Joyce sat in the living room of the Gundy’s home, nursing a soda drink and watching a re-run of Friends on their cable TV. She had one foot crossed over the other and every now and then glanced at her watch, wondering how long she’d have to wait. The subject of her wait was presently upstairs getting dressed.

She turned her head when she heard footsteps coming from the corridor. It was Daniela. She wore a white PVC leather jacket that stopped at her knees, and knee-length black boots. Her hair was fixed in an intricate bun behind her head; her makeup looked gaudy and extravagant. Joyce thought she looked like she was heading to a rave party, not some meeting as she’d earlier mentioned. It was the meeting that was the reason why she was here.

Joyce had taken her husband Claude’s word and decided she wanted to get involved with her best friend Daniela’s Arts program and see how she could make use of herself. She would have been content with being one of Black Master Olu Shango’s sex sluts, except the reality was that Shango had as much devoted time to spend with his other women than dedicating himself solely to her. Joyce didn’t obviously agree with it, but knew there wasn’t anything she could do about it. His other women—Amy, Cherry, and even Daniela—married white wives just like here, were just as happy and content with his arrangement. They knew no matter what, Shango would always seek out their time. It was their duty to keep themselves ready for whenever he called. That much Joyce had gleamed from her numerous talk with Amy. But in the meantime, being a white wife stuck in Abuja, Nigeria, what she needed was something doing to help take her mind off not thinking about him being with here daily. Daniela had promised showing her the ropes of how she went about her charity work, and since then Joyce had been working smartly alongside her. Daniela had previously mentioned to her about wanting to meet with some low-level politicians whom she desired their help breaking through numerous bureaucratic red-tape in order to obtain necessary funding for her program. Looking at her right now, Joyce was baffled if really this was a meeting they were going or something else.

“Sorry for keeping you long,” Daniela said. “Just needed to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.”

“That’s some crazy nice jacket,” Joyce remarked.

“Thanks. We’d better start leaving. The worst thing you ever want to do is keep a bunch of politicians waiting.”

Joyce drank her soda while Daniela went and switched off the TV. Daniela took the soda can from her when she was done and went to dumb it in a trash bin in the kitchen. Joyce picked up her handbag as Daniela switched off the lights before they stepped out of the house.

Daniela’s car was waiting for them in the driveway. The Gundy’s home was twice the size of what Joyce and Claude lived in. The garage contained three vehicles. Daniela had previously given Joyce a tour of the compound. Daniela was 43yrs old with two kids who at the moment were in school back in the States. While showing her friend around her home, she’d also disclosed some of Shango’s clothes in the closet one of their guest rooms for whenever he felt the urge to spend a day or two. Her husband Tom didn’t mind. Matter of fact, Daniela explained that Shango always demanded Tom wears his chastity cage device on his penis before leaving for work. Joyce couldn’t help been fascinated by that, wondering if possibly she could apply the same sexual restraint on her husband.

“I doubt Claude would dare think of wearing one,” she admitted.

“Maybe not right away, but give him time,” Daniela said. “Tom used to think like that before, but not anymore; Shango took care of that.”

Daniela had a Fulani mai-guard that watched over her home. She signalled him from his gate house before getting into her car and stopped to put on her shades before starting her engine. The mai-guard opened the gate for her and she waved at him as she drove out into the street. Joyce noted the time on her watch. 04: 12 p.m., it said.

The sun was a sensuous ball of yellow hovering above the city rooftops. They drove toward the heart of the city. Daniela made conversation while she drove. Joyce had enquired where the meeting was being held, but Daniela didn’t respond with an answer.

“It’s a secret,” was all she said.

They drove along Nnamdi Azikiwe highway and soon entered an exit route that led into the district known as Wuse Two. Joyce hadn’t yet visited this part of the city and she soaked in the view of the clustered homes and mosques in the distance while Daniela continued rambling about her upcoming arts project and the energetic Nigerian staff she had working with her. Joyce had met much of her staff workers and was just as impressed by their hardworking devotion.

Daniela drove into Aguyi Ironsi Road from where she entered a secluded government quarters. They pulled to a stop at a security outpost manned by two soldiers; a bar pole blocked the road that led further into the compound. One of them approached their vehicle and Daniela wound down her window to speak with him.

“I’m here to see Alhaji Aminu,” she said. “You can call him. He’s expecting me.”

