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 24
“I don’t think the gang came from the river,” Ethan Moore said, tapping the screen of his iPad.
Beth set her iPad aside and leaned into Ethan as he pointed to an image on his own device. A photograph of the Susquehanna River filled the screen, with the residential homes of uptown Harrisburg looming in the distance. The riverbank consisted of narrow, tiered concrete steps extending from the top of the riverbank down into the water.
They had spent over two hours on her sofa, poring over online maps of Harrisburg and the surrounding area, trying to figure out where the gang members got their boots wet.
“Why don’t you think they came from the river?” Beth asked. “That’s pretty close to the mansion, so it’s close enough for the boots not to dry out, as you pointed out.”
“See these steps?” Ethan asked, pointing to a photograph of the steps built like a sloped wall into the riverbank. “Picture yourself getting out of a boat and stepping out onto the steps. How would you do it?”
Beth chewed her lip, trying to imagine the scenario. “I’d probably step out of the boat with one foot and put the next foot on a higher step.”
“Exactly,” Ethan said. “So even if they landed on a submerged step, their second step should have been dry. Or at least one of them would have done it that way, don’t you think? But all the boots were wet to about the same level, and their pant legs were dry. What are the chances they all did it the same way?”
“I guess your theory makes sense,” Beth said with a shrug, her voice unsure. “But it seems a little thin. There might be other explanations.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Logical,” Beth said, giving Ethan a light punch in the arm. He smiled, bit his lip, and looked away.
“What else, then?” she asked.
“Maybe they came from the river, but not using a boat,” Ethan answered. “Perhaps there’s a cave hidden along the riverbank somewhere. I can try to find some maps showing the shoreline in more detail.”
“And I can scout the area,” Beth said.
“You should wait until we’re sure there are even caves along the river. If you go in there blind, you might spend days and find nothing. I should be able to find some maps showing what’s there.”
Beth leaned toward Ethan with a groan of frustration, burying her forehead into his shoulder.
“Am I just supposed to sit around and do nothing, while the gang continues its reign of terror?”
“Let’s talk about that in a moment,” Ethan said. “But there is another possibility. Italian Lake.”
Italian Lake was a small body of water in a ten-acre park in uptown Harrisburg. It was known for its tranquil setting, with antique light posts, meandering walkways, and manicured gardens. Quaint cottages sat near one end of the lake, within walking distance to outdoor concerts held at the park in summer months.
“Italian Lake?” Beth asked. “Isn’t it too small to conceal hiding spots?”
“Perhaps,” Ethan replied. “But isn’t it worth a look? Unlike the riverbank, it wouldn’t take long.”
Ethan was right. She could scout the lake tonight and still have time left to visit the prisoners in jail, if Mick Mullen came through for her and got her access.
“First, though, we need to talk,” Ethan said.
“About what?”
“About what you’re going to do when, or if, you find the gang.”
Beth narrowed her eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that this might be one where you find them, and turn the info over to the police.”
“Ethan, you promised —”
“Yes, I promised when you told me your secret that I wouldn’t try to talk you out of what you do. But, Beth, this is some next level danger we’re talking about. This gang is taking our city — and Sapphire Angel — seriously. Have you heard what the FBI is saying about the leader in town? They’re saying he’s Savage’s right-hand man. That can’t be a coincidence. He’s the same guy who was in Detroit last month and put that heavyweight championship boxer in a coma, without breaking a sweat. I bet he's here to deal with you. This gang is no joke.”
“Neither is Sapphire Angel, Ethan,” she said, before her shoulders slumped and she looked at her friend with sad eyes. “I thought I could count on you?”
He held her gaze before sighing and shaking his head. “I’ve learned you can take care of yourself. I’ve just been sick with worry about you since the gang came to town.”
A gnawing anguish rose in Beth’s chest as she considered Ethan’s pain. A pain she was causing.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, leaning close, putting her arms around his neck, and pulling him close. She nestled her head between his shoulder and neck.
