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PROLOGUE
“The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man.”
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Savage
I eased off the bike, slowly removing my shades. Six of the club members stood in a semi-circle, all remaining quiet.
The only noise was the crackling of the fire in the beat-up oil drum. And the whining from the son of a bitch who’d made the bad decision to steal from me. Today I would make an example out of Salvator Rivera, a top enforcer. A message would be sent to the son of a bitch cartel leader who’d sent him to do his dirty work. The Los Zetas had become an issue as of late, their last attempt at sabotaging our inventory the last straw. Salvator was nothing but a piece of scum, his penchant for hurting women well known.
Now I had the chance to ‘discuss’ with him how reprehensible his behavior was in my way. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to recite the lessons learned when I was finished.
The other members backed off except for Cage, the president and the man who’d convinced me that I’d find my sense of peace by riding with the boys.
He’d been right; the Silent Kings were more like family than a club. I’d learned quickly that honor was everything, something I’d almost forgotten about.
Cage snapped his hand on my shoulder, an evil grin crossing his face. “He’s all yours, Savage. I thought you might wanna have a little fun.” I’d earned my patch shortly after I’d finished doing Cage a huge favor, finally earning the respect of every member.
“I appreciate that, Cage. I’ve been feeling anxious lately,” I answered, staring at the piece of shit tied to the two pieces of railroad ties.
“Nothin’ a good beat down won’t cure. When you’re finished, one of the boys will take out the trash for you. I have dinner with my old lady. I don’t want to be late. You know how she gets.”
Laughing, I gave him a nod. I’d been over to their house a half dozen times. The woman was one hell of a cook. I swaggered closer, noticing the asshole flinched with every step I took. He should be scared. I’d given him a single warning when I’d caught him dipping his hand into my pockets. But the asshole hadn’t listened. The fact he’d attempted to raid the warehouse with a few of his buddies, stealing the fresh shipment of weapons I’d brought to the club couldn’t go unpunished.
I wasn’t known as ‘the savage’ for nothing.
The other members backed away even further, giving me plenty of room. “Cut him down for me, Jethro. Will ya?”
“Sure thing, Savage,” Jethro barked. The dude was the biggest and roughest of the group, but a teddy bear inside. As the secretary, he’d been the one to ensure I memorized the bylaws.
I didn’t need a soul to teach me how to hand myself in any form of combat. I had years of experience in the Army.
As Salvator dropped to the gravel, he remained where he was, trying to catch his breath. As I approached, he jerked to his feet, trying to take a swing. The boys had spent some time with him, taking out their personal disgust for his choice of entertainment. There was nothing worse than sex traffickers and men who used their old ladies as punching bags.
I wasn’t in the mood to make this thing last longer than necessary. Tonight, I had a longing for a tall cold one. Maybe two. It had been a long week. I threw a hard punch then another, catching him in the jaw both times. He struggled to remain on his feet, able to shake it off then lunged for me.
Big mistake.
Salvator managed to connect with my kidney, but the punch was weak. I immediately grabbed him by the throat, lifting him by several inches. Then I tossed him against the fence, shaking my head as he slowly slid all the way down.
“Way to go, Savage,” Jethro said, whistling several times.
I was angrier than I’d anticipated being, immediately yanking him from the ground, issuing several brutal punches. When I grabbed him around the throat again, I squeezed as he slapped at my arm. “You like hurting women and little girls. That shit doesn’t fly with me or any of the boys. Does it?”
They all growled in unison.
“And lastly, you made a very poor decision attempting to steal from this organization.” I dropped him a second time, moving around him in a full circle.
“Fuck you,” he snarled.
“That wasn’t very nice. Now, was it?” I threw several more hard punches, one coming right after the other until Salvator dropped of his own accord to his knees.
“Savage,” Cage called. “Hold up, man.”
I rubbed my arm across my forehead, catching the sweat as I stared at the prez. He had a cellphone in his hand. “Keep the asshole occupied,” I told Jethro as I moved toward Cage, narrowing my eyes.
“There’s some dude on the phone for you. He says it’s important. It’s about your brother.”
