Page 30 of Courting Danger

“Thanks for the game,” Roan said before heading Danger’s way, just as the door slammed open and Kong came storming in, bellowing Roan’s name.

Roan’s expression went from pleased to confused as Kong bellowed his name again, charging like an out-of-control freight train, until Danger slid from the booth and stepped in his path. Nostrils flaring, one meaty fist waving in Roan’s direction, Kong was near seven feet of walking, snorting fury.

“Get out of the way!” Kong snarled.

“Not until you tell me what you’re looking to beat his ass for, since he hasn’t left my sight all day.”

Kong opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, blinking at Danger like he’d grown a second head.

“A-all day?” Kong growled, struggling to rein in his fury. “Every second, you haven’t taken your eyes off him once.”

“I didn’t follow him into the stall earlier when he had to take a shit, if that’s what you’re asking, but the only place he went when he came out was with me to the game room to play Sonic,” Danger declared. “Ask Kat; she joined us for a couple games while Night was making a test batch of cheesecake egg rolls. He hasn’t quite nailed it yet, but he’s getting close. Should be on the menu before the end of the week.”

The longer he talked, the calmer Kong grew, while Roan remained silent and still behind Danger instead of instigating the way he normally would. Further proof that he wasn’t the cause of whatever had Kong in a snit.

“It wasn’t him,” Kong muttered, gaze darting from Danger’s face to stare at Roan.

“Whatever the fuck happened, it wasn’t him,” Danger reiterated.

“Somebody rigged an exploding glitter bomb in Scout’s saddlebags; after they covered the whole damned bike with Post-it notes, several of them are covered in doodles of a hand flipping people off. Scout’s outside covered in glitter, ready to go to war,” Kong explained.

“He’ll have to find another target,” Danger declared.

“Yeah, I guess he will,” Kong said, grumbling beneath his breath as he shot Roan another look before turning and storming back out the door.

When Danger turned, he saw Taz several feet behind Roan, lips twitching, but he sure as fuck waited to laugh until the door slammed shut behind Kong, Kat’s voice trailing him out the door.

“You best not bring him in here until every speck of glitter is gone,” she warned.

Not that he could blame her. Use of glitter in the dungeon was only approved for demonstrations like the one Scoundrel had put on the other night; as a rule, they tried to keep the shit out of the place. If Scout was as covered as Kong claimed, it was going to be a few days before they’d deglittered him enough for Kat to let him back in here.

“Thank you,” Roan muttered, barely audible over Taz’s laughter.

“If it was you, you’d better hope Kong doesn’t figure it out,” Danger cautioned.

“B-but,” Roan stammered, immediately puffing up, eyes narrowing into an indignant look.

“Not you,” Danger barked, harsher than he’d intended to.

Taz held his hands up, shaking his head, still chuckling. “I didn’t do shit but laugh. Whoever pulled it off, that’s a hell of a prank.”

Danger shook his head, fighting back the urge to chuckle so he didn’t give Roan any bad ideas. “Sit,” he said to Roan. “And help me polish off these chicken fingers.”

“Thanks,” Roan replied, sliding into the booth across from him while Taz headed back to the pool table to get some much-needed practice.

“It’s one thing for you to pay for the mistakes you’ve made,” Danger told him. “It’s another for you to pay for someone else’s sins.”

“I’d never touch someone else’s bike,” Roan said as he reached for a chicken strip.

Danger nodded, appraising him. “I never thought you would. You’re mouthy, but the shit you pull is always blatant and in everyone’s faces. Even if you hadn’t been where I could see you all day, I’d believe you. You’re not sneaky. Which is a good thing. Seriously, don’t change that.”

“I-I won’t,” Roan stammered as he broke the chicken strip apart so he could dunk smaller pieces, coating them in the sauce, the same way Danger did. “I don’t have anything against Scout or anyone else around here.”

“Care to tell me why you’ve been going out of the way to antagonize him and some of the other boys, then?” Danger asked, though at this point he was already certain he knew the answer and would have to pony up a hundred bucks once Roan confirmed what Mark had been trying to tell him.

“I-I just…” Stammering, Roan stared down at the piece of chicken dripping honey mustard all over his fingers for several seconds before meeting Danger’s gaze again. “Wanted them to pay attention to me.”

“Them, or their daddies?”