“Let me have your names, please.”

“Daniela Gundy, and this here is my friend, Joyce Baskin.”

Joyce waved at him warily. The soldier looked in the backseat before returning to the security booth. Daniela tapped her fingernails on the steering wheel while they waited.

“They always do this, don’t worry about it,” she said. “They’re always itchy with their security detail.”

“You still haven’t told me who we’re here to meet.”

“I told you already, politicians. They work in the ministry of Culture and Tourism. They’re really the busy sort. Trust me, it took me so long just to get a sit-down with them.”

“How long do you think we’ll be here,” Joyce asked. “I don’t want to get home after Claude; he often gets antsy when I’m not there.”

“Will you stop worrying too much about Claude,” said Daniela. “Nothing he doesn’t know is ever going to harm him. Trust me on that.”

The security guard came out of the outpost and raised the bar pole and gestured at Daniela to drive through. Daniela smiled and waved at him as she drove into the compound.

The road was cobbled narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to drive in. It wound round the back of the building and opened into a large parking space on the other side. They passed several men along the way, all of them wearing military outfit.

There were several vehicles and lots of empty space in the parking ground. Joyce noted three black Mercedes parked in a row, all bearing Nigerian flags on their side windows. Some uniformed men stood idly against one of the Mercedes, smoking cigarettes. They slowed their banter while observing Daniela as she spurn her car in a reverse then eased backwards into a free space. Joyce kept her eyes on the uniformed men staring morosely back at her. The car drew to a stop and she looked at Daniela who switched off her engine and was all smiles like this was just a typical day for her.

“You ready?” Daniela asked before opening her door, grabbing along her handbag.

Joyce wanted to say something, but couldn’t think of anything concrete. She shrugged her shoulders and did like her friend and exited the car. A strong breeze blew at her face and Joyce took a moment to sweep her hair back in place before slamming shut her door. She held onto her handbag and came around toward Daniela who was shutting her door and throwing her car keys into her handbag.

“Which way are we going?” Joyce asked.

“Just follow my lead,” Daniela said after adjusting her jacket collar.

Joyce walked beside her as they went toward a row of bungalow buildings past the parking lot. The uniformed men had resumed their banter though Joyce turned toward them and caught their leering stare and she almost feared they would come after them and ask whomever they were here to meet.

“Don’t worry about anyone else,” Daniela soothed her. “They know me well enough here already; you’re safe with me.”

“You certainly get around Abuja a lot.”

“You’ve no idea,” Daniela laughed. “Spend as much time with Olu Shango, and soon enough, you will, too.”

The cobbled path they walked led through a row of adobe-type houses. Each house spotted a small garden in front of it. Flies buzzed over Joyce’s face and she kept waving her hands before her while still keeping alongside her friend. They passed some men along the way. Joyce caught the men’s ogling stares—one even flashed her tongue at her.

They came to a bungalow building and Daniela indicated it as the one they were heading. Two men stood at the veranda talking but they stopped as the two white women approached. Daniela walked up the short flight of steps to the veranda and smiled at both men.

“Hello. I’m here to meet Aminu. Is he around?”

The men both nodded and one of them gestured at the front door. Daniela thanked them before heading toward it. Joyce waved furtively at the men as she followed Daniela into the apartment.

They stepped into a dark corridor. There was a living room at the end of it and Joyce thought she heard men’s voices coming from that direction. Daniela led the way toward it; the sound of their shoes made distinct noise that would have alerted anyone to their presence. The corridor seemed to trail like an unending path before them. Joyce turned to look back at the front door, half expecting the men outside to appear there.

As they approached the room, the men’s voices lowered and someone stuck his face out the doorway to see both women approach. The man was smoking a cigarette and he immediately took it off his lips when he recognised Daniela who came and hugged him.

“I thought you weren’t coming again,” the man said to her.

“Have I ever made a promise that I didn’t keep? Here, I brought my friend along,” Daniela turned to Joyce. “Joyce, I’d like you to meet Sani. He’s a good man to have around.”

“Pleasure,” Joyce shook his hand.

Sani ogled Joyce through a haze a smoke from his cigarette. He looked at Daniela and Joyce perceptibly caught a glimpse between them like they were speaking without words.

“She’s actually new and working her way up,” Daniela explained to Sani. That’s seemed to settle everything between them. “Is Aminu and the rest around?”

