BLACK WIDOW

Nenrot walks into the bar, accompanied by her bodyguards, two stern-looking, and very fit men.

Nenrot is a light-skinned drop dead gorgeous woman with flesh in all the right places. As usual, almost every head turns to admire her upon her entry. She goes to sit at the bar, oblivious to the appreciative looks.

Her bodyguards take their positions beside her on each side. She orders a whisky and downs it in one gulp. She motions for another and is served almost immediately.

She sips her drink and takes out her phone to make a call. "Hi, Sheila, hope you haven't forgotten our discussion."

Sheila responds at the other end of the call, "trust me, you know I always deliver."

"Okay, then, see you later."

Nenrot checks the time on her diamond-pleated wristwatch and swears quietly.

"What is wrong with them? They ought to be here by now." She is about to make a call when three people enter. Olu, Kayode, and Kenny.

Greetings are exchanged, and business is introduced almost immediately.

Nenrot turns to the men, "what took you so long?"

Kayode shakes his head. "We are not all that late. You know the situation of the country. We had to wait patiently in traffic for over 3 hours before we could get here."

"In the event that I left the handling of the business over to you, is that how you are going to run it?"

"It's not like that."

Nenrot calls out to a waitress for another drink and begins to sip it this time. Come and share drinks with me."

They all shake their heads and politely thank her.

"Now, I want to know which one of you has been talking to NDLEA. I have my contacts there, and I would find out sooner or later."

The three men exchange glances and deny simultaneously.

"Okay, then. I just wanted you to know, I would come down hard on the guilty party. That aside, how is the business end of things?"

Olu is the first to give his report, "everything is running smoothly, and I'm happy to tell you that demands keep pouring in. I fear we might not be able to keep up at this rate. It's good news though. Matter of fact, I have a meeting scheduled with one of our biggest competitors for our services."

Nenrot smiles satisfactorily, "it's good news indeed. No matter how much the orders get, we have to always deliver though. Okay, Kenny, let's have it, how is it going at your end?"

Kenny beams and takes a bow, "it couldn't be better. Everything is running smoothly. The entire operation is rock solid. You know our style is different, our clients just can't get enough of us. Nothing beats quality, you know?"

"That's good to know. How about you, Kayode?"

Kayode claps his hands together in excitement, "I woke up with pains in my fingers because business was that good. It was orders and payments non-stop. I have to tell you, mama, the business has never been better. "

Nenrot nods. "just what I needed to hear. I guess it's safe to admit that all our zones are reporting the same thing. I hope you have been diligent in keeping your underlings in the strictest form of check. We can't have anyone going crazy on us."

The three men all nod their heads in confirmation.

"Alright then, I expect to see the reports on my table as soon as possible. There's another reason why I called this meeting, I want to change our shipping routes."

Kayode is the first to speak, "why, mama? We've had no issues with the routes. It's safe and tight."

"I agree with Kayode, changing our routes might affect the perfect setup of our distribution chain," Kenny says, receiving approving nods from his comrades.

"I am aware of all that, but remember I told you someone has been talking to NDLEA. We need to take precautions and change tactics. Going forward, I will be the only one privy to the delivery routes. I would only inform you when it's time to get the goods."

"I agree with mama, better safe than sorry," Olu says.

Nenrot is about to reply when a tall, lanky middle age man bursts into the bar, his eyes searching until he sees Nenrot. He dashes straight to her, but he is stopped by her bodyguards.

"Stand down, boys. Let him through." Nenrot says as she dismisses Olu, Kenny, and Kayode with a flick of her hand.

They depart and the man takes his seat beside Nenrot.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Hammad?" Nenrot says referring to the man seated beside her.

"You this little twat! How dare you ask me what you can do for me? How about you stop poaching my clients?"

"What clients if I may ask? Because I don't remember approaching any of your clients."

"Is that right? My clients have been dumping me one after the other, thanks to you. Suddenly, no one wants to ship their products with me anymore. Imagine my surprise when I learned they left me for you."

"I get it now, is that why you have been wailing since you got here? Well, let me put this to you, I didn't approach any of your customers to ship with me, they all came to me of their own accord. It's not my fault if you have been providing them with subpar services. It's a miracle they stuck so long with you. They are full-grown adults and are free to make their choices. Your clients are not your possession, so, you have no monopoly over them."

"How would you feel if I was the one moving in on your territory. Why then should you decide to move into mine?

"The last time I checked, your so-called territory is in shambles."

Hammad stands up, and bangs the table, earning curious glances from everyone in the bar. "Let me put this to you, young lady, I've been in this job since you were in diapers. You do not get to overstep your boundary by crossing into mine. Everyone may fear you, but I don't. A woman's place is in the kitchen, pregnant and barefooted. Consider this your final warning, else, I won't be so nice next time. And, you better watch your back." He storms out of the bar in anger, kicking chairs on his way out.

Nenrot sips her drink and smiles to herself.

She asks one of her guards to call in the three men that left earlier.

They all arrive and take their seats.

Nenrot takes out a pack of cigarettes from her handbag and lights one. "I guess you all know Mr. Hammad. He was just here to threaten me to stay out of business.

Olu shifts his seat closer to the counter. "What do you intend to do about him? The man has a reputation that precedes him. I think we should stay out of his tuff. He can be vengeful and vindictive."

Kenny and Kayode nod their approval.

She downs the rest of her drink in one gulp. "I am the one who's supposed to worry about that, leave it all to me. To answer your question about what I intend to, I intend to move in on Hammad's territory."

The men all exchange shocked looks.

Kenny is the first to recover. "With all due respect, mama, I think that's a very bad idea."

"I second Kenny's opinion. Moving in on his territory is war, no doubt. He just left with a threat. We all know Hammad's style, he takes no prisoners. I hate to say this, but it's not a war we can win. The man has allies way before you started this business. He has contacts everywhere."

She smiles and flashes her perfectly white teeth. "what do you think, Olu?"

"Mama, I think Hammad deserves it for having the balls to threaten you. If it results in war, I say, let's get loaded."

"Thank you, Olu. That's the spirit. I could use more brave men like you. I didn't get to where I am by turning tail, and running every time I get threatened. I've had to work twice or maybe thrice as much as any man to achieve what I have achieved. Hammad is a bully, and all bullies need to be taught lessons. That being said, find out every single thing you can about his family. Where they eat, live, places they go, his children's school, their routine, and if possible, the air they breathe."

Olu stands up and leaves to do her bidding. "I'm on it, mama." He departs.

Turning to face Kayode and Kenny, "I need you to load up, take inventory of the armory, and get more weapons, load up and get prepared. I would let you know when it's time to move. One more thing, I need you to rally round all your employees, and double the security around my home, and our warehouse."

The two men bow and stand.

"Chop, chop, get to work guys. Let me know if you need anything."

They bow again and depart.