by Kiru Taye
Ebuka checked the corner, signalled and they proceeded towards the house. There were no lights inside, but spotlights lit up part of the outside.
Footsteps made him stiffen, and he held Xandra, flattened to the wall. He listened, counting down as the guard came close. Then Ebuka grabbed his arm and twisted him into a headlock, arm around his throat. Xandra hit him in the head, and he went limp. Ebuka dragged him to a corner where he wouldn’t be spotted so easily. Xandra grabbed his gun.
They jogged through the back garden past the swimming pool.
A second guard appeared. He froze, his expression dazed.
Xandra fired two rounds into him before he could move. The man went down, and an alarm blared.
“Shit. We’ve been made.”
There was no point for stealth. Ebuka aimed the gun at the sliding door glass until it shattered. The rat-tat-tat of gunshots had them diving for cover behind the pool house.
“I’m going inside,” Ebuka said, firing at a shooter who was on a balcony.
“I’ll cover you,” Xandra replied.
Ebuka turned, pressed lips to hers quickly. “Stay alive.”
Xandra sighed. “You too, Boss.”
Ebuka ran full pelt toward the door, while Xandra blasted shots at the balcony giving the shooter no time to respond. He crashed through the door just as the person at the top hit the ground.
Xandra joined him. “Got him.”
That meant all the guards were dead. Only Ralph was left in the house.
They scoped out the downstairs living area before going up the stairs, Ebuka leading the way.
The house was quiet.
As they approached one of the rooms, gunshots exploded through the wooded slab sending splinters flying. They shielded and then fired together before Ebuka kicked the door in.
They stormed the room.
“Don’t shoot!” Nweke crouched behind the bed, clutching his arm, his gun tossed on the floor.
A woman lay huddled in the corner, sniffling, head bowed.
“You. Get up,” Ebuka said.
He didn’t want to hurt an innocent. His beef was with Ralph.
Wide-eyed, she lifted her head. In the dim light, he recognized her. His insides went cold, and his muscles tensed.
“Sabina,” he said in an icy tone.
Somehow he wasn’t surprised she was here. A few years ago, he had discovered that the two had betrayed him right from when they were at uni. Ralph had been envious of Ebuka’s relationship with Sabina. And Sabina had dollar signs in her eyes, wanting things Ebuka couldn’t give her and Ralph could.
Her eyes bulged, mouth dropping open.
“Ebuka?” Her voice shook, and she wrapped arms across her middle.
“Ebuka, is that you?” Ralph asked, scrutinizing him.
Of course, they couldn’t see his face. But his voice wasn’t so easily covered. He pulled the hood down and took the mask off.
“Oh, God!” Sabina cried, shrinking back.
“It’s not true.” Ralph shook his head.
“Oh, it’s absolutely true. I came back from the dead. You thought you could kill me.”
“Look, it was just a misunderstanding. We’re friends, right.” Ralph raised his arms.
“Friends? You fuck my wife and then send assassins to kill me. I don’t need friends like you.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Tell me what it was like.”
“Sabina and I was just that one time back at uni. And the other thing was business. Himba wanted the land, and you refused to play ball. We could have both made a lot of money from that deal. But you have to be so fucking principled and idealistic. Wake up, man! The two of us could rule this state just like we used to rule in school days. We can still square the deal.”
“You know your problem? You have always coveted what other people have. More specifically, me. You wanted my position as frat leader, and I gave it to you. You wanted my wife, and you got her. But my land? I will not give an inch of it to you or anyone else.”
“You see what I mean? This is your fucking problem. You’ve already lost that land just like you lost everything else.”
“Half of that land belongs to me, and you know I was going to get it with the divorce,” Sabina shouted.
“That’s where you’re both wrong.” Ebuka lifted his gun and fired two shots into Ralph’s chest. “I told you I would kill you if you hurt any member of my family.
“Are you mad?” Sabina screeched, scrambling for the gun on the floor. “You’re not going to get away with this!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Xandra aimed her weapon.
Suppressed shots hit Sabina between the eyes. She slumped to the carpet.
Ebuka glanced at Xandra.
She shrugged. “She was giving me a headache.”
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Ebuka said, puffing out a breath.
Somehow, he didn’t exactly feel better, even though he’d had his revenge.
Ralph and Sabina had been a part of his life for so long. It was hard to break the connection in this manner.
But he was relieved his family would be safe. That was more important to him than anything else. He’d promised his father he would keep them secure. A promise he would never break.
Now he had to go home and see them.
When they got back into the car and headed down the hill, the eastern horizon had a hint of dawn’s grey.
TWENTY-SIX
THE DRIVE to the ranch was quiet. Njoku farms was a little over an hour from the city. Yet it seemed like ten hours.
Xandra’s gut churned, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened. It was unlike her to feel any anxiety or fear. She glanced at Ebuka whose gaze was fixed out of the window.
He hadn’t said anything since they left Nweke’s house. His expression was pensive, brows pulled in. Occasionally he would tap his left index finger on his bottom lip.
Was he reflecting on what they had done earlier? Did he regret killing his former best friend and wife?
