Chapter Seven.
Hayden
“What do we have?” Captain Hatton questioned as he approached me. He was dressed in a smart suit, and I guessed he’d been out for a meal.
“The fire’s under control. Witnesses have described Molotov cocktails being thrown indoors and four gang members being behind it all. We’ve got eight in custody who were apprehended.”
“Who caught them?” Hatton asked.
“The Royal Harlots. Two were in the building having dinner, and the rest were on their way to meet them. The Harlots tackled the four they saw running away, guessing the situation, and then encountered four others who had blocked the fire exit. They broke through the chain and freed everyone before Fire and we arrived.”
“Interesting. The RHMC are the heroes in this instance.” Hatton looked amused and pissed at the same time.
“Yeah. However, a uniform was accusing them of being behind it. Hopefully, Sapphire and Sparrow didn’t take that in. We don’t need another lawsuit,” I said.
Now Hatton seemed pissed. “Did he have reason to suspect them?”
“Nope. Sapphire and Sparrow were sitting on the street coughing up a lung; it was clear they’d been in the restaurant when it was torched.”
“Shit,” Hatton hissed. “And they definitely weren’t involved?”
“Only in the rescue. But there’s more. Even without an investigation, Chief is certain the inside was primed to go up.
A waitress has disappeared, and I’ve got uniforms checking her place.
Two of her colleagues recognised one of the gang members as her boyfriend.
They claimed they witnessed the boyfriend threatening Mr Garcia.
If Mr Garcia didn’t pay protection money, he’d have trouble; it seems he failed to pay,” I said.
“Where are these fuckers coming from? We’ve never had an issue like this before.” Hatton cursed.
“Criminal elements have taken serious notice of our town. It’s not a surprise with our access to Canada, Nova Scotia, and the North Atlantic Ocean.”
“You think this is trafficking—drugs or arms?” Hatton asked.
“Can’t say yet, Captain, but this appears to be more than a gang trying to flex their muscles. Could be wrong, but these seem to have members they can throw away and not blink,” I replied.
“Crap, that means we could be looking at a bigger gang attempting to get a foothold here,” Hatton muttered as his frown descended.
“We’ll question the eight we’ve got in custody and charge them. There are enough witnesses for us to arraign and hold them. Plus, two of the Royal Harlots were hurt, so they’ll be after blood.”
“Might be worth letting them go, let the Harlots clean up,” Hatton growled out and then smirked.
I blinked at his words. “Don’t look so surprised, detective.
At the end of the day, there are kids and women here.
Those assholes didn’t give a flying fuck, little kids may have been killed.
Makes me wonder if I should give a fuck about their rights. ”
“Don’t blame you, captain,” I replied carefully.
“How’s Warrick Cassidy? I heard on the radio he was also in the restaurant,” Hatton asked.
“He refused to take an ambulance as people were still waiting for one. Cassidy took him and the two Royal Harlots to the hospital.”
“I see. Get their statements, Wylde. My night is fucked now, so I’ll stay here and watch over this. Take a couple of uniforms and get me statements so we can bury those fuckers. Who the hell makes war on kids?” Hatton bitched as he walked off.
That was a very good question. One that we needed to answer soon.
Sapphire
Stitch had been in with Sparrow, me, and the firefighter. I felt magnanimous and asked her to heal him, too. Warrick was presently arguing with Cassidy about getting out of bed and heading home and was threatening to handcuff his brother to the bed.
With a grin, I sat up and began pulling my boots on. There was no big brother to keep me in, and I was busting out of this place.
Warrick saw my movement and glowered at me as he waved an arm in my direction.
Cassidy shrugged, and then a smirk crossed his face.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Wylde said, appearing from nowhere and hauling me back onto the bed.
“What are you doing, Wylde?” I howled as my boots were yanked off.
“Spoke to your nurse. You’ve been ordered to stay here another couple of hours so they can ensure your lungs are clear. Sparrow is being taken to a room overnight.”
“I’m fine. Stitch is with Sparrow, and I need to reassure my club I’m okay,” I hissed.
“I believe Stitch has already done that as they’re in the waiting room. She told them to go home, and you’ll be back soon. Naturally, I’ll take you,” Wylde said as he sat down.
“What the hell? Naturally? There isn’t anything natural about this!”
“Sapphire, shut up. Today has been a fuckin’ long shift, and I should have been off-duty hours ago. Instead, I’m here babysitting your stubborn ass. I need some peace and quiet for a few moments,” Wylde stated.
I opened my mouth to argue, then noticed how tired he looked. Damn, a pang raced through me, and the shriek I’d been about to blast him with faded. Wylde did look tired.
“Thank you,” he said, closing his eyes. “Just give me a few minutes.”
