Page 15 of Hunting Savage
The air stirred near the door as Scepter entered.“I thought I told you to be nice.”
Savage rolled his eyes.“Has everyone forgotten the fact that I’m the Boss around here.This one,” he stabbed his finger toward Taul.“He has been actively planning my downfall for some time, all while actively stealing from me, and discussing his plan to take me out with Giuseppe and others.So tell me, have you anything good to report, Scepter?”
“We’ve located both shipments.However, there’s a snag.It appears local law enforcement has been alerted, which means the feds might be as well.”Scepter’s shoulders lifted and fell in a negligent shrug.
Savage looked upward, wondering how the fuck he could’ve missed all the damn signs.“I’m assuming you’ve handled that little situation?”
“I’ve got Harlie and Oakley on it.Within the next hour, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Scepter agreed.
He turned toward Taul.“Your father’s death wasn’t dismissed or swept under a fucking rug, you insolent child.He was my friend long before you were even a thought in his very dirty mind, and trust me, he and I were friends, so I know him well.And as I’m sure you might be wondering in that tiny brain of yours what I am, I will tell you, I am not like you.None of my men, or women, are.We are much, much more.I’ve been around for centuries.I’ve seen men live and die from natural causes and get murdered for looking at a man’s woman.However, when someone kills one of mine, I take it very personally.When they die, they’re not placed in a fancy box, put six feet underground, and then forgotten by me and my kind.Your father, I considered one of mine.I made sure you and your family were taken care of.Me.I saw to that.I could’ve put someone else in his place with the snap—” he snapped his fingers before continuing, “instead, I ensured the other Bosses respected you.”
Taul’s nostrils flared.
“You want to speak?”Savage waved his hand, eliminating the stitches.
“You bastard.What the fuck are you?”Taul snarled, spittle and foam spewing out of his mouth.
“I am, in fact, not a bastard.My parents were married when I was conceived.However, what I am is not something you’re ready to hear.I think what you really need to comprehend is what happened to those who killed your father.Being a benevolent host, I think I will show you.Nobody ever said I wasn’t all about showing instead of telling.”
Savage placed his finger on Taul’s forehead, forcing the images of the night he’d found the men who’d killed his friend, Taul’s father.Was it a harsh thing for him to do?Yes.But a necessary one, since the fool wouldn’t believe his words.Plus, Savage knew that forcing memories into another could cause excruciating pain if he allowed it.And he allowed it this time.
Taul’s eyes widened in horror seconds before he screamed.Veins bulged in his neck and hands, making Savage wonder if the man was going to stroke out too soon.With slow precision, he pulled back, allowing the memories to fade.
Taul’s face stared frozen, eyes hollow.His father’s murder over territory by a rival gang wasn’t pretty, making Taul Senior’s family unable to hold an open casket funeral.
“I...we never knew.I thought it was you,” he gasped, tears rolling down his cheeks unchecked.
The sight of the big man crying like a little boy should’ve brought an ache to Savage, but he only felt indifferent.On the table, Giuseppe mumbled behind his sealed lips.
“Ah, you have something you’d like to say?Have you planned my death as meticulously and as bloodthirsty as your friend Taul?”Savage asked Giuseppe.
Savage smiled at the wide-eyed fear that crossed both men’s faces.They’d come into his club with thoughts of standing toe-to-toe with him, thinking he’d respect them for their actions.The idiots were so sure they’d outmanned him but had clearly underestimated Savage and his clan.Fools.
With a thought, he removed the seal from Giuseppe’s lips, turning his nose up as the man coughed and spit as if Savage starved him of air.
“Enough of the dramatics, Giuseppe.My patience with you is wearing thin.Do you have anything worthy to say before I end your life?”
Giuseppe fought the invisible bonds holding him like a wild beast caught in a trap.If Savage were a different male, he’d have been impressed.
Once Giuseppe tired himself out, Savage moved next to Kessle near the far wall.A row of torture equipment hung, gleaming under the fluorescent lighting.“Which should we use to send them both to Hell?”he asked.
Kessle shrugged his massive shoulders.“Since that one is hanging so conveniently over the drain, you could hook him and allow his blood to seep out for nourishment for the others.As for the one that's thrashing, I suggest using a more slice-and-go method.I’m already sick of his moaning and shit.”
His friend lifted the hook from the wall, tossing the large, curved blade with the leather handle back and forth between his hands.
“I agree.If you slice the jugular vein, he’ll bleed out quickly, and as you can see, there’s a tube placed right along the side of the table that you can insert to catch the blood.I’m not sure how pure he is, but some of our kind aren’t too...selective about their food sources.And as you know, we prefer not to kill our sustenance, so beggars can’t be choosers.”Savage swept his gaze over the two men.Their fear was palpable.
“Can I kill this one, Boss?His stench is getting on my last fucking nerve,” Kessle muttered, taking a step away from the table where Giuseppe lay.
“Might as well.Neither has anything more to give us that is of value.”Savage shook his head, already thinking of who to put in their place.
“Wait.What about my family?”Taul asked.
Savage stopped near the entrance and looked back toward the man hanging by his hands.“It is good that your last thoughts are of your family.That is at least better than your father.His only worry was of himself and the pain he feared.For that, your end will be swift.And because I’m in a giving mood, I’ll tell you this, to ease your guilt.Your family, as long as they’re innocent in the duplicity that you were guilty of, will be given a second chance, so to speak.What that means is they’ll leave this life behind and get a new one with no memory of any of this.Sadly, your mother will have lost her husband and son to a tragedy.Subsequently, she and the rest of the family will have decided to leave the city and all the reminders that it brings.Of course, I will ensure they can start anew somewhere else.It will be up to them whether they succeed or fail from that point.See, I can be a good male.”
Taul’s head fell forward as he let out a gust of air.“Thank you, Savage.”
Not wanting to accept the man’s thanks, Savage allowed his form to become a puff of smoke and flowed from the room.He didn’t always do the righteous, or even the somewhat moral thing.Hell, the only reason Taul’s family lived despite everything was because they weren’t evil to the core, and neither had he been.He'd made poor decisions that Savage couldn’t allow to go unchecked, or others would see as him being weak.
