SAVAGE
The time had finally come.
After a great deal of deliberation, the club decided to move forward with our partnership with Bruton. We’d gone back and forth about working with him, but after he’d stepped up and helped out when we needed it most, we’d all decided that he’d proven himself trustworthy—which was no easy feat.
From the beginning, we’d had our doubts about him, and rightly so.
He’d lied about his identity and basically stalked us, having us followed and acquiring intel on all the brothers and their families.
And if that wasn’t enough, a couple of his men beat the shit out of Q and Rooster and caused a fire at the clubhouse.
He was willing to do whatever it took to convince us to work with him and become his new distributor. He had excuses for everything he’d done, but we saw them for what they were.
Excuses.
They were enough to make us consider walking away.
But then, trouble came knocking at our doors.
Shit hit the fan, and when we needed it most, Bruton was there to give us a hand.
He helped us take down the Demarco brothers, and if that wasn’t enough, he made sure that the women they’d taken were returned to their homes, safe and sound.
It had taken a great deal of finagling, much more than we were capable of, but he’d done it and he’d done it well.
We notified him of our intentions of moving forward, and he couldn’t have been more pleased.
His buyers were biting at the bit to get their shipment, so he wasted no time making preparations for our first meet.
We had the weapons we’d swiped from the Demarco brothers, so it was just a matter of getting them from point A to point B.
Once he had everything settled, he called Maverick, and a couple of hours later, I was pulling up to his place with Wrath, Torch, and Rooster.
We’d all been there before. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary—just your typical portside warehouse with a small office upstairs, but his security was topnotch.
Every inch of the place was covered with motion sensors and cameras.
Nobody was going to step on his property without him knowing it, and that gave me an unexpected peace of mind as we got out of our SUV and started inside.
When we got up to the door, Torch gave it a hard knock, then we all followed as he stepped inside.
Bruton was standing on the loading dock with a faint glimmer of a smile, waiting patiently as we approached.
Bruton wasn’t a tall man. He wasn’t gruff or intimidating—just the opposite.
He was an older gentleman with thinning gray hair and horn-rimmed glasses.
He had on his usual pair of freshly pressed khakis and a white button-down with a sweater vest. His smile widened as he said, “Good to see you, boys.”
“Hello, Bruton.” I continued towards him as I said, “Maverick said your buyers are ready to meet.”
“That they are.” He gestured to the corner of the room where various crates were stacked, each filled with various handguns, shotguns, and assault rifles. “They’ve all been searched, tested, and are ready to be moved.”
“Are we still on for the location you gave Maverick?”
“We are.” He shook his head. “You know, when I approached you boys about going into business together, I thought I would be dealing with Cotton. Nothing against Maverick, but I have to say, I have my concerns.”
“We can end this thing right here and now, then you won’t have to worry about your concerns.” Wrath motioned his hand towards the take, then added, “But then, you’ll be left finding someone else to move your goods.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Bruton replied. “I’m sure, in time, Maverick will grow on me just as he has you, but Cotton has experience.”
“I assure you, Maverick wouldn’t have been chosen as president if he wasn’t the right man for the role.” I did my best to keep my composure as I told him, “He's a good man with good instincts. He’ll do us well, and you, too. You’d do good to remember that.”
“You think quite highly of your new president. I hope, in time, I will feel the same.”
“I have no doubt that you will,” I assured him.
Growing impatient, Wrath stepped forward and growled, “So, are we good or what?”
“We’re good.”
“Have you made arrangements for the payment?”
“It’s been handled.” Bruton smiled, his eyes never leaving Wrath. “I do believe that today’s exchange will go much more smoothly than the last.”
Wrath and Torch exchanged a silent glance, and even before he spoke, I knew exactly what he was thinking. “If it doesn’t, it’ll be on your head.”
Bruton kept his collected composer as he replied, “Understood.”
Without saying anything more, we loaded the crates into the back of the SUV and made our exit.
We typically went with eight or more brothers, and each had their own responsibility to ensure everything went smoothly.
It felt odd to be going on a run with just Wrath and Torch, but that’s the way Bruton wanted it. I didn’t argue.
I trusted my brothers and knew they would do whatever it took to get the job done.
I followed the GPS to the address Maverick had given us, and after a bit of a haul, we made it to an area of Seattle that was known for its criminal activity. The streets were empty, and for several minutes, the only sound was Wrath’s heavy breathing and wind whipping against the windows.
We drove by one abandoned building after the next, and each was marked by threatening gang graffiti.
It set us all on edge, especially Wrath.
His reaction didn’t come as a surprise. He was the club’s enforcer.
It was his job to do everything in his power to ensure his brothers’ safety, and seeing those gang signs so close to our destination didn’t make that job any easier.
“I don’t like the looks of this.” Wrath kept his eyes on the road ahead as he ordered, “Keep your guard up."
I kept my eyes trained on the road ahead as I nodded in agreement. We continued driving, and just as we were getting close to the location, Torch leaned up from the backseat and pointed at an old brick factory in the distance. “Hey, look. I bet that’s the place.”
I nodded and drove towards the building.
Trash and debris scattered all over the parking lot, and with more broken windows than not, it was clear that the place had been abandoned years ago.
Its darkness gave me an uneasy feeling as I pulled around back and parked.
Wrath looked around the empty lot, checking for any signs of trouble, as he grumbled, “Gotta wonder how Bruton came across a place like this.”
“The man is full of surprises.”
“Yeah, and I don’t like that shit one fucking bit.”
The words had barely left his mouth when a red pickup truck pulled up next to us. Wrath immediately turned to us and said, “Let’s do this.”