“They’ve been waiting on you,” Sani said.

There was a connecting door at the end of the room that opened into another where more laughter and voices were coming from. Sani led the women in that direction. The men stopped their chatter when Sani invited Daniela and Joyce into the room. Joyce counted four men, two wore military uniforms and the others were in casual outfit. The room contained a large bed, a table laden with glasses and bottles of beer and several chairs arranged around it. The air inside stank of cigarette smoke.

One of the men in casual garb came off the bed and it was him that Daniela presented herself to, letting the man hug her. Joyce caught sight of the man’s hand patting her backside. The sight wasn’t lost to the other men who seemed just as happy as she was there.

“So good of you to come,” the man known as Aminu said to her. He looked past Daniela at Joyce and his smile instantly broadened. “Ahh, I see you brought another with you.”

Daniela pulled Joyce forward. “This is my friend, Joyce. She arrived a few weeks ago into the country, so she’s pretty much a JJC.”

This elicited laughter from the men. Joyce looked at her friend quizzically and tapped her arm to get her attention.

“What’s that you just said?”

“JJC,” Daniela enunciated the letters. “It means Johnny Just Come. It’s a Nigerian slang meaning you’re new in the country.” She returned to Aminu. “I’ve been explaining to her my arts program and how you’ve been kind with lending me all the help I needed to get started. She wanted to see how I conduct my business, so I decided she’d come along and watch.”

“Just to watch?” Aminu asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For now that’s what she wants,” Daniela emphasised. “With time she’ll make up her mind to participate.”

The other men rose from where they sat and came and clustered around the women. Joyce was somewhat nervous with the way they fawned over her. Daniela appeared delighted and just as comfortable with them, taking turns to acknowledge each man. Joyce knew she was about to witness a part of Daniela she hadn’t yet been exposed to; she was about to see how much of a slut she was.

“It’s getting quite hot in here,” Daniela remarked as she looked about the room. “You guys have anything to drink?”

“Oh yes,” Aminu said.

He instructed Sani to shut the windows and turn on the air-conditioner. One of the uniformed men brought a bottle of liquor and some glasses. Sani gestured at Joyce to join them at the table where the uniformed man was busy filling glasses with liquor and handing them over. Aminu offered a glass to Daniela who thanked him for it and then picked a second and gave it to Joyce.

“Here you go, lovely,” he said.

Each man had a glass in hand and they cheered and gulped down their drink. Joyce waited for Daniela to consume hers before tipping her drink into her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut and gasped as she felt the acrid, exotic liquor’s taste burn a fiery trail down her throat. She quickly drained her glass and gasped once more when she felt it splash down in her gut. She gazed at Daniela, listened to the laughing voices in the room and thought she felt the room slightly tilt for a moment. Daniela was looking at her too and laughing.

“You okay, Joyce?”

“Yeah . . . yeah, I guess. Wow! That was some strong stuff,” Joyce said.

“This is local Nigerian brew,” Aminu explained. “None of that adulterated stuff you all import from America. This is stuff only real people consume.”

“Damn, I feel woozy already,” Joyce felt her hand upon her brow like she was feeling an onset of fever or something.

“Maybe you’re like to sit down,” one of the men suggested.

Joyce allowed the man to lead her toward a chair beside the table. She sat there still feeling her head while the fun in the room commenced without her. Someone had put on some music. Joyce looked up and realised to her astonishment Daniela had relieved herself of her jacket and handbag. Sani claimed the jacket from her and folded it somewhere while the other men clustered together watching her give them a little dance.

She wore a tight spandex outfit that accentuated every length of her body: the curve of her hips, the roundness of butt, and including her breasts. She looked like a classic Wonder Woman than the typical middle-aged housewife Joyce knew her to be. The men were clapping their hands while hooting at her outfit. Daniela couldn’t help but turn around and shake her butt at them.

“I hope you gentlemen are ready to listen to my proposal,” Daniela teased. “And I hope you all came prepared for me today.”

The men were hastily rushing out of their clothes. One of them went and shut the door and turned the key in the lock. Joyce watched with disbelief how frantic they were to get naked. Neither seemed bothered about her presence, not even Daniela who patiently waited on them.

