Emeka is standing and backing his window, a glass of drink in his hand, as he watches the morning break.
It is 7:55 in the morning; he had been up for hours, thinking about what to do about Brian.
Finding no solution to his problem he had left to work early so his wife would stop asking about his bad mood.
She wouldn’t understand, no one but him, No one will know how it pains unless they are wearing his shoes. Sadly, he has no intention of letting go off his seat.
Not even for Brian Andrews, son or no son. Brian is better off chasing the skirts.
He needs to do something, and fast.
”Kenekan, I have worked too hard for this to get tossed to the corner because he is your son. There is no way I am letting this happen, no way” he turns away from the window, placing the glass on the table, he grabs the phone and dials the front desk.
”Is John around yet?”
”No Sir, should I let him know you want him when he does Sir?”
”Yes, immediately he does” he says cutting the call.
John hates him, John would be the better instrument to use, .
He relaxes back in his seat and waits,.
***
John had left Emeka’s office angrily after he had chased him and them out, after the plan to make the Boss get angry and punish both of them, Brian and Adora fail.
He had been angry, too angry that he wished he could have done something, anything to channel his anger, but it was no use.
Fuming, he had gone back to his desk, angrily staring at documents, unable to focus because his anger was giving him a bad migraine.
He gets up walking out, just leaving to clear his head and think.
If a cockroach as much as fly cross your head, you wipe it down with a brown killing it. If mosquitoes bite your arm, you slap it dead on the spot. If a snake crawls across your path, you have a knife you cut of it’s head. But..why is it with Brian, it is different.
He tried getting rid of him, like a ghost he came back from the dead.
Now, hoping that the revelation that both him and Adora are having a thing should get them the booth out of the door, but for some twisted luck, they get saved, because the Boss, the big Boss thinks him hearing them talk wasn’t proof enough?”
Fxxk you Sir!!!
John is angered.
Oh. You wait, I will get you the prove you need Sir, I will.
He gets back to the desk and watches their door, Adora didn’t come out, and neither did Brian.
He leaves and then comes back again, Temi comes to him, fuzzes about nonsense.
”I am not in the mood Temi, so get yourself and your loud mouth away from me”
”I have been looking for you”
”I said get lost” he repeats
”I said-”
He stands up angrily, staring into her face ”I do not care what you are about to say, I said get lost, so get lost”
”You cannot tell me to get lost, this is a public place”
”You are in my face”
”I am standing in a public place, if you want me to leave here, own it”
He stares at her, folding his fist, ”You..you” he curses walking away, if he doesn’t calm himself, he would do something he wouldn’t regret, but he doesn’t need any distractions, no he doesn’t . he needs to catch them red handed.
He comes back to see Brian heading to her office, he follows him behind and then stops when he enters, pretending to scroll on his phone as he stands to the door, hoping to hear anything.
”- time to go home – er, I mean for the er designing ” Brian said
”Okay, I would be right out” Adora said
Then silence, John moves closer to the door, the door opens, he turns immediately walking away.
When he turns he sees Brian walking out of the office, and then leaves the premises, Adora comes out a few minute later, her eyes downcast as she leaves.
”She was crying?” He mutters in anger
The slut was crying?
He angrily kicks the wall
”Take it easy John, only God knows what is eating you up this days, ” Peter, his friend appears behind him
”That is my problem, not yours” he says walking away
”You think he is going crazy? Boma, who was leaving the printing away comes to stand beside Peter who is frowning watching John follow Adora behind.
”I don’t know, but he is acting in a way I don’t like”
”How?”
”I don’t know. He seems to be obsessed with Miss Adora and his anger towards Brian is increasing by the day”
”You think he would do something stupid?” Boma screws up his face, Peter chuckles,
”Like what?”
”I don’t know, stupid people end up doing stupid things” He shrugs
”Na, John can be a lot of things, but stupid enough to do stupid things because of what? Miss Adora and a guy he doesn’t like? Nah!!” Peter says, but he frowns
”If you believe so, I don’t think you would have that face”
”I just..” he rubs his jaw ”Nah. Let’s get back to work. John is just being a guy on heat and one whose ego is bruised, nothing else.”
