by Kiru Taye
She caressed the skin on Ebuka’s cheek before pressing her mouth to it. She felt a pang of longing as she stood and walked out of his room. But she didn’t look back. She couldn’t. If she did, she might not leave.
She had to leave. Because trouble was coming from Himba and she didn’t want Ebuka tangled in it. She would take the heat for him.
Returning to the room, she took her bag and walked out of the house as quietly as possible. She tossed the bag onto the seat and climbed into her car. Then she started the engine and drove out of the ranch, hoping that no one woke up and went to investigate. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to wake Ebuka for a few hours. That would provide all the time she needed.
By the time the sun had risen, she was on the Jokogi region limits. Instead of feeling relief at the actions she’d taken, she felt restless.
Her chest felt hollow, and she was fatigued. Crushed under a weight. She needed penance.
She stopped the car at a petrol station and sent Osagie a message. He’d ended their arrangement, but he’d kept in touch, and hopefully, he would be open to renegotiating their terms.
Need to confess. Open to your terms.
She didn’t get a response until she was a few streets from her house. She stopped in front of her house and checked the message.
Tomorrow. 8 pm.
She typed a quick reply. Can’t wait. Urgent.
A response pinged back immediately. Today. 2 pm.
Exhaling in relief, she got out of the parked car and took her bag. She needed to grab somethings before heading for Lori Osa. No point parking the vehicle properly.
She typed another message. Thank you.
It wasn’t until she punched the code to unlock the front door that she realized something was wrong. The clicking sound she heard was different from the one to open the door.
Something was wrong.
She ran down the path just as the house lit up with a big ka-boom, the blast lifting and smashing her right onto the tarmac.
Slightly dazed, she managed to duck as a second explosion went off and fire blazed.
TWENTY-EIGHT
EBUKA WOKE to a nasty headache and pain in his body. For a moment, he thought he was back in the hell of the slave house until he opened his eyes to bright sunlight and recognized the room.
Why was he lying on his stomach? He didn’t usually sleep in this position. Had he been drinking last night? Nothing that required this level of a hangover.
He rolled over, and the pain in his back increased. He staggered off the bed, toward the mirror in the closet. Twisting to look, he saw the white surgical dressing taped to his back.
What the hell?
A wave of nausea rolled through him, and he returned to flop on the bed. After a few inhales and exhales, he felt better. He pushed off the bedside table, and his fingers brushed against the sheet of paper tucked under the lamp.
He recognized Xandra’s handwriting and picked it up to read.
Ebuka,
There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. By the time you wake up enough to read this, I will be on the way back to Jokogi.
I know you hate the fact that I’m a killer. But this is who I am. I can’t change it any more than I can change the fact that I have feelings for you.
Spending time with you and Ginika on the ranch showed me another side to life, and I have no regrets for that.
You and your family gave me so much in the time I spent with you, and the least I can do is to give you back your freedom.
You had a tracker chip in your back which was placed when you were with Madaki. I was going to use it for hunting you if you ever betrayed me.
But you don’t have to worry any more. I’ve removed the chip from you back, and you are free. You don’t have to return to Laroca. You don’t owe me anything.
You are free to be Ebuka Njoku, ranch owner again without fear from Nweke or Himba, now you’re under Odili’s protection.
Oh, and if anyone tries to paint Nweke as a nice person, there is a memory stick in the pill bottle stored in the pantry, which has evidence of his corruption. Use it as you see fit.
You are a good man, and you’re better off without me staining your life with all my kills. I won’t say goodbye because I know I’ll see you again. Perhaps on the other side.
Obele
For a few seconds after reading the letter, Ebuka couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
The memories rushed at him. He remembered everything. Remembered Allie. Allie was Xandra.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Ebuka,” his sister’s muffled voice came through the panel.
“Hang on.” Putting the paper down, he pulled on a shirt and a pair of jeans before walking across the room.
“Something terrible has happened. Ralph is dead,” she said. “When? How do you know?”
“It’s in the news on TV. He was assassinated along with Sabina, and his guards were killed too. They were both here only a few weeks ago.”
“That’s sad.” His mother had told him about Ralph’s visit. He’d offered money for the land. His mother had been considering taking the offer. Knowing the man had intended to rip his family off had alleviated Ebuka’s remorse for killing him.
“Yes. It’s terrible. Who could’ve done such a thing? I know Ralph was bad but...” She trailed off.
Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her. She’d had a crush on Nweke when they were younger. Ebuka hoped it was nothing more than a teenage crush. The man hadn’t been good for her.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked, pulling back.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a shock, that’s all. What about you?”
“Of course, I’m sad that they are both dead. I’m going to make a few phone calls,” he changed the subject so she wouldn’t see his guilt and headed towards the stairs.
“Okay. I’ll see if Xandra wants some breakfast.”
“Sorry. She left already. I’ll explain later.”
With an open mouth, she nodded. He had so much to explain. First, he had to make sure Xandra was okay.
