Chapter 16

The smoke from my cigarette curled toward the ceiling, disappearing into the dim light of my bedroom. I sat on the edge of the mattress, my elbows resting on my knees, staring at the empty space beside me.
I hadn't slept. Not really.
When I told Phile last night that I snored
But the real reason I sent her to the guest room was the blackness that hits me the moment I close my eyes. The fire. The screaming. The smell of burning timber and flesh that's been trapped in my lungs since I was a boy. When the nightmares take over, I thrash. I wake up suffocating, my hands clawing at air, ready to strike whatever is near me.
I couldn't let her see that. I couldn't risk hurting her in my sleep, or worse, letting her see how broken the man she loved actually was. She already looked at my scars with too much sadness. If she saw the terrors that lived inside my head, she'd look at me like I was a monster. So, I banished her to the other room. I

A sharp *buzz* against the wooden bedside table cut through my thoughts.
I picked up my phone, expecting a text from Shakes about the upcoming job. Instead, it was an image from an unsaved, anonymous number.

My thumb hovered over the screen as the file downloaded. When the image cleared, my blood ran completely cold. It was a picture of Omphile. She was walking through the campus gates.

It was taken from a distance, through what looked like the windshield of a parked car.

"Zolani..." I hissed through my teeth, my jaw locking so tight it ached. Those motherfuckers from the rival crew were trying to send a message. They couldn't touch me, so they were scouting my weakness. And right now, she was the biggest liability I had.

I hit her contact immediately, pressing the phone to my ear as I stood up, pacing the floor. *Ring. Ring. Ring.* I wanted to make sure she was okay.

*"Hi, you've reached Omphile, please leave a…"*

"Fuck man!" What if he has her? I slammed my hand against the wardrobe door, frustration boiling over into pure adrenaline.

I couldn't just sit here while someone had a lens aimed at her back.

I grabbed my leather jacket and my car keys, striding to my car.

As I navigated the traffic, my mind was racing at a hundred kilometers an hour. I needed to protect her.

I Bluetooth-called a number I had saved deep in my contacts, a high-end jeweler in town who did custom, discreet work for guys in my line of business.

"Zuko," the voice answered on the second ring.
"Sharp, big man. Listen, I need a specialized piece. A silver necklace. Something delicate, feminine. Something a university girl would wear every day."
"Okay, I can do that. Any specific engraving?"
"No," I said, my voice dropping as I turned a sharp corner. "Inside the pendant, I need a micro-tracker fitted. The military-grade one. The one that links straight to my sever so I can know where she is at all times. I need it done by tomorrow morning. I'll pay triple."

The line went quiet for a second. "Consider it done, brother. Bring the cash tonight."
"Sharp."
I hung up, exhaling a shaky breath. If she was going to be my woman, she needed to be safe, whether she knew it or not.
I pulled up to the university campus, parking the Citi Golf in a hurry. Walking through the gates, my eyes scanned the courtyard like a hawk, looking for any unfamiliar cars or faces lingering too long.
And then, I saw her.
She was walking out of a lecture hall, the heavy straps of her bag over her shoulder. She was walking beside was Sibongile, her friend from class. Thank God she's in one piece.
The tension in my shoulders eased just a fraction, but I didn't slow my pace as I walked straight toward them.

"Phile," I called out.
Omphile stopped, her eyes widening in complete shock as she saw me approaching. "Zuko? Why are you here? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's sharp," I lied smoothly, offering her a calm, effortless smile to mask the chaos inside my chest. I reached out, brushing my knuckles against her cheek. "I missed you."

A soft pink hue crept up her neck, her annoyance from this morning completely evaporating under my gaze.

"Do you want to grab some lunch?" I asked, looking between her and her friend.
"Oh... I was actually going to grab lunch with Sibongile, have some girl talk," Phile said, trailing off as she shot a lingering look at her friend.

Sibongile quickly waved her hand. "No, man, it's fine! He can join us too. There's space."
"Sharp. Let's go," I said, offering a polite nod to the friend.
We walked over to the local university spot, a loud, bustling student hub filled with the smell of chips, burgers, and cheap soda. It was crowded, which made my instincts flare, but it also meant we were in plain sight. I guided them to a booth in the corner, ensuring my back was against the wall so I could watch the entrance.

"What are you guys having?" I asked, pulling out my wallet.
They gave me their orders, and I went to the counter to pay. When I came back, the two of them were giggling about something. I slid into the booth next to Omphile, my large frame crowding the small space.

I reached out for Omphile's hand under the table. I gripped it tightly, intertwining our fingers, needing the physical confirmation that she was right here, safe and untouched.
She squeezed my hand back, leaning into my side just a fraction.
I leaned down slightly, my voice a quiet murmur meant only for her. "Are you okay? "

"I'm okay." She replied casually.

"You're sure you're okay, baby?"
She looked up at me, her eyes soft, sensing the underlying intensity in my voice even if she didn't know the reason. "I'm okay, Zuko. Really."
Just then, our order number echoed over the loudspeaker.
Omphile immediately moved to slide out of the booth. "Let me go pick it up—"
I gently pressed my hand against her thigh, signaling her to stay put. "Sit down. I've got it."
"Are you sure? You don't need help?" she asked, looking at the large order.
"It's okay. You guys are ladies. Just sit." I slid out of the booth and walked to the counter.
When I picked up the first heavy tray, I glanced back at the table. Sibongile was leaning over, a massive, teasing smile plastered on her face as she nudged Omphile, who was blushing furiously, her hands covering her face. A genuine, quiet warmth touched my chest. Seeing her look like a normal, happy girl made the darkness of my world feel a little lighter.
I grabbed the second tray, balancing the drinks and the food effortlessly, and walked back to the booth. I set everything down, sliding back in beside my girl.
As we started eating, the conversation stayed light. We just spoke about the latest local news. Listening to her voice rise and fall as she laughed with her friend, I made a silent vow to myself.
I would handle the rival crew. I would handle the threat. Because whatever it took, I was going to keep this girl safe.
Later I drive them to res and went to the tavern.