Aminu and the rest of his colleagues discarded their clothes in a bundle beside the bed and stroked their hard-ons for her. Daniela stroked Aminu’s cock in one hand and another man’s cock in her other and was stroking them in tandem while Sani and the other crowded around her. She was all giggles as their hands groped and fondled every part of her exposed body.

“I’ve got an Arts project coming up in mid-September,” she moaned and wet her lips with her tongue. “I’m going to need help with usual funding.”

“Let’s just like last time,” Aminu answered. “Let’s see how bad you want it first.”

Sani reached behind her back for her outfit’s zipper and pulled it down, exposing her flesh to everyone in the room. Daniela bent forward, sticking her butt upright so Sani and his colleague could wiggle her spandex outfit down her hips. She had nothing else on. Daniela locked lips with Aminu while the others assisted with stripping her naked. Her hands went back to stroking two cocks. She bent forward to suck Aminu’s cock after they were done discarding her clothes.

Joyce was the lone spectator in the room. She watched spellbound as the men caressed and groped her friend’s body, each man taking turns to finger-fuck her pussy. Joyce thought the wooziness she earlier felt was gradually reducing.

Daniela fell to her knees and went back and forth sucking each cock that got pushed at her face while her hands kept busy stroking the others. Each man groaned approvingly at her multitasking skills. Some of them bent forward to grasp her butt while another continued ramming his finger deep into her cunt. Daniela gave each man a reasonable amount of blowjob, groaning the whole time she did. Joyce watched each man take turns holding her head with both hands and thrusting their erection down her friend’s throat. She herself had before never been privy to such form of exotic punishment. To think that this was what Daniela had brought her along to come and witness.

The men pulled Daniela to her feet and led her to the bed. One of them was already there waiting for her, stroking his cock with his legs spread apart. Daniela bent forward to suck his cock while Aminu propped his foot onto the bed as he worked the head of his penis between her ass cheeks. Daniela unleashed a mewling response, though her concentration was on the black man’s cock that was in her mouth.

Aminu grabbed her by her waist and gave an approval groan as he shoved his meat into her. The other man rested his hand on Daniela’s head forcing her to swallow his cock down to his crotch. She slid onto the bed resting her knees on the bed thus giving Aminu enough access to fuck her with ease. He too climbed onto the bed with his thighs spread on either side, his hands gripped her waist as he leant forward jerking his hips back and forth, filling her pussy with his cock. His other colleagues stood back stroking their meat, watching and bantering back and forth while bidding their turn. Joyce thought they seemed content to wait.

Daniela was struggling to keep from moaning too loud, especially with her gagging down on the cock that was in her mouth. Each thrust Aminu gave shoved her forward till she had her face pressing against the other man’s thigh. Eventually the man whose cock she was sucking began groaning louder; his body tensed and he cursed aloud in his native language. His hand didn’t let go of Daniela’s head till the moment he shot his load of cum into her mouth.

This wasn’t Daniela’s first time of handling multiple men. Shango had on numerous occasions shared her with a couple of his friends; she had gotten accustomed to being double-penetrated and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her best moment for her was always looking forward to when anyone got to cum down her throat. She had her tongue lowered and her throat open and ready to receive the instant the man’s cock spurted semen into her mouth.

“Ahhh . . . Agghhh!” the man groaned repeatedly. The only part of him that moved was his hips still thrusting his pelvis against Daniela’s face.

Daniela continued tugging on his cock with her lips, even though still groaning from the pounding she was getting from behind. She slurped and ingested more cum even as the man’s penis grew weak and flaccid in her mouth. She struggled to lick clean every droplet of cum that spilled out of her mouth.

Aminu was gasping harder with each thrust he gave. His face squeezed into a grimace as he was slamming into her as hard as he could. The moment came when he retrieved his cock out of her cum-dripping pussy and sprayed his ejaculation over her ass cheeks. He felt a cold tremor run all over his body and thought for a second he was having a stroke as his penis continued oozing spurts of cum over her mound of ass. Daniela rubbed her palm over her butt when he was done and added his scooped-up cum to the little amount she carried in her mouth. She came off the bed and hurriedly sucked whatever leftovers she could get from Aminu.

Joyce was mesmerised with everything she saw happening before her eyes and prayed she would remember everything for later while storing the images in the back of her mind for future references

“There’s a good girl if ever I seen one,” Aminu remarked as he pushed himself away from Daniela.

