This has been pretty dark, hasn’t it? With a merciless group of drug dealers intolerant to disrespect and failure, the young man is in a lot of trouble right now. And the Adomakos are none the wiser. How will this season end? Let’s see…

“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest…”

Izar’s stomach twisted as the pastor’s voice from the kelewele joint echoed in his mind yet again.

This time, however, he was not scoffing at it.

Never would he have guessed that it would end up slapping him in the face like this.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His heart slammed against his chest as though it was trying to escape. His hands shook uncontrollably as he paced the room, a bundle of fright, terror and dread.

There was no doubt about it, that was the same registration number plate he saw at the 7Katz warehouse.

They had found him. The one time he stepped out of the house to get himself something nice, he had been caught.

And now that they knew where he was, only one thing followed.

A painful and gruesome death.

Now all those nightmares of Tigris tormenting him to death in the worst possible way seemed very plausible now.

He placed his hands on his head and whimpered. “Oh god, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die. Please, I don’t wanna die, please, please!”

A few moments on, and as a tear ran down his cheek, he shook his head, wiped it, and took a deep breath. “Pull yourself together, nigga!” he rebuked himself, slapping himself on the forehead. “Crying like a little bitch won’t solve anything!”

As he continued to pace the room, his breath shallow and ragged, he knew the most obvious action to take.

Flee immediately.

Elubo was still the plan—get there, lay low, then sneak out of Ghana. He obviously had planned to depart early, but now, with this realization, that was a risk. All he needed to do at that moment was just grab that duffel bag, sneak out, and run for his life. Nothing else mattered.

He sprung toward his bag, ready to carry that out…

… and a thought came to mind.

What about Hector and Lavender?

He stopped, and winced, a twinge of guilt stabbing at him, unexpected and sharp.

Indeed, he couldn’t just walk away from them. Yeah, their churchy ways annoyed the crap out of him, but that didn’t negate the reality: Hector and Lavender had taken him in, fed him, given him a bed when he was a sobbing mess on the road, running away from the threat of 7Katz. They certainly deserved more than a sudden disappearance, now that he thought about it.

A bitter voice in his head, however, pushed back, its words laced with resentment: You owe them nothing, boy. Hector tore into you, called you a hypocrite, shoved that Jesus nonsense down your throat. Let them deal with their own problems.

That almost sounded good in his ears for a moment. After all, that teardown had left scars on his ego; the worst place to get wounded.

His conscience fired back, fierce and unyielding. They helped you when you had nowhere to go. You’d be dead without them. Yes, you fucking owe them! Besides, you know 7Katz are merciless; they won’t spare them once they find them!

That thought pierced him, cold and undeniable.

That was no joke: Leo and his fellow leaders wouldn’t spare the Adomakos once they knew of this. They knew where he was staying and whose roof he was seeking refuge under. Once they stormed the premises, Hector and Lavender, with their kindness and faith, would most definitely end up as collateral damage just for sheltering him. No way would Tigris look at this couple and decide to let them go; absolutely not.

He shook his head. I can’t let that happen. I just can’t. I’ve already fucked up enough, with Bricky and Santos…

At the mention of his friends, his mind flashed to them, their faces frozen in his memory.

The unpleasant memory of seeing them get tasered and dragged away by corrupt police officers. All because he felt the need to take a piss.

And now that he really thought about it, it was more than likely they were dead.

Either the rival cartel those shady police officers worked with had killed them, or 7Katz had found them and given them a similar fate.

Suddenly, the weight of this revelation snapped something in him.

Bricky. Santos. His boys.

Most certainly no more.

Because of him.

Their-their blood is on my hands… their blood is on my fucking hands. I’m the reason they’re dead. It’s me. My fault! If it wasn’t for me, they’d be moving up the ladder. Yet i fucked everything up and cost them their lives!

Izar sank to the floor, his back against the bed, his resolve crumbling. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks, his body shaking with bitter sobs. The weight of his lies, his failures, his cowardice… it crashed over him, relentless.

“I’m such a fuck-up!” he cried. “Fuck! I fuck up, and people die! What the fuck is wrong with me?”

As he continued to weep, distressed by the consequences of his actions, the pastor’s voice from the kelewele joint continued to echo faintly in his mind’s ear.

“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest…”

The Bible verse could not have rung any truer.

The truth of why he was running had been hidden from them, but now it could no longer be anymore. He was no righteous guy by any means, but he knew he couldn’t let the Adomakos pay for his mistakes: it was too unfair, too wrong. He had already caused his friends to die because of his folly; he could not allow it to happen again.

They had to know the truth. Immediately.

***

It was 1:30 am, and the 7Katz meeting room, ever the intimidating room, was crackling with menacing energy.

The news of Izar’s sighting had been quickly relayed from Panthera’s lair to all the other leaders, and as Leo was informed, an emergency meeting was called right away. Now, as the seven leaders sat in their usual semicircle of high-backed chairs with each emblem on each chair, the atmosphere was full of intense and vengeful energy. While most of them had not appreciated having their slumber time cut short, the news that Izar had been found was enough to make them forgive the servant delivering the message.

Everyone leaned forward, their eyes on Panthera as he held a glowing tablet, ready to give them the good news.

“Brothers,” Panthera started, “I am pleased to inform you that we have finally uncovered the whereabouts of that stupid little swine called Izar. Two of our men, Dondo and Volenti, have provided me with all the essentials and coordinates, and here is the update: he is hiding in a residential suburb in Madina Hills, Accra, living with a couple by name Hector and Lavender Amoako. Middle-class, a bunch of goody-two-shoes Christians, no kids. No criminal ties, no record. Izar’s in their spare room at their boy’s quarters, clearly ducking us after his screw-up. From what i’ve gathered here, it appears they have no idea who they have under their roof; the motherfucker must have lied to them about his past to get them to accommodate him. No surprise too: they’re some annoying Jesus freaks, they would’ve rejected him if they knew. But yes, we know where he is now.”

