In the Arms of the Beast (Kings of Hell MC 5)

The coffee shop was bright thanks to numerous windows, and the scent of this place was unreal—all coffee, chocolate, caramel, and butter mixed into an aroma that had Laurent longing for the little pastries it sold. Or the huge sandwiches called panini.

It was clean, the owner did his best to make Laurent feel welcome, and during the days of Laurent’s ‘training’, he’d insisted Laurent didn’t miss a minute of his midday break, claiming it improved productivity—according to science. Such comforts had been an alien concept in the world of hard labor and long hours Laurent had come from. And even though the machinery used to make the simple drink that was coffee still confused him, he valued the nice atmosphere as much as the simple yet rustic decor of the café housed in a building that in his time used to be the local doctor’s house.

There had been a downside to working with Mr. Linde, though. An unexpected one that had hit Laurent when he’d least expected it. Considering Sweet Break was an expensive establishment, Laurent had imagined Mr. Linde would offer all things indulgent, that beverages would be served in the highest quality plastic no matter their impact on the environment. Instead, the coffee shop was a plastic-free zone, forcing customers to bring their own reusable cups, and offering paper straws as the only option.

Laurent had hoped he would be able to indulge in his love of the material guilt-free away from his own home, but he had to face the truth after Mr. Linde had showed him devastating videos on his phone. Turtles, fish, and birds killed by plastic trash. Disillusioned, Laurent had to face the reality of Marcel’s future.

He would only live so long, but the generations to come needed a safe, clean world to thrive, and so, Laurent eventually applauded Mr. Linde’s effort in making the world less littered with plastic even if Laurent still remembered how he’d been first enamoured with the material.

Laurent stole a moment when Mr. Linde wasn’t looking, pulled out his phone from the pinstripe apron, and smiled for a selfie by the coffee machine. He was about to send it to Nao when his gaze stopped at a different name at the top of the list.

1Kai.

Beast had put a number in front of his name, so it always showed up first. Laurent bit his lip at the memory of the first phone Beast had gotten him so they could always stay in touch. Laurent was already getting to grips with the new one, but he kept the old one out of sentiment.

It was so hard to keep himself from informing Beast of the exciting things going on in his life, and in turn not knowing what Beast was doing. So Laurent devised the perfect crime.

He sent the photo to Beast, because he wanted him to see how well he was doing, but followed it with a message moments later. Apologies, I meant to send this selfie to Nao.

And right after that, he did send his friend the photo, so in case Beast asked her, Nao could say that she did indeed receive it while keeping her conscience clean. No one would find out the truth about Laurent’s deceit.

He’d barely hidden his phone when the first customer arrived for their caffeine fix—as Tierra called it—but while Laurent knew ways of talking to people so they felt pampered, his thoughts remained with Beast. He imagined the moment his man received the autophotograph, struck by remorse over his behavior. Maybe he would apologize and beg Laurent to come back to him. Maybe he would learn to love Marcel too. But no matter how long Beast searched for their baby, he wouldn’t get to see him until Laurent came home. For now, the egg was safe in his locker.

In his time, if a man wished to communicate with a friend who lived somewhere else, he needed to be patient. No letter could travel as fast as texts did, but while Laurent used to have all the patience, the phone created an itch inside him, a pressing need to check if Beast had read the message or maybe even answered.

An hour into work, Laurent got acquainted with everyone’s names, and when business was slow, Mr. Linde showed him how to use the cash register, but the tension inside Laurent only grew. When he got assigned to cleaning tables, the screen dividing the space in two allowed him to steal a peek at his phone. His heart skipped a beat when he saw an unopened message, but it turned out to be from Nao.

Looking good in that apron!

Laurent wished Beast shared her sentiment. Deep in his heart, he knew they would work out something in terms of their relationship, but he had no idea what that something would be, and the impasse it created was making him miserable.