As far as Xandra was concerned, those two deserved what they got after what they had done to Ebuka. And once he had shot Nweke, she had to shoot Sabina.
For one thing, they couldn’t leave her as a witness. And Xandra didn’t want Ebuka to live with the guilt of shooting his scheming bitch of a wife.
Ebuka wasn’t used to killing people, nor was he cold-hearted. He cared about others too much.
So Xandra had done it for him. Her gift to him. Now she had to get him home to his family.
Then, she would go to Jokogi and face the double trouble that was coming on his behalf. Because there was no doubt about it.
Once news of Nweke’s death got out and coupled with Xandra not killing Duke Odili, Himba would be out for blood.
Xandra had to go and face her sponsor and keep Ebuka out of the line of fire. It was better that way.
Ebuka wouldn’t want someone like her in his life permanently. He was too good a person.
She would only bring more trouble to his doorstep.
Sitting with him in the truck, knowing what lay ahead, proved more difficult than she’d realized. Throat sore, her chest ached, and her body went cold. This feeling, this sadness, was alien. Strange. Something she had never encountered before.
Was this grief?
How could she be grieving when the man sat next to her in the car?
Yet, it felt like he was already lost to her. As if this journey to the ranch was just the final step to their separation.
She had dealt with physical hurt before. But this emotional pain was almost debilitating. What was wrong with her?
She was Xandra. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. Anyone she couldn’t leave.
She just had to concentrate on getting Ebuka home. Period. She kept her gaze out of the windscreen.
The landscape provided an occasional escape from the gloomy thoughts. The scenery was breath-taking where the highway cut through thick emerald v
egetation and swerved around the edge of the mountain roads.
Until she met Ebuka, she hadn’t paid much attention to the scenery except for how it aided her work. Now she appreciated these things because they were simply there.
“Do you think I should call the ranch?” Ebuka asked.
The tension in her shoulders loosened on hearing his voice for the first time in an hour.
Damn. She was going to miss the quiet huskiness, the sexiness of his voice.
She glanced at him. “No. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Remember they don’t know where you’ve been for months. It’s just a few more minutes, and you’ll see them.”
From the landmarks, they weren’t far.
“Yeah. You’re right. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about all the questions they’ll ask, and I’m not sure I can answer them all.”
“I know. It will be tough and a big shock for them to see you after all this time. But let’s just take it one step at a time. They’ll be pleased to see you alive and well.” Considering he was supposed to be dead; his family’s relief would be palpable.
“Yes, they’ll be pleased.”
At the archway announcing Njoku Ranch and Farms, she got off the highway onto the dusty road leading to the house. The tension in her body tightened. Ebuka would feel a double whammy of excitement and apprehension at what would happen once they arrived.
She was thrilled about seeing Ginika and the place again. She also had knots in her gut about what would come after the euphoria of the reunion had died down.
The stones on the road made the truck bounce as they approached the house. The place didn’t look any different. The stone-wall house, the barns and paddock with the horses.
Ebuka watched everything as if taking in the details and checking for anything out of place.
A young woman in jeans and t-shirt stepped onto the stone porch of the house as the car rolled onto the gravel and stopped.
“Ginika,” Ebuka whispered as he opened the door before she killed the engine and counted a few heartbeats before stepping out.
Ginika tilted her head to the side as she watched Ebuka approach. She looked at him as if he was a stranger. Granted, Ebuka had changed. His head had been shaved and only started growing back since he’d been with Xandra. His hooded top and leather boots were more appropriate for a biker than a ranch owner.
At the bottom of the stairs, he shoved the hood down and said, “Gigi, it’s me.”
“Ebuka?” she said in a low voice, a frown on her face.
He nodded. “It’s me.”
“Ebuka!” she screamed and leapt across the porch and down the stair, jumping into his arms.
“Is this really you?” she said as she pulled back to look at his face and then hugged him again. “Mama! Mama!”
Ebuka carried her up the steps. An older woman in a green dress and black headwrap came out of the house.
“What’s going on?” the woman asked.
“Mama, it’s me, Ebuka,” he said as he put Ginika down.
The woman stepped back as if she’d seen an apparition. “Ebuka, nwa m?”
“Yes, Mama.”
Tears flooded her eyes as she stood rigid for a few seconds then took a step towards him. “Oh, God. You’re alive.”
“Yes.”
She clutched her arms around him so tight and wept. “We thought you were dead.”
All three of them hugged.
Taking the bags out of the boot, Xandra stood on the gravel, watching them. The display of emotion and affection was more than she had ever witnessed. An inexplicable weird sensation passed through her.
On the one hand, she was pleased to see them reunited. On the other hand, she had to be prepared to let Ebuka go. These people needed him more than she did.
His mother stepped back, wiping her face. “Where have you been all this time?”
“Let’s go inside, and I’ll explain everything,” Ebuka replied.
The women nodded, and his mother held onto his hand as if he would disappear if she didn’t.
“Who’s this?” Mama asked.
Ebuka turned. “This is Xandra. She helped to bring me home.”
