Lagos had left Ebun behind. The city in its overview assaulted her. The sun-dazed haste, the sweating hawkers racing after cars, the advertisements on hulking billboards (others scrawled on walls - ELECTRICIAN CALL 080166666) and the heaps of rubbish that rose on the roadsides like a taunt. Here, she felt anything could happen and so she had the dizzying sensation of falling into the strange familiar.

Had it always been like this, or had it changed so much in her absence? It seemed a lot more like the latter because she could not remember Lagos buildings always having this patina of decay.

Ebun didn't care much about having one last look at Lagos on the day she left for Russia. All that filled her mind was the thought of meeting Sean and carrying out her revenge plan. Now though, she had more than enough time to look and notice every little detail because she was back out of frustration and desperation to end everything.

She would let things play out and see if she would have to stay here for a long time. That depended totally on what her older sister, Yemisi, had in store for her. Speaking of her older sister, Ebun got reminded of how she felt about her. Although Ebun mostly disliked her sister, she could not deny that she was curious to know what she looked like after all these years.

Yemisi was always such a busy woman. If she wasn't in the court, shuffling through thousands of paper files and talking endlessly to convince the judge of the credibility of her evidence, then she was investigating a murder case in some uncompleted building out of town. If it was neither of both (which was rarely ever the case), then she was busy trying to look after her children and her siblings even though they were grown-ass, independent people. Yemisi never created time for herself, and somehow, she preferred it that way.

Ebun wondered if Yemisi had been eating well or if, at least, she tried to eat two square meals a day. She also worried that her sister might have aged a lot.

Then she caught herself in her thoughts and wondered why she cared so much about her sister all of a sudden.

It's because you still love her and she's family. Welcome home.

Ebun tried to shoo the voice of her subconscious and replaced it with the fact that it was this same Yemisi who'd tried to choke her back in Russia, having the entire Russian population keep unwanted eyes on her. She could never forget the Caribbean driver and how embarrassing the experience had been.

Ebun took a deep breath. In less than five minutes, the airport driver would drop her at the airport hotel where she'd be meeting Yemisi. She'd better brace herself up for whatever lay ahead for her.

***
When Ebun arrived at the hotel's parking lot and stepped out of the car, what she saw was of great surprise to her. This hadn't been the plan. Yemisi said she would pick her up and it sounded like she would come alone. Now, why was she seeing Yemisi and her other four siblings standing a few feet away, each holding a bouquet in hand...for her?

Ebun didn't know what to say, think or feel, but one thing she was sure of was that she felt overwhelmed and there was a strange urge to cry. Why was her heart's beating pace regulated and calm for the first time in years? Why was her breathing leveled? Was this relief? Why did she feel like crying out of relief? And worse off, why did it feel like a missing big puzzle piece of her life had finally been found and fixed into the right place to create the perfect, befitting picture?

Why was she feeling these things? Had her senses now been separated from her? She was supposed to feel vengeful, angry, and eager to kill, but this strange sentiment was much to her disliking.

Thankfully, none of them had seen her yet. They were still chatting with one another. She still had a chance to hop back into the car and tell the chauffeur to drive out of the parking lot. So she turned and was just about to do as planned, but a peachy cry that came from behind made her realize she'd been wrong about them not seeing her.

How could they not see her anyway? It was a parking lot, for heaven's sake and it was an enclosed space. One could easily spot a mouse even.

"Over here, Ebun baby!" Yemisi called out, waving frantically with one hand as she held a bouquet of sunflowers in the other.

Ebun stood still and turned to face them, resigned. She didn't expect to find her older siblings looking much older. Seven years older. And she didn't think that that would affect her so much. She'd left them for so long and was surprised by how delighted she was to see their faces now. As they jumped and waved at her with glee in their faces and composure, she couldn't resist the urge to study each of them individually.

David. She could never forget how he'd slapped her hard across the cheek when he found out that she was secretly buying weed after school hours. That day, she didn't find the slap to be a nice gesture. But now, she knew he'd only been trying to look out for her. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Her dear brother. She wasn't very close to him, but whenever she saw him, she always felt proud of him, primarily because of the stories she'd heard about him.

