LOVE AND BULLET
PART 13
The address led to an abandoned textile factory on the outskirts of Lagos—its broken windows like hollow eyes staring into the night.
Ava stood in the shadows of a crumbling wall, the humid air thick with the scent of rust and rotting cotton. Her fingers tightened around the phone in her pocket, the screen still displaying that ominous message:
"Come alone."
She hadn’t.
Obinna and three of his most trusted men were positioned around the perimeter, hidden in the darkness. Sergeant Kola waited in an unmarked car two blocks away, NDLEA backup on standby.
Ava took a deep breath and stepped into the open.
"Show yourself!" Her voice echoed through the empty compound.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then—
A single light flickered on above the factory doors, illuminating a figure seated casually on a plastic chair.
"Ava Carter." The voice was smooth, cultured. Familiar. "Or should I call you Lola now?"
Ava’s blood turned to ice.
Commissioner Dike.
But not the broken man they’d left bleeding in the evidence room. This version was polished—custom suit, gold cufflinks, his smile as sharp as a razor.
And behind him, emerging from the shadows like ghosts, were six armed men.
No.
Not men.
NDLEA special ops.
"You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?" Dike chuckled, crossing his legs like they were at a business meeting instead of a deserted factory. "A few leaked documents, some resignations—you barely scratched the surface."
Ava forced her voice steady. "Then enlighten me."
Dike leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "This was never about drugs or money. It’s about control. The people on your list? They don’t run this country. We do. And you?" He smirked. "You’re just a loose end."
Ava’s pulse pounded. "If you wanted me dead, you’d have done it already."
"True." Dike stood, brushing invisible dust from his trousers. "But Obinna Eze is worth more to us alive. And you?" His smile turned cruel. "You’re the perfect bait."
Ava barely had time to process the words before the warehouse doors burst open behind Dike—
And Obinna staggered out, his hands bound, a gun pressed to his temple by a masked operative.
No.
Her stomach dropped.
They’d known. They’d known about the ambush, about Kola, about everything.
Dike’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then laughed. "Ah. It seems your Sergeant friend won’t be joining us after all."
They forced Ava to her knees in the dirt, the cold barrel of a gun pressing into the back of her skull.
Obinna’s gaze locked onto hers, his eyes blazing with silent fury—not at their captors, but at her, for walking into this trap.
Dike crouched in front of her, his cologne sickly sweet. "Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to call off your little crusade. You’re going to disappear. And in return?" He patted her cheek. "Your beloved drug lord gets to keep breathing."
Ava’s nails dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
She could lie. Play along.
But one look at Obinna’s face told her he’d rather die than let these monsters win.
So she smiled.
"Wrong answer."
The first explosion rocked the compound like an earthquake.
Dike’s men stumbled as the factory’s east wall erupted in flames, the shockwave sending debris raining down.
Ava didn’t hesitate—she lunged, driving her elbow into the kneecap of the man behind her. His gun went off, the shot whipping past her ear as she rolled and came up swinging.
Obinna moved like lightning, snapping his bonds on the edge of a broken pipe and tackling his guard to the ground.
Chaos erupted.
Gunfire. Shouting. The roar of spreading flames.
Through the smoke, Ava saw Dike scrambling for a fallen pistol—
She dove, tackling him just as his fingers brushed the grip. They crashed into the dirt, rolling, punching, tearing at each other like wild animals.
Dike was stronger than he looked.
His fist connected with her jaw, sending stars exploding across her vision.
"You ****** girl," he spat, pinning her down. "You could have walked away!"
Ava grinned through the blood in her mouth. "I don’t know how."
Then she headbutted him with everything she had.
The fire raged.
Sirens wailed in the distance—too late, as always.
Ava staggered to her feet, coughing smoke from her lungs. Around her, the factory burned, illuminating the bodies of Dike’s men.
Obinna emerged from the haze, his face streaked with soot and blood.
"Dike?" he rasped.
Ava shook her head. "Gone."
The commissioner had vanished into the night, like the coward he was.
But the war wasn’t over.
It had just begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...
