Page 102 of Rose
“Apparently not,” Olivia muttered.
Savior shot her a look.
Sincere sat quiet, brows furrowed, confused. “I remember that night. I was lead on that job. Wild called me. Said the man was dead.”
“Either Wild was a dumbass or a snake—God rest his soul—or he and Raz killed the wrong nigga,” Saint growled.
“It’s possible,” Olivia added carefully. “There’s a lot of William Davises in Miami. Could’ve pulled the wrong profile.”
Saint turned his glare toward Savior again. “Do you haveanyproof he was actually dead? Because Cain just gave us aclear as dayphoto of that motherfucker walking the streets.”
“Did you see a body?” Olivia asked, leaning into the silence. “Did anyone?”
Savior slowly turned to Sincere.
“Did you?” he asked his brother. “Did you see a body?”
Sincere’s eyes dropped to his hands, picking at his fingernails. He didn’t answer.
That silence said everything.
Before Savior could speak again, Saint stood up, voice rising.
“Why the fuck you asking him?You’rethe head of this family! You don't delegate death, youdeliverit.”
Savior stood, too, calm but seething. “I’m the leader, not a goddamn machine. I can’t be everywhere at once. So I gave Sin the job. He was ready. That’s what we preach, right?Every Carter a killer. Every killer a leader.I trusted my brother.”
Saint stepped in closer, eyes locked with his son’s. “And your trust just cost this family everything.”
“Okay,” Olivia cut in, her voice soft but firm as steel. “Enough.”
The room was thick with tension, heavy with unsaid accusations.
Savior reached into his jacket and pulled the blunt back to his lips, lighting it slowly. He needed something to calm the fire burning in his chest, and weed was the only thing that wouldn’t end in blood.
The smoke curled in the air like steam off boiling water.
This wasn’t just about a failed mission. This was about control. And the past just walked back into their lives with a new name—William Davis.
Savior sat in silence, jaw locked, the blunt burning low between his fingers. He never fucked up. Not once. Not in his entire career. And the fact that this ghost of a man was walking around free—after everything—was slicing his pride open.
He trusted Raz. Trusted Wild. And he especially trusted Sincere.
But Raz was dead. Wild had taken his own life not long after the assignment. And Sincere couldn’t even look him in the eyes.
The weight was falling squarely onhisshoulders now.
“We’re not gonna figure this shit out by pointing fingers,” Olivia spoke, keeping her tone neutral. “We promised that man we’d find Lazarus and put him down, and that’s what we’re going to do. I’ll comb through the original files and trace the incident timeline. Sin, run that photo through citywide facial recognition. I’d use the bureau, but I can’t draw suspicion. We keep this in-house.”
Savior nodded slowly, processing her words, until his father spoke again.
“Now she leading while your dumbass sits there smoking like a bitch.”
Savior froze mid-pull, the insult slicing through whatever calm he had left.
He stood slowly, towering over the table.
“Sav—wait!” Olivia called, but it was too late.
