Night Runs – chapter 19 – Bag

Chapter 19

Bag

“So, where are we headed now?” Adio asked without looking back.

The tension was gradually being eased and the ladies seemed relaxed and quiet at the backseat now.

Earlier, they had hopped into the car in panic without giving Adio the details of their
destination, and he hadn’t even remembered to ask until the AI voice of his map hinted that
they were almost at their destination.

The ladies had booked him and inputted any location that crossed their mind. They simply
wanted to get away from the scene even if it meant going as far as Badagry.

“Oga, this is not our actual destination o…” Udeme replied, “But you can tell us the cost. We’ll
pay and then rebook you for the actual place.”

Brenda yawned and nodded at the same time.

Soon, Adio received the notification on his FlyRyde app, and so, they were on another
route—to Agege this time. The road was clear; no one obeyed the traffic lights when it
transited from green to red. Who the hell among Nigerian drivers was patient enough to obey
traffic lights even when it was day, and the road was busy. Definitely not Adio either.

The drive was quiet and peaceful, or so it seemed, until the AI voice of the map said, “Take the
turn by your left into Adepoju Street.”

Adepoju Street. That was where the ladies lived. It was a quiet tarred street sprawling with
bungalows and duplexes that made it look like a wealthy haven where a few rich people
preferred to nestle on the mainland.

Adio crouched his head to scan the environment. Not only was the neighborhood wealthy-
looking, and tarred compared to the dirt and dust-ridden streets commonly found in Nigeria, it
was also quiet. Not a single soul on it to give it life except for streetlights.
“Interesting,” he thought in his mind.

Now, all he needed to do was find a spot where the streetlights were dim or did not cast
enough of its rays. Ahead of him was a perfect spot. As he approached it, he slowed down his
sedan.

“Abeg no vex, I want to urinate quickly,” he said to the women behind who were starting to
wonder.

“Oh okay,” Brenda said, nudging him on with her hand.

But Udeme would not have it. “We are almost at our destination; why don’t you drop us off and
then ease yourself afterwards.”

“Ah ah… Allow him na… What’s the big deal?” Brenda argued.

“Fine. But I don’t like this at all.”

“Thank you ma,” Adio clasped both hands and opened his car door. “I’ll be quick about it.”

As he alighted the car, Udeme drew closer to Brenda and whispered in her ears, “Brenda, you
shouldn’t be so trusting. Which professional driver puts his passengers on hold in the dark
hours only to pee? I know he looks harmless, but we should always be on guard.”

“Because you have a bag of money, stolen money with you, you are suddenly security
conscious, abi?” Brenda joked.

Just as Udeme was about to give a sinister reply, a gun corked right at her forehead.

“Hand over the bag?”

“What?” Brenda almost screamed.

“You make a noise, I shoot! Hand it over to me!”

Adio stood there holding the gun more confidently than he had few days ago when he rescued
Ibinabo. That last time, he was a gun-wielding hero; this time, he was a gun-wielding villain. It
was a wise idea for him to have returned the weapon to the glove compartment of his car
rather than hand it over to the police as he had earlier intended. Once again, it was useful.

Udeme tossed the bag into his left hand, pleading with clasped hands that he withhold the
trigger. “Just take the money and allow us go in peace, I beg of you.”

Brenda was already stone-shocked that she could barely move. Her eyes simply stayed glued to
his face. His face was the most cylindrical-shaped face she had ever seen and his dark skin
glistened in the night. His eyes were slightly down-turned and his lips were somewhat pink.

“Now, get out of my car!” he ordered.

The ladies scrambled out of the car quietly with their purses, hands in the air.

“Now, move!”

The ladies did immediately, like zombies without looking behind, hands still in the air. Adio
stood still watching them scurry under the street lights until he felt it was safe to lower his gun.

With the speed of light, he entered his car, reversed carelessly and hit the road back. The
money bag was now beside him on the floor of the seat opposite him.

All through the drive, his heart thumped in his chest, and it thumped harder each time he
passed a police checkpoint. Luckily, none stopped him. Once he said, “Officer,” with a wave of
his hand, they urged him on.

“Could it be God saving my arse?” he wondered.

“God does not save armed robbers in operation.” Don chimed in.

Adio shoved him off his head immediately.

Behind him was a speeding vehicle honking furiously. The honk was loud and the
speed fiery that Adio involuntarily stepped on his brake pedal halting the car in the middle of the road.

“Shit! Someone must have caught me.”

He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation.

“You see yourself?” Don scolded. “That you succeeded with a gun the last time didn’t mean you will succeed a second time. Look, I told you and I will say it again: I’m not going to jail with you!”

The speeding car swerved past Adio with the force of the Fast and Furious cars and as it did,
youthful voices of a male and female penetrated the atmosphere loudly and in excitement.

Yeehaa…!!!

And then the voices faded in the air as the overloaded car sped on further, swerving past other cars as it maneuvered roughly.

Adio listened for a few seconds more. No footsteps towards his car. No one pointing a gun at him asking him to get down. He was brought back to reality when another car honked from behind with a voice yelling at him to drive on.

He opened his eyes and realized he was safe. Fear had only played some tricks on his mind. The
drivers of that Fast and Furious must have been drunk youths.

Phew…! He blew air out from between his lips and kick-started his engine.

“God saved your arse indeed.”

“Out of my head, you unfaithful partner,” Adio shook his head angrily.

“To where?”

“To wherever you intended going if I had been jailed in the last minute.”

“And you’d be lonely.”

“At least, I’ll be sane. No more strange conversations to make me seem like a nut case.”

“You’re bragging because you now have Ibinabo to replace me, abi?”

Adio ignored him and drove on, still panicky but more relaxed than earlier. He increased his
speed to cover the distance left to his house.

***
Kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…kpor…

The rap-tapping at the door was quiet but endless. Ibinabo rushed to open for her lover. Once
she saw him at the entrance, she threw herself on him, cradling her legs at his back like a child
jumping on her dad to welcome him.

“Babe, I missed you,” she cried, pouring kisses on his lips without noticing his struggle to burgle
the bag in.

With her weight on him, he maneuvered the bag on the bed and slammed the door, bolting it
immediately.

“Adio, make love to me now,” she requested.

“Would you stop being insensitive?” he stormed at her, yet maintained calmness.

She stopped the romance and climbed down his body, her perplexed gaze at him. In three days, he hadn’t resisted her. So, what was happening today?

Maybe it was hunger, she thought. Her mother used to tell her, back in the days, that a hungry
man is an angry man. So, she said, “I cooked you some rice.”

But she noticed he wasn’t even looking at her. She trailed his eyes to the bed and then noticed
the bag. Instantly, she grew inquisitive.

“What’s this?”

“It’s… It’s for a friend.”

“What’s inside?”

“It’s… It’s just some documents.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“So, why are you keeping it instead of him or her?”

“It was an emergency, so I had to help pick it up. I’ll return it first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Not just a thief, but a liar now.”

Adio shook Don off immediately.

“Please, get me some rice,” he interjected the tension as she stared at him, her eyes asking
more questions than her lips spoke.

She didn’t move. She stood still, looking into his eyes.

“Baby, please, get me some rice. After eating, I’ll give you some sweet tickle where you like it
most,” he teased and winked at her knowingly.

Ibinabo broke into a smile and hurried to his kitchen. She couldn’t wait.

One more chapter to go!