Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

FURY

Vivian took back her seat in front of Peter after his fingers were cut. He had finally agreed to say the truth. I tried bringing myself at this point to feel sorry for him, but somehow I couldn’t find a place in my heart to empathize with him knowing he and his gang did worse to some other guys.



And without being told, I knew if given the chance, he’ll torture and do same to each and everyone of us present there.
“Who do you work for?” She asked him
“The Cartel” He replied without hesitation
“I know. I know. I know that already” She told him before asking “Who do you take instructions from and what’s your aim of attacking my boys?”
“I swear to God Milady. I don’t know her. We don’t see her. We only hear her…” He began to answer but she stopped him
“Wait wait wait… You don’t know her? You don’t see her? You only hear her?” She repeated like she was trying to process the statement while at the same time nodding at the guy holding the cutter.



As the guy holding the cutter held up his palm and was in the process of fitting his middle finger into the device, he struggled and begged. “Ahhhh… Milady please let me explain. Please let me explain”. She raised her hand as an instruction stopping the guy from cutting the finger.
“Ok. Go ahead” She told him. At this point I felt the pity I’ve since been searching for, for him.
“She only meets with her knights. I’m just a foot soldier working under Bonnie who meets with her directly. That night Lefty was killed was my first time seeing her, but I had been warned prior not to dare look at her face by Bonnie.” He paused briefly, groaning in pains
“Who’s this Bonnie?” She asked as the name sounded strange
“Bone thug” Replied the guy who had been in the car with me.
“Same Bone thug at Goldie?” She turned and asked him sounding shocked. Confirming later to me, she told me he once worked briefly with her for the Greenhorns. A notorious cultists rusticated from unical in his final year after he and his gang attacked a top lecturer who was also a grand patron of her frat. Although the case had been reported to the police and their arrest was imminent, instructions were passed down for him and two others to be eliminated before the police got to them.


But because of their brief working relationship and how helpful he was selling and distributing for her down south, she had prevented his elimination by tipping him just before their men came calling. Again, he couldn’t really run because he would always be found and killed, so the police was his best hideout as he was sure to come out with time since the charges weren’t concrete.
It was with this realization that she decided he was to be eliminated that same night. He was definitely the person who must have been giving this mystery girl all the information she knew/had about her and her boys. What a betrayal.
“I never knew Bone thug was out of jail?” She asked before adding “How do you know Bone thug?”
“He’s my cousin. He came out a long time ago but has been keeping a low profile. So I do his running around for him. He’s the only knight that meet with her directly. All instructions from her to other knights passes through him. He also receives the package from her and shares to the rest of us. He remits the funds to her. But even then, I don’t think he knows her too well. But I swear that’s all I know” He confessed pleadingly
“So where’s Bone thug now?” She demanded
“He’s stays on my street. He moved there as soon as he started working for the Cartel”.
We all looked at ourselves realizing how careless we had been. What if someone had seen or followed us? What if he had gone to check on him? So many what ifs.
“So tell me, how do I come into all this?” She asked confused


He laughed briefly to the amazement of everyone probably because Vivian hadn’t understood it was simply a way if getting rid of the competition. Then when he saw no one laughing with him, he said “Milady you have the best distribution network from Calabar to portharcourt. You’re the number one threat to her business and it’s only normal to want you out of the way…” He stopped halfway probably after processing what he had just said
“Normal to what me out of the way?” She repeated his statement to him
“I’m sorry milady. I was just trying to explain….” He began to explain soberly but she cut him short
“Don’t worry.. Don’t worry.. I get you” She said pretending she wasn’t offended. “S tell me, you asked my boys to start working for you…” She started but he cut her short
“That wasn’t my idea”He quickly interjected
“No no no. I didn’t say it was yours. I just said you, meaning your cartel. I know your own idea was to simply put us out of the way right?” She said standing up from the seat.
He wanted to say something but the guy doing the finger cutting told him to shut up while also slapping his head. Milady asked us join her in the living room. We all followed, leaving Peter and the girl behind.



With the revelations so far, I wasn’t surprised to hear her say we have to pay Bone thug a visit that night. Because if they didn’t, we’ll all be dead before the following week ran out. I swallowed hard at this point. She and the guys went on to debate the pros and cons of such move and to finally plan a quick attack. But for the ten minutes the debate lasted, I kept quiet. I was deep in thoughts as I never believed I would ever be in a company were the death of someone was being planned. But it was too late to back out now. I was likely to be a victim too if this didn’t happen.

After al she and warned me to leave but I insisted I was staying.

While the meeting lasted, I also noticed Vivian made conscious effort to avoid my eyes. I was indeed the weakest link and a possible distraction to her. She needed to remain in charge of the situation at that point.

****

“Let’s go pay you brother a visit” She said to Peter when we stepped back into the holding room. She hadn’t spoken a word to me probably for fear my voice or words might make her change her mind. Within ten minutes, we were back on the dirt road and the then the highway back to Calabar. They each had a weapon of their own choosing except me.


Due to the nature of the business, drug dealers cannot go to law courts to seek redress for unfair business practices. Else, Vivian would simply have sued the Cartel or something like that. Hence only informal (usually unlawful) ways are used in getting justice. This impromptu attack was to serve two purposes, maintain Milady’s reputation as being in control of her hood and game, and most importantly taking vengeance on Bone thug for snitching and back stabbing.