Everyone nodded in satisfaction, pleased with this news.

Leo’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk, his eyes burning with bloodlust. “Good work, Panthera. I knew you’d never let me down. ” He leaned back, steepling his fingers. “Izar’s run long enough. No time to waste. We move tonight. All of you, plus a few trustworthy men. Capture him and make sure his death is slow and excruciatingly painful. Make the piece of shit beg for mercy he won’t get.”

Tigris nodded, his knuckles flexing. “Not a problem, Leo. He cost us big time. I’ll make sure he feels it in his fucking bones as he dies.”

Onca grinned, buzzing with anticipation. “Oh, it’s gonna be a fun night.”

Uncia’s stoic nod and Pardus’s silent agreement sealed the plan, while Jabatus’s restless energy seemed to hum louder, his hand grazing the pistol at his hip.

Panthera cleared his throat, his eyes flicking to Leo. “What about the couple, though? The Amoakos. They’re not involved in any of this. Do we delete them as well, or we warn them not to squeal?”

“Or do we fuck them up, then warn them not to squeal?” Tigris enquired.

The room fell silent, the leaders’ gazes turning to Leo. He paused for a moment, his expression unreadable, his fingers drumming lightly on the table as he pondered over what to do.

After a moment or two of reflection, he looked around, his eyes cold with malice.

“They harboured him. Doesn’t matter if they knew or not. They’ve got his stink on them now. They must die too.”

***

“You’re gonna have to work out twice tomorrow to burn off all those calories from the ice cream, you know.”

“After this cardio workout we just did? Please, Hector! This is enough exercise!”

In the sanctity of the Amoako bedroom, Hector and Lavender were tangled in each other’s arms, their laughter muffled as they traded gentle touches and playful whispers after some sweet intimacy. Lavender giggled, swatting Hector’s chest as he teased her and pulled her closer. “You’re such a bad boy,” she joked, rubbing his chest.

“As if you didn’t enjoy it,” Hector shot back playfully, gripping her tightly. She smirked, wrapping her arms around him, enjoying every second of this lovey period.

“Hmmm. This is so beautiful,” she murmured.

“Mm-hmm,” Hector agreed, taking the time to plant a kiss on her forehead before continuing. “This is exactly how God intended it to be. Enjoying all this sweetness on the marital bed… couldn’t ask for anything more.”

A sharp knock at the front door shattered the moment.

They froze, eyes wide. “Who’s that at this hour?” Lavender whispered, her voice tight with fear. “Is it Izar?”

Hector’s jaw tightened, his protective instincts kicking in. “Must be. Stay here,” he ordered, but she shook her head, already slipping out of bed. They quickly threw on robes, exchanging a tense glance as they moved toward the living room, the knock echoing again, urgent and insistent.

Hector opened the door, with Lavender close behind, and they froze at the sight before them.

The same sight they had seen about a week ago when they were returning from the all-night service.

It was Izar, down on his knees with tears streaming down his face, and his hands clasped together. “Please, forgive me,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “I-I-I’m so sorry—I-I–”

Hector’s brow furrowed, concern and confusion mixing up. “Izar, what’s going on? Get up, come inside.” He reached down, helping the trembling young man to his feet and guiding him into the living room. Lavender shut the door, her eyes wide with confusion as Izar sank onto the couch, head in his hands.

“Izar, what’s wrong?” Lavender asked gently. “Why this sudden breakdown?”

“Yeah, Izar. talk to us,” Hector prodded. “It must be serious for you to knock at our door at this time. What is it?”

Through sobs, Izar’s words came haltingly, each one heavy with dread. “I-I… I’m sorry. I’m a total screw-up, and I-I…I haven’t been honest with you. I had to come now, had to tell you… I’ve been hiding the truth.”

Hector and Lavender exchanged a look, worry starting to cross their features. “Wh-why do you say that?” Hector asked. “What exactly is this truth you’re talking about?”

Izar sniffed, then took a shaky breath, shutting his eyes as he gathered the courage to let out the truth. His head still down, his voice cracked as he began.

“I… I told you a lie. I’m not running from some abusive stepfather who’s a corrupt officer. That-that was all a lie. The truth is… I’m… I’m part of a drug cartel. It’s called 7Katz; made up of seven wicked guys all named after big cats. And I’m… a low-level guy. I… I was given an important mission by the main leader, along with two of my friends. And… I effed up badly, and the mission failed.  Some guys took my friends away,  and I was alone. And they-they don’t forgive that. They hate failure. They made it clear they would kill us if we failed, so… so that’s why I was running.”

The silence following the admission was deafening.

He lifted his tear-streaked face, his eyes darting between Hector and Lavender, whose faces were full of abject horror.

His voice dropped to a terrified whisper. “And the reason I’m here right now is because… they’ve found me. There was a black Honda Civic I saw outside when you returned… it’s theirs, from their intelligence section. They know I’m here, with you.

“And-and… and I know them well. It’s not just me they’ll be after. You’re in danger too, because of me. They’re coming, and they’ll kill us all. We need to get out of here. All of us. Now.”

Yes, the stakes are now critical for Izar and the Adomakos. A target is on their back, and if what we’ve seen of 7Katz is anything to go by, they’re in real danger. Will they be able to escape the oncoming onslaught?

Well, season 2 will answer that, and boy, will it be a heart pumper!!