The news would’ve reached Himba about Nweke’s death. Coupled with the fact that Duke was still alive, Himba might want to punish Xandra again.
Ebuka couldn’t let that happen.
In the office, he found his phone and dialled Duke’s number.
“Mr O,” he said when the man answered. “This is Ebuka. I need your help.”
“What do you need?”
“I need men for a rescue mission in Jokogi. Can you help?”
“It can be arranged. Someone will contact you for details shortly.” He hung up.
Ebuka paced the room as he waited, and two minutes later, Duke’s right-hand man Mason called, confirming he was on a secure line.
Ebuka explained the situation and Mason agreed to meet him in Jokogi tonight with some men.
As soon as Ebuka hung up, he made travel arrangements and explained to Mama and Ginika that he had to go and help Xandra. He didn’t explain the entire situation; that would have to wait until he got back. They were apprehensive, considering he had only just got home after six months.
A member of the Odili crew arrived in a car and drove him to Jokogi. True to his word, Mason was there to meet him at the designated point, along with Maddox and Bose.
They already had Xandra’s home address. He didn’t ask how they’d gotten it. When they arrived, the area was cordoned off with police tape, and the house was demolished, black char and rubble everywhere.
There were kids on bicycles standing across the street watching the house. Mason got out and strode to one of the boys. He returned a few minutes later.
“They say the owner of the house was outside when it exploded, and she had a fight with some men and got dragged into a van,” he said.
“Shit,” Ebuka blurted out, banging his hand against the back of the seat in front.
“She’s still alive. So that’s a good thing,” M
ason said. “If they’d wanted her dead, they would’ve killed her here.”
“That doesn’t reassure me,” Ebuka said as his heart pounded. “The last time they got their hands on her, she ended up being set ablaze.”
“Yes, we know. Norbert Gemade’s handiwork. Head downtown. I think I know where they might be holding her.”
Ebuka couldn’t sit still, and his hands shook as the car raced across the city. They arrived at a warehouse. As they pulled up to the side of a building, another vehicle pulled up on the other side.
Men got out with guns drawn just as Mason and his men came out with their weapons.
“Mason Maduka, you’re a long way from home,” a man in a dark suit said.
“I could say the same thing about you, Osagie Peters. I’m here on a retrieval mission. One of ours.”
“I’m here on business too. Doing a favour for a friend.”
“Xandra?”
“Yes. I had a meeting with her, but she never showed. I have intel that she’s being held here.”
Who was this man, and why did Xandra arrange to meet him? The best thing was to get her out and then ask her.
“We’re here to rescue her. You’re welcome to stay as back up,” Mason said before he pulled out a gun and handed it over to Ebuka. “Ready?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Stay low.” He led the way, and Ebuka followed directly into a narrow passage.
Fluorescent light bulbs flickered harshly. The stained walls had peeling brown-blue paint.
Soon, gunshots exploded around him. He fired a couple of rounds and hit a man who’d been standing next to a window. Eventually, they got into the upper level of the building.
Xandra fought with another man, hand-to-hand. Her shirt was torn with bloodstains, and she had a cut on her head.
Where else was she injured?
Ebuka took a step towards her. Mason held his arm, shaking his head.
The man fighting her was a bulky muscleman, probably mid to late 30s. He looked like he could crush the lean, smaller Xandra.
Yet Ebuka had never seen Xandra like this.
She was vicious, displaying ferocity he hadn’t witnessed this close. Her movements were graceful, whether she was kneeing the man in the groin, punching him with her elbow or grappling him as things crashed around them.
The man picked up a metal chair and swung it at Xandra's head.
Ebuka winced as Xan staggered back. Her opponent rushed at her, head down like a bull. Xan swivelled out of reach at the last moment, in a move that took Ebuka’s breath away.
She gripped the guy in a headlock and slammed him into the wall. The man grunted, went limp and fell with a thud to the hard concrete floor.
Xandra lurched.
Ebuka couldn’t hold back anymore. He hurried over and grabbed her in a hug.
“Ebuka?” She sounded shocked and leaned back.
“Yes. It’s me. You didn’t think you could leave like that. Did you think I wouldn’t come after you?”
“I...I...” She seemed lost for words. Probably the first time he’d seen her this way.
Ebuka pulled her back in a hug and whispered in her ear. “Obele, I own you.”
A gasp escaped her just as the man on the floor picked up a gun.
Ebuka pointed the one in his hand at him and emptied the rest of the magazine into him.
Xandra twisted, staring from the prone man to him with a raised brow. “You do realize you just shot Norbert Gemade, Himba’s enforcer?”
Was he supposed to feel afraid for stepping into a mob war? Nah. The only fire in his vein was rage that the Gemade guy had intended to hurt Xan. His Xan.
“No one threatens what’s mine and gets away with it. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He turned to find Mason and his men watching. The man he’d called Peters stood to one side.
“Osagie,” Xandra said. “I’m sorry I missed our appointment.”
“I can see something else came up,” Osagie replied with a smile. “And it looks like you don’t need me anyway.”
