Page 99 of Rose
No. That part needed to come from her. She had to want it. Fight for it. Walk through her own fire.
Because just likehewas misunderstood by his family—seen as indestructible when in truth he bled just like the rest—shewas misunderstood too. People saw her as broken. Cold. Detached. But Savior saw the opposite. She wasn’t weak. She was strong as hell. Maybe even stronger than him.
He took one last pull from his blunt before speaking.
“I don’t regret shit I did for you, Liv. I’d kill that sorry-ass nigga a thousand times over if it meant getting you out of that house. But you gotta understand, what I got going on with Ahzii? It’s different. I know something fucked her up—probably something deep—but it ain’t that that got me gone for her. I don’t even know what it is,” he admitted, eyes fixed on the slow dance of smoke between them. “To you and everyone else, it might look like I’m trying to be her savior. But to me? I’m just tryna be someone she never thought she deserved again.”
“Again?” Olivia asked, tilting her head, eyes narrowing.
He nodded slowly, voice lower. “When I look into her eyes, I see therealher. You said you saw darkness? I see light. Faint, yeah—but it’s still there. Just buried. I don’t know who or what put that fire out, but I wanna be the one to bring it back. To show her she deserves to shine again. If that make me look like I’m saving her, then fuck it—I’ll wear that. But this ain’t about me trying to fix nobody. It’s about me seeing what’s still there, even when she can’t.”
Olivia stared at him, lips parting slowly into a soft smile. “That’s not saving her, Sav. That’s calledlove.”
Savior scoffed, a half-smirk twitching. “Man, it’s too early to be throwing that word around.”
“Not for you,” she countered. “You just don’t recognize it ‘cause you’ve neverfeltit like this. You love with your actions. With your presence. With your loyalty. But you don’t know how to say it. Come to think of it…” Olivia leaned in slightly. “You ever evensaidthe word love out loud? Like actually told someone, ‘I love you’?”
Savior shifted in his seat, jaw tightening. That word had always felt foreign to him. Heknewhis siblings and Olivia loved him—they said it often, and he showed it in his own way. Through protection. Through silence. Through war. But he couldn’t recall the last time, if ever, he said it back. His father never said it. His mother never showed it. Love had always been something heearned, not something he wasgiven.
Before he could respond, the glass doors to the conference room swung open. Two large security guards entered first, followed by Havoc and Sincere. Savior had never been so relieved to see his father walk into a room.
Not because he missed him. But because this conversation was starting to strip him bare.
And he wasn’t ready for that yet.
Savior and Sin were near mirror images of their father.
Saint Carter, in his mid-fifties, wore his age like armor—tall, broad, deep brown skin, and a salt-and-pepper beard that matched the thick curls on his head. With a body still built like a warrior and the presence of one, he could easily pass for their older brother. Olivia stood to hug him, wrapping her arms around him like a daughter would, and he returned the gesture with a kiss to her forehead.
Savior rose as well, exchanging a nod with his father—no embrace, no warmth. Just acknowledgment. Respect. That was as close as it got with Saint.
Sincere walked over, dapping up his brother. “Wassup, Sav.”
They both sat as Saint took his seat at the head of the table, commanding the room as always. Savior was thankful he smoked earlier—something told him he’d need the calm.
“Where Gold?” Savior asked, noticing their sister’s absence.
“She’s not needed for this job,” Saint replied simply.
That answer made sense. As lethal as Sarai could be, they only called her in when necessary. She was bloodthirsty by nature, but her focus was her restaurant now. The family tries to keep her out of the deeper trenches.
The conference doors opened suddenly.
In one motion, Savior, Sin, and Olivia all drew their weapons, eyes hard and locked in.
“Calm down. He’s with me,” Saint said, standing up slowly. “He’s the reason I called this meeting.”
Reluctantly, Olivia and Sin holstered their guns. Savior didn’t. He kept his Glock steady at his side, eyes narrowed. He didn’t trust anyone just because Saint said so. The man walking in might’ve had his father’s word, but he hadn’t earned his yet.
The stranger walked with a limp, leaning heavily on a black cane. He was younger than the cane implied, but his body told a different story. Burn scars covered the entire left side of his face, his hands, even his bald scalp. The rest of his body was hidden beneath a crisp black suit, but Savior was willing to bet the damage went deeper.
“I apologize for interrupting your day,” the man said, his voice raspy, barely above a whisper. “But I need your help.”
“Come sit,” Saint said, gesturing toward the empty chair at the table. “These are my sons—Sin and Khaos—the best killers in the city. And my daughter, Olivia. She’s federal.”
The man nodded, his movements slow and deliberate as he lowered himself into the chair. Savior’s gaze never left him.
“Pleasure to meet you,” the man rasped. “My name is Cain.”
