Securing The Bag (The Lagos Hustle)

Cold Blooded

"Obviously not everything.." the words were broken off at each syllable and there was a shuffling kind of noise, like the furniture was being tossed around, "you're supposed to be in Abuja right now, preparing for the glorious find in Nassarawa, yet here you are, making plans for your own separate excavation"

There was a cracking sound and Mr. D gave a short shout that was cut off abruptly before a loud thud sounded. I struggled to look through the peephole but they weren't in my range. I could only see the couch Mr. D has shoved aside earlier

"Oh my God what's happ-" Jessy cried out

Kanaku grabbed her immediately and covered her mouth with his palm, silencing her before she could raise her voice properly. "shhh stay quiet, your boyfriend has things under control..." The words were no sooner out of his mouth when Mr. D, began groaning in pain. There was the unmistakable sound of adhesive ripping and his voice was soon muffled and barely carried through the door, his mouth had been taped shut but I could hear the pain in every sound.

"Fuoyo what's happening?" Kanaku demanded in a furious whisper.

I pressed my ear closer to the door if possible till I could hear every single shuffle from the next room and every weak moan from Mr. D that followed an incisive swishing sound that made me think of a sharp dagger going through a bag of rice, ripping open yards of sack threads.

"you know the code, the boss is very practical, backstabbers get stabbed in the back,.... ha...ha..haha" the man with the low voice seemed to be the one doing the stabbing. There was a kind of joy in his voice which amplified his every word this time around. He sounded like he loved his job.

These men were no trackers, they were killers.

"what's going on?" Kanaku demanded again, I noticed Jess was seriously biting his hand but he maintained his tight grip.

"They're stabbing him...I think in the back" I whispered back

"mmmmh mmmmmh mhmmmhh" Jess's complaint only came out in a moan and Kanaku and I shushed her with desperate whispers; "Shhhhh, you're going to get us killed"

The attackers were still speaking and I struggled to catch most of the words. 

"diary....map.....house....somewhere..........Kenekelis.....tomorrow.....Nassarawa.....secure......bag......search..........in case....somewhere...."

"Shit" I whispered the bad news to my fellow prisoners. "I'm not sure but I think they plan to search the whole suite"

"Then we have to fight" Kanaku whispered back. "Do they have guns?" He had loosened his grip on Jess. She had grown completely still and teardrops now rolled down her cheeks freely.

I have never felt the kind of paralyzing fear that gripped me as I listened to Mr. D's voice fade away like a sad song ending. Did someone just get murdered in the next room with 3 strangers locked in the toilet the only witnesses to the evil act? And would the killers shoot the door down and find us soon?Shit just got too real. This wasn't just some fairy tale or some mythical treasure anymore, people were ready and willing to kill for it.Luckily for us, the landline began to ring again. The receptionist was calling again, for whatever reason but it made the killers nervous and there was a short argument when the phone stopped ringing. Unknown killer A with the low voice who I now suspected was a cold-blooded murdering psychopath wanted to go ahead and search for the missing diary and map but unknown killer B with the hard voice was worried the receptionist was on her way up or maybe Mr. D had guests.