TARASHA
Tarasha – Chapter Five(part2)
© Oyin Oluwatosin Emmanuel
Benny paced around the floor in the large compound impatiently with his gun in the left hand, waiting anxiously for his new boss, Tarasha. It was the first time he was going to work under a lady. He had worked with several male assassins and thugs who were well feared in the country, but he hadn’t even heard about a powerful female Assassin until when Tarasha showed up. He was the second in command to Don, his immediate former Boss who just transferred him to Tarasha.
Don did not release him to her without hesitating, in fact Don had to think about it for almost thirty minutes before he finally decided to transfer him. Thinking for that long on a small matter as this wasn’t something he had ever seen Don do for the three years he worked with him. But Don’s long thinking moment didn’t come as a surprise to him as he knew he was for sure a great asset to Don’s organization, Nanl gang. He never failed at any task and he always carried out his job within the specified time. He was also very good in convincing and mobilizing other men for tasks.
His transfer didn’t also come as a surprise to him as he saw the angry look on Don’s face when the two guys previously transferred returned that morning looking thoroughly battered. The only reason Don did not kill them after they explained was that he didn’t want to lose another two of his strong men.
He took a look at Cole, the other man transferred with him. Cole was seated on a chair with a anxious look on his face. He also had worked with Don for three years, working efficiently as the best ICT agent and fastest driver. Don had no choice than to release his two favorite men because he couldn’t face the embarrassment of his men being returned again for their inefficiency.
Benny turned suddenly at the sound of Cole’s foot tapped on the floor, he pointed his gun at Cole.
Cole looked at him funnily, ‘you better calm down my friend’
‘Calm down? I don’t want us to disappoint Don, we must not be returned like the other guys’ Benny replied . ‘I want us to be the ones to catch the lady unawares this time around’
‘She said she’ll come in the afternoon, but the time is only thirty minutes past eleven’
‘Yesssss’ Benny stressed the word, staring widely at Cole. ‘Didn’t you hear what the guys said? She told them she was coming by seven in the morning but she caught them while sleeping at midnight’
‘That’s nice dude’ A lady said approaching them. ‘But you don’t catch a trained Assassin by fidgeting all over like you are doing now. You’ve allowed your anxiety gain ascendancy over your attentiveness’
‘Who are you? How did you get in?’ Benny asked as he pointed his gun at her. Cole got up from his seat and brought out his revolver also.
‘How I got in isn’t your concern’ she smiled and extended her hand to them. ‘I’m Tarasha, your new boss’
‘Huh? Tarasha?’ Benny shook his head in disbelief. ‘It can’t be’
‘Tarasha is supposed to be on mask’ Cole added, still pointing his gun at her. ‘Don’t come close or I’ll waste you’
‘I’m working with you guys so it would be stupid use a mask’ she said. She smiled at them sheepishly but in next second sent them sprawling on the floor as she slid towards them and took their legs off the ground swiftly, their guns falling off from them as they landed thunderously.
She got up without any stains on her clothes except her shoes which she cleaned off. She picked up the guns and sat on the chair previously used by Cole leaving the duo on the floor to recover from the attack.
‘Another lesson you ought to learn is not allowing an attack keep you down; what if I was an enemy lying to be Tarasha? Would you still be struggling to stand while I send in bullets through your skulls?’
They got up faster and stood firmly, staring at her like they saw an alien that just landed from another planet. The attack was enough to prove to them that it was Tarasha but the lady sitting before them looked too beautiful and innocent to be an assassin, her voice was also too calm and peaceful
‘Why are you both staring at me like that? Won’t you tell me your names?’ She brought back the two startled men to reality.
‘I’m Be.. Benny and he’s Cole’ Benny stammered.
Tarasha smiled and handed the guns back to them, she walked into the building and they followed her. ‘I will come here always to give you instructions when there is a job, otherwise I’ll only talk to you on phone and on camera’
She walked into the living room and turned on the TV , then she sat on the sofa, crossed her legs and starting searching through the stations with the remote control.
‘Come on, have your seats’ she said to Benny and come who stood beside her like bodyguards on punishment.
