Chapter 44 THE TRUTH

S E G U N

Memories spill unbidden into my mind as I stride across the foyer of Deuce.

Memories that have formed a bit of who I've become. Memories both good and bad. They threaten to engulf and drag me under, but I push them away and will my mind to concentrate on the matter at hand . . .

To confront Mr. Faseun once and for all.

He told me to meet him inside his office, but on a hunch, I decide to go to the basement instead.

The ride down in the lift is soothing, but once it opens up, I step out and I'm immediately welcomed into darkness and silence so grave, I feel I might indeed have hallucinated about what I saw all those years ago.

What happened to the lights?

As the thought is conceived, there's a sudden explosion of lights. It momentarily blinds me, causing me to shield my eyes with my hands. After a few seconds, I cock an eye open and I'm taken aback when I see a man standing at the far end of the corridor.

A lesser man would have probably fled, but even though my heart has begun speeding up, I ignore the sudden tremors in my joints and quicken my steps towards him.

"Ah! Smart man!" His voice booms, richocting around the corridor, sounding like a hundred men instead of just one.

As I move closer to him, I realise it's Mr. Faseun. He wears a smile that's supposed to be amiable, but all it does is make my skin crawl.

"I knew it. I just knew taking a chance on you all those years ago was the best thing I did. Welcome, Segun!"

I say nothing as I come to a stop a few meters away from him. He cranes his neck and checks to see if anyone is behind me and nods. "Come!"

After doing a 180°, he brings out a card in his hand, swipes it, and pushes open what looks like part of the corridor, but is actually a door, then beckons on me to enter.

I stand on the threshold, excitement seeping into me.

This is it. It will finally be revealed to me.

He notices I've stopped following him, so he turns to look enquiringly at me and asks. "Scared, son?"

"I'm not scared." I reply immediately. Neither am I your son.

He turns immediately, his steps quickening as we enter into another darkened room.

"Segun!" His voice sounds very close to me, so I take two steps backwards as he continues speaking. "I don't need to tell you what you are about to see must not be divulged to anyone."

Not sure I can promise that.

"Segun!" His voice comes out more insistently, so I grudgingly reply.

"You have my word." But I promise you it's going to be broken.

I hear the sound of a switch, and suddenly the darkness is dispelled, giving way to bright flourescent light. Once my eyes adjust to the brightness, I'm able to take in my surroundings.

We're in a large open space that looks like a lab. At the extreme end is a cordoned off area made entirely of glass. It houses a table on which a laptop sits, and a chair with a lab coat draped across it.

The lab itself consists of the usual contents. I see a microscope, some beakers, and a few other pararphenelia I used during Chemistry in highschool, but I draw a blank with the other high-tech equipments.

A whirring noise sounds off, startling me, making Mr. Faseun turn to me with an amused smile.

"Don't be scared, son, those are the machines that calligrate the drugs. Without that machine, we would be coughing out sub-standard cocaine and heroine, but with it, they're in the purest form they can ever be.

I stiffen immediately on hearing him openly talk about hard drugs.

So it was true all along.

"Why?" I turn to him, anger replacing placidity. "Why do all this?" I sweep my hand across the lab.

He sniggers and turns fully to me. "Should I even grace that question with a reply? Come on, Segun, I know you're smart, so you must have figured it all out by now. All these . . ." His hands cut an arc in the air. ". . . are for my children. Specifically for you, my son. This is your legacy."

He moves close to me, still with that same skin-crawling smile pasted on his face. "How did you think I was able to have that house right on the edge of the lake of Palm estate, or the choice cars I drive? How do you even think I was able to set up Deuce manufacturing company? Please don't tell me you've been stupid enough to think I got everything I have from selling malaria and typhoid drugs?"

At the incredulous look on my face, he throws his head back and lets out a belly laugh, holding his stomach in the process.

I watch patiently as he slowly comes down from his laugh-induced high. He brings out a white handkerchief from his pocket and dots at his eyes.

That's when I see something flash from his finger, triggering a memory.

Needing to be closer to take a look but knowing it will raise his suspicion, I walk away from him towards one of the machines making a whirring noise.

Injecting my voice with enough enthusiasm, I point to it. "So how exactly does this work?"

I hear his steps as he moves closer and I smile inwardly.

"I'm glad you're taking an interest in this, son. See this machine." He taps on it, and my eyes hone in on his left finger.

The rest of his words are lost, as a memory so rife immediately flashes through my mind.

The memory of The boss wearing a red signet ring on his left finger.

