Lady Black and the mysterious creature of the night

Chapter 13

Zukisani, in his office, looked into the list he had received from Mpho. The list contained names of kids who held weaponry for Tiger. It was always Zukisani’s dream to take down the Lantern Brothers. The Lantern Brothers were the biggest and most powerful g**g in the community, they even infiltrated the police system and they had some control over the economy of the community. Basically, they were a threat to many. Finding this little information, Zukisani felt like he had made a break through. Zukisani always thought that by taking down their leader, Eagle, then automatically the entire group would collapse. With that idea, he secretly collaborated with the Great Black in that she would defeat Eagle and hand him over to him. However, Eagle was never handed over to Zukisani, instead Eagle was captured by Gama. Atop all that, the group kept going. Looking into that, Zukisani found that Eagle’s brother, Tiger, was the one keeping the group alive. Now, he had embarked on a new quest to take down Tiger. Zukisani hunted the kids down one by one in hopes that he would find the, alleged, firearms they hid for Tiger. Zukisani was sworn to secrecy, and so, by that he had to work alone.

Delilah, The Destroyer of Kings, had already wormed her way to Richie’s heart with her undeniable beauty and charm. She had captured the man’s attention. Now she had to milk it. “Tell me about your other businesses. I mean anything outside of these walls,” she said.

“Well, you know. I’m mostly here and there.”

He did seem secretive and, she knew then that her red dress and her natural appeal were only enough to lure him in. Now, she had to gain his trust. “No, no, darling. What is here and there?” she did try to keep her voice seductive even through her annoyance. She hated that he was constantly avoiding letting her in.

“Is this an interrogation?”

“Might you be hiding something…kind sir?”

“Who are you?”

Now, Delilah got back to her senses. She had to smoothen things over again. She caressed him and whispered a few nothings into his good ear. She opened another bottle, she thought maybe he was more loose-tongued when drunk.

The room was bustling with celebratory noises as always. This was a place where ‘big guns’ of the town hung around. It was open in the nights only and in the day, each one would revert to their daily jobs to make even more money. This place was considered heaven for the rich, a play-ground and a safe space. Delilah had infiltrated this world by the taking on a personality of a rich and confident woman. She was mystery to all of them and they did wonder who she may had been. They did try to get the answers out of her but she meticulously managed to turn topics around and make them all about them.

The entire bottle was empty, and still Richie was not drunk. Delilah wanted to reach for another bottle but she remembered to be subtle. She had picked up that Richie was beginning to be suspicious of her and with that, she cancelled the idea of another bottle. It was all left to her charm all over again. The woman felt she had no more ideas now. Her last tactic was just to stick around a bit more and maybe, he may let loose at some point. On the note of sticking around, far into the crowd Delilah saw someone familiar. It was Kgaukgelo Gama, the oldest son and an heir of Gama’s legacy. He had been starring at her the whole time. Delilah began to wonder if he recognized the resemblance she had with Aggie, the errand girl at his home. “Excuse me,” said Delilah as left Richie’s couch.

Richie was sad to see her go. He was aware of the l**t in all the men and lesbians in the room for her. It was his hope to keep her only to himself. Curious to see where she was headed, he leaned forward and watched disappear into the crowd. It was consolation, however, knowing that she was not done for the night as she actually left her purse with him. He knew she would come back to him and for that reason, he waited.

“You have a strange way of capturing a girl’s attention,” Kgaukgelo heard a woman’s voice. It was a modulated voice which came clear and pleasant to his ears. It was classical and charming, almost seductive. She would gently intonate her voice and lengthen some vowels. Her voice hit him like a siren. He turned and saw the astounding woman draped in red. He could almost leap to a fall at her feet. Her beauty was rare to him. Her confidence intimidated him and thrilled him at the same time. He almost choked on his drink and lost his composure. However, this was not the first time he’d spoken to a girl. He remained calm while she kept a stern gaze in his eyes. “I could see you staring from a distance, from the corner of my eye and I just had to bring myself over.”

“I am pretty sure I’m not the only one staring,” he found himself following her to the bar. They slouched to the stools that were firmly rooted on the floor at the bat-tender’s counter. He ordered her a drink; he knew the drill.

“Oh, but you stood out alright. There’s something in your eye… Ow, I see it. It glistens and it… Thank you,” she said to the bar-tender as he placed her drink in front of her. Kgaukgelo was left wanting to hear more, he had never been praised before. He had never been praised by a stunning woman before. He hoped she would continue where she left off. “So, what do I call you?” she, instead, asked after a quick sip of her drink.

“Gama,” said he wanting a reaction from her. She gave him none, almost as if not interested and completely naïve of his clan. “Kgaukgelo Gama. You are?”

