Hard Man

44d

"Does that look like a woman that forgets things? Baba, that woman flew out of a one-story window."
    — MG Damola

"You don't matter here, Damola."
    — General Babalola

"Strip him off his trousers."
    — Mohammed

President Anini suddenly sat up, suspicion gnawing in his chest. He rolled down the window and searched through the darkness, but there was no sign of movement where Ali went to pee. He couldn't specify how long Ali was gone, but it's been too long for urination. Except he was up to something else.

He reached for his phone and dialed Ahmad, the head of security in the vehicle behind him. Ahmadu picked up immediately.

"Sir."

"Did you see that boy that went to pee in the bush?"

"Yes."

"Go and get him," Anini said. "I don't care if he's in the middle of a pee. He will finish it at the villa."

"Yes, sir!"

He hung up the call and directed his gaze back to the bushes, the suspicion growing into an awareness that Ali was gone. Behind him, one of the jeeps opened, and four soldiers, including Ahmadu, alighted and went toward the bush. They disappeared behind the shrubs, and President Anini waited and waited and waited.

After five minutes that excruciatingly felt like a lifetime, Ahmad reappeared. Alone. President Anini began to shudder angrily as he peeked out the window.

"Where is he?"

"We didn't find him," Ahamdu said. "I've sent my men in search of him. They'll comb the area."

"Shit!" President Anini slammed his hand against the window, and the pain seared through him immediately. Ahmadu retreated as President Anini fumbled with his phone again. This time, the Boss picked up.

"Mr. President," she laughed. "Have you confirmed with your doctor?"

"The bastard boy escaped," he growled.

"What? Ali escaped?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yes!"

"How? He was with you! You had security and a convoy! How did he escape?" The Boss asked and Anini hated how she was right. Ideally, he shouldn't hold the boss guilty for this, but nothing was ideal in this situation, and he wasn't taking accountability for it.

"Find him!" He snapped.

"What?" The boss spluttered. "How am I supposed to do that? I don't even know where he—"

"Don't forget that you're in my safehouse, surrounded by my men. I swear to God, if you don't find me another kidney by tomorrow, I'll have my men in that house shoot you dead. You know very well that no one would miss you!"

He hung up the phone and cursed again as he peeked into the darkness. For some reason, finding a kidney for Mallam Dauda seemed like an impossible deal. There must be a spirit that wanted Mallam Dauda dead because this was so strange.

President Anini hoped his men found Ali because right now, he was running out of patience. The cabal had let him know that his life was on the line, and he was afraid of what could happen if he didn't find a matching kidney in the next few days.

***

Ali wasn't far away.

He knew that when the President noticed he was gone, he would send his men out to search for him. The men would think he had run away, so they would go looking. No one would think he would be foolish to stay so close, but that was precisely where he was.