to show his uncle that he was no
sissy. He turned and headed for the front
door. The Colonel turned and noticed Ahmed
heading for the front door. He tried to call him
back but he was too late. Ahmed was already
outside.
“Shiitt!!!” The Colonel cursed and raced after
his nephew.
Ahmed was already way ahead. The Colonel
did not want to run. He did not want to draw
attention. So he moved fast, but very quietly.
Ahmed could now see Marshal. Bruno was
right in front of him. Ahmed moved closer
taking his aim at the back of Marshal’s skull,
moving closer still to get a clean shot. 3
seconds later, he had the perfect shot to take
out Marshal. As he took his final step to pull
the trigger, his boots crushed some gravel.
Marshal turned. Bruno looked back too.
Ahmed’s heart skipped a beat.
Marshal brought up his gun to take his aim.
Ahmed was quicker. Ahmed pulled the trigger
and his bullet caught Marshal squarely on the
face. Blood splattered everywhere. Marshal fell
to the ground, his brains scattered everywhere.
Bruno rolled on the ground and fired two quick
shots at Ahmed. A bullet caught Ahmed on his
left thigh. He screamed, falling to the ground
and holding his thigh. As Bruno ran closer to
finish him off, The Colonel appeared from the
corner. He fired three perfect shots at Bruno.
Bruno rolled on the ground and ducked behind
the wall. A bullet caught him on the arm. He
was bleeding.
The Colonel approached Bruno, shooting at
the wall. Pieces of bricks scattered around
Bruno. Bruno moved backwards. The Colonel
got to Ahmed and knelt on one knee, not
taking his eyes off the wall. He felt Ahmed’s
pulse. He was still alive.
“Hang in there my boy.” The Colonel said.
As the Colonel got up approaching Bruno,
there were gunshots at the gate. The Colonel
backed into the wall. He saw someone jump in
from the fence and roll to the gate. She got up
and continued shooting sporadically at the
Colonel. The Colonel backed away dragging
Ahmed with him. He was out of rounds. He did
not expect this much firepower. Bruno saw
Sophia and ran towards her, shooting at the
Colonel’s direction with his good hand.
Sophia covered him, her back to the gate while
Bruno opened the gate and went out. Sophia
moved slowly to the gate still shooting at the
Colonel.
She got out of the gate, got into the car and
sped out of the estate.
“How are you?” She asked Marshal as they
sped along Palm Groove, Ikorodu road.
“I will be fine. Marshal is dead.” Bruno replied.
Sophia did not say a word. Marshal was her
cousin. Her eyes were red.
She stepped on the accelerator and bit her
lower lip.
Someone was going to pay for Marshal’s
death.


Eva spent three days with her mother in the
mansion. A separate suite was arranged for
them where everything was provided
adequately, ensuring satisfaction and comfort.
Eva was upset initially that she was not
allowed to leave the mansion. She questioned
why her mother had to be brought in to see
her as that was not the original plan. She got
over it after Shina explained that plans had
changed. The corporation constantly changed
plans and made last minute cancellations just
to throw any tracker off guard. Besides, she
was safer here than anywhere else.
On the third day, Eva explained to her mother
that she would be going on professional
course outside the country. The course would
span three years after which she would set up
her own company. Her mother did not ask too
many questions. She was glad that her
daughter was moving up the corporate ladder.
She admonished Eva to remember her younger
brother and to always check on him from time
to time. As Eva helped her mother pack her
bags, pangs of guilt enveloped her. She knew
she had to tell her mother the truth. But she
knew her mother could not handle it. Besides,
she was afraid of what Sophia would do if she
spilled. The very thought scared her to her
very bones. She shuddered.
“Eva, please seat down. I want to talk to you.”
Eva’s mother said moving on the bed for her
daughter to seat.
“What is the problem mama?” Eva asked
sitting down, concern on her face.
“I know you have been working hard. And I am
very glad that you are doing very well. Your
father would be very pleased with you. Only if
he were alive.” Eva’s mum started. She sobbed
softly wiping her face with the edge of her
wrapper. Eva pulled her mother close, hugging
her.
“It’s ok mummy. We will pull through.” Eva
said, rocking her slowly.
“I know my dear.” Eva’s mum said sniffing and
continued,
“I was at the window area yesterday. I saw a
number of men in black suits and wearing
dark shades. What was happening?”
“Oh, those men. They are the security details
attached to my boss mummy. She came into
town yesterday.” Eva replied.
“Okay my daughter. God will bless her. I have
to thank her before I leave.” Eva’s mum said.
“No problem ma. I will arrange for you to see
her mummy.” Eva said.
Eva got up from the bed and went into the
bathroom, shutting the after her. She left the
shower to run while she sat on the toilet seat.
She put her face in her hands and began to
cry. She hated the fact that she just lied to her
mother. She was sad and scared.
Deep down inside her, she was troubled. She
may never see her mother again.
******************************************
Sophia drove into the gate of The Mansion,
parking the car in the garage where there were
other very expensive cars. She turned off the
ignition. She closed her eyes for a few
seconds and opened them again. She unlocked
the seat belt around her, looking at Bruno. He
held his arm and winced as he unstrapped
himself from the seat.
