My trust is for sale

It's a woman's world

Mu’azu moved his massive body on the open yard in the refinery. Hundreds of expensive cars parked at the lots. While many cars drove in, many also drove out. The place was crowdy, shops all around. There were lots of girls. Just there to hustle ,attracted by the sash that flowed between the independent marketers.

It was amid these bubbling crowd Mu’azu pushed himself through with four hefty men behind him.

He was tensed up, his small eyes looking vicious. He face was clammy with sweat which he wiped off

Frequently.

A lady crossed his way, he used his fat hand to shove her off. She lost balance, staggered and fell to the ground. He did not give her a second look as he just kept moving.

“I wonder what this man would tell God.” A man said in a low tone.

Mu’azu went into an office, breathing hard. He saw a worker attending to a nagging customer. He forced himself through and pulled the man. The man was about to curse when he realized that it was Mu’azu. He forced a smile and stood back.

“Ya Alhaj.” The man said.

Mu’azu did not reply. His attention was on the worker.

“Let me see the loist of those who have loaded today.”

“Which company….?”

“Let me see the whole list!”

“If you tell me the company’s name, it would make it easier. A lot have gotten their goods today.”

“There is a Niger Agent who represents their Ministry of Transport. He owes mw and he plans to leave without paying me.”

“Just a moment Alhaji.” He said and began to check.

“He has not loaded but he will do that today. He is on the list. Special allocation.”

Alhaji took in a deep breath and felt his temper chilling. That was a big relief.

“Make sure I am informed if he comes here. If he loads without you telling me, then it means you are in cahoots with him. This is my number…”

He went out of the office in a more relaxed way. That was a good news. There was no way they could escape him.  He saw Boro walking towards him briskly.

“Right on time.” Mu’azu said. “She has not loaded. You know her, don’t you?”

“I will recognize her from the back, in darkness with swollen eyes.”

“Very good. Let us sit over there. I am tired. I will not take a step off this place. We got all the time in the world to wait.”

Mu’azu sat on a bench.

“Go and get me a packet of Benson and Hedges.” He gave Boro a note of one thousand naira. Boro knew the change was his already.

Boro got the cigarette and they now sat on the bench while Mu’azu smoked.

“Do you think it is someone from this house bringing this opposition?” Mu’azu asked

“It is definitely someone who knows much about the house.”

Mu’azu sighed.

“I am in need of this money badly. I did not get any allocation this month. There is a house I have to pay for in Abuja. I don’t want to lose it.”

“We will get it Sir.” Boro said confidently. “There is no way they would escape us.”

“Hmmm….what did you say we were going to do?”

“Blackmail. We know what they did to Jibril. We know they are impersonation. We will give them ten percent or blow the gaff. We have never failed Sir.”

“I know. I am just nervous and a kind of…..interested in the gang. From the little we know, they have got brains. They also got the ticket before us. That is a big insult and threat.”

Boro did not like that part. He was not oblivious to the fact that getting the ticket before him was a slap to his face.

“We will get the goods, identify them and shut them down for good.”

Mu’azu’s phone rang.

“Yes?”

“It’s me, Golis. The Niger agent you talked about is sick and has gone back to Niger. It is his assistant who came for the clearance…..”

“Did I say it was a man?” Mu’azu barked. “Let her wait!”

“I am afraid she just left. You said the agent owed you. This is not the agent you talked about. It is someone ewho probably knows nothing about it. You did not say it was the Ministry that owed you. I know Jibril because he comes every month.”

“Shut up you fool!”

Boro smiled.

“No problem Sir.” He said. “There she goes. I have seen her….” He fixed his eyes on Rabi, “and she is mine.”

“Don’t miss her.”

“I got her.”

He got up ,without taking his eyes off her, he began to follow her.

 ********

With his vicious eyes on her, still wondering how she had slipped pass them without getting noticed, he felt more infuriated that these girls were trampling on his prowess. He walked after her, his tall, huge figure outstanding amidst the crowd.

He had his full concentration on her. She was wearing tight blue jeans. Her bunches stood like a starched piece. He saw her blunder her shoulder into a girl. The girl became angry at once and began to rake. Rabi apologized and moved on. The girl moved passed Boro while he kept following Rabi. He was just too sure she could not escape. Not this time.

