"What in God's name have you done Shanty!!!" This act of hers irritated Jude to the core and he could not just wrap his head round it. "How could you do that; do you know the magnitude of what you did; going to his office and to...what...do you know that our lives are at risk?!!!" he was ready angry with her but Shanty still believed she did what she was supposed to do; forging his signature with the help of the man she had to call and meet the night before her visit to the office of Mr Charles. At that moment she finished having that hot words with Mr Charles she returned home to found out that her visit, the reason for that visit had reached Jude's ears and he was fuming. She had sat down and he walked to her front and dropped his phone on her legs and asked, "You do know that you have messed up don't you?" She looked at the text in the phone and it read, "Your woman has reached out to me about your desire to quit the family. I am not surprised that you want to call it quits, I'm only surprised that you had to send a woman to speak for you. That doesn't speak well of you if I must say" When she was done reading the text she carefully looked up at his face, the face of Jude and saw that he was staring at her with anger in his eyes. She did not know what to say to him but dropped the phone on the bed and kept looking downwards.
"You wanted to do it your own way; that's u you, you always like to get what you want. How do you manage this; do you know what you have created? Oh you think the organization will let me walk away simply because I said I want to? You have done the worst Shanty and so you are going to leave my house and everything I left on your care. Drop the keys to my belongings, my properties in your care and then leave" He said this and gave her his back. She stood up and said, "I know that what I did was a dangerous thing. Yes I did what I did and I am not regretting that I did it. Better to die a free person than to die a slave. How can you tell me that I did wrong when you don't know that I am aware of what I was doing; this is a man that wants to be free and such a man should know that freedom doesn't come cheap. I don't know about you but truth be told I just want to get off and leave. You have spoken" She walked away. After she was done he sat down and picked his phone from the bed, staring at it he stood up and got dressed. Shortly after he was gone from the house, heading to the office"
******
Your woman was here hence why you received the text" said Charles.
"Boss, I promise I was not aware she was coming here and if I was I did not know she was coming to say the things she said to you" he said.
"How about your signature Jude?" asked Charles, "Your signature was clear for me to doubt that she forged it" he showed him the paper that had his signature on it. He looked at it and shook his head, "I did not do this" he said while showing confusion in his eyes. Charles got up and walked up to him, collecting the paper from him he dropped it on the desk and said to him, "You have to kill Shanty Jude. If you kill her then we can talk. I am not going to look for her and end her life because I want to have you do it and prove your loyalty to me and to the family once again. If you can not kill her then you shouldn't be here in the first place, if you don't kill her then I will know that you have decided to be against us. If you are not with us Jude then you must be against us. That lady is against us already by coming in here boldly to make me understand I am a wolf and you are the sheep. I could hunt her down right now and serve you her head in a plate but why would I do that when you can and you will if you hope to win back my trust and the trust of others who are beginning to see you as someone not on cause" Charles walked away from him after saying this but before he was about to reoccupy his seat he said to him, "About Ken, He has proven himself many a times and it is only wise that I trust him and show him that I do, proving it to him by elevating him" He then sat down. When he had sat down he picked his phone and said to Jude, "I will send you a huge amount and you can run along and establish yourself with it or...
"Boss, please don't make me begin to imagine myself without the family. I have decided to kill her" said Jude. Mr Charles looked up at his face and said, "You should be careful before concluding. You sure that you really want to kill her?" asked Charles. Jude nodded.
"Go ahead then and let me see" when Charles said this Jude hesitated before be turned to leave. "And Jude" Charles called for his attention once more and Jude stopped and turned to hear what else he had to say to him. "You will kill her and you will video her death scene and bring me the video to see. I don't need to tell you that if I see a doctored video I know" Jude did not say a word but left.
*****
Anita stood before Mr Charles and Charles stood from his desk in his office and walked to the wardrobe where he opened it and took out a file and handed it over to her. She collected it and looked into it.
