Chapter 1

One

Fletch

" L ast on the agenda is . . ." Axel, my President, looks down at his notes, "a police raid. Expected anytime this weekend." He shrugs, looking up and scanning the brothers sitting around his table. "Any personal use found is on you."

"Get rid of everything," Grizz, our Vice President, cuts in. "They're looking for any excuse at the minute, and I'm fucking sick of it. Clear your rooms of anything that could get you a fine or even a warning."

"Any other business?" asks Axel.

"Actually, I need someone to help me at The Bar tonight for a private function," says Grizz. We all look away, avoiding eye contact. "It's a hen do, fifteen women, drunk, excited and—" My hand is already up, along with most of the other brothers, and Grizz laughs. "Fletch, I'll take you."

"He always gets the good jobs," Atlas complains, and I smirk. But we all know Grizz isn't picking me ‘cause we get on well— he doesn't wanna leave me here unattended around his old lady, Luna. Not that I'd ever go there again now he's claimed her, but she was once a club girl, which means she's fucked her way around the club, and lord knows she was memorable. We were building a connection, one that was severed when Grizz decided to claim her.

He throws me a set of keys, and I catch them. "You head over and stock up. I gotta bathe Ivy and then I'll be over." We all know he never misses bathtime with his baby girl, so I stuff the keys in my pocket.

Axel slams the gavel on the table, indicating the end of church, and we all head out.

Atlas falls in step beside me. "I'll come help," he tells me with a wink.

I restock the fridges behind the bar while Atlas sits staring at his mobile. "You gonna help or what?"

He looks up. "I'm here for the drunk pussy, brother."

I roll my eyes and check my watch. It's almost opening. "You may as well open the door," I tell him, and he grins, jumping up to do as I've asked.

Three women enter first. They're already singing and swaying, which tells me the hen do already started. The middle woman has a ‘Bride' sash on, so I give good eye contact and smile wide. "Welcome, ladies," I greet. "What can I get you?"

The bride-to-be slams her hands on the bar and bites her lower lip before winking and slurring, "Whatever you're offering."

I laugh, grabbing the bottle of Prosecco that was already on ice. "Bubbles?"

A few more women enter, but my attention is firmly on the blonde bride. Something about that last night of freedom turns me on. Atlas joins me behind the bar and begins serving the second group while I take care of the first. I offer to carry their tray of drinks to a nearby table, and as I set it down and they take a seat, I turn the charm up a dial. "Anna, right?" I ask, handing the bride-to-be her drink. Luckily, I'd already checked the bookings. Grizz likes things to be personal so the customer feels important.

She picks out the raspberry floating on top and pops it in her mouth. "And you are?"

"Fletch."

She grins. "Fletch," she repeats, letting my name roll off her tongue, "are you married?"

I shake my head, lowering into a spare seat. "Don't believe in that shit."

"Amen to that," her friend says, leaning closer to get my attention.

Anna pulls her back by the arm. "Hey, this is my night, remember," she snaps, and her friend rolls her eyes and snatches a drink from the tray.

I grin. "Don't fight, ladies, there's plenty of me to go around."

"I bet," comes a woman's voice from behind. I glance up, and she's staring at her friend with her hands on her hips. Her sash reads ‘Bridesmaid'. "She's getting married next month, so move on, lover boy."

I stand, unable to stop the grin. "Don't I know you?"

"I hope not," she mutters, taking my seat and turning her back to me. I head back to the bar, racking my brain to try to remember where I recognise her from.

By the time Grizz arrives, the rest of the party is filling the bar and the karaoke is in full swing. He winces as he shrugs from his kutte and hangs it behind the bar. "Jesus, who's idea was it to put the machine on?"

"Atlas," I say, rolling my eyes. "They've paid the extra."

I spot the bridesmaid stepping out the bar, and I remove the tea-towel from my shoulder and hand it to Grizz. "Taking my break," I throw over my shoulder as I head out.

She looks up from her phone when she senses me and rolls her eyes in irritation. "I swear I know you."

She narrows her eyes. "You're actually serious, aren't you?" When I don't reply, she smirks. "We fucked."

"Shit," I say, smiling. "Right, makes sense. I never forget a pretty face."

She arches a brow. "Oh god, what the fuck did I see in you?" I'm sensing bitterness. "I bet you don't even remember my name."

"I've never been great with names," I admit, wincing. "Look, sorry if I've pissed you off. I didn't mean to offend?—"

"Gemma," she snaps. I pause, trying to recall her and then it hits me.

"Gemma," I repeat. "Gemma Stone?"

"Fuck me, Fletch, has it really been that many women you can't remember me?"

I'm almost lost for words as I give my head a shake. "No, it's just I didn't recognise you." I glance down her body, taking in her womanly curves that definitely didn't exist when we were together. "You're so much?—"

"Thinner?" she spits. "Prettier?"

I swallow the lump that seems to be lodged in my throat. "Just different," I mutter feebly.

She rolls her eyes again and stomps back inside. I let out a long breath and lean against the wall. "Fuck," I say out loud.

"You asking for one from God?" comes Atlas's voice.

I smirk. "I am God."

He laughs. "The bar's busy, get back in here to help us mere mortals."

I head back inside, and Gemma turns her back as I approach. I stop behind her. "Sorry," I repeat. "You took me by surprise." Just being this close is a stark reminder of what I gave up. She smells different. Her perfume's changed along with her body and the colour of her hair. Back then, she was a redhead. Now, she's dark brown. She was curvier too, not that I minded it, but she hated her curves. I'm so lost in thought, I don't realise she's turned to face me.

