Page 3 of Fletch

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.

Two

Fletch

Istare down at my feet, trying to rein in the anger I’m feeling. Detective Inspector. Fuck. I always knew she’d make it. It was the reason I knew we’d never work. But I’d secretly hoped she’d made her own way in the world and not decided to live in her dad’s shadow.

Her feet appear in my eye line, and I raise my head until I meet her glare. “I hope your officers are gonna tidy that up,” I say, nodding at my bedroom, which is a complete mess.

“It looks tidier now than when we came in,” she retorts, arching a brow.

“I take it you didn’t find what you were looking for?”

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