”Even sleeping dogs bite my friend ”
”Not this one known him for abit, he wouldn’t hurt a fly”
Boma nods ”Okay, come, let’s get the team and finish on this”
*
John had watched them leave yesterday, his eyes boiling in anger.
He wished there was something more he can do, anything at all.
He goes back and tosses his file on his desk to the ground, cursing.
”What?” he asked as everyone turns to him ”You have work, get back to it damnit!!!”
He does nothing productive till the end of the day, thinking of what to do to Brian to wipe the smug smile off his face once and for all. He already knows what he would do to Adora, she would pay for choosing that He-goat over him.
*
Last night.
He is seated in the club, drinking a glass of beer when he sees him walk in, with a woman on his arm.
Then he smiles, he brings out his phone and then dials.. the person excuses the lady he is with and then steps outside to take a call.
”Yo! John, what’s up?” The man speaks into the phone
”Hey, I am inside, check your right when you come in, straight ahead, I need you to help me do something”
”Like what?”
”I need to fxxk up a nigga real good, and I need to start with things within an IT company and you are the right guy for it”
”Don’t tell me we are still talking about the same guy here?”
”Yes!!!”
”Okay”
”come in, waiting for you” John cuts the call and then smiles.
Yes, now everything would work out as perfectly as he would want.
There is no way Brian would come out of this unscared.
*
Alex alights from the car, Mikel gets out and then leads them into the safe house.
”As you can see, this is just perfect, you can work from here sir. We got it from a nice looking man”
”How much?” Alex asks pulling at his grey goatee
”oh well, it depends, he didn’t live long enough to ask” Chike smiles, Alex nods
”No family members?”
”Nope, he is a widower, no kids, been living here for ten years, was looking to sell it and we offered a price, he was down and buried before he could get out cash, I mean, a whole 45 million? Hahah, I helped him kick the bucket early, I am sure he is missing his wife” Chike laughs again.
”Food, is this place stucked?”
”To the brim, we know how you like it Sir”
”Good, the boys?”
”Going to take care of them Sir” Mikel says handing him a key
”And Koko in jail?”
”i..erm,…I will do that Sir” Chike stammers.
”You better”
”Did your friend get it up?” Alex says sitting down
”Yes, Being up for the past 20 minutes, ”
So if the police check me out, I am who the fxxk I say I am?”
”Yes Sir.”’
”Good, now, send someone to get rid of the taxi and you Mikel, find me John, find me Brian and then him, also, you remember I need info on that Jude Robertson guy okay?”
”Yes Boss”
”Okay, the girls? The drugs?” He says taking off his shirt as he is seated”
”They have begun operations Sir in the new safe houses, no worries”
”I need someone here, to clean, wash, cook, fxxk!!”
Chike smiles , Mikel nods ”I will get you one Sir, she would be obedient,”
”She had better, You are dismissed, I need progress report before the day ends tomorrow”
”Yes Sir”
They both leave him.
Alex walks to the mirror and stares at himself ”Harrison Ekweme ! not bad for a fxxking old man Alex, not bad” he smiles, he frowns ”Jude Robertson, why do I have a feeling you are not who you say you are, why?”
He turns away and then goes to the bed.
Tomorrow, hopefully news would come to him, in the main time, he would have conference call with the Head team members.
His shipment was coming in from togo tonight, they need to clear it at the bother and begin to distribute. They need more girls, so they have to go into the streets and kidnap as much as they can, smuggle them out to Benin Republic before their carnival.. prostitution was good business for him, they also get to carry drugs for him to the other side for clients.
He smiles, this was the life. The life he was used to.
Money, drugs, girls, and his team..and he could do anything under their nose and still be invincible .
He grabs his phone, he needs to put an advert out there again, changing his alias,. That was how John contacted him, via online.
He needed hit jobs.
He laughs, jack of all trades, master of all.
”Want anyone taken care off? Call the hit man.” He sends it as an encrypted message.
And waits.
*
”Boss, you said the boss was coming , where is he? We have been waiting ” One of the boys says. He is nineteen, fair, grey eyes.
