“So, you are telling me Dog sent you?” President Antonio asked for the third time as he looked at the documents this Kano guy came with.
If this was anything to go with, then he was even qualified than Dog was. But what Antonio didn’t get was why Dog never talked about this… what did he say?
“How did you say you are related to Dog again?” Antonio asked.
“His mother, Maria De Santos, was my mother’s cousin. My mother and her family migrated to Africa when my father got a job in Kenya. That’s where I have grown up in,” Kano said in a heavy African accent which was funny but cause he was so white.
“But you look nothing African. In fact, if I am not mistaken, you look,… you look…,” Antonio seemed to think trying to place the face.
“Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you. I am half Latin and half Greece. My father was, is, Greece. I seem to have taken my father’s face than my mother’s.
Also, going to school in Kenya gave me the African accent. And that’s why I also speak Swahili,” Kano said hoping against hopes that the few Swahili words he had learnt would be enough to get him out just in case he met a person who speaks Swahili in this house.
“Okay, but… I have to get you. I don’t get why Dog never mentioned you but this truly seems to be his handwriting. I…” Antonio was saying when Kano interrupted him yet again.
“Si, Mr President, my cousin seemed to know that there were people after him. That was why he called me and asked me to coke help him.
He had also told me on several occasions as we talked that if ever he was to go, I had to promise to take care of you. So, here I am.
I’m sorry I arrived too late sir. I didn’t know he would leave so soon. But as soon as I landed, I went to round up those who killed him and I worked on then before I came to see you,” Kano said then continued, “sir, you can even check the next file. It’s all full of the emails me and cousin D exchanged.
We would talk for hours and what I can say is, if you ever had an honest and a loyal man, D was that for you. I guess he behaved like his nickname, Dog,” Kano finished with a laugh at his own joke but no one in the room seemed to share in it.
“It’s funny,” he said as Antonio continued to stare at him.
When Richard decided to come in the State House and pose as a Marine Corp from Kenya, it was because he was ready for anything. He was ready to splint if the situation called for or even kill.
From what he had seen from when he arrived here to the wait, to the scrutiny before being allowed to meet the president and all, he knew these people posed no threat.
It was like Antonio just took any John, Dick and Harry that was faithful to him and places him as last of his security. It seemed like he didn’t trust professionals and that was why he was being wary with him.
“Sir, if you like, I can show you what I am capable of. I can show you that in my hands, you will be the safest you have ever been,” Kano said and Antonio seemed to like that.
“With the death of D, the enemy might think that you are vulnerable for them to get to you but I will keep you safe, trust me,” Kano added and Antonio stood up.
“Okay. Jesus, call Gorilla and his team. If you can beat them, then you are in,” Antonio said and a man from the security that had brought Richard in walked out.
“Follow me,” Antonio said as he walked out. Richard followed and the men flanked their behind.
They walked until they came to the back of the star house where there was a basketball court with a small arena.
Antonio was given a special seat by one of the guards and he sat.
“This is where we will test you. Again, if you beat Gorilla and his men, the position is yours. But still, I don’t trust you because I really don’t know you, you will have to work for your trust,” he said as he sat down and crossed his legs as he leaned back to the back rest importantly.
“Yes sir. It would even be strange for you to trust just anyone without being wary. It just shows that you are an exemplary leader,” Richard, Kano, said as he fed the old man’s ego.
Richard had been around enough fools to know that nothing works better on them than empty promises. Feed their ego with what they want to hear and they would do anything to make you stick by them.
“Here they come,” Antonio said and Kano turned to look at the incoming party.
If Goliath from the Sunday school stories the nun used to teach them was a person then this would be he and he, Richard would be David.
At almost seven feet tall, Richard looked like a baby as compared to this man. He was a gorilla, literally.
He was, for starters, as ugly as a fuck. He then was huge, very huge. Broad shoulders and he stood at almost nine feet of not ten. He seems to shake with the world when he moved. Those with him seemed like ants in his wake though they were the normal size.
But Richard wasn’t perturbed. ‘You are huge, that means you lack agility. So, you will beat me of you can catch me,” Richard thought.
