10.00pm
Iphey closed the phone and glanced around her. It was a bit dark and smoky
in the bar as most of the guys in the room had a cigarette. It was either hanging
from their lips or wedged between index and middle finger. A number of the
ladies were smoking too. She sighed deeply and looked across at her brother-inlaw.
“You were late.” She blurted the first thing that came to mind.
“I have apologized for that, haven’t I? I just had to make sure all was well.”
He glanced around again, eyes darting into the corners and jabbing at the door.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Iphey asked. She couldn’t deny the
suspiciousness that clouded his every move.
“Not really.” He replied.
James had on dark clothes and it began to dawn on her that what Chinedu
said might be true after all. Maybe she should not have come out here to meet
James.
“Who was that on the phone?” he asked.
Iphey thought fast as the words began to leave her lips. “Oh, just a friend. She
wants to talk and I promised to meet her after this. I said I’ll be around in a
few…”
“You mean you have to leave?” He interrupted, “but you barely got here.”
“I know,” Iphey sighed again. She was acting for her life here and didn’t care
how good or bad she was. “But you gave me such short notice, and then…”
“Anyway,” he cut her off again, “maybe it’s even better that we have just a
short time together. I’ll go ahead and explain why I called…”
“Yes I would like to hear that.” Iphey interjected.
“Well the thing is this. I told you the last time that I left Ngozi and Obi
because of issues I was having?”
“Yes, you did…”
“Well, those issues are being untangled as we speak. See, I met this guy. He
lives in a room at the place I‟m staying at. We became friendly and began to talk.
Along the line, when he mentioned the gang and their activities on the Island, I
opened up to him.” James raised pleading eyes to her.
“Go on,” Iphey encouraged. She wished she could cut it short. Chinedu‟s
warnings sounded in her ears. “Look babe, some people are watching you. Some
very bad people…I thought I wouldn„t have to tell you but…there.” She shook
her head as if in sympathy to what James was saying ads he continued.
“I had been keeping to myself so much and after my run in with you, I
became even lonelier. So it was a relief to be able to unburden myself to this guy.
But things have become more complicated now…”
“Don‟t tell me the guy turned out to be a criminal too?” Iphey cringed in her
mind. That would explain the urgency with which Chinedu had warned her to
leave. Her heart began a slow pound as she her gaze involuntarily went round
the small space.
“Nothing like that at all,” James said. He moved his chair closer. “He actually
works for the EFCC and they happen to be on the trail of the guys that want me
dead. The gang has been threatening my life till now but the police are on to
them.”
Iphey mulled his words in her head. When he had told her this six months
ago, she had not believed it but now, with the aura of danger all around, she had
no other choice than to.
James was still speaking. “The guy I met was a mole, sent to penetrate a
group they had in Ajegunle. I didn‟t even know they were so close to me but I
managed to keep out of their way. However it seems I was not careful enough.
They have found me…”
“What!?” Under the table, Iphey squeezed her suddenly sweaty hands. This
was beginning to sound like a movie. She didn‟t think before now that such
things happened in real life. Men on the run, undercover moles and criminal
gangs…those were so not a part of what she was used to.
“James, I have to go,” she declared. Iphey clutched at the package Supo had
given her from Chinedu and began to get to her feet.
“OK, OK…” James was trying to pacify her. “But you have to pass this
message to Ngozi for me. It involves you too.”
Iphey paused, half on and half off her seat.
“The EFCC are ready to put all of you in a safe house pending when all this is
sorted out…”
Iphey sat down abruptly. “Why do we have to do that?” she asked in a harsh
whisper. Sweat was gathering under her arms, she shivered as a tickle made its
way down her side. “Do these people know us? We have been living peacefully
all this while.” Her voice rose in the hysteria that swirled around her but she was
powerless to stop it. “What have you done?!”
“Iphey calm down, breathe…”
She realized she was panting in short bursts and tried to get her breath back.
She exhaled through her mouth and dragged in air through her nose. You are a
strong woman, she repeated to herself.
James continued. Let‟s not throw blame around here. Not now.” He stared
into her eyes. “However it happened, they found me, they found you and it‟s
clear they will make a move sooner or late…”
Iphey jerked to her feet. This was just too much for her to sit and listen. She
didn‟t care how Chinedu had found out about all this. She was just glad he had.
“I have to go to the ladies,” she muttered. She picked up the Shoprite bag and
fled.
**************
10.15pm
Iphey cracked open the door of the ladies and peered out. It appeared clear.
James was still seated at the table, his back to her. She shook her head. She
wasn‟t going through the front door. She would take the side door out like
Chinedu suggested. James would leave when he got tired of waiting.
