Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

The next day after my meeting with Biodun, I, Vivian and Jane decided to hang out on the request of Jane. It’s been almost a month since our last outing or the last time I saw Jade, though we talked on phone twice in that time. The marina resort which happened to be our favorite spot was the point of call again. But this time around Jade came around to pick us in her car, a Toyota Camry car her dad gave her from his fleet.





Both girls sat in front while I was behind.
“Babe how far you na?. You just go hide male person no see you again. I was beginning to wonder how to go about filling the form” I said hugging Jade when I met her downstairs by her car. Vivian was behind me
“Which form again Fury?” She asked laughingly while hugging me back
“He meant the form people fill before they now see you” Vivian replied behind me.
“You’re not serious Fury. I miss you too” She said as we separated
“Sup chick” Vivian said moving forward to as they hugged annoyingly like the dykes they were who had missed each other for quite some time even though it wasn’t up to tow weeks or so.
“Good babes…” Jade replied smiling at the fact that I was shaking my head at them. “Abeg make we dey go before person die of envy” She added in obvious spite of my assumed disapproval of their relationship
“So what’s been happening to you Jade. You sort of fell off the radar like that. I was beginning to worry if not that Vivi said you two saw every week at your place” I asked as we began the trip
“Fury na nursing department o. The stress over they is just too much” She replied before asking “So sup with you. What’s happening in your side.”
“He’s now busy fvcking that his department girl behind my back.What’s that her name again sef….. Mmmmm.. Dera” Vivian interrupted looking back at me to see the look of shock and surprise on my face.
“I…” I wanted to say something but nothing came out as I smiled back at Vivian in a way that suggested admittance that I had been caught. I could see Jade looking back at me through the rear mirror smiling
“You know why I like you Fury?” Jade asked and proceeded to answer the question herself almost immediately “You’re a very bad liar.. abi is it bad you’re bad at deception. You give away too easily.”




Vivian still looking back at me laughingly asked “Surprised how I knew that you’re fvcking her abi. That you’re cheating on me with her abi?”
“You need help as soon as possible Vivi. Jane I’m fine, thanks for asking”. I replied trying to change the topic
“Fury don’t worry. I don’t mind sharing you with her. Just don’t fall in love with her that’s all.” Vivian said as she smiled at Jane who looked at her surprised for a moment before looking back at the road ahead of her
I was silent for a while as I wondered how she found out because I never slept with Dera when she was around and I thought I gave her the impression Dera was just a friend. It must be Cynthia I concluded and wanted to ask her. And as if she knew what I’ll ask next after being quiet for a brief moment, she said “Get lost” when I asked her “How do you know?”
“You too would make a great couple” Jade said laughing at her response to my question
“I’ll just kill him if he cheats on me” Vivian replied
“But you’ll be at liberty to screw anyone right?” I asked laughing
“Anytime I want baby” She replied in a voice that’s better heard than read.
“You’re sick Vivi. Good a thing daddy is a doctor of good repute, so help is within your reach.
“I was only being sincere honey.. Whereas I’ll expect your butt0ckz to be faithful to me, I don’t think I would. Just the way you see a Sekxy girl and want to fvck her, girls also see hot dudes and wanna fvck them. No strings attached. And it also doesn’t mean i don’t love your butt0ckz” She said as a matter of fact
“Not sure i can handle such relationship” I said sounding defeated already
“Welcome to the real world honey” She added.




Jade who had been conspicuously quiet while we talked was the one who then said “Fury don’t mind her. She’s just teasing you so you think about how it feels when a man cheats on his wife but selfishly expects her to still be faithful”.
“Never been in a relationship before so I wouldn’t know. But I guess that sU-Cks” I said
“Yea… It does.. But I still expect faithfulness from my partner” She added in a way that suggested she was referring to her l£sb!an relationship with Vivian.
“Hope you heard her Vivi” I asked elated while touching her back from behind
Her response was a raised middle finger without looking back at me.
******
We got to the resort and where seated at what was gradually becoming our favorite spot at the resort and continued talking about nothing in particular. Drinks and roasted fish served and we got talking about events of the past weeks. I didn’t feel like eating the fish so I settled with my drink while the girls began to devour meal. There was an old news paper left behind on our table, so I began flipping it’s pages when I suddenly stormed upon an article on Kodo’s death and a picture of his body as it was found on the street with caption “Notorious cultist meets his end”.
Reading the headline to the hearing,of both girls, I then added “So they carried this Kodo’s news too on paper?”
“Lemme see” Jade who sat on my left demanded
“Poor boy.. Wonder what’s going on in the mind if his parents right now having lost a son in his final year and gruesomely too” I said passing paper to her as she tried to hold it without staining it with her roasted fish soiled hand.
“What a way to end” She said
“We’ll all die someday guys… But we’ll never be cut down in our primes in Jesus name” Vivian added before taking a sip from her drink
“Amen” I an Jade replied in unison
“Surprised that we haven’t seen reprisals even after a month. Very unlike Calabar” Jade added
“Abi o. Kodo had more enemies than friends and these people wanted him dead sha.. Guess they don’t know who actually carried out the hit” I replied
“Abeg dem better no know. Make peace reign abeg. Don’t want school closed because of their cult wars” Jade replied.
“Abi” I replied while Vivian still kept quiet.