“Gorilla, this is Kano. He was sent by Dog to take over as head of security. So, I want you two to fight. Whoever wins, takes it. Okay?” Antonio said with a smile and the man grunted as consent.
“Okay, ready when you are. The last man standing,” Antonio said as the referee and the rest of the men went to sit in the arena with anticipation.
No one talked as they looked. From their excitement, Richard could tell that this happened a lot. It was like this Gorilla was used to beat and kill people.
And knowing how the human brain works, Richard knew that if this man went to torture a normal person, the first thing that a person looks at is the man’s size and that demotivates the other party.
Richard could bet all his money on the fact that this Gorilla had never met a professional and that was why he was so full of himself.
Richard could tell this from the disdain that was in the man’s grey eyes.
Gorilla grunted and moved. Richard was wrong. The man was fast. Fast than he expected because in two huge strides, he was standing before Richard as he stretched his hand to grab him.
Bit Richard had been through and seen worse and had perfected his craft for years.
He thus side stepped and pushed the man forward using the hand the huge man had stretched to grab him.
Gorilla stumbled and he almost fell but steadied himself. This was because obviously, in his mind, he didn’t expect the other man to sidestep and he thus lost his footing.
He turned and looked at Richard. Oh he was pissed and Richard smiled.
Thean raised and a fiat intending to hit Richard on the chest and again, Richard moved out of the blow’s way and returned one of his own.
He wanted to see what power would hurt this man and it seemed that he hadn’t used enough to hit Gorilla because the man behaved like it was a mosquito sting.
Richard figured that he had to finish this and quickly.
If he wanted to be respected by these men and trusted, he had to finish this spur soonest. He didn’t want to drag it. And so, he used one thing he had been taught by his master Koichi Nisigaru when he lived in Japan.
The three move jujitsu. One, it was a hit to the crown. After that, hit the back of the next at the fourth bone of the spine from the brain and immediately hit the shi acupuncture that controlled the blood flow to the brain and when the blood flow is blocked, that coupled with the hit on the back of the neck would lend the victim unconscious.
And that was what ruched, Kano, did. As Gorilla was fuming because he hasn’t landed a single blow on Kano, Richard jumped. He was so fast that Gorilla couldn’t follow the movement and he just threw his hands hay wire.
Richard jumped and in that one jump, he was standing on Golirra’s crown. He lifted his leg and hit the crown with his heel. He then jumped again as Gorilla lifted his hands to get him off his head and this time, Richard flew downwards with his hands outstretched and he held Gorilla’s right shoulder with his left hand as he used his right to hit Gorilla’s back of the neck and by the time Gorilla was trying to get a hold of him, Richard twisted on air as he hit the side of the neck and he jumped again.
They landed at the same time, Gorilla on his stomach and face and Richard on his neck.
The people on the stand all didn’t understand what had happened. They all ran and surrounded the fallen giant as Antonio waited to hear if the man was alive or not.
“He isn’t dead. Just unconscious. I can wake him up or we can wait for the next ten or so hours for him to wake up,” Kano boasted in that heavy and sexy Kenyan accent and all the men stood and looked at him.
One of them was hungry for his hero had been beaten and he flew at Richard but even before he could get to him, Richard gave him a kick that had him fly backwards and he landed with a growl.
“Now, that one needs a doctor otherwise he won’t last an hour,” Richard said and the other men looked at him with animosity in their brows.
“Enough. Very good Kano. Very good. It has been long since I’ve seen such good precision. You idiots, carry gorilla to his bed and take that other one to hospital. Maybe the sleep will help the giant accept that he was beaten,” Richard said as he looked at Kano with admiration.
“Yes, you are now my new security chief. I will let you know that if you betray me, I will kill you, fly to Kenya and kill your family and come back to Dela Lucia and kill your extended family. Got it,” he asked with that same smile on his face like he hadn’t just talked of killing people.
“No need for such threats sir because Kano is loyal to whoever he is working for and with. Rest assured, if we last, it’s because of death or an amicable parting. Shall we get to work?” Kano said with a smile of his.
“Certainly. You need to first learn how we work. Jesus, follow us,” Antonio said and led the way.
“General I am here,” Richard thought as he followed the fool.