Savage
It had been days, and we were all still reeling from the explosion at Yesler Terrace.
When Bruton told us he would take care of the Stingers, we thought he would take them out and only them—not innocent women and children.
It was a fucked-up move, but the fact that he had the means to do it was even more concerning.
We had no idea how he’d done it. It would take a man with a great deal of power and influence to pull off a stunt like that.
It would also take one with a cold fucking heart to kill innocents.
We knew Bruton had some questionable dealings, but this left us wondering if we’d made a mistake going into business with him.
It was time for us to have a chat with him.
Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse.
We had just gotten Londyn’s stuff moved from her apartment, and she was busy scurrying around trying to find the perfect place for everything.
I hated to leave her when she was working so hard, but I didn’t have a choice. She was in the living room, moving around picture frames, when I walked up behind her and said, “I’ve gotta run to the clubhouse for a bit.”
“Okay.”
She picked up a frame and moved it across the room. “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll help you finish up this stuff when I get back.”
“Okay.”
I wasn’t sure if she was really hearing me, so I said her name a little louder, “Londyn!”
“What?” She whipped around and looked at me like I had three heads. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I am, but I wanted to make sure you were good before I left.”
“I’m good.” A soft smile slipped across her lips. “No offense, but I’ll get this done a lot faster without you here.”
“You saying I’m not good help?”
“I’m saying I have a lot to get done, and you’re a distraction.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep.” Her smile grew wider as she teased, “I mean, it’s not your fault that you’re so freakishly sexy.”
“Freakishly?”
“You heard me.” With a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, she stepped closer and slipped her arms around my neck. “You’re so unbelievably hot that it’s hard for a woman to contain herself whenever you’re around.”
“Ah, you’re bull-shittin’ me, right?”
“Maybe just a little.” She giggled. “But you are distracting, and I could get this done much quicker if you were gone.”
“So, you’re okay with me leaving.”
“Absolutely.” She inched up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine before saying, “Now, go and do what you need to do.”
“If you insist.” I kissed her once more, then grabbed my keys and started out the door. “I’ll grill us some burgers when I get back.”
“Sounds great. Have a good time.”
I didn’t bother telling her that today would be anything but a good time.
I didn’t want to worry her and become an even bigger distraction.
That was the last thing I wanted to do. I got on my bike and used the ride to the clubhouse to mentally prepare for our meet with Bruton.
When I got there, Maverick and Torch were already in the bar waiting with Bones and Wrath.
As soon as I sat down, Maverick handed me a folder and said, “You’re gonna wanna see this.”
I opened it up, and it was filled with images of during and after the explosion. It looked like something out of a war movie. “Holy shit.”
“Keep going,” Maverick pushed.
I continued to flip through the different pictures, and my stomach turned when I came across the list of names of the people who lived in the apartment complex. Over twenty were women and children, which brought bile to the back of my throat. “This is all kinds of fucked up.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“How did he do this?”
Bones shook his head. “I don’t care who he knows or how skilled he is. This wasn’t something he could without some major help.”
“It doesn’t matter how he fucking did it!” Maverick roared. “It should’ve never happened.”
“It seems everything this dude touches is a fucking disaster these days.” Torch shook his head. “You hear about the big wreck this morning?”
“Nah, what are you talking about?”
“Little old lady got confused about the new light and sped up instead of slowing down. She plowed right into the side of a truck. Killed her and him.
“No way.”
“Yeah, her husband is all torn up about it.”
“Any idea who it was?”
“Last name Graves or something like that. They have that farm out by the Shell station.”
“Ah damn. I hate to hear that. They’re good folks.”
The news only seemed to intensify Maverick’s foul mood, and it didn’t do much for mine, either.
I was ready to lay into Bruton when our attention was drawn to the back door when it opened, and he and Rooster stepped inside.
We all remained silent as Rooster led him over to the back table, and they both sat down.
Bruton seemed a bit annoyed as he announced, “My time is valuable, boys. So, tell me why I’m here so I can get on with my day.”
