Tears of an African violet

by Jessica Gereaux

  Zuberi, my youngest brother, was born late in my parents’ life, and the apron strings were never cut. I was not sure my father meant for him to be here. Zaire is number three, and Faraji is number two. My father would be proud of who some of us have become. Faraji, Zaire, and I wore the finest African garbs from the Motherland. Zuberi, on the other hand, presented himself as America’s next GQ magazine cover. Right down to the gold watch, rings, chains, and sunglasses. Nothing but his accent would allude to his natural heritage. He preferred it that way, it seemed. Before Father passed away, he placed him in charge of street-level operations in America. His department had hemorrhaged money for some time. When money went missing, it was a theft from the family. We deal with thieves by cutting off their hands, and they are left to die in the desert.

  The soft spot my father had for the family only went so far. Father would never kill his own son, especially not his baby boy. If he was not my brother, he would have already been left in the desert. He was spoiled, did not listen, and spent more years at Mother’s knee than at Father’s side. Zu had not worked as hard as the rest of us. We were in the field, did valuable work as soldiers, and learned the ways of the world. He was home with his mother.

  Zaire was a mathematical genius. So naturally, Father placed him in charge of the financial department. If a dime or a stone was out of place, he knew. He was also responsible for payroll, as well as organizational expenses. Not one cent moved without his knowledge. He was also in charge of inventory reports from the world stations. Zaire stayed mainly to himself and his numbers but do not underestimate him. His temperament is unexplainable and unpredictable, to say the least. Everything in his world must be balanced, the money, the inventory, and if not, there was hell to pay. Needless to say, we know when the books are right and when they are not. There was no mercy in his eyes for anyone who stole from the family. Even though he was deceased, Zaire still thought of it as stealing from our father.

  Faraji has been in the military elite and seen more combat in the jungle than any of us. He is shrewd and calculating, so Father put him in charge of the military, security, and training. When he came home from war, I could tell my brother would never be the same. He was a part of the Elite 54, a military group that technically does not exist. It consists of the best men and women from each country in Africa. They handled the dirtiest of the dirty business of war. Trained to be invisible to the naked eye and deadlier than a snake bite. That was how well he taught our employees to protect this organization. He was also in charge of our personal armed forces. Which operated outside of the US military in Jewel City.

  I, Femi, the oldest, was in charge of the global operations and networks. I find what people most desire-mainly beautiful gems. Sometimes people sought me out to retrieve items for them, like a recovery mission. If someone stole it from you, I get it back. If you want it stolen, I do that too. People are included in this list of things recovered and lost.

  “How is it possible that every time we sit at this table, we have to resolve one of your many problems? Zuberi, you cost the family money. I hate to lose money,” The bass in my Tanzanian accent filled the room.

  “Femi, I assure you that we have the problem under control. We will recover the money and deal swiftly with the rat,” Zuberi shot back, his accent heavy, his voice not as strong.

  “Do not listen to his lies. He says that every time and he is back at it again,” Faraji said.

  “I personally do not need you bringing up old things, big brother. I have righted every one of my wrongs, have I not?” Zuberi leaned back in his seat.

  “There should not be any wrongs made, Zu. You cost the family money, and that makes you a disgrace,” Zaire tapped his finger on the table.

  “A disgrace? You call me, your baby brother, a disgrace? Eh, Femi, please listen to me. I have it worked out, and I will return what we lost. Give me some time,” Zu stood to leave.

  “Where do you think you are going?” I asked.

  “I have work to do. I can not do business sitting here gawking at your ugly mugs, now can I?”

  He pointed at each of us and flashed that million-dollar smile. Zaire’s teeth grinding grew louder, and Faraji grunted in disgust.

  “Sit down,” I pointed to his seat. “There are too many mistakes. We do not lose money, and we damn sure do not lose gems. Zaire, pull up the reports, please?”

  “In the third quarter, there was an asset loss from the American fence system. Market value untouched is an estimated five million in cash. Now, I don’t know how you figure you can cover this debt on your own,” Zaire said in a smug tone.

  “Zaire, I did not say I planned to cover it myself. I am going to get the jewels and the money back. Do not worry, brothers; a plan is already in the works. Everything will work out,” He smiled.

  His smile melted my father’s heart. None of us cared about that smile.

  “Femi, as the head of this table, I respect your restraint. I, however, do not share your sentiment. Loose ends bring down empires, and he is becoming a loose end,” Faraji narrowed his eyes at Zuberi.

  “Faraji, you call me a loose end? I would never bring our family down. Now, I said I would fix it, and I will. From the bottom to top,” He changed to a serious tone.

  “What I do know, Zu, is that this time you can not charm your way out. Mother is not giving you any more money. We are not extending you any more credit,” I paced as I spoke, “Father isn’t here to save you-”

  “I do not need father to save me! I said I will fix this, damn it!” Zu pounded his fist on the table.

  In a few steps, I closed the gap between us. Nose to nose and eye to eye. Beads of sweat formed on the bridge of his nose. I pulled him up out of his seat slowly by his lapels and peered into his soul; I saw nothing. He must have felt it because he broke my gaze and looked away. I took a step back.

