Laurent and the Beast (Kings of Hell MC 1)

It was when they drove left, back toward the coast when the street forked in front of a pristinely white church, that Laurent stiffened slightly. In the mirror, Beast saw him frantically look back, and it must have been the old town hall that begged for so much attention. One of the oldest buildings in the area, unchanged since its creation, it was of an odd architectural style. The overall shape of it seemed normal enough, with straight lines and large windows of the Greek revival style, but someone must had considered that too boring. Two little towers have been added on both sides of the facade, barely taller than the roof but topped with domes that resembled those on Russian orthodox churches. The final product remained controversial to this day, but was the pride of the town nevertheless.

In the corner of his eye Beast saw passersby looking at the group of bikers, and pride swelled in his chest when he thought that for the first time in years he was not only riding with his brothers but also had this pretty thing clinging tightly to his back. No one would likely notice or care, but he did, and just thinking about it gave him the right boost of energy needed for the task he’d been preparing himself for all week.

Knight led the way out of town, through the white concrete arch that marked the border of Brecon, and back to the coast where the industrial harbor was located. The complex of warehouses and a block-like office space attached to one of them was separated from the fishy smells of the harbor by almost two miles of woodland and boasted a lovely view of the ocean. The previous tenant, a producer of small tools, had moved production out of the state months ago, and so the property was in excellent condition, with potential for converting the smaller warehouse into an additional living area. Although in Beast’s opinion the existing office building was large enough for their current needs. Especially that the complex also contained lodgings for some of the staff of the previous tenant.

True, moving here would mean downsizing and making use of all available space, but the small warehouse would work very well for recreational use for the club members and their guests while the larger one would be perfect for the big concerts and parties the club sometimes organized for tax purposes. They had other, much more profitable, ways to earn their keep, but even with friends at the local police, a pretense of lawfulness needed to be maintained.

They rode in the warm sun along the solid metal fence and all the way to the open gate. The realtor was already waiting for them, looking professional in her burgundy suit and black pumps.

Beast wouldn’t go as far as thinking he had this in the bag, but his heart swelled when he realized that his brothers would get to see the place in the May sunshine instead of the rain that had hung in the air for the past few days. When they parked all their bikes in a semi-circle in front of the realtor, she smiled nervously and took a step back.

Beast waited for Laurent to dismount and got off himself, unzipping his leather jacket and taking off the helmet. One swipe of his hand over the strip of hair on top of his head to make it look neat, and he approached the woman with the friendliest of smiles. At least his teeth were still nice.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Taube. I hope we’re on time,” he said, focusing on her only while his brothers joined him one by one.

She smiled a bit too-widely, but nodded. “Right on time. It’s me who always likes to be at the property a bit early. I’m happy to see you brought your whole crew with you.”

Rev snorted and ran his hand over his bald head. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Beast looked back at all the men and smiled. “We are all quite invested. Our current clubhouse is too large for our needs, and this should be a perfect fit. Can you confirm that parties would not be a problem?” he asked while she led them toward the dusky yellow facade of the office space.

Mrs. Taube nodded. “According to our standard contract, the tenant is responsible for the state of the buildings. So long as the property is well maintained, this should not be an issue. As you can see, there are no neighbors, apart from the fish,” she said, moving her arm toward the glistening ocean. Beast gave a polite laugh, needing to make a good impression. The Kings of Hell were infamous in their own right, even though they were very careful about maintaining a good relationship with the locals, as per their mutual agreement with the police chief. But that didn’t mean they were seen as upstanding citizens either. He knew very well the agency would not be interested in renting to them unless they were losing money on keeping such a large property empty.