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. The stories contain mature sexual content and violence as well. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 19
Time had done little to improve Olivia Lockheed’s mood after the embarrassing incident in the cell block the previous night, and her face burned red at the thought of what the police officers must be saying about her. They probably were having a laugh at her expense.
With a scowl, she looked out her office's dirty window onto the quiet street below, before returning her gaze to her squalid surroundings. The FBI’s presence in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building was even more sparse than normal, after the agency’s brass had moved staff and agents around the country to deal with the gang. They had even taken some of the furniture, leaving the office with folding tables against opposite walls, two cheap office chairs, and a metal filing cabinet. A computer laptop sat atop each table, and her junior agent, Dave Michaels, had rigged up a television in one corner. Lockheed wrinkled her nose every time she looked around the room.
“How long until the ATF gets back to us on those weapons?” she asked, turning to Michaels. He sat a few feet away in the second chair, staring at his laptop screen. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since they had sent the weapons to the lab, but she was already eager to learn the results.
The lack of other clues only amplified her impatience. That morning, she and Michaels had visited the site of the attack on the ballplayers, but uncovered no actionable evidence. Not a single witness provided helpful information, other than to describe large men in masks bursting into the hotel. She and Michaels found no physical evidence.
Dejected, Michaels and Lockheed spent the rest of the day reviewing surveillance footage and getting up to speed on the Savage Gang’s activities in other cities. They found nothing to advance their case.
Michaels shrugged. “No way to know for sure how long the ATF will take with this,” he answered. “They do a lot of their work manually. I doubt we’ll hear today. Tomorrow might be the earliest. Hopefully, by the end of the week at the latest.”
Lockheed slumped in her chair and shook her head, feeling both helpless and useless. After a few moments of sulking, she opened her personal email account on her phone, and saw a new message from her mother, asking when her daughter would visit the family home in an affluent section of Camp Hill, a town just across the river from Harrisburg.
Lockheed was in no hurry to see her parents, who would grill her about her career path. They had expected her to join her father’s business, or marry into a rich family. Instead, she had attended law school, before working for a state agency, and later moving to the FBI.
She had taken this alternate path to prove her worth to her father. Throughout her early years, he had done little to hide his disappointment at not having a son. When that son finally came a few weeks after her tenth birthday, he had beamed with a joy she had never seen in him. From there, he barely gave her any attention, instead doting on her brother. This neglect had placed a massive chip on her shoulder, motivating her to prove her worth.
After closing the message, she looked at the business phone on the table and frowned. It was time to call her boss. In the future, she wouldn’t answer to someone like Howard Vincent. People would answer to her. She growled in frustration and picked up the phone, before punching in Vincent’s direct dial number. He answered after the first ring.
“Hello, Olivia,” he rasped, his voice uneven and weak.
“Hello, sir,” she replied.
“I thought you would have called me by now. The attack on the baseball players is all over the news.”
“I’m sorry, sir. We’ve been busy here.”
The lie came easily to Lockheed. This was her investigation to run, and she hated having someone peer over her shoulder.
“We have a chance for a breakthrough,” she said, “notwithstanding the attack last night.”
There was silence on the line for a moment before Vincent said, “Tell me everything. The attack on the Nationals. This supposed breakthrough.”
The annoyance in his voice was obvious. Howard Vincent might be as much of a control freak as she was, and didn’t like being kept in the dark. She had delayed calling for almost a day, hoping she might learn additional information first.
“The prisoners aren’t talking,” she said. “I expected that, of course, since the members of this gang never talk. Their operation at the hotel last night was in and out. There were no witnesses with any information, and the gang left no physical evidence at the scene.”
“Then what is this potential breakthrough?” Vincent asked.
“Their weapons, sir. The ones from the attack at the performing arts center. The gang did a poor job of scrubbing serial numbers from the guns. We sent them off to the lab to see if we can get information on them. We’re just waiting on the ATF now. If we can trace them back to the supplier, that might be the start of the trail leading to the gang’s base of operations.”
“You sent them to the lab without checking with me?” Vincent snapped. “When?”
