Page 14 of Rose
“But you not gon’ be… if you don’t move the fuck around.”
The man mugged him. “The fuck you gone do?”
The entire block froze. Music dimmed, conversations died, heat thickened. Even time held its breath. From inside the shop, A’Mazi and Kyre stepped out. Macho followed, eyes on Savior like he already knew what was about to unfold.
Savior smiled.
Not just any smile. That slow, soulless grin he only pulled when death felt close.
Kyre’s voice cut through the tension, concerned and urgent.
“Ahzii, you good?”
She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. She was frozen against her bike, watching the devil in Timbs face off with a fool who didn’t realize how close he was to the grave.
“Last warning, pussy. Take it… I don’t give ‘em out twice.”
His voice didn’t rise. Didn’t flinch. But it sent a chill racing down Ahzii’s spine.
“I’m fine,” she finally said, desperate to defuse whatever hell was about to explode. “I promise.”
And then the man sealed his fate.
“This yo bitch or somethin’?”
Before Savior could move, A’Mazi did. A fist flew out of nowhere, cracking straight into the man’s jaw, followed by another—and another.
“What you call my sister , nigga?” A’Mazi barked, knuckles flying as the man stumbled back, blood splattering.
Ahzii gasped, heart slamming in her chest as she jumped to intervene, but before she could, strong arms wrapped around her waist.
Savior.
He pulled her back with a firm grip that was more possessive than protective, and her body tensed in his arms—but she didn’t fight it .
And Savior? For a moment, he didn’t care about the man getting beat to hell five feet away. All he could think about was how right she felt against him. The way her body fit into his like it was made for him.
And that scared the hell out of him.
But he didn’t let go.
“Stop, Maz!” Ahzii’s voice rang out, frantic and broken, still trapped in Savior’s arms as she struggled against his hold. But A’Mazi wasn’t listening. He was too far gone, fists slamming into the man’s face over and over, each hit darker than the last.
“Somebody stop him before he kills the man!” Kyre called out, her voice panicked as she turned toward Savior.
Savior gave a subtle signal to Macho, who moved fast, wrapping his arms around A’Mazi and yanking him back just before the man lost consciousness. Blood splattered the sidewalk. Ahzii thrashed.
“Let me the fuck go,” she snapped, and that’s when Savior realized—he was still holding her. He loosened his grip reluctantly, releasing her even though her presence lingered in his hands like heat from a flame.
Kyre rushed to check A’Mazi’s bruised hand, while Ahzii stood in stunned silence—shaking, breath ragged, eyes glassy with unshed tears. The sight of her like that made Savior’s chest tighten. Not with guilt. With rage.
The man, barely standing, leaned against the shop’s window, blood trailing from his mouth like regret.
“Get yo pussy ass off my windows,” Macho muttered before kicking the man in his leg.
Ahzii jumped.
A’Mazi reappeared with an ice pack from Aunt Marley, shame written all over his face. Kyre returned too, fire in her eyes.
“Let’s go, Ky,” Ahzii finally muttered, her voice hollow. She pulled on her helmet without another word.
Savior wanted to speak—anything to ease her—but he knew better. She was pissed, rattled, and she didn’t even know him. Whatever he felt… it wasn’t the time.
“Zii?” A’Mazi tried, his voice low, full of regret.
She ignored him. Revved her engine like thunder in her throat.
“I got her, Mazi. Come by the house later,” Kyre said, kissing his cheek before hopping on the back.
The minute her helmet clicked, Ahzii peeled off—burning rubber, spitting smoke, and flipping A’Mazi off on her way out. The roar of her bike echoed down the street like a war cry, leaving everyone frozen in her wake.
Savior stood there, staring until the bike disappeared. That woman… she stuck with him. The sharpness in her voice, the tension in her frame, the warmth of her body when it pressed against his. He remembered everything.
Her skin. Her eyes. Her name.
Ahzii.
“What the fuck happened out here?” Aunt Marley asked, dragging him back to the present.
Savior looked down at the man still bleeding on the sidewalk, barely able to stand, barely able to breathe. His jaw clenched.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll take care of it.”
There was death in his tone—quiet, certain, final.
Aunt Marley followed his gaze, then looked at A’Mazi, at her son, then back at the man on the ground. She sighed and stepped in.
“Whatever the fuck you’re gonna do, do it far from here,” she said coolly before turning to A’Mazi. “That was your sister?”
He nodded, still catching his breath.
“Don’t ever feel guilty for protecting her,” she said, her voice steel wrapped in velvet. “That pussy deserved every ounce of what he got.”
“Thanks for the ice pack,” A’Mazi murmured.
“You’re welcome.” Aunt Marley smiled faintly, then glanced down the block. “I see why she got men out here ready to kill for her. She and that woman with her? Both beautiful as hell.”
Even in thick tension, laughter slipped through like light under a locked door.
Then her smile disappeared as she turned to the man who had finally staggered to his feet.
“And you ... get the fuck off my block. No man who can’t respect the word no deserves to breathe the same air as my family. You might want to leave now—while you still have lungs full of air. Ain’t no telling when your next breath might be your last.”
She smiled when she said it. Like it was a blessing. Like she didn’t just hand him a death sentence.
The man stared at her—terrified, bleeding, broken—then scrambled to his car and sped off the block like he was fleeing hell itself.
And truth be told…He was.
The men standing around couldn’t help but laugh as they watched how fast the man peeled off the block, fear in his rearview. A’Mazi walked back into the shop, head down in his phone—checking in with Ahzii, knowing she needed space but still needing to feel close.
“Killing for a woman you don’t even know,” Aunt Marley murmured, side-eyeing Savior with that knowing smirk only she could wear.
Savior chuckled low, but the look on his face didn’t waver.
“Killing for respect,” he corrected, calm but firm. “He disrespected me —and someone Mazi love. That shit don’t go unnoticed.”
Aunt Marley raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips tugging. She didn’t argue, just let the silence speak for her. She knew better. Knew him better. Knew that wasn’t just about respect.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she said finally, turning with a wave. “Now the party ain’t over. Come on and get seconds.”
Macho laughed, already falling in behind her. “Ma, you gon’ make our asses fat with all this damn food. Between you and Gold, I don’t know who worse.”
They disappeared down the sidewalk, the block alive again with music and laughter, but Savior didn’t move.
He just stood there.
Staring at the empty space where she had been .
Aunt Marley was right. He’d been ready to kill that man, not just for disrespect…
but for her. A woman he didn’t know. Didn’t even know her last name.
But something about her had locked into him like a trigger he didn’t mean to pull.
He told himself it was about loyalty, about Mazi. That’s what he needed to believe.
But deep down, he knew better.
It wasn’t just about Ahzii being beautiful—though she was damn near perfection. It was the way she held herself, the fire in her tone, the way her silence screamed louder than her words. She was danger dressed in honey, and he didn’t even know what it was yet—but he wanted to.
Badly.
Still… he had to let it go. At least on the surface.
Savior pulled out his phone, thumb flying across the screen. Sincere would’ve been his go-to, but his little brother was in the middle of teaching a seminar today. Next best option?
Olivia.
If anyone could find out who that man was—and who he answered to—it was her.
Savior hit send and watched the message disappear into the encrypted ether. Then he slid his phone back in his pocket and finally turned toward the scent of barbecue and soul food calling him home.
But his mind never left her .
Not for a second.