  “I am not your father, Zu. You would not raise your voice to him, and you will not raise it to me. You will respect me. Simply, last chance, Zu,” I stepped back and walked over to the window.

  If it was a way to talk himself out of it, he would try. Zu always had to explain. He stood next to me.

  “Big brother, what are you saying?” He tried to put his hand on my shoulder.

  I moved it, quickly wrapped my arm around his shoulder, and spun him until he faced the window.

  “Out there, you are a king among men. Everyone would trade their bloodline for yours. Here you are a prince among kings. If you ever want to be a great leader, you must do better,” I squeezed his shoulder in between his neck and collar bone until his knees buckled under the pain.

  “Femi, please. I promise you, I will get it all back,” he went down to his knees.

  “Go get my things,” I released his shoulder.

  Zuberi rubbed his shoulder as he stood. He glared at the other brothers in the room before he stormed out. His spectacle was akin to that of a six-year-old tantrum. If an old mother was here, he would have gotten a few hard swats on his backside and upside his head.

  “What are you going to do with him, Femi? He is getting more out of control,” Faraji spoke up first.

  “I am not going to do anything with him. He is going to do it himself. Zuberi’s problem is he thinks he is smarter than the Americans,” I said simply.

  “Zu is smarter than most Americans. I do not understand,” Faraji said quickly.

  “He may be more educated than them. However, he does not know the streets or understand money to the degree they do. He rules them with the fear of us. The Americans would have you believe you are something you know you are clearly not.”

  “You should let me handle him now. He will be a loose end we can’t afford. But, blood or not, the elders would have moved swiftly,” Faraji spoke with venom in his voice.

  “If the Tanzanites do not stand behind Zu, he is alone with no protection. We do not have the luxury for our reputation to appear weak at any time,” I told Faraji calmly.

  “You are going to
lead him to death. Father did not teach you that philosophy. If you leave him, he will surely die,” Zaire cleared his throat.

  “Our baby brother is leading himself to his own death. He is lackadaisical in his ways that will be his downfall. His people seem to neither respect nor fear him. If they did, these mistakes would not continue to happen. This is the only way he is going to learn,” I said in complete confidence.

  “He is a prince in this family. You think Mother would not have our heads if she knew we let something happen to him? Eh, you are crazy,” Zaire sucked his teeth.

  “She is your mother. Ask yourself this Zaire: Would he do the same for you? Would he be able to put you, his bloodline, above the money and fame? He would not think twice about saving his own life first.”

  “How the hell do you know?” Zaire asked with an attitude.

  Faraji and I eyed each other. Zaire did not understand. I was in no mood to explain.

  “Father was a brave and smart man. He trusted us to lead this organization. We have to do our best to bring it into the future. We have to do something about him now, make him understand what is really at stake. Then, maybe we can turn him around,” I tried to be hopeful.

  “You better not let mother hear any of this. She would surely have our heads if she knew we left him alone. If anything happens to Zu, her wrath is not one I want to incur,” Zaire exhaled loudly.

  “If she finds out, it will be because you told her. Are you still stuck on wanting to be the baby, Zaire?” Faraji teased him.

  “She will not hear it from me. I have a business meeting to attend. If it goes well, we will have a new fleet of aircraft for import and export,” He gathered his laptop and left.

  “If mother does find out, you know it will be him, right?” Faraji asked soon as the door closed

  “He has not changed in all these years. However, there is something I need for you to put personal detail on.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “We are going to teach Zu a lesson and not leave him. Follow me.”

  I walked to the elevators and rode up to a few floors. We walked into a suite that had been transformed from several suites to one big security wing. It was controlled by the tech team and watched every inch of this hotel like it was the bank of the world. My whole family lived there. There could be no slips or breeches. I unlocked a door in the back of the suite that led to another smaller suite. Nothing was in here but monitoring equipment. I flipped the screen on, and there she was. She changed the whole dynamic of the problem.

  “Is that who I think it is?” he asked.

  “The one and only.”

  “How? How did you manage to get her, of all people?” he rubbed his chin in thought.

  “She is not for sale. She is for ransom.”

  “Ransom? What the hell?”

  “She was not who I wanted, but she is the icing on the cake.”

  “Again, how the hell did you get her? She did not come with you because of your good looks, brother.” He shoved my arm.

  “She was in the wrong car at the wrong time, and that is that.”

  “You have to give me more than that.”

  “I have already solved Zuberi’s problem, and there she is. She is even better than the intended target.”

  “How does she solve his problem? She is not on the same level. She is far beyond his level of work. Do you know how well someone will pay for her?” His eyes shined.

  “She is not for sale! However, suppose something does happen to her. In that case, I will hold you personally responsible and deal with you accordingly,” I was dead serious.

  “You threaten your own brother behind this American woman. Who is crazy, you or Zuberi?”

  “She has done a lot of work for us, and for that, she has earned her life. But, make no mistake, they are searching for her as we speak.”

