EID MUBARAK! TA QABALLALAHU MINNA WA MINKUM.
Bashir Kari Residence, Abuja.
The tension was so thick in the air; it could be cut through with a knife. Silence so eerie, the sound of a pin drop could be heard; and emotions almost impossible to miss swarmed the room.
Looks were exchanged, shoulders were tense, and postures were stiff. It was almost as if they were all scared to breathe in the wrong way. It was clear someone's mood was off, and if they dare to assume, he was close to losing his calm.
Having shared a few glances between themselves, they nervously shifted their gaze to the man at the helm whose posture screamed strictness. His eyes were narrowed at no one in particular, his expression steel.
His lack of emotion was the sole reason everyone was on edge. No one could even spare a glance at the food placed in front of them all, not caring that it was becoming colder by the second. They had more things to worry about, like the man who's a ticking bomb only waiting for the right thing, or person to set him off.
The person came in the form of the man seated to his right, immune to the tension threatening to suffocate them all. Unlike the others, he was calmly focused on the food in front of him, eating away like he has no care in the world. It was like he had tuned them all out ranging from the furious older man beside him, to the others seated along with them on the dining.
The sound of his cutleries hitting the porcelain plates was the only sound that filled the otherwise quiet dining room. His gaze was fixed on the food in sight, never once flicking to spare anyone else a glance even despite feeling the older man's glare fixed on him occasionally.
It continued that way for a few more seconds, until the sound of the door being pushed open cracked the silence. Another man, dressed in a suit fit for security guards, or more like a secretary made an appearance then-his expression not giving anything away.
He could feel the tension in the room the minute he stepped foot in it as well. He didn't dwell on it though. Instead, he closed the door softly behind him and in calculated steps, made his way towards the older man at the helm.
"General Kari." He greeted, his tone gruff to match his look. His words had everyone else fixing their gaze on him, except the two men seated along with them. He then went on to add. "I have the agency report."
With only a blink, the folder in the equation was placed beside the older man's empty plate by the guard. He didn't spare it a glance as well; he didn't need to. The guard was quick to explain the situation to him without even voicing out the need to.
"There was yet another attempt to hack into the Farm, and like the other time, the person succeeded." Declared the guard, standing beside General Kari stiffly. His gaze was fixed on the folder he had placed beside the older when he went on to add. "Just like the other time, nothing seemed to have been taken. But, the duration was longer than the last time. It seems the hacker is becoming more confident."
The information is highly classified, but there was no one in the room that they needed to hide the information from. They all know to zip their lips shut and never say a word about it. It wouldn't benefit them if things go wrong due to them running their mouths so they didn't have to worry about that.
"Name?" Questioned General Kari for the first time since the dinner started. His voice was strong compared to his slightly older look. For a man who was in his mid-fifties, he looked pretty fit. It was almost like he doesn't age aside from the few wrinkles here and there.
The guard tilted his head downwards slightly, almost as if in a way to show his respect to the man. "Cypher."
A vein twitched first, and then the older man's collected expression cracked slightly. His gaze shifted to the young man seated to his right, eyes narrowed while his hand slowly fists by the side. "And why was this information hidden by the Force from us?"
He didn't get an answer. In fact, just like since the man made an appearance, he ignored everyone and acted as if no words were directed towards him. He calmly focused on clearing the food on his plate, his gaze never shifting to anyone else in the room. It was like he was in his own world, unaware of what's happening in his surroundings. If he was aware, then he's damn good at pretending to be unaware. And, he is.
The guard shifted his gaze to the younger man as the longer time drags, he firmly held onto his oath of silence. He shared his boss's slight glare, already having an idea what would happen having been in that exact situation more times than they could count. At this point, it was norm for them all. And yet, it never fails to get under the old man's skin. Seeing as just like all the other times, the younger man has no intention of answering, he hastily jumped on the opportunity to calm the older man by answering instead.
"I'm certain the special forces have it under control." He stated, despite not believing the words he's uttering with his own lips. "They always handle situations before it gets out of hand."
"Why was this information hidden from us by the Force?" General Kari ignored the guard's reply, his steel gaze still fixed on the younger man-his teeth gritting as he held onto his last thread of patience. When he was ignored yet again, the thread split and he found himself hastily getting on his feet-his hand making a quick move of taking the younger man's plate and throwing it across the room; the leftover food flying as well.
This had the younger man freezing in his exact position, his hand still wrapped around the fork he was using to eat the pasta.
"AM I NOT SPEAKING TO YOU, AADIL?!" Screamed General Kari-the younger man's father, at the top of his lungs. Instantly, everyone seated flinched from the intensity. On normal occasions, he had always been a scary man.
When he's truly angry though, and he is in that moment, he becomes a man no one wants to cross. Well, no one except Aadil Bashir Kari, his eldest and only son. Unlike the others, he never seemed fazed by the older man's anger, not in the slightest.
