Episode 6- The NGO Lady
SOTERIA'S POV
I didn’t overthink it this time.
Before my brain could start analyzing anything, I tapped Naya’s contact and hit call.
She answered almost immediately.
“Hi Soteria.” Her voice came out soft like she was just getting up from a nap.
“Hi,” I said, adjusting my seat as I pulled into a quieter corner of the parking lot. “Are you free?”
“Yes. I am. Why?”
“I was thinking…” I hesitated for a second, then decided to just say it plainly. “I’d actually like to see you. There will be a meeting with volunteers soon so I thought to run you up to date with our plans.”
There was a small pause. Then a bit of hesitation in her voice.
“Ohhh. Okay.”
“Don’t worry we are meeting in an open place. I feel like we barely spoke properly earlier.” I had to assure her.
“True. I was in a hurry.” she replied
“So where are you? I can come pick you up.”
There was another pause.
“I don’t usually share my direct location,” she said carefully. “Security reasons.”
“Of course. I completely understand.”
“I can send you an address where you can pick me. There’s a junction just after the barracks. I’ll meet you there.”
“Perfect. You can send it.”
A second later my phone buzzed.
She had dropped a pin near a busy intersection, just past the military barracks perimeter. I knew that place.
“I’ll be there in fifteen,” I said.
“Alright. Let me get dressed.”
She was already there when I arrived. She was standing under a small shade beside a fruit seller, wearing a simple denim skirt and a loose blouse, her hair was tied back.
She waved when she spotted my car.
I rolled down the window. “Hop in.”
She entered quickly and I set the car in motion.
“Hiiii Soteria,” she said, smiling.
“Hi Naya. You smell good,” I commended.
She looked shy “Thank you.”
“Where are we going?” she asked as I pulled back into traffic.
“Nosta Café.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Wow.. I’ve heard about it but I have never been there.”
“Okayyyy gurlll….Then today is your day.” I said with less energy than I'll normally give. She seemed reserved and I didn't want to scare her away with my extremely high energy.
Nosta Café had that soft Abuja aesthetic—neutral tones, glass walls, indoor plants that looked expensive but effortless. It wasn’t noisy. It was very calm.
We chose a table by the window.
She looked around, quietly observant.
“You come here often?” she asked.
I nodded “When I have some meetings. Or when I don’t want unnecessary attention.”
She gave me a look that said she understood.
We ordered drinks and snacks. Iced coffee for me and tea for her.
“So,” she said softly. “Tell me about your NGO.”
I leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table.
“It started small. Just me and two friends distributing food packs in Abuja suburbs. Then I realized that I really enjoyed giving to those who didn't have.”
She nodded.
“I studied architecture and I am currently an interior decorator,” I continued. “So I began thinking about sustainability. What if we didn’t just give supplies? What if we built learning spaces? What if we improved clinic infrastructure? What if we designed spaces that make people happy?”
Her eyes lit up.
“Wow. That's thoughtful.”
“I know right,” I admitted. “I believe that environment shapes mindset. A child who studies in a well-ventilated classroom with proper lighting learns differently from one under a leaking roof.”
“That’s true.”
“So this Benue outreach, it’s our first outreach outside Abuja. It is in a rural community. We’ve done site assessments through a local contact. They need classroom extension and clinic renovation.”
“And you’re designing it yourself?”
“Yes. Concept drafts are already done. I just need to finalize measurements and logistics.”
She smiled, almost proudly.
“You’re very driven.”
“I don’t like doing things halfway.”
“That’s very obvious.” She sipped her tea. If only she knew how far I was willing to go to get anything I want. Anything. Including her brother. I shook the thought off my head.
“And how can I help?” she asked.
“My friend- Amara already manages the financial aspect. She is also the project manager while Zainab- who is currently not in the country, is in charge of logistics and welfare. I just need coordination support. Somebody to assist Amara and take note of a few things here and there.”
“Ohhh. I can help out with that,” she said without blinking.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I love coordinating things,” she replied gently “And I want to be useful, to help out communities in my little way.”