“Call me Delilah,” she reached out her hand for a handshake but instead, he planted a kiss on her soft knuckles. She knew she got him then. This man was soon to be the heir to Gama’s legacy. Delilah had long wanted a chance into that legacy. It was amazing how things were turning out. Maybe, Karabo was meant get abducted because without that happening then Delilah would still be waiting for her summon. Delilah had not planned out how she would deal with this man, she never anticipated that they would meet like this. For that reason, she kept to her default plan—to entice him. He began telling her about all his achievements and she encouraged him with a listening ear.

Later in the evening, she had managed to ditch Kgaukgelo. She knew she had to keep her time with him short and in that, he would look forward to meeting her again. Richie found Delilah at the balcony. This is was surprising for her as Richie almost never left his cosy corner above the stairs. “I’d been looking for you,” Richie said handing her a snacking saucer and she only took from it, a grape—she tossed it in her mouth. She was watching the distant stars. She had a serene composure about her, almost as though she was peace-minded. Richie stared for that moment and adoring the wonder that had popped into his dull world.

Richie was a businessman and had no family at all. His standards were too high, he would not bed with just any woman. He was very protective of his energy, he especially avoided intimacy. He’d always believed that there was no-one trustworthy enough in the world and that did affect his attachment styles—he was, in fact, very detached. He was a cliché story of a boy having been raised by a sober, single and abusive father. Growing up, he was always kept alienated from the outside world. He was kept away from his talents and interests. As a result, now an adult, Richie still failed to break out of the mental chains and reach out to people. In fact, establishing the club was his attempt at building not only alliances but also, strong bonds and relationships. However, his big flaw was staying cooped up in his corner up the stairs all night long while his guests mingled amongst themselves. Now, there stood a beauty before him, and he felt some urge to not let her go. She was the first woman in his 42 years of life that actually provoked an interest in him.

“At this point I miss my old friend,” she heard him say. “He was a real one. The only person who understood me, and he shared in my ideas and views.” It was odd for Richie too, to find himself saying anything personal about himself.

“Where is he now? Oh, don’t tell me he died, you poor thing!”

“No. No, he’s actually alive. Well, I hope he still is. He’s confined somewhere I cannot reach. The mighty bird is caged in some underground.”

“Ow, you mean Eagle? I have heard stories in the streets.”

Now, they sat at the small table on the balcony, “What have you heard? Any new word in the street?”

“Oh, I only hear of his brother lately—”

She had been trying to get him to mention Tiger all night long and finally, it was happening. “Tiger.”

“Yes, that’s the name I heard. I hear he’s deceived his brother. He partnered with Gama to take down the Eagle. Oh, I hate that man! Tiger, that is. For a long time, I had dedicated my life to hating Gama for what he did to those villagers that he burned mercilessly but now, I harbour more resentment for his companion whose dived into recruiting young people to do his biddings.”

“What biddings?”

“Now, now, darling. You tell me and I tell you.”

He did want to back down but this was a scoop. Possibly, a scoop that might help him find and free his friend, he thought, “All I know is that, Eagle had suspicions on his brother. On his last days here in my den, he mentioned something about a painful betrayal from his brother and KK joining in the takedown. Eagle was… Eagle is a very forgiving man. His brother always cheated him but Eagle still kept him under his wing. This time surely, he has done it. Oh, I have to find Eagle.”

“But what if you first take out the obstacle?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t be so half-witted. Take out Tiger before you can find Eagle. That way, when Eagle comes back, he will be forever safe.”

“I don’t know if you were listening, Eagle forgave his brother through everything, and so I don’t think he would appreciate me switching him off. That would be the end of our friendship. Eagle is the only family I have.”

“Of course, I never meant to switch him off. Send him to the cage…”

“Cage?”

She rolled her eyes, “Police! Haven’t you heard that the Lantern empire is soon to collapse? Word has it, police may be looking to find firearms distributed to young people by Tiger.”

“Well, why haven’t they arrested the man?”

“The man is in camouflage. The police have turned the community upside down searching for him and he is nowhere near their reach. Moreover, one of the youngsters has gone missing for days now.”

“Atrocious!”

“Exactly. I only wonder where he may had taken the little boy.”

“You know, he had been spotted dragging some teenage boy into KK's house. Maybe, you and I are talking of the same youngster.”

“Are you sure it was not Innocent, his nephew?"

"Hm-hum. I hear it was different boy."

“Ow my god! That’s what I thought,” she cheered. She was leaving now. She planted a gentle kiss on Richie and she left. She knew that she would come back again, hence she had to leave on good terms with Richie.