Even in that moment, he didn't flinch, or bat an eyelid. It was like he expected it, and he did. He already saw it all coming when he agreed to come to this ridiculous family dinner that he only honors for one reason solely.
Carefully dropping the fork carefully back on the table, Aadil extended his hand to pick up the glass of water beside him and chugged it down. When he was done, he placed it back and rose his head to meet his father's enraged expression with his emotionless one.
"If you want to talk business, please do so during my work hours, General." He stated calmly, his tone not holding a hint of anger whatsoever. He is that good at masking his emotions. "I'm here because it's a 'family' dinner, not for questioning regarding my work." He refused to sit there and be questioned about something he had no interest in speaking about. Even if it was to his own father. Especially his father.
If he wanted to talk business, he knows where he works and how to go about it. He's the Inspector General of the Police Force after all. He is his superior so he should know the answer better than anyone.
There was no reason for him to sit there and give him answer to questions he could easily get. Or maybe, he tried and it flopped so he was hoping his beloved son would give it to him easily. The thought almost had Aadil chuckling sarcastically, but he didn't. His steel expression didn't waver for a slight second.
Pushing his chair back, he got on his feet-his height coming to match with his father as well as their eye level. "-by the way, you should watch your anger, you have a high BP. And, no one here would want something bad to happen to you." It was hard to tell whether he was being sincere, or sarcastic at that moment.
He didn't care though. They could take it however, and it wouldn't bother him in the slightest. It was all the same to him anyway.
Not waiting for his father's response, having known it would be another string of yelling, he shifted his gaze to the older woman to his father's left. "--thanks for the dinner by the way." He muttered.
With that said, he turned around and strode out in calm strides that showed he wasn't worried the slightest. Hell could raise right behind him due to his words and he would still strut out of the mansion like he owns it. And in a way, you could say he does.
On making his way out to the front porch, his gaze instantly landed on his car that was parked there. The guard standing a few feet away from it was quick to jog towards him and hand over the keys which he took without a glance spared in the man's direction.
He didn't look back-not once as he settled in the driver's seat-the plush chairs welcoming him almost immediately and the scent lifting his burdens slightly. The car came to life with a soft, but strong hum and in just a matter of seconds, he was sliding down the driveway and making his way far away from Inspector General Bashir Kari's mansion. A place that was once his home.
The sound of his phone ringing sliced through the otherwise quiet air that surrounds the confines of his car. Reaching one of his hands out, he slipped a pair of air pod into his ear and used his free hand to maneuver his way down the streets of Abuja.
"Agent Kari speaking." He voiced out, his words coming out as strong as his tone. He was quiet for a few seconds as he listened to the man on the other end. His response eventually came a few seconds later. "Got it. I'm on my way." And with that said, he swiftly turned the steering wheel to make a U-turn changing the direction of his location. It seems it's about time he headed back to work.
~*~
He arrived at the Special Forces HQ in about half an hour after that, considering the place a bit far from his father's house. Plus, the traffic didn't exactly help either. But, as he made his way towards the Alpha Team office, he was certain he had no worries about being late.
After all, it wasn't part of his work time. However, considering his type of work and the current problem they have at hand, he was required to be at work at whatsoever time he was needed. So, he couldn't complain, not that he wanted to.
On reaching the office, he shrugged off the black jacket he had on, uttering the salaam as he stepped in. He was instantly met with the sight of his four team mates, whom all seemed to have been summoned as well.
"What's the situation?" He questioned, making his way towards the table set amidst the large room, where the four others were hurdled up. His tone was monotonous, eyes blank of any emotion to mirror his expression.
He was always like that; one would think he was incapable of emotions. And in a way, he was. He had probably already forgotten what it meant like to have feelings and emotions of all sort long ago.
Kamal Wafiq, an agent that was transferred to their team not long ago was the first to sigh, his gaze meeting that of their team leader's. "Chief asked us to all meet him here. But, he's yet to show up." He stated, having being the one that called Aadil.
Aadil offered him a curt nod, as he pulled out a chair and settled on it. He then shifted his gaze from Kamal to another member of their team. "Isaac, what's the latest update about the hacker?" He voiced out the one question that's been in his head since he got off work earlier that day.
It was safe to say, he was aware of all his father's questions and aside from not wanting to reply, he didn't have the answer to some of those questions.
At the end of the day, he would've been asked what they have so far on the hacker. He was certain they wouldn't like the answer he would give-the same answer he anticipated at the moment though deeply hoped to hear different.
Isaac, the brain of the Alpha Special Force and former member of the MI6 let out a sigh, before shaking his head slightly. "It's still the same as before." He clicked his tongue, his expression showing his annoyance and frustration as well. "It's unlike anything I've ever faced before. I can't even get close without the entire thing bouncing off. My computer crashed earlier when I tried yet again."
"Whoever it is must be damn powerful." Commented Kamal, his teeth grinding as he fisted his hand by the side.
