CHAPTER 5:THE CHASE
1225 Words
It's been 6 weeks after the attack.
I needed the full time to recover. After I return, I become a regular fixture at the compound. The guards didn't just see me as new head of security.
They treated me like family. The family started to trust me more. I got invited to dinners. Included in conversations. Given more responsibility.
In that moment, I felt I had earned their respect.
I felt I had become one of them.
But damn, I was way off.
I was still childish. Blind. Stupid. Hopeful. I guess I just wanted to belong so bad I never stopped to love myself first.
Then Amina started giving me green lights.
Little things at first. A cute smile across the room. A gentle hand on my shoulder almost romantically when she passed.
Asking me to walk her to her car at night saying she felt safe with me alone. Inviting me to all family dinners. Kinda awkward for me.
In my stupid little mind, she was interested in more.
I believed she saw something special in me. Wanted to be with me.
I was delusional to think she was planning our future together.
Meanwhile, she was fattening me up for slaughter while sharpening the knife.
"She gave me bread crumbs. I called it a feast. She gave me attention. I called it love."
Der Unerschütterliche, The Unshakable Playbook
Then the call came on a Thursday.
Amina had a meeting outside Accra. Near Nsawam. Dangerous place.
Her father chose me to drive her.
I was too stupid to think. I said yes before he finished the question.
He smiled, happy with my answer.
"I'll protect her with my life."
Kwame Asante smiled. "I know I could count on you. That's why I trust you."
I felt valued. Important. A sense of duty.
I couldn't see the trap closing in.
Hard to, with 100k monthly salary and being in love with a girl worlds away. I thought as much time as we spent together, she'd come to love me.
Everything started smooth. I opened the backseat door. She sat gracefully, like the world should thank her for existing. She had a cute, carefree voice as she made a call.
I watched her in the rearview mirror. Beautiful. Majestic. Hair perfect. Smile warm.
I loved every second with her.
Then my eyes picked up 2 suspicious black SUVs, hot on my tail.
Coming aggressive. Fast. Closing distance.
I knew what was up before the guns started firing.
Mafia. Rivals. Enemies of the Asante family.
"Duck into the secret compartment."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
I hit the accelerator. The car surged forward like a rocket. She screamed. Her phone flew out of her hand, smashing into the front view. I was too busy trying to keep her alive.
"What are you doing?"
"Silence. I need to concentrate. Gunfight coming."
"The car chase was my favorite. They never expected a 4/10 to drive like that."
Der Unerschütterliche, The Unshakable Playbook
They were faster than I imagined. Closed the gap in seconds. One pulled alongside. A gun appeared.
I held Amina by the legs and slid her down. Swerved. Bullet missed. Shattered the side mirror. Glass sprayed everywhere.
She screamed again.
I didn't mind. I drove faster. Rougher. I couldn't slow down. If I did, we'd be caught. Killed.
I wasn't letting that happen.
I drove wild through traffic. Ignored red lights. Green lights. Sidewalks. Anything.
Desperate. Reckless. Unstoppable.
The SUVs followed relentlessly. Didn't care about the chaos. Didn't care about the accidents.
They wanted her.
I wasn't letting them have her.
I saw the barrier ahead. Construction zone. Concrete blocks. Warning signs. No way through.
I had a crazy idea. Turned the wheel super hard. The car drifted. Spun. Tires screeching. Head on at the barrier.
Her screaming got louder.
I didn't flinch.
I drove through.
The impact was violent. Airbags deployed. Glass scattered. Metal crumpled. The car flipped 4 times. Landed with a bang. Silence.
I was bleeding. Losing blood like crazy. Cuts all over. Blood pouring like a river.
I turned to look at her. She was unconscious. Bloody face. Torn clothes. Shallow breathing.
I panicked.
"Amina! Wake up!"
No response.
I checked her pulse. Faint. But there. Alive.
I had to get her out. The car was smoking. Close to blowing up.
I unbuckled her seatbelt. Pulled her out gently. Fast.
The SUVs stopped. Men got out. Masks. Guns.
I found a safe spot. Laid her down. Behind concrete. Hidden.
Then I turned to face them.
Outnumbered. Outgunned. Outmatched.
They had made her bleed. Made her unconscious.
That was their mistake.
"When you love someone, you become dangerous. Because you have something worth fighting for."
Der Unerschütterliche, The Unshakable Playbook
I moved faster than I ever had.
Punched the first one in the throat. Grabbed his gun. Turned. Fired. Dropped dead. Second one fell. Third one tried to run. Headshot. Dropped.
4 men. Dead. Instantly.
I had no pain. No guilt.
Only relief.
She was alive.
I carried her to the nearest hospital. Speed ran with her in my arms. She was weak. Bleeding. Fragile.
I didn't stop till I reached the doors. Nurses took over. Rushed her into surgery.
I collapsed in the waiting room. Exhausted. Broken. Hoping.
I was there for hours. 6. 12. I lost count.
She was my world.
She woke up 3 days later.
I was admitted too. Had to be sedated or I'd have a nervous breakdown.
She looked at me. Smiled. Like I was dead and received in paradise.
"Kofi."
Her voice was quiet. Weak. Pale face.
"Hey. I'm here. Always."
"You saved my life. Nearly died."
"I promised I'd always be there."
She reached for my hand. Pulled me into a hug.
Then she kissed me. On the lips. Not cheeks.
Passionate. Sweet. Full of promise.
I felt hope. Love. I never wanted it to end.
She silenced all my doubts.
"The first kiss is always the sweetest. Because it's the first lie you believe."
Der Unerschütterliche, The Unshakable Playbook
The family was grateful.
Kwame Asante hugged me like I was his son. Shook my hand.
"You saved her life. Twice now. I will never forget this. I'm entirely in your debt."
He gave me a bonus. 500,000 cedis. More money than I'd ever seen.
A promotion. More responsibility. More trust.
Then he gave me something I'd never had.
"Respect."
Finally, I believed I earned it. Found my own family. Finally home.
I was too happy to see the shift. The cold calculation behind his smile. His eyes didn't match his gratitude. The appreciation felt like a performance.
I was still a tool. Someone to be used. Discarded later.
I didn't see the red light.
Completely blind.
Blind to the lies. Blind to the manipulation.
"They gave me everything. So they could take everything. That's the game."
Der Unerschütterliche, The Unshakable Playbook
I look back on that day now.
The car chase. The fight. The kiss. The hope.
I was young. Dumb. Broke. Desperate to be wanted.
I believed in something that didn't exist.
True love. Loyalty. Family.
I was wrong.
But I won't be wrong anymore.
I know the truth now.
And they will pay for every lie they told.
For taking my love.
For killing my trust.
For murdering the man I used to be.
- Writer
