‘’That was the worst sideline in the history of sidelines,’’ he said, looking at me with disapproval in his eyes. ‘’I could address it on your behalf, but that would make you even look weaker.’’My eyes burned with rage. ‘’Don’t think you get to speak to me in such manner, Aaron.’’He looked like he wanted to say something but decided otherwise. He pulled out a bullet proof vest and threw it over my head, centering the front panel. He tugged at the straps until they fit snugly around my body, then handed me a fatigue shirt which I threw over the vest.I looked at him. As usual, he had refused to take a vest. After this mission, Aaron was going to get a rebriefing from me, and an equal punishment for disobeying my orders. We stepped out and walked into the car where Lorenz was already seated. Aaron sat in front and I sat at the back beside him.He stretched a handgun towards me. I looked at it and refused to collect it.‘’What is this?’’ I snapped.‘’For your protection.’’
Lorenz stepped forward, his eyes scanning the room as the women tried to take cover. Some of the men checked the bathroom and the closet.‘’Where is Marcello?’’ Lorenz asked, pointing the gun at the women who quivered.I could see Rory glancing at the door repeatedly. I knew why she was scared. It was obvious the mission had failed already and it was time for us to leave if we wanted to make it out alive.One of the ladies let out a flurry of words we couldn’t understand. It sounded German. She pointed at the vent. Lorenz walked up to it and on examination, he could see that it was tampered.‘’Shit!’’ He paced around the room.‘’It is time to retreat,’’ I said. I could hear the sound of the security alarm blaring in the compound. Lorenz approached the vent and leaned down, fitting his head into the space.‘’He couldn’t have gone far,’’ he said.I looked at the door and gestured at Aaron to be beside me. ‘’Guard the door,’’ I said to the other men.Lorenz drew his head out
She fumbled with the lock. It seemed it required some arrangement of the tiles on the door to unlock it. She furrowed her brows in concentration, her fingers moving deftly and pressing the tiles in place. Suddenly, she turned to us and nodded.‘’Turn off the lights,’’ she whispered.We waited for a few minutes before she gave the signal. Cold air hit our faces as the door gave way with a loud creak that I thought was going to give our location. We ran, while one of the men stayed behind to cover our tracks. The gardens came into view as we took a turn around the mansion. Headlamps were on all over the compound, making it difficult for us to hide in the darkness of the night. I wondered if we should surrender. I knew they would never dare kill the Don’s daughter but it would send the wrong message and I knew how messages like that flew.Someone began to shoot at us from one of the post on the fence.‘’Fuck!’’ Lorenz cursed, ducking.‘’Were you hit?’’ Rory asked.There was
I sat silently in the car, my eyes scanning the road. It was just a little past 1am and the streets were scanty. It would not be hard to find me and put an end to my life long dream of becoming a mafia boss. I replayed every event of that night from meeting up with Lorenz at the car, and wondered where the mission had begun to fail. Why did that man on the corridor suddenly shoot at us? The security breach alarm had not even gone off. Lorenz was concentrating on the road but I could tell he was thinking about the mission too. My eyes caught a patch of wetness on the sleeve of his shirt that was too wide to be a sweat patch.‘’Lorenz,’’ I called gently, looking at the spot. ‘’What happened to your arm?’’He didn’t look at me or his arm. ‘’It was just a graze,’’ he said.‘’Oh my God,’’ I said. ‘’You shouldn’t be driving with that arm.’’He winced a little. ‘’It’s fine. I can manage, Rory.’’ He looked at me briefly before facing the road ahead. I nodded, but I was not convinced
The news of the failed mission was all over the mansion that night. I knew when Octavia arrived. I listened in on the exchange she had with Mikel and I was proud of her, but when I heard that Aaron had spent the news in the Icebox the following morning, I was devastated.I woke up that morning feeling the gloom around me, and all I could think of was how I could make Octavia feel better. I knew the failed coup would hurt her so much because it was the second failed mission out of two missions. She had been so hopeful that it would be the opportunity she needed to prove herself to the Don.I tapped gently on her door and called out her name. ‘’Octavia.’’There was no answer, and I could imagine that she would like to sleep in that morning. I was already turning away when I heard the door unlocking and it opened. She was standing in front of me in a pale pink nightwear and her hair was wrapped in a plastic cap.‘’Octavia,’’ I said and smiled at her.She didn’t smile. I stepped
‘’Yo, Zion! Your brother is here.’’I looked up from the computer screen in the direction of the the voice. It was Kael, the computer wizard who helped to fix anything that was spoiled from the computers to the electricals. His body was a work of art, and I always mentioned that to him. There was a tattoo on every inch of his skin. My favourite was the snake coiled around his right bicep. He was in rehab, a former junkie, and this work was one of the things that gave him the drive to move on.‘’I’m gon’ get married to the most beautiful woman in the world one day,’’ he’d regularly say, revealing a gap between his teeth. He had lost a tooth while in jail. Kael always had many stories to tell.Nile walked into the shop, his eyes taking in the little details that had changed since the last time he had been there. I knew he didn’t approve of the life I was living as a photographer and an artist, and he never minced words about it. ‘’The artist,’’ he said, mockery dripping from h