"You are to take the first flight to Abuja the next day. You are to meet Me Gideon and make this deal with him. I know you understand how this works. Anita, here is your first trip. I need Mr Gideon to sign those documents and hand over you the money. You know that he has the products already. Anita, do this job perfectly"
"When I enter the city I have to meet Mr White right who already is in Abuja?" asked Anita and Charles nodded before he added, "You need to ensure that you take out your time and do what you must in order to make this deal a very perfect one" said Charles.
The next day Anita was gone to Abuja.
******
"She traveled?" asked Ken while he seated before Mr Charles.
"Yes, she is gone and she will be back the next month. I hope all is well?" asked Charles.
"It's about Rose, having agreed to work with us and to belong in the family I'm wondering if you have any plans for her or if I should go on with the normal routine?" asked Ken.
"Her son is the hindrance. We need to put him in school and then the mother, she having been part of us in the past I need her to be reminded of what we are into and what we are doing" he said and Ken nodded.
******
"Where is my son?" Rose asked and Ken sighed and sat down. "I said where is my son?"
"You see Rose I would advise you don't keep showing your weaknesses because boss will be willing to cut off all your weaknesses if that will help you to focus. Do you understand that?" he said and she sighed and sat down.
"I'm broken in the spirit" she said and he kept staring at her. "I don't know if this is how my life is going to end" she kept saying.
"Nobody knows anything actually. Life has to be lived with each day passing, drawing us nearer to death. I don't think you bothering will solve anything" said Ken.
"What about you; is this life better for you?" she asked.
"Best for me" he said.
"How?" she wanted to know.
"How?" he asked.
"I mean how can having to look over your shoulders day and night a better life for anyone?" asked Rose.
"Do you think there is someone on earth is not afraid of death? Death scars all people and good people, very good people die for what they do not know about. I want you to know that if good people die for what they did not do why should I be scared to die for what I did?" Ken asked and Rose thought his philosophy was rather strange.
"Are you saying that you don't care what happens to you as long as you are in this organization?" asked Rose.
"This organization saved me and it did save you too. You think that dying in a family where there is no one to speak for you is a good death? Your late husband was going to kill you and he would have done it before now if he was alive. You didn't know that being good to him wasn't a guarantee that he was going to be good to you as well. You need to know Rose that this family is the only thing I feel safe in. Good people aren't actually good" He stood up and served themselves drink. She picked her own glass of drink and as she drank she kept looking at him. "Why?" he asked.
"My son, I don't want him to be like anyone in this family" she said.
"What is your fear?" asked Ken.
"That you or anyone else in this organization teaches him to be like the boss. I don't want my child dying in crime. Please get him out of this. I am the one the family needs" she pleaded.
"You are sounding as if we are holding you against your wish. The truth is that we are not holding you Rose. You can decide to leave anytime and any day" Ken stood up and walked towards the door but before he walked out of it he turned to her and said, "Meanwhile there is something I would like to tell you concerning how your building up is going to be here. You need to know that whatever you learn from this organization before now is going to be replaced by something else entirely and so I will be back to discuss at length with you concerning that" he then walked out.
******
Anita entered the city of Abuja and headed to the office of Mr Gideon where she was meant to have the meeting with him. When she knocked and was asked to come in she entered and met Mr Gideon and a lady who was seated on his legs and she stood before him. Mr Gideon seeing Anita enter inside knew it was time for business and he asked the lady on his legs to get up and leave. The lady got up and left, having given Anita a hateful look. Anita sat down and Mr Gideon said, "Don't mind me, that doesn't happen all the time"
"Sent by Mr Charles" she said.
"I know I know, I was told. You want to have a drink?" he asked but she shook her head. She could see that Mr Gideon resembled Mr Charles almost in all things but Charles was taller. Gideon got up and taking the file in his hand and on opening it read through it and shook his head. "This is not what we agreed on. I'm not signing this" he said.