The Sins of the Father

Harlem is the mother city, the murder capital where people murder for capital. It is the 7th of February 2006. The time is 1832hrs. Orange crescent in the Capital City of Harlem, a guard in blue uniform secures the premises and he is stationed at the gate in a guard house. A Range Rover turns right off an avenue to the main gate where the guard is stationed.

“Good evening Mr. Tembani” The guard greets him and opens the electric gate. Mr. Tembani lowers his window and waves at the guard and proceeds up the driveway to the residence of the Harlem’s most notorious mob families.

Nicholas Tembani is the heir apparent to the throne of the Don in the family business when his father Douglas passes on the baton. Their main line of business is Loan sharking but since Douglas was incarcerated after a botched bank heist Nicholas and his younger brother Nelson have expanded the business and ventured into, drugs, guns, human and organ trafficking. They have their runners on the street Ricky and Curtis.

Nicholas is always looking sharp. He parks his SUV in the garage at the west of the house and takes a brown Louis Vuitton travelling bag from the backseat before locking the car and going up the stairs to the main bedroom. Natalie, Nicholas’ wife is in the Main bedroom. Natalie Tembani is the heiress, and Nicholas calls her his princess.

Natalie is reading a book, she is already in bed. Some old school soul music is playing softly in the background. Natalie is a self professed hopeless romantic. Nicholas goes into the Library first, which is right next to the bedroom. The Library has two 2metre high book shelves full of books to the north with various books and volumes. Nicholas places the LV bag on the oak table and sits in the black leather chair behind the desk.

He switches on his surveillance system. There are monitors on the table. He then removes a carpet in the centre of the room and there is a safe in which he enters a combination. Nicholas opens the bag and takes out five bundles of American dollars in 100 Dollar denominations he counts the money it is $50, 000 in total. He closes and locks the safe and looks at his monitors once more and views his security cameras placed around the house and at the gate. He gazes at his watch and the time reads 1855hrs.

“Honey is that you?” Natalie heard Nick coming in but knows that he is in his library she hopes that he is not working again.

“Yes, I’ll be with you in a second honey.” Nicholas takes a last glance at the security cameras and everything seems to be in place.

Money...Grown men will try and often succeed, to get it by any and all means necessary. The Bible says “For the Love of Money is the root of all evil” and in another verse the bible also says “Money answers all things”. One wonders.

The story is often told of the boy who left the village and came to the capital city, and took life by the scruff of the neck.

Harlem Central Prison in 1992 was a bustling and growing city coming into itself. Douglas Tembani father to Nicholas and Nelson and the Godfather of the mob at the time of his arrest had just arrive into Harlem city and it was the epitome of a city on the rise.

“Gentlemen we all came from far from deep in the jungle, the rural areas in fact. For us to come to Harlem we had to hustle hard to uplift ourselves and our families that we left back home.” Douglas addresses his partners in crime

The light flicks on the wall in a room with blacked out windows, there is a wooden table at the centre. Four other men are in the room, Sam Kehle (Weapons specialist) Max Nhengo (Martial artist), Gerald Hondo (Close combat and communications expert) and Caleb Jecha (The Transporter). Douglas rolls out a building plan of a bank in Harlem city centre and pins the four corners of the plan on the table.

“This is it, one guard will be stationed here” Douglas puts his forefinger down at the entrance of the bank to show where the guard will be placed at the door.

“We will come through the front and make sure the guard is disarmed & immobilized immediately, Sam that is your job.”

Sam is screwing a silencer on a 9m Gun revolver, “I got you.”

“Caleb and Gerald stay with the bank tellers and get the cash from there, make sure they don’t hit the panic buttons in case we don’t hit the safe. I’ll get the bank manager he will have the keys to the safe” Douglas is the brains behind this heist.

Max is trained in Karate, Judo, Tae-Kwando and he is a Bomb specialist. Max assembles an assault rifle and dismantles it in under 5 minutes.

Gerald is a beast when it comes to close combat and he can disarm and paralyze any opposition with his 4th Dan Black Belt Karate, he smokes a cigarette. He is also the communications guy and he hands everyone a radio that they will be using to communicate when the others are in the safe

Sam is a weapons specialist and Max and him usually joke about who has the biggest guns. He likes his revolvers and pistols. You cannot separate him from his guns.

And then we have Caleb, I called him the transporter. He drives like there is a war going on and his stick gear shift abilities are unparalleled. Douglas is the last piece of the puzzle, the brains behind the operation and he is the glue that brings this crew together.

This racket of highly trained former Agents and mercenaries would unite this once for a highly sophisticated inside job and they planned to stage the heist of the century that would be their first and last. Months of planning had gone into this job because they wanted to do it once and for all and not have to rob another bank their whole lives. But this one bank robbery job didn’t go down as planned.

The targeted bank opened its doors at 0800hrs in Harlem city on that fateful morning that would be the subject of Mainstream media news for weeks and months to come. Five men covering their faces with masks enter the bank wearing big overcvoats they then brandish their automatic weapons.

Max disables the guard at the door. One of the tellers had gone to the toilet as she comes out she notices the situation and hides in the toilet and calls the police

“Everybody get down on the floor right now! We don’t want any casualties but it’s a good day to die for anyone who tries to be a hero.” Douglas commands everyone’s attention.

Caleb and Gerald are at the bank teller’s desks and they take them away from the panic buttons and bundle them with the customers in a corner. The fifth man, Sam takes the manager and together with Douglas they force marches him to the safe.

“Please don’t hurt anyone we’ll do anything you want.” The Bank Manager pleads with Sam and Douglas

“Open the safe and we won’t hurt anyone!” Three or so minutes later the bank manager, Douglas and Sam reappear,

“Got it, let’s go guys!”

The security guard who had been disarmed by Max, reaches for a small gun on his ankle and as the gang is making their escape he shoots Douglas in the back twice and Douglas falls down. Max shoots the guard dead. There is a deathly silence as everyone is shell shocked,

“Let’s get Douglas come on” Sam looks at Douglas who is motionless. The bullet went through his chest. “The cops are coming we got to go, let’s go!”

“We can’t leave him” Gerald screams as he kneels down to check for a pulse on Douglas’ neck. “He’s dead.” Cops sirens ring as they are on just around the corner.

The gang had hit the jackpot, one hundred thousand was in that one bank. But they lost a soldier in the battle or did they? Sanity was restored in the bank after the gang burns tyre rubbers and escapes. Its soon chaos as Douglas who was wearing a bulletproof vest wakes up to find his partners have escaped and left him behind to face the music. The bank is surrounded by SWAT team, and cops who arrest him immediately.

A Private investigator in a black leather jacket, black Boston hat goes under the yellow crime scene line when he flashes his police ID and walks into the bank with policeman who is briefing him.

The police have cordoned off the area and a have setup a hundred metre restriction from the crime scene which is now a media frenzy and people have gathered to see what has happened.

A black car arrives it has no number plates. Two men in dark suits come out and flash their badges to the police cordoning off the area. They arrive authoritatively

“Who is in charge here?

“Morning, it’s a busy morning today, I am Chief Inspector Hani” the policeman tries to make conversation with the detective who introduces himself,

”I’m Bothwell Mutoti, we are from the central investigation department.”

“What went down here?

“A bank robbery sir, Mr. Mutoti”

“Do we have any leads?” Bothwell looks at everyone in the bank.

“We have one dead body that of the security guard. We caught one of the bank robbers he claims he acted alone but eye witness accounts taken, show that there were five men and he was shot by a guard, but he was wearing a bulletproof vest and the other men thought he was dead and they fled the scene before the police arrived at the scene.”

A TV station has already arrived and is covering the chaos. The reporter comes out followed by a cameraman who sets her up to start shooting the live feed for their viewers.

“How do I look?” She asks her camera man as he zooms in on her

“Great, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Okay you are going live in five, four, three, two one.”

The Program manager speaks to her via her earpiece from the mobile TV transmission truck. She is a natural behind the camera

“In today’s main news a bank robbery on 5th street turned fatal when one of the robbers was shot by a brave security guard who lost his life in the process. The robber identified as rising crime boss, Douglas Tembani was apparently wearing a bulletproof vest and was left for dead by his cohorts who thought he was dead.”

“The police are now looking for his partners in crime. The police are searching high and low and we hope to get a comment for the police inspector in charge but one thing is for sure Mr. Tembani will face the full wrath of the law as he is currently in police custody and this should be a slam dunk for the prosecutor.”

The news reporter reports the day’s events and the gang watches the news in their stake out house. The crew had planned its escape to the last detail and Douglas has master minded it all. They left the scene in a Blue BMW 3 series which they drove out of the city at alarming speed they switched cars and made it out of the central business district just before the perimeter and lock down took effect.

“What are we going to do? Douglas is alive, you think he will rat us out?” Gerald is concerned

“Douglas is no snitch but he didn’t tell us he would be wearing a bulletproof vest so we just have to lay low for a few months” Max calms everyone’s tempers.

“I checked him though he didn’t have a pulse, do you think he knew that he would be going down? Which is why he wore a bulletproof vest or was he going to shoot us up and run away with the loot? He was just too clever for his own good” Sam passes a comment

Gerald is incensed at the senseless comments and draws near to Sam as if to strike him and is only just held back by Max.

“Guys we must stick together stop this nonsense.”

Meanwhile Nicholas and Nelson were barely just starting their teenage years when their father was taken away from them. Nicholas was twelve and Nelson was ten years of age and Douglas arranged for Gerald to take care of them. He sent them away to learn in another African country at a private school.

When they both finished school Gerald took them under his wing and showed him the ropes. From a very early age Nicholas was involved in the mafia business with his uncles as he called them. He did not see much of the other uncles Max, Caleb and Sam who were always out of the country and never in one place for more than a few months. Gerald would tell me that they are in Angola and then I would hear him on the phone speaking to them saying they are in Sierra Leone.

Douglas had left the two boys with a good house and it was unfortunate that when his wife Christine found out that that was what Douglas had done her decided to divorce him and go back to her parents and they only saw her once in a while. But they both grew up to be fierce just like their father, Douglas.

The boys also grew up in Harlem city and had been exposed to all sorts of experiences in the rich private schools that they attended. Such that upon their return to Harlem city in the year 2002 the country was going mass upheaval and they where at the crusp of the upheaval. Harlem city was becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah of the bible days and anything was possible and any merchandise had a street value for example drugs and guns where scarce and people had to traffic the goods from outside. Nicholas and Nelson had all the connections with the sons of ministers and oil billionaires they had learnt with in private schools in South Africa.

Therefore the two had an upper hand and it did not take time for them to rise through the ranks. It was Gerald who gave them their start in business to ship in their first consignment of drugs, they had been scratching the bottom in marijuana dealing but moved up their game and got into cocaine as this was popular with the nouveau riche of Harlem.