He staggered backwards, laughing when he bumped into one of the other men still patiently waiting.

The one lying on the bed rolled off as Sani then assumed his place and roughly forced Daniela’s face down on his crotch. His cock brushed against her nose but she quickly reached for it and was sucking his rod as another man lined up behind her. Strings of saliva rolled off the side of her mouth while she gagged and choked on Sani’s prick. The man behind her was like a brute the way he penetrated her pussy. Daniela stopped for a moment to let off a horny whimper when that happened; the man wasted no time giving it to her hard.

Aminu and the other stroked their pricks while urging their man to fuck her hard. Daniela was careful not to bite down on Sani’s prick jammed in her mouth while she jerked forward from the forced pounding she received. It grew hard for her to contain the groaning screams welling inside her body. The man grunted and exhaled harshly whilst fucking her hard. Daniela’s face was a glowing mask of hurt and lust. She almost thought the man intended ripping her in half. So much the man reminded her so much of how Master Shango often fucked her aggressively.

She fell forward on Sani’s thighs, gasping louder with immense pleasure. The man fell on top her backside, still working his girth past her vulva. Sani came off the bed and helped spread one of Daniela’s legs for his colleague who kept digging his cock deep into her vagina. Daniela reached across for Sani’s cock, stroking him fervently like a drowning victim scrambling to grasp a floating log. Her howls matched the smacking sounds of the man’s pelvis connecting with her butt. She felt her orgasm building deep down in her gut and would have wanted so much to reach between her thighs and massage her pussy to hurry it onward.

Joyce didn’t miss a thing from watching as well listening to her friend’s orgasmic squeals. She watched the way the man continue pinning her down, raising himself on his arms while his butt cheeks clenched each time he rammed into Daniela’s cunt. Where she back in the States, she definitely would have felt revolted witnessing such activity. But with everything she’d undergone from Master Shango lately, she couldn’t help being slightly turned on by it. Especially knowing as long as she remained stuck to Shango, it was only a matter of time before she got to experience such. It was so unbelievable yet true to observe Daniela and Shango’s other harem of white women as certified sluts who would open their legs for any black cock in the country to fuck. So weirdly fascinating and crazy to imagine.

The man slowed his pounding thrusts and grunted one last time before pulling out of Daniela. She turned over on her backside groaning refreshingly from the explosive orgasm her body unleashed seconds before. Sani knelt beside her head and Daniela willingly opened her mouth to receive his prick while the other nameless man fell on top of her. Bits of sweat splattered on her torso. Daniela squealed and wailed as the man’s girth drove into her cunt deeper and harder. Sani came away and Aminu took off getting a blowjob from her while the other man continued slamming down on her. Daniela didn’t enjoy some relief till the moment the man emptied his scrotum inside her pussy.

Sani then decided it was his turn. He came and lay beside Daniela and manoeuvred her leg over his thigh while sliding his prick in-between. Joyce gasped at the sight of his cock; it resembled that belonging to a horse. Even Daniela was wailing harder as his balls smacked against the underside of her butt.

Aminu still had his cock buried in her mouth the entire time Sani ploughed her pussy. Sani came quicker than the others. Daniela couldn’t turn quick enough to suck leftovers of his cum still oozing out of his penis, but she managed a bit. Sani left the bed for the first man who’d gotten hard again and laid on his back while Daniela got to ride him.

She was rocking his prick steadily but stopped when one of the men approached the bed holding a lube lotion in his hand. He poured some of it over Daniela’s butt and Aminu helped with rubbing the lotion over her butt cheeks and then got to finger-fucking her anus while she squealed and squirmed from the intrusion.

Aminu got on the bed and Daniela bent forward as he applied his prick to her anal hole. Daniela’s cries went into overdrive as both men stretched and penetrated her with double-time effort.

The gangbanging sex bout went on till Aminu grunted strenuously and pulled out of her puckered hole and groaned as he sprayed cum over her butt once again.

Each man took turns fucking her anus and shot his load. Daniela changed her position and inserted the man’s prick to fuck her anus while the others repeated the same action of fucking her pussy or mouth. The sight of Daniela being double-penetrated was reverting for Joyce to watch. It dawned on her how much she looked forward to being fucked like that hopefully soon.

Time seemed not to matter in the room. Just when each man had climaxed over and over inside Daniela’s pussy, her anus, or in her mouth, she remained insatiable for more.

