THREE

I looked at strange eyes in silence as my hard on deflated like a pricked balloon.

"Get up you idiot" he said with a cruel smile obviously enjoying the situation.

I've never been much of a fighter and I've always believed in the philosophy of running away to fight another day or in my case to keep on running and never have to fight again. But at that moment I was overcome with rage all of a sudden and I jumped from the bed and charged at strange eyes, "what did you do to her?" I said referring to Fumi.

Strange eyes was very agile and quick and must have had some form of military training because with equal speed he brought his knee to my face and dragged me back, refusing to let me fall.

"You are more stupid than I thought" he snapped.

I could hardly hear a word he said because my ears were ringing like it was break time and indeed I felt my face could break.

"Believe it or not but I'm not your enemy. That lady outside however..." He lowered his voice, "betrayed you for thirty pieces of silver" he finally released his choke hold on me and I sat on the bed trying to regain my breath...

"what do you mean betrayed me...who are you…what do you want from me...where is Fumi?"

"Put some clothes on. I'm taking you to the chief and I'd advise you to forget about girls in general because you have a habit of picking ones who get you in trouble"

I stood up having regained my full balance although I didn't believe a word he was saying, I was not ready for another physical confrontation.

"So you want me to see the chief...look if it’s about the money, I haven't even touched it...you can even keep my car but please don't harm my family"

He picked up my trouser from the floor and threw it at me “Get dressed you fool, none of your precious documents made it to the chief, he believes the car was empty"

I was putting one leg in the trouser when he said this and the relief was almost paralyzing although I wasn't fully convinced. "Who are you?"

"I'll explain all in the car now hurry up"

"What about Fumi hope you didn't hurt her?"

"Your middle name must be stupid" He shook his head as he paced the room, "remember today in the bank...? the teller I gave her had instructions and a check of 200 thousand naira...that was how much it took for her to set you up...and I saw you lying in her bed like an idiot and I felt like breaking your nose…I'm sorry for that by the way"

I put on the rest of my clothes in silence, dumbfounded by what I was hearing...Fumi? I thought of the way she had invited me over, of how she had led me on...I thought back to the bank the way she had looked at me when I had seen strange eyes...I had thought it was concern for me...was I wrong? But where was she now…?

As if reading my thoughts strange eyes replied, "she was gone the moment you brought your agro self into her room. Now wear your shirt we need to get going."

I put on my shirt in silence. Thinking, thinking, thinking....strange eyes...friend or foe?

::::::::::

True to his word Fumi was nowhere to be found. We left the house in silence as I pondered over her potential betrayal.

"This way," strange eyes directed me to a car parked in a corner…everywhere was very dark  but I could recognize my car anywhere.

"Get in" strange eyes said as he got into the driver's seat. I entered the car. "What about Sule?"

"Who is that?"

"The mechanic you came with to take my car?"

"Oh that guy...he is alright...in fact he is doing very well...but you won't be seeing him for a while"

I started to reply but had to be silent as strange eyes started the car and the asthmatic wheezing of the engine drowned my thoughts for a moment. But as he put the car in gear I asked, "where is he?"

“That's classified" he slowed down then brought a cigarette from his breast pocket which he lit before driving on again.

"I don't allow smoking in my car" I said stiffly

He laughed at that then dragged deeply and in response blew the smoke in my face. I said nothing for minutes, just staring out the window into the darkness which was sprinkled by the occasional light bulb reflecting from road side shops.

Strange eyes seemed to sober up because he focused on blowing the smoke out the window and after a while he said, "the Chief is one of the most evil men in the world believe me and the most evil in this country for sure. He is involved in arms dealing, drug trafficking and even human trafficking…just to mention a few"

I said nothing. I had suspected the drugs and in fact had an insanely large amount of money that could only be drug money but the rest was news.

"As a matter of fact the chief arranged to make it possible for you to take that money and put you in his debt because he needs you. For what I don't know but it seems you are the one who can get close enough to him," he took a deep drag and threw the cigar out the window.

"So he knew all along that I took the money? Wait first who are you? Don't you work for the chief?"

"Yes I do. But I'm an agent. I work with the department of state service, internal investigations. My name is...you can call me John"

"I prefer strange eyes." I muttered

"What was that?" He asked sharply, his voice getting hard.

I didn't bother to reply instead I looked out the window. What had I gotten myself into? DSS? Chai...

"So where are we going now?" I asked after a while

"To the chief" he replied

"But he wants to kill me!"

