13 Next day in Abuja. The sun was a blistering hammer over the Airport Road in Abuja. Inside the armoured black SUV, Ojo Salau sat in the backseat, his phone clutched in a meaty hand. He was still fuming over the “assignment” that had kept him from London. He had just come from a...
You Can Get Back at Them – 12
12 The clock on the wall of Osas’s flat ticked with the weight of a sledgehammer. It was 9:45 AM on Wednesday. Somewhere across the city, the wheels of a private jet were screaming against the Heathrow tarmac, delivering Mathew Okocha into London’s grey embrace. Osas paced the length of her small living room,...
You Can Get Back at Them – 11
11 Next, she called Salau. “Hello, sir.” she began with a low solemn tone. “I hate the way I left things the last time. I’m back in London and I just want you to know the truth.” “My baby, go on.” “I am very interested in your offer. But, but… I don’t know how...
You Can Get Back at Them – 10
10 The air in London was a crisp, biting contrast to the humid chaos of Lagos. Sitting in her small shared kitchen, clutching a mug of tea that had long gone cold, Osas looked at the mismatched tiles on the floor. Everything here was humble, slightly worn, and undeniably hers. The silence of the...
You Can Get Back at Them – 9
9 The morning sun filtered through the blinds in dusty, jagged slats, but Osas didn’t move to open them. She lay motionless, her eyes tracing a hairline crack in the ceiling. Her head throbbed with the dull, persistent ache of a night spent spirallingreplaying the “stepmother” joke, the sickening details of the “bet,” and...
You Can Get Back at Them – 8
8 The first stop was the office of the Commissioner for Justice. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and expensive cologne. When they walked in, the Commissioner stood up immediately, his face lighting up with a mixture of respect and wary submission. “Chief! You didn’t tell us you were bringing...
You Can Get Back at Them – 7
7 The balcony was a sanctuary of cool air and expensive shadows, but the moment the glass door slid shut, the atmosphere became claustrophobic. Mathew stood at the railing, looking out over the flickering lights of Port Harcourt like a king surveying a conquered territory. “Odion is a typical policeman,” Mathew began, his voice...
You Can Get Back at Them – 6
6 Osas sat on the edge of the hotel bed, the emerald dress discarded like a heavy skin she was glad to be rid of. The silence of the room was broken by the sharp vibration of her phone. It was Bayo. “I survived,” she said, her voice sounding older than it had that...
You Can Get Back at Them – 5
5 The hotel room was quiet, save for the muffled sound of her mother in the bathroom, humming a hymn as she steamed her dress for the next day’s dinner with Odion. The sound, once comforting, now felt like the ticking of a clock counting down to Osas’s total surrender. Osas sat on the...
You Can Get Back at Them – 4
4 The adrenaline that had sustained Osas through the phone call evaporated the moment the taxi door clicked shut. By the time she reached her hotel room, the world was tilting. She fumbled with the key card, her hands shaking so violently it took three tries to trigger the green light. Once inside, she...