LOVE AND BULLET
PART 13
The address led to an abandoned textile factory on the outskirts of Lagos—its broken windows like hollow eyes staring into the night.
Ava stood in the shadows of a crumbling wall, the humid air thick with the scent of rust and rotting cotton. Her fingers tightened around the phone in her pocket, the screen still displaying that ominous message:
"Come alone."
She hadn’t.
Obinna and three of his most trusted men were positioned around the perimeter, hidden in the darkness. Sergeant Kola waited in an unmarked car two blocks away, NDLEA backup on standby.
Ava took a deep breath and stepped into the open.
"Show yourself!" Her voice echoed through the empty compound.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then—
A single light flickered on above the factory doors, illuminating a figure seated casually on a plastic chair.
"Ava Carter." The voice was smooth, cultured. Familiar. "Or should I call you Lola now?"
Ava’s blood turned to ice.
Commissioner Dike.
But not the broken man they’d left bleeding in the evidence room. This version was polished—custom suit, gold cufflinks, his smile as sharp as a razor.
And behind him, emerging from the shadows like ghosts, were six armed men.
No.
Not men.
NDLEA special ops.
"You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?" Dike chuckled, crossing his legs like they were at a business meeting instead of a deserted factory. "A few leaked documents, some resignations—you barely scratched the surface."
Ava forced her voice steady. "Then enlighten me."
Dike leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "This was never about drugs or money. It’s about control. The people on your list? They don’t run this country. We do. And you?" He smirked. "You’re just a loose end."
Ava’s pulse pounded. "If you wanted me dead, you’d have done it already."
"True." Dike stood, brushing invisible dust from his trousers. "But Obinna Eze is worth more to us alive. And you?" His smile turned cruel. "You’re the perfect bait."
Ava barely had time to process the words before the warehouse doors burst open behind Dike—
And Obinna staggered out, his hands bound, a gun pressed to his temple by a masked operative.
No.
Her stomach dropped.
They’d known. They’d known about the ambush, about Kola, about everything.
Dike’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then laughed. "Ah. It seems your Sergeant friend won’t be joining us after all."
They forced Ava to her knees in the dirt, the cold barrel of a gun pressing into the back of her skull.
Obinna’s gaze locked onto hers, his eyes blazing with silent fury—not at their captors, but at her, for walking into this trap.
Dike crouched in front of her, his cologne sickly sweet. "Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to call off your little crusade. You’re going to disappear. And in return?" He patted her cheek. "Your beloved drug lord gets to keep breathing."
Ava’s nails dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
She could lie. Play along.
But one look at Obinna’s face told her he’d rather die than let these monsters win.
So she smiled.
"Wrong answer."
The first explosion rocked the compound like an earthquake.
Dike’s men stumbled as the factory’s east wall erupted in flames, the shockwave sending debris raining down.
Ava didn’t hesitate—she lunged, driving her elbow into the kneecap of the man behind her. His gun went off, the shot whipping past her ear as she rolled and came up swinging.
Obinna moved like lightning, snapping his bonds on the edge of a broken pipe and tackling his guard to the ground.
Chaos erupted.
Gunfire. Shouting. The roar of spreading flames.
Through the smoke, Ava saw Dike scrambling for a fallen pistol—
She dove, tackling him just as his fingers brushed the grip. They crashed into the dirt, rolling, punching, tearing at each other like wild animals.
Dike was stronger than he looked.
His fist connected with her jaw, sending stars exploding across her vision.
"You stupid girl," he spat, pinning her down. "You could have walked away!"
Ava grinned through the blood in her mouth. "I don’t know how."
Then she headbutted him with everything she had.
The fire raged.
Sirens wailed in the distance—too late, as always.
Ava staggered to her feet, coughing smoke from her lungs. Around her, the factory burned, illuminating the bodies of Dike’s men.
Obinna emerged from the haze, his face streaked with soot and blood.
"Dike?" he rasped.
Ava shook her head. "Gone."
The commissioner had vanished into the night, like the coward he was.
But the war wasn’t over.
It had just begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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