”I got him wine, I wonder if he like wine” another one says laughing as he shows off his bottle
”I wonder what he looks like though, haven’t ever seen before” another says
”Maybe like scarface, or the godfather, the baddest guy ever liveth” another says, he is twenty one.
Mikel is standing just inside the store house, looking at them.
All 50 of them. Murderers, rapist, killers. All of them, courtesy Vampire. Trained to do what he demanded, loved it, became expert at it. Lived from it..and now..they would die for it.
Just like Vampire to get rid of what is useless to him.
He wished he didn’t have to do it, 50 boys, was wiping out an entire generations, but if he doesn’t, Vampire would come for him and he, wanted to live. He had a son, he would be turning 18 next month, in the states, reading law. A good boy.
But these were other people’s children, who have been handpicked to cause mayham instead of being in school, instead of being with their friends, instead of being like every other young boy…
Instead, these ones lived by the gun, with the gun and for the gun. And sadly, they wouldn’t be dying by the gun.
”Yes, he would be here shortly” he tells them, ”give me a minute” he says stepping out again, he latches the door and bolts it. He had told the boys who came with him to pour diesel around the store house.
”Done?”
”Yes Boss!!”
”Okay”
He brings out the lighter he held, sticking a cigarette in his mouth, after a few drags, he begins to walk away from the store house, by the time he nears the car, he tosses the lighter on the sand, where the trail of diesel connects back to the house. They watch as it began to move, like a fiery slithering snake reaching the house.. Creeping over the walls, the wooden walls, expelling smoke, turning brown to black. Then they heard the screams, the shouting the banging of the door as they fight to open the door and some crying for help.
It had been lashed closed with iron bars. They wouldn’t be able to get out even if they wanted to.
”Jesus!!” one of the men mutters,
”Do not call the name of the Lord in vain!!” Mikel says turning away as screams reach his ears, ”Wait till the last of the smoke becomes grey, then, bury the ashes, and cement the ground. We would raise this place for a storage house in a week.
”Yes Boss!!”
As Mikel drives away, he made a mental note to make sure his son never gets into bad company. To never bee slurred into this kind of life, only to die like chickens.
Yes Vampire was the devil, but he wasn’t less evil either.
He stares down at his hands ”50 boys!! Fxxk!!”
His phone rings ”Yes Chike”
”Is it done?”
”Yes”
”Okay, i..i don’t know how to get into the station and take care of Koko”
”Your business, get your police friend to give you access, I just killed 50 boys man, you have just one, deal with it”
”He is asking for a whole lot”
”Give it to him”
”From where?”
”Be asking me again till the Boss gets wind that you haven’t done jack of what he wants. I can’t help you Chike, I have…literally too much blood on my hands. Deal with your shit” he cuts the call.
Tomorrow, he would still have to go look for John and then the Brian. He was just waiting for the message to get the address of John’s working place when they pulled it off from his data base profile.
Just then, his phone beeps, the message comes in .
”John Efegor, Administration. Andrews Construction and Designing Company. Shell R.A. First floor”
He replies a ”Thank you message”
His phone rings again ”Yes” he frowns answering, it was one of the guys he sent to go get the taxi parked in the hotel.
”I spoke to the receptionist, the police took the taxi”
”Damnit!! Boss won’t like that”
”Well.”
”Thanks” he cuts the call and dials Chike
”The taxi has been picked by the police, look out for it, if it is in the station, torch it’
”I can’t do that”
”You better, if not Boss will have both our heads” he cuts the call
He could hear their screaming, The boys, screaming , he shakes his head.
Damnit !!
He would never want his son to be a part of this mess. Never!!
*
”How are you going to change?” I laugh staring at him, it is almost 8. ”I need to shower babe” I shake him awake ”We are late”
”No babe come back to bed”
”Nope” I jump out of his reach. ”I am going to shower and get ready for work”
”You need help?”
I turn to see him smiling at me through his still sleepy eyes
I laugh ”Naughty!! I would love to help but…don’t tempt me. You need to get home and get new cloths”
He yawns getting up, he rubs his eyes as he stretches, then before I realize he rushes to me, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around as I scream
”HAAAAA! Brian drop me,,,Ahhhhhhh!!” I laugh and scream. He laughs dropping me, pinning me to the all.