Suddenly my phone rang and a number I had almost forgotten I had on my contact list was displayed. “Colonel”.
Quickly I picked the phone from the table and whispered “Colonel” while facing Vivian but to the hearing of both girls before pressing the green button.
“Hello sir” I greeted him
“Fury Fury… You’ve forgotten about me abi?” Je asked from the other end
“Ah.. No sir. It’s not like that sir. I’ve not o.” I replied scratching my head
“It’s like how?. You stopped calling but you still keep in touch with my people there” He replied stating the obvious
“I’m sorry sir. How’s work sir” I apologized and asked in a bid to prevent further reproach from him
“Work is fine. I’m coming to Calabar tomorrow. How’s your friend Vivienne” He said and asked about Vivian
“You’re coming to Calabar?” I asked rather loudly before answering his question “She’s fine sir” Just as Vivian looked at me wide eyed.
“Her number isn’t going through. Tried reaching her..” He said before I excitedly cut him short
“She’s here with me sir” I replied
“Oh nice.. Give her the phone” He instructed.
I passed the phone to Vivian who was smiling as she collected the phone.
“Hello sir” She said as they began talking. I saw her pick up her phone and pressed a button before replying “It tripped off without my knowledge. Just found out now.”
“Hahahahahaha” She laughed out loudly to the hearing of everyone around us. Then I heard her say “It’s not like that. We’re just chilling with our friend at the resort.”
Looking over at Jade, I noticed her face was blank, bearing no emotion at all. She looked back at me and looked back at her phone screen without saying anything or making any facial expression. Minutes later, Vivian passed me the phone but as I tried to take it back to my ear, she said he had already ended the call.
“So how far?” I asked her excitedly with the thought that “Money bags” (as I came to think of him) was coming to town. At that point I didn’t think of Vivian as a girlfriend or whatever.
“What’s your own?” She asked mockingly
“Na why I no like you be this. If I no tell am say you dey with me, how him go take talk with you” I asked feigning anger
“This and that. Why I haven’t been calling.





He’s coming to town tomorrow and he’ll see us” She said giving me a look that suggested she didn’t want to talk about the details of their discussion in the presence of Jade. I understood the look and simply said “Ok”.
“Fury please lemme make a call with your phone.” Jade asked after about five minutes of we talking about something else. I passed her the phone without a second thought
“Se credit dey.. Na about two minutes call I wan make” She asked as she dialed a number.
“Yea”. I said before adding”Abeg make e no pass two minutes”
She went on to talk with someone in Efik for about a minute before handing over the phone to me. But while the call lasted, I could sense anger in her voice. Having spent her entire life in Calabar, Vivian understood and spoke Efik also, so I was the only one who couldn’t decipher what Jade said to the person on the other end.
“Babe wetin dey happen. You sound pissed” I asked her just as her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she picked the phone and excused herself to one corner where she received the call. All through she wasn’t smiling but tried to look composed.
“Why she dey vex?” I asked Vivian
“Seems she told their maid to run an errand that she was instructed by her mom to do, and that one forgot”. Vivian replied before adding “Na wa for you o?”
“Wetin I do again?” I asked confused
“Why you go dey asked wetin Colonel talk for her front?” She asked me feigning anger
“Sebi I stop? Why you dey do me like this?” I asked
“Fury we go talk for house” She replied just as Jade returned to the table.




Jade didn’t sit back but instead picked up her purse and brought out some naira notes (enough to clear our bills) and dropped them in front of me saying “Guys I got to go home urgently. See you later” and left. If they was anything I noticed besides her obvious anger, it was the fact that she didn’t look at Vivian before leaving.