‘’I am a dick’’
They share a smile
‘’I won’t call this in, but I would have to use my buds, they had to go clean up the mess there, I would take the other one to get info from him’’
‘’Are they dead?’’
‘’You really want me to answer that question?’’
‘’Nope.!’’
‘’Good!!’’
‘’Are you going to kill him, if he doesn’t talk?’’
‘’I don’t kill people Brian, people kill themselves and the only reasons they went down was because they were going to kill you, if I didn’t move fast enough the shot the one with the gun pointed at you would have fired, or when he shot at me, I had to take him down, the other one was stupid too, the third was lucky…’’
‘’Don’t kill him, please..i feel sick already ‘’ Brian slouches
‘’My friends are from the police headquarters, they would call it in as it should, they would check the men out, Id’s and stuff, find out who they are…know this Brian, this might be what they do normally, do jobs like this and get paid for it by killing people or harming them, maybe they are not so innocent’’
‘’Still doesn’t make it okay’’
‘’nothing makes death okay, but to save an innocent, it is okay in my book’’
‘’you are really Ikena the terrible’’
‘’thank you for the compliment sir, but don’t worry, I won’t do anything if he cooperates, doesn’t mean I would be nice. Go on in, I still would want you to go to the hospital, even if you don’t want your parents to know, I can foot the bill, give you a fake card and all, get it under a few hours?’’
Brian shakes his head ‘’Nope, I will just get to the chemist again tomorrow, I don’t accept hand-me-downs from my bodyguards’’
Ikena laughs ‘Stubborn!!’’
‘’I know!! Tell me something new, and …let me know what you find out…’’
‘’let me worry about that Brian, would check on you tomorrow’’
‘’Okay, ‘’
Brian sighs laying on his bed, even thinking about his conversation with Ikena was draining. He felt dizzy, too dizzy.
He closes his eyes, and that was it
******
‘’Do you want me to take the other pinky finger?’’ Ikena is leaning towards the wailing man
He shakes his head as tears leave his eyes, spittle leaves his mouth and catarrh leaving his nose as his eyes turned red, he can’t hold his hand as his finger is laying there and blood a tiny pool on the table.. he is screaming and bleeding
‘’Go on, tell me what you were saying, my patience is running thing with you wailing, maybe I should pluck out off your eyes, you don’t need eyes to talk, or maybe chop your nuts, you don’t need it to speak..hmmm…hmmm?’’ Ikena picks a plier and pulls at his ears, the man is screaming
‘’please..pleasee, I don’t want to die!! I don’t want to die please…I will talk..i will talk !!’’
‘’So talk, who is frank, who the fxxk is frank, is that his real name or some alias?’’
The man is weeping ‘’That is what he told us, that is his name, that is the name i swear, please my ear, please I don’t want to die…my hand..my hand, please….please I will bleed to death’’
‘’You should have thought about that before you agreed to come after him. So why did they send you all to come kill him’’
Ikena perches on the table, the man sniffs ‘’Speak before I run this knife over your wrists and poke a vein..you know how dangerous that can be? The right vein would make you bleed out in minutes…you don’t want that do you?’’
He shakes his head, ‘’Good, I am listening ‘’
He stutters ‘’We got the call two days ago that he wants us to do a job for him’’
‘’who is he, ?’’
‘’Frank, he is the person we get jobs from’’
‘’Go on!’’ Ikena relaxes
‘’he said that a client of his wants a man put down’’
‘’Killed?’’
The man stares at Ikena , he is silent , Ikena touches the edge of his knife ‘’I hate to repeat my questions’’ he looks at the man, the man hurriedly speaks as he winces in the pain emanating from his cut finger, and his ears..
‘’he said that the man wants him to be unrecognizable, so we should use our discretion. We don’t kill him but leave him barely alife, if he dies well..if he doesn’t he should be worse for wear’’
‘’I see, so how much did they pay you?’’