5 years later 2006

Harlem Central prison

On this day Douglas Tembani would be released from Central prison after serving 15 years for a botched bank heist in which his other four accomplices, Sam, Max, Gerald and Caleb managed to escape. This day comes too soon for his accomplices. Not too soon for Douglas though. They had disappeared with the loot and left him for dead after he was shot by the guard.

The boy who came to the city with a dollar and a dream ended up in one of the leafiest suburbs of Harlem. How? He had basic education, but his mind was always on the next dollar. Crime does pay. But the price is out of many a man’s reach. There are two types of people in life there are the givers and then there are getters.

Douglas came out of prison a changed man and he would restart his business empire from scratch. He had disallowed his partners to visit him while he was in prison because he knew that the state was watching him and law agents wanted to know who his accomplices where on that day that they pulled off the heist that would land him in jail.

It’s the end of the day and on Fairview drive and 12th Street three men in all black clothing wait at a robot intersection hiding behind a bush. It is a posh neighborhood and a black Mercedes benz latest model stops at the red robot, a lady is in the driver’s seat. The three men with masks appear from the bush and two stand in front of the Car with automatic assault weapons drawn.

The third man in all black clothing takes the elderly woman out of the car by force. The other two men get in the car and they drive off at high speed they disappear into the night. They drive to a hidden location where the car receives a new lick of paint and the number plates are changed.

The Watcher a local tabloid carries a headline “Mafia in all sectors of economy.” A crime reporter claims that the five Mafia Families in the City (the Nhengo, Jecha, Hondo & Kehle families and the Tembani family) run crime rackets in every illegal activity possible from the old school car-jacking, drug dealing & loan shark business, to the more lucrative and new school house loan ponzee schemes, hostile company takeovers, gun trafficking, trafficking of human organs and of humans.

At Gaza Bar the time is 0045hrs and the bar in the southern slum suburbs of Harlem, a visibly drunk middle-aged man is seated in the corner with the three guys who are buying him drinks. When the middle aged man stands up to go to the toilet one of the men put a pill in his drink.

The drunken man is drugged and the guys carry him like concerned friends and he is put in the back seat of their car.

The men have a doctor to carry out an illegal organ transplant on this particular victim. They take one of his lungs, his liver, and his heart. The 3 men dig an 8 meter deep grave and throw his body in the grave. Body organs are in demand and Nelson specializes in buying and selling of body parts in partnership with his brother. Their mafia connection is buying body parts for mafia families with family members on organ transplant waiting lists across the world.

Nelson meets the connection at an exclusive underground club in the underworld. “So how much you want for this?” Gorbachev is interested in the product that nelson is offering

“A 100 grand cash.” Nelson does not mince his words and he looks Gorbachev straight in the eye as he states his price.

“Are you out of your mind? I’ll give you 80grand since you have been referred by your brother and he’s good for his word.”

“And I’m not good for my word? Come on now you are insulting me, okay I will play nice with you, Give me 95.”

“90 take it or leave it!“ Gorbachev smokes his cigar.

“93 thank you and I prefer US Dollars”

“Ok fine! I give you 93 thousand if there is a problem with that heart and those other organs I cut your throat.”

Gorbachev raises his right hand and a man in black suit,white shirt and black slim tie brings a briefcase to the table and opens the briefcase which has bundles of American dollars. Gorbachev slides the briefcase to Nelson who slides a cooler box with body parts over to him in return.

Meanwhile at the Tembani Residence Nicholas walks out the library and into the bedroom.

“Hey love” she stands up from the dressing table and kisses Nicholas. “Hello Princess.”

“I am taking the kids to school did you organize our flight tickets?”

“I thought we talked about this honey aren’t you are spoiling those kids in those snobbish schools? They are not half as good as the A Schools here. I thought we agreed to bring them back last year and you said let them finish 7th Grade they are done with matric now and you want them going to some posh university that is charging ridiculous amounts?”

“But Nick, I thought we agreed?”

“End of story babe I want to be close to my family besides their grandfather will be back soon! Look I need to make a few calls.”

“Is that what you think we are doing shipping them away, far away, honey I want them to get the best.”

“Princess let’s talk about it later.” He stands up and takes out his phone and goes to the balcony.

Nicholas dials Nelson using his satellite phone. Nelson is in a Hotel room

“I am on my way back I got the money am on my way to Nicaragua to get that other consignment.”

“That won’t be necessary, you can come back here I found a better contact in Mozambique his name is Damon Ramirez besides Dad is getting out soon, like tomorrow.”

“If you say so big brother” He locks the hotel room and leaves the building.

A plane leaves the underworld and lands in Harlem city airport.

Live by the gun, die by the gun. That is an old saying which usually rings true. The question on the lips of the City Fathers and indeed on everyone’s lips was how did The Tembani family rise to become one of the most feared, most ruthless cut throat mafia family business in the absence of the godfather? Douglas rose to fame through micro lending, organizing bank heists and other get rich quick schemes.

The following morning Nicholas’ phone rings early in the morning and he wonders what the emergency could be. “Where were you?” Douglas Tembani is on the phone with Nicholas

“What do you mean? I am home” Nicholas wonders why his father wants to know his whereabouts.

“Don’t tell me you forgot that I am getting released today son.”

“Shit it’s today? I thought you only coming out tomorrow what’s the day today? Shit? Sorry dad where are you now?” Nocholas hurries to put on a pair of trousers and he takes out a pair of shoes from the walk in wardrobe.

“Just come get me at Central prison.” Douglas hangs up.

Central prison

A Rolls Royce pulls up at Central prison and the driver opens the doors for Mr. Douglas Tembani who is wearing a black pinstripe suit and black winter overcoat, he looks every bit the Godfather

“I see that Ivy League university I sent you to was a priceless investment.” Douglas greets his son

“Welcome back Dad we missed you.”

“Still the flashy playboy aren’t you Nick?”

“Watch it old man I have taken this organization to a global scale, let’s just say I built on what you left and now that you’re back…” he is interrupted by his father.

“Now that I am back,” He takes off his hat with his right hand and places it on his knee, “Now that I am back. We have got some debt collection to do, Hondo, Jecha, Kehle and Nhengo. If they know what’s good for them they better come looking for me before I start looking for them.”

“Please don’t go back to the past our future is secure we have properties, stocks and other investments.”

“Listen to me and I am saying this once those boys left me for dead I did time for those boys, 15 years. That is no joke!”

“Okay fine I will get them together.”

News traveled fast that the don, the godfather is back and everyone from Bothwell Mutoti, the detective who handled the bank robbery case involving Douglas is keen to know what his next move will be.

Meanwhile at the Tembani residence “Where is your brother?”

“He’s out of the country handling some of our off shore investments he should be back tomorrow.” Nick responds.

The main door opens and Douglas and Nicholas enter the house, Natalie comes down the stairs.

“Dad I want you to meet my beloved wife Natalie.”

“Hello my dear.”

“Hello Father it is an honor to finally meet you in person.” She hugs Douglas and he kisses her on both cheeks

“Where are the boys honey are they here?” Douglas inquires

“They are in school in South Africa, you didn’t tell him Nick?”

“We had other things to discuss on the way here I didn’t get around to doing that honey.”

”Nick please show dad around the house while I prepare some food?”

“Off course dear”

Natalie Steps out of the lounge into the kitchen.

“Let me show you around Dad.”

“Okay son.”

Nicholas and Douglas walk outside to the swimming pool area.

“You have built a wonderful home son I’m proud of you.”

“I was thinking about what you said earlier and it’s been a while since the families met since you go arrested.”

“What is the problem?”

They walk back into the house and Nicholas shows Douglas the library, Douglas sits in the chair.

“A present that Nelson got me the last time he was in Cuba” Nicholas takes out a box of Cuban cigars and clips one cigar, smells it and lights it.

Max answers phone “Hello”

“He’s back” Caleb warns.

“Who is back, Jesus?”

“No you idiot Douglas”

“No problem the money is there right?”

“Well there is a small problem. Iri muvanhu vane zvimbadzo” Caleb scratches his beard.

“You better get that money fast we have to have at least 2 million dollars cash if we want to live because we made away with a 100 grand and it has been 15 years now.”

“Hey we only got 100 grand from that job.”

“Yes wise guy and it’s been 15 years you do not understand, Douglas did time for Sam, Gerald you and me. We owe him our lives.”

“Good thing we stuck together we can sort out this mess together right.”

“Do whatever you have to do and do it fast all that money has got to be there in a week tops!”

“What do you mean in a week? I need at least a month.”

“Let’s get Gerald and Sam we should go see Douglas ASAP make it happen, can you do that”

“Off course”

A man in a black suit wearing knuckle dusters on his right hand stands at the door of a classy uptown bar. He is fighting a bouncer and he breaks the bouncers arm. He walks away to his car a blue BMW and drives off at a very high speed. His phone rings as he drives away

“Who is this? Where did you get my number from? What? Speak louder? who? No that’s impossible! So what do you want me to do? How much? In a week? Two million?! do you have the list of debtors and their addresses? Fine meet me at the Pointe on 3rd street in an hour with that list. Where is Sam and Max?? Oh he’s coming along? Nice to see him get his hands dirty for once. Okay see you in an hour.”

“So have we heard from old’ Doug or any of his snot nosed sons?”

“Word on the streets is the families should be coming together to welcome Douglas but we all know who runs it, old’ Douglas.”

“Okay I’m be at the Pointe“

Max drives to the Pointe and they form a convoy with Sam, Caleb and Hondo, the three cars all BMWs Blue, white, Black and Red.

“Okay”

Max goes into his bedroom and takes down a suitcase that holds high tech guns that are shelved in the briefcase. The group is back at Max’s house.

“When it comes to money that is owed we have to speak a bit of the international language.” He tucks one gun on his spine and the other one he straps on his right ankle.

“I’m getting too old for this.”

“I have been waiting for this day to come it’s either us or him and I am not going down we gotta get that money so We have about 10 people on this list here’s their names and addresses we start following up those $50, 000 dollar loans for the money worst case we will have half a million cash in a week and few days if they all pay up.”

“If they don’t pay up, (he loads a desert eagle gun with a round of bullets) we repossess their homes that are collateral for the loans.” Caleb is confident of the clique’s ability to get their returns.

Sam Kehle who is wearing a black leather coat and boston hat with a red feather takes a gun and puts it in his houlster. “We got to take back our city, it feels like the old days getting back again it’s just under different circumstances.”

“The objective is still the same because money makes the world go round.” Gerald loads up his gun.

“Caleb has the list of the people who we loaned money to, Caleb.”

“What we have here gentlemen a few ministers, politicians and government officials in financial distress that we have loaned 50 thousand US dollars each. Each of them put down deeds to low density residential properties worth ranging from one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand each.” Caleb holds a sheet of paper, the list.

“So we have to basically collect these debts and make a peace offering to Douglas because it’s time that he did on our behalf we have to show our gratefulness he could have turned state witness on us you know.”

“I thought we would have his money invested in a high turnover business like drugs?” Caleb is skeptical that they will retrieve the money in time.

“Maybe you can sell a few body organs Sam?”