It's the exact same ring lying on Mr. Faseun's left finger.

Immediately, the gears in my head turn, and the missing pieces of the puzzle finally click into place.

As my heart beat picks up feverishly,, I tear my eyes away from his hands and raise an accusing finger at him. "YOU'RE THE BOSS!?"

His hand stills on the machine, and he slowly turns to me with a chilling smile I've honestly never seen on his face before.

"What did you think, son? Genius, aren't I?" No one knew, not even you." He throws his head back and laughs wildly. "Dee was never man enough you know. But you, I put everything on you. Your training was bang on. You got to see it. You even got to feel it, to taste it first hand." He squints suddenly. "You did good, son, you stayed clean. You stood tall in the face of the white demon. Only thing you couldn't keep away from was women."

Suddenly, I'm able to see it all clearly.

My head is suddenly whirring, quite the same way as the machines are. Holding my head, I reel back in shock and stumble away from him.

I have to know why he did it. I need some explanations. So in a voice I don't recognise as mine, I ask. "You put Roxy on me? You told her to recruit me? Why?"

"Oh come now, Segun. Haven't you already figured it out yet? Roxy was just a pawn in this whole game." As he speaks, he moves closer to me. "Who better to stake out a man than a woman, eh. Unfortunately, the bitch got it into her head to fall for you and get pregnant." He stops talking and gazes at me with chilling malevolence. "But I took care of her like a man should, something you were to pussy to do." He jabs his finger into my chest. "That woman wanted to take your daughter and use her against you. Crazy woman. So I took care of her for you like a father should. I'm going to make things right, son, you stick with me.

"What do you mean you took care of her?" My heart beats a tambourine in it's cage.

"All in due time, son. All in due time. You still have much to learn." He taps me on my shoulder and it's all I can do not to shrug it off.

Instead, I decide to try another line of questioning.

"So you also recruited Abdul as well? You knew he was smitten with Roxy? You knew everything?"

"Of course I knew everything, son. I'm The boss. I'm their master. I'm the one who gives the orders. If I tell them to jump, they ask how high." His eyes take on a manic expression suddenly, and I stumble back once more. I need to get away from here, but my mouth is already forming more questions.

"But . . . Abdul coming to my place to shoot me. You knew about that as well?"

"I would never order a hit on my own son. NEVER! I never knew Abdul was going to get eaten up with jealousy. That was something I never saw and it hurts me till this day. I was actually in Spain when it happened, but when I was informed you were in jail for murder, I flew back immediately and began the process to get you out of there."

I'm still very much confused on certain things. "How were you able to get me out of there? Being tried for manslaughter is no mean fit especially in the U.S. I wasn't even given bail, so how then were you able to get me out of there so fast with the charge dropped against me."

He smiles and moves close to me, a defiant look stealing onto his face. "MONEY! That's the magic word. Understand this today, son. You're a nobody without money."

I suddenly understand now. He must have bribed the people at the top to let me go.

"I did it for you, son. This . . ." He waves his hands around. " . . . is all for you. Your legacy awaits you. It's time for you to own it. That's why I decided to take Eve out of the mix so you can focus squarely on what lies ahead of you."

Did I just hear him right, or are my ears suddenly playing tricks on me?

Fear slices through me. Hot and sharp. I feel sweat popping up on my forehead.

"Wait a minute, did you just mention Eve? What did you do to her? If you hurt her, so help me Go--"

"What do you think? That I'd let you two get married and sail into the sunset in blissful harmony especially after embarrassing me at the alter?" He looks at me menacingly and I stumble back at the force of his glare. "Know this today - no one messes with me and goes scott free, but seeing as you're my son and my heir I couldn't touch you, but I could, Eve." He waves his hand dismissively. "In any case, you don't need a woman in your life right now. You already messed up with Roxy, I won't allow you to do so with any other woman. Now more than ever, you need to stay focused on the mission. You can buy any woman you want with money, son. Take it from me. So back to your earlier question. Yes! I got Eve out of the way."

Static suddenly fills my head as hot anger weaves it's way into my veins.

As I make to lunge at him, his voice metamorphoses into a smaller one.

"Don't do it, Segun. You'll regret it if you do."

Confused by this sudden change, I pause with my hand in mid - air.

I look at him in confusion, and the voice sounds off again.

That's when I notice something strange.

His lips are not moving.

"Think about your future, bro. Don't touch him."

That voice.

It sounds like . . .

Footsteps suddenly sound off from behind me. I whip my head around and stare in shock at the last person I expect to see here.