‘’it is supposed…supposed to be twenty thousand naira, we get to share twenty thousand naira’’ he says fearfully
Ikena shakes his head ‘’So for a miserly twenty thousand naira you fools go around killing people, how many people have you out done , how many times have you done a job like this, give me a number’’
Silence, fear in his eyes
‘’Give me a fxking number or I will take a guess and tattoo in on your balls ‘’
‘’twenty-eight!!’’ he answers
‘’Twenty-eight!!’’ Ikena shakes his head ‘’So for what, sixteen thousand or so you kill another person just because …-‘’
‘’No no sir, some is mistake, maybe he wants to run or it gets really rough, ones who I have killed is like twenty-one’’
‘’same thing!!’’
‘’I swear sir, I wouldn’t do it again, forgive me, I ..i don’t want to die’’ he wails shaking his head , seeing the gun, the knives..his bleeding finger and the cut one dancing in the pool of his blood, his hand tied and he can’t do anything, chained to the chair. He was fxxked, really fxxked. He would do anything, anything at all. ‘’Please, anything you want I will tell you, I will even take you to him’’
‘’ofcourse you would tell me everything and take me to him. First, you say he said a client of his, no name, this client?’’
He shakes his head ‘’He never gives us that information,. He just pays us and gives us the name and picture of the target, we get the job done’’
‘’How many of you are in this business?’’
‘’we plenty sir’’
‘’Give me a number’’
‘I never count reach sir, but him get plenty boys wei dey do this job, me…me I be student ‘’
The decadence of the society, he shakes his head ‘’ those who leave by the sword would die by the sword, you know that passage in the bible, heard it before?’’ the man’s lips is shaking as more tears leaves his eyes
‘’Please I beg you, I beg you’’’
‘’This frank, how do you contact him when the job is done, met him before?’’
‘’We send him a message, and a picture of the job, via whatsapp’’
‘’what’s the number’?’’
‘’I don’t have it ..but it’s in my phone , but the numbers always get disconnected as soon as the message is delivered, we get alerts and that’s it. ‘’
‘’and how does he contact you all?’’
‘’he has our informations, we get message from an unknown number of the job, target, place, what to do and time…and price. That is all. We move’’
‘’So you haven’t met this frank before too? how do you know there are a lot of you?’’
‘’One of two persons I have seen during the job, they always switch, they never pair you with the same person again, so I don’t know if they drop or he just switched them’’
‘’switched them, for security sake , he is smart, unlike you fools’’ Ikena rubs his jaw ‘’So frank is no one and his client is obviously a ghost and they let you fools to touch the wrong kid, wrong move on their part. Where is your phone?’’
‘’my pocket!!’’
‘’Good!! You are going to send a message, now’’
Ikena drags him up and searches for his phone, finding it he pushes him down to the chair with a force, he winces in pain… , ‘’what’s the code’’
‘’this year, written backward’’
‘’7102’’ Ikena says as he types, he perches on the table again and releases his wounded hand and ties the other one behind him’’ Tell him the job is done’’
‘’But, I can’t type with this hand, it hurts Sir, please ‘’
‘’that’s the idea, tell him the job is done’’
‘’he would want to see prove’’
‘’and I just want to see who the fxxk he is, now tell him it is done, leave the rest to me’’
The man nods, wincing in pain as he held the phone with his bleeding hand, using only his thumb to tap on the screen, punching a message , Ikena is behind him as he brings out his phone , dialing ‘’ Teka, pick coordinates for this number, get me the area of where it is coming from, and who it is registered to Asap, 08145283466, great. Thanks ..he is sending a message now..yes , it just delivered.. okay, just read.. got it?’’
‘’He wants to see prove, he wants to know the state of the man?’’ he turns to Ikena
‘’Tell him, he is dead’’
‘’but he would want to see prove!’’
‘’I said tell him he is dead, he tried to be smart, gun went off, he is dead’’
He types it, while Ikena is still on the phone ‘’Anything yet? No, why? Okay, I am waiting, okay, would stall him’’
‘’he says we weren’t supposed to kill him’’
‘’tell him he is already dead’’
He does so, the message was read.
‘’Why isn’t he answering ?’’ Ikena frowns
‘’I don’t know Sir!’’ The man answers fearfully ‘’Maybe he suspects something ,’’ then he looks at his phone to see that he is typing, ‘’He is typing sir’’ he reads the message ‘’What did we do with the body, any eye witnesses?’’
