CHAPTER 4, PART 2: TARASHA

**Thursday morning**

Tarasha looked cute and smart in her well tucked in shirt, she combed her hair in a stylish manner as she stared at her reflection from the mirror in front of her. She hissed again on seeing the high heeled shoe laying on the floor, she would have changed it to a flatter one if not that she wanted to portray herself as a average stylish Nigerian girl. 

She put on the suit jacket first and took another look at the mirror to check if any part of her dressing was conflicting with the other. After confirming that her combination and choice of cloth and accessories were okay, she put on the shoe. 

She felt awkward as she took the first four steps with the shoe due to the fact that she hadn't worn high heels for almost a year but her body had been trained to fit into any situation so she was quick to adjust as she proceeded out of the room. She picked up her hand bag from the table in the sitting room and walked out of the house. 

She walked a little distance from the gate and stood by the side of the road to wait for a cab. Her decision not to drive to the company was based on her plan to present herself as a student. She already prepared a forged identity card for herself and was going to the Company to present herself as a student in the department of pharmacy of the University of Lagos. 

She didn't stay on the road for long before a cab stopped by and she got in. She negotiated with the driver who didn't waste time as he kicked off the fifty minutes journey immediately.  

The supposed fifty minutes journey was turned to an eighty minutes journey because of the traffic jam on the Lagos road. Tarasha wasn't bored all through as she asked the driver several questions along the way, the driver also coperated well; providing answers and even expatiating further than he was being asked. 

Tarasha waved at the driver after he dropped her right in front of the pharmacy; he waved back at her happily and drove off. She brought out the ID card from her bag and straightened her suit before she faced the company and walked towards the gate. 

The guards at the gate didn't disturb her at all, they clearly saw the ID card hung around her neck and believed she was one of the students on Industrial attachment. She greeted them pleasantly and walked to the main building where she saw the receptionist. 

'Good morning ma' she greeted with a bright smile. 

'Good morning, how may I help you?' the slim receptionist replied. 

'I've come to make some enquiries about health conference organized by the pharmacy' 

'Which one?' She asked without paying much attention. 

'The one coming up on the thirtieth of November, with Ken Benson and Lee Yung Cho as guest speakers' 

'Okay, what do you want to know about it?' 

'I would like to see Dr Daniel Umaru, I need to ask him something' 

'Huh?' The receptionist looked at Tarasha's face, surprised. 'What do you want to see him for?' 

'I have some questions and suggestions for him' 

'Sorry dear, I don't think he's got that time' she said and placed a small piece of paper containing a web address on the shelf. 'That's our website address, log on to get any information you need about the conference and send your enquires to the email provided there' 

'I need to see him personally, I've already sent a mail to the email address already but it's important I see him' 

'What? He doesn't have time for you, he's a very busy man' the receptionist said with an angry look on her face. 

'But I know he goes around to supervise every Thursdays and Fridays, he may be able to spare some time for me today' Tarasha persisted. 

'Please don't let me force you to leave, go and wait for a reply to your email' 

'No, you can't force me out' Tarasha raised her voice, attracting several people who were around. 

'What's happening here ?' A short man in a lab coat approached them. 

'She says she wants to see Dr Daniel Umaru' the receptionist answered him. 

'Huh? Is that true young Lady?' He asked, turning to Tarasha. 

'Yes sir' she answered calmly. 'I really need to see him' 

'Come' he said after giving her a searching look, motioning her with his head to follow him. 'Who do you say you want to see and where are you from?' 

'I'm Samantha Osman sir; a pharmacy student at the University of Lagos. I want to see Dr Daniel Umaru ' Tarasha replied politely 

'Okay' He replied, taking a look at the ID card. 'What do you want to see him for?' 

'It's about the conference coming up soon' 

'What about it?' 

'Hum, I found out that he is the chairman of the organizing committee and I want to ask him some questions and show him some of my personal research work as a medical student'

'He's a very busy man, so I don't think he would have time to attend to you. You can visit our website and send your enquiries there ; you can even share your ideas with us there'

'I know sir, I already sent my enquires there but I still need to see him personally' Tarasha insisted. 

'Hmmm well...' The Doctor took another look at Tarasha, as his attempts to wave her off didn't work. 'I'm also part of the planning committee but I can't attend to you now. You'll have to come back tomorrow, is that okay?' 

'Oh! Thank you sir' Her face radiated happiness as she thanked him. 'What time do I come?' 

'Hmmm, let's make it...' the Doctor paused to think for a while. '11am should be okay; I can go through whatever you have and give you a response' 

'Thank you sir, How do I get to you when I return tomorrow?'

'Just ask of Dr Hammed Sheriff' he answered, showing her his name tag on the lab coat. 'And make sure that it is something that really worths my time, I won't be happy if your research isn't something reasonable' 

'I promise you it would be worth your time' Tarasha assured with a smile. 

'See you tomorrow then' the Doctor concluded and walked away, leaving her behind. 

