BLOOD AND MONEY

BLOOD AND MONEY EPISODE FOURTEEN

Jabali had a lot of thoughts racing through his mind. Why had Maggy only thought of him of all the guys she could pick. What if he said yes then Willis walks in on them one of those crazy days..

He took a few steps towards her then bent down and picked her dress then grabbed her by the waste and pulled her close until they were looking each other in the eyes...

he brushed his finger on her face then she held his hand and took it around her waist so that he was holding her with both hands.. he tried to look away from her but she insisted on him maintaining eye contact...

Jabali: I understand how you are feeling trust me I do. But we can't do this right now..its risky for you and especially if Willis finds out. not just that, You know Serena knew I was dropping you off and anything can happen. She can either decide to come back home and catch us in the act or Willis might look for me then we end up busted anyway.

Maggy tried to pull out of his hold assuming that was his way of declining the offer but he made the grip even tighter and searched deep in her eyes..

Jabali: I'm not saying no. don't get me wrong... I really do need the money but all I'm saying is that we can make better arrangement for this.

Maggy: or maybe you just don't find me attractive.. if you did, you would not give an excuse. Willis doesn't give a damn about me and as for Serena, she will always be around her father. she would not come home at this time..

Jabali: you are very beautiful just that you are my boss' wife plus that proposal caught me by surprise that's all.

She took her dress from him and he finally let go of her. She had this disappointed look on her face but Jabali raised her face to his and kissed her then he left her his contacts and walked out in a hurry...

"You showed up here?" Robert asked getting into the car after looking around to make sure Owen was not in sight.

Oscar: I could not miss the send off plus I needed to familiarise with the place. It won't be long before I take over the company.

Robert: how do you intend to do that?

Oscar: I'm looking for this face in the crowd and I can't find him.

He said showing Robert a photo on his tablet..

Robert: this is a cleaner at the company.

Oscar: not anymore. I've been doing my investigation and he is not even registered with the cleaning company. I also know that he is the only one that cleaned Gerald's office and he spent longer time in there than an average cleaner should.

Robert: and where did you get that information from. You are now this desperate that you start making assumptions?

Oscar: if you only knew what is at stake then you would be finding out important information from Owen but again you are just useless.

Robert: Owen is not the exact type to open up so we will need a different approach.

Oscar: you are right about that but first... in the few hours you have been with him, what did you get from him?

Robert: he is planning to take his father's place at the company and the big names in the company are rooting for him something that made Willis so mad. I know he is building strategies too and you will not only have Owen to deal with but Willis too...

Rhoda and I got to the party and even though people were drinking and eating and getting drunk I sat at some table and quietly watched from a distance. This would have been good being my wedding reception or something but this just didn't feel right.

Rhoda had gone to mingle with other people and as i was flipping through my calls I got a call from mark and so I got up from the table and walked towards the parking where there was less noise to receive the call. I had not seen mark the entire day and i had no idea if he had even showed up at the funeral..

Me: mark. hey buddy..

Mark: hey.. how is the party?

Me: okay I guess. I never saw you at the funeral were you there?..

Mark: I was there but I tried staying out of sight. Willis is after me and I'm not sure of what would have happened had he seen me in the crowd. We need to talk. there's a few things we need to figure out together.

Me: okay. I can come over there is not much I'm doing here anyway.

Mark: alright. See you then and Owen...

Me: yes,

Mark: be very alert and careful. That party could be a distraction as other things happen in the background. keep your eyes open.

Me: okay. I will be there in an hour or two. I need to drop someone home.

Mark: okay.

I ended the call with mark then turned to walk away but I noticed Robert get out of a very classy car with tainted windows. He had not seen me so I stepped behind some car and waited until he was gone and watched the car drive off. When the car went past me I tried to get a glimpse of who was inside but I couldn't see anyone because of the windows. I was baffled for a moment, i mean who had been in that car with Robert?..

I went back to my seat and I spent a few minutes of my time talking to some of my father's friends who had come from far and beyond to pay my parents their last respects. We didn't talk for so long as all the talks was just reminding me of my father's absence so i went in the crowd to look for Rhoda as I needed to let her know I was leaving just in case she would want to be dropped home.