“I can but the question is for who? And for what?”

The family is having breakfast in the lounge and a black Lexus pulls up in the driveway. Nelson opens the main door and is welcomed by Nicholas.

“Welcome back lil’ brother Dad was asking about you”

Nelson removes his scarf as he walks in carrying a steel briefcase “Dad is here? Where is he?”

“He is coming down for breakfast in a minute, let’s step into the library”

“Hie Natalie how are you.” He kisses her on the cheek.

“I’m alright Nelson how as your trip, close any deals?” Natalie asks.

“You know this.”

They walk upstairs into the library and Nelson breaks the silence “so how is the old man he must be planning something with the families?”

He opens the briefcase and turns it towards Nicholas who is behind the desk.

“How much is it?” Nicholas is impressed

“Ninety thousand my brother”

“good job we have to get hold of Dad’s old boys club the don is back and they have some catching up to do. We can meet them here.”

Bothwell Mutoti is sleeping in his bedroom and his alarm rings at 0605. He turns it off and wakes up. He gets out of bed wearing a white vest and boxer shorts. He takes a shower and changes into a black suit white shirt and black tie.

He lives in a flat and his Black BMW is parked in a locked garage. He unlocks the garage and immobilizes the alarm he is carrying a laptop which he places in the boot. He opens the door on the driver’s side and enters the car. He reverses and drives out of the complex.

Criminal Investigations Department

Harlem City Police

Bothwell walks in and as he is walking through the open plan office to his office his partner Dominic Mazarura sees him and walks from the right side to join Dominic

“Hey man, how are you this morning?”

“Hey Dominic I’m alright how are you doing how was the weekend?”

“Hectic man you will not believe who is back in town?”

“Oh that should be interesting, try me?”

“The chief wants to see us we got a lead on serious fraud racket.” Bothwell is seated behind his desk typing the password on his laptop.

“This city needs some cleaning up there’s too much scum I think I am the man for the job.”

Meanwhile at the Tembani residence

“I want us to talk about that too”

They both carry Nelson’s luggage to his room on the ‘west wing’

“So what’s the deal with this meeting with the other families you think he is getting ready to pass the baton to you?”

“What! Are you out of your mind? Dad is still in charge listen I don’t have time for this we have to get these people together.”

“So how are we going to get that consignment?”

“Don’t worry young brother I have it under control.”

“You said something about Mozambique”

Douglas walks in on their conversation.

“What’s in Mozambique?”

“Daddy” he stands up to hug him.

“My son, I heard voices”

“I was just briefing him on the family business let’s go down and have breakfast Natalie has set up the table already.”

“Yes speaking of which did you get hold of them?”

“Yes I did they are coming for dinner tonight, here”

“Good son good”

“What is it now? Nelson you look like you seen a ghost?”

“It’s nothing Dad its just why didn’t you want us to visit you in prison?”

He pauses before answering his son’s poignant question “I couldn’t bear seeing anyone, I deprived you of a father its bad enough I wasn’t around to see you grow up but for you to watch me suffering and behind those walls and bars I didn’t want to put you through that hell”

“But still father we wanted to come.”

“That’s enough that chapter is closed I survived that ordeal and it’s a new page a new chapter we are all here in good health, wealth, so let’s not talk about that okay so what’s in Mozambique and don’t you dare lie to me!’

“Nothing much dad its just business.”

“What business? The only thing in Mozambique is drugs, guns & gold Remember who you talking to Nick I been in this game for a much longer time than you and I know all the tricks in the book, you better not be doing drugs”

“It’s worse than that but you don’t need to know all the details it’s all under control”

Later that day

“So how far with our people are they coming? What time is the meeting?” Nick pours out a glass of scotch for Douglas

“8pm and they should be here any time from now you should lay low dad for a while the detectives will be tailing you and your boys from the hood.”

“So what is the deal with the other families? They have been taking all the protection business in the City and they are having the lion’s share of the loan shark business too what are we going to do about that Dad.” Nelson has always been the feisty character.

“Nelson is right Dad we had to go the drug, body organ and human trafficking route because all the protection and loan sharking business was taken by Max, Caleb, Gerald, Sam and their mafia families. Because they had all the money with them I suspect the money from your robbery was used to finance the loan sharking and high level security protection. “

“You have nothing to worry my sons I’m back and together we will take back what is ours.”

“So how do you…” Douglas is curious

“I met them while on holiday, they are not citizens of Zimbabwe they jump the border when moving contraband, trafficking that is.” Nicholas is straight to the point

“We have a grab team off course that does the dirty work and we clean up. It’s a nice little operation we have going on” Nicholas sits behind his desk and looks at his security system monitors. Two SUVs pull up at the gate

“They are here.”

There is a surveillance camera on the right hand corner of the gate.

“Its about time.” Nelson displays his trigger finger happiness

“Patience my son good things come to them who wait.” Douglas strokes his beard and sips from his glass

“I’ll go get them we are having the meeting here in the study right?”

“No it’s too close to the bedroom let’s go downstairs into the lounge.”

“It’s time to silence the lambs.”

Nelson opens the door and goes downstairs to the lounge. Douglas walks over to the right of the library there is a small table with a bottle of whisky and some glasses on a silver tray

“We will reclaim our glory together sons.”

“I should give you a tour of our operations but we can do that after this meeting maybe tomorrow.”

Downstairs the door bell rings

“I need to meet them alone first and I will call you in after deliberating with them.”

Nelson opens the main door and in steps Hondo, Jeche, Nhengo and Kehle

“We don’t usually entertain guests at this hour but since you are distinguished friends of my father you are welcome at any time, do come in.”

“Good evening to you too son” Hondo puts his best foot forward.

“Please come in my father is expecting you.”

The gentlemen walk into the lounge “See I told you, snot nose” Max whispers to Caleb.

“Follow me gentlemen” Nelson leads the group into the lounge.

Nicholas is waiting for them in the lounge the foyer plunges into the lounge and Douglas is already seated, he stands up for them, “Welcome my old friends”

They all take turns to hug each other

“Max!”

“Douglas how are you”

“Caleb!”

“Doug!”

“Gerald!”

“Douglas its good to see you”

“And last but not least Sam Kehle”

“How are you Doug” their greetings are heartfelt and Nicholas and Nelson stand aloof.

“Boys can you give us a minute I will call you when I need you this is grown folk business.”

“Okay dad we will be in the study if you need us.”

Nicholas and Nelson walk out of the room and up the stairs to the library.

The gentlemen take their seats on the brown leather sofas

“How are you Douglas?”

“Can I offer you gentlemen scotch? I should be asking you that Hondo?”

“We are fine Doug we know you have been wondering what we did with the money from that last hit.”

“I have been wondering for every night that I was in that hell hole they call a prison cell how you four men left me for dead that day and escaped with the loot? Was it fate or was it God’s doing or was it the hand of man?”

“We thought you were dead man you didn’t tell us you were wearing a bullet proof maybe you thought you would kill us all and take the money for yourself? We don’t know” Caleb tries to defend their actions.

“Really even for you that is a low blow and its fifteen years late.”

“So we reinvested that money it was a 100 thousand that we made off with and we have been providing protection, providing short term interest loans to politicians and officials who required big loans but could not get them from the bank”

“So you have been making a killing?”

“We missed your leadership and ingenuity so we did the best we could with what we had like the parable of the talents in the bible we didn’t go kunocherera ma tarenda pasi but we went out of our way and multiplied what we had”

“Multiplied huh? So where is the money? Where is my share my piece of the cake?”

“It is in various stocks, investments, and some of the loans are maturing in two months

“I’ve been gone for 15 years and you guys are telling me the money will be available in two months? I got a bullet in my body and you left me for dead!”

“Now Douglas the cops were coming and we did think you were dead.”

“Well I wasn’t I’d expect you professionals to do a thorough full body check.”

“We got away with the money.”

“Yes I know that where is it? 15 years guys and you telling me you have not figured it out yet?”

The five families running the city’s notorious loan shark racket was under siege from another more ruthless and cut throat mafia that moved in from the South. Some would say ‘Heavy is the head that lies the crown’ but these new kids on the block would say The King is the first to get his head chopped off.

In a wooden hut in the jungle somewhere far away from civilization. There is a man seated on a chair, face bloody, hands tied behind his back and Nyathi is seated in the corner smoking a cigarette in a grey suit and Boston hat, mafia style.

Derek is known to his friends and foes alike as ‘The Cutter’ his reputation precedes him. The Nyathi’s are the new threat.

Derek is Nyathi’s muscle and he is using George’s body, as a punching bag, literally. Derek takes out a four knuckle duster and begins to interrogate George.

“I’m sorry Mr. Nyathi I was late on my payment I promise to pay you every cent.”

“You tried to run away George you skipped the country and ran contraband with my money George remember lucky for us we put a tail on you the minute we gave you that money

Flash back of George packing his bag in a motel room on the coastal city of Beira Mozambique. There is a knock on the door.

A man comes in ‘The drug dealer’ and he hands over a bag to George, George takes out the kilogram of cocaine. George hands him a briefcase filled with money $50 000. The man is a about to leave and there is a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” George asks, it is Derek but he doesn’t know that yet, well he is about to find out.

“Room service”

“What the hell man! Did you order any room service” the dealer is agitated.

“I think its compliments of the motel” George is unsuspecting and he opens the door.

“Hello George” Derek knocks George out with the back of his gun and he points the same gun at the drug dealer who raises up his hands.

Mr. Nyathi walks in and searches George to find the kilogram of cocaine and then asks the dealer to push the briefcase over to him and he opens the briefcase to find the money.

“My money, my drugs!” Mr Nyathi walks out

“Hey the money is mine…”

“Derek, kill him and bring George will finish him off in the woods.”

Derek points the gun and shoots the drug dealer in the chest and takes the body and rolls it on the carpet and cleans the room. He puts the body of the drug dealer and unconscious George in the boot of their trunk and they leave with the money and the drugs and the dead body and head into the woods.

Derek Punches George to wake him up from his flashback.

“Do you remember old boy?”

Meanwhile at the residence Tembani residence Nelson tries to call his girlfriend Christine the daughter of Mr. Nyathi Christine doesn’t know that her dad has bugged her phone.

“I need to make some calls.” He tells Nicholas as he goes to the balcony

“Okay I’ll be in here if you need me” Nicholas pours some whisky for himself

“Don’t finish all my whisky.” Nelson jokes with his brother

“I will most certainly…not!” He chuckles to himself.

Nelson is on the phone with Christine

”Hey babe.”

“Hey Nelson I just got back from South Africa.”

“That’s great so when do I get to see you.”

“Not soon enough hey coz I have to find a really good excuse to get out of the house and my Dad doesn’t allow me to go anywhere without a bodyguard but I’ll find a solution.”

“That’s terrible babe so let me know when you manage to sneak out of the house and we can meet up.”

“I will honey”

“I love you.”

“I love you too!”

“Say my name!”

“I love you Mr. Nelson Tembani.”

