Queenpins of the Underworld

The Ghosts We Carry

The night was quiet as Vee sat alone in her office, the low hum of the city filtering through the window. The world outside was bathed in darkness, a reflection of the thoughts swirling in her mind. The meeting at the docks earlier that day had left her unsettled, a sense of impending doom weighing heavily on her shoulders.

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes drifting to the framed photograph on her desk. It was an old picture, taken years ago—her and Dani, standing side by side, their smiles wide and carefree. They looked so different back then, so young, so full of hope and ambition. Before the darkness of the world had crept in, before the blood and the violence and the betrayals had hardened them into the women they were now.

Vee picked up the photo, her fingers tracing the edges of the frame. The memories came flooding back, unbidden but insistent, dragging her back to a time when everything was simpler—when she and Dani were just two girls trying to survive in a world that didn't care if they lived or died.

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**Ten Years Ago**

The streets of Southeast D.C. were a world unto themselves, a place where poverty and crime intertwined like the roots of a tree. It was a place that bred survivors, and Vee had always known she was one of them. She had learned early on that the world wasn't going to give her anything—if she wanted something, she'd have to take it.

Vee was seventeen when she met Dani. They were both hanging around a run-down basketball court, each waiting for their own opportunity to hustle. Vee was there to meet a dealer who owed her money; Dani was there because she had nowhere else to go. Her foster home was a hellhole, and the streets felt safer by comparison.

Vee noticed Dani immediately—the way she stood off to the side, watching everyone with wary eyes, like she was ready to bolt at any moment. There was something about her that intrigued Vee, something that made her want to find out what had put that look of quiet defiance on her face.

Vee had always been good at reading people. It was a skill she had honed from a young age, a necessity in a world where trusting the wrong person could get you killed. She could tell Dani wasn't like the other kids who hung around the court—she wasn't looking for trouble, but she wasn't afraid of it, either.

Vee approached her, her confidence masking the curiosity bubbling inside her. "You got a name?" she asked, her voice casual, but with an edge that said she wasn't someone to be messed with.

Dani looked at her, those dark eyes studying her in a way that made Vee feel exposed, like Dani could see through the layers of toughness she wore like armor. "Depends," Dani replied, her voice flat. "You looking to start something?"

Vee couldn't help but smirk at that. "Nah. Just looking to see who's new on my turf."

Dani raised an eyebrow. "Your turf, huh? Didn't realize the city belonged to anybody."

Vee liked her already. She had guts, even if she didn't know how dangerous it was to talk back to the wrong person in this part of town. "It doesn't," Vee said. "But you hang around here long enough, you'll see why people think it does."

There was a moment of silence, a challenge hanging in the air between them. Then Dani shrugged, her posture relaxing slightly. "I'm Dani."

"Vee."

From that moment on, they were inseparable. Vee quickly realized that Dani was just as much a survivor as she was, even if her scars were less visible. Dani was tough, but not in the way Vee was. Where Vee was sharp edges and calculated moves, Dani was raw strength and a quiet resolve that wouldn't break, no matter what the world threw at her.

They started running small-time hustles together, working the streets for whatever they could get. Vee taught Dani how to play the game—how to read people, how to strike deals, how to know when to walk away and when to fight. Dani, in turn, showed Vee how to throw a punch that could drop a grown man, how to take a hit and keep going, how to hold on to that last shred of humanity even when everything around you was trying to tear it away.

It wasn't long before their reputation grew. They were just two teenage girls, but they were smart, and they were ruthless when they had to be. People started to notice them, started to take them seriously. And with that came opportunities—small-time crews that wanted to bring them on, local gangs that wanted to test their mettle.

But Vee had bigger plans. She didn't want to be just another player in the game—she wanted to run it. And she knew Dani was the key to making that happen. They complemented each other in a way that made them unstoppable. Where Vee's mind was always three steps ahead, Dani's instincts kept them grounded, kept them from making the kind of mistakes that could get them killed.

They started their own crew, pulling in the best talent they could find—people who were loyal, people who understood that Vee and Dani were the future. And slowly, they began to carve out a piece of the city for themselves.

But with power came enemies. The more they gained, the more they had to fight to keep it. Vee found herself slipping further into the darkness, doing things she had sworn she'd never do, all to protect what they had built. Dani was always there, always by her side, but Vee could see the toll it was taking on her. Dani wasn't like Vee—she had a softness to her that Vee admired, but also feared. She worried that one day, the violence and the blood would be too much for Dani, that she would walk away and leave Vee to face it all alone.

But Dani never did. No matter how bad things got, no matter how many lines they crossed, Dani stayed. And with every year that passed, their bond grew stronger, forged in fire and blood.

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**Present Day**

Vee placed the photograph back on the desk, her fingers trembling slightly. She hated thinking about the past, about the choices that had led them to this point. But the past was always there, lurking in the shadows, a reminder of how far they had come—and how much they had lost along the way.

She had become the woman she was because she had to be. The world didn't give you power—you had to take it, and you had to be willing to do whatever it took to keep it. Vee had learned that lesson early, and it had shaped everything she did, every decision she made.

But Dani...Dani was different. Dani still had that spark, that piece of herself that hadn't been consumed by the darkness. And Vee knew that if she wasn't careful, if she pushed too hard, she could lose Dani to that light. She could lose the one person who mattered more to her than anything else in this world.

Vee leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she tried to quiet the thoughts that were swirling in her mind. The weight of everything—of the past, of the choices she had made, of the feelings she had buried so deep—pressed down on her, threatening to suffocate her.

She had always prided herself on being in control, on never letting anyone see her weaknesses. But as the years had gone by, she had realized that control was an illusion, a lie she told herself to keep the fear at bay. The truth was, she was just as lost as anyone else, just as scared of what the future held.

And the only thing that kept her from drowning in that fear was Dani.

Vee opened her eyes, staring at the photograph once more. She couldn't lose Dani. Not to the business, not to the violence, and not to the feelings she was too afraid to admit she had. She had to find a way to keep them both safe, to protect what they had built without losing themselves in the process.

But as she sat there, alone in the dark, Vee couldn't shake the feeling that the past was catching up with them—that the ghosts of who they used to be were coming back to haunt them.

And she didn't know if they were strong enough to face them.