THE KILL JOB

THE KILL JOB EPISODE SEVEN

After making an agreement with kepha I got out of his car and headed towards my house, I got into the compound and was barely inside the house when the house blew up throwing me off at a distance. The explosion was so loud that it attracted everyone's attention including kepha who had not gone far enough.

I lay down there having gotten a cut on my arm from the glasses that shattered from the window and seconds later I heard the gate open with kepha rushing in. He was equally in shock.

He quickly got to me and helped me up then dragged me out of the compound and led me to his car. We turned to look back because there was a second explosion that caused a bigger fire this time round.

Kepha: are you hurt?

He asked getting the pieces of glasses off me.

Me: No. I'm not. Just a small cut on my arm.

Kepha: what the hell was that?

I had no answer to what kepha was asking but my guess was that Tom paid me a visit and left me a message as well. Was this how we were going to operate, what if i had literally walked into my house and got barbecued?..

I got in kephas car avoiding to be questioned by the police that would probably be on their way soon because whoever heard the explosion in the neighborhood would surely call for help. We drove off to kephas place and Kepha's wife gave me a room and a towel so that i could go freshen up and after I was done, she took care of the wound in my hand before she served dinner later on. Now Kepha and i had been friends for long but we lost touch when i lay low and i never even knew he got hooked to that amazing woman. Angie was her name and from the way Kepha looked at her, i could tell that ge was in love. The news of the explosion was already on the screens and she didn't even have to ask what had happened.

Betty must have watched the news too because a few minutes later she called and even though i tried to ignore the call, sge kept calling and I had to excuse myself from the table and picked her call.

Betty: what happened to our house?

Betty was something else, she didn't even care to know if i was okay or if i had died in the explosion all she wanted to know was what happened to the house..

Me: the house blew up. I honestly have no explanation to that but I think it's Tom.

Betty: where were you when the explosion took place?

Me: I had stepped out to do stuff Betty, am looking into renting another house for you and Brandon.

Betty: do you see what you have brought in our lives, what makes you think that Tom won't blow up that too, how many things are you willing to loose before you opt out of whatever deal you stroke with him?

Me: don't talk like that Betty, I already opted out and that's why he is getting back at me. I even resigned from my job, why are you putting all these on me, you think i don't know what this mess has caused us?..

Betty: wait, you did what. Did i hear you say you resigned from your job?

I had been back but I had not met my wife to discuss all these with her in person so I couldn't even blame her for overreacting to everything she was hearing.Betty was the sweetest person I knew, but she was also not the person to talk to when upset.

I tried explaining to her the reason for my quiting and what happened back there but she wouldn't listen, she had freaked out on minor things like how we were going to manage without my job and even asked me to call my boss back and claim my job.

Me: do you know what you are asking me to do?

Betty: yes, am asking you to be a man. If it wasn't for this stupid deal my daughter would still be alive. You have your mind buried in killing people that you have forgotten that our daughter is lying in a mortuary and we have a funeral to plan.

Me: are you blaming me for Aliyah's death?

Betty: you are the reason all these is happening, yes, I'm blaming you for Aliyah's death and I'm blaming you for what happened to our house..you know what, am just done!

She didn't wait for me to say another word but she hanged up and switched off her phone for i couldn't reach her on an attemp to call again.

The conversation with Betty spoiled my mood and I never bothered to go back to the table but got straight to bed and tried catching some sleep.

I tried to figure out why Betty was angry with me but I couldn't see her point, was i the one who brought all these upon my family, would she still be alive if I didn't accept the task and save her from her kidnapper, was it my fault that Aliyah was dead?

I couldn't answer all these questions but with every thought my heart became heavy. I took a job to keep my family together but everything went the exact opposite.

I eventually slept and the following morning I heard a knock on the room i had slept in, it was kepha's wife Angie asking me to go for breakfast so I got up washed my face and joined them at the table.

Angie was very friendly and talkative. I sat at that table the entire time listening to them talk and it made me realize how much I had missed my family. I needed to see Aliyah's remains before getting down on Tom's hunt. I was not going to go after him first but his family. I was going to kill everyone he knew before hanging him on a pole with his head upside down.

Kepha helped me with a few of his clothes and after freshening up then we left for the mortuary at the same hospital Aliyah had died in. The attendants at the morgue asked me to give them a few minutes to prepare Aliyah for a view and I did.

Twenty minutes later i was allowed in and kepha went with me.

Seeing my daughter lying on that table paralyzed a part of me, it was a dreadful sight. I had seen dead people before and I had even killed some but I didn't look forward to a day I would be looking at my very own daughter lying there not able to talk to or to run to me like she always did.

I held her hand and it was ice cold but somehow I needed to connect with her.

"It's so sad that Daddy couldn't be with you on your birthday and promised to come home and make it up to you only to find you dead. Why couldn't you hold on just a little bit longer my baby, why?...you know, a few years back when your mummy said we were going to have a baby, I freaked out. I didn't know if I was ready to be a father but when you came, you were tiny, and beautiful and I couldn't keep my eyes off you. Now, you are gone and I don't know how to accept that, I don't want to believe that I will never see or hear from you again. death has snatched you from me just when we had so much to achieve as father and daughter but I will make him pay. He will pay Aliyah and I know that will not bring you back. But he has to pay. Go in peace my baby.

Kepha parted me on the back and squeezed my shoulder then we both walked out of the the morgue. I made arrangements for Aliyah's body to be picked up for burial in three days time but in the meantime I had some other things to take care of.

Kepha: where are we headed next bro?