Tarasha glanced at the receptionist who kept an eye on them all through. The receptionist looked away immediately their eyes met and fixed her gaze on the book on her table. 

Tarasha walked up to her stand and placed her two hands on the table, smiling. 

'What do you ... ?' She almost shouted, but stopped on seeing the annoying smile on Tarasha's face. 

'I just came to apologize, I'll see you tomorrow' Tarasha turned and walked out of the building. 

She removed the ID card hung around her neck immediately she got out of the gate and threw it into her bag. She brought out her phone and dialled Chief Gab's mobile number. 

'Hello Chief' 

'Hi Tarasha' came the reply 

'I called to tell you that I'll br moving into that house by 7am tomorrow morning, so get everything prepared before then' 

'I'm on it, I already ordered for the lab equipments and paid the officials who are going to set it up. The equipments would arrive this evening' 

'Good one Chief, that's very good of you' 

'Thank you Tarasha, but it costs me so much to do this especially because it is needed urgently' 

'I'm sorry about that Chief, but you should know that this job requires urgency expenditures always' Tarasha replied with no note of pity in her voice. 

'Alright, I'm in the house now but I'll be leaving for my office soon. Where are you? Maybe you can come around to inspect the arrangements' 

'That won't be really necessary, I would still rearrange the place myself' 

'Okay' 

'Yea, and there's one more thing left' 

'What's that?' 

'I need another person who can cook very well' 

'That's no problem, I already made preparations' 

'Thank you' she ended the call and walked up the road to board a cab. 


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

**6pm, same day** 

Chief Gab and his friend, Chief Nonso laughed heartily at the back seat of the Lexus 2026 model jeep as they cracked jokes about the day's job. They looked very happy and the source of their happiness could only be traced to the several millions they made from their just concluded illegal business. 

The bodyguard and driver occasionally looked at the front mirror and smiled to themselves as they watched the two elderly men play like like kids. 

'Don hasn't seen anything yet, he doesn't know that this girl is a fresh one from Russia, he has been here for long' Chief Gab joked. 

'Don't mind him, he even asked for Tarasha to work with him' Chief Nonso added. 'I asked him to screen the two guys very well before he brought them' 

'Sure, they have to be fit enough to work with Tarasha, I don't want any mistakes in the job' Chief Gab said as he looked back at the car coming behind them. That was his own car which conveyed two of his thugs and the two men sent to them by Don to work with Tarasha. 

He brought out a device and punched a button on it as they got to the house. The gate opened up and they drove in. 

'Here is the place I prepared for Tarasha' Chief Gab stated, adjusting his Agbada as he came out of the car. 

'This place is big o, is she planning to bring in her husband and children?' Chief Nonso commented playfully. 

'Hehe' Gab chuckled, 'I don't know for her , let's just provide everything she needs' 

The four guys in the other car walked up to the Chiefs and stood by the side, waiting for instructions to be given. 

'Come here' Chief Nonso ordered the new guys who walked closer. 'Tarasha would move in here tomorrow morning by 7am, you guys should be ready to work with her' 

'No problem Chief' the guys smiled at themselves, their faces beamed with confidence. 

'The cook will join you here before 7.30, she went to get some foodstuffs' Chief Gab added. 'Don't allow anybody else in except the cook and be very careful with Tarasha'


End of 4  

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CHAPTER 4, PART 1: TARASHA

Tarasha took a sip of juice after she pasted a copied text from the internet to a word document titled "Nnamdi Okafor". The first page of the document served as the title page which had the name "Nnamdi Okafor" boldly typed in the middle of the page. "Minister of Health" was typed below the name but not in a font as bold as that of the name.

The information sent to her by the Chief for the job only contained the address of the man's house, office and some of his family members. It also contained a brief history of the man, his companies, assets, his business associates and high profile friends.

She felt the data provided wasn't enough for her to work with as she would be stupid to ust attack and kill the man in Abuja, the country's capital where the man's businesses and main house was located; she had to start seeking for more information.

The internet provided her with so much in just few hours, she had learnt that the man would be coming to Lagos State for a conference in ten days time. She also discovered that the Hosts of the conference was Derl Pharmaceutical Industry; largest medicine producing company in the country and that they were also inviting other popular health practitioners from outside the country. The conference was scheduled to take place in Eriental Conference hall, Ikeja Lagos.

Since the organizers of the conference were Derl pharmaceutical company, Tarasha concluded that they would also be in charge of the welfare of their guest speakers of which the minister was one. She decided to visit the company's headquarters in Lagos the next day, Thursday.

Her phone rang just as she saved and closed the document, a look at the phone's screen showed that it was Chief calling.

'Hello Chief, where have you been?' She asked as she answered the call.

'Hi, I went out to meet someone. I just saw your missed call now' Chief replied.

'Okay, I wanted to discuss something with you on Skype'

'What's it about? Can we discuss now?'

'Just, I'll log on immediately' Tarasha ended the call.