There was something in the way she said that. It sounded like it was beyond volunteering for her.
“Why do you want to join?” I asked quietly.
She thought for a moment.
“Because I’ve seen what happens when communities are forgotten. And I don’t want to just complain about the country. I want to contribute.”
I found myself studying her more closely.
She was reserved but a bit open. She wasn’t trying to impress me. She wasn’t trying to prove anything. She was being herself.
“You know this means hard work, right?” I said lightly. “Early mornings, serious dust and heat.”
She smiled. “I’m not an Ajebutter like you oo.”
I laughed “This Ajebutter knows when to become kpako oo.”
We talked for almost two hours. I really enjoyed her company. She was brilliant and knew how to keep up a conversation.
“Are we partnering with local craftsmen or bringing external contractors?”
I found myself answering with enthusiasm.
“We’ll use local labor where possible. It also provides a source of livelihood for some of them.”
“What’s the contingency plan if security changes in the region? My brother will be very particular about that before he allows me travel with you”
“Ohhh not to worry. Security will be coordinated with community heads and local authorities. We can even go with a few security details from here.”
She nodded thoughtfully.
By the time we finished our drinks and snacks, we had already spent three hours at the cafe.
AKILAHYEL’S POV
I turned into the compound that evening, the sky had already bruised into that deep indigo Abuja gets when the sun gives up without ceremony. I parked, stepped out, and immediately knew something was off.
The house was too quiet.
Naya’s slippers weren’t by the door. Her bag wasn’t tossed carelessly on the console the way she always did when she forgot I hated clutter. No faint music humming from her room. No scent of whatever floral nonsense she liked spraying in the living room.
I checked the time.
6:47PM.
She should have been home.
I pulled out my phone and called her.
She picked on the first ring.
“Big bro!” Her voice was bright. Too bright.
“Where are you?” I asked immediately.
“I went out.”
She had no friend in Abuja. That, I was very sure of
“With who?” I immediately asked.
She paused and then replied
“With Soteria– the lady we met at the supermarket yesterday."
My jaw tightened so hard I felt it in my temples.
“Sorry. With who?” I needed to be sure of what I was hearing.
“The fair lady... That one from the supermarket na. The NGO lady.”
I closed my eyes briefly. Of all the people in the world.
“Why are you with her?” My voice came out lower than I intended.
“We went to talk about the outreach. We’re at a café.”
“Which café?”
She hesitated. “It’s a safe place.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She sighed softly. “Nosta Café.”
I inhaled slowly through my nose.
“Did she pick you up from the house? Did you give her the house address?”
“No!” she said quickly. “Of course not. I gave her a location close to the road. After the barracks. I’m not careless.”
“You are,” I said sharply. “You are very careless, Naya.”
“AkilaHyel….”
“Don’t.” My voice hardened. “Don’t start.”
“You met this woman how many times?”
“Once.” she answered quietly
“And that is enough for you to enter her car?”
“I promise, I was safe. My location is always on. I even shared you my live location.”
“She is a stranger, Naya.” I snapped. “You do not know her.”
Her voice came out shaky “You don’t have to shout to get your point across.”
I dragged a hand over my face.
“I am not shouting.”
“You are.” she fired.
I lowered my tone deliberately.
“I am in the army, Naya. Do you understand what that means?”
“I do. I'm sorry.”
I started pacing.
“I didn’t give her our address, I promise” she said again, more subdued now. “I was careful.”
“She wanted to talk about the NGO.” she quickly added.
“And you couldn’t do that over the phone?” my voice was softer now.
“I wanted to leave the house. I was tired of staying indoors.”
“I don’t trust easily,” I said. “You know that.”
“I know.”
“And you shouldn’t either.”
She was quiet again.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally.
The fight drained out of me a little at that. I was not worried cause it was Soteria. Naya had to be security conscious to not just go out with anyone. Well, scratch that!! I was worried cause it was her. She would do anything to get close to me. This was borderline obsession at this point. If not that she was Effiom's sister, I would have handled it in a more drastic way.
“Where exactly are you now?”