The bass from the tavern jukebox vibrated through the floorboards before I even stepped through the door. Shakes' place was always alive, a thick haze of cigarette smoke, the clinking of brown beer bottles, and the loud, overlapping voices of men washing away the stress of the day.

I walked in, my leather jacket zipped up against the evening chill, my eyes automatically scanning the room out of habit.
Behind the counter, Shakes' mom was busy wiping down the surface. The moment she spotted me, her face lit up, and she set her cloth down. "Molo, Zuko mntanam," she greeted warmly.

"Howzit, mamzo," I replied, offering her a respectful nod. "Is Shakes around?"
She smiled, gesturing with her head toward the back office and the private seating area. "He's in the back with his father. Go on through."
"Dankie"
I walked past the main bar, pushing through the heavy curtain that separated the public chaos from the family's private space. Shakes was sitting on a low couch, counting a stack of cash, while his father, Ta Zet, sat in a large armchair across from him, sipping a cold drink.
Shakes looked up, tossing the cash onto the table. "Zuko nja yam" we fist bump. "

I gave Ta Zet a nod in acknowledgement.

"You look troubled. What's wrong?"

I pulled up a plastic chair, leaning forward with my hands clasped tightly between my knees. "I got a picture of Omphile on my phone. Anonymous number." I looked directly at Shakes, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Zolani's boys. They tracked Phile to the campus gates. They took a photo of her walking to class."
Shakes' playful expression vanished instantly. He sat up straight, his jaw tightening. "Fuck! That's mad... they are mapping her?"
"Yeah," I hissed, the cold fury from earlier resurfacing. " They can't touch me on the streets, so they are going after her."

I stood up, pacing the small room, the absolute certainty of what I needed to do settling deep into my chest. "I think it's time to pivot, Shakes. I can't stand to lose her. I can't live with the thought of something happening to her because of my lifestyle." I stopped, looking between Shakes and Ta Zet. "I'm going to open my own club. A legitimate spot. It's something. I need a secure future for her... and for the kids I want to have with her one day.".

Shakes stared at me for a beat, a slow, disbelieving smirk spreading across his face. He leaned back against the couch, shaking his head. "Look at you. The girl enters your life for a few months, and makes such change."

"Yah…hey,"

" You're whipped." I looked down, rubbing the back of my neck, feeling completely out of my element, "my brother how was church?"

A sheepish heat rushed to my face. "It was okay," I muttered shyly. "Just... not something I'm used to, yabo. I was confused the whole time. Different prayer books, people singing songs I don't know..."
Shakes burst out laughing, clapping his hands together. "Hayi man! You are gone-gone! You definitely love this girl blind-blind!" His laughter softened into something more genuine as he looked at his father. "But seriously, wanting to open a club... it seems she's really good for you, Zuko. You're becoming unrecognizable."
Ta Zet, who had been listening quietly, nodded his head in slow agreement. His old, wise eyes crinkled at the corners. "I never thought I'd live to see the day this happens to you, Zuko. You used to blow money on different girls weekend upon weekend, thinking life is just a party. Now look at you." He pointed a finger at me. "I must meet this girl."
"I should invite her over for dinner," I said softly.
Ta Zet leaned forward, his expression turning business-serious as he addressed the club idea. "Look, the club idea is brilliant. It's the right move if you want to clean up your money and build something real. But you must work hard for that to happen, because it ain't cheap. To start a proper, high-end lounge around here, you need anything from 300k to a million or more. You need capital for the liquor license, the sound system, the security, the stock." He looked at me firmly. "But you can do it. So you can provide all that you can for her and start this business you want."
A wave of profound gratitude washed over me. I nodded respectfully toward the older man. "Enkosi, Ta Zet. It means a lot that you support this."
Ta Zet then turned his sharp gaze toward his own son, his tone shifting to a stern lecture. "Shakes, you should learn from Zuko. Look at what he is doing, he is changing. Not what you are doing, changing girls every now and then like clothes."
Shakes groaned, waving his hand defensively. "But I have Sibongile, tyma"
"Yes, you have Sibongile," Ta Zet countered sharply. "But you're not making it official. A man needs to choose his woman and make her the only one. That way you'll be focused. Stop playing around."
Shakes immediately cleared his throat, pulling the stack of cash back toward himself and completely ignoring his father's topic. "Uh... we should focus on work. The next phase."

We laid out the blueprints for our next heist, mapping out the security guards' rotations and the timing of the transit van. The stakes felt higher now. Every cent from this job wasn't just money to blow on expensive clothes or alcohol anymore, it was the foundation of my club. It was the price of Omphile's freedom from the shadow of my past.
As we finalized the plan, Shakes' mom walked into the back area to restock some glasses.
Ta Zet looked up at her, a proud smile on his face. "Wifey, Zuko has found a wife."
Ma shakes paused, her eyes widening with immediate delight. Aside from raising Shakes, she was the one managing the day-to-day chaos of the tavern, and she knew exactly how stubborn I was. "Yho yho, kuzanetha ke namhlanje, Is it true?" She turned to me, placing her hands on her hips. "I should meet her! Why are you hiding her from me, Zuko? Yini Indaba ezimnandi kangaka"
"I'll extend the invite, mamzo."

"He's whipped." Shakes teased, nudging my shoulder. I blushed then turned serious quickly. Ndiyi dyani kalok.