The first thing she did was to put on her mask, then she opened the Skype software on the laptop; the Chief already sent a connection request.

'Hi Chief, you're looking very happy today' She commented cheerfully immediately the video came on.

'Thank you Tarasha, I met with some old friends this morning and we had a very nice discussion' the Chief replied with a smile.

'That's cool Chief, let me go straight to the point now' Tarasha said and faced the webcam directly. 'I'll be moving into the house you prepared for me very soon, precisely next tomorrow'

'Wow!' Chief Gab exclaimed happily. 'Wow! Wow! What made you reconsider your decision?'

'I didn't reconsider my decision, it was my plan all along to move in there later'

'Oh! Well, so what plans do we have to make for you now? The place is well decorated already, I'm sure you'll like it'

'I believe that the kind of  place I would like to stay was already communicated to you before I came to Nigeria'

'Yes, we have five large empty rooms in the house, two sitting rooms, two rooms rooms already designed for sleeping and we have a work room there also with three computers'

'Okay Chief, what I need there now is a laboratory; I'll send you a list of equipment, gases and the chemicals I need there' Tarasha explained. 'It has to be set tomorrow so that I can start the job'

'Tomorrow? What kind of lab do you want?' Chief was surprised at the request. 'Hope you don't need so many things because I don't think it will be possible to set up a standard lab before Friday'

'That's why I'm telling you right now; once you get the list in your email, start working on getting them' Tarasha replied calmly. 'And also remove every camera you may have installed in any part of the house, I'll reinstall them myself'

'Tarasha, I can't assure you that the lab is ..

'I'm not negotiating Chief, the lab must be ready unfailingly by 12am on Friday morning' She interrupted. 'I'll also need some of your men to start working with me now, so select two of your men; they must be intelligent,fast drivers, with good IT knowledge and also very good gun users'

'Selecting men for you is not a problem, I can give you twenty if you want but...'

'Chief, I need two guys not twenty; I'll tell you if I need more' she said, standing up from the seat. 'You'll have to excuse me now, please make sure everything is set up by Saturday. Have a pleasant day'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

'Don Don' Chief Nonso spoke at last, after staring at the man seated behind his table for some seconds. 'This joke you're telling now is not funny at all, maybe you should try another'

'I'm serious Chief; I'm very sorry, we'll try to recover your goods as soon as possible' Don replied, his face showing remorsefulness.

'Are you kidding me? How can you tell me a girl outsmarted your boys?' Chief Nonso replied him in an angry tone. 'Why did you send learners to carry out a job for me?'

'No Chief, the guys weren't learners. I don't just know what happened to them'

'What the hell are you talking about? You should have told me you weren't capable'

'You know I'm very capable Chief, this is not the first time I'm working for you' Don answered back, anger was gradually welling up in him. 'Why are you talking like this?'

'What kind of question is that? And do you know how much it costs? And you know how much the country frowns at Vinil? Apart from that, it is a very dangerous and Illegal substance, if the police finds it, I'll be in serious trouble'

'We'll get it back for you Chief or we'll refund the money' Don said calmly, trying to keep his anger under control.

'Well...' The Chief replied in a calmer tone now, as he relaxed and swerved playfully in his swivel chair. 'Thank God I didn't rely on your bunch of lazy men, I've gotten the substance kept somewhere safe'

'Huh?' Don looked straight at him, his eyes widened in shock. 'You have it with you?'

'Yes, we only tested your ability and you failed'

'Chief! You sent us an errand and you also came to attack us too?'

'Yes, it was a test to know how capable you are and if you'll be able to handle the other jobs. But I see you can't, since just a Lady can defeat your guys'

'No Chief, it's not like that. I'm capable and I've got a lot of other capable guys; you know that I've never failed you. It's just that those guys messed up that day and they paid for it already'

'It's okay Don, you should be more careful next time'  Chief said, using his biro to give a caution signal as he rested his hands on the table. 'And you even went too far, how come you dropped everybody at the warehouse? '

'Chief, don't mind me . I was just mad at the guys, I thought they played tricks on me'

'It's okay'

'Thank you Chief' Don replied, a bit relaxed now. 'But you've not said anything about that Lady you sent to them'

'She's Tarasha, I don't know her as much as my friend Gab, but he says she's a specially trained professional from Russia and she's very deadly'

'Come on, the fact that she outsmarted those two stupid guys doesn't make her deadly like you're describing' Don said mockingly. 'And I'll also like to remind you that I was trained in Russia too'

'Well, I've not forgotten that but I still think she's really deadly'

'Anything you say Chief; maybe you should even bring her to work with us since you say she's quite good' Don suggested.

'She's not quite good, she's more than good' Chief Nonso corrected with a serious look on his face to buttress his point. 'And  she can't work with you; that's even part of the reason I called you here this afternoon. I need you and to provide two of your strongest, most intelligent men that would work with her'

'Work with her? What assignment did you give her?' Don questioned, with a look of disappointment on his face. 'You don't believe in me anymore?'

