Securing The Bag (The Lagos Hustle)

When It All Comes Crashing Down

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JECINCTA

By the time we got into the car, we were all soaking wet. The Fuoyo guy was being really nice to me and a part of my brain noticed his effort even though I couldn't acknowledge it.
He got into the back seat with me, rubbing his palms together and placing his warm hands on my cheeks. My teeth kept clattering together and I couldn't stop shuddering. The cold wasn't really from the rain, but the gruesome image of Mr. D. someone I had known and come to care for, slaughtered like an animal and left to die painfully and bleed to death. They had cut him up till all his blood drained from his body, Oh my God! I shuddered again.

"It's alright, it's alright, you're safe now, you're safe with us" Fuoyo assured me.

Kanaku scoffed from the driver's seat, "which us? that reminds me, can you get her address from her, let's drop her off.."

"what! we can't do that, they're searching for her too, you heard them back there" Fuoyo interjected

"So what, what's the next step now. You put us in this mess hope you're aware, I should break your toothpick legs for messing with me"

Theirs was seemingly a new partnership but they were obviously already used to exchanging words. I tuned their voices to the background as I thought of Mr. D who was no more. I had a lot of questions and no one to ask. Like: why was he killed? He didn't deserve to die like that, he wasn't a bad person...not the Mr. D I knew. Maybe he wasn't exactly a saint and he had obviously been involved in shady and illegal deals but he had been a decent person, one with empathy. And yet he'd met a painful end, such a horrible death. Who was this kenekelis that he had trusted enough to seek his help but had ended up sending hired killers to him? I tried to remember everything he had ever told me about his work or his boss but I really didn't know much and no matter how hard I concentrated, there was no epiphany. I was only certain Kenekelis wasn't his boss, maybe just a fellow colleague.

"Can you take me home?" I asked tiredly after a while. My throat was sore and my voice was barely audible.

"what's that?" Fuoyo asked

"I want to go home," I said louder

"hmmm....I would grant your request lady but Mr. Superman here says it's too dangerous, and to be honest, he's right, the smart move is for us to bunk down somewhere for the night"

"I don't think I can handle another hotel tonight" Fuoyo echoed my thoughts

"I know, and besides who has money to waste? I meant we should head to your house, the road is free and it shouldn't take that long"

"Okay that's better" Fuoyo agreed

I tried to insist they take me home but I really couldn't argue, I felt weak, and I was filled with a grief so deep it left me feeling empty like I had cried out a huge part of my soul and all I had left was a void which got me feeling drained. I rested my head on Fuoyo's shoulder, cold and tired and also glad that I had someone to lean on at this dark hour.

I dozed off, thinking of Mr. D and how I would never get to see him again or debate on the pros and cons of our relationship. He was gone, just like that he had ceased to exist in one night and when your whole world revolved around somebody if anything happened to the person, it was easy for your whole world to come crashing down.