One week earlier

This is when the seeds of the rivalry between the mafia families based in Harlem city and the Nyathi’s began.

Derek is in a black truck with a bug device and wearing headphones listening in to the conversation of Mr. Nyathi’s daughter and Douglas Tembani’s son.

The courtroom did not take time to fill up as everyone from television stations to journalists and the general public wanted a glimpse of what The Police force was parading as their biggest racket bust and the culprits who were being tried in absentia. The police had managed to catch one of the co accused and this was the first day in court for this case. The jury was not out on her fate but it was set to let justice take its course and as they presented their verdict and found the accused guilty on all counts they had all but prescribed the death penalty for Valerie

“All rise!” the bailer said as the accused and her lawyer kept their heads down as if not to make eye contact with the judge who made his way to his chair.

“After looking at the case and the overwhelming evidence presented by the plaintiff, I find that the prosecution has a strong case against the accused and the co-accused who will be tried in absentia in this court. The jury finds you guilty on all cases and counts and I too find you Valerie and your co-accused, Damon Ramirez, Patrick Mumba, Joe Jambwa, Hector and Daniel Gumbo guilty. I hereby sentence you to serve life in a Maximum Prison.”

We have issued a warrant of arrest for your co-accused and the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them’

Valerie is stunned and incensed and like a snake she recoils.

“This is not over judge you cannot send me away just like that! I have rights you know! I will be back, get your hands off me!” she snarls at the bailer who is taking her away to the cells. The judge is mortified and responds

“I will have you know Valerie that you are in danger of being in contempt of court!”

Valerie is incensed

“Who the hell do you think you are? I am not going behind bars do you hear me? No court can hold me!”

2 months earlier

Valerie drives to her workplace and it is a warm summer day. The hustle and bustle of the city centre is just beginning and the streets are littered. The buildings are now a pale shadow of their former selves. Valerie set up her operation which on the face of it is successful head hunting and international industry Placement Company helping job seekers find jobs overseas but in essence is the front of a human trafficking ring.

The company is located right in the heart of the city and as Valerie finds parking space and makes her way to her office there is an air of business. She opens the door and strides confidently into the reception area. “Good morning Mrs. V, here are your messages” the receptionist gives Valerie some messages on sticky notes.

“Bring coffee to my office and make sure my schedule is free and I don’t see anyone for at least an hour” she shuts the door behind her.

Valerie’s office is well furnished with office cabinets, desks and visitors reception in modern teak wood. She has a library in her office. As she settles in her chair and goes through her messages on the small notes her phone rings.

“Hello Damon where have you been? I was expecting your call yesterday?” She closes the window as if to shut out the world to her conversation.

“I told you I would be in touch it is not for you to worry and anyway did you do what I asked you to do?” Damon is irritated.

“Yes I did, she is coming to see me today and the offer of employment has been e-mailed to her and she is ready to join the gravy train.” Valerie walks around her office.

“Good let me know when you have met her” he hangs up

The receptionist knocks on the door and comes in with a cup of coffee and leaves it on the desk and immediately exits. She comes back in the office as she has forgotten to pass on an important message.

“What is it now?” she sips her coffee.

“You have a visitor Mrs. V, Ellen.”

“Show her in and take this coffee back its cold I like my coffee extra hot I thought I told you already.”

Valerie walks to the door to greet with Ellen, her new client and she receives her into her office. “Please take a seat Ellen thank you for taking the time to come and see us” she shows her a seat.

“No, thank you for seeing me at short notice. I received the offer of employment in my e-mail and the starting salary looks very good” Ellen is visibly excited.

“Oh! Congratulations I am very happy for you and happy to have helped you this far so have you talked with the employer personally yet and is your passport ready?” She crosses her legs.

“Yes, I mean no I haven’t talked to them yet on the phone although they put their numbers on the offer of employment letter but my passport is ready.” Ellen looks in her bag for the passport.

“No that is fine because you have to go and get your work permit sorted out at the Embassy but you need to first go down there to see the workplace. I believe they sent you their physical address and everything else.”

“I have to see Mr. Patrick Mumba, the Human resources manager of Anglo Plastics Company.” Ellen speaks holding the letter of employment that she has printed out. Valerie encourages her to make travel arrangements as this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ellen leaves Valerie’s office in a jubilant mood.

“So I will be sure to call you when I arrive and keep you posted on the developments.” Ellen makes her way out of the office.

“Okay you do that Handiti mune number yangu? Also don’t forget to get your medical checkup done.”

“Yes I am on my way there now to see my doctor and thanks again for everything I have already recommended you to my friends.”

“You must know! Okay Ellen I will hear from you soon.”

Ellen packs her bags and booked the first bust to Johannesburg that fateful week. She took a taxi to the Road port bus terminal on Fourth Street and this was where she would board the bus on a one way ticket out of her country on a journey that would change her life. As the bus rolled out of the terminal the night skyline of the capital city was my parting shot and I was ready for any outcome or eventuality, or so I thought. Nothing would prepare her for what she was about to experience.

Ellen arrived and safely passed the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa and journeys to Johannesburg for a couple of days on the road. She is exhausted but time waits for no man and she makes her way to Durban the coastal city, her date with destiny.

“I was keen to hit the ground running and this was for me a golden opportunity and I was determined to make the most out of it. I had all my plans worked out and my budgets in place as I did not want to leave anything to chance. The rain was relentless and many people of color walk the streets of Durban, indigenous locals, Indians, Whites and other races. On one street corner there are a bunch of kids doing a rain dance. This is what I had in mind and I get off the bus. Patrick was kind to get me accommodation. I need to call him and let him know I am here.”

Ellen pushes her travelling bag to a nearby restaurant in the bus terminal and finds a table to sit and make the all important call to Patrick.

Patrick is at a haulage company loading bay where containers go onto the trucks on their way to ships that dock at Durban.

“Hello Patrick is that you? It’s Ellen from Zimbabwe”

“Ellen I see you have a South African phone number so I assume you are now in SA?”

“Yes I am in Durban now at this restaurant at the bus terminal. So are you able to meet me?”

“Can you find the address on the offer of employment letter?” he scratches his head,

“I am sure I can take a taxi”

“Ok so I will meet your there in the next hour I just need to finish this meeting I am in. it’s about 4 o’clock now and I can show you the office and then take you to your apartment it’s nearby the office”

“Ok sure.” She hangs up the phone and makes her way out of the restaurant and to the taxi rank.

“This is what I live for I better alert the boss.” He dials a number in his phonebook labeled Damon.

“Hello boss the package has arrived.”

“Is she in Durban already?”

“Yes I am about to meet her in an hour”

“Fine you know the drill, and please no mess-ups no one should see you, keep out of sight and keep it quiet”

“I will use the tranquilizer”

“No guns should be fired I need you to be professional you should be invincible like the wind, operate in stealth.”

“Ok sir I will get Joe and Daniel

“Do that and let me know when the eagle has landed.” Damon hangs up the phone.

“Ok guys let’s finish up here I have to go. Joe, Daniel come with me get the van ready bring it out front I will meet you there I need to get something in my office.” Patrick barks the orders to his cohorts and henchmen Joe and Daniel, two buff body builders.

Patrick goes to his office opens the door, switches on the lights and closes the door behind him. He closes the windows and the curtains and makes sure no one sees him as he opens his safe and takes out a gun and loads the clip with the bullets. He puts a silencer on the gun and puts the gun on a houlster that he wears across his shoulders so that the gun is under his armpit and he takes the leather jacket on the chair behind his desk.

Patrick takes a syringe and a bottle of anesthetic and puts it in a small bag. He then exits the office and locks the door. He walks to the front of the building where he meets with Joe and Daniel in a black van that has tinted windows. They drive to their office place where Patrick is meeting with Ellen.

“Go to the back we will use the staircase and fire escape so that no one sees us okay try to keep it quiet this time!” He snarls

“Yes boss!”

Patrick crosses the street and walks into the building and into the elevator he goes up to the fifth floor where he finds Ellen waiting in the reception area. There is no one else at the reception except her. Perfect.

“Hello Ellen?”

“Yes, Patrick, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“You too I hope you didn’t wait for long? How was your journey?”

“Actually I just got here and my journey was fine thanks for asking.”

“We are all happy to have you let’s go see your workstation where you will be working from everyone must have gone home already since today is a holiday people only came in for a half day.”

“Thank you.”

“So come this way you know that the job was for you to start immediately right.”

“Yes I am aware of that.”

Message tone rings on Patrick’s phone it reads “We are in position Boss” he puts the phone back in his pocket and continues with the tour of the facility. He takes Ellen to the back of the building where there is an open floor office setup and many cubicles with desks, chairs and desk computers.

“So this is your desk”

“Wow okay thank you” she walks into the cubicle and Patrick goes behind her takes out his syringe with the anesthetic and he injects her in the neck.

“What are you doing did you just inject…me” she falls down unconscious.

Patrick calls Joe on his phone and Joe takes his time to answer after a few rings he then answers.

“What the hell are you waiting for come in I already have her unconscious!”

“Sorry boss my phone was on silent since you said we have to be quiet.”

“Stop wasting time did you bring the carry case?”

“Yes boss we are on our way up”

“I thought you said you were in position?

“Well yes we are downstairs!”

“Well get up here you fools!!!”

Ellen opens her eyelid and she feels a sharp headache like she has been pummeled with a sledgehammer she is in the back of a moving truck and its dark but she can make out three individuals who are wearing masks.

“If you do what we say we will not hurt you!” Joe barks at her.

“Where are you taking me? Did you drug me?” she holds her head in pain “Please let me go!”

“Can somebody silence her please?” Patrick is in the passenger seat and Daniel is driving

“Patrick is that you? Please Patrick, please let me go I…promise I won’t tell anyone I promise!”

“Give her some of this just 5miligrams will do”

“No please Patrick…No I don’t want to…” she struggles with Joe and bites him on the arm he screams

“The bitch bit me!” he slaps her really hard and then injects her with the anesthetic she gets drowsy and falls unconscious.”

In this civilized world imagine that a group of women and children could be kidnapped and sold into modern day slavery? They are abducted by a few daring men who abduct these poor souls in the rural areas and were policing is not as strong as in the city. Joe is the transporter who moves the merchandise to the borderline and illegally jumps the border down South where there is a lucrative market for human beings.

My mission was to make sure that the packages arrive safely to the border and I have Craig and Hector to help me with that.

“Hello…yes I have them….we are about an hour from the border…….yes we will be able to get them there today……we have 10 women….alright we will call you when we get there.”

“That was my guy Aaron he is moving some merchandise for us across the border to Mozambique and then they will be shipped into Saudi Arabia it’s easier and there is less security on that border.” Hondo pours some scotch whisky for Caleb.

“Good so the buyer in Saudi Arabia is he legit and how soon will he make the payment?”

“All in good time when he sees the merchandise off course and he pays good money”

“How much are we talking about?”