I knew she deliberately entered the other car with two other guy and Peter. While I carried two other guys and the girl. This was the beginning of many daring driving I would later embark on.


Thank goodness for the rain, as we easily made our way to Calabar south and to their street without any hindrance. Time was already past 11pm. The town was already asleep, thanks to the rain.


The cars stopped halfway while they all got out leaving me with the girl who was still bounded and the other driver. Peter, (hands bounded behind and mouth stuffed) led them under the rain to Bone’s apartment. I watched nervously from the car as 3 guys and a girl (my girl), all masked and armed to the teeth with a thirst for blood made their way silently into the compound.
***As narrated by Vivian***
The fenced building looked almost similar to Peter’s. Old. Bone’s power generating set was turned on and left under a zinc covering, which protected it from the rain.

They had planned on asking Peter to knock on the door while introducing himself but decided against that. Mr no name came up with a better idea. He turned off the fuel tap of the power generating set. Within minutes, the generator was jerking and finally went off.


They had expected him open the door even before the generating set went off, but he didn’t. So the boy holding a gun to Peter asked him walk towards the door quickly. Everywhere was dark and only the noise from rain drops and the occasionally grumbling sky could be heard.



Two boys stood beside the sides of the door while Peter was left standing directly in front of the door. Vivian and the other guy waited by the side of the house.


Suddenly they heard footsteps and then followed by a girl ‘s voice saying “Go and check it naww!”.
Probably he had been eavesdropping by the door to see if someone was there but the girl came out if the room not knowing what he was doing, exposing him. But at that point, he opened the door. As soon as he opened the door he saw an image of someone standing there. Without wasting time having suspected foul play with the way the power generating set went off (probably he had enough fuel to last the night), he fired a shot. And just as he watched the body hit the ground, he felt the nozzle of a two guns pressed to his head from both sides.


The girl inside screamed just as one of the boys hit his gun and pushed him inside. Vivian and the other guy quickly followed. Though they had been careful not to get shot, the weren’t really expecting a shoot out that soon.


It all happened so quickly and Peter lay dead having been shot in the heart. Knowing this was terribly planned, they knew we didn’t have much time again. That gunshot if anything has alerted the neighborhood and cut our short time into half. The only hope was this was Calabar south, and gunshots (from cultists and armed robbers) were fairly common in these parts. And with the rain no one might want to come out, but the police patrolled here also.


They all rushed inside hitting and kicking him all over. Vivian went for the girl who wouldn’t stop screaming and pointed her pistol at her, shutting her up instantly while also asking her to lie faced down on the floor.

******

About six more gun shots followed and I began really scared. I left my car on and on standby with my hand shaking nervously on the steering wheel. I also turned my parking lights all off, so there wasn’t any sign of life in the car when viewed from outside. At this point, i was seriously worried about getting arrested or shot at than anything else. “So I’m now an armed robber? I asked myself


Another five minutes and I see Vivian and one other guy running towards my car carrying two bags each. They both opened the back doors and threw the bags inside after which Mr no name ran back to the other car and they zoomed off. Vivian got in next to me and said “Get us out of here quickly”
“What happened?” I asked
“Not now” She replied taking off her mask while breathing heavily. The other guys went the direction we had come from, while we went the opposite direction as fast as we could. Getting to Calabar municipal where most streets were lit with street lights, I turned off the headlamps and drove for a while, changing streets every now and then till we got to Marian roundabout. A couple of cars could be seen here and the rain was heavier here.


I suddenly remember the girl behind us and asked Vivian “What about her?”
“Sh!t” She exclaimed in annoyance just as she wore back her mask and asked me to park. After which she asked me to roll down my mask. She brought out a knife and was about going behind like she wanted to stab the girl but I held her back asking what she wanted doing.
“Please don’t. Let her go” I pleaded on her behalf. Meanwhile all she wanted to do was to cut the girl loose and threaten her, but my plea for mercy would later saved my life…. but unfortunately cost Vivian hers.


We dropped the girl at that spot after Vivian cut her loose, removed her blindfold, mouth gag and tape. While Vivian threatened to deal with her if she hears anything and that she had eyes on her, my final words to her were “Be careful about the company you keep”
Finally we got back to Eta-Agbor and then I turned the headlamps back on as we drove home just as we heard sirens distinctly. But surprisingly, Vivian told me to drive to a particular hotel on the highway leading out of Calabar.

I only got to understand later why it was important we didn’t head right back home after such and operation even though I was angry initially that she didn’t reveal her plans to me. We left everything in the trunk of the Car before heading to the room she had earlier checked into.
As soon as we got in, she got a call from the other boys saying they had arrived and she asked how he was, and the caller replied it was nothing they couldn’t handle. She said ok, and ended the call before hitting the shower while I collapsed on the bed wondering if I wasn’t mad or showing symptoms of something close to madness. I was still nervous as hell. Vivian wouldn’t tell me what happened and just hit the bed and slept off as soon as she came out.


But I couldn’t sleep, waking up to every sound as I thought it was the sound of sirens. But in retrospect, I’ll say the night was just our lucky night thanks to the rain. The rain went on till about 10 am the following day.