Dora didn't sleep the night the note appeared.
She showed up to Club Palms with darker makeup, heavier lashes, and a smile that barely held her lips together. Her earrings were smaller. Her phone stayed off. And when she spoke, it was less.
Less laughter.
Less warmth.
Less Dora.
Akosua noticed. Adjeley noticed. Everyone noticed.
The message had landed like blood in water.
Still, Dora tried to stay cool. She played her role. Managed the floor. Called the girls by nickname. But her eyes flicked toward every camera. Every man leaning against a wall. Every table that stayed quiet too long.
Something had changed.
By midnight, she'd pulled Akosua and Adjeley into a private booth under the upstairs lights.
"You girls," she said, her voice taut like guitar strings, "you need to lay low for the next two nights."
Adjeley's brow creased. "Why?"
"Because people are watching, and not everyone watching likes what they see."
Akosua leaned forward. "What about the guy? P? You said he comes on Thursdays."
Dora hesitated.
Then nodded slowly. "He'll be here. But you didn't hear that from me. If you're here… blend."
She stood.
"You don't want to be on his radar. Not too early. Not unless you've signed your soul."
Thursday came like a storm.
Rain pelted the streets. Traffic choked Ring Road. And yet, Club Palms was glowing brighter than ever.
The girls came dressed differently tonight.
Akosua wore a tight black dress and matte lipstick. Adjeley wore her hair in a high bun with a slit blue gown that shimmered under the lights. They weren't there to flirt.
They were there to watch.
From the far end of the second floor, a subtle wave of hush rolled through the room.
He'd arrived.
Not loud. Not flashy.
P walked with two men beside him, one behind. All in dark, clean suits. No sunglasses. No chains. No flash. Just presence.
He was shorter than expected. Thin lips. Pale eyes. Not much muscle. But everyone stepped aside like water before a stone.
Akosua nudged Adjeley with her elbow.
"That's him."
He walked past them without a glance. Straight into the Velvet Room behind Dora's floor.
Akosua touched the earpiece under her curls.
"He's here. Confirming visual. P is in the building."
Brian's voice came back, sharp and low. "Copy. Don't engage."
Adjeley took out her compact mirror, tilted it at an angle, and caught a glimpse through the hallway.
Inside the Velvet Room, P leaned over a glass table. A woman handed him a file. He flipped it open, nodded once, then looked up — and locked eyes with the mirror.
Adjeley froze.
"He saw me."
Akosua's hand gripped her thigh.
"Don't panic."
P didn't move. He didn't call security. He just smiled. Not the kind you trust — the kind you get in a dark alley before a knife comes out.
Then he turned and kept talking.
Back at HQ, Brian stared at the screen as Kojo pulled up live feed from their long-range camera van stationed two blocks away.
"He was carrying a brown envelope. Can we enhance?"
Kojo zoomed in. "Can't read it. But we've tagged the driver's plates. They've used that same car for four runs into Tema over the past month."
Brian exhaled slowly. "P isn't just logistics. He's control."
Selorm entered with an update. "Phone intercepts are clean. Too clean. Either he's old-school or they've got counter-surveillance better than we thought."
Brian turned to the board.
"I want all of P's known associates traced. Tonight. I want to know where he sleeps, where he eats, who he trusts."
Selorm nodded. "On it."
"And Akosua?" Brian asked.
Kojo grinned. "Still standing. She'll outdance the devil if she has to."
Meanwhile, back inside the club, Dora walked past them. She didn't stop. Just slipped a napkin under Akosua's purse as she passed.
When they unfolded it, it read:
"Don't come back tomorrow. For your own good."
They didn't speak.
Akosua whispered into the mic. "Dora's trying to protect us. Which means she's on thin ice."
Adjeley nodded, her eyes still following the shadows.
"Then we pull out."
Akosua shook her head. "Not yet."
"What do you mean?"
"We need to know what's in that envelope."
The plan wasn't sophisticated.
They waited until 2:43 a.m., when P and his men exited through the back.
Akosua followed on foot while Adjeley drove the decoy car to distract the security bike escort. The car stopped three blocks away at a convenience store, drawing the attention of the trailing escort.
Akosua snapped a quick photo of P entering an unmarked building in Osu. The car parked inside a gated compound. She noted the street.
Then she turned back — and froze.
A figure stood behind her.
Dora.
"You're good," Dora said. "Too good."
Akosua swallowed. "What are you doing here?"
Dora looked tired. She didn't answer the question.
Instead, she asked, "You police?"
Akosua said nothing.
Dora chuckled dryly. "Don't answer. I already know."
Silence.
"I helped you because I thought maybe… maybe if someone takes them down, I can walk away too. But if they find out I helped you... I'm dead."
"You can still walk away," Akosua said quietly. "Come with us. Testify."
Dora shook her head. "They'll find me even in hell."
Then she handed Akosua something.
A flash drive.
"This has camera feeds from the Velvet Room. Only 10 minutes' worth. But maybe it shows you what P's carrying. After tonight, don't look for me again."
She turned.
Akosua grabbed her wrist. "Dora—"
But she was already walking away.
At HQ, Brian inserted the flash drive.
The footage came up. Grainy. But clear enough.
P, seated at the glass table.
The envelope opened.
Documents. Maps.
Brian paused. Zoomed in.
"Those are shipment routes."
Kojo nodded. "Across Takoradi, Tema, Ho, even the Northern region."
Selorm leaned forward. "They're branching into the north now."
Brian's jaw clenched. "Which means they're getting greedy."
On the footage, P scribbled something on the map.
Then, just before the video cut off — he pulled out a list.
Faces. Photos. Files.
The first face? Loko.
The second?
Dora.
Back at Club Palms, Dora returned to her room.
She closed the door softly.
Sat on the edge of her bed.
Then she turned toward her drawer — and saw a single white rose on top of it.
Her hands shook.
She opened the drawer.
Inside was a photo of her.
Crossed out in red ink.