7. Wrath
WRATH
I’d had plans for the day.
They weren’t anything major—just things to keep me busy. I was going to spend a few hours working with Stitch, and then I planned to head over to the construction site to finish putting the final touches on the drywall.
But those plans got shot to hell when Cotton called church. Questions arose, and five hours later, I found myself sitting bitch in the backseat of one of Bruton’s SUVs.
It was the last thing I expected to happen.
But when the brothers of Satan’s Fury have questions, they get answers.
And we wanted to know about Bruton’s dealings with his last supplier.
How long they’d worked together and why they’d had a falling out.
There were questions that Cotton nor Bones could answer, so Bruton was called in to fill in the blanks.
None of us trusted him enough to bring him into our conference room, so Cotton instructed him to meet us at the bar.
Bruton taught history at my old high school, and while I’d never actually had him, I’d seen him in the halls wearing his Poindexter vest and freshly pressed khakis.
I’d heard the stories about him. He was known for being strict.
If he set a rule, he expected you to follow it or there’d be hell to pay, and the kids took him seriously.
Hell, they were scared shitless of him—which I never understood.
Back then, he just seemed like your everyday teacher, but as he walked into our clubhouse and sat down at our bar, he seemed like anything but a simple schoolteacher. He was oozing with arrogance, and from the way Bones talked, he had every right to be.
But I didn’t like it, and I was pretty sure most of the brothers felt the same. Tension crackled around the room as we all watched him take a sip of his beer. “Nice place.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We’re not here for pleasantries.” Cotton glanced over at Savage and Stitch, then back over to Bruton. “We have questions, and it’s best that the answers come directly from you.”
“Like I told you earlier, I’m more than happy to answer any questions.” Bruton gave his horn-rimmed glasses a slight push, inching them closer to the bridge of his nose. “So, what do you boys have on your mind?”
“We wanna know what happened to your previous supplier.”
“Some of their endeavors were a bit unsavory.” He took another sip of his beer, then added, “I’ve never been a fan of the whole trafficking thing, but I turned a cheek until they ran into trouble and took the wrong girl.
The cops started sniffing around, and I decided it was time to cut ties.
I placed a final order, and that was that. ”
“And then, you decided to look into us?”
“Among others.”
“What others?”
“My business is my own.” He looked Cotton directly in the eye. “I’m sure you understand.”
“Under different circumstances, I would, but if you intend to work with Fury, then you’ll have to be willing to share every detail of your business, from who you are working with to how you handle an exchange.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Then, this partnership between us isn’t going to happen.”
“Can’t expect me to open my doors to you without some kind of assurance that we will be moving forward.”
“If you can’t give us the details we need, then this ends here.”
“What exactly do you want from me?”
“I want you to let us to be there when you make your next drop. It’s the only way we see how you do things.”
Bruton cocked his brow. “If the roles were reversed, would you be open to such a transgression?”
“I’ll admit I wouldn’t like it, but if I was in your position, I would see that I had an opportunity to work with the best—the very best. And I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.”
“I respect your confidence.” Bruton thought for a moment, then said, “I will allow one of your men to attend the exchange.”
“And when will that be?”
“Today.” Bruton stood, then announced, “Have whomever you chose at my place at two.”
Without another word, Bruton turned and walked out of the room.
After a heated debate, it was decided that I would go with Bruton’s men and observe the exchange. Three hours later, I was sitting between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and I was doing my best not to speak as Jarhead drove us all into the city.
It wasn’t easy.
I had a ton of questions that I wasn’t allowed to ask, and it didn’t help that Jarhead was a shit driver. But I did as I was told. I kept my trap shut and watched, taking in everything from how Bruton’s men interacted with one another to the weapons they carried.
They didn’t make it easy.
They rarely spoke, but I saw the side-eye glances and the slight fidgets. I knew what they were up to. Like my brothers and me, they were in sync. They didn’t have to speak to let the others know what was on their minds. I liked that. I respected it.
And as far as their weapons were concerned, they were well hidden beneath their black business suits, but I could still make out the outline of their Glocks on their hips. They were well armed and seemingly prepared for whatever lay head.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting.
I just had to sit there between the two knuckleheads who didn’t speak and wait until we arrived at the location of the drop.
It had already been over an hour, and it was getting harder and harder not to think about Mia and how incredible her body felt next to mine.
A wave of euphoria washed over me as I replayed the memories in my head.
It was a crazy night filled with passion and an unexpected connection.
It was like the world around us had melted away and we were propelled into our own little universe—a place where time stood still and everything else faded into insignificance.
The memory of her touch lingered on my skin, leaving me with a delicious ache that served as a reminder of the fiery desire that had consumed us. Her soft whimpers still echoed in my ears, intertwining with the sounds of our bodies colliding together. It was intense and so fucking good.
It wasn't just the fucking that had left me spellbound. It was her. It was the way she looked at me, her eyes filled with a mix of desire, adoration, and a hint of mischief. It was the way she touched me like she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to take it.
Just thinking about it had my cock throbbing, forcing me to shift in my seat.
I wasn’t like this.
I didn’t get stirred up by a woman.
She’d done something to me. She made me want her, long for her touch, and that was the last thing I needed, especially now.
I needed to be focused on the task at hand, not thinking about the woman I couldn’t have.