Rhoda: are you leaving right now?

Me: yeah, I have a meeting in an hour and I kind of didn't want to leave you stranded.

Rhoda: wow, that's so sweet of you but its okay. I will get a cab home.

I took out my wallet, chucked some money and handed it to her.

Rhoda: you know I don't need this right?

Me: yes you do and besides that, ots my duty to be a gentleman. Take care and let me know when you get home okay?

She smiled then walked away as I hurried to my car. I got in and left without thinking of what people would think of me leaving my parents party, i had told Mark i would be at his place in an hour but i could not wait. I didn't need no damn party and it wasn't going to bring my parents back. Why did mark think the party was a distraction, did he know something I didn't?..

I drove for close to half an hour trying to beat traffic and stuff. It was on a Saturday and I couldn't tell why there was so much traffic.

I gave mark a call and told him I was on my way so that I wouldn't miss him and he told me he was at home.

As I was driving, my mind drifted shortly to Della and Rhoda's conversation earlier. What was that about really, why would Della even feel entitled to me after everything that she had put me through?.

my mind drifted again and from what I gathered from Serena the night at the club willis and his wife were having issues as Maggy thought willis was cheating on her. Was it that obvious now, did she already know about Della and Willis'affair?

What did I even care, Della and I broke up and she had no right coming at Rhoda like that but then again, Rhoda, i loved the way she handled herself otherwise it would have turned just as dramatic as it was when she and Serena met in the club..

The reason why I held on to Rhoda's hand was because I wanted Della to know she wasn't all that..you know! I loved her yes but to her, love was defined by money, cars and all those classy stuff and for me, the money that I now had, I wanted to spend it on a more deserving woman. Maybe Rhoda I don't know but there was a spark that had been ignited within me. I tend to think that all along i was in live with Rhoda but I was in denial... her company made me feel a certain type of way but Serena was too forward for my liking. Men are like wild animals. We do not eat readily available meat but the thing is we do enjoy the chase. we prefer to go after that woman that gives us a hard time Rhoda was playing hard to get though deep inside I knew where her heart was. With her it was unpredictable... Sometimes I'd think I have her 100% but other times I don't know if she even likes me for instant the previous day when she left me and ended up in a dudes house. Damn you Rhoda!

I rubbed my chin playing with the beard a little bit as I took the corner that led to Mark's mansion. This guy was living huge yet he didn't even show off. The several times I bumped into him, I couldn't even tell he had a life..

I hooted and popped my head out to give the camera a clear view of my face and a few seconds later the gate opened and I drove inside. This was the type of technology I wanted in my home. I told myself as i drove inside..

I parked the car at the parking lot then got out and walked towards the house. Mark met me by the door, said hello and walked me in. It was around 6:30 in the evening and Lilly was already preparing dinner. I thought it was a bit early for that but Mark told me it was because of their kid.

Mark led me to his office and asked lilly to fix us some coffee which she said would be up in a few minutes with a bright smile on her face. Lilly was beautiful. She was not slim and she was not fat either. She was average weight, a bit tall but slightly lighter in completion. She had dimpled cheeks and gap between her two front teeth.

Mark: I thought you would stay to the end of the party.

Me: I considered hanging out with you more important. There is so much to learn.

I smiled and he sat right opposite me in his comfortable chair and pushed over a file to me.

Me: what's this?

I asked picking it up and opening it..

Mark: the rest of the financial statements. The ones you asked Mercy to find before the next meeting.

Me: really!

My eyes grew wider in excitement then i shifted my gaze to him..

Me: how did you get them?

Mark: from Mercy.

Me: how did you do that, I thought company stuff were private.

Mark: not to me. Mercy knows about the arrangement with your dad and that's why I can easily access the information i want whenever i want me. she trusts me with information she cannot entrust to someone else. hour father sat us down and told her everything but we have had to keep it between us. no one else knows. She has her copies too so you will compare with what Patrick has.

