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QUEEN OF THE UNDERGROUND --- Chapter 1: Lost in Jozi* The taxi door slammed, and I was alone. Johannesburg. Big. Loud. There's nothing like the Eastern Cape. I'm Esihle. 19. First year at Wits. I stepped out with 2 bags and a letter in my hand with my res address, looking lost. Because I was. Cars hooting. People rushing. And me, standing on the pavement like a statue. That's when I felt it. Someone watching. He was across the street. Leaning on a black BMW. Leather jacket. Scary. Intimidating. And damb, he's hot. Tattoos on his neck. Eyes cold like he'd seen too much. But when he looked at me... he looked lost, too. Like I was the only thing making sense in his whole world. [ ] "Lost something, princess?" His voice cut through the noise. Deep. I clutched my bags tighter. "My... my way," I stammered. He crossed the road in 3 steps. The crowd moved for him. "Ace," he said. Like that explained everything. "Esihle," I whispered back. He didn't ask if I needed help. He just took one of my bags. "Get in." "I don't—" "Esihle," he said, my name and my knees went weak. "You're not safe standing here." So I got in. The whole ride he didn't talk. Just kept glancing at me from the rearview mirror. Like he couldn't believe I was real. When he dropped me at res, he didn't ask for my number. He just said: "Don't get lost again." Then he drove off. I didn't know his mother was murdered by a gang leader. I didn't know he built an empire, so it would never happen again. All I knew was the scariest man in Johannesburg got lost looking at me. And I think... I'm in trouble --- *CHAPTER 2: He's Always There* I thought I was going crazy. Monday: Same black SUV parked across from res. Tuesday: Guy with a cap "reading a newspaper" at my campus café. Never orders. Wednesday: Walking home, and I swear that same guy was 2 blocks behind me. I told my roommate. She laughed. "Jozi paranoia, Esihle." But it wasn't paranoia. It was Ace. I didn't know he had put 2 of his men on me. 24/7. Without telling me. "Don't let anything happen to her," I heard him say on the phone once when I walked past him at campus. He hung up fast when he saw me. Scary. Intimidating. And damn he's hot when he's being overprotective. Friday night, I worked late. 11pm. Raining. I came out and froze. The street was empty. Too empty. Then headlights. Black BMW. Window down. "Get in, Esihle." Ace. Hair wet. Jaw tight. Like he'd been waiting. "How long have you been here?" I asked, getting in. "Long enough," he said. Not looking at me. "Are you... stalking me?" His hands gripped the steering wheel. "I'm keeping you safe." "That's the same thing." Silence. Then he sighed. That sound that made my chest hurt. "My mom was alone that night, Esihle. No one was watching. I won't let that happen to you." Oh. So that's why there's always a car near res. Why the guy at the café never orders. Why I feel safe even when Jozi feels dangerous. He wasn't stalking me. He was guarding me. In the only way a man like Ace knew how. He dropped me off. Before I got out he grabbed my wrist. Gentle. "You don't have to be scared of me." "I'm not," I whispered. "I'm scared of what I feel for you." He let go. "Goodnight, Eastern Cape girl." I ran inside. Heart pounding. Because the king put a crown on me without asking. And I think... I want to wear it. *CHAPTER 3: The Market* One week in the house and Esihle was going crazy. "Can I at least go to the market? I need stuff. For cooking." Ace stared. "With security." "I don't want security. I want to feel normal." He sent Lubanzi. 2 cars. 4 men. At Yeoville market she bought spices, pap, chicken. She haggled. The aunties loved her. "Wena mntanami, you cook like a wife," one gogo said. Esihle blushed. When she got home Ace was waiting. Arms crossed. "You took too long." "I was shopping." He looked at the bags. Then at her. "You smell like the Eastern Cape." "Is that bad?" "No," he said quietly. "It's home." That night she cooked for all his men. They ate like they hadn't eaten in years. Lubanzi: "Queen can cook." Ace didn't say anything. But he ate 2 plates. --- *CHAPTER 4: The Date That Wasn't A Date* "It's not a date," Ace said. "Then why are we on a roof?" I asked. Sandton skyline in front of us. Lights everywhere. Jozi looked beautiful from up here, not scary. Takeout containers on the floor. No security. No Lubanzi. No black SUVs. Just me and him. "I don't do dates," he said, opening the food. "Good. Because I don't either," I lied. I've never been on a date in my life. We were quiet. Eating. The wind was cold but his jacket was around my