"Believe me if the chief wanted you dead you would be in hell a long time ago"

"So what does he want? I'd give him his money I swear"

"Young man…I myself don't know, I believe he may need your services as you are a banker but I’m in the dark about this"

"But if you are an agent why don't you just arrest him?"

"It has been tried countless times...he always gets away. Me I've been with him for close to a year but I still have nothing on him...I tell you that Chief is the smartest criminal I've come across"

More silence.

Strange eyes looked at me, "I believe you are the only one who can pierce that shield he surrounds himself with"

"Look I'm really tired, can you just drop me home. I haven't slept since, you can come by tomorrow and we'll do this"

(that's if you see my brake light you strange eyed fuck)

Strange eyes chuckled softly then fixed his eerie eye balls on me "What if I tell you Fome' never left you for another man…what if I tell you her life is in danger as we speak?"

:::::::::::::

             -About 3 weeks ago-

"What do you mean you don't want to get married? Are you losing your mind?"

The scene was an ugly one…shouting to and fro even some throwing of plates and furniture (all from her I swear)

Fome had just walked in and dropped the bomb; that she was in love with someone else and had to leave me.

I couldn't believe it, "I no go gree oo...not after eight years...why didn't you fall in love since. It is now abi...no way. You hear me!"

But save for tying her to my bed post (which crossed my mind) there wasn’t anything I could do. After hours of shouting, begging, yelling, threatening, pleading, I kept quiet and watched her pack her bags with tears in her eyes.

She looked at me as she left, "please don't look for me and please stay away from the chief that was a stupid mistake I beg you let me go and find happiness"

"But I thought you were happy.." I said weakly

"Shows how you know me. I repeat Rex please stay away from the chief" and she was gone.

That night I drove out, bought two bottles of ammunition; different flavors then returned home to get drunk. I was well into the first bottle and already feeling tanked out when my phone rang.

"H-h-hello"

"Rex my man! What's going on?" It was the chief.

"Fome just left me" I took a long drink "left me…imagine! Chief this your strawberry ammunition make sense o"

There was a long silence. Then; "don't drink alone my son come over...or better still hold on my driver will come and pick you"

::::::::::::

I woke up the next morning with the worst case of hangover I ever had in my life. All my few visits to the chief in the past had always ended in the parlour. So I was surprised to find myself in a very comfortable room, spacious and richly furnished. The headache was blinding and my head was pounding. I got out of the bed and washed my face which did little to help. I stepped out of the room admiring the wall paper as I headed downstairs. I was halfway down the stairs when it occurred to me that the Chief's house had no stairs...it was a bungalow. So where was I? I tried to remember the events of the previous night but the headache made me stop. I quietly descended with my thoughts turning back to Fome which seemed to amplify my headache.

It seemed the house was empty and I found out it was literally so when I got downstairs and couldn't find one piece of furniture.

I called out, "Chief!"

The echo was almost deafening. I held my head and was heading for a door which looked like the most likely exit when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

I turned to see Chief as he rounded the stairs.

"Rex my man!" He shouted, "don't mind the echo, I'm in the process of renovating this whole floor"

I looked around in confusion. The place didn't look like where any form of renovation was taking place.

"Where is this chief? Good morning"

"This is where I run my operations"

I nodded, "OK, you mean ammunition"

The chief laughed crazily and the echo was disturbing. "You can say that my boy"

I looked at my wrist, didn't see my watch "Chief I'm very late for work...I don't have my car with me, my head is killing me...I'm hungry and very scattered right now-"

He interrupted me "that’s all right my boy, before you passed out last night Ndidi was preparing a sumptuous meal. Let’s take a drive to eat from there I’d drop you home"

"That reminds me chief, I remember going to your house last night…but where is this? How did I get here?"

The chief didn’t reply but turned and headed upstairs, "let me get my car keys, give me few minutes"

I was beginning to feel annoyed and wasn’t really comfortable with the way he kept calling me 'my boy'.

I kept on feeling I was missing a very important point but once again my mind was on Fome. The chief was the only one who could help me get her back after all he was her 'father'.

Till today I don’t know what pushed me to that door, but the chief had been taking too much time and I moved about the house idly, feeling my headache reduce. I admired the strong tiles and fine wallpaper,

"renovations my foot...this man is very strange."

I stepped into a door that seemed out of proportion with the rest of the house to discover a room which was as empty as the rest of the house save for a small table at the center of the room which had some papers scattered on it. The table looked like some kind of offering and seemed to beckon to me.

I shut the door and took the first step to my problems.