“I am still at the café. We just finished talking. I excused myself to take your call.”
“Good. Book a cab now and leave there.”
“Okay.”
“Stay on the phone.”
There was tapping. The faint background noise of traffic and café chatter.
“All the rides are busy,” she said after a moment. “They keep saying It’s rush hour.”
“Keep trying.”
“I am.” she snapped
Captain Effiom
Old Man!
I saw a WhatsApp message from Effiom.
Captain AkilaHyel
What’s up?
Captain Effiom
Intel just came in. There’s been a breach along the outskirts. Weapons movement suspected. We’re on standby.
My spine straightened automatically.
Captain AkilaHyel
How bad?
Captain Effiom
We are still assessing. But we may need to deploy.
I nodded once.
Captain AkilaHyel
I’m coming.
Then I spoke into the phone, I said, “Naya, listen to me carefully. There’s an emergency at work. I may not be able to stay on this call.”
“What? Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Don't fret. But please keep trying for a ride and go home as soon as you get one.”
“Okay.”
“If you can’t get one in the next fifteen minutes, call me again.”
“Yaro.... I have heard you”
“I have to go. Keep me updated.”
Right then, another voice filtered faintly through the phone. “What’s the issue?”
My jaw locked. Even without seeing her face, I knew it was her.
Naya lowered her tone. “Nothing. It’s fine.”
There was a slight rustle, like the phone being adjusted.
And I ended the call.
I hurried back to the office. Inside the operations room, the air was thick with urgency.
Maps were projected onto the wall. Coordinates blinking red. Officers speaking in clipped bursts.
“Suspected arms movement along axis C,” someone reported.
“Local informants?”
“Unreliable.”
Effiom stood beside me.
“You ready if we need to deploy?” he asked quietly.
“Always.”
I slipped into that other version of myself without effort. The one that doesn’t feel, doesn’t flinch nor think about women with defiant eyes.
Captain AkilaHyel Gaya.
Focused, disciplined and unmovable.
We reviewed routes. Backup contingencies. Communication protocols.
If it escalated beyond local containment, Effiom and I would lead the reinforcement team ourselves.
We received calls from higher command.
The weight of responsibility sat on my shoulders like it belonged there.
SOTERIA
The moment I heard his voice through Naya’s phone, my spine went rigid.
I didn’t need an introduction. I didn’t need context. That voice could command a parade ground and silence a room without raising a decibel. Low. Controlled and dangerous in the quiet way.
And even though he couldn’t see me, I instinctively straightened where I stood beside Naya’s outside the café.
After the call ended, Naya looked up at me with a sheepish expression.
“My brother,” she said unnecessarily.
“I figured.”
We walked back inside. She studied my face carefully, probably trying to see if I was offended. I wasn’t.
He had sounded irritated and angry. Controlled anger simmering underneath military discipline.
“Is he always like that?” I asked lightly, pretending like I didn’t care.
“He doesn’t like me going out alone,” she said, stirring the melting ice in her glass as we say down. “He’s overprotective.”
“He thinks I’m a kidnapper?” I asked, arching a brow.
Naya bit her lip. “He thinks anyone can be used against him.”
“I can drop you off,” I offered casually. “No need to stress about the rides.”
She shook her head immediately. “No, it’s fine. I will just keep trying”
She kept refreshing different ride apps. I watched her screen from where I sat.
Driver after driver kept declining.
“Why are they cancelling?” I asked.
“They’re saying my pickup point is too close to restricted area,” she sighed. “Or traffic.”
Outside, the evening had deepened. The café’s warm lights glowed against the darkening sky. Waiters were beginning to stack chairs around the outer tables.
“What time is it?” I asked.
She checked. “7:17PM.”
I frowned.
“It is late, Naya.”
“I knowwwww.” she sounded frustrated
The manager approached our table politely. “We’ll be closing in thirty minutes, ma'am.”
Naya nodded, embarrassed.
I could leave. I had my car. I had my own life. This wasn’t technically my problem.
But I remembered his voice.
Stay on the phone.