‘’was there?’’ Ikena breaths down his neck
He shakes his head as he types a no, and tells him that they dumped the body in the canal. ‘’he still wants prove, he knows we always have prove of our mission, if I don’t give him one, he would know something is wrong ‘’
Ikena sighs ‘’Hey Teka, send a picture of one of those dudes you cleared away, the one you are taking to the station, make his face a blur..send it now, okay great’’
‘’he is asking for it again sir’’
‘’relax!!’’
In a few minutes he gets the picture to his phone, he tells him to turn on his bluetooth as he sends it across, he sends it, they wait, Ikena is on the phone , picture was received, nothing.
‘’He suspects!!’’ the man is fidgeting, ‘’He suspects!!’’ he repeats
‘’Shut up before I pull out your tongue’’ Ikena threatens
‘’Good Job, atleast the client would be pleased that an obstacle is out of his way, death or not, he didn’t care anyways ‘’ he reads the message out loud to Ikena , ‘’He leaves the chat almost immediately and if I try sending a message I get the error message that his line is no longer in service and thus the message cannot be delivered ‘’
‘’No today’’ Ikena turns away ‘’ Teka, got it? Okay, where in Odili road, I need it to narrow down, what’s the coordinates? Okay, where exactly? 235.5 west, 765-north, okay, tell me what you see, okay, zoom in, I need an exact spot so I don’t keep walking in circles or veer away from where I am supposed to be, the buzz from the internet coming off that number needs to have magnet , you are the Tech dude in the police department, Come on Teka, give me something’’ he waits ‘’Great, send me the cords of the place, would check it out tomorrow. Huhuh..huhuu! he says his name is frank but that could be some Alias, men who do this are smart, they can’t go giving out their real identities incase it goes sour, it helps to protect them and their clients, only the fools gets bursted..yeah’’ Ikena turns to the man seated behind him, he frowns as he leans to see the man typing a message, when he reads it, he says ‘’Call you back, need to send someone to meet the devil early’’
He grabs the knife and runs it through the man’s wounded hand and pins it to the table as he screams out in pain, he puts the phone in his pocket, releases his other hand and grabs another knife, place it on the table and runs it and pins it to the table as the man continuous to scream , he peels the phone out of his already open hand
‘’Didn’t your mummy ever tell you not to try and be stupid?’’ he picks the phone and reads the message he sent and one he was typing ‘’ Boss, we were ambushed, Bobo and Kemes is dead, I am held hostage, Brain Andrews isn’t dead, he is no ordinary man. Help!!’’
‘’I am sorry..i am sorry!!’’
‘’you see the problem I have with you fools? Unrepentant ‘’ he takes his gun and cocks it ‘’Any last prayers my friend?’’
‘’I have a mother, a sister!!’’ he cries ‘’Please’’
‘’So did the people you killed in cold blood for a miserly twenty thousand naira, you are useless to me, I got the coordinates of your boss, I will get him then I will get the client and everyone else in this line of business too.. you should be in school, making your mother and sister proud, but instead you roam the street about to kill a son, an only son, and you dare to tip off your Frank?’’
‘’I am sorry!!’’
‘’Me too’’
He checks the message, sees it as it delivers and it is read. ‘’now, you just made me angrier’’ he releases his finger and shots were fired.
****
‘’Fuck!!’’ his phone drops as hot tea burns his hands ‘’What the fxxk is wrong with you?’’ he shouts
‘’I am sorry Sir, I am sorry, let me go and bring rag oga , I am sorry!!’’ she runs out of his study, he sees picking up his phone that drops to the ground, the screen is cracked, he puts it on and all he sees is blank.
‘’Fxxk!! Fxxxk fxxk fxxxk!!!’’ he mutters in anger, Koko had sent him a message, just when he opened it to read, that stupid girl poured the tea he had asked her to bring. This was his work phone damnit !! She would pay for it with another beating that was for sure.
