Page 3 of Savage Sin

“You runners need a few lessons in manners. I’m a good damn teacher.”

My inner demons wake, thirsty for blood at the fear in his eyes. I drop the blade and sink my fingers into his throat. He gasps and tries to beat me back, but I have size and a lot more experience at ending people’s lives than him.

“Here’s an important lesson my father taught me and I’m going to pass it on for free. Take it or leave it. You might be a badass, but there’s always a bigger, meaner badass out there looking to kill you.” I tighten my hold and let him know it’s not my size I’m referencing, but my willingness to snuff out his life with a twitch of my fingers that makes me his worst nightmare.

“Take the lesson to heart.” He’s a few inches shorter than me, so I dip my chin so our noses damn near touch. I want him to see the murderous fury in my eyes when I speak. “Now, answer my question. Did you have anything to do with this man’s death?”

Claws of lightning scratch across the sky as if mirroring the fury blistering my insides.

“Nah, man,” he gurgles. “I didn’t.”

I release my grip so he can talk faster.

“So you were thinking of cashing in on a contract? One you didn’t deliver on? What would your bosses say about that?”

“They’d kill me.”

“Hmm. I bet they would. What really went down?”

He doesn’t look happy about his plan falling through, but I don’t give a shit about some easy pay day for him.

“I… I overheard in a bar a few miles back, ’k? Someone came in wearin’ your screaming skull and flame. Shit you not. He was mouthin’ off about killin’ some biker and leavin’ the body out here after some kind of scuffle. Like a cannibal or something. Savage against Savage. I didn’t care to ask questions. It was easy money for me. Two plus two, ya know? The Savage you are looking for and the Savage who offed him.”

“I can add, asshole.” I pause. Swelling in his face is proof he went a few rounds with someone, but who? The dead guy or this mystery Savage imposter is the question.

“You assumed he killed another Savage?”

“Nah, he outright said he killed a high profile Savage. In my book, he had to be talkin’ about your guy, right? Like I said, I didn’t hang around while he slung back beers. I just waited for him in the parking lot and did my thing.”

“You mean ambushed him the second he came out,” Dragon pushes him for more details.

“Judge all you want, but there ain’t rules to fightin’.”

He’s not wrong, but my view of him went from bad to shitty with that one statement.

“Everything almost went to plan, too.”

“Is that so?” Riot asks from beside me.

“Turns out the man knew some fancy shit and didn’t take nicely to being surprised.”

The bruises and the blood under his nails make sense now, but I have to make sure.

Flesh gives under pressure. “And? What are you not telling me? Talk faster or lose your ability to breathe. ”

The stench of piss mixes with the light rain.

“Alright,alright! Damn! The man who said he killed your dude? Yeah, he ain’t from around here. He spoke Spanish and had this weird tattoo on the side of his neck.Sangre por sangre, or somethin’ like that. Real badass shit.”

Blood for blood.

“Where is he now?”

His brows jack high. “I don’t know, man? I swear it. He got the upper hand and after doing this to my face, he hightailed it. You gotta believe me.”

“I don’t have to believe shit. Are you lying to me?”

He throws his hands up. “Nah, man. No lies. We went at it, sure. That’s how I got the cut off him and all these bruises. I didn’t do this to myself.” He gestures to the swelling on his knuckles and then the ones covering the sides of his face. “He’s still out there and he’s after blood. Kinda shitty how your own went rogue and all.”

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