“10 large a piece so we should make a smooth 100 k”

“Is he good for his money?”

“Oh yes, solid”

“So the transporter is supposed to be at the border in about 2 hours tops and he should then move quickly and arrive in Saudi Arabia within two weeks so tomorrow we should be a 100 k richer, and we will be able to return Douglas’ money?”

“Yes I agree”

Aaron and his cohorts arrive at the border and they have to cross on foot and meet the same vehicle that transported them on the other side of the border in Mozambique.

“We can take it from here you can head back to the main road and be on the lookout for cops.”

The soldier glances at the women who are clearly clueless of what is about to happen to them. They have been told that they will be working in fancy restaurants and hotels as waitresses but little do they know that they are being trafficked.

“Hey you do not tell me what to do and I do not want any fuck ups. If anything happens to anyone in this group you two knuckleheads will be answerable am I clear?”

“Yes boss.”

“Fine keep your radios on and if you meet any other soldiers let these soldiers do the talking because they know each other but don’t let anything happen to my merchandise alright?”

“Yes Boss.”

Aaron looks at the soldiers and walks up to them

“Can I talk to your leader?”

“Yes I am their leader” one of the soldiers walks up to Aaron and looks him straight in the eye.

“Look here is your cut its half of the money we agreed you get the other half when I meet you on the other side and when I am satisfied that my merchandise is safe and none of your men touched what is not theirs”

He accepts the envelope and opens it to look at the money.

“Don’t you trust us to finish the job Aaron? You know we are risking a lot by helping you, this is all illegal you know.”

“Tell that to your government I don’t give a shit I’m just doing my job, now are you in or should I find a replacement?”

“Yes we are in! I will explain to my guys that we will get the other half on the other side. Fine so we should meet up in the next hour to two hours we will have your goods across the border and if we meet any soldiers we will talk to them they are our friends.”

“Fine so I will see you on the other side” He leaves and drives back to the main road. And when he has crossed the border he tries to radio the troop.

“Hello Alpha are you in position?”

“Yes eagle where are you now?”

“Just a few 100 meters from the designated pick up point. We should be in the nest in 20 minutes. Copy, over and out”

“Okay let us move now!”

The group has jumped the border with the help of the soldiers and they linkup with Aaron in the pick-up truck that ferried them. This group is taken to Durban on road and Aaron puts them on a container which is loaded on a ship. Ellen is in this container. Aaron gives up custody of this group of sex slaves that are being trafficked to Patrick.

Meanwhile another group has been duped and is on its way to the farm lands of Limpopo where Joe is about to give them over to a life of misery in the hands of one Julius. Julius runs a brothel on a farm in Limpopo and he regularly buys new sex slaves from his contacts here in Zimbabwe.

They are on the other side of the border. Joe drives off for about 15 kilometers and then takes a sharp right turn into a strip road and he drives toward the farm estate.

Joe calls Damon and informs him that the cargo has been delivered and is awaiting payment.

The farm owner hands over the money to Joe and retorts, “You can count it just to make sure.”

“I will do that right now can we go somewhere private?”

“Off course let’s go inside the house”

The group stands waiting for Joe who comes out of the house and beckons Daniel and Hector to come to the truck.

Julius, the farm owner addresses his new employees,

“Ladies I am very pleased to announce to you that you are now my property as I have paid the full bounty for you. I will from now on do whatever I please with you, until kingdom come. Your monthly salary will be $80. You will stay here on the farm and you will be shown to your staff quarters just now?”

Everyone in the group is shell shocked as they all thought that they were getting their dream jobs and would be working in some nice restaurants and shopping malls at least this is what they were told.

“This is the foreman, Thulani and he will show you where your staff quarters are and you can rest today as I understand you had a long journey and then start work first thing tomorrow.”

The group is shown their living quarters by Thulani and the rooms are dingy. There are only old mattresses and no bed bases, there are a few blankets.

The women who have been hoodwinked find their voices after dusk when everyone else has gone to sleep. After crossing hell and high water to get to where they are now, they discover that this is not the Promised Land and that they were misled. One of the ladies cannot take the silent torture any longer and she stands up to speak to the others in the same room who are in their own worlds, in deep thought.

“What the hell have we got ourselves into vasikana?”

“Sit down Roselyn they will hear you and we will be in more trouble!” Linda tries to calm her friend Roselyn down.

“Guys this is not a joke okay you seem to all be taking it lightly but things are not as they seem and I hate to be the bearer of the bad news but I have reason to believe that we have just been trafficked as sex slaves and already sold to this Julius who now claims to own us!”

“We are stuck here in the middle of nowhere and we have no one we can contact to help us out of this situation because I am feeling very vulnerable right now.”

The ladies try to comfort themselves that it is not as bad as it looks and that it will all be better but they all know the reality that things are not at all well.

“I’ll tell you what this is” Roselyn is unrelenting in her pursuit of truth, “We have been conned and this farm boy, what’s his name Julius now claims we are his property and none of us where clever enough to take Joe’s contact details, he is probably halfway across the border recruiting more women like us and selling them to the highest bidder!”

“So what do you think we should do?” Maria is one of the ladies who was also duped by Joe and the trafficking ring that has placed them in this precarious position.

“We have to fight, we have to fight for what is ours, our freedom, our rights our….” Her motivational speech is cut short when Thulani opens the door wide open and he is holding a lamp. It is deathly silent for a moment until he suddenly blows out the lamp and it goes dark in the room. His figure is visible in the moonlit darkness of the night and with a dark and deep voice he whispers out,

“It’s time to rest, you should be sleeping anyways because you will be getting up to start your shift within three hours. Get some rest you are going to need it” he then shuts the door and leaves the women to contemplate his profound words.

The sun rises early in the morning at dusk and Thulani returns to the staff quarters to awaken the sleeping. He flings the door open and notices that one of the women is missing and he immediately loses it. He starts kicking the women at their feet interrogating them on the whereabouts of the missing woman

“Where the hell is she?”

“Who are you talking about?” a sleepy Maria wipes her eyes as if to chase the sleep away.

“I do not know we went to sleep soon after you told us to, she must have gone to the bush toilet or something?” Maria is still half asleep when she answers the question.

Thulani bolts out of the room and he heads straight for Julius’ when he bumps into Roselyn.

“Where have you been? Where were you?”

“I had gone to the bush to relieve myself did you miss me already?”

“Don’t try to be funny it will just earn you a whipping, stay with the others all the time and don’t you ever do that again. Let’s go back to your quarters,” they walk to the staff quarters where everyone is getting prepared for the day of hard labour.

“Okay everybody listen up whether you have to go to the toilet or you have to go to the bush you do not go alone okay? Are we clear?”

“What is this a prison?” Rose retorts

“I ask the questions and you give the answers do you hear me? And if you dare stand up or try to defy orders we will happily show you who the boss is little Miss sunshine.” Thulani is very threatening like the calm before the storm.

“The party time is over let us all go to the fields now”

“But we have not even cleaned up our faces yet?”

“What do you take this for this isn’t some hotel I said it’s time to go or did I not make myself clear, hurry up now before I get my whip!”

They all get up out of the staff quarters and little did they know that they were being taken to what would be their final destination and the fields that were being mentioned were not the fields or the plantations where farming would occur they were a different type of field.

The ladies had been traded into the oldest business alive, prostitution. They were all transported to a remote location which was on the outskirts and they were stripped of all their possessions from their phones and their personal possessions their passports and all their belongings. Thulani then returned with them to Julius in the main house which was turned into a brothel at night and the rooms all had beds in them and the girls where taken to a room which had a wardrobe where there were different clothes which could only be worn by women of the night.

All the ladies where forced to take cocaine and they snorted the lines. For most if not all of them it was their first time and it was all very surreal. They were all thinking how was this happening and how had they been so foolish not to see this scam and this ring from the get go. The first night was the scariest and the toughest because these girls Roselyn, Maria, Judith, Sandra and Linda join the group of other women who are now permanently residing on the farm and have been brought in by Joe, Patrick and their partners in the prostitution ring that are running on behalf of Damon who is just the puppet on strings. Jippeto is yet to be revealed but Caleb, Max, Sam and Gerald are pulling the strings.

Customers start coming in and their cars roll up to the porch of the house and parking is available. The whole compound is heavily guarded and security detail with guns strapped over their shoulders can be seen everywhere you go on the farm. This is a very smooth operation away from civilization and far away from police, who could suspect them? A brothel on a farm, no one could suspect it.

The lounge of the mansion is like the human body marketplace and there are some waitresses who are employed by Julius to serve the guests with drinks. Roselyn and the other women are all invited into a room before they go down to the marketplace. The room is upstairs and they receive their marching orders.

Thulani is serving them all with lines of cocaine and they are all getting high, Julius walks in with a pimp stick and a fur coat on.

“Listen up you whores I want you to treat my clients and give them everything they need, I do not want to hear any complaints. They have already paid me for your upkeep and so you can go downstairs and chose the man you want to spend the night with. You can use any of the rooms they all have beds in them and you can knock yourselves out! Now run along and make daddy proud.”

The girls are intoxicated so their power of will is debilitated and compromised to say the least. Roselyn is in a tight red short dress and she is already turned, like a vampire.

“I am not really sure but I think the main road is not too far from here, probably a day’s walk.” She whispers to Judith as they walk downstairs to the marketplace that is the lounge where the clients are waiting.

“Do you really want to risk yourself didn’t you hear Thulani say that if the lions, snakes or hyenas don’t get you they’ll set the search dogs on you and they will find you.” Sandra chimes in

“Look I am certain that we can find a road somewhere and I bet our cousins in Johannesburg can help us if we manage to get there and call them.” Roselyn is determined to find an escape route this is not what she had imagined and when she thinks of what she had to give up in order to go through such an ordeal as this she almost sheds a tear.

“You are looking for trouble and you are going to find it” Maria whispers as she catches the eye of a gentlemen in a blue suit seated in the lounge.

Her hand is taken by a tall guy in a grey suit and they go upstairs while Roselyn watches them walk up the stairs the man puts his hand on her spine suggestively.

“We’ll have to see about that”

Meanwhile at Patrick’s warehouse there are a lot of containers that are getting ready to be moved onto ships on the dock. There is one container that is full of women and children from a country in Southern Africa. Ellen is one of these women on board the container and the container is destined for Saudi Arabia. There are five men including Patrick who are wearing masks and carrying AK45 rifles.

Patrick takes of his mask as soon as the women are safely locked away. One of the guys is told by Patrick to keep watch the door. “I have organized for a truck to be ready and waiting for us soon as we get to Saudi Arabia” Patrick looks at a map on the table in front of him and one of the guys in a mask asks.

“When do we get our money?” he sounds agitated

“As soon as we land and the consignment is secured” Patrick looks up at him to gauge him.

“And when will that be?” He is really persistent and he removes his mask.

“I thought I just told you that when we land didn’t you hear me can somebody get this fool out of my sight.”