Her chest constricted and she puffed out a relieved breath. She had been worried about how he would introduce her to his family. He had chosen to paint her in a good light.
“I know you, don’t I?” Ginika asked, her face furrowed in a frown.
“Yes, we met months ago when I came to work here.” Xandra had worn long hair and makeup to disguise her face. But it seemed the woman had an eye for details.
“OMG! Allie.” Ginika hugged her tight. “I thought I’d never see you again. Come in out of the sun.”
Xandra followed them into the cool house. Seeing the cream walls and antique furniture held such familiarity almost like home. She left the bags in the hallway before entering the living room.
Ebuka was already sitting down next to his mother on a sofa. Xandra sat on the adjacent one by Ginika.
Mrs Njoku insisted Ebuka explain what had happened and he told them about what happened after they dropped Ginika to the airport, the night the assassins came to the house. He’d been shot in the process. He spoke about losing his memory, waking up in a strange place with men watching over him. He didn’t go into details.
They listened, cried, hugged him and cried some more.
When everyone seemed less emotional, Ebuka asked about the ranch while Ginika served drinks and finger food.
Seeing Ebuka and his family happy again, Xandra decided it was time to put her plans into action.
“I’m going to head back into town now,” she said and stood.
They all turned, and Ebuka met her gaze. He looked shocked. “You’re going?”
“Yes, I’ll stay in a hotel in town.”
“No, you can’t.” He stood.
She raised a brow. “I don’t want to intrude in your family time. You have a lot to catch up on.”
She was a fool to think she could ever share in what they had. It was too good, too wholesome. She didn’t want to taint it with her life. With blood.
“Nonsense.” He gripped her hand. “You’re staying here with us. You’re not intruding. This is my home. Ginika and Mama don’t mind having you here.”
“No, we don’t,” Ginika chipped in. “Come on. I’ll show you to your old room.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Xandra followed her up the stairs and to the light and airy room she’d stayed in the first time she came to the ranch.
“Thanks again for letting me stay,” she said, dumping the bag beside the bed.
“No. We owe you a lot of thanks for bringing back Ebuka to us. You don’t know what you’ve done for us. We are totally in your debt. Thank you.” There were tears in Ginika’s eyes as she hugged Xandra.
A lump lodged in Xandra’s throat and her chest constricted. Then Gigi stepped back.
“I’ll leave you to settle in,” she said with a smile before walking out of the room.
Xandra realized that the best thing she had ever done was keeping Ebuka alive and bringing him home to his family. She had done it for him. For Ginika. For his family.
And she was going to eliminate the threat to his family, permanently.
TWENTY-SEVEN
THAT NIGHT, Xandra packed her things, and then she wrote a note explaining where she’d gone and the reasons for what she was about to do.
She waited until she was sure everyone was asleep before pocketing the syringe with a dose of sedative and the letter, then walking across to Ebuka’s room and knocking gently.
She heard footsteps before the door handle twisted and the wooden slab swung inwards.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned in the dim light from his nightstand.
“Yeah. Can I come in and speak to you?”
“Sure.” He stepped aside.
She strode in, and he shut the door. Turning around, she stepped up to him until he leaned aga
inst the door, a slow grin spreading across his face.
She leaned in and kissed him slowly, brushing her lips against his. Aside from a soft gasp, he didn’t take over. Just let her taste him the way she wanted. With her tongue, she traced the edges of his firm lips, enjoying the contours, inhaling his clean scent. It seemed he’d been in the shower recently.
She pressed against him, chest-to-chest, hips-to-hips, grinding gently. She moaned as she did, body getting inflamed. Her tongue probed his mouth, and he opened for her. She delved in, tasting fresh mint and man.
Groaning, one of his hands landed on her hip while the other fisted the hair at her nape and tugged.
“God, Xan. I don’t think I can wait any longer to be inside you.”
His words reminded her of what she needed to do, and she closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, she met his gaze, schooling her expression.
“I’m sorry, Ebuka. I came to say goodbye.”
“What?” His hand slackened in her hair, and she missed his grip.
Hand in her pocket, she unclipped the cap on the syringe and lifted it behind Ebuka. “I shouldn’t be here.”
He didn’t see the syringe until it was too late, as she plunged it into the junction of his neck and shoulder. His eyes went wide for a couple of seconds before his lids closed, and his body sagged against hers.
She carried him across to the bed and laid him out on his stomach. She arranged the items from the leather kit pouch she needed on the bedside unit. Then she cut through his t-shirt with a knife so she could see the caramel skin covering his vertebrae. She pressed on the ridges until she found what she needed.
With a scalpel, she cut a small incision into his skin. Blood welled up as she pulled out the little tracking chip embedded in his dermis. She cleaned out the cut, stitched it up and dressed it to allow it to start healing before he woke up. She stretched him out properly in bed and covered him up with the sheet. Then she packed up everything she’d used and tidied up.
Finally, she sat at the edge of the bed and pulled out the letter, placing it on the bedside table, using the base of the lamp to hold it in place so that it didn’t get knocked over and missed.