Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
VIOLENCE WARNING: The two stories in the Savage Gang saga, and especially the second story, involve a gang practicing extreme violence toward everyone — women, the elderly, the protagonist, etc. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 1
COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA
The large tarp would have hinted at what was about to happen, if anyone else had stood atop it. But Maximus Savage thrived on intimidation, and the tarp, spread on the floor under his feet, was part of it. He waited, a large smile on his face, as two of his men dragged the prisoner toward him. The captive was too battered to resist, but tried to raise his head to face his destiny. Even that attempt failed, as his head drooped toward his chest.
Had he been able to hold his head up, he wouldn't have seen much. The faded plaster walls were bare, and the small room was empty of furniture. There were no windows, and a single bulb hung from a wire in the ceiling, doing little to pierce the darkness. The square tarp was the only item of interest in the room, unless one counted the antiseptic scent pervading the air.
The prisoner wouldn't have seen the face of his captors, either. Masks covered the faces of the two men holding him, leaving only their jaws and mouths visible. The masks were made of a hard, rubber-like material, and, with their black and gray color, made the men resemble hornless gargoyles. The men were enormous, with arms almost as thick as their captive's legs. They wore black military fatigues, with body armor strapped in strategic locations.
These men would strike fear in the hearts of the bravest of warriors, but the man waiting in the middle of the room, Maximus Savage, was the most terrifying of all. The leader of the nation's most brutal gang, Savage wore black like the other two men, but did not wear body armor. Instead, he wore tight black pants and an even tighter black t-shirt, both of which highlighted muscles so large they almost seemed cartoonish. He wore a half-mask like the other two men, except his was different in one respect. A dull red color outlined the eyeholes of his mask, highlighting a pair of eerie, mismatched eyes. The iris of one eye was pale blue, with an orange discoloration in the outer corner, while the iris of the other was brown. The man had a square jaw with a large dimple in his chin, which was covered with stubble.
His malevolent grin grew as he surveyed his men, and the prisoner they held. He didn't doubt either of his men could snap the prisoner's neck with little difficulty. Their imposing size and strength was one reason he had picked them, and not just because of the combat advantage it provided. Skill was important, but intimidation almost equally so. He wanted his men to strike fear in all who faced them.
The prisoner's eyes were nearly swollen shut, and he teetered on the edge of consciousness. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his blue police uniform. The uniform was in tatters, with its fabric torn in several places, and a missing pant leg revealed a knee the size of a cantaloupe, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.
The broken man found the strength to glance up, squinting his eyes.
"Savage..." he rasped, the word spilling out in an unnatural gargle.
A satisfied smirk appeared on Savage's face. "So, you recognize me, Chief Rando. Or can I call you Joe?" Savage's voice was deep, with a hard smoker's edge.
Joseph Rando, police chief of Roanoke, Virginia, struggled to keep his head raised, and sneered through his pain. "Fuck you, Savage," his voice croaked. "You're an animal."
Savage gritted his teeth as anger flashed across his face. He reached forward, grabbed the police badge hanging loosely from Rando's tattered shirt, and tore it loose. The badge wasn't even a real badge, but a cheap costume accessory, acquired along with the uniform to mock the law enforcement officer after the gang had snatched him from his home.
Chief Rando struggled in the grasp of the two men and glared at Savage. Savage examined the badge, before bending the fastening pin back away from the back of the badge, and extending it out at a ninety-degree angle.
"No, fuck you!" Savage snarled, swinging his hand forward, and lashing out at Rando's face. Held in place by the two men, Rando couldn't avoid the blow. The badge struck his cheek, and the pin sank all the way through his face, extending into the inside of his mouth.
Rando howled as the badge hung from his cheek, and blood flowed anew. He would have dropped to the floor if Savage's men hadn't been holding him.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Chief. You had your chance. More than one, actually. The other assholes did what we told them, but you had your stupid principles. So now you're here."
Rando's eyes glazed over and his head wobbled as he tried to hold Savage's stare. Savage grabbed him by the throat, squeezing. Rando struggled for breath.
"I should put that badge through your eyeball," Savage said. "Or kill you right now. That's not what the tarp is for, though. I just wanted you to shit your pants. Death would be too easy for you. Instead, you get to see what happens to the dumb asses who cross the Savage Gang. I'm gonna take you somewhere where you'll regret your choice every day for the rest of your pathetic life."
Savage pushed Rando's head away and looked at the two men holding the man. "Get him out of here. I'll grab you when I'm done here, and we can hop on the plane to take him to his final destination."
The men dragged the law enforcement officer between them, back down a darkened hallway. Savage watched them go, a gleeful sneer on his face, before exiting through a hallway on the opposite side of the room. His laugh echoed off the walls.
PENNSYLVANIA, USA
Beth Harper eased back the sheet and tried to slide into bed without making a sound. She paused as the man on the other half of the queen-sized bed yawned and stretched. She glanced at the clock. 2:52 a.m. The slender blond woman waited until he settled back into his slumber before slipping her legs under the covers and inching the covers up to her shoulders. Beth lay still on her back, listened to his gentle breathing, and smiled.
Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her stomach through the thin silk of her pajamas.
"Late night again?" the man mumbled in the darkness. She sighed as guilt washed over her.
"Yes, sorry," she murmured.
He was silent for a moment, as he moved his hand up to cup her breast through the thin silk. She fought back a moan.
"That's what... three nights this week? Four?" he asked, his voice quiet and raspy. He caressed her as he spoke, causing her to bite her lip to fight back mounting desire. Perhaps she should take offense with the casual way he took ownership of her body, but she liked it. That was in no small part due to how effective he was. His touch never failed to send a jolt through her body, which was part of the reason she lay here in bed with him, only three months into their relationship.
She had only ever been in one other serious relationship. After it ended with the tragic death of her almost-fiancé, she had vowed to abstain from a physical relationship until she was on the verge of marriage. Beth Harper, after all, was the dictionary definition of wholesome innocence. Or so she had believed until she met Conner Bennett.
"Conner, I'm sorry. I think I'm done for a while. I was getting close to taking down a weapon dealer's network, and tonight I did it."
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw him taking in her angelic face and brilliant blue eyes, staring at her with a frown.
"You said something similar two weeks ago," he said, rubbing a hand over the ever-present stubble on his tanned face, which accentuated his rugged good looks. "You're probably on the trail of some other bad guys, too, which you'll turn to now that you’re done with the weapon dealer. I appreciate the obligation you feel as Sapphire Angel, but you need your own life. This is reminding me of how it was two months ago, before you dialed it back a bit."
Beth looked away. She couldn't blame him. Beth lived two different lives, and one left little time for the other. Most people knew her as Beth Harper, the tenacious and increasingly popular writer for Radiance Online, an online news and entertainment site. But she was also Sapphire Angel, a real-life superheroine who had become a legend and superstar in the sixteen months since her first appearance.
When she had confessed her secret to Conner almost two months into their relationship, she had made him promise not to talk her out of her superheroine life. After a rough beginning, he had insisted he understood. That clearly wasn't the case.
"I'm really trying to be understanding," he said, "I realize what I signed on for when you told me your secret, and we stayed together. That doesn't make it easier, though."
Their eyes met, and she whispered, "I know. I'm sorry." She touched his hand.
"I guess I can forgive you this time," he said, as their lips met.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
Is the book after this one going to be called “Savage Dusk”? xD
Anyways, it feels WONDERFUL to finally get back into this once more after what honestly seemed like forever. Maximus and the Savage Gang definitely made quite the entrance......he and the rest of his crew were undoubtedly harsh to Joseph Rando, but believe it or not, I’m actually still holding my judgment; we don’t know if Rando himself did anything, after all, and the Savage Gang’s narrative is only one side of the story. When I first heard his last name, my first thought was the slang word “rando”, used to refer to “randoms”, which made me chuckle a bit, but.....dang. Sapphire’s got her work cut out for her.
They seem to prefer brute force from what we’ve seen so far, but we also know that T.L. “Tip” Grim supplies them with firearms, too. And while Sapphire is a complete no-sell when it comes to guns, I don’t think she has such protection against physical fighters. Still, she has come out on top against foes of both specialties several times, and has only been bested through the use of tricks, traps, and such. Maybe that’s how the Gang will get the upper hand against her. And if I had to guess, Maximus Savage likely had Rando hauled off to that huge prison headed by Augustus Bell, the man with the medical condition. Sapphire will probably take advantage of that condition in order to best him.....I don’t know, maybe she’ll burst into his office and he’ll immediately have a heart attack on sight or something. And she’ll feel very guilty afterward. Or not. He’s aligned with the Savage Gang, so......
Raven’s anesthetics interrogation. Mantis & Valik’s “poison elevator” trap, which led to her being experimented on by Valik for several chapters. Devlin, Valik, & Gregor’s machine that “sapped” her powers (but didn’t give them to Gregor, surprisingly). Did Sapphire have any kind of “darkest hour” in the very first novel? Or anything that could be remotely considered as such?
About the second part......it looks like Beth’s career as a superheroine is still cutting majorly into her life with Conner. He’s understanding, of course---he even helped her against WarTech during our last outing---but.....”I guess I can forgive you this time.....” probably means he’s starting to get a little tired of it. Once again, it seems like we’re raising the issue of “is Beth short-sighted for constantly throwing herself into danger as Sapphire Angel, or does she genuinely know what she’s doing and no one should be worried about her?”. Like before, my opinion hasn’t changed; if she wants to get out there and be a superhero---especially with the powers that she has---then by all means, she should be able to do so. So what if she’s been conquered a few times? All she has to do is make sure to watch out for traps! After all, playing it too safe also has its consequences; innocent people may suffer preventable injuries or die preventable deaths, for instance.
(gasp) We should give CONNER superpowers somehow! Then, they can spend even more time together as a superhero team! Conner’s had more than his fair share of action, let’s be real here. What’s a little more? Oh.....but what would we give him, though? He already has good technology skills. What about heat eye lasers?
Great start to the Savage Gang saga! Even though I haven’t seen him yet, I’m interested to meet Grim, the firearms man.