Keyoni & Sage (D-Ville Projects #8)

1. Sage

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.

The officer removed his cuffs. “Everybody knows Montez. He’s a regular down at county.”

“Don’t be telling her my business,” Tez huffed. Knowing the drill, he turned around, putting his hands behind his back.

“You wanna give the lady her purse back first?” the officer asked.

Lady?

Should I be offended?

“What purse?” Tez played dumb.

The officer nodded at the strap of my purse on Tez’s shoulder. “That purse.”

“Man…”

Defeat was all over his face as the officer slid the strap down the man’s shoulder. He refused to look my way as my property was returned to me. And although I took it, it frustrated me to no end that someone else’s hands had been all over it.

“Thank you, Officer—” I read the name embroidered on the officer’s outer vest. “Green.”

K. Green.

I wondered what the K stood for.

“No thanks needed. It’s what I do.” He applied the cuffs to Tez’s wrists. “Provide and protect,” he continued. Our eyes met and he winked at me. “A’ight. Come on.” He pulled Tez along. “Kaiser…let’s go.”

Within seconds, Kaiser was by his side and they all walked off in the opposite direction.

I managed to get my stuff into the car and drive off without further incident, ignoring the concerned look on the faces of those who passed by. Several people saw what took place, but no one came to my aid, except a six foot something police officer whose face I committed to memory.

And Kaiser.

So many thoughts ran through my head on the ride home—mostly of my unexpected hero wearing a Diamond Falls PD badge. He didn’t look like a police officer. Not that a police officer had to have certain features, but damn. Whoever oversaw recruitment deserved a raise.

I didn’t remember the drive to my cousin’s apartment.

I zoned out along the way, thinking about everything but the road.

I made it safely though, in one piece, catching Lanique walking toward the building with bags in both hands.

She turned my way as I shut off the car, causing her to backtrack and walk over.

“You need help?” she asked, looking into the backseat.

Exiting the car, I told her, “No, I got it.”

“Girl…” Although her hands were full, she managed to pull out her phone and make a call. “Sage needs help with her bags.”

“I got it,” I told her, trying to grab all the bags I could to make it a solo trip. “You didn’t have to call?—”

“I got it, Sage. Move over.” I didn’t know where Cauvey came from, but he had to be close to arrive so quickly. He took the bags from my hands and grabbed the last few remaining in the back seat. “Is that it?” he asked, turning toward the trunk.

“Just my work bag, but I can get that.”

They were at the elevator when I finally caught up. The doors opened to an empty car as soon as I arrived.

“How was work?” Lanique asked on the ride up to the third floor.

I shrugged. “It was… work .”

Cauvey chuckled.

“You know what I mean. Did anything exciting happen?”

“Not really.” The doors opened. “Mostly wellness exams and vaccines.”

The conversation ceased as I trailed the duo down the hall to their apartment.

Since Sunday, it was my apartment too, although I was never officially added to the lease.

When my cousin invited me to stay with her, she boasted about her array of animals—a dog, two cats, two ferrets, a guinea pig, a mating pair of bearded dragons, and lots of fish—but failed to mention Cauvey lived with her too.

He was the first in the apartment and disappeared back out of the door after dropping my items off on the couch.

Lanique stuck her head out of the door after him. “Where you going?”

I didn’t hear what he said, but my cousin seemed frustrated with his response as she closed the door. She left my view as I entered the kitchen, placing the bags in my hands on the counter. Lanique appeared when I turned around, stepping past me with the remaining bags.

“Thanks,” I told her, starting the unloading process.

“What did you get?” she asked, looking through one of the bags.

“Robbed.”

“Huh?!” Her body froze. Only her mouth moved. “What did you say?”

“I got robbed. Well…actually?—”

“Robbed? By who? What they take? You know what…” She pulled her phone from her back pocket. “It don’t even matter.” She tapped the screen, then lifted the phone to her ear. “Sage got robbed!”

I could only imagine how loud Cauvey screamed “what” because I clearly heard it from where I stood.

“I didn’t get robbed,” I clarified.

“But you just said?—”

“I know what I said. Some guy took my purse, but this cop showed up with his dog and…” An image of Officer K. Green replaced my thought. I smiled.

“And what?” Cauvey pressed.

I glanced at the phone before it registered that Lanique had put him on speaker.

“ And ,” I emphasized. “I got my purse back.” I shrugged. “That’s it.”

“Nah, it ain’t it,” Cauvey declared.

It was for me.

KEYONI

“You out of here?” Geneva asked.

“Yeah.” My day had been made extra-long thanks to Tez’s arrest. I was off duty when he decided to show his ass and take what didn’t belong to him. “ Finally .”

“You could’ve been out here,” she teased. “You’re the one who decided to come back to work.”

“It’s called dedication.” I tapped the side of her cubicle before pushing off of it. “You have a good weekend, okay?”

Geneva offered a smile from her seat. “You too.”

Kaiser came when I whistled. “Let’s go.”

I took the stairs with my partner in crime. He knew the building just as well as I did and led most of the way. Inside, it was cool, but once we stepped outside the station, I was his handler. He stayed at my side unless he was directed otherwise.

Much like me, Kaiser was laid back. He was a go-with-the-flow kind of dog and didn’t require too much of anything.

He mastered the art of not giving a fuck, but when it was time to work, Kaiser went extra hard.

Not only was he fearless, but he also had just as much heart as any member on the team—human or canine.