They sat reluctantly on the sofa facing hers, she remained silent for some few minutes, busy with the TV after which she tossed the remote control to Cole.
‘So Cole and Benny, I believe you know why you’re here’ She began, sitting up right. ‘We have a job at hand right now and I urgently need a very good driver and someone good on computers’
Cole and Benny looked at each others faces, Benny answered her. ‘We are both good at computers and also fast drivers’
‘Okay, who’s better using computers?’ She asked.
‘The truth is… ‘ Benny replied with a sorry look, he glanced at Cole as he spoke. ‘He’s better at both than I am, but I’m not bad either’
Tarasha smiled, ‘so in what area are you better than him?’
‘I can handle guns very well’ Benny replied with a smile.
‘Is that true?’ She looked at Cole’s face for confirmation.
‘Yes, he was the major hitman in our gang’
‘Okay then, Cole will be in charge of all computer or camera works while Benny would handle the cars and be my backup at operations’ she paused and looked at their faces, they both nodded in confirmation. ‘So when I leave here now, Coke would set up the computer room to his taste while Benny would visit the store rooms for weapons and study them carefully’
‘Okay’ they replied softly, one after the other.
‘Now, one thing you guys have to realize is that you’re working for me and your loyalty should be to me and not your former boss or Chief Gab who brought you here, I just sent him an errand’ She paused and laughed. ‘And then, I hate dishonesty and unpunctuality, I hope you guys don’t have these bad qualities?’
‘No’ they replied in unison this time, Benny shaking his head softly to emphasize hos answer.
‘Good, also note my instructions have to be obeyed always, I won’t share anyone who willfully and unnecessarily disobeys’ the look on her face changed to a serious one as she stood up from the chair. ‘Now pay attention to this serious warning’
The two guys bounced to their feet and followed her as she was motioned towards the exit door, they followed hurriedly expecting to hear her give the serious warning.
She paused and turned back, the look on her face was a contorted one, the guys shivered at her new look. She stared into their faces and spoke in a harsh voice. ‘Nobody knows who Tarasha is except you two and the maid, the day anyone finds out from you is the day you will breathe last’
They stood still and watched as she walked away, still finding it hard to believe that their encounter with her was real and not a dream. What baffled them most was the ease at which she could switch her mood easily, they wondered what it would be like to work with her.
Benny who had earlier planned to call his former boss and tell him about her, changed his mind and decided to keep mute, his loyalty was to Tarasha henceforth.
The both stood still in silence for a minute after she walked out of the gate. Then Benny turned and muttered some words under his breath, he took off his shirt and threw it on one of the sofas in the living room, revealing his heavily tattooed back.
Cole followed suit, brought out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He stopped at the entrance, stuck the cigarette in his mouth and puffed out the smoke into the air.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*6am, Saturday Morning*
Cole was the first to get up that morning, he opened the door to the room where Benny slept and peeped, Benny was still fast asleep. He closed back the door and continued walking to the parlor, he stopped again after walking a distance. Just at his left side was the computer room which he briefly assessed and arranged the last night.
His countenance changed as he noticed that the door was slightly opened, he remembered locking it with keys the last night. That arouse his suspicion, he pulled out a knife from his left side and walked slowly to the door. He opened and peeped in but saw no one, he walked in carefully scanning through all corners of the room for possible sign of an intruder. He found nothing and walked out of the room.
Benny was already awake and was at the computer room doorstep.
He yawned as he talked, ‘are you working this early already?’
‘No, it’s as if someone came in here. Or did you enter here last night after I had gone to sleep?’ Cole asked, locking the door again.
‘No’ Benny answered, giving Cole a serious look.
‘I locked the place yesterday but found it opened this morning’ Cole continued.
‘Huh?’ Benny moved back slowly, then turned and walked to the weapon store room, the place was locked. He opened to check if everything was in place and he found it to be in order.
‘Nothing here has been touched, maybe you forgot to lock up the place. Sleepy head like you’ Benny mocked as he walked to the living room.
Cole followed behind, ‘ I don’t think so’
‘You …’ Benny paused abruptly and stood up as swiftly as he sat into the chair, he walked towards the window like someone who discovered something.