“I hope we can reschedule the appointment,” Xan said.
Osagie glanced at Ebuka before turning his gaze back to Xandra. “Of course. Send a message when you’re ready.”
He winked before turning and walking away.
“What appointment do you have with him?” Ebuka’s voice came out low and gruff as his gut hardened at the notion that there was more between Xan and Osagie than just business.
“I’ll explain later,” she replied.
They headed outside. Xandra limped as she held his hand, and just before they got into the car, she said, “My things. My house. It’s all gone.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of everything. You’re coming home with me.”
She beamed a huge smile, and for the first time in days, Ebuka knew everything would be alright.
TWENTY-NINE
“MY ADVICE is to get out of Jokogi immediately. There’s no telling what Himba will do with Gemade dead. This is his city. No place is safe for you,” Mason said in the car as they drove away from the warehouse.
The two men he’d arrived with were at the front of the seven-seater SUV, Mason in the middle row. Xan and Ebuka sat at the back.
“I know. I’m not planning on hanging around here,” Xan said. “I just have a stopover to pick up something, and then I’m—” she glanced at Ebuka “—we’re going to Lori Osa afterwards.”
Ebuka raised a brow but didn’t say anything.
“Oh? We’re headed to Lori Osa too. You’re welcome to ride with us.” Xan looked at Ebuka again, and he nodded.
“That’ll be good. Thank you,” she replied.
“No problem. So where do you have to stopover?”
“Take the next right,” Xan directed until the car pulled into the parking lot for a storage facility thirty minutes later.
Ebuka got out of the car with her. They strode across the darkened lot silently. Xan punched a code in the door to enter the unmanned entrance. Their footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor as the lights came on automatically. Then she stopped in front of a door, entered another code, and it popped open.
Next to a small table was a silver 4-wheel cabin case. She lifted it to the table and entered the code to open it. Inside were ID cards, passports and cash on top of clothes.
“Are those yours?” Ebuka asked. “I mean, I know they’re yours. Why do you have them in a storage facility?”
She ripped off the torn blood-stained shirt. “As well as safe houses, I have items in storage in different locations, in case I need to get away at short notice.”
Ebuka’s throat constricted, and he nodded as she pulled on a clean top.
This life she lived, having to be always on the alert and moving, couldn’t be easy.
He only had one home. The ranch. Most of his memories and belongings were there. He couldn’t imagine leaving a piece of himself anywhere else.
Then again, a piece of him lived in Xandra, and wherever she went, she’d carry that piece of him.
“You’re going to come and live at the ranch with Ginika and me and Mama. It is your home. Our home.”
She gasped and turned to stare at him with mouth open. She scrubbed a hand over her head, mussing up the hair. “You want me to come and live with you at the ranch? After everything? Are you sure?”
He stepped up, crowding her into the corner. “Of course, I’m sure. We belong together. You are mine. My obele.”
“I...” She scrubbed a hand over her face as if she struggled to form the words. This was a first. The Allie he’d met had been able to express herself freely.
“I remember you. I remember everything. I promised to take care of you.” He curled a hand around her neck, using his thumb to tilt her chin so he would look her in the eyes. “You feel something for me, don’t you? It’s the reason you saved my life. It’s the reason you put your life in danger for me.”
She stiffen
ed and tugged her head as if she wanted to wrench out of his grasp. Ebuka tightened his grip, refusing to let go.
“I don’t know what I feel for you. But whatever it is, can’t you see that it’s going to destroy you if we stay together? I’m an assassin. I kill people for a living—”
“Every man on your list is a dead man,” he cut her off, and her eyes narrowed. “But I’m alive and standing in front of you. You broke your rule for me. Not once. But twice.”
“Yes, and you feel gratitude.”
“Yes, I’m grateful that you didn’t fulfil the contract. What I feel for you is so much more than gratitude. I know that I want to go to bed with you beside me. That I never want to wake and find you gone again. Remember what you said to me months ago. You said you wanted a relationship. You and me living together. Fucking exclusively. You’re getting it. All of it.”
The corner of her lips turned up. “You’re serious.”
“You bet I am.”
“What about your family, your workers?”
He leaned forehead against her, stroking fingers on the smooth skin of her neck. “I told Mama and Ginika about us.”
She pulled back, eyes wide, the corners of her lips tugging up. “You did? What did you say?”
A matching slow smile built up in him and curved his mouth. “Yes, I did. I told them I loved you and I had to find you and bring you home.”
She blinked several times and sniffed. Her eyes misted over before she leaned in and kissed him.
The softness of her lips, the warmth of her body. He wanted to get lost in all of her. Instead, he tasted her briefly and pulled back, conscious of Mason and the rest of his team waiting for us.
“You’re something else,” Xan said.
“I could say the same about you,” he replied, stepping away.
“We need to get to Lori Osa,” she said as she tucked a gun into the holster and closed the case. “There’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?” Ebuka followed as she dragged the case out of the room and locked it.
“I need you to understand the person I am before we go back to the ranch. And the best way is to show you.”