He'd lost a sister that Ebun never got to meet because she didn't exist then, but she heard that he became insane over it. Now, as he stood tall, mighty, and handsome in a navy blue seersucker suit, smiling warmly and holding a garland of roses, all she could see was a healed and transformed man.

Alexander, her second brother, who she had a bit of a relationship with, was one who always loved to smile and tell jokes even when life was biting him ferociously in the ass. He'd always tried to cheer her up during those times when she was still fresh with rage from the rape incident. Although his jokes never made her laugh because she was too bitter and enraged, she still appreciated his efforts.

Now, as she looked at him, wearing his contagious smile, she wondered why she'd tried so hard to run away from these people who'd done nothing but love her in their best possible ways. It only now dawned on her because right now, all she could feel was pure, unadulterated love. One that bitterness had blinded her to for so long.

Her two sisters, Demi and Cassandra, whom she was the closest to, looked like goddesses in their sequin dresses and elegant makeup. Ebun was delighted to see Cassie let her hair down. It suited her and Ebun loved how robust she was now looking. It was still a shock to her that Cassie, her immediate older sister was now a mum. Her nephews and niece must have grown and it hurt that she'd not been a part of that growth.

Cassandra was particularly waving hard at her with both hands. She'd shoved her bouquet into Demi's hands, leaving the poor lady to hold two heavy bouquets. Guilt dealt mercilessly with Ebun. She'd neglected even the siblings she'd been the closest to. She never cared to call or, at the very least, send a text message. She never replied to their emails either.

Why had she done something so cold to the people that didn't mean harm? She didn't deserve this show of love she was getting. So she yelled back from where she stood to the five of them:

"There was no need for the flowers! You guys didn't have to come here! And I don't care that much!"

"Oops! But we do!" Cassandra yelled in response.

Ebun shook her head as a tear rolled down her eyes. Yemisi was rushing over to her now and the others were following quickly like minions. Ebun still wished she could run, hide, sink, shrink or simply vanish but it was pointless now.

When everyone got close enough, they engulfed her in a big family hug. Everyone showered kisses on her forehead and her cheeks. Alexander gave her an affectionate pat on the head as he ruffled her woolly hair. The scent mixture of colognes, mint, vanilla and soap that came from all of them comforted her a great deal.

"We missed you so much!" Cassie cried hysterically as she squeezed Ebun's shoulders. "How could you not text me back?!"

"You have no idea how complete we feel to have you back. It was like we were missing a part of our body," David said calmly.

Ebun didn't respond. She just bowed her head, ashamed and void of excuses. Afterward, they shoved all the flower bouquets into her hands. The chauffeur helped to put them in the car. When Yemisi got a chance to touch Ebun, she grabbed Ebun's left cheek and squeezed it softly.

"What were you saying earlier, you brat? Don't be rude to your elders! You're the last born for a reason!" Yemisi reprimanded but even as she did, she was smiling hard.

Deep down, Ebun was glad that Yemisi hadn't aged too much. She still had that radiant, boss lady, sophisticated look to her, and her body was still in great shape - just the way Ebun had always admired it. But she was cautious not to show that she was happy about it. Or about every other thing that gladened her at the moment.

She was still mad at her for making her stay in Hostel Pavlov and having multiple eyes watch her. Or at least, she was supposed to remain angry. More so, why be warm and all smiles? She was here for business and still wasn't sure she could trust Yemisi to give her some space and not choke her with instructions.

So when Yemisi curved her hand and moved closer in a bid to hug her, she allowed it but stuck out a finger and jabbed it in her stomach to at least keep Yemisi a breath away and unable to fully embrace her. Yemisi noticed and got the hang of what was going on. With a resigned sigh and a heartbroken expression, she spoke.

"You will learn to trust me with time, Ebun," Yemisi said into her ear in a low tone so that only the two of them could hear.

"Hmm. I hope so. I came here very, very reluctantly. You know that, right?" Ebun whispered back, smirking.

But as soon as she said those words, she realized how foolish and false they were. Reluctant, my foot! She'd wanted to be here to a great extent. She was tired of Russia and needed more answers, so who was she kidding? She realized that deep down, she was no longer so mad at Yemisi for trying to stop her from going to Russia. Staying there had been pretty tough after all. It was only because of Sean that she could cope.

