AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT

Thirty

"Candace, what are you doing?"
James asked. And for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes. The truth was obvious and it irritated the hell out of her.

"Oh, shut up, James." Candace said. "Don't act like you care about what I do with my life. Didn't you tell me yourself that you don't care?"

"Candace, we can talk about this like civilized people. Just let her go."

"Civilized? What's the first thing you know about being civil? Nothing! You, James. You caused all of this. It could have been easy. All you had to do was love me, but you went ahead and put a ring on her finger!"

The Detective gave his colleagues a sign to lay low. Candace turned from them to Tara, standing beside Seyi, using him for a shield. "You. I knew I should have slit your throat an hour ago. I knew there was something odd about you going upstairs to ease yourself."

"But you know this is wrong. Kidnapping your own friend."
Tara said

"Who said she's my friend?" Candace asked. " I have hated Janelle from the first day I realized we are sisters."
She smiled at the shock on their faces. "Shocked, huh? Exactly. If only that old man did what I wanted him to do? He wouldn't have died and I would have been the owner it all. If he hadn't hidden me from the public. If only he had given me a place in the family. Perhaps, he wouldn't have died. And then perhaps that insect, Tope wouldn't have found the guts to threaten me. She shouldn't have died. And it is all her fault. This bitch here." She hit the end of the gun on Janelle's head.

The wounded lady winced, trying to ease the grip Candace has on her neck.

"See? Everything started from her. And her mother. All of you will stay out of my way until I'm done destroying the entire family with my hands!"

"No, no, no, Candace. Stop it." Denzel said. "This isn't you. You're not like this. You know it."

Candace laughed. "Really? Then you don't know me. Even you want to sweet talk me into letting her go. Why? Because you love her." She turned to James. "See? You rejected me because of her and yet she doesn't even love you anymore. Did she tell you that while you were in jail taking the punishment for my actions, she was sleeping with your cousin again?"

James turned to Denzel who shook his head. "That's true?"
He asked Denzel.

"Stop it, James!" Tara snapped. "This is what she wants so she can escape."

"Surrender the lady, madam. You have nowhere to run to."
Seyi said to her.

"Good. Then I'll just finish what I started." She aimed the gun to Janelle's head.

The next gunshot, which caused a pandemonium, came from Adams' gun, pulling Candace to the ground. Janelle broke free, running towards James. Another bullet was released but not before Candace was pulled down, her gun knocked off her hands.

Janelle found herself on the floor and Denzel over her body. She had her eyes squeezed shut, panting hard until she heard the screams of Candace as she struggled with one of the men to break free, looking over at Janelle still on the floor.

"Are you okay?"
He asked her.

She nodded like an idiot.

"Denzel, you're bleeding!" Tara said, horrified.

But Denzel wasn't keeping it up anymore to hear her. His head fell on Janelle's chest as he passed out.

°°°

"Nana, I have to see him. What's going on now? How is he?"
She asked impatiently as soon as Nana stepped into the private ward where she was.

They had rushed Denzel to the hospital as soon as the police left with Candace. He had been unconscious and no one was saying anything to her for a hour now.