”You know, last night I was too sleepy to …love you up”
”You mean this morning because you came here by four am”
”Oh well, I can begin now” he nuzzles my neck
I bite my lip ”You are the devil, I have to get to work” I kiss him when his lips gets to mine
”Me too, but we can go late”
I smile ”Yes..No, I mean No” as his lips gets to my neck, I squirm , he laughs
”One minute, can I spend one minute with my girlfriend?” he pouts, I pull his cheeks, kissing him
”One minute Is up,” I pull away and turn his towards the door, lifting his shoes , just then, we hear a car horn ”See, Ikena is here”
”But mummy I do not want to go to school, I want to stay home with you” he pouts and whines like a child
I laugh shaking my head ”You are something else Brian Andrews” I push him to the door and then open it…
”Good Morning Ma’am” Ikena nods to me ”Morning Sir”
Brian turns to me, leaning into me ”You know I miss you already right?”
‘Me too”
He kisses me, lingering ”One minute, ” he whispers over my lips
”No”
”Okay Five” he pulls my lips with his
I laugh ”I bind you this morning, be gone!!” I laugh, he grabs me and pulls me into a hug
”Just to show you what you are missing, my amazing warmth and the smell of a sexy man. Don’t bite your lips and wish for me when you see me looking dashingly handsome at work today. I will show you woman!!! Me , I will do my own shagara!!”
I giggle hugging him ” You wouldn’t dare’
”Oh babe I will. See you in abit, Ikena would come get you after I drop off. Miss me” he gives me a loud kiss, pulling away, I reach out my hands and spank his bottom hard.
He turns in shock holding his behind, Ikena bursts out laughing.
I have a wide smile on my face ”Just letting you know who is the boss around here”
”I have been violated!!” he gasps
”If you have an issue, step into my office” I wink at him
”Oh..gladly!! ” he is walking back to me with a huge smile on his face
”NOOOO,!! In the office” I stop him laughing and pushing him away,
”Damn!! And I thought you were changing your mind, you are savage!!” he kisses my forehead.. then he whispers ”Just so you know, you are getting yours too, but I wouldn’t be spanking you honey, I would be speaking to your core , with a language only she understands…” he winks walking away, I blush as I suddenly get warm, I shake my head watching him enter the car and they drive off..
Maybe, I should have let him have one minute or five,
Now I would be thinking about what he meant. I smile rushing into the house to shower and get ready for work.
*
Ikena stares at Brian who is smiling stupidly.
”I guess all is well in China town?”
Brian’s smile broadens ”Oh yes it is”
”That would be a thousand bucks” Ikena shows him his flat palm as he holds on to the wheel with his other hand.
”What for?” Brian furrows his brow at him
”Because I gave you a good advice”
Brian smiles ”One day, I will buy you a drink Ikena. For a driver and a bodyguard-”
”Slash Adviser!!” Ikena interjects
Brian nods ”Slash Adviser, you are not that bad”
”Heh!! I know”
They smile.
Ikena stares at him briefly before turning away..
A pull at his chest.
He misses his brother, he misses him a lot,
Maybe the reason, the reason he feels more of a sense of duty to protect Brian is because…
Just like Brian, his brother was stubborn, reckless and was wild..
And then when he came back from school and they begun staying together…
He had straighten him up.
They were twins yes, but their father thought separating them would have been good, but he heard when twins stay together for long, they tend to lose themselves, sometimes fall sick, one of them dying.
Some superstitious nonsense .
So he had sent his brother David, to Benin Republic, and he had remained in Nigeria.
He joined the Navy when he got to college, his brother David, was reading medicine.
He got bored, he lost focused and he dropped out of school.
Their father gets him back home.
”I want to join the Army, like you” David had told him one day, two years
*****
”How may I help you Sir?”
”So sorry, but I am looking for John Efegor.”
”And you are?”
”Tobi, Tobi Marshal ”Mikel says to the receptionist.
”’is he expecting you?”
”Yes”
”Okay hold on Sir” She says as she picks up the phone to dial the offices within the bible.
Someone walks into the building, he is whistling a happy tone, the lady pauses on her call, her eyes lights up..