Still, for the sake of her constant desire for revenge, it was slightly painful that she had to remain true to herself and put on this facade.

"Yes, I'm aware," Yemisi said calmly.

"Where's Gaius? The one you said you recently caught?" Ebun's voice was lower, almost inaudible.

"Relax. You will meet him very soon. After tonight's party."

"Party?" Ebun quizzed. Her finger was starting to hurt now.

"Yes, my love. We are celebrating the demise of Cassandra's worse enemy tonight. His name's Dan. That bastard had his father abduct her to use her for his evil purposes. He humiliated her greatly, but now he's gone," Yemisi frowned as though enraged that she had to retell such a despicable story.

"All of that happened to her?" Ebun was heartbroken. She released her finger from Yemisi's stomach.

"Yes! A whole lot occurred while you were away, but that's okay. No need to feel guilty. You're here with us now, and very soon, we will hold a party for you too once every single member of the gang that raped you are dead. Except for the one you'd be meeting soon."

Ebun was moved.

"I'll help with the preparations for Cassie's party tonight."

"Thank you so much," Yemisi smiled.

***
Ebun was bothered that Sean hadn't given her a call since she'd arrived in Nigeria. Even if the time zones were different, Ebun was sure that at some point, Sean must have been awake and active enough to go through his phone even though he didn't use it much.

Wasn't he concerned about her or cared to know if she'd arrived safely? Or...was he busy looking for the leader of the gang? Was he tiring himself over her, or was he not? Ebun had never really known what Sean was always up to when he wasn't with her. It never bothered her to know because she had always assumed he was out there killing someone that deserved it. Still, that could not possibly be all, right? There had to be something else...other things he was doing.

She made a mental note to ensure that Sean proposed to her very soon. She wanted to be married to him, so she could know more about his life, his world, and be involved in it just like he'd been engaged in hers over the years. Ebun realized she didn't like the painful, empty absence that solidified whenever she wasn't in the same environmental space with him. For now though, she was only going to send him a text.

Hi. I don't know what you're up to right now, but I hope you're taking it easy and perhaps, thinking of me. Text me once you see this. I miss you.

Once she pressed send, she put her phone in her pocket and began to look through some of the classic wines arranged on the shelves. She had to hurry up and get the wine that Yemisi had ordered. Immediately she found a bottle of André, she picked four more andre bottles and put them in the trolley. She left the store feeling so irritated and wondering when Nigerian shopkeepers had become so rude.

When she got home (a word she'd never had the opportunity to mention for seven years), she was amazed by how far everyone had gone with the home decor and table setting. Quickly, she gave the housekeeper the wine bottles to store in the fridge and asked for Yemisi's whereabouts.

"She's at the backyard, ma," The maid answered, looking at Ebun as though it couldn't be true that she was indeed a family member. Ebun couldn't blame the maid.

When Ebun got to the backyard, everything was almost set. The view was so beautiful. Tables and chairs were already put together. The chairs were covered in white sheets, and colorful pillows were positioned to give the furniture settings a balanced hue mix. There were colorful lanterns everywhere; on the tables, the ground and currently, she could see her brothers fixing more standing lamps.

The beach beyond did a great deal in adding magnificence to everything. The turquoise blue color of the water was even more pleasant. She'd always loved coming here as a child. It was one thing she loved the most about her family house; the fact that their house was situated close to the beach. The reddish rocks by the beachside were also lovely, adding to the aesthetic effect.

Ebun spotted Yemisi by one of the tables holding a pile of plates. When Yemisi saw her, she waved at her.

"Come over! We need to set these plates!"

As soon as Ebun got to work and began arranging the plates with her sister, a conversation started quickly between them.

"Did you find any member of the gang in Russia?" Yemisi asked as she wiped one of the plates with a brown napkin.

"What do you mean? I was busy studying," Ebun feigned confusion and cleaned the plate in her hand a bit too loudly and produced squeaky sounds. She hadn't seen it coming.

"Come on. I'm not a fool. I know you were doing some things and trying to find your rapists in Russia."

