The wind howled outside as they sat in Adaobi's apartment, silent, shattered by the rock and the message that came with it.
Amira held the lock of Kaira's hair to her chest, eyes vacant. For a long time, no one spoke.
David paced the floor, jaw clenched, fists tight.
Adaobi poured water into a glass, her hands shaking. "This is what he does. He doesn't just take. He breaks."
Amira finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then why didn't anyone stop him?"
Adaobi's eyes welled up. "Because everyone who tried... disappeared."
David's eyes scanned the file Adaobi had given them. Buried beneath years of reports was a folded letter, yellowed at the edges.
Rihanna's name was written on it.
In shaky handwriting.
Amira's fingers trembled as she unfolded it. Her sister's words spilled out, raw and rushed:
"If you're reading this, then he's found you too. Protect Kaira. He was never just after me it's always been about something bigger. I know something he wants. Something I never told anyone, not even you."
"There's a storage box in Surulere. Unit 7. Code 1996. Find it. And Amira… don't trust anyone."
Amira stood up. "We're going to Surulere. Tonight."
David hesitated. "It could be a trap."
"It's a chance," she said, with fire in her eyes. "I'm done being afraid."
Adaobi nodded solemnly. "I'll come with you."
Night had fully fallen by the time they reached the storage facility. David parked a few blocks away. They didn't want to be seen. The compound was quiet. Too quiet.
Unit 7 stood in the far corner.
David punched in the code: 1996.
The lock clicked open.
The door creaked as they stepped inside, phones lighting the room.
Dust, Boxes,Old journals, Folders marked "Confidential."
And then...
A safe.
David stepped closer. "Do you know the combination?"
Amira shook her head.
Then suddenly, her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: "Try 0704. Your mother's birthday, right?"
She froze.
The message was real-time.
He was watching.
Inside the Safe
Against every instinct, she entered the code.
Click.
The safe opened.
Inside: a flash drive and an old, blood-stained passport.
It belonged to a woman neither of them had ever seen but her last name was the same as theirs.
Sterling.
Amira gasped.
David stared at the name.
"She was related to you?"
"I don't know her," Amira said. "But maybe Rihanna did."
Adaobi looked at the drive. "Whatever's on this, it's what he's been hunting."
Suddenly, the door to the unit slammed shut.
The lights went off.
The room plunged into darkness.
David reached for his phone but it was dead.
A voice echoed through the shadows.
"You opened the door, now you deal with the consequences."
And from the darkness, footsteps approached.