INCLINATION

CHAPTER 23 | Please Don't

HLANGA.

“ Tell them what?” I stand and looked at all of them. Charlotte looks at Andile. She’s ready to open her mouth and sing for me and she will once she knows what I have in-store for her.
“ I want to know where he buried my body" Don quietly says. This man has been through a lot because of Andile and Charlotte.

I stare at Andile who looks down like a coward that he is. “ You owe him that much Andile. Just tell the man where you buried his father" 
He keeps quiet. I look at Don. “ Maybe you should also kill his father you know. An eye for an eye since he refuses to give you closure"
My father looks at me shocked. “ You don’t mean that son. I k ow I have wronged you but you can’t let Don kill me"

“ Why the hell not?”
“ Because he’s your father!”
“ Shut the hell up Siyanda! Who said you can open your mouth and talk! Mdakane should have killed you ”
“ Don’t speak to my mother like that!” Andile shouts. I laugh.
I walk towards him the crouch down so I could look at him, face to face “ Or what? What will you do little boy?” he huffs. “ I have so many exciting things in-store for you and you are going to love each and everyone of them"

“ Hlanga, Please. Don’t hurt my son, I’m begging you" his mother begs for him. Pathetic.
“ Who’s idea was it to forge my signature? Was it you baba or your and son?”
They keep quiet and I’m getting upset. I’m losing my patience. “ Do you think the four of you being here is a joke? Somebody better start talking because I’m about to lose my shit!”
“ Son, it wasn’t supposed to be that way but I had no choice.”
“ You had no choice but to involve your other son too in your illegal shenanigans? You were forces to use my name baba? Do you the shit you have involved me in? Do you know what could happen to my career if this gets out? I’ll be fucken ruined!”
“ I had no choice. I had to save your brother or they were going to kill him”
“ Why am I not surprised dad? It’s always him, about him and everything else that involves him. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt in the process as long as Andile gets what he wants and is always safe. Tell me everything. The how, why and where. I need to know"

I am so disappointed in my father. I forgave him before when he betrayed me by lying to me about Mdakane and giving the woman I love to my little brother because he has always been a spoiled brat who gets what he wants. I could have cut him out of my life then but I couldn’t cause I always worry about him and the things Andile is up to. The fact that I never knew what they were doing, hiding it behind my back pisses me the hell off.

“ It started 6 years ago when I got a call from someone I didn’t know. He told me to come and get my son before he kills him and gave us the address. His mother and I rushed there and son, I could juts see that those people were not to be messed with. Andile and his friends were beaten up badly.

Andile and his friends stole drugs from his friend who later told his boss. The set a trap for them where they were going to sell the drugs and they were beaten up so bad. They wanted to kill them but then your brother told them that we have money and will pay any price they asked in exchange for his life.

I could only manage to take the R300k that was in our safe  I the house. We gave the guy the money and I promised him that Andile will never steal from him again and he let us go after he killed his two friends to make an example for him. We kept it from you.

Six months later, the same guy walks in our offices. I was shocked and I thought Andile crossed this man again but it wasn’t it. Apparently he had been keeping taps on Andile, the whole family and you. I don’t know how he found out that you were his brother  and an agent.

Hlanga, I didn’t want to involve you and I wish I never did. I wish I could have changed another of things but it was already too late and I knew that when the day comes and you finally know the truth, you were going to hate me.”
I just stare at this man I considered my father, a man who loves but no. He has always loved Andile more, more than my sister and me.

“ He framed Andile for the murders of his two friends. He showed me the evidence and told me that he was going to go to the cops and tell them it was your brother unless I I something for him. They needed you and your connections to make sure that all their packages pass through customs without being checked. All I had to do was convince you give you papers that you will sign. Papers that will have your signature to present them when packages arrive at the airport or any border gate so they  can pass through without being checked.

He knew your rank Hlanga, he knew you weren’t just any other agent but high up there and you have the power to make things happen. If I do that then he will bury the evidence” He keeps quiet.

I take a deep breath. “ You trusted that man over me? You knew very well that I could have handled the situation before it would have gotten out hand but instead you chose to involve me and not come to me to ask for help?”

“ I told him that I won’t involve you and there was no way you were going to sign anything without reading it. I refused but he warned me that he kill your sister, her child, your mother, Aya and Emy if I didn’t do this. He knows about all of us. I couldn’t risk your lives and I knew you wouldn’t sign. He gave me three days to make sure I get  your signature then Andile came up with a plan on how we can get it. He knew someone who was a forger then I got hold of the company documents that had your signature and he perfectly forged it.

We gave him the papers and true to his word, he kept quiet and I didn’t ask what he was transport until one day when he asked us to meet. We met at the hotel and he told us that he was in need of something. He told us if we get it for him them he will give us a R2m for it. When we asked what is it that he needed and when he said a human heart. We knew, we knew that he was into trafficking human body parts and selling them in the back market.

