On Your Knees, Prospect (Kings of Hell MC 3)

“When you aren’t drawing in drug addicts and crazies from all over the county. Whatever you say, those people aren’t harmless when they descend on the town for your so-called-parties,” hissed one of Clover’s deputies.

Clover looked like he was counting to ten in his head. Jake had no idea how much the club was paying him, but it was clearly enough, since he didn’t pick up on that thread. “Everyone knows of Mr. Giler’s uh... special interest in William Fane.”

“And is that a crime?” Knight asked harshly.

“No, but last night’s events made some people suspicious. I’ve been asked to question him, and that’s what I’m here for.”

“What events?”

Clover looked back at his deputies, then briefly slid his gaze over Jake and Vars before once more focusing on Knight. “Someone broke into the town museum. The perpetrator devastated the temporary exhibition and stole one item.”

Jake got hot and cold all over, and could hardly swallow. The stolen collar seemed to tighten around his neck like a living being. If the police decided to search them, he was screwed. Maybe the fact that the collar had changed its shape could help, but he doubted it would make much of a difference.

Elliot stepped from behind Knight so fast, one of the deputies put his hand on his gun. “No! What did they steal? How has it been devastated? That is fucking barbaric!”

“Didn’t the cameras register who it was?” Knight asked, equally shocked.

Clover shifted his weight. “It’s a small, underfinanced institution. They don’t have security officers or video surveillance in place.”

Knight’s flush was visible even under the thick layer of makeup. “This is outrageous! And how is Elliot a suspect? He loves that place! He even volunteers there!”

Clover watched them both pointedly. “And it was the staff that told me to question him. You must see that his interest in that man goes a bit overboard.”

Jake was feeling bad for Elliot for the first time since Elliot had lost an eye. It was him and Vars who’d wrecked the place and almost killed a man. Elliot didn’t deserve the accusations, even if he was a whackjob.

“He would have never done anything to damage a single piece from that collection. I can’t believe his colleagues would shit on him like that after he helped them without getting anything in return!” Knight hissed, raising his arms in rage, which didn’t have the same effect as usual, since in the costume he appeared more like an exasperated dandy than anything else.

Clover groaned and spoke to one of the other officers without looking back. “Did you write that down, Greg?”

“Y-yes,” the man muttered, even though he only now started scribbling.

“I need to know what was taken!” Elliot said, even more exasperated than Knight. “I don’t even care about the indignity of being suspected by my own colleagues. The collection is much more important than all their lives put together!”

Knight grabbed Elliot over his mouth and pulled him back. “That’s enough, Elliot. The gentlemen found out all they need to know.”

Elliot wasn’t normal. But he also most definitely hadn’t wrecked the museum. Jake could hardly live with his guilt.

Clover looked back at his men. “I think that’s it for now.” When no protests came his way, he gave the room another once-over. “Tell me if you find anything out.”

“Absolutely. How much would it cost to provide the museum with security?” Knight asked, but Clover just waved him off and made his way to the door.

“Have fun with your costume flick.”

“I bet it’s porn,” one of the officers whispered to the other loud enough for them to hear, but Knight just rolled his eyes. He did sneer at Troy when the guy was trying to discreetly make his way out, and the brief exchange that followed in hushed voices suggested Troy would be explaining himself to Beast later for bringing in law enforcement without warning them first.

Once they were all gone, Elliot tugged on the cuff of Knight’s suit jacket. “We need to go there. Assess the damage. Maybe they’ve omitted something, or they’re destroying evidence as we speak!”

Jake shot up to his feet. “But what about the play? We’re all in costume. Shouldn’t we finish first?” Prancing around in front of a camera was the last thing he wanted to do, but his future was in that script.

Elliot shoved at Jake from the safe confines of Knight’s arms. “This is more important right now! What if there are windows broken, and the exhibit it getting damp?”

Jake shifted his weight nervously. “Can I just read the script then?”

Elliot screamed in frustration, and Knight had to hold him back so that he wouldn’t attack Jake. “Jesus Christ! Roger turns into a gargoyle twice, each time turning back at dusk, and the third time, he becomes the monster that served Fane. Happy? That’s your story. Roger is no more, Gargoyle named Azog eats him up from the inside. The end.”