“He’s performing,” she said. “And he’ll keep performing until he realizes there’s no audience that can save him.”
She sat across from me, expression hard again.
“Ayira,” she said, “does Quasi have a safe in his home office?”
My heart lurched. “Yes.”
“Do you know the combination?”
I hesitated, ashamed by how easily the answer came. “His birthday.”
Attorney Okafor nodded once, like that confirmed something she already believed. “We need what’s in it.”
“The police are at the house,” I said. “It’s a crime scene.”
“They’ll secure it today,” she replied. “Tonight, it’s mostly tape and tired patrol passes. And Quasi will be somewhere else, pretending to grieve.”
My stomach tightened. “You’re suggesting we go back.”
“I’m not suggesting,” she said. “I’m telling you the truth. The evidence you need is in that safe. If we wait, it disappears.”
I looked toward Kenzo. He had heard everything. He sat up on the bed, face pale but steady, like he’d been forced to grow up overnight.
“I’m going with you,” he said.
“No,” I snapped automatically, panic rising. “Absolutely not.”
Kenzo’s chin lifted, stubborn and terrified at the same time. “Mama, I know where Daddy hides things. I watch. I always watch.”
The words made my throat close.
Attorney Okafor watched him for a long moment, then looked at me.
“He’s right,” she said quietly. “And we don’t have time to pretend he isn’t.”
I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to keep my breathing steady.
Going back to that house, that burned shell, felt like stepping into the mouth of a monster.
But staying passive felt worse.
Because Quasi had already made his move.
And if we didn’t move next, he would.
I looked at Kenzo, this brave, shaken child who had saved our lives with a whisper in an airport.
“Okay,” I said, voice barely holding. “But you stay with me every second. You hear me? Every second.”
Kenzo nodded once.
Attorney Okafor stood. “Good,” she said. “Then we leave after dark.”
And as the day crawled forward, heavy with dread, I realized something else that made my stomach drop even harder.
If Quasi had hired men once, he could hire them again.
Which meant tonight, when we walked back into the remains of our home, we wouldn’t just be searching for evidence.
We’d be racing the people who were sent to make sure there were no loose ends.
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