I didn’t know why it bothered me that he had sounded so… tense. But I wanted her to be safe, for his sake. And hers too.
“Let me drop you,” I said again, softer this time.
She hesitated. “He’ll be upset.”
“He’s already upset.”
She laughed quietly.
Another ride declined and her shoulders sagged. We waited for ten more minutes.
The café staff dimmed some of the lights.
“You can’t stay here all night,” I said firmly.
“I promise I’m not going to harm you.”
She gave me a look.
“I know you won’t.”
“But he doesn’t.”
She hesitated again.
Then I did something impulsive.
I pulled out my phone and opened my family’s profile. My father’s interviews, news articles, awards and showed them to her.
“I’m not some random person,” I said calmly. “My father is a Major General in the army. My brother is a serving Captain.” I showed her Effiom in his uniform.
Her eyes widened slightly.
“You’re from a military family?”
“Yes.”
She looked almost relieved.
“I won’t harm you,” I repeated. “If anything, I understand why he’s protective.”
That seemed to settle something in her.
She sighed deeply.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
We smiled and walked out together as the café closed behind us.
The night air was cool against my skin. Abuja nights have a certain quiet richness to them, streetlights casting golden pools on asphalt, distant hum of generators, faint scent of dust and rain even when there’s no rain.
She sat in my passenger seat, buckling herself in carefully. The drive was mostly quiet.
I didn’t press her with questions about her brother neither did she offer details.
But every now and then, I caught her glancing at her phone.
“He hasn’t called back?” I asked gently.
“No.”
I could see the flicker of worry she was trying to hide.
“He must be busy,” I said.
“Yes. I guess.”
We pulled up outside the barracks gate. I knew this estate. Effiom stayed close by.
The guards approached immediately, shining flashlights briefly into the car.
She rolled down the window and they recognized her instantly.
“Good evening, ma.”
“Good evening.”
They glanced at me. “Visitor?”
“Yes. She’s dropping me off.”
They nodded.
Once we were cleared in, I followed her directions to a modest housing cluster inside the compound.
“This place is really fine,” she said.
I parked.
“Thank you,” she added sincerely.
“He won’t be home for a while. What if I wait with you till he comes?” I said.
Her brows lifted. “You don’t have to.”
I shrugged lightly. “I don’t mind.”
She looked conflicted.
“He’ll be upset.”
“I’m already public enemy number one in his book.” She laughed.
“Okay. But only for a bit.”
We entered the house together.
It was simple, clean and functional. Nothing flashy.
Typical him.
Naya kicked off her shoes and sighed dramatically then she threw herself onto the couch.
“Thank you for staying.”
“It is not a issue. You’re welcome.”
“You’re different from what I expected.” she confessed.
I smirked. “What did you expect?”
She shrugged. “Flashy, rude, snobby, spoiled.”
“Ohhhh.. My darling, I can be all of that.”
She laughed.
Minutes passed. The clock ticked past ten. Still no sign of him.
“I had a really great day,” she murmured sleepily.
“Me too. I did.” I smiled faintly.
She yawned. We both did.
The adrenaline of the evening had faded.
Now it was just two girls on a couch, tired and talking too much.
“Wake me up once it's 11pm.” I said
“I will.” she concurred.
I don’t remember exactly when the conversation blurred into silence but at some point, she rested her head against the arm of the couch.
At some point, I tucked my legs beneath me and leaned back.
The house was quiet. Outside, distant movement of patrol vehicles.
Somewhere between gisting about amala spots and teasing her about her overbearing brother…
We both fell asleep.
Side by side on the couch.
AKILAHYEL
It is 10:57PM when the thought slices through me.
I had told her to stay there. To wait. I had said I would call her back.
The operations room had swallowed time whole. Voices layered over voices. Radios crackling. Orders flying like bullets you cannot see but must dodge anyway.
There are moments when being a Captain does not feel like a rank. It feels like a weight strapped to your chest.
A military breach has men like me standing between protecting civilians and facing chaos. Intelligence had come in earlier. They noticed suspicious movement.
If it escalates, Effiom and I must deploy.
