Preparations
The following day Mthoko is sitting in the balcony of his house reading the newspaper while having breakfast. It's rather a quieter day as he is left alone in house since Londiwe and her mother have gone out to check on businesses while Thula and Mbali have gone to school. He has a little bit of time to kill before he meets with his brother Siyanda and his right hand man Bhekani who has been living in the house cottage since the day he got injured. The day of the deal is ever so nearing and this is obviously causing anxiety to Mthoko and now his wife that has been briefed over this.As Mthoko sits there in the balcony enjoying the warmth of the sun, a call comes through. He looks at the phone and he doesn't recognize the number and it's not his handler Phakathi's number. I wonder who this might be, he thinks to himself.
Mthoko: "Hello..."
Dube: "Mr. Sibisi..."
Mthoko: "Yes...who is this?"
Dube: "This is captain Dube from the South Coast police station"
Mthoko: "Uhmm...Oh Captain Dube, what can I do for you?"
Dube: "Uhmm...I just needed to debrief you on the developments concerning the arrests we made last week Thursday"
*A little silence*
Mthoko: "Uhmm...captain Dube I'm not sure if I follow..."
Dube: "Don't worry Mr. Sibisi, I'm on your side okay? I have already been briefed by the Landlord...Phakathi..."
Mthoko: "Uhmm..."
Dube: "Look I know it was your operation. Phakathi asked me to assist where I can, that is why we showed up in that factory on time last week..."
Mthoko: ''Uhmm...Wow I don't know what to..."
Dube: "Look I know alright? But in the end, you will have to trust somebody Sibisi okay? I'm sorry that my detectives gave you a hard time earlier on. We were not briefed about you or about any of this that's going on. Phakathi only contacted me a few ago and briefed me on what is happening"
Mthoko: "It's okay captain. Uhmm...so what do you have?"
Dube: "We have kept the arrest quiet for now but you must know that the commissioner is asking lots of questions. I don't know how long I can hold him off"
Mthoko: "Yeah it's important that we keep it that way alright?"
Dube: "Understood. Also, If you need assistant you let me know but only mt two detectives have been briefed about this. Thoko Ximba and Mxolisi Zwane...those are the only two officers you can contact or you can contact me and I will brief them.
Mthoko: "Okay good..."
Dube: "Also, this is the only phone you can contact me from. I got it from the Landlord. I will send you Ximba and Zwane's numbers"
Mthoko: "Thank you captain. Did you manage to isolate Zwane and his friends from the rest of the detainees in the police cells?"
Dube: "Affirmative. Don't worry they have been completely isolated. No one knows where they are and no one can contact them"
Mthoko: "Good. It's almost over. Friday is the day of the deal and I may need a hand"
Dube: "Just let me know the venue and time"
Mthoko: "I'm working out a few details. I will be in touch"
Dube: "Okay"
*Call dropped*
***
Later on Mthoko is at the study with his two trusted men- his brother Siyanda and his hitman Bhekani. Now there's no more time to waste as the deadline for the arms nears ever so closer. Mthoko is just happy that his handler Phakathi had given him permission to use his own assets in this dangerous operation and this assures him that whatever they discuss will not leave this office.
"So, what's the plan boss?" Bhekani asks curiously as he sits on the couch looking at Mthoko and Siyanda who is standing buy the big computer monitor on the wall. Siyanda is sitting on the desk also listening with keen interest. "Well, the deal is happening this coming Friday so we don't have a lot of time to prepare." Mthoko says as he looks into the file on the monitor screen that shows about pictures of 8 people and their details. "These are the targets guys. These are the people we must take down and end expose the everyone behind this treasonous crime" he says with a bit of authority.
"Alright, so what's the plan bro?" Siyanda asks curiously as he fixes his eyes on the screen. "Well, my boss has given me permission to use you guys for this operation so man...I don't know how many men you have available that you trust" Mthoko says as he looks at his brother who takes a minute to think before saying, "Uhmm...I think I can have about 7 guys, an elite team"
This seems to please Mthoko as he nods with a smile before saying, "Alright that's great" But Siyanda quickly cuts in, "I wished I could have done more man but I needed to beef up here in the house as well. I don't want anyone coming here to use the family as leverage" he says much to Mthoko's discomfort. The last thing he wants is getting his family mixed up in all this. "No it's okay man, thanks. I think 7 men should do. The last thing we want is making a mess. We want this thing done quiet and clean" Mthoko says as he wants again looks at the faces on the screen in front of him.