I nodded as I flipped through the pages.

Mark: you did well at the board room. I was very impressed by your composure and ability to speak on the presence of people like Willis and Maxwell..alot of people have been really afraid of them.

Me: you think i did well, thats interesting because i didn't think I was going to be able to pull through that meeting especially with Willis having his eyes on me the entire time.. i wondered what was going on in his head the entire time

I was obviously surprised I didn't think I pulled it quite well but coming from Mark I must have shook the ground a little bit.

Lilly knocked and mark went to open for her. She set the tray on the table then served us just like she did the other day then left. By the way Mark was staring at her all through, I could tell he was in love.

She left and I looked at him then smiled and he blushed a bit before placing something else in front of me. A photo, actually the photos of the same car I had seen earlier.

Me: you saw this car?

Mark: I have been tailing it. That photo I took earlier today at the grave site. it was parked a bit far off from the rest of the cars

Me: you seriously saw this car too?

Mark: yes. I saw your friend come out of it. When i called you, i was on my way home because i didn't want people to come out of the cemetery and see me hanging around. i was your extra set of eyes the entire time. i needed to make sure you were safe.

Me: thanks alot for being on standby. You were right, I don't think I'm supposed to trust anyone at all. Did you get the face or a name?

Mark: its what I'm working on. I've spotted the same car outside your house twice then I spotted Willi's too. I don't think you are safe at your place especially now that your friend is meeting unidentified people.

He said breaking a cookie into two and throwing one piece in his mouth and sipping his tea.

Me: who is this and why is he hanging around my place?

Mark: that's what we need to find out.

He got up and walked to some cabinet and when he opened it I saw a huge safe. He put the combination and it opened then he fished out a gun and walked back to me after pushing the safe closed.

Me: a gun?

Mark: its yours.

He said pushing it over to me and fir a second o didn't know what go fo with it. was it even legal to own a gun?..

Mark had handed me a gun before the night we robbed the company but he didn't tell me it was mine and I never used it either... This sounded weird.

Me: I don't know how to use a gun.

Mark: either way you need to have it. I will teach you how to use it. you might not understand its importance right now but you do need it..

Me: you want me to start lilllijg people?

Mark: this is war Owen. I might not be able to protect you all the time. I need you to be able to handle a gun and keep your enemies at bay.

I took the gun in my hand and looked at it. It looked new. Why did I have to ask why mark had a gun after seeing what he did to the guards..

Mark: there was a breaking at the company and a lot of officers died.

Me: I heard. The police said they were carrying out investigation. Do you think Willis could have pulled that? The finance office was broken into as well.

Mark: I can't tell for sure. It could be Willis or the anonymous guy. I don't know.

Me: Willis' daughter mentioned that her father has been MIA a bit lately then the other night they were to come to dinner at my place but he didn't show up. That's the same night people got killed at the company...

Mark: I will look into that meanwhile I need you to keep your eyes open. You need a CCTV camera at your place and some listening devices.

Me: listening devices?

Mark: yes. People tend to tamper with the CCTV camera because they know people will go after the footage but the listening devices will do a recording then maybe you can figure out the voices. I will show you how to go about that.

Mark was unbelievable. I had only known him for two days and now it felt like I've known him for a while. He was very thorough and he made no mistakes.

Robert had promised to teach me stuff about the company but so far I had learned nothing apart from him asking questions.. Very irrelevant questions...

Willis, Jabali and Buggy had been in one of the office washrooms as Jabali dressed Willi's wound. They had to be quick about it because it was the only washrooms that were open. Willis had strained a lot and he felt like blood was leaking into his vest so he signalled Jabali to go help him out and Buggy followed them. They locked themselves into the guys washrooms and Robert had seen them signal each other so he waited until they had all gone inside then he slowly followed them.

Buggy: why are you bleeding I thought the medication was to take care of that.

Jabali: because he overworked himself and the wound had not completely dried up.

Willis: this is the night we should get rid of that bustard. I don't want to see his face in that board room again.

Jabali: this is not the time and place. You will attract so much attention.