'No, It's not like that. I didn't give her any job of mine, Gab did. I have another assignment for you already'

'Well, there's no problem. How soon do you need the men?'

'Let them report to me today so I can tell them what to do'

'Alright, I'll send them immediately I get back to my domain'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

'Hey guys, there's a new project for us' James stated as he walked into the office, while the two other occupants worked on their computers.

'Welcome sir, what's it about?' Segun replied, stopping his work to pay full attention this Boss.

'Welcome sir' Sandra joined

'Thank you' James continued as he took off his suit jacket and hung it on his chair. 'There's a conference coming up on the thirtieth of this November and we're in charge of the security for the whole event'

'What kind of conference is it sir?' Segun asked, showing great interest.

'It's an health conference organized by Derl Pharmaceutical Industry in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and it would take place in the Eriental Conference Hall' James explained.
'Some dignitaries from other countries would be attending the conference to give speeches, so our job begins two days before the conference because most of the foreign guests would arrive in Lagos that evening'

'Wow! That's some work, we've not handled a big conference as this before' Sandra commented.

'Yea, but we've handled some other big ones; so we would do well with this also' Segun responded to Sandra's statement before he turned to his Boss again. 'So who exactly is coming for the conference?'

'Well, Ken Benson and Lee Yung Cho are the only foreign speakers and the Federal government already made special security and welfare plans for them, so our main job is to provide security for the  African guests' James expatiated. 'That includes Ghana's Minister of Health, The Nigerian Minister of Health, Lagos State Commissioner of Health and some others'

'So many high profile people amongst them, why didn't they inform is earlier?' Segun queried, with a frown on his face.

'The job had been given out before, it was just transferred to us; so all the men that had been trained for it would also report to us this evening' James answered.

'Thank God' Sandra added, as she heaved a sigh of relief. 'I thought we'll just have to start preparing our men'

'No, all that has been done already' James replied work an assuring smile. 'The job is a easy one for us'

'Great' Segun face beamed with smiles. 'So what's the next action, when will we meet the guys?'

'This evening, they should be on their way to the barracks now' James answered, glancing at his wristwatch.

'Okay '

'Yea, now this is how we are going about it' James said with more seriousness in his voice now, he made sure that he was being paid attention before he continued. 'I'll handle all that pertains to Ghana's Minister of Health and the other Nigerian guests while Segun would handle the Nigerian Minister of health and Sandra, the Lagos State Commissioner; that shouldn't be a hard job, the commissioner is still in his state'

He paused and looked at their faces to confirm again if they were giving him attention. 'We are not expecting any causality but we have to be on guard and do this properly; if we make any little mistake, it can make the IG and the government loose trust in our team. Hope you know that?'

'Yes sir' they replied in unison.

'Good, details would be forwarded to you in some minutes and would always be updated as soon as necessary. So get ready for this' James concluded with  a smile and rested his back on the chair.


End of 1 of 4

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CHAPTER 3, PART 2: TARASHA

                     CHAPTER 3 PART 2

James untied his necktie as he dropped into his office seat, he had been out all morning with members of his team. Earlier that day, he received a call informing him about the discovery of a dead body just by the gate of a house winch was only few metres from the warehouse. The body was later identified to be Mr Felix, the manager of the warehouse. 

After hours of roaming the estate and interrogating people; especially those who stayed in the house whose gate the body was found, James and his team returned to the office with no substantial  clue about how the body was dropped there. 

'Do you care for juice?' Sandra asked as she walked into the office with a glass cup and a juice pack. 

'No, thanks' James replied, adjusting himself on the seat properly. 

Just then Segun, the third occupant of the large office walked in, he curtsied to James and Sandra who were already seated before he walked to his own table. 

Segun and Sandra were the top officers in the team headed by Inspector James and worked closely with him at all times. Segun was the officer who visited the injured man in the hospital with James and was also the one who called that morning to inform him about the body that was found. 

'Sir' Segun spoke up after watching hos boss for sometime, he took a look at Sandra who was busy with other things and looked less worried. 'It's a pity that the security cameras around that street aren't working anymore, I think the government has to do something quick about it, it would have provided us with more information' 

'Yea, the government has to do something about it' James replied, wiping his face with an handkerchief. 'But I don't think we would have gotten much from it' 

'Why do you say that sir?' 

'I believe the body was laid there late in the night; that's why nobody saw them. The cameras wouldn't be able to show us clear images even if it was recorded' James answered 

'Hmm, that means they don't just have to make sure it's working, they also have to improve the quality of the cameras' Sandra joined. 

