by Kiru Taye
She had valid reasons to be concerned. Ralph Nweke was connected to influential people.
Men like Tiye Himba. Taking him down could ruin Ebuka if he wasn’t careful.
But Ralph would now evade him. He would have his vengeance.
He needed a plan. A name Xandra had mentioned earlier sprang to mind.
Duke Odili. He was a powerful man. If Ebuka could get to him, he would be the key to unleashing his revenge.
Ebuka held Xandra’s chin, pressed his lips to hers, brushing gently. She exhaled and relaxed against him.
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle Nweke. He won’t see me coming, this time around.”
A frown creased her face. “What are you going to do?”
He met her gaze full-on so she would know he was serious. “I’m going to kill him.”
***
Two days later, Xandra showed Ebuka the speedboat which had been hidden in a secret alcove covered by the waterfall he had seen on the first day. The source of escape had been in plain sight all along. The whirring engine he’d heard the day she’d drugged him had been from its motor. She was intelligent, his Xandra.
He’d come to appreciate her quirks over the past few days as they’d gotten to know each other better and she’d told him of their time together on the ranch.
They loaded the craft with what they would need for at least a week and headed to the mainland. Once they left the choppy waters around the island, the sea was mostly calm, and they made good time according to Xandra. Warm clothes and water-proof jackets protected them from the lashing wind. They were silent for most of it. The noise of the motor didn’t allow for conversation unless they shouted.
Neither of them seemed interested in talking.
Ebuka’s mind went to Ginika and Mama. His pulse raced. He felt breathless and lightness in his chest. He would see them in a few days.
First, they had business in Opal City. Then, they would travel to Bakili and eventually the ranch.
Two hours after leaving Laroca, the mainland came into view. Xandra avoided the busy shipping port and headed up the river. As she steered the boat into one of the deltas, she said, “Take the wheel for a minute. I want to send a message.”
They changed position, him at the helm while she sat on the bench, phone-in-hand. He wasn’t a mariner and liked to keep his feet on Terra firma. But keeping the boat clear of obstacles seemed straightforward.
“Each time you travel on the boat, you’re alone?” he asked, suddenly aware of all the things that could go wrong out here. Bad weather, rough seas, pirates, equipment breakdown. The list went on.
She came to stand next to him. “Yes.”
A chill permeated his bones, and he shivered. “What if something bad happened?”
She shrugged. “That’s always a possibility. But I mitigate it by sending a message to my maintenance man before each trip. He’ll be there to meet us, and he checks the boat while I’m on the mainland and makes sure it’s ready for use when I return.”
“But that still doesn’t help you if you’re stranded out in the ocean.”
She shrugged again. “The shipping lanes get busy, and there are naval patrols to combat pirates, so someone would find me eventually. Anyway, I’m not worried. Since fire didn’t kill me, I’m not worried about a little water.”
His mouth dropped open. “It’s the fucking Atlantic Ocean, not a little water!”
She giggled, eyes sparkling.
“What’s so funny, woman?” he snapped.
How could she find this amusing when his gut was wrenching with dread at her being stranded? Without help. Without him.
“Calm down, sailor.” She leaned into him sideways and curled her arm around his waist. “I’m happy because for the first time you reminded me of the old Ebuka. A man who cared about me like no other man ever did.”
“Oh,” was all he could say.
She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It was that fierce expression on your face, of love, of tenderness that kept me going while I was in the hospital. It made me determined to get better, even after I saw the extent of the damage on my body. I swore I was going to get back to you. Then when I found you and you couldn’t remember me. That was crushing. The pits.”
“I’m sorry.” He tugged her so she stood in front of him and his arm caged her to the wheel. “Not remembering is painful for me too.”
“I know. It must be frustrating. That’s why I cheer whenever you go all caveman because I feel like I’m getting my Ebuka back and soon your memories will return.”
“I hope so.” He leaned down and kissed her nape.
She sighed with pleasure but stiffened as a small secluded harbour came into view about thirty minutes of travelling inland.
A man stood on the wooden planks that formed the jetty. He was dark-skinned, wiry and probably in his forties. Empty fishing boats bobbed in the water.
“That’s the maintenance guy,” Xandra said.
“Okay,” Ebuka replied.
“Aunty, you don come?” the man called out.
“Benji, na so. How now? How everybody?” Xandra threw the rope.
The man caught it and tied it to a post. “We dey. I see say oga don better.”
She climbed onto the pier. “Yes. He don better.”
“Oga, welcome,” Benji said.
“Thank you. Please, help me carry the bags out,” Ebuka replied.
“No problem.” He took the luggage as Ebuka passed them.
“Wait here. I’m going to get the car.” Xandra walked onto the sandy shore along what looked like a dirt road to a large shack made from wood and corrugated zinc. She unlocked a door, went inside.
Ebuka dragged the travel cases to the edge of the pier and waited.
A few minutes later, a BMW pulled along the shore. Xandra’s BMW. Not long after the car was loaded and they waved goodbye to Benji.
“What was that about oga getting better?” Ebuka asked.