"Oh...so...why did you have people spy on me then?" Ebun didn't feel like having this conversation. She already knew how it was going to end. Yemisi would chastise her. Still, she was genuinely curious.

"Just to protect you and make sure that no matter what you were doing, you were safe. But somewhere along the line, I made the spies stop. It was a hard decision, but I had to let you breathe."

Ebun stopped cleaning the plate. She gulped, and then she blinked. Her brain started to reset upon hearing her sister's side of the story. It seemed like she'd been grossly misunderstanding her for the longest time. This was huge news and it was jarring. Her entire paradigm was about to shift drastically very soon.

"So...why did you make me come home?"

"You came of your own accord. All I could do was give you a good reason to do so," Yemisi sounded cold.

"You used Gaius as bait. How could I not come? Please don't avoid my question."

"Fine," Yemisi dropped the fifth plate she was cleaning on the table and sighed. "I just want to make things easier for you, Ebun. Am I asking for too much by wanting that? I just want to help you. I want us to catch these demons together. I want you to feel as guarded and protected as possible. I want you to have a good life and not be so engrossed in this vengeance thing. I don't want you to spend more years looking for these guys.

You've suffered for too long. I want to be there to pat your shoulders and wipe your tears when the difficult days come. Do you know how much it has tormented me over the years whenever I thought of the fact that you were perhaps having a hard day and had no one to give you a hug? But I had to let you be so you wouldn't resent me too much. But you never called, texted, or replied to our emails. Worrying about you and having no idea how you were doing sickened me.

Your lack of response had all of us guessing and imagining all sorts. So I had to look for a way to bring you closer. Thanks to Gaius, who I didn't realize was so nearby, and you're here now."

Ebun swallowed too much saliva that she feared she might choke on. She worked extra hard not to let the tears fall. So she kept her head low and stared deeply into the ceramic ware in her hand, tracing its antique designs with her eyes. The insides of the plate were so white and shiny. It wasn't like she cared much about the details, but she had to keep her eyes clear.

Eventually, her efforts were futile. The moisture came, and tears fell into the plate she was holding.

Everything her sister said was right. Yemisi wasn't a stupid person. Ebun had gotten into a lot of trouble in Russia and they were incriminating enough for her sister to have had knowledge about and even acted upon a long ass time ago.

Perhaps, Yemisi had been aware of all the trouble she'd gotten into but decided not to strike and force her to come back home. That would have passed the wrong impression to Ebun and made her look more like a control freak. Maybe that was why Mrs. Mariyah hadn't reported her when word got out that she and Sean had killed Mr. Kojo and Mr. Saratov. It was probably the exact reason no one tried to look for her after she ran away from Hostel Pavlov.

Yemisi had most likely asked Mrs. Mariyah to stop reporting to her and let Ebun do as she pleased. If she wanted Ebun to come home, she would have made it happen a long time ago because Ebun hadn't been the most discreet in her dangerous dealings. She could no longer control herself now.

Her crying became more frantic and profuse. She felt awful for thinking of her sister so terribly and barely giving her a chance.

"It's okay, Ebun," Yemisi rubbed Ebun's back gently. "God, you have no idea how relieving it is for me to be able to pat you on the back." she pulled Ebun closer.

"I found one of the gang members. He came to the hospital where I worked. I killed him," Ebun finally answered the question once she was able to stop crying.

"Did you make sure to get the necessary information out of him before he died?" Ebun didn't fail to notice how Yemisi had made it sound like she wasn't the one who killed Gilbert.

"He was very adamant. I thought that it was a golden chance to have him show up at my hospital. I thought he'd spill his guts, but he wouldn't say a word about the masked guy, so I got angry and killed him."

"It's a good thing you came home. Gaius will have more useful things to say. I'm sure," Yemisi cleaned the last plate. "Now the party's about to start. Forget about your worries for now."

Just then, Cassandra chipped in, standing between Yemisi and Ebun. She hugged them both tightly.

"Thank you so much, my best babes."

"What are siblings for?" Ebun responded along with Yemisi. She laughed as Cassandra squeezed her butt cheeks.

