Murderville 2: The Epidemic (14 page)

“Stop lying. Why do you go around asking questions in MY village?” the man yelled with malice in his voice.

The men spoke in their native tongue among themselves and not even Liberty could understand them. She herself was raised to speak English when she was in
Sierra Leone. Her father knew that she would have a better chance to prosper if she was raised speaking English, so she was in the dark also. They had been ambushed, and Po’s heart beat with regret as he saw his life flash before his eyes.

“Please! He’s not lying! My name is Liberty Ibaka. My father’s name was Bu Ibaka, and my mother’s name was—”

“Jolie Ibaka,” the man said, finishing her sentence for her and his frown slowly faded from his face. He yelled something to the guard, and they quickly lowered their guns. He stared deep into Liberty’s tearful eyes and slowly walked to her in disbelief. The names that she dropped hadn’t been spoken of in over twenty years.

“You are Liberty?” he asked as he walked over to her staring at her intensely.

“Y—yes. Yes, I am,” she admitted nervously.

“Oh my God. My mother used to be very good friends with your mother. That was before the rebellion led by Ezekiel came through the village and they slaughtered her and my entire family,” he said. His pain was written all over his face. “I’ve never met you, but I have heard so much about you. On the day that they raided our village, I was away hunting with my older brother. I was the lucky one,” the man said as he dropped his head.

“My name is Omega. I am Dahlia’s husband,” he said as he extended his hand to Liberty.

“Hello,” Liberty said just before she took a deep sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry. Let’s get you two out of here. Please come to my house. Dahlia will be happy to see you,” he said as he unleashed a smile.

“She’s here? Oh my God,” Liberty said as she covered her mouth and her heart warmed. She looked over at Po who had lowered his hands and observed as everything unfolded.

“Yes, she is. I’m sorry for this,” he said. “I didn’t know. I have to protect my village and the people in it. The threat of rebels coming through is real,” he added. He looked at his goons and threw his head in direction of the door, signaling them to leave immediately. They filed out, leaving only Omega inside with Po and Liberty.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name,” he said as he turned to Po and extended his hand. Po looked at Liberty and hesitantly reached for Omega’s hand.

“I’m Po. Nice to meet you,” he said as he let go of his reservations. He didn’t like the fact that he had guns in his face, but at the same time Po respected it.

“Take your time. I will be downstairs waiting for you guys and will take you to Dahlia,” Omega said as he nodded to both of them and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Liberty and Po stared at each other in silence. So much had just happened in the past five minutes, and they both were speechless. Liberty broke the silence with a chuckle, and it made Po smile back. They had accomplished their goal.

“I think we’re a good team. What you think?” Liberty
said as her heart fluttered. Their detective work worked for them and served as a small accomplishment on the road to Liberty’s happiness. Closure was the name of the game and the ultimate goal.

*    *    *

Po and Liberty rode in the bed of the Jeep and watched as three other Jeeps followed them up the mountains where Omega resided. They soon discovered that Omega was the leader of the village from the respect that he was shown throughout the community and the way the kids cheered him on as he rode by. You would think Barack Obama was riding through town. At all times, he was surrounded by young gunmen that were equipped with assault rifles, ready to lay down their lives to protect him.

The altitude got higher as the Jeeps wrapped around the mountain that sat in the middle of Dunku. Omega’s estate sat at the top and what looked like a small house soon proved to be much bigger once they got closer to it. Liberty admired the beautiful trees and fresh air. It was a scent that she had long forgotten until now. The smell of rain always filled the air, even though it hadn’t rained in months in Sierra Leone. The cool damp air was refreshing, and the deeper they got, the more exotic and beautiful it became.

“We have been living here about for seven years now. I had it built for my beautiful Dahlia right at the top of the mountain so that she could look down over our beautiful village,” Omega explained as he sat in the passenger side of the Jeep.

Po listened closely as Omega pointed out different trees and exotic birds. Africa was, hands-down, the most breathtaking place Po had ever been. Liberty couldn’t stop smiling about her reunion with Dahlia. She was the only family she had left.