“As far as we are concerned our job was to get your consignment to land and from there that is your own look out”

“Hey watch your mouth you know how we operate, this is no mickey -mouse operation okay, this is highly sophisticated. Now go back to your position”

2 months later

The ship is sails through the ocean and as they are about to land, Patrick calls Damon on his Satellite phone.

“Hello Patrick where are you now?”

“Hello boss we have landed in Saudi Arabia”

“Okay the truck is waiting for you at the pick-up point I sent you the coordinates.”

“Yes I just received them so we will not have any problems with the coast guards or nothing right?”

“Make sure the boys unload the consignment and let me know if you face any challenges”

“Okay they wanted to leave us at the shore on land but I told them that is not how we operate and the payment for them will be ready as soon as the consignment is secured on the truck.”

“Good work Patrick so make sure that we don’t have any more problems. Max, Caleb, Gerald and Sam will be waiting for you they will take the women to the buyers and pay you for your services.”

“Fine boss I will call you once I have handed over the merchandise to them.”

The masked men bus the women out of the ship onto the truck container. Ellen is blindfolded and her hands are tied behind her back. One of the masked men is Derek The cutter and his boys are Mr. Ndhlovhu’s musclemen. Once the truck is locked and loaded it heads of for the warehouse.

Joe is waiting outside the warehouse. The truck arrives at the warehouse and parks in the parking lot. Patrick jumps out of the truck and goes to greet Joe.

“My man you made it!”

“Oh yes man and we are about to count paper how was your journey and how did it go in Mozambique?”

“That was a piece of cake man and you how was the shipment any problems on the way?”

“No nothing, just a few loose ends that we want to erase so that we get our own piece of the cake.”

“I know what you mean I am with you.”

Derek disembarks from the truck and he walks towards Joe and Patrick

“Oh god here comes that loose end I was telling you about, this rank amateur” Patrick whispers to Joe.

“Joe I’d like you to meet Derek he and his men helped us to bring this shipment over”

“Okay enough of the ass licking why don’t you show us the money we kept our part of the deal.”

“Fine follow me into my office I will sort this out with you and meanwhile your men can help us unload the cargo while we count the money in my office.”

“Do you need any help there Joe?”

“No I got this you take care of things out here.”

Joe opens the door for Derek who has removed his mask but is keeping his hands on the AK45.

“So show me the money man your partner Patrick is stuck up”

“He is just a stickler for protocol and following the rules of the game, speaking of the game seems like here is where the road ends for you.”

Joe pulls out a 9mm with a silencer and fires three quick shots one between Derek’s eyes and two to his chest.

Outside Patrick’s phone rings and he answers it “I have dealt with their leader, you can start cleaning up there.” Joe is carrying the body to a nearby car at the back of the warehouse. Patrick goes to the back of the truck and has a close combat with one of the Derek’s soldiers he over powers him with a sleeper hold and takes his AK45 rifle. He climbs up the truck to the top of the container and walks to the horse and dives onto the bonnet where he shoots the driver and the other two soldiers in Derek’s troop.

Joe reverses the car where he has dumped Derek’s body in the trunk. Patrick places the other three bodies in the back of the trunk with Joe’s help and they split the money that was meant for the middlemen amongst themselves. The women are left inside the warehouse which is locked.

The women hear the gunshots and some are screaming but Ellen’s mind is on escaping she is not yet ready to go through a hellish ordeal so she plans to escape.

“Are you out of your mind did you not hear the gunshots these people will do anything they do not have any limits.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“How about if you shut up before those men hear you talking that nonsense about trying to escape?”

Joe and Patrick throw the bodies in a grave nearby and cover them up with soil.

“Okay we have to make sure that this place is clean so that when the Caleb, Sam, Gerald and Max come through we will be ready for them. Get rid of that car we need to dump it somewhere away from here and clean the blood out of the trunk so that there is no trace. Patrick opens a briefcase that is in the haulage and there is an envelope with $10, 000 in it.

“Hello its Patrick”

“Yes I know who it is I have been waiting for your phone call have you arrived at the warehouse with our merchandise?”

“Yes we are here”

“Okay I will be there in two hours”

“Shit these buyers are already on their way here so you need to make sure that they don’t see this car. Cover it up with those branches and we will deal with it after they are gone.”

Sam, Caleb, max and Gerald arrive at the warehouse in a black sedan. Across the street there is a black van that is parked and inside there is a surveillance team that has been following the criminal gang.

“Boss they are on the move and you heard the conversation that they just had?”

“Yes do you think this is the big one?” Bothwell Mutoti is the private Investigator that has been handling this case for the past 15 years.

“So should we come in hot?”

“No we don’t want to scare off the big fish you know that we want Douglas Tembani to show us where he put the money he stole from the bank obviously these are small fish and we want to bring the whole ring down from the bottom to the top of the whole racket.”

2 hours later

“What is happening over there you were supposed to keep me informed of what is going on?”

“Yes sir we have received the package and we had to clean up because we didn’t want any loose ends so we got rid of the extras.”

“Noone acts alone in this organization without my giving the go ahead you hear me?” Damon is furious.

“I am waiting for them to arrive. It should go smoothly; you have nothing to worry about”

“Okay demand is rising and we need to up our game I am handing you a lot more responsibility and I cannot have you being greedy?”

“okay boss it will not happen again”

“You damn skippy! When can I expect you back at work?”

“I need another calendar month to fill up another container with the help of Valerie in Zimbabwe” Patrick is confident he can finish the job and deliver on the assignment he is being given.

“That won’t work I am going to give you 2 weeks since you claim you are the best in the business this should be a walk in the park for you, another day at the beach.”

“Rushing the process may present complications!”

Joe interrupts the phone call

“Boss we have a problem” Joe is agitated

“Can’t you see I am busy” Patrick holds the phone mouthpiece so that Damon doesn’t hear their conversation

“Who is that is that Joe?” Damon inquires

“Yes boss I need to attend to something I will call you once we talk to the buyers”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes boss I will call you back just now” he hangs up. “What is it?”

“Patrick we have a problem when I took Derek to the backroom I didn’t leave the door locked the door that leads to the backyard.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I did a head count and we are missing one of the girls?”

“What the hell, Joe I ask you to do one thing one thing only and you stuff it up, her money is coming off your cut!”

Patrick proceeds to the car and checks that the trunk has been cleaned of all the blood. He places his briefcase in the boot and takes Hector with him.

“Drive the other car behind me, Joe, find that girl they will be here any minute I need to get rid of this car I will be back in 5 minutes”

He drives the car to a nearby bush and pushes it into the river. He comes back with Hector in the other car and when he comes back the rain is already pouring.

As he gets back to the warehouse he sees Joe. He gets out of the car and walks up to Joe.

“Have you found her?”

“No I haven’t”

“You have jeopardized the mission anyway we need to get ready for them they should be here anytime. Speaking of the devil”

A black sedan rolls into the warehouse parking lot and four men step out of the car.

“Good afternoon gentlemen I am sure it will be a good day for business today” Patrick welcomes the gang of Sam, Gerald, Caleb and Max.

“Your boss is good for his word and we hope and trust that you are also a man of your own word Patrick, are you?”

“Yes sir I haven’t had the pleasure to meet you in person Mr…..”

“Sam, Sam Kehle and these are my partners Gerald, Max and Caleb so we are here now and it’s a pleasure to meet you but you understand that we are busy people and if you could show us the product.”

“Do you have the money?”

“Off course we have the money what the hell do you think?”

“Come this way I will show you the merchandise and then we close the deal.” Patrick walks inside with the four.

They open the door and see the women and the children that are in the room and they are all impressed.

“That’s my boy Patrick let’s go back to the car and get your money and we will need to use your haulage truck to move the merchandise to our location”

“That is fine we can do that.”

“Max can make sure that the merchandise is in order and we can go and sort out the finances.”

“So Patrick is $5,000 a piece good for you?”

“I think that is a fair price Sam but a great price would be $6,000 a piece”

“$5, 500?”

“Sold!”

“Great, Gerald please can you handle that bit of business for us”

Max comes to where the meeting is being held and confirms that the merchandise is in good condition.

“Nice doing business with you gentlemen you are really some stand up guys.”

“Likewise and we are indeed some stand up guys.” They shake hands “Guys load up the girls in the truck we want to go now.”

They get into the car while the women and children are loaded into the truck by Joe, Hector and Daniel. Patrick calls Damon on his satellite phone. “Hello Boss”

“Yes Patrick did you seal the transaction?”

“It went well boss they took the merchandise I got the money with me right now 100 large”

“You know what to do get yourself a new passport, new identity and everything else should cost you about 2 grand tops and bring the rest of the money to me here in Madagascar.”

“How will I get it in”

“Same way you got out of the country son”

“Okay boss”

The farm is where all the whoredom in the district is religious. Julius runs the house and he has a dirty mouth. Thulani is his lapdog and he will do anything to please his master. The boys are waiters and they are at his disposal. After the deeds have been done and the clients have retired Thulani does the last round on the farm to ensure that there are no intruders.

He enters into the staff quarters where the women are and he takes out Linda, she starts to scream but he slaps her hard across the face. He forces himself on her even though she tries to resist as she cries throughout the ordeal. He drags her to his room which is a farmhouse a few hundred metres from the compound. He opens the door and throws her on the bed. She is in her night dress and she tries to fight him off.

“Now don’t make me hurt you this is no different from what you were doing in that house a few hours ago?”

“Get away from me you monster!”

“This can be a great experience for both of us!”

“You son of a bitch you must be dreaming if you are thinking that I will ever give you… get off me… help!”

Thulani knocks her unconscious and then takes advantage of her when she is knocked out and takes off her clothes before sleeping with her.

Julius’ humble abode provides the perfect background setting for mischief and all sorts of hanky panky business. As clean and homely as it is one could not possibly fathom the debauchery and the drunkenness that occurs behind those 12 foot doors. Its sunset and Julius has called Sandra to bring some of the vegetables from the garden to the main house. He is seated at the front smoking on a pipe, he rocks the chair and mumbles to himself, uninterrupted until Sandra calls out his name.

“Sorry sir to disturb you but I have brought the vegetables that you asked for.”

“Why yes Sandra come in, leave the vegetables in the kitchen, what makes you think that I was so interested in vegetables my girl it’s you that I wanted to get a good look at. Come in I want to show you something.”

Julius takes her up the stairs of the double storey building and to his master bedroom. Meanwhile Linda wakes up in Thulani’s bed and looks beneath the covers and she is shocked to be naked, she does not have any recollection of what happened. She stumbles out of the bed and into her night dress. She takes the opportunity to sneak out of the house which is a few hundred metres from the compound and back to the staff quarters.

When she gets into the room she cannot help but shed some quiet tears but one of the women, Judith, wakes up

“What’s wrong Linda are you alright, did he hurt you? Off course he did come here angel” she hugs her and tries to console and comfort her.

“Just rest yourself it will be okay” Judith tries her best to warm up to Rose

“You must be out of your mind, are you delusional? It most definitely will not be okay I can guarantee you that!”