He saw her stop before a kiosk, ordered for a soft drink and sat on a plastic chair. Boro paused, hid behind some men before he sat on a bench. He lit a cigarette, crossed his legs and then waited. Waiting had never been his problem. He would wait.

After an hour of waiting, he saw her receiving a call. He became impatient. Why was she still sitting there? He had to make a move. He got up and began to walk towards her.

She saw him and fear splashed on her face. Boro produced a dangerous grin and sat beside her.

“Hello Suzzy.” He said in his thick voice.

“Hi.” Rabi managed to say.

“Your face looks familiar.”

“That method is obsolete.”

“How?”

“When a man likes a girl, he goes ,’your face looks familiar, Jane, right?’ And that becomes his pickup line”

Boro shook his head.

“If you are trying to prevaricate by your shoddy hocus-pocus, then you fail. I know you are smart but smart enough to slip through me. You are trapped.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know you.”

“You do. We met at Jib’s. The soft bodied babe lying sexily on the bed, ready for action when I barged in. The smart girl who helped her gang kidnap Jibril and extort the ticket. The girl who claimed Jibril who was chained to death was sick and had gone back to Niger so she carried on the transaction. The girl with the ticket to one hundred and fifty trucks right now. We know all that has been happening. If you wish, I won’t talk. You can trust me but my trust is for sale. The price is the ticket you have right now and you and your chickens will be saved from jail. I will be so nice to get you ten per cent. The choice is yours. Concur, get saved and get ten per cent. Refuse, get nothing and end your miserable lives in jail. This is a crime against another country and yours.”

Rabi glanced at her wristwatch and Boro saw the fear on her face vanish.

“You have done a good job. You did your following well.” She said and the sudden lack of fear on her face got him angry. “I am only working for someone. I hope you will be smart enough to catch up with the person. Did you see me hit a girl who got angry? It was her smart idea. That little drama was a handing over ceremony. I gave the Pass to her. I only sat here to waste your time because we know you are watching. If you really need it, then rush to the Loading Section before she goes away with one hundred and fifty trucks. If you don’t believe me, sit here with me. You can’t do s**t to me here, plus…you got no evidence against us. We covered our tracks.”

Boro bit his lips. This was unexpected. There was no point staying here threatening her while the trucks are being loaded. He would gain nothing in giving her away to the police. He killed Jibril and something may pop up. What they needed was the oil.

“I will get you, I promise.” He said and got up. He quickly rushed to Mu’azu and explained the situation. They now began a mad rush to the Loading Section.

“They could not have finished and left by now.” Boro said.

But they were wrong. That was why Rabi wasted their time. They discovered that the goods have been loaded. They found out that it was Alhaji Babawo who bought it. He was a very rich oil mogul, and smuggler.

Mu’azu met Babawo.

“Where is she? She said she has some for me?” He lied.

“She just left. I paid her fully.” Babawo said.

Mu’azu broke into sweat.

“Let’s go Sir. I saw her.” Boro said.

Mu’azu half ran, and his tommy vibrated.

“That is her.” Boro pointed a finegr. He picked his phone. “Gibbs, there is a girl in white gown holding a big blue bag. She is wearing a brown spectacles. Stop her! She is coming out through the gate.”

“Okay Sir. I got it.”

The girl in white gown- Zina disappeared into the crowd. Boro, his boos and the thugs kept moving but they could not see her. They got to where Gibbs was.

“Where is she?” Mu’azu asked.

“No girl with such a description passed with a bag.”

“A girl in white gown and brown glasses.”

“A sleeveless gown?”

“Yes.”

“She passed but she was holding nothing.”

“You are crazy!” Mu’azu said angrily. “We were behind her.”

Boro grimaced.

“Alhaji.” He said. “He is right. They played a trick. Remember the girl that nearly hit you? She held a bag and passed by us and went backwards.”

“Mu’azu felt a bang in his head.

“Does that mean she went back? Where is the girl in white? Let us get one of them! “

They did not know which of them to go after. They all vanished. Boro knew they had been beaten. It was just a waste of time.

He was right because while they stood there confused, Layla opened the car door and got in. Zina sat in the front. Sharon, who Zina had passed the bag to and nearly hit Mu’azu came in with the bag. Layla started the car engine of the hired car. Rabi half ran to them and got in. None of the four girls uttered a way. Layla moved the car before Rabi lit a cigarette.