'This is 2030 for God's sake, how can these things not be working properly? And they expect the police to perform magic' Segun complained bitterly. 'Everything is just messed up in third country, the government, it's officials; nothing to write home about' 

'It is high time we stopped laying blames on the government for our personal inefficiencies and take responsibility for ourselves; our jobs' James said, looking at Sandra and Segun's faces one after the other. 'Fifteen years ago, Nigeria was not like this; it was far worse, so we should be grateful to God that we have a better environment' 

'But look at other countries sir' Segun argued. 'They use better technology to aid their security systems, but here in Nigeria; the government keeps misusing, funds and fabricating stories for the public' 

'No, you're wrong Segun; things are far better than they used to be' James maintained his position. 'Now we are living up to the name "Giant of Africa", we are the best in Africa in terms of technology and development and we are doing better than several other non African countries that used to be ahead of us' 

'But we as the police needs some very vital things for... 'Segun was arguing when James interrupted again. 

'No Segun, we don't have any excuse not to do our job well. In years past, several criminal cases like the ones we have now have been solved by the police with very little level of technology or even no technology at all. I believe if everyone would play his part properly then we wouldn't have problems with our work' James said with seriousness in his voice, totally silencing Segun and Sandra as they pondered deeply on his words. 

The office was silent for some minutes; the threeofficers got deeply engrossed with the computers on their table. 

'Boss' Segun called to James, he scratched his head as he seemed to remember something. 'I think we need to look into this matter of the guys on patrol that met those guys in the midnight' 

'We're already doing that' James replied, ending his typing on the keyboard. He looked towards Sandra who was already looking at him too. 'Sandra, I told you to handle it' 

'Yes sir, i checked the records just after we came in this afternoon' Sandra answered. 'There was no record of any statement taken, I don't even think those driving the van were brought to the station' 

'What? But they said they were found laying unconscious on the road' James questioned 

'Yes,I think we have to take disciplinary action on our men' Sandra suggested. 'I believe they were bribed, that's why they didn't do the right thing' 

'Oh! You ask them to see me when they return today' James ordered as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door. 'We won't take it lightly with them if they were truly bribed, they'll be punished severely'