“Guys let’s just try to sleep before Thulani comes back here again”

“That is just easy for you to say, you haven’t been violated”

“Honey I was violated today in more ways than I can imagine! I will never heal but the best we can do about it is just go to sleep because tomorrow is another long day”

Rose pretends to go to sleep and she puts on her boots and sneaks out of the staff quarters before there is light outside and then makes a run for it, through the jungle. She disappears and keeps on running. She runs for so long that she is too tired to look back and she cannot even tell whether she will find a road that will lead to freedom or will the forces of nature or wild beasts make a meal of her and have an early gift wrapped Christmas meal.

Soon as Thulani discovers that one of the women is meaning he dashes to the main house and let’s Julius know that they have a runner on the loose.

“Get the dogs and go look for her Thulani, find her! When you do I want you to bring her to me!”

The other women are getting ready for another busy night at the main house where Julius has invited his rich friends to come and have a taste of the new recruits that he has acquired.

“That was very stupid of Rose I mean who survives this jungle? Anyway I am praying for her that they don’t find her because if they do only the Lord knows what they will do to her!” Judith is concerned.

“She has been gone for almost a whole day now and she had a few hours head start plus these fools do not know which direction she took and they should be back before nightfall so that they provide security for their clients.” Sandra chimes in.

“She might just get lucky I pray she finds someone who helps her!” Judith utters her words with some fading hope because she knows pretty well that the African terrain is not so much so.

There is hope for her and although it is dim hope it is still some hope. A part of the group hopes that she escapes successfully so that they may find the strength within themselves to also escape. Another section wishes she was found because they all fear that Julius and Thulani will unleash terror on them if she is not found

After a long night entertaining Julius’ clients the women retire to the staff quarters and the mood is very sombre because they all know that if Rose didn’t survive the afternoon she will definitely not survive the evening where the carnivores and nocturnal hunters come out to play.

Thulani comes back after an unsuccessful search and manhunt. He is frustrated and aims to take out the anger on the women but they too have had enough of his abusive ways and they hatched a plot to kill him.

Thulani comes into the women’s staff quarters and takes Judith and pulls her out of her bed kicking and screaming. Thulani threatens her with a knife and takes her to his house. After the ordeal Judith is broken but she promises to avenge herself, Linda and Roselyn, both who have suffered at the hands of Thulani. She hatches the plot herself to go snake hunting when she is in the fields and the following day during lunch time she gets the opportunity to go out into the fields and she plans to catch the most venomous snake in the jungle and plant it in Thulani’s house and in the bedroom sheets which she abused him in.

Judith knows that she may be a little out of her depth when it comes to snake hunting but she carries a sack and a long stick with a fork at the end that she hopes to pin the venomous head of the snake to the ground with before she subdues the snake and puts it in the sack.

She then thinks to herself “Why don’t I poison this bastard”

“Poison will take forever and a lifetime to find it and to make sure that he takes the poisoned food might be next to impossible” they say hell hath no fury than a woman scorned. They were right.

Rose has been running for an hour and she finally finds a road and she sees a Black van on the road about two hundred metres coming towards her and she waves it down. She faints before the van arrives.

Julius is furious that one of the women has disappeared under Thulani’s watch and that he has failed to locate her is a source of more frustration for him.

“Are you saying the dogs could not pick up the scent Thulani? You came up with nothing?”

“She has outsmarted us Julius we looked everywhere and we could not get her trail sir!”

“Listen to me and listen to me good alright, I do not want to hear any reasons and any excuses for your failure just find her!”

On the other side of the world Ellen has also managed to escape and go missing. She escapes before the buyers buy her from Patrick and Joe. Damon is livid and he knows what is at stake and what this may mean for their operation, it is a loose end and loose ends are potentially hazardous.

“The sale is on today and you have not found her yet Patrick? So what the hell am I paying you to do?”

“I cannot find her boss she has just gone off the radar!” Patrick tries to defend himself.

“Plug this leak Patrick it’s on you and your boys”

Ellen is barefoot and she has not eaten anything for days now and to make matters worse she is in a foreign land with absolutely no papers and nowhere to go and she does not know where to start.

She arrives at a nunnery and faints at the gate. Some nuns who are on their way out notice her lying motionless on the ground and help her inside. Ellen is bed ridden for 3 days and under some shock.

Ellen turns on her bed pensively and sweat pops out of her eyebrows. She has recurrent nightmares of her kidnapping and subsequent drugging and how her dream turned into a sordid tale. She is delusional and her vision of reality is distorted. Patrick and Joe’s investigations lead them to the nunnery. He waits outside the nunnery and on one occasion he decides to have a look inside.

“Hello sister we are from the criminal investigation department and we are following up on a lead that you are harboring a criminal fugitive from justice.” Patrick impersonates a police officer in order to gain access inside the nunnery.

The nun looks at the two men suspiciously and questions “What gave you that impression officers? This is a place of worship and we do not harbor any criminals here. This is a holy place a sanctuary.”

“We are following up on a lead sister and we get these tip offs from responsible citizens and if you do not mind we would like to just have a look.”

“I will have you know that this is a place of God’s worship and that we do not know anything about a fugitive.”

“We do not want to cause any commotion Sister and we understand that totally but please allow us to just have a look around and we will be on our way.”

“Okay fine but you cannot stay for too long because we have mass practice in the next 15 minutes.”

She allows the two men inside.

Ellen has woken from her slumber and hobble to the window which she opens for fresh air. She looks outside in the courtyard and sees Patrick and Joe walking with the sister. She is petrified and she hides behind the curtains and then she goes into her closet and closes the closet door.

Patrick asks Joe to go around the back and circle the perimeter. The door to Ellen’s room is opened and Patrick comes in. he has pulled out his gun and screws the silencer on. He cannot find Ellen and so he walks towards the closet and stretches out his hand to open it.

“Sir have you found anything?” the nun interrupts Patrick and he is forced to hide his gun in his jacket as he turns towards her and walks out of the room.

“No nothing here”

Patrick and Joe shake hands with the nun as they leave the premises unconvinced but determined to return. Ellen is peeping from her room window and she watches Patrick and Joe as they leave. Patrick glances in her direction and cannot shake the feeling that she is hiding in that very room.

Surveillance truck

“Dominic I have those two guys on the move now and they seem to be looking for someone but they are at this nunnery I don’t think they want to try and get some sisters in their prostitution ring.”

“Okay Bothwell I am still tailing those buyers Douglas’ gang I am hoping they will lead us to him and the money that disappeared in that heist. Go back to the station and wait for the orders there must be something going down tonight with their container that they are moving about in that truck but we can only bust it at the perfect time.”

“Okay copy over and out”

A bus pulls up at the station and out comes a disoriented but pretty much stable Ellen. She is still under shock at seeing her chief tormentors and assailants once again. If she thought her problems were over she has another thing coming and she decides to get help and the best place to go is the police station from here.

Police Station

“How did you come to Saudi Arabia Miss…”

“Ellen, Ellen Moyo, I was kidnapped and put on a ship by some traffickers. Look these people are trafficking a number of women and children using a sophisticated human resource office in my home country a lady called Valerie works with this guy called Patrick.”

“I managed to escape when some buyers came to this warehouse in the woodlands the outskirts of this city. They took everything of ours our IDs, passports and belongings. I have nothing now and I was promised a good job in South Africa but I was kidnapped and drugged and put on a container with many others, you have to help me officer. These men are still looking for me. I saw them today at the nun where I was hiding!”

Dominic walks in the reception area where Ellen is being served by the police officer at the desk and he looks at her intently. He walks up to her

“Dominic we have to go and close up that case file now.”

“Okay I will be with you in a minute. Go right ahead I will come join you I just need to sort out something here.”

“Ryan hello” Dominic greets the officer who is assisting Ellen.

“Maam how are you.”

“I’m fine thank you this gentleman is assisting me.”

“What’s her story Ryan?”

“Detective this woman claims that she was kidnapped and drugged from Zimbabwe and then put on a ship in Durban by a certain Patrick who was working with a Valerie who owns a recruitment agency in Zimbabwe. She was then shipped here in Saudi Arabia with other women and children on a container and then as she was about to get sold she claims that she escaped and went to a nunnery in town. She also claims that she saw the men who abducted her, er… Patrick today looking for her at the nunnery and that she is in danger.”

“Ryan I am taking her she is a material witness to our case on that trafficking ring!”

“Okay Detective, she’s all yours you can process her.”

“Mrs. Ellen can you please come this way, come with me and recount your whole story.”

“I just told that other officer Ryan my story, are you going to help me or what?”

“Look Mrs. Moyo I need all the facts of your story for me to be able to help you with this case can you describe this er.. Patrick?” he looks at the case file. They go into an interrogation room that has a double mirror.

“Yes he is tall, dark should be about 35 or 38 middle age I think and he was wearing a black leather jacket today and black jeans and was with another guy too middle aged about the same height as Patrick.”

“Okay Mrs. Moyo”

“Please call me Ellen”

“Okay Ellen it seems that today may be your lucky day and mine too because we were on the case of a trafficking ring and have been trying to bust this ring for the past two years but were waiting for the right time as we had cast our net very wide and are working with Interpol because this involves a lot of people in a number of countries.”

“Okay so are you saying this is an international operation?”

“Yes now tell me everything you know about Patrick and this Valerie they could be the key to unlocking this case and it may blow the whole thing wide open.”

“Valerie Ochekwu she is a Nigerian business lady based in Zimbabwe and she owns a recruitment and selection company that operates from Harare”

“What is her address of the company and the phone number I need all the details if we are to nail these people Ellen.”

“Okay she works at NRG building on 7th street should be 112 7th street and her number should be 0772367786. I still remember it because I memorized it when I was looking for job opportunities.”

“Fine now please tell me how you met Patrick.”

“Okay Valerie linked me up to him and their company based in Durban South Africa called Anglo plastics. I was supposed to be an accountant for them and they e-mailed me an offer of employment letter which just sounded too good to be true with all the benefits accommodation and the remuneration was fantastic.”

“Go into your email now and retrieve the email for us please this will help us identify Patrick’s operating premises in South Africa.” He gives her the laptop that he has been typing notes on and opens windows internet explorer, the browser and she logs into her g-mail account and retrieves the email. Dominic prints it out and scans it to Interpol.

“So if you escaped from these people why are they still looking for you?”

“I don’t know maybe I am worth more to them alive than dead since he went through all this trouble to get me here in the first place they probably want a return on their investment I don’t know you are the detective”

“Hundreds of people are trafficked into this country why should they focus all their attention on one person?”

“I don’t know maybe they are scared that I might be talking to someone like you? Look these people are really dangerous we heard gunshots at the warehouse they took us. Its north of this city on the outskirts you must go and check it out maybe you will find some clues there some bodies’ maybe.”

“I will have our search and rescue team look into it.”

“Will you have me put under protection because these people are looking for me now and for all I know if I leave this police station I am a dead person besides I have nowhere to go.”

