Animal 2 Read Free Page B

Let’s see how friendly them crackers would be if they knew his education was paid for with blood money.” She cackled. “A walking contradiction, that Killer is.”
    Priest nodded in understanding. “He always was a bit different from the rest.” He reflected on the man formerly known as Killer. Keith had always been the quiet one, who kept his head buried in books. He was docile in contrast to his brothers, but when provoked, he was one of the most dangerous of the Savage boys.
    Ma placed her hand on the light-skinned young man’s shoulder. “And of course, you met my youngest, Fire Bug. We call him Bug for short.”
    Priest studied the young man. He didn’t look to be much older than sixteen or seventeen. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about getting into the family business, too?”
    â€œI’m the future of the family business,” Bug said proudly.
    Ma hit him in the head with the purse again. “You ain’t the future of shit just yet, Bug Savage. My word is still law in the Savage household. Now, why don’t you take your pyromaniac ass outside and try not to set anything on fire while we’re in here finishing up our business?”
    â€œBut Ma—” Bug began, but Ma’s glare cut his words off. “A’ight.” He got up from the booth. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Clark. And we’ll make sure that business gets handled for you.” He shook Shai’s hand. On his way out, he looked up at Priest. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but he wisely kept his mouth closed and kept walking.
    â€œYou’ll have to excuse him,” Ma began once Bug had gone. “He’s the baby, so I keep him close to me, but unfortunately, he’s picked up some bad habits, same as the rest of my boys. Bug’s smart like Keith and got more heart than Mad Dog did at his age. I can’t count how many times I tried to turn Bug off to this lifestyle, but he’s got that Savage blood in him. If he insists on playing the game, all I can do is show him how to win.”
    â€œSometimes all we can do is make sure they’re the best at what they do, even if it isn’t right,” Priest agreed.
    â€œRight on.” Ma nodded. “How’s that pretty boy of yours?”
    Priest felt his heart skip but didn’t miss a beat when he answered. “Dead. He was killed a while back.”
    â€œI’m sorry to hear that,” Ma said sincerely. “You know, I always hoped that he and Maxine would hook up one day. That marriage there would make our families mighty damn powerful out here.”
    â€œI never knew you had a kid, Priest,” Shai interrupted.
    â€œThat’s because you were probably too young to remember.You boys spent some time together while your fathers were talking business,” Priest said with a wink.
    Shai thought back. Poppa had never allowed very many around his children, so Shai’s play dates were few and far between. He vaguely remembered during one of Priest’s late night visits to the Clark estate there having been a kid with him. The reason it stuck out was one of the very few times that Poppa had allowed him to stay up late, eating candy and watching movies. Shai didn’t remember much about the kid other than the fact that he had very sad eyes. Poppa had taught him from an early age how to read people’s eyes to get a sense of who they were, and it was obvious, even to young Shai that the little boy with Priest had been through some terrible things. With a father like Priest, it was no wonder. Shai had shared his toys with the boy and it seemed to cheer him up, but the sadness in his eyes remained. Shai wanted to ask Priest how the boy had died, but the question would’ve been disrespectful, especially in front of outsiders, so he didn’t press it further.
    â€œLet me get going, before Bug gets restless and tries to set