Lockheed jerked to attention, surprised by his rebuke.
“Last night, sir,” she said. “Is that a problem?”
She heard him exhale on the other end. “No, not a problem. I just don’t want to look like a fool. If the ATF finds something quickly, I may get a call. It would have been bad if I had no idea what they were talking about.”
“My apologies, sir. I knew the gun trace would take some time. I didn’t want to wake you last night, and the morning has been crazy, which is why I waited until now.” She frowned as she spoke, fighting back a surge of annoyance. She liked Vincent well enough, but it was time for the FBI to put him out to pasture and let her do her job without a babysitter.
“Very well,” he said. “Just be sure to contact me the moment you have some news.”
“I will,” she said, and they ended the call.
Lockheed sat back, gritting her teeth. She noticed Michaels watching her, but he didn’t speak.
“What?” she snapped.
He held up his hands defensively. “Nothing, nothing. You just look upset.”
Lockheed gave him a dismissive wave of the hand and turned back to her laptop computer. A report from the attack at the performing arts center was up on the screen. The name “Sapphire Angel” jumped off the screen, which sent a surge of excitement through her. Lockheed could picture the superheroine in her mind’s eye, almost as if the woman were standing in front of her. From the radiant shine of her blonde hair, to the shimmer of her costume, to her toned arms and legs, to her subtle but alluring curves, the heroine was impossibly beautiful.
The FBI woman fought back a sigh and closed her laptop. The sun was low in the sky, and it was time to call it a day. With thoughts of Sapphire Angel on her mind, Lockheed would need an outlet for her lust. She had brought straps, whips, handcuffs, and some of her other favorite toys on this trip, and, based on her familiarity with the city, she knew where she might find some candidates to be on the receiving end of her vices tonight.
After ending the call with Olivia Lockheed, Howard Vincent sat in his desk chair, his jaw tight. Perhaps he had made a mistake selecting Olivia Lockheed to lead the bureau’s efforts in Harrisburg. She was too ambitious. He shook his head before dialing another number.
“Hey, old man,” the voice on the other end answered.
“When I agreed to work with you,” Vincent said, ignoring the comment, “I thought your people were competent.”
There was a pause before the other man snarled, saying, “You realize what I do to people who piss me off, right? I fuck them up, big time.”
Vincent smirked. He knew how to get under the man’s skin. “You need me right now, Savage.”
“Right now, yes,” Savage replied, letting his words hang in the air for a moment. “What are you talking about, anyway?”
“Your goons in Harrisburg screwed up,” Vincent replied. “The guns they used at the performing arts center weren’t completely sanitized. My people are trying to track where they came from. Will they succeed?”
Savage paused again. “Maybe,” he said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “I’ll look into it. Slow things down if you can.”
The call disconnected, but not before Vincent heard Savage utter a loud expletive.
The tunnel didn’t run far, extending from a dry drainage basin to an opening near a group of homes, but it was long enough for Rocco Lynch and his six men to approach the home of Chase Bentley, the famous actor, in complete concealment. It was also long enough for Lynch to replay the tongue lashing Savage had given him minutes earlier, after learning of the issue with the guns used at the Thompson Center.
Lynch was starting to worry about his personal safety, as he was familiar with how Maximus Savage handled his subordinates when they failed. There was one way to make sure Savage left him alone — his men needed a big win tonight, and Chase Bentley was the perfect target.
The men paused at the end of the tunnel, which fed into an empty plot of land, and looked to Lynch.
“Remember your training,” he told them, keeping his voice low so they wouldn’t notice his worry. They nodded. “And remember the plan if Sapphire Angel shows up again — two of you stay back, to unleash our surprise. I’ll be waiting here for your return.”
The men nodded again, with looks of glee flashing in their eyes. Lynch watched them rush off into the fading light.