shoulders. Then I started talking. I don't know why. Maybe because he never asked me questions like everyone else. "My mom used to make umngqusho every Sunday," I said. "And my dad taught me to drive on dirt roads in EC. I crashed into a kraal once." He laughed. Ace actually laughed. Short, but real. "My aunt barely calls now," I whispered. "Since I left for Wits. I'm used to being alone." He stopped eating. Looked at me. Really looked. "You're not alone," he said. His voice was low. "Not anymore. You have me. And my people. Lubanzi likes you. My gogos at the market like you." He bumped my shoulder with his. "Eat. Before it gets cold, Eastern Cape girl." I looked at him. Scary jacket, tattoos, king of Jozi... eating takeout on a roof with a 19-year-old orphan girl because she was lonely. That was the night I stopped flinching when he moved fast. That was the night I realized the scariest man in Jozi was also the safest. When he dropped me at res, he didn't try to kiss me. He just said: "Text me when you're inside. So I know you're safe." I did. And he replied in 2 seconds: "Goodnight, Queen." I didn't sleep that night. I just stared at that text. Queen. --- *CHAPTER 5: The Threat* It started with a text. I was in class at Wits. My phone buzzed. Unknown number: _We know you have the girl._ I showed Ace after class. His whole face changed. Cold. Scary. Not the soft Ace from the rooftop. "Who sent this?" I asked. He didn't answer. He just called Lubanzi. "Double the cars. Now." That night, the warehouse fire happened. We were at one of his places in town. Ace was inside with his men. I was waiting in the car with one bodyguard. Then I smelled smoke. "Get out!" someone shouted. The bodyguard pulled me out but Ace... Ace was still inside. "Ace!" I screamed. He came out carrying a box. His arm was burned. Red. His jaw tight because he didn't want me to see he was in pain. In the car, I couldn't stop shaking. "Stop shaking," he said, driving with one hand. "You could've died," I whispered. "I don't die," he said. "Not with you here." At the house, I cleaned his burn. My hands were shaking so bad the cotton fell. "Esihle," he said, holding my wrist steady. "Look at me. I'm fine." "They did this because of me, right?" I said. Tears finally came. "That text... it's about me." He was quiet for a long time. "They want what I have," he said. "And what I have is you." That night, he took me to the back room. Guns on the wall. "If they come again," he said, putting a small one in my hands. "I don't want you helpless." I had never held a gun in my life. I'm from Eastern Cape. I'm a Wits girl. "Hold it like this," he stood behind me, his burned arm around me, guiding my hands. "Breathe. Aim. Again." Bang. Miss. "Again." Bang. Closer. "Again." "Terminator training," he teased, but his voice was proud. I rolled my eyes but I kept shooting. Bang. This time I hit the middle. He smiled. "There's my Queen." Because if anyone came for him again, I wouldn't just scream. I would fight. For him. --- *CHAPTER 6: The Note* Tuesday. 5pm. I finished my shift at the campus café. I was tired. Ace's arm was still healing. He told me not to work late but I needed the money. I walked to the parking lot to my little second-hand car Lubanzi helped me buy. That's when I saw it. A white paper stuck under my wiper. My hands started shaking before I even opened it. _Tell Ace we're coming for what's his. The Eastern Cape girl won't be queen for long._ I dropped my bag. Looked around. Parking lot was empty. I called Ace. No hello. "Where are you?" he answered on first ring. "At work... there's a note..." "Don't touch it. Don't move. I'm 4 minutes away." 3 minutes later, black BMW screeched into the lot. Ace got out. No jacket. White t-shirt, tattoos showing, eyes scanning everywhere like a predator. He read the note once. Crushed it. "Who saw you?" he asked, pulling me behind him. "No one." Lubanzi and 2 other cars arrived at the same time. "Take her home," Ace told Lubanzi. "Don't leave her." "Ace, what does it mean?" I asked, getting in Lubanzi's car. "It means they know my weakness," he said quietly. So only I could hear. "And my weakness is you, Esihle." That night, I wasn't allowed to stay at res anymore. "You stay at my house now," Ace said. It wasn't a question. "I can't just-" "You can," he cut me. "Your room is ready. Lubanzi brought your bags." I wanted to argue. But I was scared. Really scared. So I stayed. His house was big. Too big for one person. For the first time, it didn't feel empty. At 2am, I couldn't sleep. I went to the kitchen for water. Ace was there. Shirtless, back to