End of part 3

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CHAPTER 3 PART 1: TARASHA

You don't know anything about the attack that morning?' James questioned the elderly man.
'No, I don't'
'So why have you been trying to avoid talking to the police?'
'I didn't deliberately hide from the police, I was scared that those that attacked the warehouse may also come for me' the man replied.
'You were scared because your hands are not clean'
'No, I don't know anything; my hands are clean'
'But you were involved in the illegal business that happened that night'
'It wasn't illegal, sometimes we work overnight and we get paid extra; that's what happened' the man explained
'What kind of product did you people sell to them?' James continued
'What else do we sell my son? We sell beverages'
'But you have several beverage products'
'Yes, the one those guys came for that night was tin milk'
'Okay, those guys. Do you know them? How frequently do they patronize you people?'
'I don't know them , but it seems Oga Felix knew them from the way he related with them'
'Hmm' James paused and scanned through a book. 'There's no record of that night's sales in the sales book'
'Ermm, I don't know about that. My job was just to load the van'
'That means you joined Mr. Felix to carry out an illegal business; there are no former records of the goods in your stock and there are no records of the sales'
'No o, its not illegal' the man replied, already frightened.
'It is...' James phone rang, interrupting his interrogation.
'A body found?' James eyes widened as he stood up from his seat.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
'Okafor Nnamdi' Chief Gab called loudly and squinted his eyes, as he and his friend, Chief Nonso stared at the picture of the man bearing the name he called.
Okafor Nnamdi was the NAFDAC president appointed to work during the years 2016 - 2020. He was appointed few days after the new President was sworn in. He carried out his job perfectly nabbing several fake drug producers and marketers including Chief Gab, he also rejected Chief Gab and other offenders at every attempt that was made to bribe him which made him become hated by several corrupt politicians and government officials but loved by citizens of the country for his good job.
Okafor Nnamdi was the first person but least important on Chief Gab's revenge list, he was desperate to make the man breathe his last.
'Can you carry out this job?' Chief Gab turned to a huge muscular man who stood by his side, the man was the head of Chief's thugs. 'I want him dead'
'Hmm Chief' the guy gave a short timid chuckle. 'This one might not be that easy; killing him might not be hard but getting away will definitely be, due to the tight security system'
'Shut up! Idiot' the Chief barked angrily at the guy and turned to his friend. 'This is what am saying; these guys are bunch of lazy goats, I know that they won't be able to carry out this mission'
'Its okay Gab. I think if we are able to supply this guys with everything they need, they'll be able to carry out the job' Chief Nonso supported the guy, looking at his face for confirmation of his suggestion. 'Or isn't it?'
'Chief, you don't understand; it's not about killing him but after killing him' the thug began his explanation. 'It might not be too hard for us to break his personal security, that'll be done if we get...'
'If you get?' Chief queried as the guy paused, looking more confused now.
'There's no how we can even get to him' he said after thinking deeply. 'There are security systems and cameras that would have announced our presence before we get to him'
'Just get out of here and stop talking lazily' Chief Gab ordered.
'So what's the other plan now?' Chief Nonso asked.
'I knew these guys aren't capable since when they messed up and almost implicated us the last time, so I already ordered for a trained Assassin from Russia'
'From Russia? How?'
'Huh? You're asking me how?' Chief Gab laughed loudly. 'From one of my business partners in Russia; he sent me a Nigerian, a product of one of the raw materials I sent him over fifteen years ago'
'I don't understand' Chief Nonso looked confused.
'Don't worry, you'll understand later. I will speak to her and send her the details we need'
'Huh? A female?'
'Yes, female. But she does better than a lot of guys' Chief Gab laughed again as he answered.
'When would she come here? I would love to see her'
'Hmm, that's the question to which I don't have an answer' Chief Gab smiling face turned serious. 'I've not even seen her face, she talks to me on phone and chats on Skype but she wears a mask to conceal her face'
'What? That's nonsense'
'No, Vladislav says she'll reveal herself when it is time. I only hope that the time would be soon'
'But where does she stay?' Chief Nonso asked more questions.
'She stays very close to Gravl avenue I believe, she refused to stay in the house I prepared for her before she arrived, she even ducked us at the airport when we went to welcome her'
'Hmm, interesting' Chief Nonso shook his head, trying to reason out all that he just heard about the female assassin.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
'Hello Tarasha' a voice came on as Tarasha accepted the Skype call from Chief Gab. Chief Gab was smiling as he spoke, sitting by his side was another middle aged man staring intently at the screen.
'Good morning Chief' Tarasha replied as she poured the wine into the champagne glass cup.
'Do you sleep with your mask on?' Chief Gab asked jokingly. 'I didn't expect to see it on you this early morning'
'I'm in my office already Chief, the mask is part of the compulsory dress code for my job' Tarasha replied back with a cheerful tone.
'And you're comfortable sipping your wine with the mask on?'
'Chief' Tarasha called more seriously. 'I don't do jokes during official hours, so go straight to your reason for the call'
'I have another job for you Tarasha, I want you to take down someone. He's the country's Minister of health'
'Minister of health? Why do you need to take him down?'
'I have my reasons, yours is just to do the job'
'Yeah Boss, sorry for asking' She chuckled. 'Send me every detail you've got, I'll review and get back to you'
'I'm forwarding the details to your mailbox already, you'll get it in the next few seconds'
'Okay Boss, so hope you're not gonna play tricks this time?' Tarasha asked with scorn in her voice.
'No Tarasha' Chief laughed briefly. 'I think I'll go by our former agreement, I'll pay you monthly'.
'Monthly?'
'Yes monthly, that's the deal I made with Vladislav'
'Okay?'
'But I can't afford much at the moment, lets make it five thousand dollars monthly for now'
'Five thousand dollars?'
'Yes'
'It's okay, agreed'
'Agreed?' the Chief face lit with joy, clearing showing his surprise at her acceptance of the deal.
'Yes, but you'll provide all the capital needed and...'
'Capital...?'
'Calm down Chief, the capital just includes the guns, bullets, cars, computer systems and other little things I'll make use of'
'Okay, I accept' Chief Gab reluctantly agreed, ignoring the awkward stares he was getting from Chief Nonso from time to time.
'Good, and the salary would always come in at the beginning of the month' Tarasha added.
'What tha...'
'Deal or no deal Chief?'
'I can't...'
'I'm not a market woman that negotiates; tell me if you're not ready, I've got other things to do' She said bluntly. 'Or why do you think I'm taking that little?'
'No o, it's not possible' Chief Nonso added with his shaky voice. 'How can...'
'Agreed Tarasha' Chief Gab cut in after thinking for a moment
'What? Agreed? What if she doesn't get the job done?' Nonso fumbled.
'She dare not fail' Chief Gab replied, calming his friend as he gave a strict look, his eyes facing the webcam directly.
'Good Chief, we're good to go' Tarasha finally spoke, after laughing out loud at the drama going on at the other side. 'Don't look at me like that, I won't fail you. I'll start working on the job once I get the alert for this month'

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CHAPTER 2: TARASHA

'Good morning Chief' Tarasha greeted on phone.

'Good morning Tarasha' a harsh voice responded.

'Chief, have you gotten the stuff you asked me to get? I dropped it in the car parked in front of your office according to our plan'

'Yes, I've seen it' the voice answered

'You've seen it? But why haven't you called me then? You didn't keep your part of the deal'

'What deal?'

'What do you mean Chief? Didn't you say that I would get the bank alert for my balance two hours after you get the carton?'

'Yes I said that, but you broke the agreement first'

'What? How?'

'You said you would do the job without killing anybody'

'Yes, I didn't drop anyone'

'But it was all over the news yesterday, all the labourers at the warehouse were found dead yesterday'

'That wasn't me, that happened in the afternoon. I carried out the job around 3am'

'How am I supposed to believe that you really did the job by 3am?'

'What the hell are you talking about Chief?' Tarasha flared up. 'I see you don't want to keep to your part of the deal?'