She opens the door coming in with a rag and begins to dab his table and his floor. ‘’I am sorry oga , forgive me ‘’she says shaking , he drops the phone on his table and grabs her by the hair
‘’Do you know what you have done, do you?’’
She is shaking her head as she held his hand pulling at her hair ‘No, please oga na mistake I beg you, I nearly fall naim make, I beg you, no beta me again’’
‘’Oh, you will be beaten that is for sure, you were lucky I got the first information before you ruined the phone, do you know how much it costs? Forty thousand naira and to fix screens is another twenty-five. No food for you in this house, you will work, work to get that money for me, tonight..i don’t care if you have to sleep with twenty men, you will buy that phone back for me you hear?’’
‘’Yes Sir, please’’
He pushes her away, grabbing his phone and walking away, she cries by the corner.
He goes into his room, sighing, he would call John tomorrow and tell him about his dead obstacle. He would have to get another work phone tomorrow.
He frowns, what was Koko trying to tell him, the only thing he began to read right before that bitch tripped and poured him hot tea was ‘’Boss, we were am-‘’
His frown deepens, was he trying to say ambushed? It wouldn’t be that right?.
Well, there is no way to even get across to him now till he gets that phone fixed or get a new one and even if he got a new one they would have to extract information from the old one to him to be able to access phone numbers and account details to pay them their balance. Well its even good for him, they have no way of contacting him and he can decide not to pay them if he feels like, they can’t cry wolf, who would they be crying wolf to. They can’t report him, who would they report him to, the police?
He laughs
It’s like committing suicide. They were criminals, that’s like turning themselves in. He laughs. What would they say, that their boss Frank sent them on some mission which involves killing or harming innocents and he has refused to pay them? Who is frank? He isn’t frank. Frank is a fxxking alias. Even his client thinks he is frank, he isn’t no frank.
In this line of business, it is best to leave your private life private, that way; no one would be able to tell you apart from an innocent fly.
He laughs hard.
Tomorrow, he would call John and tell him the good news. He never asks his clients why they want to harm another, that wasn’t his business, he just takes the money, passes the job to hungry fools who would kill anything for ten naira and he basks in the wealth this life brings.
Yes, tomorrow he would tell him. Shei he wanted the dude fxxked up beyond recognition, well, the picture Koko sent was a dead fxxked up guy., it should make John happy.. he wanted the guy out of his way, he is out of his way.
John should be pleased, and his own pockets would be smiling, no matter how small.
He lays on his bed with a smile on his face and goes to sleep.
Visit www.pobsonline.com for more amazing stories
*****
Crap!!
I frown as I step out of the bathroom the next morning, it is Saturday and I don’t even have his personal phone number.
Stupid Stupid Stupid!!!
I hit my head grabbing my bag and sitting down. I had no idea where the market was in this place, what do I do?
How can you have a boyfriend and not have his number, was that even normal? I shake my head.
I was so excited about cooking something for my boyfriend..
I smile when I say that ‘’Boyfriend!!’’
He is your PA Adora, you shouldn’t be excited about it, things like that just don’t work and it is against the rules of your company plus, it just won’t work.
Stop thinking about the consequences Adora, if you like what is happening and how you are feeling, don’t think, just do.
I feel the red and white minimes on my shoulders battling in my head, I mentally brush both of them off.
‘’I have no time for you conscience, allow me a little joy please ‘’ I say as I scroll through my phone, who should I call?.
John!!
‘’Hell no!!’’ for some reason his recent behavior was worrisome, and because he hates Brian, there is no way he would want to help. I sigh.
Maybe, I should just go to his house, he does know I am coming to make dinner for us today, we just didn’t decide on the time.
Oh well, it doesn’t matter, I would just call a cab, an expensive cab which is obviously the only available one. If I had his number I would have called him to call Ikena to come pick me since I can’t call my own driver who must be thrilled to be on a break from me.
Oh dang!!
Ikena wouldn’t be working on Saturday; no driver would be working on Saturday in the company, same as all the staffs. I guess I would just have to call the cab company from the numbers John had given me one time.
Sighing , I make the call. Maybe they would take me to the market as well.
Tbc
