“Blessing?” hisses a man seated at the back of a stuck limousine.
We walk towards him and he gets out of the car. “Nice car,” Blessing says teasingly. The man is taller than Blessing. He’s wearing a cap and a long coat, even though it’s not that cold. He looks out of place. The men embrace and Blessing introduces us.
“You’re the brave girl who’s caused chaos in my office?” Ruben says with a smile as he shakes my hand. He turns to Blessing. “I’m glad you’re alive and kicking, man. So what have you got for me?”
Blessing gives him the fake drive. Suddenly, we hear a noise behind the car.
“Who did you come with?” Blessing asks, tucking me behind him.
I knew it, I think to myself.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s just John,” Ruben explains.
John appears from around the limousine. My stomach twists in knots, and blood drains from my face. I feel sick as I recognise the man. His eyes shoot up as we lock gazes. He gives me a withering stare and I shake.
“It’s my partner, Alex, he’s okay,” Blessing tells me, pulling me from behind him. He embraces John but I continue to shake.
Blessing notices my distress and tugs my chin. “What is it?” he whispers.
“She’s probably just shaken by this whole thing,” says John. “Don’t worry, Alex, we will get those killers now that we have the information.”
I stare at John. I feel like he’s trying to tell me something with his eyes – a warning to keep quiet, perhaps. Well, he clearly doesn’t know me well enough.
“He’s one of the guys who attacked me and Mark,” I tell Blessing, keeping my eyes on John. John laughs and Ruben soon joins him.
“No, sweetheart,” Ruben says. “You must be mistaken. John is on our side and he helped save you and Mark that day.”
I shake my head. “No, he grabbed me while his friend beat Mark with a bat over and over again,” I sneer. Ruben and Blessing exchange a look. “I can prove it,” I murmur.
“How?” John mocks me.
“Your right hand, I bit you,” I say, sauntering towards him and lifting his hand.
He grabs me and holds me by the throat. His puts a gun to my head. “I think you’ve provided enough of a show now, little girl,” he says menacingly.
“John, what are you doing?” Blessing shouts, jumping towards us.
John presses the gun harder against my head. “I’ll spill her brains out if you don’t remain where you are, Blessing,” he commands. “Now, very slowly, give her the drive.” Blessing does as he’s told.
“So you’re the leak, John! How could you do this?” Blessing cries out. He sounds mortified, angry and shocked.
John laughs dryly. “Don’t be so dramatic, Blessing. You think anyone could be satisfied with the peanuts they call a salary for the menaces we face daily? No way. You see, LG knows how to compensate its employees.” He sounds smug. “This bitch here just wouldn’t die.” He gnaws at me with the gun. “So she and I are going to take a little walk now, and if I so much as think you’re following us, I’ll kill her, Blessing, I swear.
Suddenly, I’m thrust forward. Luckily, Blessing catches me, but not before John pulls the trigger and my left arm is pierced by a bullet.
I scream as pain radiates through my whole body. Blessing rips off his T-shirt and wraps it around my wound to slow the bleeding, while the two men wrestle on the ground. When he’s sure that I can stand, the mysterious man jumps on John, along with a new man who came from behind John.
After a few punches, the two men force John into the ground and cuff him, hands and ankles. Breathing heavily, the men then stand up and face us. I note that Ruben is bewildered, just like Blessing. The new man takes off his hat and I stop breathing.
It can’t be. I blink rapidly. When I look at the man again I realise that there’s nothing wrong with my vision. It really is…
“Mark…” I whisper, before my knees give in and I pass out.
***
Tell us what you think: Is Alex seeing things? Could it really be that Mark is still alive?