Forward to Chapter 20 (link works after Chapter 20 goes live)
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
Another great chapter. Olivia’s character is very interesting right now. I am curious if somehow Savage Gang will end up giving her the opportunity of a lifetime with Sapphire Angel. She obviously would fantasize about having her beaten down and bound in her lair. She brought her toys, I wonder if hoping for just that chance. This surprise the gang has planned could blow up in heir face, lead to them capturing Sapphire Angel, which would earn Rocco points he needs with Savage. Or maybe they injure her, but can’t capture her, but she ends up falling in Olivia’s lap somehow. Pardon the bad pun,
So many possibilities, hate to wish away the weekend, but can’t wait til Monday!
........So, hold up. Olivia is both resentful of Sapphire Angel......while ALSO lusting after her? To the point where she has to prey on people and exact her BDSM practices on them? What an interesting dynamic.....I don’t know if I have quite as good of a read on her character this time around as I would have liked, but that’s how it’s looking at the moment. I.....think.....that Sapphire is currently in the lead when it comes to “competing” with Olivia in taking down the Savage Gang.....? Even if she’s not, she might be there soon, ‘cause she’s definitely going to run into them at Chase Bentley’s mansion. Curious to see how well (or not-well) this next hit from the Savage Gang is going to go; if I had to guess, after reading the whole chapter, I’ve concluded that if Sapphire won before, she could definitely win again. One thing I have to give you credit on is that your hero has a pretty even ratio of times where she’s won VS. times that she’s lost, whereas The Viper has yet to endure a particularly significant loss yet. The closest I can think of is Book #6, but that’s for another time.
And......hold up. EXCUSE ME? Howard Vincent is with the Savage Gang?! I’ll admit, the way he basically got out of Savage’s punishment threat with just a few words made me think that HE was the true mastermind. I was like.....“Wait, Maximus Savage is still the overall antagonist of this arc, right?” Can’t believe Savage even has his fingers in the FBI’s bowl; this guy’s shaping up to be WAY more crafty than he appears. .....Could you imagine how much of a lead Olivia could get, though, if she ever realized that Howard Vincent was with the Gang? She could get ahold of him and practically learn everything there was to learn right there! She’d actually close the case BEFOFE Sapphire! (gasp) Maybe if she finds out, she can kidnap Vincent and torture him with all of her BDSM equipment until he either dies or spills the beans! ......I don’t know, I’m weird.
Speaking of Olivia, I genuinely began to start feeling sorry for her here. Back then, she just seemed like a rather obnoxious worker at her agency; constantly snapping at Sapphire and developing an unhealthy obsession with her after she both stole her man and ended up working on the same case (i.e., the Savage Gang) together. But hearing about her being ignored throughout her life simply because she wasn’t the son that her father longed for was utterly heartbreaking. You should love your children no matter how they turn out to be. Whether they’re cis or otherwise, straight or otherwise, male or female, biological or adopted......(sigh) A person’s upbringing really does shape who they are during their lifetimes.....sometimes that’s a good thing, and other times---like here---it’s a bad thing.
I wonder what “surprise” Rocco Lynch and the rest of the Savage Gang have for Sapphire. If it’s something that relies on them catching her off-guard and/or trapping her, then I could actually see THEM coming out on top against her for the first time. If only they knew about Wheldon’s brief victories against her with the electricity-wielding guards and the rocket launcher, or Mantis’s and Valik’s (and by proxy, Devlin’s) brief victory against her when they used an elevator gas trap. Then they’d know everything they’d need to take her out. Then again, I guess we can’t end things too quickly, either.
Or this could be a complete rout; Sapphire Angel could be defeated and/or kidnapped, Chase Bentley could be severely injured or killed, the mansion could get blown up, and the Savage Gang will end up taking over the city. I’m just kidding; that won’t happen.
(humorously) If this was a three-novel trilogy instead of two, I could’ve proposed the perfect naming scheme; “Savage Dawn”, “Savage Day”, and “Savage Dusk”. Or “Savage Dawn”, “Savage Day”, “Savage Dusk”, and “Savage Night”, even! With the fabled streaming series spin-offs, “Savage Noon” and “Savage Midnight”!
Part of me is worried, and part of me is not. But the part of me that is not worried is currently winning out. Let’s see if that changes!