”Hey you, someone is happy this morning ” she says,
”Yes I am, how are you today you look amazing, that colour looks great on you” he tells her
”I know right, thank you Brian. But you, why are you happy?”
He comes to her, ”Tell you a secret?”
She nods
”Well. Jesus loves me, and he loves you, even you too sir” He points to Mikel ”Even everyone in the whole wide world he loves” he smiles
”Hmm, I am suspecting this your likeness, is it God you are talking about or it is a girl?”
Brian smiles ”It is God dear. ” he smiles at her, nodding at the man standing and watching him.. ”See you around and don’t forget Jesus loves you”’ Brian says walking away
”Oh, don’t mind me Sir, sorry about that” she says placing a call to John’s cubicle
”It is fine!” Mikel watches as Brian disappears , he dips his hand into his pocket , gets out his wallet and looks at two pictures, one is of Brian and the other is off John..
”That person that just left, he looks like someone I know…is his name…Dickson?” Mikel fishes
”Dickson? No, that is Brian Andrews..”
”Oh, my bad, he looked like someone I know”
”That face would be hard to miss. ” she says smiling , ”Yes John, you have a visitor, he said you are expecting him, Tobi Marshal. You are not?” she frowns ”Sir?” she removes the phone from her ears ”He isn’t expecting you”
”Tell him he would recognize me when he does come down.
She speaks into the receiver and the nods ”He is on his way down”
”Good,. Thank you beautiful”
”You can take a seat ” she directs him.
Mikel goes and does so, waiting , he dials ”I found Brian Andrews Boss and guess what, I may be able to kill two birds with one stone, okay Sir” Mikel cuts and waits.
*
”Look, you have ten minutes, wear this cloths, use the face cap, I will leave the cell open briefly during breakfast period, other than that, you are on your own. ” the rogue police tells Chike who is in a car across the station, he give him a nylon bag, Chike grabs it, tearing it to pour the cleaning cloths on his legs.
”And the Taxi, is it there?”
”Yes!! One of the team heads brought it in last night, it is parked behind the building. You have a one opening. I have already opened the tag to leak the feul.. all you need to do is to toss a lighter inside of it, while the commotion is going on, you disappear. Where Is my money?”
Chike gives him three bundles of cash, he smiles taking it ”150k, correct?”
”You can count it”
”I trust you. Okay, in five minutes, come through that gate, take your left, enter through the kitchen and do the needful”
”Sure’
*
”Do I know you?” John asks the man as he gets to him
”Yes, I wonder, can we step outside for abit to talk?”
”We can discuss here”
”No, it is a delicate matter”
”I do not know you” John frowns sizing the man up, He needs to see Mr Emeka, he just got to work and they informed him that Mr Emeka wants to see him. He didn’t need some stranger to delay him.
”You will, one minute please”
John sighs ”Fine”
*
”So, what is it?” They are standing beside Mikel’s car
Mikel puts his hand inside his jacket, about to bring out his gun and point to him and force him into the car when Ikena who was passing suddenly stops.
John was talking to someone who looked awfully farmiliar, he sees him putting his hands into his jacket, out of instincts, he goes to them, wondering who John was talking to.
”Problem?” Ikena says coming behind both men, John looks up frowning as he sees Ikena, Mikel turns dropping his hands, he is shocked as his mouth drops open.
Ikena stares at him..
That face,..that face.
Vampire. He was standing behind him that day. One of the two men..
What the hell was John doing with this man,
He knew it, John was lying through his teeth.
Mikel recovers quickly.
”Why are you here?” John spat at him ”Can’t you see that I am busying”
”Sorry, have we met?’ Ikena directs it to Mikel
”No, I don’t think so. ” he turns to John ”I think this is your busy hour so I will come back to discuss a business proposal” without waiting for a reply, he enters his car and then speds off. Ikena moves away, he needs to follow him, John stops him
”Ikena, it is not enough that you slam me to the wall it is to disrupt my meeting?”
Ikena ”I have to go John”
John stops him ”Really, you disrupt my meeting and now you want to go?” Ikena looks to see that it was pointless, the man would have been long gone by now.
”You want me to slam you to the car this time John?”