'I will send you the balance once I'm sure that it was'Good morning Chief' Tarasha greeted on phone.

'Good morning Tarasha' a harsh voice responded.

'Chief, have you gotten the stuff you asked me to get? I dropped it in the car parked in front of your office according to our plan'

'Yes, I've seen it' the voice answered

'You've seen it? But why haven't you called me then? You didn't keep your part of the deal'

'What deal?'

'What do you mean Chief? Didn't you say that I would get the bank alert for my balance two hours after you get the carton?'

'Yes I said that, but you broke the agreement first'

'What? How?'

'You said you would do the job without killing anybody'

'Yes, I didn't drop anyone'

'But it was all over the news yesterday, all the labourers at the warehouse were found dead yesterday'

'That wasn't me, that happened in the afternoon. I carried out the job around 3am'

'How am I supposed to believe that you really did the job by 3am?'

'What the hell are you talking about Chief?' Tarasha flared up. 'I see you don't want to keep to your part of the deal?'

'I will send you the balance once I'm sure that it wasn't you that carried out the killings' the call ended.

Tarasha was fuming with anger as she dropped the phone, it wasn't as if the balance meant so much to her but she was angry at the obvious fact that the Chief only wanted to cheat her and she wouldn't take that from anyone. She checked her wall clock and pondered for a while before shr picked up a pistol and a mask from her bedside and stormed out of the house.

She tapped a button on the remote control and the door to the driver's seat of her Zently 2027 model opened. She slid into the car and the door closed back automatically, she inserted two bullets into the revolver and hid it safely under the car seat  after which she started the car engine and  drove towards the gate which opened automatically and closed after she was out of the compound.

She drove as fast as possible, hissing every time she had to stop because of traffic signals and other road users. After almost an hour drive, she got to Gravl Avenue, she parked at a very far distance to the Chief's house.

She gave a wicked smile as she glanced at her wristwatch. In few minutes, the driver and the bodyguard that accompanied the Chief youngest daughter to school would be returning. She took the revolver from where she hid it and kept it in her purse, reason that she wasn't properly dressed; the clothes she wore would show signs of the gun if pocketed.

She got out of the car , carefully making sure no passerby was watching or noticing her and she walked a distance closer to the Chief's house.

With her dark goggles on, she stayed by the side of the road and placed one hand on her waist, acting like one who was waiting for a cab. After two minutes, she sighted the driver and bodyguard from afar, returning in the car.

As they came closer, she started to walk through the road pretending not to see the coming car. She got the driver confused as he struggled to bring the car to a halt but not after he had gotten so close, almost hitting her.

'What's wrong with you ma'am? Didn't you see a car was coming?' The driver shouted angrily at her.

'I'm sorry' she pleaded, holding her chest like someone who was deeply horrified. She turned to the driver's side to apologize.

'You should be careful next time' the driver continued, more calmly now.

'I'm sorry' she said, gasping for breath and coughing as sweat drop from her face in the hot sun. 'I think I've lost my way, I was going to Eden hair salon at Gravl Avenue'

'You're at Gravl avenue already, just walk a little bit further and you'll find it by your left side'

'Please can you give me a lift there?' She pleaded.

'Okay yes' the driver replied, looking at the bodyguard by his side who shrugged in confirmation. 'Enter the back seat'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Inspector James sat on a chair facing a man on the hospital bed, the only survivor of the warehouse attack. The man was conscious and was talking already, narrating all he knew about the attack.

'So you don't know any of those who attacked you people?' James interrogated

'Yes, I've never seen any of them before' the injured man replied, he had a bandage tied round his forehead and one round his belly.

'And they were not thieves?'

'Yes, they were not thieves. I believe they were looking for something, they said a carton was missing among the goods they collected last night'

'Last night? Which goods?'

'I overheard them saying something about 3am'

'3am? Do you people work overnight?'

'Sometimes, we fill up some cartons and arrange them overnight but I'm not aware that something like that was supposed to happen last night'

'Who was supposed to be on duty last night'

'Ermm... No one, except the security men'

'But the security men have been killed already, who else was on duty?'

'No the two security men that was killed yesterday were not the ones on shift that night'

'Oh! I see, do you know how we can reach them?'

'No, I have no relationship with them, we only greet when resuming and vacating the office'

'I think its enough already' the Doctor interrupted as he walked in. 'He needs rest'

'It's okay' James replied the Doctor and stood up, he turned back to the injured man.

'We're really sorry for what has happened and we promise to get to the root of this as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation, we'll contact you as soon as we need your help again, I wish you a quick recovery' he said and walked out of the ward with the other officer.

'But what do you think that hoodlums would want in a beverage warehouse?' James asked his colleague as they proceeded out of the hospital to their car.

'I don't know, I think the best people to give us the answer would be the security men on duty that night' he answered.