With that, we got out and watched as the buyers emerged from their truck.
The first was an older, grizzled man wearing a black leather coat.
His face was hidden in darkness, and his eyes held a hint of menace.
The second was a younger man, and there was something about the way he carried himself that gave the impression he was new to all this.
The older man stepped forward and asked, "You got the goods?"
"They’re in the back."
The man nodded, then we all followed Wrath to the back of the SUV.
He opened the hatch, and without any hesitation, they reached for the crates and started sifting through them, checking the inventory. “Looks like it’s all here.”
“You sure?” The younger man sounded concerned as he asked, “What about the AR15’s?”
“I said they’re all here.” Annoyance marked his face as the older man turned to Wrath and handed him an envelope. “Tell Bruton the next shipment better be on time, or we’re done.”
Wrath didn’t respond. He simply took the money, then stepped back, giving the two men some room to start moving the crates from our vehicle to theirs. As soon as they were done, Wrath gave him a nod and said, “That should do it.”
He closed the hatch, then we each got in our vehicles and started out of the parking lot.
We were just about to pull out on the main road when two Camaros, one red and one black—both with dark tinted windows, came inching by.
Even though none of us could see who was inside, they were obviously checking us out.
Wrath pulled his gun from his holster and held it by his side as he growled, “What the fuck are these assholes up to?”
“Checking to see who’s in their territory.” I kept my eyes trained on the tinted windows as I said, “Just another reason we don’t do business in places like this.”
“Agreed.”
Once they drove past, I whipped out onto the road and sped off in the opposite direction.
As soon as I knew we were in the clear, I called Maverick to let him know that the drop had been made and that we were on our way back.
I’d barely hung up the phone when Torch leaned forward and said, “I gotta say... Minus our little drive-byers, that went better than I thought it would.”
“Yeah, but it just as easily could’ve gone to shit. Next time, we’re gonna do things our way. Fuck this three-man bullshit,” I grumbled. “We take who we wanna take, and we meet where we wanna meet.”
“And if Bruton doesn’t agree?”
“I don’t give a fuck if he agrees or not. He’s not going to have a choice. We move it our way or not at all.”
“I like your way of thinking, VP.” Wrath had a faint smile as he said, “I like it a lot.”
Runs are usually pretty intense and leave us needing to decompress. We usually hit the bar, down a couple of beers, and share our triumphs and fuck ups.
And tonight was no different.
Everyone was there, including my father.
I was actually kind of surprised that he stuck around.
It was the first run where he wasn’t calling all the shots, and even though he’d never admit it, I knew that had to be hard for him.
I grabbed a couple of cold ones from the cooler, then carried them over to his table and said, “How ya making it?”
“I was just about to ask you the same.”
“I’m hanging in.” I placed his fresh beer on the table as I said, “Things went well today.”
“I knew they would.”
“I’m glad you did because I certainly had my doubts.” I took a pull from my beer, then added, “Bruton’s location was sketchy as hell, and whether he likes it or not, we need more men there to make sure we’re covered.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out.”
“You sound confident.”
“Because I am... I wouldn’t have stepped down if I didn’t think you boys could handle things, and I was right.
You’re handling it just fine.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“And for the first time in a very long time, I can sit back and let the stress of it all fall on someone else’s shoulders. ”
“Like you wouldn’t be the first one to lose it if something went wrong,” I scoffed.
“I’m just a brother now, son. I can lose it all I want, but it’s not gonna change anything.”
My father couldn’t have been more wrong.
He had led the men of Fury for over thirty years.
There wasn’t a brother around who didn’t look up to him and respect him like a father, and because of that, he would always have a say.
I chuckled as I told him, “Yeah, whatever you say, Pop.”
I gave him a pat on the shoulder, then turned and made my way back over to Rooster and the rest of the guys.
I was just about to sit down when I spotted Torch talking with Candy.
He whispered something in her ear, then took her by the hand and led her out of the bar and down the hall.
I wasn’t surprised that he’d dipped out.
After a few rounds, most of the guys would go home to their ol’ ladies, and the unattached hook up with one of the club hang-arounds.
I, on the other hand, tended to have a beer or two, then I’d head to the house.
Don’t get me wrong. I spent time with the club girls, and I had no complaints. But like most nights, I wanted nothing more than to land in my own bed and to land in it alone.
I stood up and tossed my empty beer bottle in the trash as I announced, “You boys have a good one. I’m heading to the house.”
“Seriously?” Roosted fussed. “It’s still early.”
“I’ve had my fill, brother. Besides, I need my beauty sleep.” I gave the rest of the brothers a nonchalant wave as I said, “See ya when I see ya.”
I walked out of the bar and out to my bike. Half an hour later, I was home, showered, and in my bed. The day had taken its toll on me, and I was beat. I thought I’d be asleep in no time, but sadly, that wasn’t the case. The longer I laid there, the quieter my house became and the more alone I felt.
It wasn’t the feeling I was hoping for.
I tried to shake it off, but the silence was suffocating.
I couldn’t take it, so I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through social media.
I hadn’t been at it long when my eyes began to feel heavy, and I felt myself starting to drift off.
But just as I was about to give in to sleep, a message from my mother caught my eye.
Mom:
Don't forget to get fitted for your suit. Skylar’s wedding will be here before you know it.
Damn.
I hated fucking weddings. I hated everything about them. They were a big, lavish, heart-wrenching reminder of what I had given up, and I would never have again. I hated to break it to my mother, but there was no way in hell I was going to that wedding.