Buggy: we don't have to take him out as everyone is watching, we lure him to a place and put a bullet in his head and deal with the consequences later..

They had that conversation as they helped fix the situation..

Rhoda had also been pressed so she went inside to go to the ladies and she was walking to the washrooms which was right opposite the gents when Robert grabbed her mouth and pulled her to the corner he was hiding in.

Robert: (whispering) its Robert I will let go of your mouth but don't scream okay?

She nodded then Robert let go of her mouth and she turned to look at him surprised not sure what he was doing hiding in that spot..

Rhoda: (whispering) what's going on?

Robert: shhh!

He pointed to his ear then pointed towards the gents..

Willis: maybe we don't have to do the luring in. Serena can do that for us. think of it this was, Owen is a young man with a good taste in women, seduction has always worked on men and i believe Serena can seduce him into falling for our trap. All she has to do is convince him and bring him where we are.

Rhoda: who are they talking about?

Robert: Owen.

Rhoda: they want to kill Owen?

Robert: shhhhh! they will know we are here..keep quiet..

Buggy: did you hear that?

Willis: hear what?

Buggy: someone is outside. i thought i heard whispers..

Willis: find whoever it is and take care of it quietly.

Buggy got out and checked around but he didn't see anyone then when he was about to go back in Roberts phone rang.

Robert: oh s**t!

He didn't even bother to end the call. He took Rhoda's hand and they started running towards the exit. Buggy shot at them but the bullet hit the wall and the rest shuttered the glass door.

Willis: damn it.

He got got his gun and walked out followed by Jabali who was done washing his hands.

Willis: who is it?

Buggy: Robert and some girl

Willis: kill them!...

They both started firing bullets and this time, the sound of glasses shattering became loud that it was heard from outside..

Robert and Rhoda managed to Dodge their way out and shouted that there were gun shots from inside and people started running towards different directions.

Jabali: this is now a mess.. What if they send cops in here?

Willis: we will be cornered so i suggest we take it outside.

Buggy: people might notice us and sell us out.

As they were still talking and debating on whether or not they should go out, Serena was fighting her way in knowing her father was inside the building. She had also seen them go in but she thought it was a business meeting so she didn't bother following them then.

Some guy was really trying to to pull her back but she kicked him inbetween the legs and took off running into the building catching all the three off guard and Willis raised his gun and shot Serena not knowing it was her until she dropped....

Jabali: f**k! You shot your daughter!

Willis tucked his gun and ran towards her then got down to her.

Willis: Serena!

he called holding her and patting her in the face so that she could open her eyes..

willis: hey look at me...look at me...

Willis had shot her In the stomach and she was bleeding.. he tried to lift her up but he couldn't as they first needed to make her stable and try to manage the bleeding but putting the pressure on the gunshot wound before they could figure out what to do next.

Willis: come on baby don't die on me...Serena look at me...

Serena: Dad!...

Willis: I'm right here...

Serena: you shot me!..

she said in a low tone still trying to keep her eyes open..

Willis tried to get her from the floor again but because of the pain in his stomach he could not so Jabali took over carrying her as Buggy rushed outside to bring their car upfront. they had to do something because they couldn't get her treated without rushing her go the hospital.

Jabali: hey.. Stay with me... We are taking you to the hospital.

Serena: my dad shot me.

Jabali: it was an accident...

Buggy pulled over by the entrance and they all got in with Jabali doing the driving. He was the only one who could make the emergency type of a driving.

Willis: what was I thinking Damn it!

Jabali: it wasn't your fault. Anyone could have shot her.

Serena had been quiet. No moaning in pain no talking she had just sat there quiet with her eyes closed.

Willis: Serena....Serena!

No response and that attracted everyone's attention.

Buggy: s**t is she dead?

Willis: I don't know man....Serena!... Serena open your eyes...

Buggy: aaah, I don't think she's still in there dude. She could be dead...

Willis felt her pulse and tears were already making way to his eyes... He shook his head as a tear fell even Jabali stole a glance or two from the rear mirror...

Jabali: is she dead?....