Me: before I left, I was told where I can find Tom's family. We hit him where it hurts most and draw him out. We can't get to him but we can get to him through his family.

Kepha: what if it was a set up, Tom is smart and he knows you are too.

Me: let's find out. I'd rather we try and fail than not try at all. That bastard has to pay for killing my baby and i will do whatever it takes.

Kepha drove both of us to where Mariko said we would find Tom's family and when we got to the home I hid my gun on the back and knocked on the door and soon after it was opened by a young man say about 18 years of age. He looked at us suspiciously and Kepha pushed me to do the talking because he didn't say a word but stood there staring at us.

Me: hello son,

Him: hi.

Me: what's your name?

Him: Alex.

Me: is your mum inside?

Alex: yeah, please come in.

That did not turn out as bad as we had expected. We walked in and he ushered us to the seat and we made ourselves comfortable waiting for Mrs.Tom to show up.

Alex: mum!

He shouted over his shoulder as he sat on the couch opposite us and continued playing the video game he must have

Mrs. Tom: who is at the door Alex?

She called as she came to the living room from the kitchen wiping her hand with a towel and when she saw me she stopped abruptly.

Mrs. Tom: Alex go to your room I need to talk to our visitors.

Alex: who are they mum?

Mrs. Tom: just go upstairs will you, i will talk to these gentlemen.

Alex left and it was just us.

Mrs. Tom: what are you looking for in this house?

Me: you know who we are?

Mrs.Tom: yes. You are looking for Tom but he is not here.

Me: I know but he is not the one we are looking for. See Tom killed my daughter and we are here for one thing.

Mrs.Tom: what?

Me: I need a name of everyone working for Tom and their location.

Mrs.Tom: am sorry i can't help you with that.

Me: no, you don't understand. Tom killed my daughter and if you don't give me what I want...

Alex: you will what?

Alex came out of his room with a gun in his hand pointed at us.

Me: I can see the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Alex: leave my mum alone and get out of my house right now.

I got up and so did kepha who had already drew his gun and held it in his hand. I walked towards Alex but he asked me to stand back or he would shoot and we did, infact I moved back and Kepha took a few steps back too.

Me: you have an option, to tell me what I want to know or no one will leave to tell what happened here.

Alex: oh, don't worry about that. My dad is on the way.

When I heard that, I shot Alex's hand and the gun dropped then kepha rushed to take the gun as I grabbed the woman's neck trying to squeeze information out of her but before she could say anything, bullets were sprayed from outside shattering all the windows but both kepha and I took cover. Alex had been shot and so was the mother though she was still breathing. She grabbed my arm, pulled me to herself and whispered an address in my ear before I watched her die right there. Kepha and I had no way out as the house didn't have a back door so we had to go through the door and through them.

I went ahead as kepha followed and when we got out I shot two guys but there were three more holding their guns at us..

Guy 1: drop your gun.

Me: why would I drop my gun when it's the only thing that can get me out of here alive?

Guy 1: the way i see it, you are not leaving here alive.

Me: am scared. So who of you killed my daughter?

Guy 2: that would be me.

I looked at him then smiled and looked at kepha who hadn't put his gun down either.

Guy 1: drop your gun Harry

I put my gun down next to my feet and stood up looking at him.

Guy 1: kick it over.

Me: come and get it.

I think he knew what I wanted to do so he asked the other guy to pick the gun and give it to him. The guy came to where I was and as soon as he bent down i chucked another gun from the back of my trouser and shot the first guy's arm and the gun dropped then i kicked the other one in the face as kepha took care of the other one.

I hoisted the guy who had confessed to killing my daughter and threw him on one of the cars that we're parked there.

Me: you killed my daughter?

Guy 2: I was only following orders men, please don't kill me.

I pressed my gun on his head and when I looked at him, all I saw was Aliyah not being there when I went back home so i pulled the trigger and killed him.

The first guy who was down tried to reach for his gun and shoot me but kepha had my back. He shot him severally and he died too.

Me: let's get out of here.

Kepha and i rushed out of the compound and drove off.

Kepha: did you get what we are looking for?

Me: no, but I have got the address to our next destination.

On our way to where we were headed next, I got a call from Tom and I put it on speaker since I was the one driving.

Tom: you are still alive, that's impressive.

Me: impressive will be when i put a bullet in your head.

Tom: yeah I have heard that before. You clearly don't know who you are messing with.

Me: I do, you blew my house hoping I would be in it and you think that makes you a bad ass?

Tom: you killed my wife and son and that makes us even but on second thoughts, what made you think I would leave my family where you would easily reach them? Me: what do you mean?

Tom: the woman you killed is my cover. She never existed as my wife but I don't know about you because am looking at something precious about five four, hour Glass shaped and she looks so beautiful when crying.

Kepha: what is he talking about?

I shrugged my shoulder not knowing what was really going on or why Tom had called to brag.

Tom: listen up buddy, you get back to your original mission, kill Peterson and I will let your wife walk away untouched.

Me: am doing no such thing...

Tom: yeah, okay....

Kepha and i heard a voice in the background and it sounded like Brandon. "let me go" he shouted as he was pulled closer to the phone.

Tom: you hear that?

Brandon: Dad!

Me: Brandon?

Brandon: dad, I don't want to die..

After that what followed was a gunshot and all went quite.

Kepha: what just happened?

I took an emergency brake and stopped the car almost driving into a pole...

Me: Brandon.. Damnit, Brandon.....

Tom: he is dead. If you don't reach out to your boss and take him out, you will be having one more body to burry and if I don't hear from you in the next 12 hours. I will know you failed. The clock is ticking......