“Witness protection is provided to citizens of this country only and to material witnesses so I think I may get you in but that may take a few days because our system is bureaucratic you can stay with me while we try to get to the bottom of your story.”

“Is that how you treat all your witnesses? Like flight risks?”

“For someone who has been through hell and back you do have a good sense of humor. We have everything on record and our counterparts in Zimbabwe and South Africa will look into apprehending Valerie and Patrick’s associates.

Joe is watching them from across the street he is in a van and he dials Patrick.

“Hello Joe have you found her? The boss is breathing fire and we need to come up with something or else our heads are on the line.”

“I have found her yes.”

“Great bring her in”

“Patrick there is a problem I can’t”

“What do you mean you can’t are you insane? Why can’t you bring her in?”

“She is in police custody and she is talking to this guy who looks like a detective.”

“So do you want to tell the boss or should we try and handle it ourselves?”

“If you had not lost her in the first place and tried to handle it yourself we wouldn’t be in this mess so please just stick with her and we will strike when the time is right. And don’t lose her again this time do you hear me? If you do I will gut you like a pig!”

Damon owns a house in Madagascar which is the headquarters of this global network of crime. He has enough clients to sustain his business and he is into major narcotics and hard drugs smuggling into Africa from Southern America and he uses his place as his base. Damon Ramirez was born of a Brazilian father and a German mother. He is mixed race Caucasian.

How did Roselyn architect of her own great escape from Julius’ clutches. There was an undercover agent posing as a client on the night that the women were being revealed. That was barely two days after they had crossed the border their bodies where being sold, pimped and Julius had managed to get Roselyn and the others hooked on drugs after 48 hours of nonstop snorting of cocaine lines and alcohol intake. Roselyn was always at Julius’ side during this binge. He had lined up some interesting buyers who wanted a taste of the goods he had to offer. Julius’ reputation on the Limpopo plane was well known and there was no doubt that he was the go to person for the latest imports, not of cars but of women.

Julius’ house was the gentlemen’s bar in the lowveld grasslands. He played host to the most exclusive parties as his venue was highly regarded for its exclusivity. One could only gain access through personal invitation by Julius himself. He put his touch on everything: from the selection of the girls as well as the clients and he would handle all the money transactions for sexual favors on the estate.

Julius enters the ladies room which tonight is upstairs and they are taking ecstasy pills with shots of tequila provided by yours truly off course, the instigator himself, Julius. “Okay so you be good girls tonight I want to give you to my best clients and they paying top dollar so I want you all to give them the full treatment, the works. Rose do you hear me?”

“I’ll try my best to take him to heaven, if you know what I mean.” She takes another shot of Tequila and she does a line of coke that is on the glass table. Julius walks out of the room and Roselyn follows him out of the room.

“Hello Malcolm, you are right on time!” Julius glances at his watch “Its an occupational hazard Julius, I cannot help it?”

“I like a man who keeps his time.” Malcolm gives Julius ten hundred USD notes.

“My man it’s been a pleasure doing business with you enjoy yourself tonight she is yours for the night.”

“Come here boy, I want to show you something” Roselyn pulls his hand erotically. As she licks her lips. They enter into a room in the same passage opposite the ladies room and a guard stands outside the room.

Roselyn is already half dressed by the time Malcolm locks the door behind him and turns towards the bed. Rose has taken her top off and is showing her upper body in her underwear. “Come here”

She reaches for his trouser belt buckle while planting a long kiss on his lips as she pulls him towards the bed.

Malcolm asks her “What’s your name?”

“Does it matter?” Roselyn pauses on the kisses

“Listen I want to help you” Roselyn is reasonably tipsy but she has heard his words loud and clear and she doesn’t know whether to answer him, stay quiet or scream for help.

“I work for the international police and I am on an undercover job” Malcolm looks through the curtains. Rose smiles and cracks up into laughter

“Okay I know this one so I’m supposed to play the ummm I’ll play the faithful wife who was waiting for you to come home after a long day.. Er.. good day honey how was the office? Did you catch any bad guys? I been a bad girl and I want you to spank me right here”

“Look I am being serious I suggest you listen to me for a minute I know that you are under the influence and that you are being held against your will I want to get you and the other girls out of here!”

“I think this game is going a bit too far” she pulls back and sits on the bed to light up a cigarette. She blows the smoke out

“Listen there is no reason for you to be afraid”

“He will kill us both if he finds out he will kill us both you better shut your mouth and start getting your money’s worth.

“So we make sure he doesn’t find out then we have to make this look real, make it look like you escaped. Listen I already did a perimeter check and I have surveyed the plane. Now we are on the second floor so we want to make it look like we had a fight and you hit me on the head with a bottle and you then made your escape through the window by tying up the sheets to make a rope. Are you sure about this? Trust me I know what I am doing”

“Are you sure it will work because if it doesn’t we are both toast and is that the best you can come up with Mr. undercover policeman.”

“Look we don’t have much time you just need to take the alley way and there is a black Volkswagen van that is at the north of this compound. You knock in the back 3 times and they will know that its you. Hurry up you don’t have much time we only have about an hour before Julius comes back to check up on us and you should be out of here by that time. I will link up with you at the Protection house that my other agents that I am working with will take you.

They make the rope with the bed sheets and they go to the window, Malcolm opens the window and helps Roselyn out of the window and on to the ledge. “Are you ready? Remember go to the north of this compound and avoid the guards who are on the north east of the compound.”

“I’m ready, I’m scared Malcolm” She starts crying and Malcolm puts his hands on her face and plants a kiss on her lips.

“Look at me you can do this and we will get you out of here and get all the bad people that put you in this position.

“What about you come with me?”

“No I got hit by a bottle over the head remember?”

They kiss once more and Roselyn goes down the rope made of bed sheets. She takes off her high heels and starts running towards the north of the compound.

2 hours later

Malcolm takes out two sachets of tomato sauce and smears them on one side of his head and he smashes the wine bottle that is in the ice bucket. He then pretends to be lying unconscious.

“Is everything okay in there?”

The guard unlocks the door and comes inside and sees Malcolm lying unconscious he tries to help him up but Malcolm shoots him with a silencer and he himself goes down the same rope made of bed sheets. He goes to his car and drives off.

By the time Julius is alerted of the state of affairs it is already too late both Malcolm and Roselyn have disappeared.

“Thulani I ask you to do one thing, one thing only and ask you not to screw it up. This is all your fault how can you allow that girl to get away?”

“Sir one of our guards was shot down we think it was your client?”

“Stop talking nonsense how could the client have shot one of our guards didn’t you say there was a smashed bottle and blood on the floor a few metres away from where the guard was lying dead? Look get rid of his body clean the room up and Thulani what are you still waiting for I thought I told you ages ago to get the hunting dogs and go after this girl she isn’t far.”

He radios the security guards over the radio and makes sure that the premises are secure, “Listen everybody I want you to keep your eyes out for a lady she was in a red short dress and she is running away we need to find her tonight so look for her!”

A still photo of Roselyn running towards the dark van and knocking on the back door three times. The door opens and she jumps inside. The driver closes the door and they speed off.

Dominic and Ellen are at his house “So tell me how you got into Damon Ramirez’ bad books?” he makes her a cup of tea.

“It all started back home in Zimbabwe and I was looking for a job when I checked the newspaper on one Sunday afternoon and there was an advert on the classifieds front page that was advertising job positions in my field of Accountancy but the jobs where in Saudi Arabia. So I tried the company and here I am now.”

“Okay so you are saying this organization has cohorts in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa and Saudi Arabia?”

“These people are deep into crime so this lad Valerie is based in Harare and she linked me up to a guy only identified as Patrick in the email communication that we had, their company in South Africa is called Anglo plastics.”

“Okay at this time you were still in Zimbabwe? We already have a team of investigators who are at the office address that you gave me for this Valerie she should be in custody tonight and the net is closing in on Patrick and Damon and all the other participants in this human trafficking ring and who knows what other evidence we may unearth, drugs, racketeering, money laundering and extortion.”

Roselyn wakes up in a house and the drugs and the coke have worn out “ Malcolm, where is Malcolm? He helped me escape where is he?”

“You need to get some rest Malcolm is still on the operation but he will be here soon.”

Let me get him on his radio “Malcolm are you guys ready for the take down? over”

“Yes Olivia how far is backup from arriving? Over”

“ Between five and ten minutes we had some trouble securing the warrant of arrest. Over”

“Okay Olivia I will hold on tight but we have to move in and secure the premises and make sure that there are no casualties plus when they see the cop car lights and here the sirens they will panic so we have to make it as quiet as possible for the civilians.”

Unknown to Roselyn the women have hatched a plot to avenge themselves for the torment that they have gone through and on the very morning that the police come in to take the farm and arrest Julius and his cohorts they find evidence to pin Julius to more than just human trafficking, drugs and illegal racketeering. Murder.

One of the guards who work for Julius knocks on his door early in the morning on the break of dawn. Julius is hung over and he is not impressed with the early wake up call.

“What is it! This better be good”

“Sir we have an emergency.” The guard is not sure how to break the news.

“Well spit it out and where is Thulani?”

“Sir Thulani was bitten by a snake and he couldn’t make it out of his room in time to alert us!”

“What are you saying?”

“Sir, He is dead!”

Julius cannot believe it, it is as if his world is crumbling around him and he keeps losing his laborforce, his best girls and his best man in 48 hours.

“What the hell are you talking about? Thulani knows this farm like the back of his hand how could he get bitten by a snake?”

“It seems like the snake entered his room through an open window while he was sleeping.”

“Damn it! Have you found the girl?”

“Not yet sir we were waiting for your approval to go ahead without Thulani and we wanted to deal with that crises first.”

“You knuckleheads!”

Julius takes his walking stick and walks gingerly towards Thulani’s house. There is a peace around the farm that is symbolic of the break of dawn. The workers are surrounding the foreman’s house and people have stones and sticks ready to attack the snake. Julius smells a revolt.”

“Out of my way!”

“Sir the snake may still be inside”

“What, you didn’t even check inside?”

Before he opens the door two police patrol cars arrive at the farm and are on the scene and the cops draw their weapons.

“Julius Mathews you are under arrest we need you to reach for the sky!”

Rose and Malcolm get out of the car “Look guys its Rose” Linda screams!

“I told you she would come back for us!” She runs towards her and they hug each other.

“We thought you wouldn’t make it we are so happy you are alive!”

“Look here you coppers I don’t know what you are talking about I have a dead man in this room who was mysteriously bitten by a venomous snake.” Julius looks for a scapegoat in one of the ladies.

“We need you to come with us sir you have some questions to answer we have a search warrant for your house for drugs, sex slaves and culpable homicide.” The cops handcuff him.

“Can someone give these ladies and these children some assistance please!” the paramedics rescue the women and the children and give them treatment at the ambulance that is waiting. Julius is arrested on the account of the cocaine, unregistered guns on his estate as well as culpable homicide for Thulani’s death.