Page 1 of Keyoni & Sage
Chapter 1
Sage
“Excuse me?!”
Did he say what I think he said?
“You heard me, bitch. Gimme your bag.”
I scoffed. I grew up with brothers. It would take more than a gruff voice to get me to comply. I looked the lunatic up and down before meeting his eyes. He had me in size, but since I was on the tall side, we were close to the same height. But if he thought he put fear in my heart, he was sadly mistaken.
“If you don’t take your ass on somewhere?—”
Unfazed by the request, I made a major mistake. I turned my back on him, continuing to put my purchased items into the car. That was when I felt the strap being snatched from my shoulder. Instinctively, I grabbed the body of the purse, holding it for dear life, only to release it when I saw dark gray steel pointed my way.
“Take it!” I yelled, practically throwing it at him.
Everything inside could be replaced. There was less than fifty dollars in cash and all of my cards were locked. Besides a few knickknacks and girly items I rarely left the house without, there was nothing in my purse of value—except the purse itself. It was the last gift my father had given me before his passing. The sentimental value meant more than the price tag.
“I’m going to,” the robber said without hesitation. “What else you got?”
Nothing.
The bandana wrapped around the lower part of his face started to fall. Initially, I couldn’t see anything except for his dark skin and bugged eyes. Now, his bulbous nose was on display and I got a tease of his graying mustache. The wiry hairs were unkempt and going in different directions.
I’m being robbed by an old nigga.
I couldn’t believe it. It was happening though, and in real time. With the gun still pointed at me, the motherfucker started taking the shit out of my cart. Greedily, he pushed me out of the way to reach for the stuff I put away in my car.
I thought about knocking him in his shit as he rummaged through my items, but after a ball of fur entered my periphery, I realized I didn’t have to. Somebody’s four-legged friend did it for me, jumping in to save the day with a bite to the guy’s leg.
And his other leg.
And his arm.
And his?—
“Ahhh…my ass!”
The dog was in attack mode, preventing the man from maintaining full control of his weapon. Somehow, he managed to get a good grip but stopped short of pulling the trigger when a deep voice issued a command. On cue, the dog sat.
Turning, I saw a uniformed officer pointing a gun of his own. “Shoot my partner, I’m shooting you. Drop your weapon.”
The bandana fell the rest of the way, bunching around his neck, revealing his full face. The man was old enough to be my daddy.
“I ain’t gonna shoot,” the robber spat with a sardonic laugh. He lowered himself, resting the gun against the asphalt. “I got a lawsuit to file. That mutt bit me.Unprovoked.”
I scoffed. “You just robbed me.”
The confidence in his face fell. “Who? Who robbed you?”
“You!” the officer said before I did. “I saw the whole thing. Plus there’s cameras everywhere.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, sure you don’t.” The officer moved in. The guy looked like he was contemplating running, but the officer made a sound that lifted the dog to its feet. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Tez.”
The situation became crazier by the second. “Wait…you know this guy?” I asked.
