Page 196 of Rose
She squeezed the trigger one more time straight into his heart.
The life drained from his eyes instantly.
The bullet carried everything she’d been holding inside—her rage, her grief, her pain—and when it left her, so did her strength. She broke, sobs shaking her to her knees. Sarai rushed to her, wrapping her arms tight around her.
“You did it, Zii. He’s gone,” Sarai whispered against her hair.
Sincere and A’Mazi stormed in, their eyes dropping to the body sprawled in its own blood.
“I need him. I need Savior,” Ahzii choked out into Sarai’s shoulder.
Sarai nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Take her to the hospital,” Sincere ordered, already scanning the room. “Me and Mazi will handle this.”
A’Mazi tossed Sarai his keys before leaning down to kiss Ahzii’s forehead. “I love you, Shug.”
“I love you too, Boobie. Thanks for always walking through the fire with me,” she whispered back.
Sarai pulled her out the back door, the two of them speeding toward the hospital. Behind them, A’Mazi and Sincere erased every trace, until nothing remained but flames and the Devil who’d finally been sent back to burn.
Chapter 20
One Week Later
Knocks hit the door just before it creaked open. Ahzii, curled on the hospital couch, sat up as Sarai stepped in with a bag of food swinging from her hands.
“I come with food, because I know your ass hasn’t ate,” Sarai said, her voice light but her eyes heavy.
Ahzii let out a small chuckle, but she knew Sarai wasn’t lying. It had been a week since everything happened, and she hadn’t left the hospital once. Savior still hadn’t woken up, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave his side.
His parents had come earlier, sat with him, and forced her to go get rest, but she never moved farther than the hallway. Every day, the family rotated in and out—bringing food, telling stories, cracking jokes that barely touched the tension in the air, praying like his life depended on each word. A’Mazi kept the dogs safe at home, Sincere helping him out. And while everyone else returned to business, and normal responsibilities, Ahzii’s world had shrunk to this single room and the man lying in that bed.
Bianca stopped by daily with fresh clothes and toiletries for her, insisting she go home and get real rest. But everyone knew the truth. They’d have to wheel her out in her own hospital bed before she willingly left this room.
“I can’t eat until he wakes up,” Ahzii whispered.
Sarai leaned down, kissed her brother’s forehead, then slid beside Ahzii on the couch. “You have to eat something, Zii. If my brother wakes up and finds out you’ve been starving yourself and his baby, he’ll kill us for letting it happen.”
Ahzii chuckled again, but it broke halfway through. She wiped away the tear that slipped.
Yup. She was pregnant.
A few days after killing Lazarus, she’d been throwing up nonstop. Body aches. Fevers. She told herself it was the weight of taking her first life, the sickness of what she’d done. But Sarai and Kyre had forced a doctor to check her over. The test came back clear as day. She was carrying Savior’s child.
She hadn’t done an ultrasound. Not yet. She wanted to experience that moment with him. But knowing she was pregnant only deepened the pit in her chest. She couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. She was already praying for God to spare Savior’s life, now she was begging not to lose another baby too.
Being pregnant again dragged her straight back to Willow. Back to the loss that had gutted her. She’d fallen in love with the wrong man, and it had cost her the chance to be a mother. What if this happened again? What if losing Savior ripped her apart so badly her body gave up this baby too?
And if he didn’t make it, she’d be alone. Raising their child without him. Living in a world without him.
The thoughts came like waves, crashing hard and fast, until all she could do was cry. Pray. Wait. And stare at the stillness of the man who held her whole future in his chest.
Sarai saw the tears sliding down before Ahzii could wipe them away. She moved without hesitation, wrapping her arms around her.
“He has to wake up,” Ahzii cried into her chest, her voice breaking.
“He will, Zii. Savior’s strong… he’s just being stubborn right now,” Sarai said, rubbing her back in slow circles. “Stubborn ass.”