The hand John has touching Ikena’s chest drops.. ”You will pay for what you did. just know”
”When you are done being a cry baby. Let me know, who is that by the way, what sort of business do you have with him?”
”None of your business!!”
Ikena takes a step towards him ”I won’t ask again”
John eyes him, ”I don’t know him. ”
”Liar”
”I don’t. I just met him today and he said he had a proposition for me but I didn’t get to hear it because you chased him away”
”Right!! I have my eyes on you John!!”
”What are you, some detective?”
Ikena smiles ”Wouldn’t you like that,. ” with that he turns walking away
”Dxxk!!
*
”You wanted to see me Sir?” John sits
”Yes, we both have a common agenda yes?”
”What Sir?”
”Not what, who?”
”Brian Sir?”
”Yes!!”
”Yes Sir”
”this is what I need you to do for his upcoming tech project”
John begins to smile ”I am all ears Sir”
*
Damilolo walks into her bedroom to see her husband reading the newspaper ” Are you still grumpy?” she asked him
”Well, since you have decided to place your son above me, yes. You just got back from Dubia, now you want to head to Port Harcourt, what about me?”
She smiles sitting on the bed ”His birthday is in three days now”
”Call him”
”No, I want to see my son”
”and do what na, he is a grown man, he doesn’t need his mother”
”You are a grown man, you don’t need your wife.”
He drops his newspaper ”I married you, he should go and marry his own”
She smiles ”In time, until then, I am his wife and mother and sister and brother, all in one ”
Kenekan snorts ”speaking off, Emeka calls me up to make some accusations against Brian yesterday”
”Oh, what about?”
”That he and the Media Manager are having a thing!”
Damilolo raises an eyebrow, Kenekan is smiling ”Really, why are you smiling”
”Because Brian is just a silly boy. But” the smile leaves his face ”It is a work environment, it shouldn’t be so.”
”Yes it shouldn’t. ”
”If that is the case, they have to be penalized”
”Is that the case?” she folds the paper ”He likes her?”
”No prove yet. I asked for it, until then” he stares at her ”I don’t know. It is a work environment, and they have to leave with the code of conducts there, when the prove comes, I will treat accordingly.”
”Okay. see, my flight is in two days”
”You really going to see another man?” he cocks his brow
She laughs going to him ”You will always be my first” she kisses him. ”Come, see the catalogue for my new shop and have you called your son, dear father?”
He scratches his head as he follows her ”He should call me”
She shakes her head smiling ”Typical , you both are stubborn”
”he is worse”
”he Is from your loins”
They laugh.
Visit www.pobsonline.com for more amazing stories
****
”Boss, guess who I saw at the company with John” Mikel says to Alex, they are standing outside
”Who Brian Andrews and guess who was there too?”
”I despise guessing games” He pulls his grey goatee,
”Jude Robertson, the man at the hotel, with the child.”
Alex frowns ”So you mean all three of them work together ?”
”I believe so”
”something isn’t right here, John orders a hit on Brian who works with him, Brian is the one who got away and then Jude, the stranger who suddenly shows up at the church claiming his child is sick and the ghost who rescued Brian. Jude shows up and the hotel looking for a man who looks like him and…. Something…isn’t right. They are all connected, all of them.”
”I know Boss, I think he recognized me. the way he looked at me”
”Take me there, I need to see them for myself, connect the dots. Who is this Jude, how come all of them work in the same place?”
”Sir, I don’t know”
”Take me there”.
*
”Goodmorning Sirs, how may I help you?”
”I would like to see the Manager ”
”Have an appointment?”
”No, tell him I have preposition for the company”
”Your name sir?”
”Harrison Ekweme!!” he says
She speaks into the phone, then she turns to him ”Mr Emeka would see you. Right this way”
*
Brian is coming out of his office, when his phone rings, it is his mother, he picks smiling, turning to answer when he suddenly hits someone..
”Oh so sorry!!”
Alex smiles ”That is fine. Brian is it?”
Brian pauses ”Hold on mum. Yes? Sorry do I know you”
”Hi, I am Harrison Ekwene.” He says with a smile on his face.
So you are the one who got away huh?
*
TO BE CONTINUED.
