Mirage - Episode 16

 

Noah:

  I finally find the club house. BHC is carved boldly on the magnificent gate in front of the two storey building. I drive two blocks away and park my car before alighting. I don my face cap and walk casually to the gate. There's no intercom so I knock on it softly.
  I feel the hair on the back of my neck prickle and I feel like I am being watched. I surreptitiously look around and find no one in sight . I am probably just paranoid.

  An uniformed security man comes out after few minutes.
"How may I help you?" he asks and I button the jacket of  the designer suit I wore for the occasion. According to their site, it is a place for only wealthy and influential people. That's the reason I parked my car far away. Wouldn't want them thinking I don't belong here with my humble Camry. Just thinking about the word Camry set up a pang in my heart. Minerva. She probably hates me now.
"Your membership card sir." The guard's voice bring me back to the present and I chastise my self for losing focus. I grab my wallet from my jacket's inner pocket and flip my fake ID out. It says there that I am an engineer in NNPC. The security guard size my up and I tilt my chin up in a rich snotty boy's manner

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/mirage

. I couldn't get a fake membership card on such short notice but hope my fake ID works.
"Am I going in or do you want me to melt under this country's terrible weather. I told mother I didn't want to come back to this God dammed country. Now see the outcome. My car broken down because of all the port holes and this lowly security guard is keeping me under this sun" I say grumble loud enough for him to hear me. He still doesn't open the gate so I change tactics. I grab my phone out of my pocket and feign dialing. 
"What's your manager's number?" I ask snotily
"What?" he echo's. He looks alarmed now.
"So I can know who to tell henry has to lose his job after I fire you" I continue. According to the internet a guy named Henry owns this establishment. Or was it harry? 
"Oh I am sorry sir. Its just no entry with out a membership card. Please go in" he moves away from the gate and I walk in with my head held high. One hurdle crossed. Now I have to find the locker room.
   
  I walk into the building and look around. I see a reception desk with a pretty lady on the phone behind it. I stroll over to her and wait for her call to end.
"How may I help you sir" she says as soon as she drops the telephone.
"Oh honey. I am just looking for the locker's room. I just came back from the states last week. I got registered just yesterday. Wasn't paying attention to the tour guide really" I say and give her a flirty grin.
"Oh sir. Its just four doors to the right." She points it out and I nod. I thank her briefly and head towards where she pointed out.

  I pass three doors to my right and find no other doors on this side of the building. I definitely remember her saying four doors to the right. I go to turn back but a large hand grab my shoulder and I am pushed and rough handled into a small dark room. I don't see a thing but i hear the door click shut. My senses are now hyper active.

"I knew there was something strange about you." A voice says from behind me and I quickly turn to the direction of the voice. I still don't see anything. It was already getting dark when I got here and this room has no windows.
"Show your self you coward!"I yell into the darkness. Two blows connect with my stomach and I fall back with the force of it.
"Be quiet. We don't want to draw attention, do we?" The voice sneer mockingly. I would have just shoot this guy dead but that would cause attention which I don't want.
"Listen. I don't know who you are but you have got the wrong person" I say while honing my senses to enhance them. I focus on listening to his breathe to ascertain where he is. How can the bastard even see me? My perfume! He must be following my scent to know where I am in this dark room. I throw a punch towards the side I hear his breathing and my fist connect with flesh. Nice. I throw two consecutive blows before he moves from that position.
"Sh-t" I hear him swear before I feel something connect with the back of my legs. My legs give way and I land on my butt. I don't get up fast enough as I feel the weight of the man on my stomach as he lands scattered blows all over my upper body. I groan in pain as I feel around for anything to use as a weapon but come up empty. I feel strong hands around my neck as I get strangled.
"In your next life, you won't even cross chief's path after this" he sneer. I can feel my breathe leaving me. I feel disoriented and my brain can't form a single thought. I start kicking my legs on the ground as a last resort until a sharp pain run through my hip. My phone. I completely forgot. I grab it out of my pocket in lightning speed and connect the edge of the phone against what I hope is the head of my attacker. I continuously bang it against the form behind me till the hold on my neck releases. I stagger to my feet while coughing and breathing erratically.

  I turn my smashed phone on and the little light it gives makes me see the face of my attacker. He's that chizu guy from chief's house. He's stick conscious. I grab his collar and drag him to the edge of the wall. Then I loosen my tie and gag his mouth with his. My belt comes off next and I buckle it around his hands behind him.
"Hey. Look at me" I slap his face gently and he blinks swollen eyes open. I am sure my eyes are also swollen if not worse.
"Chief sent you right?" I ask and get no reply.
"Where can I find the locker" I ask again and the idiot have the guts to grin. Okay, no more Mr nice guy. I pull my gun out of pocket and take all the bullets out leaving just one. I look at him and smirk.
"I am going to pull this trigger any time I ask you a question and get no reasonable answer. Who knows when the only bullet will fire. That gives you probably four chances."I say
"Do you know who I am?" I ask and the bastard spit through my tie between his upper and lower teeth.
"Wrong answer" I say and pull the trigger. It only clicks but there no shot. I see his shocked face. He thought I was just bluffing.
"Now, this next click might just be the bullet. Why did chief send you after me?" I ask and he shake his head.
"Not an answer" I say then pull the trigger again. This happens one more times and by now he's visibly shaking. Sweat is pouring down his neck and head.
"You know this is probably the bullet" I say then grin like a lunatic. 
"Please don't say I word. I will prefer to kill you" I tell him.
"Plkkz" he babbles
"Can't hear you darling. Last question. Where is the God damned locker!"I grind out.
"Tick tock tick tock tick tock" I sing as my hand slowly rest on the trigger. He keeps looking from my eyes to the trigger. He's probably trying to k ow if I will really kill him.
"Good bye m-ron" I say.
"Wait. Wait. Takeehftdyj of" he babbles and I pull the tie out of his mouth then place the gun under his chin.
"Listen. I can't tell you where the locker is. Chief is going to kill my daughter" he's crying now. I feel a little sympathy for him but I don't show it.
"Just imagine what would happen to said daughter if I kill you right now. Chief will still kill her. You and I know that. Look, I promise to help you protect your daughter once I get this info" I tell him. I press the gun harder into his chin.
"Beneath this room is the fourth door to your right. Its a code. There's a secret room beneath this one. Just under a rug at that end." He force out.

Read " Star-crossed " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. I point my phone towards the direction of his eyes and see the rug.
  Still pointing the gun at him, I pull the rug off and find a lock there. I pull the key I stole from him out of my pocket and it opens the lock. I pull the small ground door open and see short stairs which I follow down. I see a table with a  stack of files. I grab as much as I can and climb up the ladder. I take off my jacket and place the files on it and use my tie to bind my jacket to conceal them. I go over to chizu and search him for his phone and the key to open this room, which I find and take with me as I leave him there.
"Please protect my daughter for me" chizu says from behind me as i walk out. I go to assure him but get distracted by an incoming message on chizu's phone. I see chief's name on it and click on it quickly.

 Where are you? I need the marriage certificate for Minerva's wedding with Michael. The wedding has been pushed up. Get it ASAP.