“I’ll be careful,” she murmured, not noticing the way Ethan closed his eyes and bit his lip. After several moments of silence, he spoke.
“I know you will,” he mumbled. “Can you at least promise me if you find them tonight, you’ll talk to me first? You need a plan before taking them on.”
“Yes,” she said before sitting up. “No. I mean, I don’t know. Let’s see what happens. I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep.”
Ethan studied her for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I guess that’s the best I’ll get from you, huh?”
“It is,” she said, feeling a pang of pain with each syllable. “I’m sorry.”
They stared at each other for several moments before Beth spoke.
“Ethan, I’m going to level with you. I’m waiting to hear from my police contact about getting into the police lockup, as Sapphire Angel, so I can talk to the gang members I took down. If he can get me in, Stanley and I have an idea for me to learn the location of the gang’s headquarters. But please don’t tell Conner. We’re already having trouble.”
As if on queue, footsteps sounded outside the front door. The door opened, and Conner stepped inside. He slipped his wool coat off as he nodded to Ethan, who sat next to Beth on the sofa.
“Let me guess, Ethan,” Conner said. “You’re helping her with her crazy idea to take down the Savage Gang all by herself?”
“Uhhhh…” Ethan stammered as he glanced sideways at Beth.
Beth and Conner locked eyes for a moment before Beth sighed and tilted her head back.
“Yes,” she said. “Ethan was helping me with something Sapphire Angel came across last night.” She bit her lip and tensed as she awaited Conner’s response. This was a sore point for him, and they hadn’t spoken about the gang since their brief truce Monday night.
“Can’t you just let this go?” he asked, his voice low.
Next to Beth, Ethan shifted on the sofa and looked down at the floor. Beth cast an annoyed gaze between the two men, who both were trying to dissuade her from stopping the Savage Gang. Did nobody trust her abilities? She gave Conner an almost sad smile.
“You know I can’t let this go,” she said, looking at him with pleading eyes. “Conner, people are getting hurt. Don’t you feel for them? I can’t ignore this when I can do something about it.”
He looked away from her, shaking his head.
“Conner!” she said, her voice firm. “I can handle myself just fine. If you aren’t keeping score, it is Sapphire Angel ten, Savage Gang zero. If this were a sporting event, it would be a blowout.”
As Beth spoke, she gave an emphatic wave of her arms, and felt a slight twinge in her ribs, where one of Savage’s men had punched her. The healing power of her necklace had allowed her to forget about the injury, which was almost better, so the slight jab of pain took her by surprise. Without thinking, she winced and reached for her chest.
Conner’s face tensed, and he set his mouth in a straight line. “So you’re not invincible, are you?” he said. “The current score might be ten to zero, but the gang only needs one point, and it’s game over,” he said. “I think you’re letting Sapphire Angel's success and fame go to your head. You’re getting overconfident. They won’t give you a do-over if they get the best of you.”
“They won’t get the best of me,” she said. “And I can’t just stand by and let them have free rein over the city.”
“I want you to see something,” Conner said, slipping his phone from his pocket and moving to crouch near Beth.
“The media didn’t have the full story for this attack on the baseball players,” Conner continued. “The police edited the surveillance video released to the press, because they didn’t want the public to panic. But I have contacts because of my job, and got all of it. You need to see this.”
He made a few taps on the screen, and a video played. The video camera looked down upon the banquet hall in the hotel, where the players had gathered to meet the press. The players sat behind a table on a raised dais, waiting for security to usher the reporters into the room. Six massive security guards stood in front of the dais.
“The news reports said nothing about security guards,” Beth said.
“Exactly,” Conner said. “The Nationals weren’t taking any chances. These guards were the best of the best. Keep watching.”
The double doors to the room opened, but it wasn’t members of the press who entered. Instead, two large men in security uniforms sailed into view, crashing into tables, falling to the floor, and laying still. Four immense men rushed into the room and charged the six guards at the dais. The men wore the gang’s signature masks, but even without the headgear, their size made their identities obvious.