From then we just went deeper into business with that man, got more money and it’s bad son. Anything he wanted we made sure we get it because the pay was crazy. We used the business to clean his dirty money. The drugs money, trafficking and all those things. We would use your signature on the documents because it was safer that way. If the cops found out, they wouldn’t touch it because it has your name. That’s how we got involved"

I sit down because I feel weak. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my father hates me this much. The door opens then Phil and Tiago walk in with Charlotte’s brother Tate. He looks like a mess, I guess he gave the trouble and they had to get him in line. Charlotte’s face goes pale when she sees him. They throw him down.
“ Who was the first forger before Tate took over pretending to be me?...”

“ They made me do it Sir, I swear I didn’t want to but Andile and Charlotte forced me Sir…”  I look at Nickel, he gives me a gun.
“ You should have said no but because you love money you agreed. Didn’t they tell you who the fuck I am?”

He shakes his head no and begins to cry. I look at Charlotte’s eyes as I empty all the bullets on her brothers body. She screams and cries. I look at Siyanda, my step mother. I hate this woman with everything that I am.
“ Do you have anything to say?”
“ Please Hlanga, what about Zonke, she needs me. Don’t kill me please” she sounds pathetic.

“ Son, please. Don’t kill my wife. I beg you. She didn’t know about…”.
“ Lies! She knew everything they were doing. She was always there plotting and scheming behind your back Hlanga" Charlotte screams.

“ Just like you Charlotte, you were also there. How else would you have known about all of it"
She cries “ Hlanga….its me Charlotte. The one who made sure that Emy got on that plane that day and came to you. I convinced her to go and see you so she could explain. You know I was always team Emy and Hlanga. I know I have done Emy wrong but the one thing I did right was to always remind her to fight for you and not give up"

“ That’s because you wanted Andile for yourself. You weren’t doing all those things for her, but for you Charlotte. Your brother is dead because you chose to involve yourself in Andile’s life. This man doesn’t love you Charlotte. He loves people whom he can control and manipulate. How many things have you done for him huh? You have killed, fucked any man and scammed people too. All in the name of pleasing Andile. You’re about to die for him, is it worth it?”

She furiously shakes her head and tries to wipe her tears. “ Please don’t kill me Hlanga, look Don I will show you where he buried…”
“ Shut the hell up you stupid piece of sh*t!”  Andile screams.
“ No! I’m done. I’m not going to die for you. Don I know where he buried your father, I’ll take you there. Hlanga, I know where he also…”

Andile gets up and jumps on Charlotte and tries to choke her with the cuffs on his hands. The chain around his ankles is long that’s why he was able to jump on her. She screams and the only thing I can see is Emy in her space. Andile is an animal, a cold blooded killer who had no conscience whatsoever. Humudi jumps on Andile and they fall. Nickel drags Charlotte away.

Humudi stares at Andile and smiles. “ So that’s what turns you on? Beating women up gets your duck hard huh?. Well let’s see if you’ll  put your hands on me…” She punches him on the face and he staggers, he didn’t see it coming. Before he cam make his next move. She kicks him on his head and he falls flat on his ass and groans.
“ Take off his cuffs,  I want a real fight"
“ You’ll get your fun later, not now”
“ But boss? I want to take out all my childhood traumas on him" I look at her.
“ Fine!” she’ll kill him.

Charlotte is sobbing, drenched with her brothers blood. Andile is groaning and his parents are quiet like they are not even there.
“ Continue Charlotte”

“ Zonke's baby daddy that walked out on her? He didn’t. Andile killed him because he was cheating on Zonke. He buried her at his first house before they moved with Emy. Don’s father's body is also there. His mother knows about what happened to Zonke's baby daddy.”
“ Siyanda? You knew, this whole time and you never Saud anything?” My father asks her and she just cries.

“ See the woman you married father. See the son that you love so much. Do you see your fucked family? You should be happy because you married my mother’s killer and she gave birth to a killer. What does that say about you?”
“ Hlanga, I loved your mother and how she died was an accident. It wasn’t Siyanda's fault.”
“ Do you hate me this much baba for you to even do something evil to me like this?. Is there anything I haven’t done for you? Haven’t I made you proud?”
“ Son, how could I hate you when I love you more than my own life"

“ Love? You don’t know what that is. I forgave you for everything wrong you did to me because you were the only parent I have left in this world. Not my aunts and her husband but they have been parent to me more than you have ever been. You didn’t care what was going to happen to me if my bosses get hold of this. You baba, the one who’s supposed to make sure that I’m always protected. You don’t deserve to be called baba by me. And you never will hear me utter those words because you are dead to me.

