DEAR SON

14

"Open his eyes!", a deep voice ordered. The men took the blindfold from Joseph's eyes. Joseph was shocked to see Steve sitting inf don't of him while he was on his knees, the man with the deep voice beside Steve. Two men were on Joseph's left and right. There were four others keeping watch. All of them except Steve had long guns. Joseph looked round and discovered they were in a forest. The last thing he remembered was he and Steve leaving the house and being kidnapped just at the junction.
" Steve, what's this?. Why am I bound?".
The man with the deep voice laughed. He was wearing a mask and suddenly took it off revealing his face. Joseph knew him. "Scorpion?. You kidnapped me?".
" Are you stupid?. Are you just realising that now?. Sorry, I follow orders".
"Steve, explain to me, man. What's the...?. What's all this nonsense?".
" Sorry my friend ", Steve said making it obvious that he didn't mean those words. " I need to leave the country urgently and your money was smiling at me. You were so drink yesterday after the party that it was so easy for you to call the manager and tell him to transfer all your money to my account ".
" What?!", Joseph screamed. "I never did that!". Steve placed his finger on his lips signifying that Joseph should keep quiet. Joseph wanted to attack Steve by his hands were handcuffed in front of him and all the men there directed their guns at him which did not also help matters.

Hit tears made Joseph's eyes bloodshot. He could not believe Steve was betraying him. This was one moment that Joseph wished everything was a dream. A very bad dream.

" Because of our friendship I'll just show you the money even though it's now mine. This papers here all have your signature on them. You were so drunk last night that you signed everything in your room".
"You never came to my room during or after the party, Steve!".
" Oh, Esther and Marie are great girls. You think they liked you?. Please!. After I showed them your message with the money you had, they agreed to the deal. But, it's fortunate that I don't like sharing my money. Their bodies were just recovered from the beach by the police. And, I've bribed, no, threatened is the word, the doctor to say it was suicide. It doesn't make sense but the man assured me that anything was medically possible ".
He made Joseph so angry as he flaunted the documents in front of him. Joseph remembered Esther and Marie. His mind could not fathom those beautiful ladies being killed by Steve.
" You disappoint me, Steve. No wonder Hailey refuses you. You'd have killed her since". Steve stood in anger and slapped him.
"Hailey is this only person that mere saying she loves me can make me surrender myself to the police for all the crimes I've ever done. That woman holds my heart. Something you know nothing about".
A man came with two suitcases. Joseph scoffed not even surprised anymore although the man was obviously shakened.
" Emma, the driver?. You all have just made my day. Even the driver is involved. I won't be surprise if the cook had her role ".
Steve turned after taking the suitcases from Emma.
" As a matter of fact, she did play her own role. I had her drug your food ". Joseph could not believe that Mrs Alao will ever do that. " Don't blame the old woman. I had her son kept and threatened to kill him if she didn't do as I say".
"You dog!. You bastard!".
" Shh... Joseph. Look at the money". Steve opened the suitcases himself. From one, he removed three bundles and gave them to Scorpion. "For a jib well done, man. You and our boys. Just beat him to coma and go dump him where you know someone will see him but before he recovers to expose me, I'll already be on a plane. You guys can travel to any other African country and live well there. But don't involve yourselves in crime again". Scorpion saluted with the others and Steve hurried to meet his driver. He threw one of the three bundles of money he had taken from the suitcase he gave Scorpion at the driver who caught it and thanked him. They entered the car and drove off.

Scorpion watched him leave then as his boys began to beat Joseph, he brought out a small remote.
" Oga Steve na foolish man. He doesn't know that a live bomb is in his car now. He had the guts to give us three bundles. I was going to pity him and call him to tell him about the bomb if I saw the amount he would give us will be big but he failed the teat. Should I press it?. Emma drives fast so they should be on the express now". He smiled wickedly and pressed the button in the remote. The car Steve was in exploded and the money flew everywhere. People began to help themselves by picking any cash lose to them.

They had beaten Joseph unconscious and left him purposely close to the house of the only family they knew would help him- Hailey's family.

As they drove off, they passed and saw the exploded car and people around. Scorpion called oh to one of his boys who was typing something on his phone.
"Segun, how far now?. You don write the thing online?".
" Yes. I  just uploaded it now that 'I am in the scene of the accident and that it is Steve Balogun the only son of Senator Deji Balogun that died with his driver named Emma'. I also wrote that Steve was on his way to the airport for a booked flight to the United States when a bomb placed underneath his car exploded. And, I also wrote that he just swindled his American college friend, Joseph McPherson, out if millions of dollars who he had beaten up and left to the hands of fate as he made at with the money. Then , I wrote that its from a very close associate of Steve's".
"Hope you did not make it possible for the account to be linked or hacked by anyone?", Scorpion asked as he looked through the mirror at the man who responded positively.