The Betrayal
1769 Words
Chapter 12 — The Betrayal
I read the message again.
Your father betrayed Damian first.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
No.
I whispered it before I even knew I was speaking.
Nia looked at me.
Amara...
No.
I shook my head.
That cannot be true.
How do you know?
I looked at the unknown number.
There was no name.
No profile picture.
Nothing that could tell me who was behind the messages.
I typed.
Who are you?
I waited.
Nothing.
I sent another.
What did my father do to Damian?
Still nothing.
Then the typing indicator appeared.
My heart jumped.
Three dots.
Then they disappeared.
They appeared again.
And disappeared.
Whoever was behind the number was thinking carefully about what to say.
Finally, my phone vibrated.
Ask Damian what happened years before your father died.
I stared at the message.
Years before Dad died.
I did the calculation in my head.
That would mean...
I stopped.
Nia watched my face.
What is it?
I showed her the phone.
She read the message.
Years before?
I nodded.
That was before I even knew Damian existed.
Maybe that is the point.
I looked at her.
What do you mean?
Maybe the story did not begin when Damian met you.
My stomach tightened.
Maybe it began long before that.
I looked down at the silver key in my hand.
17.
The number suddenly felt heavier.
I turned it over again.
There was nothing else.
No initials.
No name.
Just the number.
I stood.
I am going to see Damian.
Nia immediately shook her head.
Amara, wait.
For what?
You do not know if this person is telling the truth.
I know.
Then why are you going?
Because I need to know what happened.
And if Damian lies?
I looked at her.
Then I will know what kind of man he really is.
Nia sighed.
You still love him.
The words hit me harder than I expected.
I looked away.
That is not what this is about.
It is exactly what this is about.
No.
I swallowed.
This is about my father.
And Victor Dampson.
And every secret that has been buried for years.
I grabbed my bag.
Nia stepped in front of me.
Then I am coming with you.
No.
Amara!
Stay here.
Why?
Because if someone is watching me, I do not want them watching you too.
She stared at me.
You really think someone is watching you?
I looked at the unknown number.
I do not know.
But I am beginning to think my father was right about one thing.
What?
The danger is closer than we think.
---
Damian opened the door before I knocked twice.
He looked surprised to see me.
Amara.
I walked past him.
We need to talk.
He closed the door slowly.
About what?
Some years ago.
His face changed.
It was subtle.
Almost invisible.
But I saw it.
You know exactly what I mean.
Damian stared at me.
Who told you?
I laughed without humor.
So there is something.
He said nothing.
What happened years before my father died?
His jaw tightened.
You should not be asking me that.
That is not an answer.
Amara, go home.
No.
Please.
No.
I stepped closer.
I am done being protected from the truth.
You have all decided what I can handle.
My father.
You.
Nia.
Even Victor Dampson.
Damian frowned.
Victor?
I watched his expression.
Why does his name bother you?
It does not.
You are lying.
Damian turned away.
I saw it.
The hesitation.
The fear.
Maybe the anger.
Maybe all three.
I pulled out my phone.
Someone sent me a message.
What message?
I held it toward him.
His eyes moved across the screen.
Then he froze.
Your father betrayed Damian first.
Damian slowly looked up.
Who sent this?
I do not know.
What else did they say?
I showed him the second message.
Ask Damian what happened years before your father died.
He stepped away from me.
You need to leave.
No.
Amara, listen to me.
I will not.
His voice hardened.
You have no idea what you are getting yourself into.
Then tell me.
I cannot.
Why?
Because if I tell you, you become part of it.
I am already part of it.
His eyes softened.
That is exactly what I was trying to prevent.
I stared at him.
What did my father do?
Damian closed his eyes.
Your father made a deal.
With Victor?
No.
Then who?
With me.
I stopped breathing.
What kind of deal?
A deal that was supposed to protect you.
From what?
From Victor.
I shook my head.
That does not make sense.
It will.
Tell me.
Damian walked toward the window.
Years before your father died, he came to me with a proposition.
What proposition?
He wanted me to disappear.
I frowned.
Disappear?
From his life.
From your life.
From everyone.
Why?
Because Victor was getting closer.
And my father thought you were a threat?
At first.
Then he realized I was the only person close enough to Victor to know what he was planning.
I stared at him.
So Dad used you.
Yes.
He made you work for him?
Not exactly.
Then what?
He offered me something.
What?
Freedom.
I waited.
Damian turned toward me.
