Victor sat in silence, staring at the message on his phone.
"You have a traitor in your camp."
His mind raced. His team had been with him through thick and thin. But trust wasn't enough.
He needed proof.
Mutua, Julius, Anita, and Elijah were all in the room, unaware of the storm brewing in his mind.
"We need to move carefully," Victor said, watching their reactions. "Joseph is still dangerous."
Mutua nodded. "We should stick together."
Anita checked her laptop. "I've been monitoring our communications. No sign of leaks."
Elijah hesitated. "What if the traitor isn't one of us?"
Victor's pulse quickened. "Then who?"
Elijah exhaled. "Someone close enough to have access. A government insider. Maybe even… someone within State House."
The thought chilled Victor.
Had the President played him?
Or was someone feeding Joseph their every move?
Victor needed answers. Fast.
That night, he met a trusted contact, a former intelligence officer named Kamau.
"You need to trace a leak," Victor told him.
Kamau smirked. "You don't trust your own people?"
Victor's jaw tightened. "I trust facts."
Kamau nodded. "Give me 24 hours."
Victor returned to the safehouse, tension weighing on him.
Then his phone buzzed again.
A new message.
"You're running out of time."
Before he could react, the power cut out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
And outside, the sound of approaching footsteps.
Julius was the first to react. "Move!"
Victor grabbed Anita's arm, pulling her into the next room.
Gunfire erupted outside.
Mutua flipped the table, creating cover. "They found us."
Elijah peered through the window. "Multiple attackers. Heavily armed."
Victor cursed. Joseph had struck first.
Anita reached for her laptop. "I need time to erase our files."
Victor turned to Julius. "How many exits?"
"Just one."
"Then we fight our way out."
Mutua cocked his gun. "I thought you'd never say that."
The front door burst open.
And the battle began.
Bullets ripped through the safehouse walls. The air was thick with dust and gunfire.
Victor crouched behind the overturned table, his heart pounding.
"They're closing in!" Julius shouted.
Mutua fired back, taking down one of the attackers. "We can't hold them off forever!"
Anita frantically worked on her laptop. "Almost done wiping our files!"
Victor knew they had seconds to escape or they'd all be dead.
"Elijah, smoke grenades. Now!"
Elijah pulled two canisters from his bag and hurled them toward the entrance.
Thick, white smoke filled the room.
"Move! Now!" Victor ordered.
They sprinted toward the back door. The gunfire was deafening, bullets slicing through the haze.
Mutua kicked the door open. Fresh air hit their faces as they ran into the alley.
A black SUV screeched to a stop in front of them.
The driver rolled down the window. It was Kamau.
"Get in!" he barked.
They didn't hesitate.
As the car sped away, Victor looked back. The safehouse was in flames.
They had escaped.
But barely.
Inside the SUV, Kamau's grip on the wheel was tight. "That was close."
Victor exhaled. "Joseph knows we're getting too close."
Anita checked her phone. "It's worse than that."
She turned the screen toward them.
Breaking news alerts flooded social media.
"Governor Nyagah's Safehouse Raided, Authorities Call Him Armed and Dangerous!"
"Security Agencies Ordered to Arrest the Fugitive Governor!"
Mutua swore. "They're flipping the narrative."
Julius clenched his fists. "They want the public to see you as the villain."
Victor ran a hand over his face. "We need a new plan."
Elijah looked up. "And fast."
Because roadblocks were already being set up across the city.
And Joseph had just made Victor the most wanted man in the country.
---
They needed a place to regroup. Somewhere off the grid.
Kamau glanced at Victor. "I know a place. But it's risky."
Victor nodded. "We don't have a choice."
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up at a remote farmhouse outside the city.
A woman stepped out to meet them.
Tall, with sharp eyes and a presence that commanded respect.
Kamau introduced her. "This is Amina. Former intelligence. She can keep us hidden."
Amina studied Victor. "You're making a lot of enemies."
Victor met her gaze. "Then I must be doing something right."
She smirked. "Come inside. We have work to do."
As they entered, Anita whispered, "Can we trust her?"
Victor didn't answer.
Because at this point, trust was a luxury he couldn't afford.