Hard Man

47c

"I'll accept you today, but the day I don't, I will kill you."
    — MG Damola

"I want to serve you, sir. That's all I want."
    — Just guess. (You're not reading this book if you don't know)

"I know I haven't been the best man to you, but please, I'm just learning how to be fairly decent."
    — The General

Everything was fine now.

Life was starting to look up after a stressful couple of months. The Boss, Dudu, and Ify had all been locked up in a military facility miles away, and the MG had returned to the other house to catch some sleep because he was leaving Abuja tomorrow for Lagos.

Mohammed walked into the house, mentally preparing a convincing speech for the General because he needed permission today to leave with the MG tomorrow. There was nothing in the way. The General and Chioma must have made up, especially after she sweetly defended him against her evil mother.

He hurried up the stairs, running into Dele in the hallway, standing in front of his room. Dele paused, nodded at Mohammed, and disappeared into the room without a word.

Mohammed continued on his way to the General's office and knocked. On his second knock, he realized no one was in there. He pushed the door open to confirm this, and truly, no one was in there.

Frowning, he headed to Miss Des's room. The door was slightly ajar, and he peeked in to see the room empty, with no trace of Miss Des. Wait...what was happening?

He returned downstairs and met Adeiza in the kitchen.

"Good evening, sir," Adeiza greeted.

"Good evening. Have you seen Miss Des? And the General?"

"I haven't seen the General, but Miss Des came in alone a few hours ago. She left the house shortly after with all her stuff packed in different luggage."

Mohammed's heart rate slowed. Oh no!

"She didn't tell you where she was going? You didn't ask?"

"She hates me now for some reason," Adeiza answered sadly. "She told me not to come close to her."

Mohammed ran a hand down his face and drifted toward the living room, wondering what could have gone wrong. The General and Miss Des left the holding facility together; how did she end up home alone? And where did she go?

The General returned to the house later that night, his eyes bloodshot. Mohammed dared not ask him questions, even though he was dying to know what happened. He rushed to his feet as the General walked through the front door and watched quietly as the man jogged up the stairs and disappeared.

When he was gone, Mohammed fell back onto the couch with a tiny groan. Except he was willing to steal his way into MG Damola's luggage tomorrow, he was not going on a vacation.

***

Des stood in front of her house, her luggage at her feet.

When she left the General's house a few hours ago, she didn't know where she was going or what she wanted to do with herself. She planned to return to the apartment she shared with Ify to spend the night and figure her way out in the morning until she remembered the lock was destroyed. Somewhere along the line, she decided to return home to Kogi.

The thought scared her, but there were so many questions in her head, and she needed closure —deserved it, even. So she took a bus home, and now she was here.

Whenever she came home to visit and went out with her mom and Mrs. Funsho, they always kept the key underneath the "Welcome Home" rug at the front door, so Des reached for it. If it weren't there, she would probably have to find a hotel for the night. It was past ten p.m., and she was too exhausted to bother about anything.