The guards might have been the best of the best, but they didn’t stand a chance. One attacker took down three of the guards within seconds, ducking under one blow, catching the fist of a second guard, and burying his foot into the chest of a third, flipping him onto the dais. With a twist, the brute snapped the wrist of the second guard, before taking the man’s neck and smashing his head into the nearest guard. Before the dazed men fell, he grabbed their necks, lifted them from their feet, and whipped their faces onto the surface of the dais, spraying blood everywhere.
The guard on the dais had climbed to his feet, and dove for the intruder, who snagged him out of the air, held him over his head like a trophy, and whipped him down across his knee before rolling him onto the floor. As the guard convulsed at the gangster’s feet, the thug slammed his boot at the man’s head, smashing it into a bloody mess.
The remaining three guards were already down, as the other three gangsters had overwhelmed them within seconds.
“See how brutal they are?” Conner asked. “That one guy, who authorities think is the leader in town, is a small army by himself. You can’t beat these guys.”
Beth said nothing for a few moments, emotion welling up inside her as she thought of the injured guards. Conner’s intention might have been to scare her off, but it had the opposite effect.
“I can’t let those monsters keep hurting people, Conner,” she said, an edge to her voice as she met his eyes with an intense gaze.
Beth and Conner locked eyes for several moments, before his shoulders sagged in resignation.
“You’re impossible,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
After a deep breath, Conner spoke.
“This discussion isn’t over, but tell me what you found last night, that you guys were working on?”
She paused, trying to gauge his motives. It was possible he wanted to find out what she had learned so he could keep an eye on her. But he deserved the benefit of the doubt for sticking by her. She wasn’t easy to date, with Sapphire Angel consuming her time.
“All six of the guys I took down last night had wet boots. The boots were wet to about the same height, and everything else on them was dry.”
“Interesting,” Conner murmured, before narrowing his eyes and giving her an accusatory stare. “Do the police know about this?”
She held up her hands, as if defending herself. “I’ll tell my contact, but they probably aren’t aware of it. The boots were barely damp for me, so they might have been dry, or close to it, by the time the officers arrived. But I’ll tell my contact.” She also needed to ask her contact if he had determined when she could see the prisoners. But she wouldn’t tell Conner that.
“This Mick fellow?” Conner asked.
“Yes, Mick,” she answered.
“So that actor — what’s his name? Chase Bentley? He’s the one all the girls like, right?”
“Yes, his name is Chase Bentley, and no, I don’t swoon over him like other girls do.”
Conner gave her a wry smile. “I’m sure you don’t. What bodies of water are near his house?”
Before Beth could answer and give her thoughts to Conner, his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and scowled as he glanced at the screen.
“It’s Olivia,” he muttered.
“Why would the Dragon Lady be calling you?” Beth asked, using her pet name for Conner’s former boss, Olivia Lockheed. “Trying to get back together, maybe?”
Conner frowned before putting the phone to his ear.
“Hi Olivia, what’s up?”
Beth couldn’t hear Lockheed’s end of the call, but Conner’s frown deepened.
“Sure, here she is,” he said into the phone, before holding it out toward Beth. “She wants to talk to you.”
Beth’s brow furrowed, but she took the phone.
“Yes?” Beth said into the device.
“Hello Harper,” Lockheed said, her voice flat.
“What can I do for you, Olivia?” Beth asked.
“I’ll get right to the point. I’m sure you’ve seen the news? About the Savage Gang?”
“Of course,” Beth replied, stealing a quick look up at Conner to see if he had overheard Lockheed’s comment. He didn’t react.
“You can help me get them out of this city.”
Beth’s mouth twisted, and her nose wrinkled. Before she could speak, Lockheed continued.
“Don’t worry,” Lockheed continued. “There’s no danger here. I just need you to grease the skids for me a bit, by helping me with someone who liked speaking with you.”
“And who might that be?”
“I can explain more in a couple hours, at a meeting I’d like you to attend.”