'Okay, what you would do now is to go back to the warehouse and check their logs, we need to get those men' James instructed. 'I believe they know about the incident'

'Ok, I'll just go straightaway sir'

'Good, we also have to be on the lookout for the manager Mr. Felix, there are still no signs of him everywhere'

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

11am

'Tarasha! ' Chief Gab called out immediately the call was answered.

'Hello Chief' she replied in a cheerful voice.

'Tarasha! How come you went that far on a little issue?'

'Was that Chief?' She asked mockingly. 'Or have you seen my gift?'

'Tarasha, you shouldn't have gone that far. I was going to send the money to you'

'Alright' she answered more seriously now. 'I should get the alert in the next fifteen minutes else your daughter would be in danger too'

'No o, Tarasha. Don't try that at all, that would be big trouble for you' the Chief tried to sound brave.

'You're the one who shouldn't try me Chief, send the money within fifteen minutes after this call ends'

'Okay, I will see what I can do'

'Huh?'

'I said I'll see what I can do'

'Don't play pranks Chief, if you think you can move your child out of the school and stop me from reaching her, then you better think twice because I can already see that your men are outside the school gate and there's no way they'll escape me'

'What!' The Chief was in shock. 'How did you know that?'

'Let me get the alert quickly' She said and ended the conversation.

The Chief was in panic as he dropped the phone. He wondered how Tarasha knew that he had already sent men to safeguard his daughter. He wasted no time as he picked up his tablet device and transferred the remaining balance of ten million naira to Tarasha's account and called her immediately to notify her.

'I just sent the money'

'Good, I received the message alert already' she replied him.

'So is my daughter free now?'

'Of course, I have nothing to use her for' she said with a chuckle.

'Okay, we need to see. I have some other jobs for you and I need to explain to you personally'

'We'll see on Skype'

No

'Huh? I need to meet with you, I need to see who I'm working with'

'I don't think there's any need for that, we see on Skype already, isn't it?'

'But you're always wearing a mask to hide your face'

'No, that's my face you see; that's Tarasha's face' she added.

'What do you mean?' Chief Gab questioned.

'The face behind that mask doesn't have any business to do with you' she said with a strict voice.

'I ...'

'If you don't mind Chief, I've got some other things to do' she interrupted him and ended the call.

'Damn' he cursed as he put down the phone. He held his jaw with his hand, remembering how he had been told to deal with her carefully.

He was calm after reminding himself that he couldn't get angry with Tarasha now, he still needed her in the work he had to do; his revenge mission.

He recalled his younger days as the minister of marketing and sales before he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for drug trafficking and management of the country's funds after being probed and found guilty by the new government at that period. He was angry and determined to punish all the government officials  that  aided his arrest and conviction especially those who were also involved in some of the illegal businesses he did.

With the little he had seen Tarasha exhibit and the way Vladislav had spoken about her, he concluded that Tarasha would be of great importance to him in his revenge mission which was even the sole reason he had paid Vladislav several billions to send her down to Nigeria.

'Hey' he called out to one of his guards who stood at the doorside in the sitting room. 'Tell Edet to come here immediately'

The guard went out and returned with a very tall dark man with a slender body. The man bowed in courtesy to the Chief.

'You called for me sir'

'Yes, I did' Chief begun, 'two of our guys were killed this morning and I was told you were the one who saw it happening live from the surveillance cameras'

'Yes sir, I alerted them downstairs immediately'

'Yes, but I was told that the person left before they got to the gate'

'Yes, it was a Lady...'

'Shhhh... Don't worry' the Chief shut him up, standing up from his seating position. 'Let's go, I want to see the video footage myself'

'Okay sir' Edet replied as he led the Chief to the security room.

Chief Gab spotted himself on a laptop screen as he entered into the room, that laptop was the one connected to the camera in the room. He looked around the room to check if any change had been made to the room since the last two months he visited. The only change he noticed was that the room was darker than before as no bulb was turned on and would have been completely dark if not for the reflections of light from the several desktop screens in the room.

He sat down and rested properly into the chair he was motioned to and faced the desktop as Edet tried to open some files.

'Here's it sir' Edet explained as a video played. 'She wasn't wearing mask when she drove to the gate, but she wore the mask before she came out of the car; that was when I suspected something'

'Take it back to where she was in the car' Chief Gab said as he watched with great interest.

'Here' Edet rewinded a little, then zoomed the video. 'Only her jaw is visible, the rest of her face wasn't captured by the camera; from this we know her skin colour'

'Okay, play on'

'She wore a mask and came out of the car, I don't know how she knew where our camera was placed' Edet explained as the video showed Tarasha with her mask on, facing the camera. She pointed to the part of the mask which covered her forehead, showing them the name 'Tarasha' which was inscribed on it.

'So we can't get any useful information from this?' The Chief asked angrily.

'We know her complexion' Edet answered.

'Are you crazy? Do you know how many people in this city alone has the same complexion?' The Chief slammed.

'I'm sorry sir'

'Sorry for yourself' Chief Gab hissed and left the room.

End of chapter 2

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