  “Then what do you need me for? She seems perfectly safe right here.”

  “I took a risk bringing her here. Take her to the officers’ barracks; she is to be under 24-hour detail.”

  “You want me to put her in the middle of our army? Putting everyone at risk?”

  “You mean to tell me a whole army can not protect her?” I side-eyed him.

  “I am not easily insulted like Zuberi or Zaire. On the contrary, I stand behind my soldiers 100%.” He nodded his head in confidence.

  “Do it and keep her out of sight. Move her at midnight tonight. She is the insurance to get everything back. A calculated risk, very calculated.”

  “Then why did you let Zu walk out of here? You knew he would not be able to fix this. What tricks do you have up your sleeve?” a greedy smile crossed his face.

  “He needs to fix this, and I want to see how he will handle himself. I hope for his sake he starts thinking like a leader. I understand they buried her a couple of days ago,” I smiled.

  “A leader? Eh, Zu could not lead sugar ants with sugar. He should not even be in charge of the American operation, but father knew best.”

  “Do you know why father put him in charge of the American operation? Not because he was smart enough to handle it. Father basically ran it under Zu’s nose while still focused on global operations.”

  “He knew Zu would always need protection. Father never ceases to amaze me.”

  “He knew she would kill him over her baby boy, especially after Zion. Over time Zu grew to think he was running everything. It was Father staying a step ahead of him. Hence…her,” I pointed at the monitor.

  “You are truly your father’s son. You have solved his problem before him?”

  “To some degree. Zu needs to figure it out on his own. But, if he happens to make his way back to me as he figures it out, I am in no fear of him.”

  “I do not, however, think he will figure it out. So I will have her moved at midnight. If I can’t touch her, how do I move her?” he raised an eyebrow.

  “I have a meeting with a British consul. Have the ladies take charge on the move. She is to be treated properly and kept out of sight. She is smart. It would not be hard for her to figure out where she is,” I patted him on his shoulder and turned the screens off.

  “I promise no harm will come to her,” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked out of the suite. I relocked the door.

  “I’ll leave you to your work,” I took the elevator down to my meeting.

  Chapter 3

  The Young Prince

  -Zuberi-

  When I was in the hot seat the last time, I had a couple of my international girlfriends pay four million dollars. My brothers thought I was a fool. Femi assumed he was my father; I could not stand him. Older brother or not, it is not my fault they saved the best for last. He would not put his hands on me again. Faraji would kill me without a second thought. They always thought they could treat me like some baby. He left me in charge, and I was going to handle business. I jumped in my white Mercedes C Class and sped out of the parking garage. Who were they to say I was not a king among my people? Huh? Who, the hell, were they?

  “Cian! Everybody better be there when I get there!” I pulled onto the freeway.

  “I will make sure everyone is there. When will you get here?”

  I hung up on him and floored the gas pedal. My car accelerated up the on-ramp, pushed it to 80, and sped down the freeway towards the warehouse. So much was going through my mind. I knew for sure- I could not lose face to my brothers if it was the last thing I did. Femi thought he was a better man, but he was no better than me. He and my brothers thought they could run my life. I was Zuberi, the fourth son of Amare and Akinyi, great by birth. When I pulled up to the warehouse, I grabbed my gun, tucked it in the small of my back, went up the steps, and ran right into Cian.

  “Is everyone here?” I walked towards the room.

  “You need to calm down before you go in there,” Cian said as he tried to calm me down.

  “What the hell do you mean, calm down!? Do you know what the fuck I have been through
this morning!? Calm down, my ass!” I spun on my heels and walked quickly to the room.

  I busted in the doors, and the room went eerily silent. Every eye was on me. Each of them dropped their heads as my gaze met theirs. They could see the fire in my eyes. Pissed was an understatement; they were about to feel it. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I reached into the cigar box on my desk, clipped the end, and lit it. A few puffs calmed me a bit and blew out the smoke. I paced the floor, cigar in hand.

  “One of your branches lost my family five million. Five... Some of you wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of money,” A laugh escaped my lips before I realized it, “When the hell did you bastards get so damn sloppy?! HUH?!” I used my fist to hit my desk.

  The room stayed silent, and each man stared at me.

  “Anyone care to tell me how in the hell you lose five million in jewels to a fucking street hustler? My family has run this organization for generations. My father put his blood, sweat, and tears into it. I will not let you assholes mess up my family name!”

  “With all due respect, the family has not been the same since your father passed. God rest his soul. However, yelling at everyone in here isn’t going to solve your problem,” a voice from the back chimed in.

  “I don’t appreciate the contempt in your voice, Rohand. Speak your mind if there is something you feel you need to say,” I gritted my teeth.

  “I did not mince words. I can personally assure you the loss did not come from my branch of this fragile infrastructure.”

  Rohand lifted his head and revealed his steel eyes under his hat. A bounty hunter out of the wild west circa the 1900s was the best way to describe him. His eyes held a fire that burned right below the surface. It left an air of mystery around him. He pushed himself off the wall and walked to the window.