He opened up the curtain and saw a figure hung upside down on the tree in the compound, she looked towards his direction. He closed back the curtain and turned back, Cole was already standing behind him, trying to have a look outside too.
‘I think she’s is here already’ Benny announced.
‘Huh? Who?’ Cole moved forward and confirmed for himself. ‘Tarasha’
The both straightened up their shirts and proceeded out of the house. Tarasha dropped off the tree when she saw them approaching, she used a towel to wipe her face and hung it around her neck.
Benny licked his lips in admiration, he stared at her exposed thighs below the tight black shorts she was putting on, her tight top only covered her neck to breast region and left other parts exposed. Benny wished his eyes could penetrate through the clothes to reveal what was behind.
‘Good morning Tarasha’ They chorused, standing at her front.
‘Good morning’ Tarasha answered, she twitched her lips and gave Benny a stern look. Benny’s body vibrated as his eyes met hers, he knew she had caught him searching her body with his eyes.
‘We got some work to do this morning’ she said and bent down to pick a pistol, a hardballer. She also laced her sneakers properly and proceeded into the house with the two others following closely.
Benny stared at the hardballer in her hand carefully, it looked like one which he had seen among the arsenal last night and arranged carefully. He cracked his brain, trying to remember if he saw the gun in the store that morning.
‘I took this from the store this morning’ Tarasha said with a smile, helping him solve the mystery. ‘And I also used the computers too, I installed a camera there so we can communicate well, at all times’
Benny and Cole looked at themselves in awe, fear surged through their bodies. They also had some form of training but wondered how Tarasha could enter into the house so silently without them waking up. Did she use magical powers to transfer herself into the house? Or how did she enter without making any noise to stir them up?
‘Cole should have noticed my presence, I didn’t lock the door to the computer room, I left it open as a sign to show you that I was around’ Tarasha explained, she walked past the living room and turned to the computer room.
She removed a flat metal from the belt around her waist and opened the door.
‘These locks do not really guarantee security anymore, that’s why places with need of maximum security makes use of cards and fingerprints locks’ she said and inserted her flash drive into a computer she switched on.
‘Only little information required for our first job has been gotten , we need to get more information and put everything else in place’ She began. ‘The job is to waste the Minister of health, Nnamdi Akofor’
‘Nnamdi Okafor’ Cole corrected her wrong pronunciation. ‘What’s the plan? Are we going to Abuja?’
‘No, he’s coming to Lagos. There’s a conference next week Saturday and he’s one of the speakers’ She continued. ‘He has a house in Lagos and he’s going to be staying there when he comes’
‘So are we killing him in his house?’ Benny questioned, folding his hands as he paid rapt attention to her.
‘I don’t know yet, that’s why we need more information’ she answered and looked away to the computer screen. She clicked on an icon and an application opened up. ‘From the data I gathered already, the official selected by the SSS to be in charge of the Minister’s security was Segun Kayode’
‘Segun Kayode sounds familiar’ Cole interrupted, trying to recall where he knew the bearer of the name.
‘The Segun Kayode I know works with Officer James, they’re on the same CID team’ James added confidently. ‘But they work on criminal cases, I wonder why Segun is involved in this one’
‘The position of the officers in charge does not matter to us, what would determine our success is if we play our roles very well’ Tarasha said and faced Cole. ‘Canyou work with this application?’
‘Yes, I’ve used it several times already but not for any major job, I only played around with it’ Cole replied.
‘Okay, hummm…’ She brushed a finger on her lips and thought about something briefly. ‘The man’s house is located at 4/6 Alex Street, Ikeja. Your job is to survey the place and locate all the security cameras around the area with that App’
She stood up from the seat and motioned Cole to sit down. She watched and smiled as Cole began to operate the software without struggling.
‘Benny and I will start a physical survey of place today’ she tapped Benny at the back. ‘You’ll pick me up at Gravl avenue by 10am’
‘Alright, no problem’ Benny swallowed as he replied, ‘I’ll go get prepared at once’
‘Ermm, I think you guys need a cook here, don’t you? Or have you eaten this morning?’ Tarasha asked thoughtfully. ‘You can get one for yourself, but make sure you pick the right person.’
