CHAPTER 11: MISSING PIECES
552 Words
Damian gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned pale.
"Didi... what do you mean Tunji's missing?"
Didi's voice was shaky but firm.
"They broke into my office at dawn. Took my backup drives, wrecked everything. Tunji didn't come home last night. His sister called me. No one's heard from him in over twelve hours."
Eliana covered her mouth.
"Oh my God..."
"Is there any backup left?" Damian asked.
"A few files in the cloud," Didi said. "Not enough. We need Tunji. He had the full map. Without him, we're walking blind."
Damian hung up and turned to Eliana.
"We're running out of time."
She nodded, her eyes already filling with fear.
"Where would they take him?"
"There's only one place I can think of. Marcus's private warehouse by the port."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
He looked her in the eye.
"Everything is dangerous now."
⸻
By nightfall, Damian was dressed in all black—hoodie, jeans, sneakers. He handed Eliana a burner phone.
"If I don't come back in two hours, take this drive and go to Didi's friend, Kachi. He's a lawyer, off-grid. He'll know what to do."
Eliana clutched the phone.
"I'm going with you."
"No."
"Yes."
Damian's eyes hardened.
"This isn't negotiable."
Her voice rose.
"I didn't come this far to hide in a room while they erase everything. I'm going."
He stared at her. She didn't flinch.
Finally, he gave a short nod.
"Okay. But you do exactly what I say."
⸻
The port was eerily quiet. Just the sound of waves slapping against the docks and the distant hum of a container crane. The warehouse stood alone, surrounded by stacks of shipping containers.
Damian crept through the side, Eliana at his back.
They found the rear door unlocked.
Inside, the place smelled like oil and damp metal. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, swinging gently.
Then a sound—a groan.
Eliana pointed.
"There!"
In the corner, tied to a chair, beaten and bruised, was Tunji.
Damian rushed over.
"Tunji!"
The man blinked, eyes swollen.
"You're insane," he mumbled with a grin. "But thank God..."
They untied him. He staggered to his feet, whispering,
"We need to go. Now. They're not far. They were just... waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Eliana asked.
"For Marcus," a voice boomed from the shadows.
They turned.
Marcus stood at the entrance, hands in his pockets. He looked almost... amused.
"Nice to see you again, little brother."
Behind him, two men appeared. Armed.
"Hand over the drive, Damian," Marcus said calmly.
"We can fix this."
"There's nothing to fix," Damian replied. "Only to end."
"You think you're a hero? You're just a fool. You don't understand the world I'm protecting you from."
"I understand lies. Manipulation. Murder."
Marcus stepped forward.
"Then you understand power."
Without warning, Damian threw the drive across the room—right to Tunji.
"RUN!"
Tunji bolted. Eliana followed, ducking as a shot rang out and echoed through the warehouse. Damian tackled Marcus into the crates, fists flying.
It was chaos.
Eliana turned at the door and screamed,
"Damian!"
He looked up—blood on his lip, fire in his eyes.
"GO!"
She fled into the night with Tunji.
Behind her, the sound of sirens started to rise.
And in that moment, she knew:
The war had truly begun.
- Writer
