Chapter 18: Smoke Signals & Silence
Kgosi didn't stop running.
His legs moved on instinct, cutting corners through dark alleys, vaulting over broken walls, dodging stray dogs and shattered beer bottles.
The warehouse behind him had exploded into chaos — red and blue lights dancing in the distance, sirens crying into the night.
He didn't know who fired the shot.
He didn't know who tipped the cops.
All he knew was this:
> His father was alive.
His enemy was family.
And nothing was safe anymore.
---
Back at the Shack
Kgosi slipped into Lethabo's backyard through the broken side fence. He tapped twice on the kitchen window.
Tap. Tap.
A moment later, Lethabo appeared in a vest and boxers, wiping sleep from his eyes.
"Bro?" he whispered. "Where the hell were you? We've been blowing up your phone!"
Kgosi climbed in. "The warehouse. They were there. My dad… he's alive."
Lethabo's jaw dropped.
"No ways."
Kgosi nodded. "And he wants me to lead whatever syndicate he's built. Rethabile's involved too."
"Yoh…" Lethabo sat down. "That explains why that dude was always sus. Always acting too neat, too perfect for kasi."
---
Telling Naledi
The next morning, Kgosi told Naledi everything. Her face stayed unreadable. Calm. Too calm.
"You saw him?" she asked. "Your father? With your own eyes?"
"Yes."
"Did he touch you? Say anything that proves it's him?"
Kgosi frowned. "He called me by my nickname. The one only he and my mom used. He even said 'Chisa boy' — remember?"
Naledi's eyes softened.
"I remember."
She turned away, arms folded.
"But how do you trust someone who let his own family suffer while he played gangster?"
---
The Crossroads
Later that day, Kgosi sat on the hill overlooking Zone 4. That same hill he and his father once visited when he was a kid. The air smelled like smoke, petrol, and pap from the nearby shisanyama.
He stared down at the township.
The sounds. The chaos. The colors.
So much pain lived here. But so did pride.
> He could lead the gang.
Or he could expose them.
Or he could vanish.
None of the options felt right. All of them could cost him everything.
---
Unknown Number
His phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: "Meet me at Freedom Bridge. Alone. Don't bring Naledi. Don't bring Lethabo."
Kgosi stared at the screen.
No name. No time. Just a location.
The same bridge where Sipho was stabbed two years ago. The place they all called "No Return."
"Looks like I'm going ghost again," Kgosi whispered, pocketing the phone.
---
Freedom Bridge
The sky turned purple-orange by the time Kgosi reached the bridge.
A figure stood in the middle — hoodie up, hands in pocket, face hidden.
Kgosi approached slowly. "You called me?"
The figure removed the hood.
It was Zee.
Zee — his father's old right-hand man. Presumed dead. Disappeared from kasi five years ago after a shootout.
Kgosi's blood turned cold.
"You shouldn't be here," Zee said. "But I had to see the prince myself."
"What do you want?"
Zee pulled out a small flash drive.
"This? It has everything. Accounts. Names. Deals. Cops who protect your father. If you want to destroy the empire… this is your weapon."
Kgosi didn't move.
"But there's a cost," Zee added. "If you expose him, people will die. Including you. If you join him, people will suffer. You must choose, Kgosi. Kasi or bloodline."
He dropped the flash drive at Kgosi's feet and disappeared into the shadows.
---
End of Chapter 18