Securing The Bag (The Lagos Hustle)

Dealing with the Devil

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JESSY

At first I couldn't be certain how many men were in the van with us. They sat across us and on the left and right sides too, blinding us with the bright flashlight beams in our faces. After squinting as much as I could, I deduced they were six in number in the van with us. Two across and two on the left and right sides.
They didn't say anything or seem interested in us, apart from blinding us of course.

Fuoyo finally gave a sigh...."can you guys please turn it off...we didn't even do anything neither do we know you, yet you just-"

He gave a sudden grunt and fell quiet. I guessed Kanaku had elbowed him in the ribs.

The drive back to the Town and Merina hotel seemed shorter than our Lorry ride that morning. I remembered the livestock we had been forced to abandon when the gunmen showed up.

By the time the van screeched to a hault in front of the hotel, it was totally dark. yet there was still movement and well lit houses, street lights and late night stores yet to close for the night.

The street had mashai kiosks scattered on both sides, with few customers munching on their indomie and egg so it wasn't lonely or secluded yet what surprised me was that the men hopped out of the van, still armed in their ski masks and automatic rifles as though they were wearing police uniforms and didn't infact look like criminals. In the few seconds before the two hefty hands gripped my arm and all but dragged  me into the hotel, I managed to glance in both directions and nobody even paid attention, looked our way or batted an eyebrow.

The receptionist lady looked at us with expressionless eyes then she nodded at one of the man who gripped my arm and they headed for the staircase.  Fuoyo was behind me and hefted in  similar positon, only at the curve of the stairs that I crained my neck and saw the two men with Kanaku didn't hold him, they probably couldn't even lift him. Instead they each left a hand on his shoulder and prodded him from behind, with their guns pressed into his back.

Finally at the last floor, one of the goons released my arm and rapped his knuckles on the door.
The scariest and tallest man I had ever seen in my life opened the door and glared at me before staring behind at Kanaku and Fuoyo and stepping aside.

I couldn't move for a second, paralyzed with fear. If I once thought Kanaku had a rough, inimidating and mean rugged face and demeanor...next to this doorman he was like tejubaby face. The man had a nasty scar from his forehead, across his right eye, which meant he had just one functioning eye, which looked capable enough to see judging from how big the pupils and eyeballs were. He had a couple more scars from his neck down which thankfully disappeared under the collar of his shirt.
The gunman still holding on to my arm pushed me through the open door impatiently and I almost fell on my face.

Fuoyo and Kanaku were also shoved in and the door slammed behind them. I swirled around as I regained my balance and was shocked to see none of the gunmen had entered with us. It was Mr Scar who had shut the door. He crossed his arms across his big chest and stared at me with no expression but I had a feeling he was waiting for one of us to try something stupid.

He didn't hold my attention for long, cause right across the room, sitting on a chair with his legs stretched on the table and crossed at his ankles was the man from the video call.
The main man. Mr D's boss?

He rubbed his hands together and got up from the table and even gave a half bow. "I'm terribly sorry if my boys rough handled you...they get carried away at times cause of the passion they have for me"

"Who are you?" Kanaku barked.

Immediately, the one eyed beast took a threatening step forward but the pale elegant hand shot up, halting his progress.

He looked at me and smiled coldly, "I'm the man your boyfriend stole from..." Then flashed the same smile to Fuoyo and Kanaku, "I'm the one who can destroy everything you hold dear in a second, Í'm the one who has been on a divine quest for decades to have what belonged to me"

"what are you talking about?" Fuoyo asked 

"That's it...no more questions except the one I ask. First where's my diary?"

"The diary of the general Gerald?"

"Southern Governor if you will...It belonged to my grandfather...and passed down to me Gerald the III in a last minute will which he cut off my weakling of a father and willed his entire estate to me as well as his secret and his right....his rightful place as a god amongst men and it is my destiny to reclaim his status....Brian was so smart and even though he didn't believe it existed he was the best person to track down the diary and decipher the map to find the bag, but he was greedy and foolish...foolish enough to think he could double-cross me. I've been after the satchel for years..you have no idea what I've done both centuries ago and in this present age to finally get close to reclaim what is mine....now where's the diary? unless we'll be having the video call once more with a gun to your sweet baby girls head"

Kanaku sprang up so violently and charged at the table...and I quickly shouted, "The diary is here....it's here....you can have it...it's in my bag"

"If you lay one finger on my daughter I promise you..." The scarred giant intercepted Kanaku just in time, grabbing him by the hand and both men grappled for a second before he successfully pinned Kanaku's hands behind his back.

The white man never even flinched, he chuckled, looking at me with reptile like eyes that felt like he was undressing me. I got the huge book from the backpack and approached his table and handed it to him.

He collected it  but surprisingly put it to the side. "Good..since you have the diary which would mean Brian fell straight into the trap and gave it to you...I'm counting you also know the missing link? The other locations the supposed sons would be buried presently?"

"how do you....you've read it?" Fuoyo asked

"of course dummies, who do you think made it possible for it to be found in the first place? Brian traveled to Edo and believes all of a sudden, a century old treasure book would fall in his hands...I needed him to figure out what my ancestor never found out and he did that like I knew because he really was the best but then planned to betray me like I also suspected and it's now clear you all worked hand in hand..."

"Look we don't know anything...just the names of 5 states, we planned to just checkout Nassarawa because that was the only documented location in the diary.." Fuoyo protested

"My men already scoured the location days ago, Nassarawa is out of the equation...now this is what you'll do if you want to see your family...you have one week to get me the satchel of Eziza or else...your sweet parents would receive another signed package from their in-law to be but it's going to be a bomb and not a mini-fridge this time around..." he stared into my eyes as he said this and I began to shiver.... "or your dear mother would receive a box containing the big heads of your brothers which is supposed to be memorizing computer science and sociology subjects for the second semester exams...she's already lost her husband, losing two more children might be too much for her." He looked at Fuoyo when he said this and he also cried out..."please I beg you don't-"

But he was already facing Kanaku. "And you, I don't need to tell you what awaits your family if you fail. Yours is worst, you have so much family members I really don't know which to face first...but your father might receive a favour and get a sweet release from the dementia killing his brain first...or your pregnant wife could encounter a premature C-section, So get wise and channel your anger to finding me my Satchel....I'm giving you my personal chopper...with two of my trackers...they're the best and most skillful, so you're going to work with them and if I receive a wrong complaint from them, no matter how small, then the deal is off and we'll all get to have another video call which would be very graphic"

We were all speechless until, he gave a flick of his wrist and his body guard began to shove us to the door one after the other.

"pardon my bad hospitality, I would have invited you for dinner especially since you look very hungry and tattered...but for your sake you must make use of the limited time." He called after us before the door was shut in our faces