Success, Opulence and Power, Hebru Young [inspirational novels .txt] 📗

it generates a significant amount of revenue. So, one can understand why the government would want to make sure that everything from the regulatory side of things is handled with the utmost vigilance. But don’t worry, everyone involved knows about your case and the travel situation. So, don’t worry about the news about your visit getting out, everything we do will be confidential. We will be using secret entrances and exits everywhere we go as an extra precaution,” Dahiru said.

Even if word got out, no one would be able to prove it. The tracking bracelet had been rigged and I was also wearing a camera signal scrambler if anyone decide to try to capture any photos or video footage.

“Hey, I understand. I don’t mind travelling here anyway; it provides me with an opportunity to catch up with you while I relax a bit. So, what is the process?” I asked.

“We’re heading to the AU Bureau of Foreign Investments first. They will need to scan your biometric details into their systems. No fingerprints, just facial and eye scans. They’ll also need your physical and digital signatures saved to the system. Are you okay with this?” Dahiru asked.

“Of course, whatever it takes,” I replied.

“After that we’ll head over to AU Customs. They’ll need you to complete the export forms and pay the relevant fees. Once all of that has been sorted out, we’ll head to my office and go through all the documents and sign the contract between our companies. Does that sound good to you?” Dahiru said.

“Absolutely. But hey, seeing as we’re here till Monday morning, I imagine you’ve made plans for us to see what the weekend in Nasarawa has to offer. What do you have lined up for us, Dahiru? You know Alex has been looking forward to this, and we can’t let him down,” I laughed.

“Disappoint Alex? Oh no, no, no, I would never do a thing like that to Alex,” Dahiru chuckled. We’ll be having lunch once we’re done at the Bureau of Foreign Investments and the customs office. After that, we’ll head to my place. This will give us the opportunity to freshen up and relax a bit. Later, we’ll head downtown to the Fadar Sarki Casino for some dinner and a bit of fun. How does that sound, Alex?” Dahiru asked.

“Ha-ha, you guys are never going to let me forget that night, are you? I’m easy, I go wherever you guys go,” Alex said.

“Then it is settled,” replied Dahiru.

Later that night, we had dinner at the casino restaurant and afterwards we headed to the roulette tables. As we made our way past the entrance, the concierge greeted us and walked us to the private VIP section of the casino. This area had blackjack, poker, and roulette tables. The concierge asked one of the waiters to take our drink orders and the drinks arrived shortly after. I was violating the terms of my bail by being here, so I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone present recognized me. I decided to keep a low profile. I checked my tracking bracelet again and everything looked okay.

After a few rounds at the roulette table, we decided to head to the jazz lounge on the second floor of the casino. When we got there, everything seemed okay. There were a few people there, who appeared to be high rollers taking a break from gambling. The performers were onstage playing traditional saxophone, drums, and guitars. This was perfect, hearing music generated by actual people using real instruments. Digital instruments were dominant in music today, and traditional instruments had fallen by the wayside.

We were all having a good time and chatting among ourselves, when a commotion suddenly kicked off at the other end of the VIP section. A man had been shouting at another man for what I could only imagine was money related. The shouting was becoming louder, and at this point the musicians had stopped playing, and some of the people in the room started leaving. One of the individuals had a group of men with him, and the other man was by himself. The man that was by himself got up from his seat, and the other man started to shove him backwards in our direction. Our security teams, mine as well as Dahiru’s, were on alert and stood at the response position in case our safety became compromised. As the men were getting closer to where we were sitting, I noticed they all had military-style boots on, including the man that was getting shoved. This was a setup—people generally didn’t wear boots with suits unless they were on some sort of mission.

Before I could tell my men to draw their weapons, the other men drew theirs and faced our direction. A couple of Dahiru’s men as well as mine saw everything unravel. Our guys opened fire, and so did the men who we now knew had been sent there to take us out. A couple of the security guys pushed us out of the way, Dahiru and I fell to the ground and ducked behind the bar as the entire room became riddled with bullets. There was glass shattering all around us, and the bullets were leaving holes in the furniture and the wall behind us. Some of our guys had been hit, but luckily, they all had on body armour.

By the time the shooting stopped, the assailants were on the ground, lying dead in their own blood. Dahiru and I had been hit as well, but I was wearing full body armour. Dahiru had been hit in the arm. For some reason he wasn’t wearing armour at all. The security details rushed us to our separate vehicles, and we drove off.

This was too much heat, and I wasn’t supposed to be in the AU anyway. There was a real potential of going back to prison should the authorities find out that