Chapter 45 NOT SO ELUSIVE NOW

S E G U N

The temperature suddenly dips and I resist the urge to wrap my hands around my body as I gaze in shock and confusion at the person standing a few meters away from me.

What the fuck is Dipo doing here looking like he's got an axe to grind and is debating on how to proceed.

It could be a trick of the light but he seems to have gained a few inches in height. There's also a look on his face that screams 'secrets.'

Something isn't making sense here.

"What are you doing here?"

He smiles sadly and moves closer. "I'm here for you, bro, but I'm also here for him as well." He tilts his head and jerks his face towards something . . . or someone.

Mr. Faseun?

"Who is this, Segun?" Mr. Faseun pipes up from behind me. "You promised you won't tell anyone about this place."

The more he talks, the more he becomes agitated.

"Now I'm afraid I'll have to stain my hands with blood once again." He finishes.

My blood runs cold on hearing those words. I glance at Dipo, signalling him to make a run for it, but he's either deliberately acting dumb, or he has a death wish. Either way, I'm not going to allow anything bad happen to him, even if I have to sacrifice my life for his.

At least I'd have finally done something good.

As I step closer to him in order to act as a shield, he moves back and steps to the side . . . and a woman comes into view.

What was he thinking following me and bringing a woman along with him as well?

Hold up! Is he cheating on Ebere with her?

With a Caucasian woman at that.

Weird thing is, her gaze is trained solidly on me and she's got a wide smile on her face as accompaniment.

As she walks closer, her face becomes clearer.

Strange, but she has a striking resemblance with . . .

"TRACY? Tracy Malone, that you?"

She looks a bit older, but yeah, same blonde hair, though now short, same blue eyes, same slim figure.

Today is getting more wierd by the second.

First Dipo shows up, now a blast from the past in the person of Tracy is here as well?

This isn't coincidence.

Something is definitely going on.

"Yes, Aureliano, it's me in the flesh." As she comes close to me, her arms are flung out wide, ready for a hug, but I move back.

She looks taken aback, but quickly perks up.

"I know you're confused on seeing me here especially after such a long time, but I can explain."

"Well if it isn't Tracy Malone in the flesh." Mr. Faseun speaks up from behind me once again. This time, he comes to stand in front of me as if acting as a shield between Tracy and I. "I would have said it's an honour to meet you if it were under different circumstances, however it's not." His voice becomes cold, and I can actually feel chills wrapping around me once more. "You've plagued my life ever since you arrested me some years back in the US. When will you get it into that thick skull of yours that I never loved her? She meant nothing to me. She never understood all I wanted was to sow my wild oats, not settle down and get married." He throws his back and laughs. "She actually thought by getting pregnant, she could trap me?"

I turn to Tracy, even more confused by his words. She seems to be having an inner struggle - a struggle of reining her anger in.

A vein pops up on her forehead, catapulting me back to the past. She always had an expressive face, most especially when she was angry, sad, or even excited.

I mentally shake my head and will myself to centre my attention on the issue at hand, almost missing her words.

". . . has got nothing to do with her and you know it. She paid for your actions with her death."

"I'm sorry for your los--"

"NO YOU'RE NOT! SO STOP WITH THE PRETENCE!" A steely look suddenly takes over her features as she continues speaking. "In any case, I'm not here for that. I'm here because you need to pay for your crimes. Crimes you committed years ago. Crimes you're still committing."

"And who's going to make me? In case you haven't noticed, you can't touch me now. I'm on foreign soil."

"You're right, I can't." Her shoulders slump and her gaze drops to the ground, and my heart sinks further in my chest.

It's all over. He's definitely going to kill them now, and their blood will be on my hands, but then Tracy lifts her head and I see the shadow of a smirk on her face. "But they can." She points behind her.

At first I don't see anything; instead I feel the vibration on the ground like thunder.

Sounds like the thudding of boots on the ground . . .

And they're headed this way.

That's when I see them coming into view.

Ten, twenty -- almost thirty imposing-looking men in black police wear file out in a line, their guns trained on Faseun.

I gotta tell you -- I've never been more proud of the Nigerian police force as I am now.

My chest practically swells with pride as I gaze at them.

A man who I believe is in charge of them, slips out from amongst them and comes to stand in front of Mr. Faseun. "You are under arrest for the crimes of manufacturing and trafficking illegal drugs both here in Nigeria and other countries as well. You will be tried in a court of law and if you're found guilty, which I'm sure you will . . . " His gaze sweeps across the lab before he continues. "You will be sentenced and put away for a very long time here in Nigeria, but then you'll also be taken outside the shores to answer for your crimes as well. You're entitled to a defence lawyer, but . . ." He shakes his head as he continues speaking. "That will do you no good."

When he finishes speaking, he produces a pair of silver handcuffs from one of his baggy side pockets and puts them around Mr. Faseun's wrists. As he's led away, the other policemen surround him in a circle.

Finally! We've got him.