"I'm certain he has someone up backing him as well." Added the only female on the team, her gaze flicking from Kamal to Aadil-her lips slanted into a frown. She was the only one of the five showing an emotion other than anger. "There's no way he could pull all this without someone's help."
Aadil drummed his fingers on the table, his brows drawn in as the wheels in his head turn. He tried to not show it, but this was getting on his nerves more than he would like to admit. It's the first case they are unable to crack.
And that's something.
What makes it worse is the fact that the Farm is involved. This isn't just some easy case that they can rush through and sweep under the rug. They need to be extremely careful, for any wrong move would cause more damage than intended.
"Do you have anyone in mind, Ruks?" Questioned Isaac, hoping she would at least have someone in mind. Just like him, she is also the brain of the group. But, she was even better at camouflaging and getting information in the field without getting detected.
She was more like the spy that could get in, and out of wherever she wants without anyone noticing.
And, for her to say that means she has someone in mind.
Rukayya ran her tongue across her lower lip, her hands folded over her torso as she spared each member of the team a look that was hard to comprehend. She allowed it to linger on the last member of the team that had been quiet throughout the entire ordeal.
It was nothing new. He had always been the quietest of them all. Nameer, the former army staff was recruited when the Alpha Team was established. If it comes to field and fighting, there was no one like him.
"Nameer and I have been thinking about--"
She didn't get to finish when the door to the right slid open, and then an older man made an appearance. No one in the room was surprised to see the Chief make an appearance-after all, he was the only one who makes use of the door.
And besides, he was the one who called for the meeting after all. They had been expecting him.
The middle aged man, appearing as jovial as ever held up a smile that never seemed to falter whatsoever the situation is. It's supposed to be a good thing, but sometimes, it appears to be more on the creepy side than on the comforting one.
"Team." He called out, his tone strong as his gaze swept across the members to make sure they are all present. "I would like to introduce you to your new member..." He trailed off, his gaze shifting to the door where he made an appearance through.
Just in time their gazes shifted to follow his line of sight, the door slid open and then a figure made an appearance. Strutting into the room with her head held up high, the team gave the stranger a onceover. They all instantly racked their brains to see if they could remember whether they've crossed paths with her before but nothing turned up.
No one could remember seeing the olive skinned woman dressed in a simple top tucked in high waist jeans. A boyfriend flannel reaching mid-thigh and her ankle boots leaving a clank sound in its awake as she made her way to stand beside the chief.
Her hair was covered with a veil that she had wrapped loosely to cover her hair, leaving the edges in display. Compared to the strong, and slightly rugged look of the team members, she held a more laid back aura matching the sly smile she has donning her features.
Her mouth moved, seemingly from her chewing something-most probably a gum. The action alone, coped along with her entire dressing and aura landed her on the team's bad books.
They were known to uphold that great image of being the best. She...didn't fit with them. Not in the slightest.
The looks they gave her screamed their disagreement to whatever arrangement this is.
"Nice to finally meet you all." She finally voiced out, after a few seconds of awkward silence. She didn't seem fazed by it in the slightest, knowing there's plenty of time left for bad blood between them all. And she was right, it started the minute she added her next statement. "I'm Inaya Sa'id, but you all know me as..." Her smile slanted into a smug smirk. "...Cypher."
~*~
And so we meet my dearest, favorite 2023 female lead so far...Inaya Cypher MF Sa'id! Yeah, I said it.
How has Ramadan been for yall? It passed by pretty fast subhan Allah, Allah dai ya karbi ibadun mu.
Also, EID MUBARAK! I hope you're all having a pleasant Eid. As always, I'm here with a little Eid gift for yall. I have an update for XJ as well so do check it out.
We meet here again for a new book, ACE OF SPADES! Ah, the love I have for this book ehn, it's hard to explain. I have more than half the book draft, but I will publish it here completely. If I do complete the book, I'll let you know when I put it on Okadabooks for those that won't wait for updates.
For those who will though, I promise to finish here as long as una help motivate me with comments. I'm bringing my favorite book this year so far here, biko help me and share...comment as well! Reconnect with your comment section friends, and perhaps, I might even give yall daily updates. Sounds good, yeah? I know it does.
BEFORE I FORGET, I AM PUBLISHING MY BOOK BEAU MONDE IN PAPERBACK! MY LIFELONG DREAM IS BECOMING A REALITY ALHAMDULLILAH. OSHEY, PUBLISHED AUTHOR THINGS.
Yes, preorder starts in a while so do follow my IG 'Ferdeausee' to stay up to date on it all. I'll obviously announce it here as well so if you're interested in getting my first debut paperback novel, let me know then. I hope yall will love the book as much as I do.
With that being said, thank you for giving this book a chance. Inaya and Aadil's story is unlike any other and in shaa Allah I won't disappoint you.
Have a pleasant Eid.
Love, Jannah Mia--za latest published author in town. E no easy.