I took the folder Maverick had given me and tossed it onto the table in front of him. He picked it up and opened it, and as soon as he saw the images, he shook his head. “That explosion took out a whole damn block, Bruton,” I grumbled.
“I told you I was going to take care of the Stingers, and I did.”
“That’s not how we do things.”
“Are you seriously questioning how I dealt with your mess?” There was no missing the anger in Bruton’s voice as he said, “I’ve done drops at that location for years and never once had an issue, but you roll in there one time, and all hell breaks loose. Why is that?”
“Are you seriously trying to turn this around on us?” Maverick barked.
“I’m just stating the facts,” Bruton replied calmly. “You rolled into the Terrace with your big fancy SUV and thought no one would notice?”
“You never questioned what we were driving,” I growled. “You just gave us the address and never said shit.”
“It wasn’t the first time you’d done a run. You’re the one and only Satan’s Fury.” Bruton had a superior look on his face as he told us, “Who was I to question what you were driving?”
Torch sounded like he was on the verge of losing it when he asked, “Are you fucking serious with this shit?”
“Absolutely. I provided the load, and it was your job to deliver it. Plain and simple.” I wanted to reach across the table and punch him in the throat when he said, “Consider this a lesson. Next time, you might want to consider a less flashy vehicle. Maybe a delivery truck or perhaps a U-Haul. I’m sure you will think of something. ”
We were all stunned by his response, so much so none of us said a word. We just sat there staring daggers at him. After several moments, he let out a breath and said, “If that’s all, boys, I will see myself out.”
“Sit your ass down, Bruton,” Maverick ordered.
Bruton hesitated for a moment, then eventually complied.
Maverick’s face showed zero emotion as he leaned forward and said, “We have a way of doing business, and killing innocents isn’t part of it. You either get on board and do things our way, or this partnership is done.”
“I’ve never been good about playing by the rules.”
“There’s no gray area here, Bruton. You’re either in, or you’re out.”
“Fine, we’ll do it your way. But when shit hits the fan, don’t come crying to me.” He stood and grumbled, “I’m too old for this shit.”
Without saying anything more, he turned and walked out the door. As soon as the door closed behind him, I turned to Maverick and asked, “You think he meant it?”
“Only time will tell.”
We talked for a while longer, and it wasn’t long before I was ready to get out of there. I wanted to get home to Londyn and Dalton. I wanted to spend some time with them before the day was done, but when I finally got to the house, I discovered they were both already in bed.
I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then went upstairs and took a hot shower. After I dried off, I threw on some boxers and crawled into bed. I thought Londyn was asleep until I heard her whisper, “How did things go with the guys?”
“It went.” I eased over and gave her a kiss. “Sorry I didn’t get back in time for dinner.”
“It’s fine. We made do.”
“The house looks great, babe.”
“I’m glad you like it.” She rested her head on my chest and started tracing the lines of my tattoo with the tip of her finger. “I talked to Jackson today.”
“How’d that go?”
“He’s still pretty upset with me for not coming back, but we talked it out and I think he’s going to come here one day next week for a visit.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you two sorted things out.”
“I called into work and got things sorted there, too. They said I could try working remotely and could come in once a week for a few hours to handle things like paperwork and such. I really think it’s going to work out.”
“You were on top of things today.”
“I had to do something to keep myself busy.” She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. “I got a little lonesome without you here today.”
“You’re bullshitting me again, aren’t ya?”
“No, not at all.” Her fingertips slowly started to drift south as she told me, “I missed having you around... even when you were getting in my way.”
“Hmph,” I scoffed. “There it is.”
“I’m being serious.” Her hand slipped under the waistband of my boxers and continued down my abdomen as she whispered, “I like having you close.”
“Hm-mmm. I like having you close, too.”
A little hiss slipped through my lips when she wrapped her fingers around my cock and slowly started gliding her hand up and down. She glanced up at me, and the second I saw that lust-filled look in her eye, I had to have her.
I reached for her hips, carefully lifting her as she straddled herself over my cock and brushed her center across my already throbbing erection. “Fuck. You’re killing me.”
“I can’t help myself when I’m with you.”