‘’Yo, Zion! Your brother is here.’’I looked up from the computer screen in the direction of the the voice. It was Kael, the computer wizard who helped to fix anything that was spoiled from the computers to the electricals. His body was a work of art, and I always mentioned that to him. There was a tattoo on every inch of his skin. My favourite was the snake coiled around his right bicep. He was in rehab, a former junkie, and this work was one of the things that gave him the drive to move on.‘’I’m gon’ get married to the most beautiful woman in the world one day,’’ he’d regularly say, revealing a gap between his teeth. He had lost a tooth while in jail. Kael always had many stories to tell.Nile walked into the shop, his eyes taking in the little details that had changed since the last time he had been there. I knew he didn’t approve of the life I was living as a photographer and an artist, and he never minced words about it. ‘’The artist,’’ he said, mockery dripping from
I wake up before my alarm every morning. It is a few minutes before 4:30 am, and the darkness outside my bedroom window brings a familiar comfort. I lay still on the bed for a moment, taking in the sound of the environment and making a mental plan for my day. Exactly ten minutes later, I throw off the covers and swing my legs to the side of the bed.I check for my gun which is still on the bedside table, secured in a holster that is attached to the headboard. As I get up, I feel the presence of the knife strapped on my ankle. It was the beginning of another day.Since I can’t afford a gym in my apartment, I make use of some dumbbells I had gotten from the store a couple of days ago, and some resistance bands. Working out was like my early morning caffeine. It wakes all the muscles in my body and I feel my body get lighter and more coordinated. Every morning, I spend half an hour on weights and the other half hour on resistance. The cold water hits my skin, flushing the mornin
I remained frozen for a few second, internalising what i had just heard. It wasn’t supposed to be such a shock to me because I had thought of the possibilities of it being the case but I was not prepared at all for this answer. She dumped the napkin she was fiddling with on the counter and walked away into the kitchenette. I watched her leave, my mind reeling. What did this mean to us now? I wanted us to address it completely.I flipped through my phone as I waited for her. Octavia had not responded to any of my messages and with each passing day, it was hurting less. Perhaps knowing that my family had caused her so much pain was the most important factor. She returned about five minutes later, and I could tell she was avoiding eye contact.‘’Rose,’’ I said, ‘’we need to address that.’’She shrugged her shoulders. ‘’What do you want us to say? It didn’t mean anything to either of us. We were both drunk and you can’t even remember it.’’ she was gesturing with her hands and mak
I wake up before my alarm every morning. It is a few minutes before 4:30 am, and the darkness outside my bedroom window brings a familiar comfort. I lay still on the bed for a moment, taking in the sound of the environment and making a mental plan for my day. Exactly ten minutes later, I throw off the covers and swing my legs to the side of the bed.I check for my gun which is still on the bedside table, secured in a holster that is attached to the headboard. As I get up, I feel the presence of the knife strapped on my ankle. It was the beginning of another day.Since I can’t afford a gym in my apartment, I make use of some dumbbells I had gotten from the store a couple of days ago, and some resistance bands. Working out was like my early morning caffeine. It wakes all the muscles in my body and I feel my body get lighter and more coordinated. Every morning, I spend half an hour on weights and the other half hour on resistance. The cold water hits my skin, flushing the mornin
‘’Yo, Zion! Your brother is here.’’I looked up from the computer screen in the direction of the the voice. It was Kael, the computer wizard who helped to fix anything that was spoiled from the computers to the electricals. His body was a work of art, and I always mentioned that to him. There was a tattoo on every inch of his skin. My favourite was the snake coiled around his right bicep. He was in rehab, a former junkie, and this work was one of the things that gave him the drive to move on.‘’I’m gon’ get married to the most beautiful woman in the world one day,’’ he’d regularly say, revealing a gap between his teeth. He had lost a tooth while in jail. Kael always had many stories to tell.Nile walked into the shop, his eyes taking in the little details that had changed since the last time he had been there. I knew he didn’t approve of the life I was living as a photographer and an artist, and he never minced words about it. ‘’The artist,’’ he said, mockery dripping from