He sat in the front passenger seat as Xandra drove, reminding him of the night she’d bought him at the auction. His body tensed, and he shoved the horrors of that place out of his mind.
“The day we arrived, he helped me get you into the boat because you were still under the effect of the anaesthetic. I told him you’d been in hospital and I was taking you home to recover.”
Nodding, he glanced at her. “Does he think I’m your husband?”
She shrugged and said nothing. Didn’t look at him. Just continued driving. At the end of the dirt road, she turned into another widened dusty road through a small town.
Sparse low brick houses. Children with jerrycans on their heads. Women with babies strapped to their backs and bundles on their heads. Wooden stalls, multicoloured wares, hawkers chasing cars on foot. Construction workers taking shade under trees, drinking and laughing.
The thought of being her husband didn’t annoy Ebuka considering the troubles with Sabina. Instead, warmth bloomed through him. But he couldn’t hide his status from her. He cared about her too much.
“Do you know about my wife?” he asked.
“Yes. I met her,” she said stiffly and glanced at him; expression closed. “What’s the deal between both of you? Why are you still married to her?”
Talk about direct. He liked Xandra’s directness. Liked her. A lot. Not like Sabina at all.
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“It’s a long drive,” she replied.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and head. She had a point.
He didn’t like talking about Sabina. But Xandra had bared her soul to him. It was only fair to do the same, even if he hurt in the process.
“I can’t really talk about Sabina without talking about Ralph. Ralph and I were best friends. We met in high school and went to the same university. We even joined the Yadi fraternity on campus, which is loosely linked to the Yadili syndicate, on the same night.”
“Wow. You were that close.” She glanced at him; eyebrows raised in
a shocked expression.
“Yes. We were brothers, inseparable.”
“What happened to change it.”
“It was a series of things. In my final year, I started dating Sabina, who was in her first year. At the time, I was in love with her. She was smart and beautiful and the daughter of the state governor. She was out of my league. I wondered why someone like her would even give me a second look. But it became clear later that she’d dated me for a reason. I was the leader of the Yadi fraternity and on-campus that made me king. So, dating me automatically made her the queen of the campus.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She told me she wouldn’t have stooped to date anyone lower than the Yadi ‘general’ which was my title at the time. Her father was our godfather and was campaigning for the governorship. He wanted to hire the Yadi fraternity to intimidate his opponents. I was against the idea and discussed it with Ralph. Yes, the boys had gotten into scrapes before. But it was usually just intercampus rivalries and skirmishes. Nothing that heavy. We were kids transitioning into adulthood. Also, that kind of stuff went against the Yadili values which we were supposed to be upholding. Ralph saw it differently. He was about getting what he wanted anyway possible. Sabina’s father was godfather, and we shouldn’t refuse our godfathers anything.”
Ebuka stopped talking as he conjured up the stress from years ago. It had been a painful period for him for so many reasons.
Xandra pulled into a service station and parked the car in one of the available spaces. She unclipped her seatbelt and turned to him. “So that’s why you fell out?”
Ebuka released himself from the harness, scrubbed a hand over his face and puffed out air. “Not exactly. About the same time, my father fell ill, so I had to go home for a while. As my captain, I left Ralph in charge of the frat boys. While I was away, he started using the boys to run interference for Sabina’s father. Harassing and intimidating supporters of the opposition. When I found out Ralph, and I had a big fight because he had no rights to overrule my decision since I was still the frat leader, and he was my second-in-command. So, in the end, I stepped down and handed the frat leadership to him.
“At that point, my focus was changing anyway. I was more interested in graduating with a good degree, not the paper one I could have bought by paying off lecturers. Not that I had that kind of money to waste anyway. But Chief Dede, our godfather had guaranteed we would all graduate somehow. My father always said, ‘you shouldn’t always take everything you’re given. Some ‘gifts’ carry a hefty price’. He never liked Chief Dede. He said the man was too egotistical. That he was more interested in filling his pockets than taking care of the people. I didn’t quite see that at the time. Afterall, Sabina’s father was a member of the Yadili which was set up for the progress of the people. Much later, I saw the man beneath the gloss.
“And then my father died, and my focus shifted to taking care of my mother and sister. Meanwhile, I did my youth service and then came home to work on the farm. I had plans. At first, Sabina didn’t like it. She wanted me to go and work for her father. He was the state governor and could offer me a position in one of the ministries. I wasn’t interested in politics or civil service. Plus, I wanted to build on what my father had started on the farm.
“Ralph went to work in his father’s law firm. His father had been the state chief justice, so it was inevitable that Ralph would follow in his footsteps since he maintained the political connections over the years. After Sabina graduated, we made plans to get married. She had big expensive plans for the wedding. Honestly, I couldn’t afford a lot of it. Her father footed most of the bill. That should have been a warning to me. But I loved her and wanted to give her what she deserved. After we got married, she started going on at me about joining her father in politics. She said if I got close to her father, I would get all kinds of contracts. She wanted to live like a politician’s wife, not a farmer’s wife. She had a good job, working at first with Nweke Law firm. I told her she could keep her money and do whatever she wanted with it.”