Thankfully, I got the distraction I needed when Jarhead turned down a deserted road on the outskirts of the city.
I could feel the tension growing in the SUV, so I knew we were getting close. Seconds later, we pulled up to an old, dilapidated brick building and parked. Jarhead killed the engine, then turned to me and said, “Stay put.”
I didn’t respond. I simply sat there and watched as the three men got out of the SUV and did a thorough sweep of the area. They’d just made it back to the SUV when a black van pulled up next to us. Bruton’s men stood close together, waiting patiently as their distributors got out of the vehicle.
It was two men—one tall and broad with reddish hair and the other short and stout with gray hair and dark sunglasses. They spoke for a moment, and then something caught the attention of one of Bruton’s men. He looked off into the distance for a moment but quickly returned to his conversation.
Something was off. I could feel it in my bones.
I leaned forward, trying to get a better view of my surroundings, but the dark tint on the windows made it difficult to see anything except what was straight in front of me.
They continued to talk, and I could do nothing but sit there in that damn SUV and watch as one of the men handed Jarhead a thick envelope.
He’d just started to place the envelope in the side pocket of his jacket when his head reared back, and blood splattered across the passenger side window.
I had no chance to process what I’d seen when Jarhead was hit directly between the eyes.
My breath caught when he dropped to the ground.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum seemed just as thrown as I was.
They quickly drew their weapons and started firing off round after round, but it was all in vain.
Neither of them knew where the shooter was hiding, and within seconds, they were both lying on the ground with blood pooling around their lifeless bodies.
I still couldn't see who was doing the shooting, so I leaned forward and tried to get a better look.
That’s when I spotted a tall, dark figure emerging from the shadows.
He was wearing all black clothing with black cowboy boots, and he had long, dark hair that laid oddly close to his head.
It was dark and hard to make out his face, but I could see that he was carrying an AK-47 with a large Wolverine suppressor.
He looked intent on killing everyone in his line of sight, and he was headed straight for me.
It was only a matter of time before he spotted me.
I had to do something, so I crawled to the front seat and got behind the wheel.
He was still charging towards me when I cranked the engine.
His eyes locked on mine as he raised his weapon and began shooting.
Bullets were raining down on me as I threw it into reverse and skidded out of the parking lot.
Once I could see the road ahead, I whipped it into drive and slammed my foot on the gas. When the shooting stopped, I glanced into the rearview mirror, and my heart started pounding as I watched the man climb into the van and start after me.
Fuck.
He was coming after me.
I had to get the hell out of there, so I turned my focus to the road ahead. The tires screeched against the asphalt as I took the corner on two wheels. The high speed made it difficult to keep control of the vehicle, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to gain some ground on him.
But I wasn’t gaining ground.
The asshole was coming up on me, and he was coming up on me fast.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, making my heart race and my vision blur. I tried to shake it off, but the impending threat made it difficult to think.
I did know one thing for sure. I had to get in touch with Cotton and let him and the others know that things had gone to shit. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and quickly dialed his number. Seconds later, he answered, “You got Cotton.”
“Prez, we’ve got trouble.”
“What’s going on?”
“All of Bruton’s guys are dead. His distributor, too.”
“What the fuck?”
“It was crazy, Prez. This guy came outta nowhere... None of us saw him coming. He killed them all. Every last one of them.”
“Fuck.” I could hear the concern in his voice as Cotton asked, “Where is he now?”
“Right on my tail.”
“Shit... Where are you?”
“About ten miles out of Seattle at the industrial park.”
“You gonna be able to shake him?”
“I’m trying.” I could see the van’s headlights drawing closer, so I told him, “But he’s not backing down.”
I knew I could handle the guy, but having this guy on my ass in a place I didn’t know was going to make it tough. And to be there without my brothers was only going to make it tougher. I was trying to think of my next move when Cotton asked, “What do you need us to do?”
“Just be on standby. I’ll call back when I can.”
I didn’t bother hanging up. I just left the phone sitting in the passenger seat and continued speeding towards downtown.
I noticed that the van’s headlights had drawn closer, and in a blink, bullets shattered the back glass, sending glass blasting through the SUV.
Several more shots were fired, and I could hear the bullets as they ripped through the seats, shredding the leather.
I hammered down on the accelerator again, causing the engine to roar.
The sound helped to drown out the questions racing through my mind.
Should I pull over? Should I continue to run?
Those questions would’ve been easier had I been armed.
Hell, there was a trunk load of weapons in the back, but without ammunition, they were of no use to me.
I always carried, but Bruton wouldn’t allow it on the run.
He’d assured me and Cotton that his men had it covered.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
As soon as I made it back to the city, I started weaving through the busy streets, and after a few surprise turns, I started to put some distance between us.
Even though I had no idea where I was going, I listened to my instincts, and it wasn’t long before the man was consumed by the very darkness from which he had emerged.
When I felt certain I’d lost him, I eased off the accelerator and took a couple of deep breaths. Once I’d collected myself, I grabbed my phone and was about to call Cotton back when I heard him shout, “Wrath! Wrath! Are you there?”
“Yeah, Prez. I’m here.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I think I lost him.”
Cotton sighed with relief, then said, “Good... Now, get your ass home.”
“I’m headed that way. I should be there within the hour.”
Or so I thought.
Sadly, my encounter with the lone shooter wasn’t over—far from it.