Sunny smiled. Orlu was four years younger than Chukwu and far less beefy, but he’d always had a way of talking to Chukwu that Chukwu couldn’t dominate. Even now Chukwu only looked at Orlu in the rearview mirror and said nothing. He slowed down, too.

Orlu glanced at Sunny and slipped an arm around her waist. Sunny felt tingles from her shoulders to her cheeks. For a moment, she even managed to pry her mind from Lagos and what they had to do there. She did not call Orlu her boyfriend and he didn’t call her his girlfriend. The only kisses they’d exchanged were the one he’d given her on the cheek last year and the one she’d planted on his ear when he’d nearly killed himself bringing the two toddlers back from wherever Black Hat’s cruel juju had taken them. Nevertheless, Chichi liked to joke that she and Orlu were “betrothed,” and Sasha was always telling them to stop “beating around the bush.” Chichi and Sasha were always so sure of and forward with everything. What Sunny knew was that she liked being near Orlu and they held hands often. Also, once in a while, he put his arm around her. He was her friend who was always on her mind.

Chukwu slowed the car down to nearly a full stop as they came upon a crater swallowing more than half the road. The sunken crust of asphalt quickly gave way to thick red dirt. There was a car stuck in the crater. Two young men stood on the raised asphalt staring at their car. They had their hands in their pockets and looked hopeless. An SUV crept around the stranded car by driving mostly in the dirt and plants on the roadside. When it was Chukwu’s turn, he slowly drove past the car. Sasha opened the window.

“Do you . . . need help?” He added an Igbo accent to his speech to mask his Americanness. It was flawless. He switched to Pidgin English. “Wetin na want maka do fo’ na? Na need any help?”

One of the men looked annoyed. “Anytin’ wa u fit do to help, sha. Come lift am with bare hand.” He sucked his teeth irritably and looked away and muttered, “Nonsense.”

Sasha looked back at Orlu. Sunny looked from Orlu to Sasha and back. Orlu looked at Chichi. Chichi was looking at Chukwu and then Sasha. Chukwu was looking at Orlu, Sunny, and Chichi in his rearview mirror and ignoring Sasha beside him.

“Chukwu,” Sasha said. “Wait.”

When Chukwu slowed down, Sasha got out. Chichi opened her door, too. “No, Chichi,” Sasha firmly said. “Just Orlu.” He paused. “We don’t know these guys, sha.” He was still speaking in his accent.

Sunny wanted to ask what was going on, but Chukwu was there. So she said nothing. Orlu got out on the other side of the Jeep and stepped into the tall grass. He walked up to Chukwu’s window. “Drive all the way up,” he said. “We’ll meet you there.”