Page 28 of Savage Hunter

I flick off a stubborn piece of charred wood clinging to my shirt. Soot, blood and I don’t know what else covers the rest of me, but that is a problem for after Rage is on an operating table.

I don’t know what was going on inside my Savage brother’s head, but I am pretty fucking sure he didn’t nearly die for nothing. Finding out his reasons for the showdown will be interesting. We had little time to ask questions while we lugged his heavy ass out of the ashes.

The poor bastard took down an army that would normally take a crew of ten men to handle with only a knife and a single clip of bullets from what I saw. I don’t envy the physical pain he’s feeling right now as a result. I’ve been there. The broken ribs are painful enough. Add in a deep stab wound and I don’t know what else and he’s in for a very painful few weeks.

The tangled web of crime and death weaving around the Savages is only getting deadlier and the deeper they get into rooting out the problem the more bodies show up.

But the girl sitting beside Rage right now has answers and I’m hoping she will point me in the direction of the Society.

Persephone Castel isn’t some Jane Doe who got caught up in an unfortunate event. She’s cartel blood with a crown on her head. Her father is a cold-blooded killer and his reputation does not make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I rev my bike up the incline to the Savages as we pull through the open gate. I throw up a peace sign to the man guarding the entrance and keep on riding. The two-hour drive back to the Savage compound knocked off most of the wooden debris, but the stench of smoke and gritty soot clinging to me like death isn’t ready to let me go. Blood cakes my nail beds and I’m afraid to look down to see how much of it stains the cotton tee under my cut.

Bone deep weariness and a major adrenaline crash have me dragging ass. I could use a shower, clean clothes and either a bottle of booze or coffee. It depends on how bad Rage is and how present I need to be.

At the top of the drive, the rusty cars I expected to find are actually brand new Mercedes, a few sports cars and a Maserati. The only thing that makes these men look normal is the hunk of metal that is an old Chevy truck parked beside a midnight Jaguar.

Dragon pulls the SUV around the back of the compound and Ares throws a hand up when he comes to a stop at the front of the mansion—not the dingy, crumbling collection of gray windowless walls I pictured.

Ares signals me to come up beside him.

I kill the engine. “Prez?”

“Do me a favor, Wolfe. I need you to go inside and find Nova for me. She’ll probably be with Avery. Tell them both to come to Doc’s place. We need all the hands we can get.”

I grunt. He’s been talking about getting Nova the whole time we were out hunting down Rage. He should sprint up the stairs without a backward glance. “You okay?”

“Da, moy brat. I need a minute to cover this.”

I look down to see blood running down his abdomen to drench the beltline of his jeans. Covering that with a Band-aid is an impossible task. Fuck. I don’t need him passing out on me in the middle of the drive. The fucker weighs as much as his bike and I’m tired as dirt.

“Damn, Ares. Shit, why didn’t you tell anyone it’s that bad? You coulda killed yourself on the ride home.”

“Rage.”

The one name he’ll do anything for. He’s got Nova and a baby on the way so that list is growing. I get it. Myonename is Harmonia.

“Yeah, Rage. I get it,” I grumble and hold the edge of Ares’ shirt up so he can peel off the old bandage. Blood spills from what looks like a nasty knife wound. “Ya know, Rage is almost dead too, brother. Think about that. Just because he’s hurt doesn’t mean you can’t die first. I’m not up for telling your ol’ lady why you are face down in the gravel. A little more and you’ll be getting a rock facial.”

That has the corner of his lip up in an arrogant smile. “Da.Appreciate the sentiment.”

I reach for a fresh bandage out of the saddlebag and pass it to him. Lately the first aid kit is as important as packing clean socks. “I’m not carrying your ass inside only to have Nova kickmyass for not protecting her man.” I haven’t met her yet, but the stories all label her as a beautiful ball buster. I clap Ares on the shoulder and he reads me. He already knows I’d bleed for him or any of our brothers so I don’t have to get sappy.

I ignore my own pains and ask, “Where do I find Nova and Avery?”

“You can’t miss the cute little thing. She’s normally wherever Nova is. And Nova is the only woman I know with snow colored hair and the prettiest baby bump.” Poor bastard sounds like a proud, overprotective father and a lovesick puppy all at once.

Ares pulls his phone out and flips it around to show me the screen. Two women smile at the camera. I didn’t think my heart could start and stop so many times in one second.

Gravel crunches under my heavy boots. I haul ass up the front entrance, taking two stairs two at a time.

“Try Avery’s room first. Second floor, back left room. Blond, blue eyes. A lip piercing. She’s a little shy so make sure she knows you’re there on my behalf.”

Oh, she’ll know why I’m there.

I don’t bother listening to the rest of what Ares says. I bust through the front door that doesn’t move as fast as I expect. Brute force and a constant drip of adrenaline to my blood has it moving. Bullet proof. Has to be.

I push that information to the back of my mind and keep moving.

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