‘This man is not to be underestimated.’

84

‘Go.’ Antony Bello didn’t look at Seraphine; he simply ordered her out. Not that she minded. Who cared if an irrelevant person thought you were irrelevant? That just made them even less relevant. She found Abdul on the lawn. He had a bottle of water for her and she thanked him and took a sip.

‘Antony is pleased with the progress. He thinks he’ll find Alina within the week.’

‘And you?’

‘I think your man is telling him what he wants to hear.’

Seraphine couldn’t help but smile. Abdul was one of her favourite recruits. She wasn’t the sort to have friends, but if she had been she’d have picked Abdul. He was polite, sophisticated, attractive and superbly intelligent. A sort of male version of her. Only not as accomplished. ‘Who is this girl? Why’s he so desperate to find her?’

‘It’s not Alina. It’s more her mother. Naomi was Antony’s first wife. He has too many to count now, but back at the start he and Naomi were a normal couple. I didn’t know them back then but everyone says it was a good relationship. She took care of him and he, in turn, took in her daughter Alina and raised her as his own. Naomi’s first husband died of malaria while she was pregnant. But, over the years, as Antony became more powerful and took on younger and younger lovers, Naomi was punished for her disapproval. He would beat her, humiliate her and rape her. Some here talk about this with admiration but most turned a blind eye because they didn’t like what they were seeing.’

‘And they couldn’t challenge him because of who he was?’

Abdul raised both hands. ‘He is protected. He’s their leader’s nephew and their future leader. Jacob Bello never had children.’

‘So Naomi eventually had enough and ran?’

‘Like many of these women, I don’t think she’d ever have left, but then Antony turned his attention to Alina.’

Seraphine knew this was coming. A man doesn’t get as worked up as that about a girl unless there’s some sort of sexual motivation. ‘How old was Alina?’

‘Fourteen. That was when he began showing more than a fatherly interest. Fifteen when they left.’

Seraphine looked back at the outbuilding behind her. It was so quiet. ‘We need to get this man out of the picture. What is the situation with his uncle now?’

‘Jacob has spent the last few years trying to rewrite history and morph into a legitimate leader. He’s frustrated by Antony’s immaturity.’

‘He wants a more sophisticated successor, someone who can turn his cause from one of resistance to one of genuine political power?’

Abdul smiled. He knew what she was thinking.

85