I feel my heart soaring, my elation knowing no bounds.

Suddenly from within the circle, I hear Mr. Faseun's voice protesting.

"I NEED TO SPEAK WITH MY SON!"

The policeman who initially addressed him turns to look at me, silently asking if it's okay. I nod and he drags Mr. Faseun back towards me.

Even with his hands cuffed, he still strikes a formidable figure as he comes to stand in front of me with a smirk plastered on his face.

"You could have had it good, Segun. You would have had so much money, you wouldn't even know what to do with it, but you had to go and mess things up by involving your bitch." He throws a dirty look at Tracy. "My one consolation is you'll NEVER find Eve. EVER AGAIN!" He throws his head back and laughs riotously as they lead him away.

"STOP!"

I suddenly don't recognise my voice.

"What did you do to her? Where is she?"

I watch as he struggles against the constraints on his wrists, but the police men don't let up as they drag him away.

His words are like a blow to my chest. I stumble back, almost falling in the process, but Dipo is quick on his feet as he catches me.

"No! She can't be. She just can't be gone forever." I keep mumbling those words over and over again as Dipo leads me out.

I honestly have no recollection of the journey from Deuce manufacturing company to my place. What I do know is someone keeps whispering words of encouragement into my ear.

Words ranging from 'we'll find her, to 'you have to be strong,' are all that keep me going.

"We're here, bro." Dipo's face swims into focus. That's when I realise we're in my sitting room.

"I'll make him a hot cup of coffee, it'll clear the daze." Tracy speaks from behind me. She walks off, but stops, turns round and looks at me enquiringly.

"Kitchen is to your left, third door. Just follow the delicious smell." Dipo pipes up from beside me.

I slump into a sofa and sink my head into my hands, depression taking over. "Eve can't be gone, she just can't!"

"We'll find her, bro. We've got Mr. Faseun now, and he has no option but to talk. Don't you worry."

I say nothing as Tracy comes back with a tray on which sits three mugs. Steam rises from each of them. She hands me one, gives one to Dipo and takes the last one.

Not feeling like taking anything, I place mine on the side table.

"If you take it, you'll feel more energised." Tracy speaks up as she settles on a chair beside me.

I decide to break my silence as I face her."You knew Mr. Faseun was The boss all along?" The resentment in my voice slips out before I can stop myself.

I can't help it. All the shit I had to go through in order to find out who he was. Getting stamped with a hot iron rod on my chest like a modern day slave, peddling drugs to countries that aren't even on the map and getting ridiculed by Weasel, not to mention all the shit Roxy put me through.

Tracy knew who he was all that time, yet she made me go through all that crap.

I turn to her fully now, letting the anger bubble to the surface with a venomous stare trained on her.

"Please calm down." She puts up her hands as if trying to ward me off. Sadness suddenly creeps onto her face as she continues speaking. "It's a long story but I'll try to make it as short as possible." As she shakes her head, I know she's mentally going down memory lane.

"Mr. Faseun had an affair with my mother."

What!

She waits for a reaction, but I purposely school my features into one of neautrality. She sighs and continues speaking.

"I was born British and grew up there with my parents, but my father died from a ghastly accident, leaving my mother to take care of three small children all on her own. It was hard, I can tell you that for nothing. Mother resorted to taking up one menial jobs. She had to fend for us, you see, so being the first child; I was given the task of looking after my younger siblings, a feat in itself, seeing as I was just five years old. But I did it anyway. I tried my best - the best a five year old could, which wasn't much."

As she speaks, I shift restlessly in my chair.

Why can't she hit the nail on the head by telling us how she met Mr. Faseun? Why bore us with sob stories of her childhood?

Mine was wayy shittier than hers but you don't see me sitting people down and boring them to death with it.

"One day, mum brought home a stranger - a man. She said he was her new boyfriend as well as saviour, in that he was going to get us out of the squalor we were in and we'd all be a family once more. Things became better for mum and she even stopped working, because the man was giving her money to look after us. I'm sure you already know that man is Mr. Faseun, your father."

I shake my head, wishing I could rid myself of the stigma of being the son of a cruel man as she continues speaking.

"It seemed things were looking up for us until a month later, mother came back home after a tryst with said man. She looked terrible, like she'd been crying. She said the man she introduced to me broke her heart. At that age, I didn't understand what she meant, because how could her heart be broken and she was still alive. As if leaving her with a broken heart was not enough, he also . . . " She stops as tears flow from her eyes. After a few seconds of getting herself under control, she continues. "Mother wasn't just heartbroken, she was also pregnant. Fast forward to nine months later, she gave birth to my younger brother. She was too weak to push, so they had to cut him out of her. She didn't even set eyes on him before she gave up the ghost."

She stops as a sob gets caught in her throat.

And for the second time today, it feels like I've been sucker-punched.

Somewhere in the world is a soul with same blood as mine running through his veins.

A poor soul who never asked to be born.

Damn you, Mr. Daniel Faseun.

Damn you to hell and back!