“And that wasn’t enough for her?” Xandra asked quietly.
“It never was.” He fell silent after that and Xandra didn’t push him for more.
TWENTY-FOUR
AS THEY drew close to Opal City, Ebuka became restless. His mind was on Duke Odili. How was he going to prevent the man’s death?
Ebuka’s father, Oganiru, must be watching over him, expecting him to stop the assassination. It wasn’t just coincidence that his path crossed with Xandra’s or that Xandra kept him alive.
He believed in a higher power. A greater purpose. This was his chance to contribute to do his portion.
Ebuka had to do something. He had to save the man’s life. Even if it meant interfering with Xandra’s kill.
Opal City was one of the largest cities in the region and was the old regional capital city known for its opal mines.
By the time they arrived and checked into the hotel, it was late. The next day, Xandra headed out. She said she had to see some people and plan.
Ebuka used the opportunity to visit the hotel’s computer suite and search for any information on Duke Odili. From everything he found out, it seemed even more likely the man in question was the same person he’d been thinking about.
He needed to get hold of him. But reaching a man like Duke would be difficult since he was listed as CEO of the casino chain.
He found a contact for the casino and got through to Duke’s personal assistant. However, the man was away and wouldn’t be back in the office for a few days.
Frustrated, Ebuka returned to the room. The only other option was to get into Xandra’s system to get the file on the target. Hopefully, she would have some personal contact details listed on there.
The opportunity came later that evening when Xandra was on her device.
“How do you know the person you kill is the correct person on the list?” Ebuka asked, hoping to find the information he needed somehow. “I mean, I know there should be a dossier. At least that’s what happens in the movies. Is that the same in real life?”
She glanced up and smiled. “More or less. There is a file of information about the target that covers everything that could be used to identify him. I won’t aim to kill until I’ve identified the target correctly.”
“Can I see what’s on there for this one?”
She stared at him for several seconds.
His heart raced, and his hands became clammy.
Eventually, she nodded and passed the device.
He stared at the image on the screen. It matched the man he’d seen earlier on the hotel computers. Duke Odili. There were all kind of details included, from date of birth and address, hair colour, eye colour, height, weight, etc., to things like unique markings like birthmarks and tattoos, and his private contact details.
Ebuka memorized the number before handing the device back to Xandra.
“That’s a lot of detail in there,” he said. The same level of detail must have been provided about him when Nweke took out a hit. He balled his hands into fists.
She shrugged. “This is a professional business. The client won’t be happy if you kill the wrong person. And you don’t get paid.”
“Is this all about the money for you? Is that why you do the job?” He had to know what she was about.
Money was good. Nothing wrong with making a living. However, there were more important things.
A shadow passed across her eyes briefly. “The money helps me stay alive in a dangerous world. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the island or secure so many safe houses. This is what I’m good at. It’s what I trained for. It’s in my blood as much as running a ranch was in your blood.”
She tossed the device on the bed and walked into the bathroom, signalling the end of the conversation.
He wanted to go after her. But he was jittery enough about memorizing Duke’s number and what he would have to do at the earliest chance. He let it drop for now. He had
his hands full and didn’t want to risk Xandra finding out what he had in mind.
He slept a little better that night. The next day, he left the room early under the guise of going to buy some things he needed for the trip to the ranch. Xandra had given him a money card with his name on it.
He took a cab to the shopping district. He bought a new phone and dialled Duke’s number. As expected, he didn’t know who Ebuka was when he answered the call. But to his credit, Duke agreed to meet when Ebuka mentioned his father’s name. They arranged where to meet and hung up.
While waiting, Ebuka bought a backpack and gifts for Ginika and Mama, so he would have something to show Xandra when he returned to the room.
His stomach knotted for deceiving Xan like this, but there was no other choice. From the shopping mall, he took a cab to the location of the meet. It was in the heart of the old town where the streets were narrow and cobbled, and the houses had white walls and red roofs.
When he walked into the tea shop, there were a group of teenagers sitting at one corner, chatting and laughing. He walked over to the other end and took a seat near the window so he could see the street and know when Duke arrived.
A black SUV pulled up in front of the building, and three men got out. Two of them were in suits. The third in jeans and a t-shirt. He recognized Duke from the online photos of him. He was a striking man and had an aura of power around him. Yet he was congenial as he spoke to a bunch of kids whose soccer ball had landed near the car.
Then he opened the door to the tea shop.
Ebuka stood and walked to the back to sit in a more private booth. He watched the man approach who dressed like a businessman. He wasn’t fooled by the man’s appearance.
Duke was a dangerous man.
"Mr Njoku," he said, standing by the table.
"Ebuka. My name is Ebuka,” he replied. Tension rolled off him as he didn’t know what to expect from the man.
Duke settled in the seat opposite. The pose exuded relaxation, but his eyes were vigilant.
The waitress dressed in a white t-shirt with the café logo and black skirt came around. She was probably in her late thirties. She had brown hair with highlights and little makeup on her face, and she took our order.