“What makes you think I can drop everything and come to your meeting on short notice?”
“Let’s not kid ourselves Harper. We both know you’re a goody two-shoes, and will do anything to help people. This is your big chance to learn more about might be the most dangerous threat this city has ever seen.”
Lockheed was right. Even if Beth weren’t Sapphire Angel, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to help. She didn’t even ponder the coincidence of Lockheed asking her for help with the gang. Ever since she had slipped into Sapphire Angel’s costume for the first time, coincidences seemed to follow her.
“I’ll be there,” she said. “Tell me where and when.”
Across from her, a scowl spread across Conner’s face. But he remained quiet, as did Ethan on the sofa next to her.
“Good,” Lockheed said. “The meeting is this afternoon, at 3:00, at the York City police headquarters. There will be other people there, too.”
“I will see you in just a bit, then,” Beth said. She sensed this was going to get very interesting.
Forward to Chapter 25 (link works after Chapter 25 goes live)
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
These guys are going to be her downfall. They keep trying to fill her head with self doubt. Make her believe there is no other possibility other than her death and humiliation at the end of this battle. They have made it very clear that they don't believe she had a chance. She is 10-0 against the gang, their guns and flame throwers. Yes, we all know she will eventually suffer a defeat. However it will be this gang's lust for vengance against her, how they need to make an example out of her that will lead to their downfall. We have already seen Sapphire Angel escape a few situations that she should not have been able to escape. So is she on borrowed time, or is she getting better.
I think that even though it should be obvious she is getting better, we have all learned that anyone can get beat. We know she eventually will, danger comes with the territory. How she responds will be interesting. How these guys respond, that will reveal a lot about their future in the books. My guess is Conner won't be around for many more books, if he makes it out of this one. I really worry that if she starts listening to them, she will doubt her self enough that she won't trust her instincts, and it will cost her. Maybe that will make her decide who is worthy of being around her and who is not?
The side story with Olivia is interesting. Talk about frenmemies. It will be interesting to see how this meeting plays out, and how their interactions are going forward. This book is starting to heat up, and I feel like something big is coming soon!!
Urrrrrggggghhhhhh.......I wish they would just be supportive. I wish they would just be supportive. I wish they would just be supportive. Why can’t they just be supportive? Why can’t they? Maybe it’s just ‘cause I’ve seen Sapphire Angel in so many victorious scenarios already (at least when she’s fought head-on), but I’ll admit that I’m just biased towards her side. At least Ethan is helping her; Conner seems to be---for the most part---allowing his worry and concern to prevent him from making any actual progress besides asking a little about the soaked boots. Maybe Beth and Conner will end up splitting because of this conflict? Conner goes back to Lockheed and Ethan gets Beth? Though, for some reason, I can’t exactly picture that happening......
I thought Beth and Conner were going to flip when Olivia Lockheed called, but surprisingly, they handled it with a good bit of civility. Not entirely surprising, considering there’s a way bigger threat than Lockheed currently out there, and she seems to be against them, too. I don’t know about you, but I welcome any chance for them to shove their differences to the back and work together......then, after the Savage Gang is done, they’ll all go back to hating each other. Wonder if Mick Mullen is going to be at the meeting, since he’s on the police force. He shouldn’t be able to notice the resemblance between Beth and Sapphire Angel because of the necklace’s doubt aura, but now that we know that the necklace’s power has waned a bit (with the instance of Beth’s brief bit of pain shortly after Conner entered), I’m not even sure about that......and I used to be sure about everything regarding her abilities. Either that, or the Savage Gang really roughed her up over the past few fights.
I do have to give Conner something, though; the Savage Gang IS falling behind majorly, but literally all they need is one solid victory and she’s done for. Still, Beth’s confidence was also quite captivating. I wish I had a high self-esteem like her. I’m too shy to even ask for dessert at a restaurant.
Still on Beth/Sapphire Angel’s side! If the Savage Gang ever gets a brutal, upset victory against her, though, then I might have to start rethinking my stance.