The Liberian Agenda

  THE LIBERIAN AGENDA

  L.J. TAYLOR

  Waterview Publishing, LLC

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Epilogue

  Book Reviews

  Get a Free Book

  Other Books by L.J. Taylor

  About

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Chapter I

  His father always kept him waiting. Joseph Saytumah pulled back the sleeve of his custom-made suit jacket, glanced at his watch, and sighed. He’d arrived at the glitzy hotel suite at the Ritz Carlton nearly an hour ago only to be greeted by one of his father’s minions and told that the man himself was on a conference call with the president of Liberia.

  The door to one of the bedrooms opened. Dwe Saytumah stepped into the living room, his powerful presence immediately filling it.

  Joseph, a tall, dark-skinned man with broad shoulders, studied him, looking for any signs of illness. They looked a lot alike -- even had the same build -- but the older man’s hair was speckled with grey, while Joseph’s was still jet-black. His father was a little thinner than usual, his high cheekbones prominent.

  “Joseph.” Dwe smiled and threw his arms wide. His deep rich baritone boomed throughout the suite.

  “Father.” Joseph rose from his seat and stepped forward to embrace him.

  “It is good to see you, my son.” Dwe stepped back and looked Joseph over. “You look well.”

  “I am well, Father. How are you? Saye tells me that you have been seeing the family doctor more often lately. Should I be worried?”

  Dwe waved a hand. “Nonsense, I am fit as a fiddle as they say here. It was just a bad cold. There is no need for concern.”

  Another man stepped into the living room. He was tall like Joseph and Dwe and shared the same high cheekbones, but there the resemblance ended. He was lighter in complexion, with a sharply pointed nose and a goatee.

  Joseph felt his shoulders tense. He tried to shake off the tension as he prepared to greet his brother. As children, they had been very close – inseparable even. Joseph had looked up to Saye, seeing him as his hero and protector until one day it became abundantly clear that Saye couldn’t protect him. Their relationship changed forever that day, and, as the years passed, the chasm between them had widened. The last time he saw Saye, his brother’s bitterness had threatened to spill over.

  This time, Joseph was better prepared. He’d made arrangements to keep Saye happy. He plastered a smile on his face and crossed the room. “Brother.” He put his arms around Saye and gave him a hug.

  Saye pounded him on the back. “Hey there, baby brother. I see that America is treating you well.”

  Joseph chuckled. “It is nothing compared to the royal treatment you and Father receive back home.”

  Dwe’s bodyguard poured them drinks and they settled down in the living room to talk.

  “It has been far too long since we last saw you,” Dwe said. “It is difficult sometimes having you so far away, but I know that you do it for the good of the family.”

  Saye twisted his lips. “What do you mean? He does it for the good of himself. Who wouldn’t want to live in New York with the great nightlife and the women of easy virtue? I can’t wait to get out there. How long are we going to be cooped up in here?”

  Dwe frowned at Saye. “For as long as it takes. It would do you good to remember that we are here for business and not pleasure. Of course, pleasure is all you can think about. If you ever wondered why I sent Joseph here to school instead of you, it is because I feared you would get so caught up in this hedonistic lifestyle that you would never finish.”

  “But Father, I am the eldest. It is my birthright to take the reins of the business and represent our family here in the States,” Saye said.

  “With a birthright comes responsibility, Saye. That is something you have never shown me you were willing to take on. Your brother, on the other hand, showed both the willingness and the ability to take the reins from an early age.”

  Saye scowled. “I am so sick of hearing about how Joseph is the better son. He has always been your favorite.”

  Joseph raised his hands in front of him, palms facing outward. “Please. Let us not ruin your visit by fighting. Let us deal with the task at hand so that Saye can enjoy the rest of his time here in New York.”

  Dwe continued to frown at Saye staring him down until the younger man squirmed and lowered his gaze. Only then did he turn to Joseph. “The authorities are beginning to watch the diplomatic pouches more closely.”

  “That’s true,” Saye said. “The orders are getting bigger and the embassy is starting to ask questions. I don’t know how much longer we can hold them off. Why don’t we just transport the shipments on our jet or hire a company to handle that for us?”

  “Not with the heightened restrictions put on air travel since September 11,” Joseph said. “Besides, who would we trust to transport our merchandise? A better idea would be to acquire a controlling interest in a shipping company. There are always inspectors at the ports who, for the right price, are willing to look the other way. I read in the paper that a well-known American shipping line is in financial trouble and in desperate need of a white knight. Perhaps we should come to their rescue.”

  Dwe nodded. “That sounds like a good idea, son. We will need an American attorney to represent us in the transaction. Someone established with a powerful law firm to back them. You know the American government will be suspicious when it learns that a Liberian company is seeking to buy an American shipping line.”

  “I have just the right person in mind,” Joseph said.