She opened the door wider and stepped out. She felt stronger and just bolder.
She had recovered her poise while she had changed and given herself a pep talk
too. Or maybe it was just the full face of make up. She laughed under her breath.
The high heels made her feel funny though and she couldn‟t see too well behind
the fringe of the wig. She blinked to clear her vision and closed the door behind
her.
“Hello, babe.”
Iphey swiveled to meet the strange voice by her right. A man dressed in dark
clothes was leaning against the wall. His avid gaze reminded her of what she
wore, a miniskirt and shiny tube top. He brushed away her fringe and smiled into
her eyes. All Iphey could see was a gap where a tooth must have fallen out, she
hissed and moved away quickly.
“Dont you touch me!” She whispered and watched as all mirth left his eyes.
The bones of his face hardened. ‘Thug’, she thought as she turned away with
another hiss and began to walk in the other direction.
“I wouldn‟t do that if I were you.” The deep voice was right behind her, all
business this time. His breath set the chandelier earring on her right ear to
fluttering. The man was crowded against her back in a very uncomfortable way.
As she made to turn and warn him off, she felt it. The touch of cold steel on the
bare flesh between her top and the skirt, pressing into her spine.
11:00PM
Chinedu’s mind was in confusion. Alhaji was the last person he had expected
to be involved with Dabaru and his gang. What was his benefactor doing here?
He pressed back further into his corner while still keeping his ears alert for any
information that might help him prevent a move on Iphey. He shifted in his seat
till he was facing away from them.
“So Dabaru, when is your oga coming? I don’t know why he needs me to be
present; I’ve given you the information you need already,” he heard Alhaji
Galadima say.
“I don’t know, but he said you should be here if you want to receive your pay.
When he comes, you can ask him yourself.” Dabaru sounded curt and abrupt.
Chinedu was left to wonder if they had a mutual benefactor, but he was sure that
Dabaru would have no love for any human being in a police uniform.
The door opened, and two portly, affluent looking men walked in
accompanied by a couple of large young men in street wear. Chinedu watched
from the corner of his eyes as they made their way to the section of the bar where
Galadima and Dabaru were sitting.
Something struck him about one of the men standing to the left of Dabaru.
The man turned away but the niggling familiarity remained as the gang all took
turns to bow or prostrate to the newcomers.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” One of the affluent men, he was dressed in a
pale blue agbada, greeted them back, as he ordered for a round of drinks for them
all.
“Chief! Chief!” They hailed him. Chinedu ignored the noise and rather tried
to get a good look at the Chief and the other man who was dressed in a Safari
suit and carried a suitcase.
“So Chief, what’s the problem? Why have you asked me to come here, now?”
Alhaji Galadima asked.
Chief laughed. “I will explain. We are waiting for a few more guests, all will
soon be clear.”
Just then, there was a minor commotion outside the bar. Chinedu looked up
and his heart stopped for a second as he saw Iphey being hauled in by a thug.
Before he could think about how she had been captured, another thug dragged in
James who had a bruise to his head and a swollen lip; it looked like he had just
received a good beating.
*********************
11:25PM
Iphey stifled the cry of pain that came to her lips when the man who was
holding her pushed her along. He was still slightly behind her, the gun in his
other hand as he increased pressure on her arm.
“Move!” He whispered harshly, directing her towards a group to the right.
This bar was just as smoky if a lot seedier than Silverbird. She shuddered as
thoughts flooded her mind. Her kidnapper had laughed at her as he prodded her
to the car outside Galleria. He leered at her skimpy clothes and said he preferred
them to what she had been wearing earlier. He told her not to be surprised
because they had been following her for weeks, he and his partner, and knew her
very well. She had almost fooled him with the sultry outfit but once she spoke,
she had betrayed herself.
Iphey had wished then she had kept her mouth shut and walked away instead
of giving in to her haughty outrage at his touch. He told her that they had
accosted James when he had tried to leave while she was away. His partner
forced James, at gun point, to remain at the table and he, Stalin, had come to
watch the door to the ladies.
Iphey looked over at James now as he limped along beside her. He had tried
to be heroic when they had disembarked outside. After signalling her to run, he‟d
jumped on the guy who held him. His captor and their driver had vented their
spleen on him with more blows than necessary. Stalin hadn’t even released her
for a second. Her head sunk to her chest as her eyes shut in a deep sigh.
“Aha!” said a voice before her, and her eyes sprang open. A fat man was
rubbing his large hands with satisfaction. He resembled the fat frog on the
threading in front of his blue Agbada. “Now we begin.”
He turned to James with a menacing look. “We have been very good to you.
You have eluded us several times now, each time failing to produce the money
that you owe us.”