They had finally reached the top of the mountain where the gigantic brick estate sat. Young militants were scattered everywhere on guard protecting their queen. Omega was very protective of Dahlia, and it was obvious as soon as they pulled up.

The Jeep stopped in front of the home, and they all got out. The tall house resembled a plantation-styled home and shooters paced the upper wraparound porch. Some were even on the roof. Po was definitely impressed.

Africa got some gangsters too,
he thought as he hopped out of the bed of the Jeep and held his hand out, helping Liberty down.

They followed Omega toward the house and every time Omega passed a militant, they saluted him by putting their hand to their forehead. You could feel the aura of power coming off of Omega.

Once they entered the magnificent house, the refreshing central air hit their bodies like a ton of bricks. Although their country was somewhat less advanced then the U.S., the inside of Omega and Dahlia’s home wasn’t. Black life-sized cougar sculptures sat by the doorway, and marble floors set the tone for the extravagant home. The high cathedral ceiling had a diamond chandelier hanging eight feet down to add flair. It was simply amazing. From the
outside, one would never think the interior would be so upscale.

“Welcome to our home,” Omega said as an older lady approached him. She had on a maid’s outfit, skin the color of butterscotch, and a head full of gray hair. She smiled and nodded at Po and Liberty, and then walked over to Omega.

“Please take their bags up to the guest room on the west wing,” Omega said as he gently put his hand on her shoulder. The lady nodded and quickly got to work. Po instantly wondered what Omega did to get his money. Whatever it was, he knew that it was lucrative. The hustler in Po made his mind begin to churn. But he knew that he wasn’t there for business, just to support Liberty and get away from the madness that was waiting for him back home.

“Dahlia! Honey, I have a surprise for you. Dahlia!” Omega yelled as he looked up the grand staircase. The opulent double stairs were the centerpiece of the room as they met at a balcony at the top. Moments later, all eyes were on the second floor when a dark-skinned beauty queen appeared. Her flawless chocolate skin, thick, full lips, and curvaceous body were breathtaking. Po looked up in awe as he admired her thick body and beauty. She wore black lipstick, which matched her jet-black hair, and was a bombshell. She wore a black silk robe that didn’t do much to hide her body. Her legs were thick and toned, as if she was a professional athlete. Her ass was juicy and sat up perfectly as it jiggled with each
step she took. Dahlia looked down onto the main floor, and when she laid her eyes on Liberty she immediately recognized her. It wasn’t hard to forget someone as fair skinned and lovely as she. Dahlia put her hands over her mouth and stopped dead in her tracks as she and Liberty stared at each other.

“Oh my goodness,” Dahlia whispered as she couldn’t believe her eyes. She immediately rushed down to Liberty, and Liberty met her at the bottom of the stairs. They embraced each other and both began to cry as they squeezed each other with all their might while rocking back and forth.

“I missed you so much. I looked for you for so long. I always knew that you would come back to me. I always knew! Something deep in my soul told me that you were still alive,” Dahlia said as the tears fell and she closed her eyes.

Omega and Po stood back and watched the reunion. The love was genuine and so pure. You could tell that they were close and the love had never wavered, even though many years had passed them by.

“They took me away. I never wanted to leave . . . you,” Liberty said while sobbing.

“They took me too,” Dahlia said as she dropped her head. Dahlia wiped Liberty’s tears away and held both of her hands. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Liberty replied, her heart filled with joy.

“These were the people going around town asking for me?” Dahlia said as she smiled and looked at Omega. He
grinned and nodded his head. “And who do we have here?” Dahlia asked as she focused her attention on Po.

“This is Po. He is responsible for bringing me over here,” Liberty said.

“How do you do?” Po said as he extended his hand.

“Hello,” Dahlia said as she looked down and avoided making eye contact with him.

Dahlia looked at Liberty and hugged her once more. “We have a lot of catching up to do,” she said as she grabbed her hand and led her to the den. Po and Omega watched them walk away and a moment of awkward silence filled the air.

“Let’s have a drink while the ladies reacquaint themselves,” Omega suggested.

“Thought you would never ask,” Po said jokingly. They shared a laugh and headed to the liquor cabinet for scotch.