If it escalates, we do not sleep tonight.
Maybe not tomorrow either.
We had men mobilized already. Vehicles prepped. Weapons checked twice. Coordinates cross-verified.
I do not raise my voice when I give instructions. I never do.
My calm unsettles people more than shouting would.
But now, as I step out of the operations hall to finally breathe, something else unsettles me.
I did not call Naya back.
I pull my phone out immediately and call.
It rings three times but there is no answer.
My jaw tightens and I try again.
This time it goes straight to voice mail, no hesitation.
She always picks. Always.
My mind begins to build scenarios I do not want. Abuja at night is not a battlefield, but it is not harmless either. And my sister, my soft-hearted, too-trusting sister is out there.
My chest does that thing it does before combat—tight but controlled. I inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth.
Then I open the One Shout app.
It is a simple app, but effective. Built for safety and connection. It enables you to add your emergency contacts. It has features such as Live location sharing and alerts your contacts if something feels off.
I insisted she download it months ago. I am one of her emergency contacts so it updates her location in real time if enabled.
I tap her name and the map loads.
The little blue dot blinks.
My shoulders drop before I can stop them.
She is at home.
The relief that moves through me is the quiet kind. The kind that feels like your lungs finally remembering how to work.
I close my eyes for a second.
Thank You Jesus.
The breach is still being handled. The men are in position. I give final instructions, delegate oversight to Effiom for the next hour. He nods once. He understands without me explaining.
“Go,” he says quietly. “I’ll hold it down.”
I nod back.
I reach the barracks gate. The guards salute. I nod, barely registering their faces. My mind is already inside the house.
Then I see it a car that is not mine.
Parked in my garage.
I do not slow my car gently. I stop abruptly.
The car is unfamiliar. Very sleek and clean. It does not belong to any of the officers in my block. I am very sure of that.
My pulse shifts.
I step out of my car quietly and open the back door.
My fingers close around cold metal.
The weight of my gun settles into my palm like it belongs there.
I calmly scan the environment.
No broken windows, no shattered glass and the front door light is on.
Lights inside the house are on too.
If something is wrong, why leave lights on?
Unless someone is still inside.
My boots make no sound as I move toward the door.
Training replaces panic. My breathing evens out. My eyes adjust to shadow and glare.
Then I slowly unlock the door.
It creaks slightly. I pause and listen but there is nothing.
I listen again and I hear soft breathing.
I step inside and the couch is visible from the hallway. The centre table untouched. Nothing was overturned.
But then I see a figure slouched on the couch and another beside it.
For a split second, my brain registers shapes, not identities.
My grip tightens.
My finger hovers near the trigger, not on it. Never on it until necessary.
I move closer and then I see clearly.
Naya is curled sideways on the couch. She's asleep. Her head tilted slightly.
And beside her is….
Soteria……. SOTERIA???!!!!!
Her head is resting awkwardly against the armrest, one hand still loosely holding what looks like her phone. Her hair slightly messy.
Relief slams into me so hard it almost feels like anger.
But what is she doing here?
I lower the gun slightly but do not put it away yet.
The room feels too intimate suddenly. Too normal as if nothing happened.
As if my mind had not just walked through ten possible disasters on the drive here.
Naya shifts slightly in her sleep.
“Mmm,” she murmurs.
Soteria stirs too. Her lashes flutter and then her eyes open. They land on me.
For one long second, neither of us moves.
Then she sees the gun.
Her eyes widen and before I can speak
A loud crash echoes.
Something hits the floor and Naya jerks upright with a startled scream.
Hiiii babiessssssss..
How're we doing today???
Kindly drop your comments.
I enjoy reading them. Do you think Naya will be happy when she finds out that she was a pawn in Soteria's game??
Btwwww just a few more chapters before the slow burn will begin to burn well 😂😂. Get ready for real life drama. Heheheeee….
See you on Monday🤭.
Ahh, Akilahyel, calm down nah. Soteria is Major’s daughter oh.
😂😂😂we are ready for the burn!!!! AEO burn is already playing in the background🤭