Chasing Destiny

Chapter Thirteen III

Continuation.

Before she’d arrived, Sagir had expected that when he told her about the danger they were in, she’d fall into line the way his team and everyone else fell into line when he told them what was going to happen or what to do.

But that had been before she’d stepped off the the Hilux with his driver, before he’d gotten a glimpse of her Face and her stubborn determination.  he had a feeling that she wasn’t going to fall in line like he’d hoped she would
.
“I have to protect you, khad,” he said.

“It was in the threat letter I received in my office. Modibbo  wanted me to bring you to Lagos and protect you until I’ve managed to neutralize the threat.”

"I was in the middle of my job hunt, at a good hospital back there, it's important to me, do you understand why I can't stay here."?

Yup. He was right. There would be no falling into line.

“I don’t give a crap what you need to do. Modibbo and I knew  you were in danger and that you needed to be in Lagos where I could protect you.”

“I don’t think you get it, pharmacy is very important to me and......... __"

“Let me ask you something,” Sagir interrupted, trying to hold onto the threads of his fraying patience.

“What’s more important to you? Your life or  getting a job?”

She gave a short laugh. “No one is going to hurt me please Ya Sagir, look I can even stay at Modibbo s house... There are enough guards there you know. " yep, if that meant putting up with her grandmother daada danejo she would.. Khadijah thought.

“Yeah, with a bunch of corporals who’ve got nothing to do all day but walk around checking perimeters and shooting at rats.” He leaned back in the armchair “While here you’d be with an Army Captain soon to be a major whose last deployment was a couple of weeks ago in Maiduguri Damasak Village taking out stubborn boko haram terrorists”

Khadijas dark gaze didn’t waver. “I don’t care what your last deployment was. My Happiness and entire family is in kano , and that’s where I need to be.”

Stubborn woman. How could he have forgotten that? But Unfortunately for her, this was one time when her determination wasn’t going to win.

“But I am the Husband ,Khadijah .”
Sagir kept his tone calm. “and I get to decide where I want my Wife to stay.”

Another expression blazed across her face—shock or rage or hurt, or maybe a combination of all three, he couldn’t tell. Then she looked away, her jaw tight, her shoulders hunched, as if trying to keep all that emotion locked up tight inside her. “No, No” she repeated, as if saying it would make it so. "you can't do this to me please . I’ve been pouring my own blood, sweat, tears and everything into pharmacy for  five years, finished internship and NYSC.,She shot him a dark glance, graduated as the best student, how can all those years of studies be wasted?

“It doesn’t matter now, He tried to ease the tension in his posture. “What matters is that you’re in danger and that Kano is no longer safe for you in particular . Which means you’re staying in Lagos until this is over.”

Something in khadijas dark, bitter chocolate eyes flared. “And how long will that be? Weeks? Months? Years?.

“It won’t be goddamn years,” he snapped, not sure why he was letting her aggravate him quite  so much, only sure that she was very definitely aggravating him. “And if you think I like this any better than you do, then you can think again.”

A mutinous expression crossed her face. “I’m not staying here, Ya Sagir. I’m not. And you can’t make me.”

“So you don’t give a shit about your own life?”
She snorted. “Of course I give a shit. You just haven’t given me any compelling evidence that I’m better off here than I am at kano.. . And since you haven’t, I’ll be damned if I stay here any longer than I have to.”