"Well, let's do this then..." Bhekani says as he looks pumped up for this but Mthoko quickly cuts in, "Uhmm...my friend I'd rather you stay here and watch my family man. Besides I don't think you are healed yet...you have only had a week to rest" he says with a worried face but Bhekani won't let this one rest, "Oh come on man I need to be there on Friday" he says in protest. "Look man, you know I love your family and I'd never let anything happen to sis Lindiwe and the kids but there's enough security here to make sure nothing happens to them. Please man, let me watch your back"
Mthoko doesn't seem to know what to say to this persistence by his friend but Siyanda interjects, "Look I think we can use him" he says as he looks at Bhekani. "He will can go high and be eyes for us. We could use a sniper for this kind of mission" he says as Bhekani nods in agreement with anxious eyes. He really wants to be part of this.
Mthoko thinks for a second before saying, "Alright fine...thanks for committing yourself to this man" as he nods at Bhekani. "Okay now, these are the targets, the first 6 men are the Pakistanis I told you about" he says as he continues with the briefing. "They will be buying arms from these three gentlemen here?" he says as he turns the page on the screen. "These three are actually advisors within the Defense Department. They are representing this guy, who is actually is actually quiet a mystery to us but our intelligence suggests he is one of the advisors of the Deputy President"
This statement almost has Mthoko's men fall to the ground in shock, "What?" Siyanda shouts. "Yeah, what the hell man...Deputy President selling arms to Pakistani nationals? It's insane..." Bhekani interjects as he sits up straight. They are both so shocked right now and they understand how stakes are suddenly raised in this.
"Yeah well, it's hard to believe I know but that's politics" Mthoko says as he shrugs his shoulders. "So does the DP know that you are on to him?" Siyanda asks curiously as he looks at Bhekani who is also anxious to know. "No he doesn't" Mthoko says as he goes over to the side table to pour double of whiskey in three glasses. He comes back and give to his men and then sits on the couch next to Bhekani. "We kept this investigation very tight within a very few people. That's why I also needed people that I could trust with this and no one I trust more than you two guys" he says as he takes a huge sip.
This seems to please Bhekani and Siyanda as they both nod with a smile of gratitude. "So, will the DP also be there?" Siyanda asks as he also takes a sip of his drink. "Nah...there's no chance in hell that he will expose himself like that and I doubt his advisor, Brad Peterson will show up either." Mthoko says as he goes back to the screen with a glass in hand. "But these three men, Thulani Mpungose, Frank Terrence and Jackson Notoane will be there and will definitely be there. I'm pretty sure they will have security with them, so will the Pakistanis. There's three gentlemen are generals so we can't underestimate them"
Clearly this is raising heart rates in the room as everyone realises that it's unlike fighting Taxi turf wars but it's government at the highest level. Bhekani takes a huge sip of his drink to try and calm his nerves a bit, so does Siyanda. They are in the big leagues now. Mthoko looks at them and feels bad because he's the one who recruited them.
"So what about these Pakistanis? What do we know about them?" Bhekani asks curiously. "Uhmm...well we know about Faroukh, he is the facilitator in the deal" Mthoko says as he looks at the screen. "Unfortunately we know these men by their first names. This man here is their leader...Habib. Then we have Omar, Imkram, Rehman and Mutir who are part of the entourage...these are the men we are taking down. Hopefully, if we can avoid casualties we can learn more about this deal and how many people are involved" he says as he finishes off whatever was left on his glass.
"Well gentlemen, now let's discuss the logistics around this operation, shall we?" he says as he gives his men files to work on. From there they spend another two hours planning to the very last detail because they cannot afford to take any chances on this dangerous operation.
***
Meanwhile Faroukh is also meeting his people in preparation for the coming deal meeting. Just like Faroukh had requested, Mr. Habib and his team had been staying in the hotel not making any movements to ensure that they are not spotted by anyone. They have been anxious to get this deal done so that they can quickly go home. Faroukh himself has been uncomfortable since he now can almost be certain that Zikode has been compromised. He hasn't been able to get hold of him for days now and he doesn't really know what happened. He can't tell his people about this as that would mean the end of him as well.
"So Faroukh, is everything ready for Friday?" Habib asks with keen interest as they all sit in the hotel boardroom. "Yes Mr. Habib, I can confidently say that we are good to go" Faroukh says with a smile of assurance. "Our counterparts have confirmed the venue and time and it doesn't look like there's anything that will delay things" he says.