“I think someone should check that out. It
looks pretty messy” Sophia said.
“No! I am fine. I just need a few stitches. Can
I get first aid in your room?” Bruno asked.
“Yes I do. Let’s go.” Sophia said.
They got out of the car and walked to the
front of Sophia’s wing. As they entered the
house Bruno collapsed on the couch in the
sitting room. He passed out. Sophie shook her
head as she sat in a chair opposite him. She
took off the holsters on both ankles, setting
the guns on the table. She kicked off her flats,
walking barefooted to the bar in the far right
of the sitting room. She poured herself a full
glass of strong vodka and drowned half the
contents. She had not been this shaken in a
very long time. She was renowned for her
ability to keep her emotions in check, and her
clear thoughtfulness in very unpleasant
circumstances. But the emotions were flooding
in now. This was getting too much for her to
bear. She blocked every thought of Marshal
from her head. All she wanted to do was to
get back at whoever killed her only living
relative.
She finished the vodka, looked at the glass
cup for a while then smashed in angrily at the
wall. It broke into a million pieces. The noise
was not even enough to wake Bruno.
She pressed a button by the bar. A young
man dressed in a white shirt and black pants
came in from a side entrance.
“You rang ma.” The lad said.
“Yes Jeff. Clean up that mess over there and
get Emmanuela to attend to that man over
there” She said pointing at Bruno.
The lad nodded and hurried out of the house.
Sophia walked sluggishly to her room and
opened the door.
******************************************
The Colonel dragged his nephew inside the
house. He lifted He looked for the first aid
everywhere and eventually found it in the
store. He took the big box into the sitting
room where Ahmed lay, groaning and
breathing softly. He searched the first aid box
and did not really find what he was looking
for. He had to make do with was available. He
got out some disinfectant and a towel. He
sterilized a pick-scissors with warm water and
the disinfectant. He dabbed the blood off
Ahmed’s wound, cleaning it and getting it
ready to be closed. Ahmed winced.
“Steady boy. You are lucky son. The bullet
grazed past your flesh. You quite some
amount of blood. But you will be fine.” The
Colonel said,
“Did we get them uncle?” Ahmed asked
The Colonel kept quiet. He concentrated on
bandaging the wound.
“I think we did. But we were outnumbered. So
I had to retreat.” The Colonel said.
“I am sorry Uncle. I should have listened to
you.” Ahmed said, very sober.
“It’s okay. I will give you 15 minutes to get
yourself together. We have to leave here
immediately. I will inject you with a serum
that will make you feel no pain. It will help you
move faster. Pack only the things you need.
They would come back. And this time, we may
not be so lucky.” The Colonel said.
“I am fine uncle. I don’t need 15 minutes. I
can start now.” Ahmed said trying to get up. A
tearing pain seared through his body. He
screamed and lay back down on the bed.
The Colonel looked at him and shook his
head.
“I may be retired son, but whenever I tell you
to jump, you jump. And if I ask you to run, or
crawl, or hold your breath, you do exactly as I
say! You do not know what you are dealing
with here. I do. I will be back in 15 minutes.”
The Colonel said and walked out of the
bedroom.
******************************************
A black kia optima parked six houses away
from The Mansion. A tall man with average
build got out of the back seat and strolled
leisurely forwards. He walked confidently
towards the gate of The Mansion. He knocked.
A very small rectangular part of the gate
opened which gave room for the gateman’s
eyes only.
“Yes, wetin you dey find?” A rough speaking
gateman said, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“Please sir, I am looking for one woman. She
said I should ask for Oga, and that you would
direct me. She gave me this card to give you.”
The man said. He resisted the urge to poke
out the red eyeballs that were staring at him
“Which nonsense card? Make I see.” The
gateman said.
The man put the card through the small
rectangular hole and the gateman collected.
After a few seconds of scrutiny, he handed the
card back to the man and opened the door for
the man to come in. The gateman directed the
man to Sophia’s wing of the house and told
him he would meet someone at the door. He
thanked the gateman and walked to the door
leading to Sophia’s wing. He pressed the bell
a few times. A very pretty steward opened the
door for him. She asked him what business he
had and he showed her the same card. She
smiled at him, handed back the card and led
him to the visitor’s lounge.
“Please make yourself comfortable sir. I will
let her know you are around.” The steward
said.
Five minutes later, the steward came back.
“I am sorry sir. She is not around. She will not
be back till tomorrow.”
“Okay.” The man said, raising his head from a
magazine he was reading.
“Can I show myself out when I am done
please?” The man asked, showing all the
charm he had.
“Okay sir.” The steward replied, chuckling.
Ten minutes later the man got up. He did not
go outside. He climbed the stairs and went
into Sophia’s room.
Sophia felt weak and exhausted. She decided
to just relax a bit after taking that much
liquor. She climbed the stairs, heading for her
room.
She opened the door to her room, shut the
door behind her and switched on the light.
She almost jumped out of her skin at what she
saw.
“Hello Agent S”.
It was the General.



To be continued after 10 comments