"Jingle bell, Jingle bell, Jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride..." Cecilia sang along to the song playing on the Uber car's stereo. Even with her angelic voice, the singing sounded like noise in my ears. "Could you please be quiet? I'm trying to think here." I spoke to her; she was seated beside me.

"It's Christmas season, Naomi. I am singing a Christmas song." She replied.

"I know. I just need all the silence I can get right now."

"I'm sorry, miss grinchy, but I can't be quiet while the song plays on." She said. "It's not my fault Santa didn't show up."

"Geez! Could you stop with that talk? You say it every year." I responded.

"And I will keep saying it till you eventually like the Christmas season."

"You know that's not happening soon." I replied. As I said that, the Uber driver, putting on a Santa Claus' cap gave me a stern look through the mirror inside the car. I noticed his look but threw my gaze towards the window. It was snowing.

Cecilia continued singing, she stopped after a while and said, "What's going on in your head? You've been staring at the seat for a while now. What's that thing you said you were going to tell me on the way?"

"We are not going to the KFC to eat or so." I replied.

"Then what are we going to do there this Friday morning?"

"We are going there to see someone."

"Who?"

"I'll explain everything when we get there." I nodded my head towards the driver. Cecilia instantly got my message that I didn't want to say anything with a stranger around. She remained silent till we got to our destination.

We got to the restaurant and we went straight in, walking hastily. The shop was almost empty that morning, a woman and her daughter were the only customers occupying a table. We met Abby at the counter. "Hi, Abby. Good morning. Do you remember me?" I asked.

"Yeah, and I hope you are not here in search of someone again." She replied. Cecilia was confused as she looked at the both of us talking.

"Oh, no," I smiled. "I only came to see Evans. Could you please tell him I am around?"

"Okay." She began walking and when she was about to reach the kitchen's door, the other guy I met the first time I came here walked out of the kitchen. "Great. Please tell Evans miss curious from the other day is here to see him." Abby said to him. The guy glanced at me and smiled, then walked back in.

Cecilia and I left the counter and sat at a table where she began querying me. "Is Evans your new guy?"

"No way!" I laughed and began narrating the whole story to her, from my mother's revelation to the club's incident. She was shell-shocked to hear Jeremiah wasn't my father. As we spoke, Evans approached us in his usual suit. "Afternoon, ladies." He spoke.

"Hey, I came by again." I responded. "Have a seat, I have some questions to ask."

"If this is going to be a long discussion, then let us please make use of my office." He replied.

"That'll be better." Cecilia said. We stood up and followed him into the office. Abby and the other guy stared at us suspiciously as we walked past them. I smiled at them.

We got into his office and sat. He sat in front of us on the manager's seat. "How can I help you ladies?" He asked.

"It's about Sarah," I began. "I found her at the club you described."

"That's great. You found your friend. Did you relay my message to her?"

"No, I didn't have the time. A shooting took place there last night. It should be in the news now."

"Oh, wow. I haven't had time to check my phone all morning. Did she survive it?" He asked.

"Yeah, she did. I have some questions concerning the shooting."

"Okay?"

"I heard this place closed down last year after a shooting took place here. How true is that?"

"Yes. It was all over the news."

"Sarah worked here then?"
"Yes, she did."

"Can you explain how the shooting happened?"
"I don't know," He laughed softly as he directed his gaze towards Cecilia. "I wasn't present at the scene. I heard a guy just walked in, spoke to Sarah for a while, aimed the gun at her, Sarah managed to find her way out of the situation and the guy began shooting aimlessly. Sarah said it was a robbery. The police found the guy and discovered he was a gangster."

"Did they find out why he did that?" Cecilia asked,

"No, they gunned him down the day he was approached. He tried escaping."

"Hmm." I sighed. "You said the guy spoke to Sarah before he aimed his gun at her, right?"

"A witness said so." He replied.

"Did Sarah say what he said to her?"

"She said he was asking her for money and when she refused, he aimed his gun at her."

"That does sound like a robbery." Cecilia remarked. I stared at her with disbelief. I didn't believe Sarah's story after what I experienced the night before. "A robber wouldn't shoot aimlessly at customers. That's more of terrorism." I replied Cecilia.

"What are you driving at, miss?" Evans asked.

"Don't you think Sarah is also a gangster?" I asked.

"She didn't look or act like one. I find your question surprising." He replied.

"A shooting also took place at the club she works which she managed to escape again. She also has a tattoo on her neck."

"Doesn't prove anything. It could be a coincidence." Cecilia said. Evans shook his head in agreement. I saw that the both of them didn't reason in my direction, it would be a total waste of time if I tried to make them see Sarah could be a gangster, I didn't have enough proof to back my claim.

"Perhaps you should take your hunch to the police, it might be useful to them." Evans said.

"Thanks for your time, Evans. We'll get going now." I tapped Cecilia and we stood up and walked out.

"Are you sure about your hunch, Naomi?" Cecilia asked on our way out.

"I have a strong feeling Sarah is a gangster. I know what I am saying. I'll call Owen when we get home, I'm sure he would see my point. Please let's be quick, I am starving."

"We practically just walked out of a restaurant, girl."

"I am not having junks for breakfast. Let's get home so you can prepare something nice for me." I smiled at her.

