A vast space opened before her. The floor was concrete, interrupted by patches of struggling greenery and wilting flowers. The air was stale—the afternoon sun had baked it three times hotter than normal. Along the massive fence, sandbags were piled in stacks, guns resting on top of them.
Beads of sweat formed on Nelly's forehead. A man an inch shorter led her forward.
The main building stood one story tall. Strange—she hadn't seen it from outside. No, that wasn't right. The gate sat at a higher elevation than the house, concealing what lay within.
Still, she couldn't help admiring the design. White walls, two central pillars supporting the balcony.
Nelly tightened her grip on her bag, an uneasy thought climbing through her mind.
Was it worth leaving early from work?
---
A moment later, she stood before the house, waiting as the security guard pressed a button.
A young girl—no more than eighteen—appeared. The short man gestured toward her. "Take her to wait for John."
An engine revved somewhere—loud, then stillness. Silence thick enough to hear a pin drop.
Nelly glanced around the compound. It seemed smaller from within. Behind her eyes, the image seared itself into memory—every detail sharp and permanent.
The door opened, and the young girl led her inside.
Time slowed as they stepped into a massive parlor—larger than any she'd ever seen.
Empty.
Strange.
Nelly followed the girl patiently, mapping every corner and turn in her mind. They soon reached another room. The young girl hesitated before knocking. Once. Twice. Then waited.
A heartbeat passed. No response. She opened the door and ushered Nelly inside.
---
The room was sparsely furnished. A king-sized bed dominated the center, a single cushion opposite the door. In one corner, a glass door—barely visible.
Nelly shifted, uncomfortable. Thick curtains covered the windows, blocking most light. The room was growing dark.
A minute passed. Then two. Finally thirty—and no sound.
Her shoulders stiffened. She sank into the empty chair, uncomfortable.
Another heartbeat passed.
Who was this John?
The door creaked open.
---
A huge man stepped into the room, humming, a vicious smile plastered across his dark face. His upper body was bare, beads of water rolling down his chest, stopping at the large towel covering his lower half.
The room was dark—he couldn't see who waited. He switched on the light.
Color drained from his face.
"What are you doing here?" he screamed.
---
Nelly had grown tired of waiting. Strange—it was her trust in the playboy that gave her patience. In hindsight, there was no other clue.
Her mind spun through theories. What was she waiting for? As if the house wasn't creepy enough—guards everywhere, guns stacked on sandbags. She had no idea something like this existed in Abuja.
I didn't even tell Amanda where I was going. Only Lucky knew. Did he know about this place? She doubted he'd have sent her here if he did.
Her body trembled as she heard the creak.
"Finally," she whispered softly.
The door opened. A huge shadow stepped through. One step. Two. A ghostly arm roamed the wall, searching.
The lights flicked on—blue.
Why blue?
No—more importantly, why was Samuel in a towel?
His bass voice reverberated across the room. She forced herself to look surprised.
"What are you doing here?" Her eyes widened—genuinely this time.
"It's not supposed to—who asked you to come? How did you find this place?"
"A friend asked me to deliver a package to a John."
"Since when do you do deliveries?"
He bought it. She smiled inwardly.
"A girl has to survive. Living in Abuja is expensive, you know."
"No. I can't do this. Not with you. I can at least respect Ken that way."
"Do what? Aren't you going to take the package?"
"Nelly, do you not know what you've come here to do?"
"Deliver this and leave." She extended her hand. A small red luxury box rested in her palm.
His expression shifted as he saw the box. "Yes, the gift. But what else?"
"Leave. I'll leave after dropping it."
"Is this your first time doing these deliveries?"
She shifted. A hundred possibilities raced through her mind. "Yes."
"The person who delivers spends the night."
Her eyes widened.
Of course. Of all things, the playboy had sent her to be an escort.
Damn that Lucky.
"Oh, shit."
---
A moment later, two chairs sat a few feet apart. Samuel occupied one, now clothed in jalabia. Nelly sat in the other.
"So you expect me to believe the day I ordered an escort is the same day you started? As if that's a coincidence."
Her excuse had been frantic. But Amanda's name made it believable—easier to imagine the former beauty queen secretly running an escort ring.
"I've told you, I'm not doing it. If only I'd known."
Samuel stared at her, his eyes dissecting every detail. He'd had a crush on her once, long ago. Even in a normal situation, he'd have wanted her here.
But not after what she'd said the other day. He couldn't afford to drop his guard.
What was she really after?
"Why did you take this risk? You've seen the guards. There's a reason this is the most secured place in Abuja." His voice darkened. "One word. Just one word, Nelly, and you'd be killed and disposed of. Those men out there are authorized to do that."
He leaned closer.
"And no one... no one would come looking for you."
Nelly stood still, body trembling. She'd miscalculated. No—everything was fine. Lucky wouldn't sit idle if she never returned. But what would he do?
"How did you even locate this place? I booked a hotel in my name to cover my tracks, used a proxy—so there's no way—" He stopped, his face sagging.
She smiled. He'd just realized—she wasn't working alone. No need to hide it now.
She glanced at her watch. Past nine. Had they been here two hours?
"I only ask that you tell me what happened. Why did you disappear after your friend died? Why did you claim ownership of his work?"
His face twisted, then smoothed back into place. Then he laughed.
"You must think I'm dumb. You forgot—only Ken was smarter than me in school. I know you have a camera on you. I also know you didn't tell whoever got you this address your real intention." He paused. "So I'm going to give you one last warning: leave now, before I change my mind."
---
A minute later, Nelly walked out. The door closed behind her.
She moved quietly toward the gate, replaying every word.
Samuel was hiding something.
She scanned the compound. Under darkness, no lights burned—only the moon's faint glow. Her eyes marked every gun placement. She listened to the silent conversations carried by the wind.
At the gate, the short man waited.
---
Amanda paced the house. Nelly still wasn't back. She'd called the office—they confirmed Nelly left hours ago. She'd tried Nelly's phone a dozen times. Nothing.
She regretted agreeing to stop picking her up from work.
She checked her phone again. Past ten.
A heartbeat later, the doorbell chimed.
She stood, stretching to her full six feet, and opened the door.
"And where the hell have you been?"
---
Samuel lay restless on the bed. The last person he'd ever expected had shown up here, of all places. Why was he paying five million per night if this could happen?
He pulled out his phone and typed: Please double security.
Three days.
Only three days remained before he kissed all this drama goodbye.
And suddenly, three days seemed like a very long time.