"Oh that's good to hear...So, what about the problem that you had last time? Is that sorted?" Omar asks curiously which seems to interest everyone else in the table as well. Well, Faroukh was actually hoping they won't ask that question because he doesn't want create any doubt. "Yes ofcourse...that glitch has been sorted, we are good to go Mr. Omar" he says as he tries to keep a straight face. It doesn't look like he has managed to convince everybody in the table as the gentlemen look at each other. However, they decided to ignore it as it won't help to dwell on it now.
"Now listen here Faroukh...anything goes wrong with this deal?...It's on your head, are we clear?" Habib says with a strong voice which makes Faroukh nervous as he forces a nervous smile. "Ofcourse Mr. Habib...but I can assure you that nothing will go wrong" he says as he takes a sip of water in front of him.
"Alright then, break it down for us...what are we from these people?" Habib asks as he also takes a sip of his tea. "Uhmm...we are getting 25 crates of M4s and ammunition, 6 crates of hand grenades, 15 grenade launchers and 15 RPGs" Faroukh says with a smile of confidence, much to everyone's excitement in the table. "Alright good...you have done great" Habib says with a smile as he looks at everyone else in the table. "Logistics? How will we get these arms out of the country?" Imkram asks curiously to which everyone nods in agreement with the questions, "Yes, we can't risk being discovered" Habib interjects.
"Uhmm...our friends were generous to also offer us three trucks that will transport our cargo to the harbor" Faroukh says with a smile but Rehman quickly cuts in, "Uhmm...and customs?" he asks as he looks at everyone else. "Uhmm...they sorted that out too. We shouldn't have a problem going through customs. We will have our ship waitimng for us there" Faroukh says as he bows. "Alright then, it looks like you have everything covered. Our flight tickets booked?" Habib interjects. "Oh yes sir, that has been sorted. Your flight will be at 18:00 from Ushaka Airport" Faroukh says with a smile.
"Alright then...here's the money. Please look after it" Mutir says with a straight face as he gives Faroukh a huge case that looks really heavy. "Yes sir" Faroukh says as he goes to open the door and calls one of his bodyguards to come in and take the case away. They wait for the man to leave the room with the case before proceeding with the meeting.
"Oh, Uhmm...just to confirm...our friends would like for all of you to be present during the deal but Mr. Habib I trust that you will be leading the talks. After I have made introductions my job will be done" Faroukh says as he bows in gratitude which can't seem to be a problem for anyone in the room as they all bow back in response.
"You have done really well Faroukh, even our people back home appreciate you" Habib says as he bows in gratitude one more time, to which Faroukh returns with a smile. "Once the cargo is received we shall then begin to talk about our operations" he says with a very serious face, to which everyone in the room nods in agreement.
***
The following day at the Sibisi house, Mthoko is with his family during breakfast and everyone is present. Since it's a holiday no one is really rushing anywhere maybe except Lindiwe and Londiwe who have to do some rounds at the businesses a little later on. So, Mthoko is seeing this as an opportunity to spend time with his family, which is something he hasn't done much lately. The coming Friday could prove to be the biggest for him so he just wants to spend quality time with his family, especially his kids who at times feel neglected by their once ever-present father.
"Hey sweetheart, when you are done over there please come join us okay? I want to talk to you all" Mthoko says with a measured smile. "Love, is everything okay?" Lindiwe asks with a somewhat worried voice but Mthoko doesn't respond but just looks at his wife and smile until Londiwe his daughter jumps in, "Yeah dad, what's going on? Is everything okay with you?" she asks curiously.
Mthoko looks at his daughter and smiles without saying anything, while waiting on the youngest daughter Mbali who was in the kitchen to come back and sit down. Suddenly this gets the attention of his son Thula as well now as he sees that this is looks kind of serious. He puts his phone down and looks at his father, who at this point is not giving much away with that straight face. "Okay dad, I'm here...what's going on?" Mbali asks as she comes to sit down next to her brother Thula. "Yeah dad, this looks a little serious it's kind of freaks me out. What's going on?" Thula asks as well as he looks across the room.
"Uhmm...no you guys I don't mean to scare you okay? It's just that I was thinking about it and I felt that I need to tell you something" Mthoko says as his face turns a little serious now. "I know I didn't talk to your mother about it first but I think it's only fair that you also know okay?" he says as he looks at his wife.
"Baby...?" Lindiwe says to her husband as she looks at him as though she's saying What are you doing? "I know baby, I should have spoken to you first..." Mthoko says with a face of regret but Londiwe jumps in quick, "Okay enough guys, what's going on? You are scaring us" she says with a worried face as she looks at her siblings who also look worried as well. "Okay look...guys, this coming Friday I have to go do something that may be dangerous but it's something that I have to do, for us" Mthoko says with a low voice which clearly confuses his kids who look at each other.