We got to my place and Cecilia went straight into the kitchen, I sat on the sofa, brought out my phone and dialed Owen's number. He picked immediately it began ringing. "Hello, my queen." He said.

"Loser. I thought you'd be sleeping by now." I stood up and walked into the kitchen, putting the phone on loudspeaker so Cecilia could hear him.

"I don't have a choice. Work's hectic today, we are rushing up things so we can close for Christmas."

"Hey Owen!" Cecilia said loudly.

"Is that Cecilia's voice I hear?" He asked.

"None other." Cecilia replied.

"Queen of drama." He said.

"Enough greetings. We went to the KFC shop Sarah worked at before." I said.

"Why?" Owen asked.

"Naomi thinks Sarah is a gangster." Cecilia replied.

"Cecilia!!" I yelled.

"What are you thinking, Naomi?"

I gave Cecilia the stink eye as she smiled, then I began, "Apparently, the shooting that happened at a restaurant last year was the same restaurant Sarah worked at."

"No way!" Owen replied.

"We went over to ask the manager some questions about the shooting. Sarah claimed it was a robbery."
"Do robbers kill their victims?" Owen asked.

"They do, especially when the victims try to fight back." Cecilia responded.

"No one fought back, Cecilia. The guy was just in the mood to kill. The interesting part, Owen, is that, the guy spoke to Sarah first, aimed his gun later at her which Sarah managed to evade before he started shooting,"

"They must have discussed something." Owen commented.

"Exactly!!" I said. Cecilia turned back and glanced at me. "How did the shooting at the club start?"

"The guys came in and went straight to where the other gang were seated in the VIP lounge, did some talking, brought out guns and started shooting. One of them came over to the bar, stared at the people there and aimed his gun. I don't know if he was aiming at me or at Sarah, he fired and missed both of us, he shot the guy standing beside me who I tried to help. Guy sucks at shooting." Owen narrated.

"How did Sarah escape?" I asked. This time, Cecilia abandoned what she was doing and listened carefully.

"She docked when the guy fired, everyone began running. I turned back when I heard a man call her name, signaling at her to follow him through the back door. That was how she escaped."

"I have a feeling Sarah could also be a gangster. The guy who fired that shot could have aimed at her. I am glad he missed; he would have killed our only hope of finding my father. I think the shooting at the bar and the restaurant has something to do with Sarah."

"We can't say," Cecilia remarked. "If the gang were after her, they wouldn't have shot the other gang at the VIP lounge."

"Cecilia has a point." Owen stated. I stared at Cecilia, truly she had a point.

"It could also be true Sarah is a gangster, she had a tattoo on her neck, one similar to a gang's own." Owen added.

"Thank goodness you saw that too." I responded.

"On our way home, I read an article about last night's shooting," Cecilia said. "The police stated that the people dead were either gangsters or in one way involved in crime. It really was a gang war."

"The guy that got shot beside me looked more of an office guy. I don't think he was a gangster." Owen replied.

"That's why I think he aimed at Sarah and not the guy." I stated.

"So what are we to do now? We have little or no chance of finding Sarah again." Owen said.

"We could actually start searching for her by asking the gangsters around there about her." I responded.

"Absolutely not! No way!" Cecilia and Owen both said.
"I am not getting involved in any gang related issue again." Owen added.

"But it's a way of finding Sarah and finding Nathaniel."

"What if we get shot thinking we are from another gang?" Cecilia replied. "It's not a risk worth taking, darling."

"Is there another way of finding Sarah?" I asked.

"I don't know," Owen replied. "All I know is, I am not meeting any gangster. Neither will you."

"Are you guys going to leave me to do this alone?" I queried.

"No one's leaving you. We will find another way of finding Sarah." Owen responded.

"We should think of finding Nathaniel, rather than a female gangster." Cecila added.

"Sarah is the only hope of finding him. She's the only one that knows where he is." I replied.

"What's your assurance she even knows where her brother is? Let's not put our lives in danger here. We'll find another way to locate him. Enough with the Sarah hunt." Owen said.

I remained silent after his speech; I didn't know what to say. Cecilia turned to continue her cooking. "I have to finish up my work. We would talk later." Owen said. "Please take care of my queen for me, Cecilia. Your efforts shall be duly rewarded."

"You can never get over Naomi, can you?" Cecilia responded.

"Not till death do us apart." Owen replied.

"Has he told you about Amelia?" I asked Cecilia.

"Who's that?" Cecilia asked.

"His 'fiancé' as he described." I answered, stressing the fiancé word.

"Really, Owen? You've given up on Naomi? You are such a dumbass." Cecilia said.

"No, I have not. Amelia is just... just like a..." Owen stammered.

"Just your fiancé. Get off my phone, loser. Go back to work." I replied.

"Don't you dare hang up on me." He said.

I hung up the phone and said, "I just did." Cecilia and I laughed.

"You know Owen still has a thing for you, girl." Cecilia spoke.

"Don't even start." I walked away from her presence and went into my room, laid on the bed and began thinking of a way to find Nathaniel. I thought of meeting the gangsters alone in search of Sarah since Owen and Cecilia would not go with me, but then I thought about the previous night's incident and the chances of it happening again, I definitely wasn't going to risk going alone. I thought hard on what to do but I came up with nothing. Finding my father seemed impossible.