Chapter 1
DETONATOR
“Come and see this, Det.” Knuckles called out when he spotted me walking into the clubhouse after a long day of selling weapons and striking deals with our biggest buyer.
Guns and weapons didn’t make themselves, after all.
“See what?” I asked, heading toward the bar where a small group of my brothers had gathered, even Tap though he was subconsciously wiping down the bar.
“The old Prez and his old lady are in Lapland right now.” Gatsby murmured, peering over Knuckle’s shoulder.
“Looks like they’re searching for the Northern lights.” I sat down next to them at the bar and gestured to Tap for my usual. A tall, cold glass of cola. After running Arizona over, Screw’s old lady, I had mostly given up drinking. Emphasis on the mostly as I did eventually enjoy a Whiskey neat, but that was a rare occasion nowadays and only when I was certain that I wouldn’t need to be behind the wheel for the rest of the evening.
Arizona wasn’t the only one traumatised that evening.
“If he’s trying to get his old lady in a bikini, Lapland isn’t the place for it. Way too cold.” Gatsby grinned sleazily, and I shot him a dirty look.
“I don’t need you putting that mental imagine in my head.” My nose wrinkled. “Shouldn’t you be at the club right now? It’s a Saturday.”
“It’s called delegating responsibility. You should try it some time.” Gatsby soothed the shot by clapping me on the back as he rose to his feet. “But I was actually headed over there right now. You guys want to come with me? You can have a burger and a woman each. On the house.”
“Thanks for the offer but I’ll pass.” I chuckled. It had been a long day and while I usually wouldn’t let the offer of a warm, willing pussy last, I looking forward to an early night tonight before I woke up tomorrow and spent the entire day working on a new prototype for handheld grenades. Another one of our buyers was some military folk and they were looking for bigger and more silent explosions. And I was never one to step down from a challenge.
“More for me.” Knuckles grinned before he left with Gatsby.
Tap placed my dark drink of choice down in front of me.
“You sure you don’t want to mix any JD with it?” He asked, tempting me. “You look like you need it.”
He was right. I felt like I needed it, but I knew better. Besides, I couldn’t risk getting carried away and then waking up with a hangover in the morning. I needed to stay sober to think clearly.
“Det might not want a JD and coke, but I’ll have one.” Arizona’s voice sounded from behind me, and I watched as she, Magpie, and Trixie occupied the seats to my left. When I caught sight of the someone occupying the barstool beside me, I chuckled.
Wherever Magpie was, Sleuth wasn’t far behind. Even when they were both off the clock.
Not only were Sleuth and Magpie lovers, but they were also partners in crime in every sense of the world. By day, they ran the Riders of Inferno Bounty Hunters Agency, keeping the streets of Headale clean while raking in the clash and by night, they were fierce lovers.
Sleuth had met his match in Magpie, and I couldn’t be happier for my brother if I tried.
“Whiskey neat.” Sleuth ordered, tempting me some more but I stayed strong.
“You look like you’ve had a rough day, Det.” Sleuth turned to face me. “Sell a lot of weapons for us?”
“You know I have.” I chuckled and sipped at my coke, wishing there was something stronger in it. “What about you? Catch any bad guys for us?”
“Not today, but Magpie and I have our claws in this one guy who is running from his wife, soon to be ex-wife, after he stole all her expensive jewellery for his mistress.” Sleuth grinned wide, excited.
My eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“That’s not even all of it.” Magpie said, causing me to turn my head to face her and the girls. “His mistress is his second cousin, and the woman that had hired us admitted that most of her jewellery was fake. There’s only one real piece, some expensive diamond necklace or something, which she’s paying us all this money to get back for her.”
A disgusted shudder ran over me. Second cousins? Fake jewellery?
I could never do what they do. It was too flashy and complicated to me. But guns and explosives? New recipes for bigger bangs, that was easy. That was second nature, and I honestly couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“Speaking of diamonds,” Magpie said, turning to Arizona. “I would get that rock of yours insured if I were you.”
“Worried Screw is going to take it back and run off with it with his second cousin?” Trixie joked and we all burst out laughing, including Tap who looked like he was too busy to be listening to us.