"The party's about to start though. You should get something to wear," Cassie told her. As Ebun laughed, she wondered what she was going to wear. All she had were hoodies, jeans and face caps in her luggage box. Little did she know, however, that Yemisi had already prepared a gorgeous dress for her.

***
A week after Ebun's homecoming, Yemisi deemed it to be the right time for her to see Gaius at last. Yemisi wanted to give her enough time to settle down. One week would have felt like a lifetime if she wasn't having such a good time with her siblings and catching up on everything that had happened over the years. Still, Ebun was restless and apprehensive. She couldn't wait to see Gaius.

Finally, the time for the real business came. Yemisi and Ebun had left the house at 6:30 because of the Lagos traffic and the distance they had to cover. They got to where Gaius was at 8:45. It was a decent-looking storey building. It didn't make much sense to Ebun that Gaius was in there.

"How's it possible that he's in there? Makes me think he's having the time of his life," Ebun asked, looking outside the car.

"That's my tenement, Ebun. It's managed by my assistant, Albert. That's where I keep criminals before or after they serve time in prison - especially when they deserve to be tortured or questioned for some reason. Gaius isn't having the time of his life just because he's in a well-furnished house. He's in the underground basement as we speak."

"You said he's served his term in prison, right?" Ebun asked.

"Yes," Yemisi turned off the ignition. Then she turned towards Ebun and took her hand, patting it. "Will you be able to manage dealing with him on your own, or should I come along with you?"

"Err... No. I think I'll be fine on my own," Ebun said.

In the past week, Yemisi had proven herself to be the opposite of what Ebun thought she was. And Ebun was pleased with the discovery. She didn't dislike her sister that much anymore. Still, she could not forget how uncomfortable Yemisi had looked when she told her that she'd killed Gilbert. She couldn't forget how she'd said "he died" as though his demise had resulted from natural causes and not by her hands.

There was something about that attitude that made Ebun feel like Yemisi wasn't completely okay with the fact that Ebun was doing dangerous things. And she didn't want that same vibe when dealing with Gaius. She would feel controlled and won't be able to torture him like she really wished to. But she could tell that Yemisi was trying her hardest to give Ebun the freedom and she was grateful for it.

"Okay, no problem. My assistant will direct you to the basement."

"Thank you. But sis..." Ebun sighed. "I won't be able to take it if he doesn't say anything useful. I came all the way here for this. This is my biggest fear."

"Don't worry about that. He'll say a lot of things. Things that might break you. The weight of the information you will receive will cause you a lot of mental stress, to be honest, but I'm right around the corner if you need me. Just call me."

"Thank you so much. I mean it," Ebun let out a deep breath.

Swiftly, she stepped out of the car and wore her face cap. Then she tightened her gloves and torqued her revolver into the pocket of her jeans, and walked to the building.

As soon as she knocked, a lanky man opened the door. It was her sister's assistant. He walked her to the center of the living room that barely contained armchairs. Then he lifted the center table and put it aside. He did the same thing for the rug that was underneath the table.

A bare wooden floor came into view and by the edge of the wood was a knob. The assistant brought out a key and inserted it into the keyhole. Once he turned the knob, the wooden floor opened up, revealing a deep, pitch-black space that lay beyond.

Ebun went in after the assistant and held on to the ladder and slowly began to descend until her feet touched the gravel floor underground. The basement was so dark and humid. The floor was filled with broken stones and bricks, but Ebun managed to make her way through with the help of the assistant who held her hand.

When they turned left, lighting came in from a small blue bulb that hung from the ceiling. Ebun walked under the ray of the light and was careful not to trip on the broken stones that littered the ground. After a few minutes of walking straight ahead, they got to a compartment in the basement that looked more or less like a prison cell. There was a white bulb from the ceiling which helped Ebun see better now. The brighter their path got, the hotter it felt. The air became less humid.

The assistant brought out another bunch of keys and quickly opened the bolt of the thick bars. He swung the bars open, and Ebun walked in. Then she looked straight ahead and saw someone seated on a chair. His head was tilted downwards but when he felt the presence of another person, he looked up.

Their eyes met.

And instantly, there was an uncontrollable surge of anger that consumed Ebun at that moment as she looked into the eyes of another member of the gang who shattered her life many years ago.

Gaius.