Usman
Usman had been full of joy since the sun rose that morning. It was the dawn of a new empire for them all, one that would be solely controlled by him. He had been foolish to stake something as priceless as Northern Star in a bet against someone as cunning as Ibrahim. His friend had been truly patient in his wait for what was now his but time had allowed Usman see how valuable the business was and he was not willing to give it up without a fight. He knew that Ibrahim was a master at fighting dirty but his own advantage was the element of surprise. He had never given his friend a reason to suspect that he was reluctant about giving up his inheritance. He had made it seem all along that he was eager to pay off his debt.
With all the plans he had laid out, he had been looking forward to enjoying the wealth of his inheritance while Ibrahim had free rein to do as he pleased with Laraba’s power. Then his sister had surprised them both by pulling out of the elections. Little did she know that she had dug her own grave, that she was destined to die for her brother to succeed. Since he dropped her off at the facility and arranged for Rekiya to be kidnapped, he had been celebrating.
He disengaged his limbs from that of the nubile young lady wrapped around his torso. She was one of the girls from Gentlemen’s Companions Club; an elite pleasure establishment. Their clients had to pay an annual membership fee to have access to their online library where they could view the profiles of the Companions and make a request. Then, the selected Companion(s) would arrive faster than an Uber. Usman had been changing Companions every day since he abandoned Laraba at the facility.
The more he thought about his sister, the angrier he got. How long was he really expected to live in her shadow; to do all her work all in the name of being a special adviser while she enjoyed all the prestige that came with the position? As if it was not enough, she and her daughter were given the highest percentage of shares in the family business. His sister was not the only one who was born a leader and he felt it was about time the world knew. After all, for every birth of a new empire, there was the death of an old one. Tonight, Usman was the alchemist who had discovered how to turn base metal to gold.
Stepping into the black speedboat he had moored to the pier, he placed a call through to his man who was responsible for conveying Rekiya to their rendezvous point. He knew that Ibrahim would do his own part and get someone to convey Laraba there. His friend had the kind of connections required to pull out any kind of classified mission. He put a call through to Ibrahim, pleased when he heard his rough baritone.
Ibrahim: Salaam aleikun, my friend. How do you do this fine evening?
Usman: Wa aleikun salaam. I’m perfectly alright.
Ibrahim: He is already on it.
Usman: Great. All ends tied.
Ibrahim: (grunts in agreement before speaking) I should find my bed then.
Usman: Same. May Allah keep us beyond sunrise.
Ibrahim: Ameen. (hangs up)
Satisfied that the coast was clear, he gestured to the sailor to set sail. They raced with the wind to where Rekiya was soon to meet her mother.
* * *
Ibrahim
General Ibrahim Tanko stood fixated at the window of his office, going over his decision in his mind. He had been contemplating going to the scene where Laraba was to reunite with her child. Since he was the one meting out her punishment, he reserved the rights to punish her as he pleased. His other dilemma lay in his son, Sadiq; the golden child of his loins who had wanted to be exactly like him. Then, he learnt the truth about his father’s ways as he grew older and made the choice to be everything his father was not. Convincing him to join the military like his forebears after college was the only agreement they reached in Sadiq’s adult life. What Ibrahim did not bargain for was his son traipsing around battlefields and fighting wars instead of sitting in the safety of his office and giving commands. After countless means of trying to dissuade him, his son returned from the war; a changed person.
Beneath the warm, gentle exterior of the man his son had grown into, was a beast not unlike his. A pure, deadly mercenary. A killing machine. Ibrahim had tried to control him first by threatening him with his mother. That was the only Achilles heel he had, till Laraba’s daughter walked into his life and took reins of his senses. He did not even know if it had been Fate that made Sadiq attend the party and almost destroy his plans seven years ago. He had glimpsed his son’s pain as he followed his father’s instructions to rape the girl yet his greed and perversion did not stop him from recording the whole sordid act. It did not quell his elation at the fact that his son had passed his first test as a man. And his greatest victory was the fact that the girl was Laraba’s daughter. He could finally point out to Laraba that she had failed in at least, one area of her life. Ibrahim could not resist the lure of going to the place where Laraba and her daughter were going to meet finally before they died. He could not stay away from a chance to gloat about how she should have married him when he offered for her hand.
Without pausing to inform Usman that he was changing the plan, he had one of his trusted men drive him in a nondescript Hilux to the place where Rekiya was to meet her mother. He could not completely trust Sadiq to do a good job. He had to be there to see that all went according to plan.
Beespice scribbles✏. 