James spoke in a low voice. “I don’t have the money, where do you want me
to get 20 million…”
“Chief, it is now over 100million Naira, including T-shark‟s dues and all the
interest…” The man that spoke had an open suitcase before him.
“T-shark betrayed us all!” James shouted.
“Enough!” Chief banged the table, making everyone jump. “James, do you
want what happened to T-shark to happen to you too? Maybe we should work
on your girlfriend.” he said, gesturing to Iphey.
“I am not his girlfriend!” Iphey blurted out and then kept talking. Wasn‟t that
what one was supposed to do in this kind of situation? “You have got the wrong
person…”
Chief slashed the air and her captor placed a meaty palm over her mouth and
nudged her with the gun. As she struggled for air, Iphey wondered if she would
survive this. She glanced around, searching the bar for any means of help or
escape. Apart from the large group before her, there were just two or so other
patrons scattered around the other empty tables.
Chief continued, “Well, I know that both of you are co-operating to hide the
money. Today we will find out where it is.”
He turned to the man beside him. “Galadima, if one of my boys kills someone
who owes me 100 million, will it be murder? The man shook his head.
Chief motioned to the tall and rangy man who sat close to where Iphey stood.
“Oya Dabaru, do what you have to do.”
The ugly scarred man needed little prompting. He grabbed Iphey‟s arm and
twisted a finger backwards, causing her to gasp in pain.
“Talk!” he spat out in a guttural tone. “Where is the money?”
James begin to stammer entreaties even as his eyes pleaded with hers.
“Abeg… p-please, she knows nothing about this… it’s just me…”
The bar was filled with Iphey’s shrieks of agony as her torturer applied even
more force to ratchet up the pain.
*******************
11:55PM
Hearing the sound of Iphey in pain was more than Chinedu could bear. He
had earlier sent a text to Gbenro; in it, he had asked him to forward another
message to the number Habib had provided, asking for back-up policemen. With
Iphey already here, there was no need to wait. It was time for action. A well
aimed throw of his glass tumbler shattered the lone light bulb in the bar, plunging
the place into darkness.
There were shouts of surprise and outrage, with Chief yelling, “Stalin! Odo!
Hold the girl! Hold James! Make sure they do not escape!”
Soon the bar was lit with a ghostly pale light as the Chief’s men waved their
mobile phones around, trying identify the intruder.
Chinedu had joined the shadows closer to the group. He could just make out
the outline of the man holding Iphey in front of him. He raised his arm high, and
hit.
“Yeeeeeh!” At the scream, everyone scattered.
As Chinedu nimbly crouched to the ground, he stabbed another man in the
leg with the jagged edge of the bottle he‟d broken over Stalin‟s head. Then, he
scrambled in the direction of the back door as a cacophony of shots rang out.
Chinedu prayed that Iphey had not been hit. He wished that he had been able to
call out a warning to her, to get to her, but that would give him away.
As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw Iphey under a table, her arms
wrapped around her side. His heart sped up as he imagined all sorts. Had she
been shot? Was that why… he breathed again when she began to move. She
crawled on the floor, heading to the front door, inching closer and closer… and
then a powerful beam of light swung round the bar and alighted on her. Chinedu
cursed and froze.
Dabaru smiled cruelly, at the other end of the torch. In his other hand was a
gun. Chinedu watched him walk towards Iphey.
“Get up.” When she hesitated, Dabaru dragged her up roughly and held her
close as he shouted out, “Whoever is trying to cause wahala, we are holding the
girl. If you know what is good for you, you will come forward now, or else I will
enjoy killing her!”
Chinedu groaned in despair. There was nothing else for it… he would have to
give himself up.
Before he could get to his feet, he heard a shout; someone had jumped on
Dabaru. Chinedu scooted deeper into the shadows and watched as Dabaru and a
man he could now identify as James struggled together, lit up by torchlight.
Iphey was nowhere in sight. Chinedu moved closer to the back door as more
shots were fired around the dark room.
“Stop shooting!” Dabaru screamed. Two final shots echoed in the room, and
there was James sprawled out on the floor groaning in a pool of his blood.
The sound of police sirens outside brought fresh confusion. One man shot
through a glass window and attempted to climb out.
“Hold it!” A familiar voice rung out. It was Habib. Gaunt and with a fully
bearded face, it was him Chinedu had almost recognized earlier. It seemed that
in the melee, he and his undercover colleagues had taken out some of the men.
As the back-up police men barged into the room with torchlights, Chinedu
noticed the lifeless bodies on the ground. The rest of the men had their hands in
the air.
Dabaru began shooting wildly as he backed away from the front door. A click
sounded when his gun emptied of bullets. He turned and ran towards the back
door.
