FicStorm's The Chase

Chapter Sixteen

21:19

Richard and Essy found themselves seated in a dimly lit room with a bulky man seated across a table. The room was big but empty except for the table and chairs on which they sat. Richard remembered the last time he had been there to see the man with his father. They had been entertained in a bigger, floodlit room that had several televisions showing different parts of the club, even the toilet and the parking lot. His father had explained that the man liked to monitor his business himself. Richard had listened while his father gave him a little history on the man that the press had tagged ‘The nicest man in West Africa’, the man who had donated and sponsored all the law enforcements in the country so he could have them on his side and true enough, they all gave him free rein to carry out his business. He became a monopolist in the smuggling business and those who were against him eventually joined him or lost everything. Richard at that point had begun to wonder why his father had a friend like that, but his father had simply told him, ‘You never know who can help you.’

The man known as John Okigbe was flanked by two muscular bodyguards in suits, and Richard could swear that the bodyguards were identical but he blamed the dim light for playing tricks on him. The man was bulky himself with a stomach that Paul would have referred to as ‘Tankbelly’.

“So?” Okigbe said staring at them from one to the other but with his eyes staying on Essy a little longer.

“We need your help.”

“Ah. The voice of Anderson Chase. I should have recognized you. You look just like him and talk like him too. I heard about what happened and I’ve been hoping I would get to see you some time soon. See, I know it’s going to be really hard for you to move on, but I’d be glad to help anyway that I can.”

“We need to leave town.” Richard said. He wasn’t willing to beat around the bush. He felt the urge to be out of the club as soon as he could and now he was starting to wish he hadn’t come to Okigbe for help.

“I’m afraid, I won’t be able to help you, kid. My hands are tied at the moment.”

“Your hands don’t look tied to me. You run the show and you run this town...”

“I run this town, yes. I monitor every shipment in and out of the country, I supply and deliver anything you can think of, but somebody runs me. Someone’s monitoring me.”

“I don’t get you. My father called you ‘the boss’”

“I’m a boss, not ‘the boss’”

“So the boss does not want us to leave.”

“Why? With the way you put it, someone would think you have issues with the boss. Do you?” Okigbe said and raised an eyebrow.

“I just have a different way of seeing things.” Richard said pushing himself up from his seat. “We’re leaving then. Come on, Essy.” Richard picked the backpack he had dropped on the table as Essy stood up and headed for the door.

“So soon? We have a lot to talk about Richard.” Okigbe said.

“Maybe some other time.” Richard said opening the door for Essy to walk out first.

“Wait, Richard. It’s about your father.”

“That would be a really long conversation, sir. I’d come back for it.” Richard said and walked out shutting the door behind him.

The smile faded on Okigbe’s face the moment the door was shut. He sank deeper into his chair and pursed his lips as he did some calculations in his head.

“Get the girl. She must not leave.” He said after a moment and the two bodyguards who had stood motionless for so long moved swiftly into action.

Loud electronic music blared loudly from the speakers as Richard and Essy pushed their way through the dance floor to get to the exit. He heard Essy say something from behind him, but he couldn’t hear her above the booming music. He looked back at her and saw in the distance that the bodyguards from Okigbe’s office were also snaking their way through to get to them. Richard started pushing harder and he encouraged Essy to do the same. He could assume that the two men had guns but he wondered if they were going to use it. The exit was already in sight, but it was blocked by a burly man who was definitely waiting to catch them. Richard paused and swept his eyes around the club as he searched for another exit. He found it and changed direction while Essy followed hard behind him. Soon, they broke out from the throng, ran past the disc jockey and ascended a stair that led to a metal door with EXIT glowing in bright red neon light above it. Richard eased the door open and cast a glance outside to find that the door led directly to the parking lot. There was another staircase to descend and he let Essy go first. He shut the door behind him and pounded down the stairs after her. They were very close to the car when the exit flung open behind them. Richard looked back and watched as the identical guards pulled out their guns while hammering down the stairs. He yelled for Essy to run faster even though she was already ahead of him. A shot fired and Essy ducked as though he thought the bullet was aimed for her head, but Richard knew better. It had to be a halting shot. Something to make them stop in their tracks.

Essy got to the car first and got into the front passenger seat. She reached for the driver’s side door and opened it for Richard who got in and shut the door while she collected the bag from him and tossed it to the back seat. The back window imploded from the impact of a bullet. Richard swore and started the car. Everything reminded him of the morning’s episode at Essy’s school. The balding that had accosted Essy was just as scary as these two and he could only imagine how scary the boss Okigbe had referred to would be. Who was ‘the boss’? How long was the chain? How did ‘the boss’ know they would go to Okigbe? Was there already a bounty on Essy’s head? All these questions raced through Richard’s mind as he did a clean reverse and drove off at full speed.

“That’s the second time someone has tried to kill me today.” Essy said when she caught her breath.

“That makes two of us.”

“But you said we could trust him.”

“What I said was ‘he was my father’s friend.’” Richard spat.

“I’m sorry about your father.” Essy said after a brief silence. Her voice had reduced to a whisper

“Are you?” Richard said bitterly but he got no reply. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

The silence that ensued lasted till they got back to the hotel and Richard took advantage of it to allow his mind roam freely. John Okigbe had obviously been stalling. He had seen them come into the bar from his CCTV cameras and alerted whoever he worked for. If that was the case, then the person at the top of the chain had already issued out word to his subjugates to keep an eye out for Essy. Or was it Richard and Essy? If the person at the top had someone like John Okigbe under him, how many others were in his employ? It had to be a really long chain. Richard knew that at some point, he was surely going to pay John Okigbe another visit to have the conversation about his father. It was possible that the man really had something to say. And as there were many questions building in Richard’s head about his father, he could already feel the pull to turn the car around and march into the office to hear all of it. But he also felt the urge to move on. There was another person who possibly had the answers, but did he have the courage to ask? The Pauls were wealthy and had everything. He could go to them for help as their house was just on Victoria Island which was really close. Henry Paul Senior could have all the answers, but Richard knew that going to them would put the family in danger which was the last thing he wanted. In a world where he had lost everything, his only anchor was that family. They had always been there and he knew that if as little as one of them was removed from his life, then for him it would be the end. He made up his mind that they would be his last resort. Meanwhile, he needed to think of other options that would come before.