me, looking at his mom's picture on the wall. His burned arm bandaged. "Can't sleep?" he asked without turning. "I'm scared," I admitted. He turned. Walked to me. And for the first time, he hugged me. Not romantic. Just... safe. His chin on my head. "They will have to kill me to get to you," he whispered into my hair. "And I don't die easy, Eastern Cape girl." I hugged him tighter. I wasn't just a girl who got lost in Jozi anymore. I was the girl the whole underground wanted. Because I was his Queen. --- *CHAPTER 7: Seat At The Table* I wasn't supposed to be there. Ace had a meeting. Big one. All his captains, all his men, in the dining room. 15 men in black. Serious faces. I was supposed to stay in my room. But I heard shouting. And I heard my name. So I came down in my oversized hoodie - Ace's hoodie - hair messy, no makeup, holding a mug of tea. The whole room went silent. 15 pairs of eyes on me. Ace looked up from the head of the table. He didn't look mad that I interrupted. He just... stared. Then he did something. He pulled the empty chair next to him. The one no one ever sat on. "Sit," he said. Not "go back to your room." Not "what are you doing here?" Sit. I walked slowly, heart pounding. The men watched. Lubanzi was there, arms crossed. I sat. Ace put his hand on the back of my chair. Claiming. Protecting. "This is Esihle," he said to the room. His voice was king voice. Cold. Final. "You all know what happened. The note. The fire. They came for her, they came for me." He looked at each man. "From today, she has a seat at this table. What I know, she knows. What I eat, she eats. You respect me, you respect her. You understand?" Silence. Then Lubanzi stepped forward. Lubanzi, his most trusted captain. He bowed his head slightly to me. "Yes, Queen," Lubanzi said. Queen. My eyes filled with tears. I looked at Ace. He squeezed my shoulder. "Queen," another man said. Then another. And another. "Queen." I wasn't Esihle from Eastern Cape who got lost at a taxi rank anymore. I wasn't the Wits girl who needed bodyguards. I was Queen of the Underground. And the King put me next to him, not behind him. After the meeting, when everyone left, I whispered, "Ace, I don't know how to be a queen." He leaned close. "You already are. You just didn't know it." That night, I sat at the table while they planned how to end the rivals. And for the first time, they listened when I speak. --- *CHAPTER 8: He Trades Himself* They took me. I was supposed to have 2 guards. But I told Lubanzi, "I'm just going to the library, 10 minutes." 10 minutes was enough. In the library parking lot, a van stopped. Hand over my mouth. I screamed but no one heard. Next thing I know, I'm in a warehouse. Cold floor. Hands tied. Mouth taped. The man in front of me smiled. Scar on his face. The same gang that killed Ace's mom. "King's weakness," he said, filming me on his phone. "Let's see if he comes." They sent the video to Ace. 30 minutes later, the warehouse door opened. Ace. Alone. No gun. Hands up. No Lubanzi. No men. "Ace no!" I screamed through the tape. He looked at me. Just for a second. His eyes said _I'm here. I'm not leaving you._ "Take me," Ace said to the man. "Leave her. It's me you want. The boy whose mother you killed." The man laughed. "You think you're still that little boy?" Then he hit Ace. Hard. Ace fell but didn't fight back. Another hit. And another. "Ace please fight!" I was sobbing, tape half off. He didn't. Because if he fought, they'd shoot me. He let them beat him. For me. The king of Jozi on his knees, bleeding, for an orphan girl from Eastern Cape. "Enough!" I shouted, finding strength I didn't know I had. I remembered. Chapter 5. Back room. Gun on the wall. Ace always had a small gun taped under the table in every warehouse. He told me once. My hands were tied but I crawled. While they were focused on Ace, I reached under the table. My fingers found metal. I had never shot a person. Only paper targets. But Terminator training kicked in. _Breathe. Aim. Again._ I ripped the tape, stood up, hands still tied together holding the gun. BANG. I shot the man in the shoulder. He dropped. BANG BANG. I shot the light. Dark. "Ace! Get down!" Ace - even bleeding - moved fast. He grabbed a pipe and finished it. Silence. He crawled to me. Cut my ropes with his teeth. His face covered in blood. "You shot someone," he whispered, shocked, proud, scared all at once. "You taught me," I cried, hugging him with all my strength. "You said don't be helpless." He held me so tight, his blood on my hoodie. "I told you I don't die easy," he whispered into my neck, breathing hard. "We both don't," I whispered back. Lubanzi and his men burst in 2 minutes later with guns. They found their King and Queen on the floor, holding each other, surrounded by unconscious men. Lubanzi looked at me holding the smoking gun. "Queen," he said again. But this time it meant something different. This time I earned it. --- *CHAPTER 9: Orphan to Orphan* Hospital. White lights. Smell of Savlon. Ace had 3 stitches on his eyebrow. Cracked rib. Bruised hands. He refused to stay in bed. "I'm fine," he kept telling the nurse. But I wasn't fine. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. The gun was still in my head. Bang. The doctor said I should stay overnight for shock. At 1am, I woke up and Ace wasn't in his bed next to mine. I found him in the hallway. Sitting on the floor, back against the wall, looking at a photo on his phone. His mom. She was beautiful. Same eyes as him. "She used to sing when she washed dishes," he said without looking up. "Same song every time. I still remember it." He looked up at me. His tough mask completely gone. Just a boy. "I was 12 when they killed her, Esihle. I found her. I became what I became because I had no one." He wiped his eyes fast, like he was embarrassed to cry in front of me. I sat next to him on the cold floor. Hospital gown, bare feet, holding his bloody knuckles. "My dad died in front of our house," I whispered. "Taxi accident. My mom died 3 months later. They say broken heart, but I know she just... gave up. I was 17." I had never told anyone that part. "They left me, Ace. Everyone left me. Aunt took me in but she didn't want me. Jozi was my last chance." He finally looked at me. Really looked. Tears in his eyes too. "We're the same," he said. "Orphan to orphan?" I asked. He nodded. And for the first time since I met him, the King of Jozi started to cry. Quietly. Shoulders shaking. I hugged him on that hospital floor. Two orphans holding each other. No guns. No king. No queen. Just two kids who lost their moms. "I don't want to lose you too," he whispered into my hair, voice breaking. "I don't know how to be soft, Esihle. I only know how to protect by being scary. But with you... I want to learn." I pulled back, cupped his stitched face. "Then learn with me," I said. "We both don't know how to be loved. So we learn together." He leaned his forehead on mine. "Stay with me?" he asked. Not like a king ordering. Like a boy asking. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. "You're stuck with this Eastern Cape girl." He laughed through tears. "Good. My queen doesn't run." And on that cold hospital floor at 1am, two orphans who thought they would be alone forever made a promise. No more alone. --- *CHAPTER 10: Forever King & Queen* Three months later. I graduated. Not just from Wits. From being scared. Ace sat in the front row at my graduation. Black suit, no tattoos showing, Lubanzi and all his men behind him in suits too. The whole Great Hall stared. When they called "Esihle Dlamini, Bachelor of Arts," Ace stood up first. Clapped the loudest. I cried on stage. After, in the parking lot, he had a surprise. Not a car. Not jewelry. A small house. In the suburbs. Not big like his mansion. Just normal. With a garden. "What is this?" I asked. "Our house," he said, nervous for the first time ever. The King of Jozi, nervous. "If you want. No guards inside. Just us. You can plant your Eastern Cape spinach. Your mom's umngqusho garden." I started crying again. "Esihle," he took both my hands. "I went from a boy who had nothing to a man who had everything in Jozi - money, streets, power. But I had no home. Until you got lost at that taxi rank." "That night in the hospital," he continued, voice shaking. "You said we learn together. So... will you learn with me? Be my home? My queen? Not just of the underground. Of my life?" He wasn't proposing with a ring. He knew I was only 19, I needed to live. He was proposing forever. He pulled out a small silver necklace. Not gold. Silver. With two tiny crowns. K and Q. He put it on me. "Forever King and Queen?" he asked. I touched the necklace, tears everywhere. "Forever King and Queen," I whispered. That night, we sat on the floor of our empty new house. No furniture. Just us and takeout, like our rooftop date. Lubanzi texted: "_Queen, King, the streets are quiet. For once._ We laughed. I leaned on his shoulder. His arm - healed now - around me. "Esihle from Eastern Cape," he said. "Ace from Jozi," I said. "Orphan to orphan?" he asked. "King to queen," I answered. And for the first time in both our lives, the house wasn't empty. Because we were home. *THE END* By G.O Mokwena