Your father knew about my debt.
What debt?
The debt I owed Victor.
My chest tightened.
How much?
It does not matter.
It matters to me.
A lot.
How much?
Damian looked away.
Enough to own my life.
I felt something inside me shift.
Victor did not just employ you.
No.
He owned you.
Damian nodded.
He had information on my family.
He had evidence that could destroy us.
And your father knew.
Yes.
So he offered to help you.
Yes.
In exchange for what?
Damian was silent.
I stepped closer.
What did my father want?
He wanted me to betray Victor.
I stared at him.
But you said you were working for Victor.
I was.
And Dad knew?
Yes.
Then why would he trust you?
Because he had no choice.
Neither did I.
I lowered my voice.
What did you do?
I helped your father hide the evidence.
From Victor?
Yes.
Then how did Victor find him?
Damian looked at me.
Because your father changed the plan.
What plan?
We were supposed to leave Lagos.
My heart stopped.
You and my father?
Yes.
He was going to take the evidence somewhere Victor could never reach it.
Where?
Abroad.
Which country?
London.
I stared at him.
When?
The night he died.
My breathing became shallow.
So Dad was not supposed to meet you at the hospital.
No.
He was supposed to meet me at the airport.
I felt cold.
But he never came.
No.
What happened?
He called me.
From the road.
What did he say?
Damian swallowed.
He said someone had followed him.
Who?
He did not know.
Did he sound afraid?
Yes.
What did you do?
I went after him.
But by the time I found him...
He stopped.
By the time you found him, he was dying.
Yes.
I looked at him.
Then why did you tell me he had been attacked?
Because that was what it looked like.
You said you were there.
I was.
Then you saw who attacked him.
No.
I arrived too late.
I stared at Damian.
You expect me to believe that?
I do not expect anything from you.
Then tell me the truth.
I am.
I shook my head.
There is still something you are not telling me.
His eyes met mine.
Yes.
What?
Your father was not alone when he was attacked.
My heart pounded.
Who was with him?
Damian said nothing.
Who was with my father?
He looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
Pity.
Fear.
Regret.
Your father was with someone he trusted.
My stomach dropped.
Who?
I do not know his name.
You are lying.
I am not.
Then how do you know he was there?
Because I saw his car.
What car?
Black Mercedes.
Do you remember the number plate?
Damian hesitated.
Yes.
Tell me.
He gave me the number.
I immediately typed it into my phone.
I searched through my fathers old records.
Nothing.
Then I remembered something.
The photograph.
I took it out of my bag.
Damian stared at it.
Where did you get that?
My father.
He gave it to you?
No.
It was in his old phone.
Damian took a step closer.
Turn it over.
I did.
His face changed.
There was writing on the back.
A name.
I had never noticed it before.
Badmus.
Damian whispered the name.
Who is Badmus?
He stared at the photograph.
Then at me.
The man who betrayed your father.
My blood ran cold.
You know him?
Damian nodded slowly.
Who is he?
He was your fathers closest friend.
I looked at the photograph again.
The man standing beside my father was smiling.
I had seen him before.
Somewhere.
A memory flickered.
A family dinner.
A birthday.
A man standing beside my father.
A deep voice.
A hand on my head.
I knew him.
My father used to call him Uncle Badmus.
I looked at Damian.
That is impossible.
Why?
Because Uncle Badmus died.
Damian went completely still.
When?
Seven years ago.
The year before my father died.
His face drained of color.
Amara...
What?
Your uncle Badmus did not die.
I stared at him.
Then who was buried?
Damian stepped closer.
I do not know.
My phone vibrated.
Both of us looked down.
Another message.
This time, there was only one sentence.
Now you know who betrayed your father.
A second message appeared.
But you still do not know why.
I looked at Damian.
He looked terrified.
For the first time since I had met him, Damian did not look like a man who had secrets.
He looked like a man who had just realized someone was coming for both of us.
Then the lights went out.
The apartment fell into darkness.
I froze.
Damian grabbed my wrist.
Do not move.
Why?
Someone is outside.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
How do you know?
Because I heard the door.
A soft click came from the hallway.
Then another.
Someone was unlocking it.
Damian pulled me behind him.
The handle slowly turned.
And before the door opened, a voice came from the other side.
A voice I had not heard in years.
A voice I thought belonged to a dead man.
Amara.
My blood turned to ice.
Damian looked at me.
Then the door opened.
And Uncle Badmus stepped inside.
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