"I'm just here for my friend's hen night. I think we can avoid one another, don't you?" She runs her tongue over her lower lip, and I watch the move, wondering if she still tastes the same.

"Sure thing, Snap."

She narrows her eyes at my nickname for her, and I smirk before moving on towards the bar.

It's almost midnight and the only women left are the bride-to-be Anna, Gemma, and another bridesmaid, Kelly, who are all crammed in the toilet while Anna brings up the contents of her stomach.

Grizz left half an hour ago, along with Atlas, because I drew the short straw to lock up. I'm stacking the clean glasses when Gemma appears. She leans on the bar and watches me for a minute. "Her fiancé is on his way to collect her." I give a nod. "You were a hit with the girls though," she adds. I turn to her, and she gives a small smile. "You always were."

"About all that?—"

She shakes her head and holds her hand out to cut me off. I notice the sparkle of the diamond on her finger and grab it, holding it closer so I can inspect the engagement ring. She blushes, tugging it back to her and covering it under her other hand. It doesn't surprise me she's engaged. In fact, I'm more surprised she isn't married already.

Gemma

There's a long, drawn-out silence as he rounds the bar. "When's the big day?" he asks.

I keep the ring hidden, unsure why I'm embarrassed he's seen it. "What about you?" I ask. "Married, single?"

He shrugs. "Single."

I'm not surprised. He's a man whore. He always was. "We should probably stand outside," I mutter. He steps in front of me, and I halt, staring up at him. He's so much bigger than I remember. He always had a good body—it's one of the reasons I was so body conscious around him—but now, he's ripped and in the body of a man. My fingers itch to trace the tattoos that ride up his skin and over his face.

He steps closer, and my breath catches as he raises a hand to my cheek. "The one that got away," he whispers. I blink, not daring to say a word, as he lowers his mouth until I feel his warm breath against my lips. If I was to pout, we'd touch.

"Gemma, help me get her outside," comes a voice from the bathroom.

I step back, breaking the spell and rush to the bathroom. I cannot go around kissing bikers . . . not anymore.

I get two hours sleep before my alarm shrieks. I groan, checking the time to find it's three a.m.

I jump in the shower to wake myself up. I'm glad I didn't bother to drink during Anna's hen night because this will be worth the sacrifice.

I dress quickly and grab my car keys before heading out.

The station is a hive of activity. Whenever anything crops up involving The Chaos Demons, people volunteer, so everyone wanted to be in on this early morning raid.

I wait in the conference room for my team to gather, and once I'm satisfied everyone has arrived, I take my place at the front. "Thanks for turning in early today," I begin. "For those who don't know, I'm Detective Inspector Gemma Stone and I'm leading the investigation into gang-related violence and drugs surrounding The Chaos Demons motorcycle gang. Operation Sapphire is only a month into its investigations, so this raid will be the first of many."

I bring up the screen from my laptop onto the large whiteboard which shows the clubhouse floor plan. "We'll enter here," I explain. "There's a piece of fencing that's been damaged, which means we can gain access here rather than alert them at the gate." I point to a side door. "Access here will be gained with the magic key. Our intelligence suggests this is the only door not strengthened. Then, we'll spread out into our teams to search. Detain anyone you find, but keep them exactly where they are so we can search their rooms. Any questions?" It remains quiet, and I smile. "Great, let's go get these fuckers."

We assemble into riot vans and head out the station. The ten-minute drive is tense, not because of nerves but excited energy. We all want to be the team that puts an end to the biker club.

We park just out of view from the club. We file out and make our way through the broken fencing and to the side door leading into the club's kitchen.

One of my officers holds the battering ram that will have this door open in seconds. I give the nod, and he whacks it against the door, which springs open with little effort.

We head inside, shouting to make ourselves heard as we each go in the direction of our search areas. I take the stairs two at a time, followed closely by Kay and Phil. I take a breath before shoving a bedroom door open and turning on the light.

Fletch sits up in surprise, rubbing sleep from his eyes, as the naked woman beside him groans, rolling onto her back and taking the sheets with her. Fletch frowns when his eyes land on me, and I can't help the satisfaction I feel. "Morning, sunshine," I greet breezily. "Up you get." I head to his side of the bed with my handcuffs. He sits, not bothering to cover his nakedness, and holds his hands out in front. Of course, he's done this before—his record is a mile long. I cuff him and pull him to stand. "Someone grab him some clothes," I bark.

Kay grins, snatching up a pair of discarded boxer shorts and kneeling before him so he can step into them. She tugs them up, and he winks at her. "Thanks."

I shove him extra hard towards the wall. "We're detaining you while we search the premises under section one-hundred seventeen of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act."

He rolls his eyes. "You made it then," he remarks. I ignore him as three uniformed officers enter the room and begin to search it. Phil has the naked woman in cuffs, although she's now wrapped in a man's shirt. "Does your boss know you were out partying last night?" he asks. "I hope you didn't drive here."

"I don't break the law," I mutter just loud enough for him to hear.

He grins. "Not how I remember things."

I shove him face first against the wall. "Stay quiet."

It only amuses him more. "Usually, you like it rough, Snap. Have the tables turned?"

"Shut the fuck up," I hiss.

"Now, now, constable."

"Detective Inspector," I say with a hint of pride.

"Wow. You really climbed those ranks, Snap. You do that all by yourself or did daddy help?"

"Someone hold on to this fucker," I shout, shoving him towards another officer.