Arizona giggled, but before she could answer, two arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her back on the barstool, pressing his chest flush against her back. A pang of envy flashed through me at the sight of them two. Not because I wanted Arizona for myself, but because I wanted what they had for myself.
I was protective of Arizona in a familiar, brotherly way, and it was a good thing that Screw made her happy because if he didn’t, then he would have me to answer her.
Believe it or not, the big bad Detonator, the Weapons Specialist for Riders of Inferno, wanted someone to love and to hold. To hold in my arms every night while we slept beside each other. Someone to confide in during the good times and the bad times and share my life with. But I was well into my mid-thirties now and had yet to find a woman that liked me enough to stick around for more than a few weeks at a time.
There was a woman or two from Gatsby’s nightclub which stuck around a little longer than some other women, but at the end of it all, none of them wanted a man with as many deep-rooted issues as I had.
If I couldn’t find a single woman until now, I didn’t have high expectations for the rest of my life.
“There’s no take-backs.” Screw reminded us – mostly Arizona – as he approached us, half-joking. Turbo came with him, the two of them having just finished working at the garage for the day.
“Yes. Unfortunately, now that you’ve said yes the first time, you’re stuck with him.” Turbo replied dryly, taking a teasing jab at his best friend.
Screw grunted as he bowed his head around Arizona and turned her face to bring her into a sweet kiss. Or at least one that started off as sweet but very quickly wandered in the opposite direction of that path.
It was nice to see them happy. To see one of my brothers happy.
The girls, Turbo and I pulled a face at the prolonged PDA, and Arizona and Screw ended up pulling away after our light-hearted complaints.
“When are you two lovebirds getting married?” I grunted, ignoring the pang in my chest as I took a sip from my drink.
“End of summer.” Arizona grinned.
“If I could, I’d marry you today instead of waiting three whole months.” Screw groaned and pressed his face into the crook of her neck as he held her. “Are you sure you don’t want to change the date?”
“No.” Arizona grinned, determined. “All you have to do is wait out three months, and then I’m yours for the rest of our lives.”
“You’re already mine for the rest of our lives.” Screw growled.
The girls swooned while Turbo and I gagged.
“You guys are so sappy.” Turbo pulled a face. “Why do you have to eat each others faces in front of us? Why can’t you get a room?”
There was a dark look in Screw’s eyes as he pulled Arizona off the barstool, their hands tightly clasped together.
“That’s a good idea.” He grunted, and a blush spread across Arizona’s cheeks. “Come on, Arizona, let’s go back to our room where I can suck on your tongue without these lot giving us stick for it.”
“I didn’t need to hear that.” I groaned in disgust. “It’s a good thing you’re getting married because after that, there’s no way I’m allowing you to head away from this bar without putting a ring on her finger. That’s way too filthy.”
“If you think that’s filthy, I’m glad you don’t know some of the things Sleuth and I get up to behind closed doors.” Magpie grinned, a dark glint in her eyes as she searched the room for her biker. When her eyes landed on him, we all watched as she spared us one last teasing grin before jumping off the stool and making her way over to him.
Sleuth and Magpie were perfectly matched. They were so similar that they made it look like opposites attract wasn’t a thing.
Other than Sweetie, Grey, and Doc, there weren’t many women around the clubhouse. It was nice to have them around and frankly, I couldn’t wait for another one of my brothers to fall and meet his match. Last time with Sleuth and Magpie, I made quite a bit of money with the betting that was going on, and I was still exercising my bragging rights with how accurate I had been last time.
“She’s right, you know.” Screw said, jerking a thumb in the direction that Magpie had just gone. “Sleuth and Magpie are so much worse than we are. They literally have sex everywhere.”
“I can vouch for that.” Trixie pulled a face, looking very disturbed. “I’ve walked in more times than I can count, and I really wish I could unsee some of the stuff I’ve seen them do.”
Before we could either ask for more details or feel sorry for the trauma that she’s been through, there was a loud bang which no doubt sent everyone’s ears ringing, but not mine. The ground beneath our feet shook with the explosion as it was followed closely by another explosion.
The Riders of Inferno clubhouse was silent for a grand total of three seconds before everyone rushed into action, ready to fend whoever or whatever we were under attack from.
Whoever those motherfuckers were, there was no way they were getting away with it. Not under my watch.
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Layla Knight
25.07.2022
