26 Arundinlogbon

The day was here. After almost two weeks of vigorous and obsessive planning, and about three winks of sleep, it was all ending tonight. Three days before, all the evidence had been compiled and sent to the investigative agencies of every country heavily involved in X's trade- which was almost every single country except Greenland. Of course it's not like we trusted even one of them considering we had evidence that more than eighty percent of them had already been given information about the crimes going on in some capacity. Thus, all the evidence was also prepped to be leaked to the public through social media and numerous media outlets as well. We gave governments twenty-four hours to start responding to the crisis and discovered nothing but cover-ups - just as we predicted. We gave media outlets the okay to release everything, including new proof the cover ups, just for the satisfaction of showing how truly fucked up certain governments were. Finally, action was forced by the outcry of the public. However, again, just as we predicted, Ximenes was tipped off to the hell coming his way and began desperately covering his tracks. He went on the run as his homes,offices, and affiliates all over the world were raided. Of course in the midst of all this, he realized I had been gone for more than two weeks. Just as I told Ade, with everything in X's life spiraling, I was the one thing he could control. And even I was gone. He was spiraling, in his mind I was what could bring him back to earth. Something he still had power over. In my mind, I knew I would be his undoing. I knew the second we started planning, I knew that Ximenes could do what all wealthy people do when caught engaging in major crimes. Try to flee and get away with it, or 'die' in prison almost immediately. 'Dying' is synonymous with faking his own death to escape to a private island and live out the rest of his worthless days in luxury. Along with him, the thousands of people involved in his business would get away with it all. I would never sleep at night knowing they were out there. I could never be content knowing he didn't pay for what he did. The trap had been set. He was coming for me. It was just a matter of waiting him out. Currently I was waiting him out in Nigeria, a place where I knew he was unafraid of coming to find me since he could easily bribe law enforcement if need be. So could I. So far it had been eerily comforting. Ade and I lived as though we were on vacation but at every second I knew what was coming. At every second a gun was strapped to my thigh and a nearly microscopic camera was somewhere on my person. My hair was back the way I liked it and long dark purple and black braids stretched across my back to below my waist. Before, I was never allowed to get color in my hair, but at that time I had taken full advantage of my newfound freedom, and thank God I did. I didn't know just how quickly it would end. I didn't know anything. I was happy. Ade and I flew to Lagos and spent our days there between Elegushi and Tarkwa bay beach, Ikeja city mall, clubs, restaurants, and a huge beach house. One day, after three days in Lagos, we decided to stay in. I was tired of constantly being on alert. We were living in a house that was supposed to be impenetrable. No one except the private security we hired under different names was supposed to know anyone was here. Finally. I could relax. My body was swallowed in huge baggy sweats and a t-shirt that almost reached my knees. After craving something chocolaty and complaining since before we landed in Lagos, Ade finally bought me the ingredients for a chocolate cake. We laughed and talked as we mixed ingredients. Everything in those couple days felt euphoric. Three days of laughter, of happiness. Three days of being able to do and say what I wanted. For one second, I had no responsibilities, no stress, no obligations. I was free, and more than just being free from Ximenes, I was freer than I'd ever been before. I was so genuinely happy, I should've known there'd be a cost. But I didn't, I so desperately wanted everything to stay like this forever. I wiped tears out of my eyes from laughing so hard and shoved Ade out of the way so I could put the cake in the oven. I have no doubt that if it wasn't already hot he would've tried to push me in the oven too. As I turned away from the oven I saw him snatch the bowl covered in chocolate batter before I could lick it.

"First of all, you shouldn't eat raw batter - it can make you sick. Second of all, I want some." I took the bowl from him and sat myself on the couch in the living room.

"Nki I don't have the energy to go over there and deal with your dumb ass."

"That's disrespectful."

"Bring the bowl and I'll apologize"

"Nah you say what you want I'll enjoy my chocolate batter."

"Ayo you're finishing it what the fuck?" Ade finally got up and tried to snatch the bowl from me and I raised it above my head. As he grabbed onto it I let go to tickle him and he fell to the floor laughing, pulling me with him.

"Didn't you say you weren't ticklish?"

"I'm not, you have fingers like wires and I'm in pain."

"Why are you laughing then?"

"Because you're a fool and fools are funny."

"I hate you."

"You love me. And I love you. No matter what. Always." his voice turned from joking to serious in the blink of an eye and he pulled me into a hug. I really do wonder now if something told him what was going to happen.

"I love you too. Even if I lowkey don't want to. You're my best friend now, and you always will be. " I dapped him up as usual, but this time he didn't let go of my hand.

"I need to go check my updates on X." As soon as he uttered those words, my happiness faded away. This was the real world, and I was bait for a psychopath.

"I'm gonna go take a bath." I responded and he nodded. I didn't need to explain to him why I was taking a bath after having already showered earlier today, he knew I was calmest there. When the rest of the world melted away and I could finally be left with myself and my thoughts, things just clicked. As I sunk into the scorching water a couple minutes later, my thoughts surrounded me. Eventually I began thinking about how things seemed off today. How the security supposed to be circling my house seemed to have changed the time increments in which they checked on us today. I thought about how the bodyguards looked at me differently today. I thought about how for the past couple of days I was so lost in bliss that I had done exactly what Ade told me not to do. I had ignored my instincts. Lastly, I thought about Ade downstairs alone. I screamed his name frantically and rose out of the water instantly, grabbing my towel, when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. As usual, something clicked for me during my bath, but instead of an idea, it was a gun at my head. My stomach dropped to the floor and I looked up to see my worst nightmare in human form.

"Hello Nani." he smiled.

"Ximenes." I sighed, "What a fucking surprise."