  “Who would that be?” Dwe asked.

  “Do you remember my friend Sonia?”

  “Do you mean that sexy bitch who wanted nothing to do with you after a few short months? What can she do?” Saye asked.

  “Careful brother,” Joseph said. “She may end up being my wife.”

  “You were always obsessed with her. I never understood it. Why her over all the beautiful women in the world?” Saye asked.

  “You don’t understand. She is now a partner at a prominent law firm here in New York. She negotiates deals like this for a living and, with her connections, she should be able to get us the introductions we need,” Joseph said.

  Dwe stood. “Contact her then and set up a meeting. Now, if you don't mind, my sons, it has been a long journey. I require rest.”

  Joseph rose and nodded. “Of course, Father. I will come see you tomorrow.”

  The two brothers watched their father retire to his bedroom. Saye then grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Now that business is over, little brother, show me where the women are.”

  Joseph’s smile was indulgent. “With pleasure. I have made arrangements for you to be taken to the hottest nightclubs in the City tonight -- V.I.P. access. The car will come for you at ten o’clock. Have a good time.”

  Saye’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. Grinning from ear to ear, he clapped Josep
h hard on the shoulder with a large beefy hand. Joseph winced.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about little brother,” he said. A puzzled frown appeared on his brow a second later. “Wait a minute. You’re not coming with me?”

  Joseph shook his head. “Not my thing. You know that. Besides, I have to make arrangements to hire Sonia.”

  “You are going to a lot of trouble to secure one piece of ass,” Saye said.

  “She is much more than that, my brother. So much more,” Joseph said. “Have a great time tonight. You can tell me all about it tomorrow.”

  “I will,” Saye promised.

  ***

  Sonia sat in her office reviewing an agreement virtually covered in red ink. She shook her head. What a mess, she thought. It would have been easier to just draft the damned thing myself.

  The telephone rang. Red pen poised, she turned to look at the caller I.D. display. It was the managing partner’s assistant, Gina.

  Sonia groaned. Whenever Gina called her, it was usually not to impart good news. The last time had been to schedule a meeting with Gordon wherein he had lectured her for twenty minutes about how she needed to get out from behind her desk and network more so she could meet people and bring in business.

  Easy for him to say. She wasn’t an extrovert like Gordon. She hated attending social functions and avoided them like the plague. Being the daughter of a United States Senator meant being forced to attend an endless number of boring functions. Once she’d escaped from her parents’ home, she’d vowed never to find herself in that position again. Ironically, her choice of profession required her to network.

  Sighing, she snatched up the telephone handset and put it to her ear. “This is Sonia.”

  “Sonia! It's Gina. Gordon wants to see you right away.”

  “Right now? What about?”

  “It probably has something to do with that tall, dark and oh so handsome new client I just escorted into his office,” Gina said.

  Sonia smiled. Maybe Gina was giving her good news after all. “Well, in that case, maybe I should get up there right away.”

  “Oh you definitely should, girlie,” Gina said.

  Sonia chuckled. “On my way.”

  She arrived at Gordon's office moments later and knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Gordon said.

  Sonia walked into the large, plush, modern office. Gordon sat behind his desk and the client who, from what Sonia could see, was a dark-skinned Black man in a light gray suit, sat in one of the guest chairs. He didn’t turn to look at her so she couldn’t see his face but there was something vaguely familiar about him.

  Gordon looked up at her. “Sonia, I’ve just been getting acquainted with an old friend of yours who’s about to become our newest client -- Joseph Saytumah.” He gestured toward the client who now stood up and turned to face her.

  Sonia felt her jaw go slack and her eyes widen. Her mind went completely blank for a moment. Joseph? Talk about a blast from the past. She’d thought she’d never see him again. What was he doing here? And what did Gordon mean by “our newest client?” Realizing how visibly shocked she looked, she snapped her mouth shut and made an effort to regain her composure.

  Joseph smiled at her. She walked over to him. “Joseph? Oh my God. How long has it been?” She held out a hand for a handshake.

  Joseph clasped it warmly in both of his. “Sonia. You are as lovely as ever.” He released her hand, took her by the shoulders and kissed her soundly on both cheeks, European-style. Sonia glanced over at Gordon, who watched then, looking amused. She felt the heat rise in her face. Not knowing quite how to react, she patted Joseph awkwardly on the shoulders with both hands. When he finally released her, she quickly took a step back.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Please, have a seat.”

  She gestured toward the chair he had abandoned. Maybe if he sat down, he wouldn’t be tempted to grab her again. She stifled a sigh of relief when he took his seat. She took the other visitor’s chair. “So, Joseph, what brings you here?”

  “His company is doing a business deal and he wants to hire us, and more specifically you, to represent them in the transaction,” Gordon said.