I studied his face, biting my lip as I did so.
He was truly gorgeous. Tall, fit, muscled, and handsome, he called to me like a moth to a flame.
But he was a cop, and there was no way I’d ever trust him.
A cop in our lifestyle was laughable. What would he do?
Plead a headache every time we broke the law so he wouldn’t witness it.
“Sapphire, your brain is too busy. Turn it off and enjoy some peace and quiet,” Wylde muttered, and I glowered.
Asshole.
◆◆◆
“Wylde, I’ll call for a taxi,” I argued as we walked outside the hospital. I felt bad leaving Sparrow there, but she’d insisted I leave and rest. To my surprise, she was sharing with Warrick, and the two of them were neck-deep in winding Cassidy up.
“Go ahead. We’ll see if he takes you when I flash my badge and say my car broke down,” Wylde retorted.
“This is an abuse of power.”
“Yup, so shut up, Sapphire, and get into my truck,” Wylde ordered.
“Bite my ass,” I shot back.
“Gladly, when you’re up for the fight, I’m sure that will ensue.”
My mouth dropped open, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “In your dreams, Detective.”
Wylde crowded me against his driver’s door. “Sapphire, you’ve no idea how much you’ve starred in my dreams lately. And that whip… shit, the things I can do to you with it. I hope you like a little pain, baby.”
I clamped my legs together as his voice dripped sex. Damn him. Why, all of a sudden, was Wylde my version of catnip?
“Keep dreaming, cop, that’s the only way you’ll get between my legs,” I retorted.
Wylde stepped closer and bent his head to me. I could feel the heat rolling off his body, and my nipples pebbled as a thick thigh touched my legs. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s true. But I’ll let you keep your delusion.”
His mouth was almost touching mine. I could literally stick my tongue out and touch his lips. I closed my eyes as his scent washed over me, as my pussy spasmed.
“Not gonna touch you until you beg me,” Wylde muttered and pulled away. My eyes flew open in disbelief.
“Yeah, let me know how that works out for you,” I replied, and Wylde chuckled. Bastard.
“Get in the truck, Sapphire,” he ordered as he opened the door. I climbed inside and sniffed. The truck had a brand-new smell to it, and as Wylde climbed in, I faced him.
“Is this new?”
“Had it for a month. It’s the new Chevrolet Silverado 1500.”
“It’s nice,” I said, running my hands over the leather seat. “But not really suitable for work?” I looked over my shoulder and frowned.
“This isn’t my work vehicle. It’s my personal one. At work, I drive a Dodge Charger Pursuit.”
“I’ve seen that, the black one,” I said.
“Yup. It’s one of the newer models, so Cassidy and I fight over it,” Wylde said as he pulled out of the parking bay.
“You’re friends?”
“We grew up together in the same neighbourhood. Pissed both sets of parents off when we first entered the army and then the police,” Wylde replied.
I didn’t know that. Actually, I wasn’t aware of much about Wylde at all. He was a pain in our ass, but I hadn’t researched him. That was an oversight I’d soon rectify. I knew he was a good cop and clean, but that was about it.
“And Warrick?”
“He followed us into the army but went on to join the fire department. He’s two years younger than us.” Wylde sent me a smirk. “You can ask me anything, Saph.”
“Only my girls call me Saph.”
“What do lovers call you?”
“Mistress!”
Wylde laughed, and I liked the way his throat moved.
“We’ll see,” Wylde teased.
I turned away, aroused and knowing I couldn’t do anything about it. I frowned as the truck swung into a drive-thru. “What are you doing?”
“I thought we’d get a milkshake,” Wylde said.
“A what?” I asked incredulously.
“A milkshake. What? Don’t badass women of MCs drink them?” Wylde teased.
“You’re stopping for a milkshake?” Was I hearing right?
“Yup. What flavour do you want?”
“Strawberry,” I replied, staring at him in disbelief. Wylde winked at me and ordered himself a chocolate alongside mine.
“What are we doing?” I asked as he drove away after collecting our drinks.
“Having a drink,” Wylde replied as if it was obvious.
“Wylde, what the fuck are you doing?” I snapped.
He parked up and turned to face me. “Saph, relax. I wanted a milkshake. That ain’t a crime. Not as much as you might think it is. You had a rough night, and a milkshake won’t hurt your throat. You and I see each other when I’m working; you only know one side of me.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because, woman, I like you.”
“Even though you think I’m a criminal?”
Wylde laughed. “Maybe I’m perverse. Who knows or cares? I want to get to know you outside of being a cop and an MC president.”
“Why?”
“Because I like what I see.”
“Oh, not because you want to infiltrate my club,” I shot back, and Wylde laughed.
“Saph, I lack a few vital things for that,” he teased.