You are going to tell Zonke what Andile did to your grandchild’s father. You are going to tell her the whole truth, everything and the when you’re done. You are going to stay the hell away from my sister. Do you understand me?”
“ Gwabini, please. I beg you. I can’t….”
“ Listen here, you don’t have a choice. This is the only option  you have if you want to live. The only reason I’m not going to kill you is her because she loves you bur after she finds out everything. I want you to live your whole life knowing that your two children hate you more than anything in this world. You are dead to them”

He cries and I don’t feel sorry for him. I loathe him and I wish he was never my father.
“ Stand her up" They stand Charlie up, then I cock my head towards Siyanda and they stand her also up.
“ Hlanga don’t kill her. Please” he begs me again.
“ She’s my mother Hlanga, you can’t kill her. She did nothing wrong to you. If you want to kill someone then kill me!” Andile screams.

“ Who must die first between the two of you?” They both call out each other’s names.
“ If I were to give you a gun to shoot one of these three, who would you shoot?”
“ I would shoot…” Nickel  gives her the gun.
“ Use it wisely because it’s going to be your only chance to save your life"
She takes it, points it at Siyanda. I expected her to point it at her husband. That would have saved her from the horror she’s about to face.
“ Are you really going to let her shoot my wife Hlanga!”

“ Kill her or I kill you" Humudi points the gun at her head. She’s shaking like a leaf but her hands are grabbing that gun tight. “ Kill het and make sure she’s dead"
Siyanda screams, begs Charlotte not to kill her but she pulls the first trigger and shoots her at her arm. My father screams tries to go to his wife but Phil points the gun at him, then she rains them all on her until the gun is empty. The look on Andile's face is priceless. He didn’t believe that Charlotte will actually kill her. Silent tears fall down his face. Now he knows what pain is.

I look at Tiago. “ Her body will go to the morgue so my father can bury her. You know what to do with this one.” He nods.
“ You will pay for this Hlanga! You will pay for killing my mother!”
“ No, it’s time that you paid for all the pain you have caused so many people. You lied to our sister, watched her cry knowing very well that you killed the man she loved and your mother knew and lied to her too. She deserved to die for killing my mother and our aunts child.

I kept quiet for a very long time, protected you Andile from her but her clutches on you were so deep I couldn’t get them out. You were a good person once upon a time but the day you killed our cousin. All of that changed and your parents protected you instead of taking you straight to the police and telling them the truth. You got worse after that and you have never been the same.

Your father is going to have to live with all these things. All alone with nothing and no one to love him or care about him. He deserves it and you will be locked up where you are never going to see the light of day or the darkness of the night. You will be all alone with just your thoughts and no one to talk to.

Charlotte is crying and I don’t feel sorry for her at all. The other guys walk in the room and they take Charlotte’s brother’s body. “ its time" I tell them. Tiago walks to Andile and injects a syringe in him. He’ll wake up at his new home. They put him inside the body bag.
“ Nickel, Tiago, go with them. You know what to do and make sure there are no mistakes, I’m right behind you.” They nod

“ Where are you taking him, son?”
“ Don’t Your ever call me that. You can join him if you want"
He shakes his head. He looks so weak, old and down like his world has just ended. It did end.
“ I want his name. Who is he?”
“ Hlanga"
“ I can kill you right now and let your housekeeper find your bodies. Or I could just make you disappear from the face of the earth. Who is he?”
“ It’s Kevin Gama”
“ The notorious criminal”
“ Yes, it’s him"

“ It’s not him. Kevin is just an errand boy. His boss is the big fish. You have put the lives of those I love in more danger than I have imagined. Mdakane needs to know that his daughter might be targeted by their enemy who’s my enemy now. Mdakane will hate me more than he already does because of the shit you put me through.”
“ But Kevin said…”

“ He fucken lied to you, for years and like the fool you are, you fell for it. If only you trusted me, you would still have your precious family.”
“ I know that now, if I could….”
“ It’s too late Makhoba. It’s fucken late.”
“ Boss…”
“ Kahle Nikki. Charlotte, we are going to go to Andile’s old house and show us where the bodies are…”
My phone rings. I pull it out

“ Boss…”
“ What is it Nikki?”
“ Uhm, answer your phone”
I tap on it. “ Vino?”
“ Boss, you need to come home…”
“ Is my family okay?”
“ We have just left the farm because …”
“ What the hell do you mean you have just left Vino?”
“ You mother and some women including your sisters are here. They have just thrown Emy’s clothes out and….”
“ Take Emy to my house in the city and make sure she doesn’t leave and they are safe. I’ll be there soon.”

I hang up and sigh. It seems like all I said fell on deaf ears. They want to see a side of me they have never seen and they will regret it because I warned them.