  “I remembered that you went to a great law school and I heard that you had become a partner here. So when my father said we needed a lawyer to represent us in this deal, I knew you would be perfect for the job,” Joseph said.

  Sonia felt a slight chill dance down her spine. He’d heard that she made partner at the law firm? She wondered where he’d heard that and how he even knew where she worked. Did he really just hear it through the grapevine or had he kept tabs on her all these years? She remembered how he’d called her up out of the blue one evening in Philly when she’d gone to a lot of trouble to keep him from finding out which law school she’d planned to attend. He’d hired a private investigator to track her down even though they’d broken up months before.

  She was tempted to ask him how he had found her, but noticed Gordon staring at her and decided to hold her tongue. He inclined his head slightly, as if willing her to respond to Joseph’s comment. He was probably wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

  She cleared her throat. “Oh, really? Well, I'm flattered. What business are you in again?”

  “Import/export,” he said.

  “Oh yes, that’s right. And what type of deal did you want us to assist you with?” she asked.

  “We want to acquire the assets of an American shipping company,” he said.

  “That’s right up your alley, Sonia. You negotiate deals like this all the time,” Gordon said.

  “Yes. That’s true,” she said.

  Whereas normally during a pitch to a prospective client, she would have touted her experience, Sonia decided to remain quiet. Import/export? Well it didn’t get vaguer than that. She’d had her suspicions about Joseph’s family business since college. He was always travelling on “business” trips back then and he was always very mysterious when she had asked about them.

  Although he was just a college student back then, he drove a late model luxury sedan and was very generous -- buying her expensive gifts, taking her to the nicest restaurants, and getting front row seats at music concerts. Despite the perks, the evasive manner in which he answered her questions about his business trips had caused her to believe the family business might not be legit. At one point she’d even imagined they were drug traffickers. She couldn’t let his company become a client of the law firm until she checked them out. Thoroughly. The last thing she needed was to cause the firm problems by bringing in a shady client. She looked up to find Gordon staring at her again.

  “Well,” Gordon said, “I’m sure you two old friends want to get reacquainted. Sonia, why don't you take Mr. Saytumah out for a drink? We can take care of the formalities of the retainer agreement tomorrow.”

  Joseph smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

  It was a terrible idea. She needed to process all this and figure out her next step before sitting down with Joseph one-on-one. She tried to beg off. “Oh, but I have this agreement I need to work on tonight.”

  “Nonsense.” Gordon waved his hand dismissively. “Give the agreement to Sally or work on it tomorrow.” He stood up, walked around his desk, and shook Joseph’s hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Joseph. Thank you for agreeing to retain our firm for your deal. You're in excellent hands now.”

  “The very best I am sure,” Joseph said. “I look forward to having a mutually beneficial working relationship with this law firm.” With that, he headed toward the door and stepped out of Gordon's office into the hallway.

  Sonia turned to follow him, but Gordon stopped her. “Sonia, what's wrong with you? Don't cross-examine him. Be nice to him.”

  “Of course. Sorry if I acted strangely. I was just a little shocked to see him sitting here. I haven’t seen him since college,” she said.

  Gordon studied her for a moment, then nodded. “All right, then. Go bring ho
me the bacon.”

  “Yes sir,” she said.

  She walked out of Gordon’s office wondering how she was going to handle the situation. There was no way to avoid going out for drinks with Joseph. Gordon would pimp her out to the devil himself if it meant bringing in business for the law firm. She would just have to start her research into Joseph and his company a little later.

  ***

  Sonia decided to take Joseph to an upscale bar in Midtown not far from the office. She often went there with some of her colleagues for happy hour. On Fridays, the place was a “meet market” -- standing room only and filled with predators looking for easy prey. Because it was a weeknight, the bar was half-empty and they had their choice of seating arrangements. She chose a cocktail table in a quiet corner of the bar. They ordered drinks and engaged in small talk until the waitress delivered them.

  Sonia took a sip of her Cosmopolitan and decided to ask Joseph the question that had been burning foremost in her mind. “So, how did you know that I was at the firm?”

  “Well, one day I opened the newspaper and there was a picture of you with an announcement that you had made partner. I thought I would never see you again, and there you were, right here in New York City,” he said.

  “You live in the City? How long have you been here?” she asked.

  “Almost two years now,” he said.

  Sonia shook her head. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t run into him in the past two years. The island wasn’t that big. On the other hand, she worked so much that she rarely ventured out.

  “What brought you here?” she asked.

  “I moved here for work. In addition to working for my father's company, I work for the Liberian Consulate here in New York,” he said.

  “I can't believe that we’ve both been living in the City and we’ve never run into each other,” she said.

  “It is not so surprising to me. I travel a great deal in connection with my work. So, tell me, what have you been doing all these years besides working your way to the top? Are you married yet? Do you have any children?” he asked.