Page 65 of Grave Games

Romeo barely spared them a glance. “Don’t worry about them, baby. LEO always parks their ass on our doorstep when we have a little get-together.”

“LEO?”

“Law enforcement officers.”

Ah. “How did they even know to be here?”

“To build a bonfire, even on your own property, you still have to apply for an open-burn permit, which we’ve posted on all our gates and online.” He shrugged, unconcerned. “We may be badasses, but we also know the value of being good neighbors to the people around here, so we make sure they know we’re not going to burn the neighborhood down. Hell, about a third of our brothers here tonight are firefighters, EMTs or some other type of emergency responders.”

Somehow that didn’t surprise me. Adrenaline junkies needed their kicks, after all. “And the noise from the fireworks?”

“Again, we got permits. And believe me, the noise is just getting started.”

Of course. The Gravediggers were doing their best to give the middle finger to Hades by living their lives to the fullest, so it only made sense the party was going to get even wilder from here on in.

“Do you think he’s here now?” I heard the words slip out of my mouth as someone with a flaming Molotov cocktail approached the bonfire. Because of course. An ordinary match or lighter wouldn’t do for a badass biker bonfire.

Romeo leaned toward me. “Who?”

“Hades. Or more accurately, his people. Do you really think they’re watching us now?”

“They’re always watching. We’ve got a spy in our midst, an actual fucking snake somewhere in the grass. Which I didn’t just tell you. That’s club business.”

I nodded. He’d mentioned a spy once before, so this wasn’t a surprise. A disappointment and a serious worry, but not a surprise. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Excellent.” He bent and touched his lips to mine. “I couldn’t have made you any more perfect if I’d tried, you know that? You’re something else, Shiloh McKeen.”

A happy thrill shot through me. “I’m glad you think so.”

The Molotov cocktail smashed into the bonfire. Soon the rich scent of woodsmoke thickened the air, and if I closed my eyes I could almost believe the world was on fire. Then the scent of cooking meat caught my attention, and I glanced over at the portable grills to find Mabel pushing a shopping cart filled with large aluminum trays that I knew were filled with the hamburger patties we’d shaped, bratwurst links, and racks of marinating ribs. Each grill had been manned by men in Gravedigger jackets and cuts, and as they were handed their designated tray of food to grill, it struck me that they looked like they could have been in any suburban backyard doing their manly duty of cooking meat over an open flame.

As culturally different as the biker world was, there were still some deeply comforting similarities to the civilian world, my old world, that made me smile.

With the tantalizing scent of grilled food perfuming the air, my mouth began to water as I turned back to the bonfire. It had caught quickly, and bellows of triumph went up as the flames began to roar. I gasped, shocked at its overwhelming heat—suddenly the idea of a bonfire and an outdoor party on a cold winter’s night made perfect sense—and thrilled in a primal human way that fire had been created. It was all so extraordinary I started laughing without fully understanding why.

“Let me guess,” Romeo said huskily against my ear, coming to stand behind me so he could wrap his arms around my middle, holding my back to his front. “This is your first bonfire?”

“Yeah.” I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away from the fire licking over the logs. “It’s mesmerizing, isn’t it?”

“The only thing I find mesmerizing around here is you.”

“Really?” That got my attention like nothing else, and I turned in his hold to loop my arms around his neck. “In that case, I have to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“Are there any Chief of Security jobs that you have to do right at this moment?”

He lowered his face until his nose nuzzled against mine. “What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking we could sneak back to our room and see if we could start a fire of our own.”

Desire flared to life in his eyes, as hot as the bonfire behind me. “Aren’t you interested in meeting up with your brother?”

I blinked. “I assumed that would be called off, after what happened with Arthur.”

“I probably should’ve called it off, but I’m a man of my word. Besides, he was already here.”

I shot a careful glance toward the former motor court. “In the Barracks?”

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