“Go out and fetch the other two,” Aminu instructed one of the men who then marched out the room unconcerned that he was naked.

The others were just about exhausted and so too was Daniela when she came off the bed and went to wash cum and sweat off her body in the bathroom. Joyce watched the naked man return with the two men they had met outside; they were just as glad to be there and wasted no time taking off their clothes.

Daniela was just as happy when she came out of the bathroom. “Ahh, more cocks for me,” she gushed.

Aminu drew a chair and sat down and the others played with their deflated penises while Daniela got busy servicing the two men who’d come to join in the fun. It wasn’t long before she resumed hollering and moaning as they took turns fucking her with a vengeance. Joyce heard her scream a couple of times about cumming already.

* * * * *

Daniela was in the bathroom washing herself again. Joyce was with her this time, sitting on the toilet bowl with a towel while her friend showered. There wasn’t any trace of sunlight coming through the window; it was past eight in the evening. Joyce was in disbelief the length of time they had spent. To think that she’d spent the whole time watching Daniela get fucked was mind-numbing enough. As much as she’d enjoyed the event, she couldn’t wait for her friend to get done so they could blow from this place.

Most of the men had gathered their stuff and left the room already. Sani had switched off the air conditioner and opened the windows to let out the funk smell of cum that was everywhere, as well changed the bed sheets. Joyce could hear his voice beyond the bathroom door talking and laughing with whoever he was with.

Daniela turned off the shower faucet and waited a moment for water to drip off her before stepping out of the stall. She accepted the towel from Joyce and hummed a tune while she dried herself.

“You look beat,” Joyce said to her.

“I might look beat,” Daniela admitted, “But I feel refreshing, too. My God, I need to get fucked like that more often.”

“When last did you have this sort of workout?”

Daniela ran the towel over her hair while ruminating on the question. “Almost a month now, or maybe a little past that. Not since my last charity arts project, anyway. Always I miss having it more often.”

“This is how you always start?”

“Not always, but . . . I’m a slut, and I just love fucking black cocks. This is me being candid about it. Shango agrees with everything, too. He was the one that set me up with Aminu here and his boys.”

“This is crazy,” Joyce said.

“Stop being so negative, Joyce. You’re going to enjoy more of it yourself once Shango gets done training you.”

Joyce went back into the room and returned with her clothes. Daniela didn’t bother putting on her spandex outfit, instead wore her jacket and fixed her hair with a rubber band; her spandex outfit went into her handbag. She admired her face in a mirror before telling Joyce she was ready.

Aminu and two of his colleagues were in the living room talking amid a cloud of cigarette smoke when the women came out of the bedroom. The men were back in their clothes, except Aminu had on a pair of boxer shorts and nothing more. He came to his feet smiling as Daniela came hugged him.

“Thank you for a wonderful time,” Daniela said.

“A pleasure,” he said.

“I’ll send my proposal drafts to your office next tomorrow.”

Aminu took her hand and walked her out of the house. One of the other men took Joyce’s hand and they followed suit. He made casual conversation with her while slyly feeling his hand down her arm. The feel of his hand gave Joyce goose bumps; it made Joyce miss Shango’s presence more.

The men stopped at the verandah. Street lights were on and so, too, the lights in every home. Joyce shook Aminu’s hand after he’d hugged Daniela had hugged one last time.

“Hope you come back next time to play with us,” Aminu gave a sly chuckle. “We can’t wait to receive your own proposals, too.”

“We’ll see,” Joyce said. It was the only appropriate answer she could think of. In a way, she knew as long as she remained here in Nigeria, she was destined to follow her friend here again.

They waved goodbye as they walked back to the parking grounds. Daniela’s vehicle was where she had left it, as well the other vehicles, minus the men who’d earlier hung around. Joyce felt a little unsettled with the eerie vibe of the place and hurried round to the other side waiting for Daniela to unlock the doors.

“What’s your rush?” Daniela said after she’d gotten her key out of her handbag and unlocked the car for them to get inside. “You act like you’re hurrying to catch a bus. I know it’s late, but I’ll bet you Claude won’t be too worried.”

“Oh yes, he will,” Joyce said after fixing her seatbelt. “But he’ll just have to wait and see.”

Daniela started her car and drove out of the grounds.