Page 89 of Savage

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.”

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