*    *    *

A week had passed as Liberty and Dahlia shared laughs, cries, and heart-to-heart conversations, while Po and Omega were building a mutual respect for each other. The purpose of the trip somewhat changed on the second to last day before they were scheduled to return to the States. Po was in the kitchen on his cell phone talking to Rocko, and Omega accidently overheard business.

“So all of the squares are gone?” Po asked Rocko over the jack. He paced back and forth as he tried to figure out his next move. Every day he was without coke he lost just under one hundred grand in net profit. He knew he had to make a move and do it quickly.

“Okay. Sit tight. I’ll be home in a couple of days,” Po said just before he pushed the
END
button harshly. He had been getting calls from Samad’s old connects all week but never picked up the phone, not wanting to tell them he was dry. That would kill a business relationship quick, and he understood that. He was anxious to get back to the States and find a plug pronto. He thought about going back to his hometown of Detroit to see what he could scuffle up there. He had a couple of B.M.F. plugs there, but he wasn’t sure that they could fill the order he needed. He needed fifty birds at least, and he needed them quick.

“Fuck!” he said harshly under his breath as he leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms.

Unbeknownst to Po, Omega was standing in the doorway with a big smile on his face.

“Here I am thinking you are a rookie . . . and we are in the same line of business,” Omega said announcing himself. Po looked up startled as he put his phone in his pocket.

“What are you talking about?” Po said, not fully understanding what Omega was referring to.

“In America, you call cocaine
squares,
right?” Omega inquired, checking to see if his assumption was correct.

“Yeah, sometimes. What’s it to you?” Po asked as he stood straight up and cocked his head, trying to figure out Omega’s angle.

“Come on. Let’s take a ride. I want to introduce you to my friend, Zulu.”

*    *    *

The rugged sounds of the four-wheeler engines echoed as Po, Omega, and a crew of Omega’s militants weaved through the jungle. Zulu’s factory was just ahead, and it was deep in the wilderness, just outside of Dunku.

“We are almost there! It’s close,” Omega yelled as he looked back at Po who was riding just a couple of yards behind him. Po maneuvered the powerful machine as good as he could as he tried to keep up.

Just as Po was growing tired, an open area appeared where all of the trees were cut. It just looked like an empty field. The only thing for the next one hundred yards or so was piles of hay and lines of plants that stretched the whole hundred yards. Omega and his crew stopped and got off their four-wheelers. Po slowed to a stop and looked around in confusion.

“Why did we stop? You gotta take a leak?” Po asked as he turned off his ignition and stepped off the bike.

“No. We are here,” Omega said as he opened his arms and slowly spun around.

“What type of shit is this?” Po asked, suspicious. Something wasn’t right.

“Follow me,” Omega said as he waved over Po.

Po looked at the militants who all had ice grills and mean mugs as they gripped the assault rifles that hung by their shoulder straps. Po then looked at Omega who was walking away and reluctantly followed him. Po’s heart began to pound; he didn’t know what type of sick, twisted game Omega was playing with him. Omega stopped at the biggest hay pile and looked at Po with smile.

“Come on,” he said as he reached down into the pile and grabbed something. It was a handle. Omega pulled up a hidden door.

A flight of stairs appeared, and Po’s eyes grew as big as golf balls as he realized what it was. It was a secret passageway to an underground cellar. He was blown away. Po shook his head in disbelief and cracked a smile as he stepped down and Omega followed close behind. The damp wood stairs led about fifteen feet underground, and then opened to a spacious cellar that was set up like a major sweatshop. Young workers, both male and female, were working diligently factory-style in an assembly line.

“This is where everything is made. The cocoa leaves are crushed here,” Omega said as he began to walk through. He pointed at the workers who were using a weed whacker inside the barrels to do so. “And this is where it’s mixed with sea salt and gasoline,” he said as he walked down the line and pointed at the gigantic mixing pots being stirred.

Po looked on in awe as he tried to take everything in. He had never witnessed the process from the infant stages. He was used to getting his drugs straight off the boat in powder form, but this . . . this was different. This was something that very few people got to see.