Page 14 of Savage

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.”

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