‘’Yo, Zion! Your brother is here.’’I looked up from the computer screen in the direction of the the voice. It was Kael, the computer wizard who helped to fix anything that was spoiled from the computers to the electricals. His body was a work of art, and I always mentioned that to him. There was a tattoo on every inch of his skin. My favourite was the snake coiled around his right bicep. He was in rehab, a former junkie, and this work was one of the things that gave him the drive to move on.‘’I’m gon’ get married to the most beautiful woman in the world one day,’’ he’d regularly say, revealing a gap between his teeth. He had lost a tooth while in jail. Kael always had many stories to tell.Nile walked into the shop, his eyes taking in the little details that had changed since the last time he had been there. I knew he didn’t approve of the life I was living as a photographer and an artist, and he never minced words about it. ‘’The artist,’’ he said, mockery dripping from h
The news of the failed mission was all over the mansion that night. I knew when Octavia arrived. I listened in on the exchange she had with Mikel and I was proud of her, but when I heard that Aaron had spent the news in the Icebox the following morning, I was devastated.I woke up that morning feeling the gloom around me, and all I could think of was how I could make Octavia feel better. I knew the failed coup would hurt her so much because it was the second failed mission out of two missions. She had been so hopeful that it would be the opportunity she needed to prove herself to the Don.I tapped gently on her door and called out her name. ‘’Octavia.’’There was no answer, and I could imagine that she would like to sleep in that morning. I was already turning away when I heard the door unlocking and it opened. She was standing in front of me in a pale pink nightwear and her hair was wrapped in a plastic cap.‘’Octavia,’’ I said and smiled at her.She didn’t smile. I stepped
I sat silently in the car, my eyes scanning the road. It was just a little past 1am and the streets were scanty. It would not be hard to find me and put an end to my life long dream of becoming a mafia boss. I replayed every event of that night from meeting up with Lorenz at the car, and wondered where the mission had begun to fail. Why did that man on the corridor suddenly shoot at us? The security breach alarm had not even gone off. Lorenz was concentrating on the road but I could tell he was thinking about the mission too. My eyes caught a patch of wetness on the sleeve of his shirt that was too wide to be a sweat patch.‘’Lorenz,’’ I called gently, looking at the spot. ‘’What happened to your arm?’’He didn’t look at me or his arm. ‘’It was just a graze,’’ he said.‘’Oh my God,’’ I said. ‘’You shouldn’t be driving with that arm.’’He winced a little. ‘’It’s fine. I can manage, Rory.’’ He looked at me briefly before facing the road ahead. I nodded, but I was not convinced
She fumbled with the lock. It seemed it required some arrangement of the tiles on the door to unlock it. She furrowed her brows in concentration, her fingers moving deftly and pressing the tiles in place. Suddenly, she turned to us and nodded.‘’Turn off the lights,’’ she whispered.We waited for a few minutes before she gave the signal. Cold air hit our faces as the door gave way with a loud creak that I thought was going to give our location. We ran, while one of the men stayed behind to cover our tracks. The gardens came into view as we took a turn around the mansion. Headlamps were on all over the compound, making it difficult for us to hide in the darkness of the night. I wondered if we should surrender. I knew they would never dare kill the Don’s daughter but it would send the wrong message and I knew how messages like that flew.Someone began to shoot at us from one of the post on the fence.‘’Fuck!’’ Lorenz cursed, ducking.‘’Were you hit?’’ Rory asked.There was
Lorenz stepped forward, his eyes scanning the room as the women tried to take cover. Some of the men checked the bathroom and the closet.‘’Where is Marcello?’’ Lorenz asked, pointing the gun at the women who quivered.I could see Rory glancing at the door repeatedly. I knew why she was scared. It was obvious the mission had failed already and it was time for us to leave if we wanted to make it out alive.One of the ladies let out a flurry of words we couldn’t understand. It sounded German. She pointed at the vent. Lorenz walked up to it and on examination, he could see that it was tampered.‘’Shit!’’ He paced around the room.‘’It is time to retreat,’’ I said. I could hear the sound of the security alarm blaring in the compound. Lorenz approached the vent and leaned down, fitting his head into the space.‘’He couldn’t have gone far,’’ he said.I looked at the door and gestured at Aaron to be beside me. ‘’Guard the door,’’ I said to the other men.Lorenz drew his head out
‘’That was the worst sideline in the history of sidelines,’’ he said, looking at me with disapproval in his eyes. ‘’I could address it on your behalf, but that would make you even look weaker.’’My eyes burned with rage. ‘’Don’t think you get to speak to me in such manner, Aaron.’’He looked like he wanted to say something but decided otherwise. He pulled out a bullet proof vest and threw it over my head, centering the front panel. He tugged at the straps until they fit snugly around my body, then handed me a fatigue shirt which I threw over the vest.I looked at him. As usual, he had refused to take a vest. After this mission, Aaron was going to get a rebriefing from me, and an equal punishment for disobeying my orders. We stepped out and walked into the car where Lorenz was already seated. Aaron sat in front and I sat at the back beside him.He stretched a handgun towards me. I looked at it and refused to collect it.‘’What is this?’’ I snapped.‘’For your protection.’’