"What do you mean something dangerous?" Thula asks curiously. Mthoko takes a moment to think before saying, "Alright....uhmm...Okay, I have been investigating criminal activities within the association" as he fixes his eyes on his wife. "But it's almost most over now okay? But I have to do this one last bit okay?" he says with a half smile as he looks at his kids.
"But dad, what do you mean you are investigating? Since when did you become police?" a confused Londiwe asks as she looks at her mother who is trying hard to not show where she stands with all this. "Uhmm, sweetheart, I have been working with the police to uncover these people who are involved in criminal activities within the association" Mthoko says as he looks at his daughter. "Like, a snitch?" the young Mbali asks loud as she raises her voice a little bit but her mother looks at her as though to say hey watch your language young lady. "Well, that's another way of looking at it" Mthoko says with a half smile.
"Oh cut it out dad, okay?" Londiwe cuts in. "Just tell us what's really going on here because none of what you are saying now makes any sense, okay?" she says as she looks to her mother for back up but Lindiwe keeps quiet and looks down, which is an indication of sorts. Mthoko is trying to think of a way to say what he really wants to say but it's not that easy.
"Alright look, yes I am helping the police to uncover drug dealers within the association" he says before taking a deep sigh. "What? Drug dealers? In the association dad? Come on" a shocked Thula says as he can't believe what he's just heard. "Yes son, drug dealers" Mthoko says as he shrugs his shoulders. "Wait so why you? And what's happening this Friday?" Mbali asks as she is still in disbelief and state of discomfort about all this. "Well, uhmm...I can't really tell you why okay but it had to be me. This Friday these drug dealers are meeting to make a deal so I have to take them down...helping the police ofcourse" Mthoko says as he looks at his wife who up to this point is showing a straight face.
"But dad, can I come with you? I want to help..." Thula says with an anxious voice but his mother quickly jumps in, "Oh no, no, no sweetheart you will do no such thing alright?" Lindiwe says with a raised voice. "But why not? I've long been asking to you guys to be part of this business. I asked to join uncle Siyanda's company but you guys refused" the stubborn Thula says as he sounds defiant.
"But son, you are part of this business okay? You all are. You are all shareholders...it's just that you can't be on the operational side of things, for now" Mthoko says with a smile but it doesn't look like it's helping his grumpy son. "And you mom, did you know about all this?" an upset Londiwe asks her mother but Mthoko quickly jumps in, "Oh no, she only found out just last week sweetheart. She was in the dark just like you" he says as he wants to de-escalate the tension in the room. "So why exactly are you telling us this now?" Mbali asks as she tries to put all of this together.
"Uhmm...well princess...because, uhmm...this Friday could be dangerous. And I just wanna spend this time with you guys" Mthoko says with a rather sad tone but Londiwe quickly cuts in, "Now you see? You are scaring us dad, okay?" she says with a trembling voice. "Why must you be the one going this Friday? Why can't the police do this on their own, huh?"
This makes Mthoko a little sad as he sees how terrified his family look now. He even regrets bringing this up in the first place. When he looks at his wife she realises that she's trying hard to be strong but her eyes tell a story. The young Mbali is the one that worries him the most. Atleast Thula looks a little strong, which comforts him...but Londiwe looks just as scared. He wishes he could just tell them the whole truth about what's going on but he can't. Now he needs to find a way of assuring his family that everything is going to be okay and that he will be home for dinner on Friday night.
"Look darling...everything will be okay, alright? I just..." he says but Londiwe cuts in, "There's nothing okay about any of this dad. You, going out there to get yourself killed by those drug dealers" she says with a trembling voice as she stands up and storm out of the room. Mthoko knows better than trying to stop her. She needs a minute to process all this.
Suddenly Mbali also stands up and leave without saying anything but as Mthoko is about to say something Thula cuts in, "You should have allowed me to help you dad, you know that? I'm not just some spoiled med student kid, I'm your son and I'd do anything for you. You know that" he says with a low and disappointed voice as he also stands up and leave. Now Mthoko doesn't know what to do as he watches his kids leave the breakfast table. He was hoping this would turn out better than this. He looks very disappointed, perhaps more at himself than anything else.
He stands up and goes to the balcony to think but his wife follows him. As he looks towards the peaceful street and the fresh morning breeze brushing against his face, Lindiwe comes over and wraps her arms around his waist. "Shhh...It's going to be okay love okay? I promise" she says as she lays her head on her husband's back shoulder.
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