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

Beast shook his head. They were approaching the quiet residential street where he intended to park. It should offer an easy enough access to the back of the coffee shop, and if he were fast enough, the job should be an in-and-out kind of thing.

Beast squeezed Laurent’s thigh. “Don’t worry. It’s not that serious, and I’m sure I could come to some kind of arrangement with the deputy if he did catch me red-handed. You only focus on Marcel and yourself. Is that clear?”

Laurent nodded, even though his body language betrayed reluctance. Beast often worried that Laurent wouldn’t listen to reason and do his own thing regardless of Beast’s judgment, but with Marcel at stake, he might act less recklessly.

It was late evening in the middle of the week, so the streets of Brecon were deserted, as if all the inhabitants had been spirited away, leaving behind their homes, businesses, and cars. Even the street lamps were off away from the main street. The perfect setting for what he intended. Beast slowed the car in the narrow street that ran parallel to the main artery of the town, where most shops were located. Bushes growing in tidy gardens and narrow alleys between homes provided necessary shade for moving unseen, but Beast only stopped once he recognized a rooster-shaped weathervane on one of the buildings.

“We’re here. Don’t switch off the engine.” He didn’t leave the car immediately, itching to reassure Laurent once more, even though the whole operation shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

Laurent took a deep breath. “I just feel so bad about the whole thing.”

Beast relaxed into the seat, kneading the ski mask in his hands. “I’m sure it won’t be the last mistake we do as parents.”

Laurent watched Beast with glossy eyes, but it was time to get going. Beast opened the door, but then Laurent pulled on his arm, and when Beast turned to look at him, he got the sweetest little kiss.

The knots that had been present in his shoulders for way too long unwound, and he stroked the smooth skin of Laurent’s cheek before pulling away with a smile. “Now I’ve got immunity,” he said, putting on the mask and stepping into the quiet street.

He wasn’t sure Laurent, with his lack of pop culture knowledge, would understand the reference to various quizzes and reality shows, but maybe it didn’t matter, because the handsome mouth still curved into a smile.

The night was moonless, and while Beast would have normally hated to walk in the dark with no street lamps to guide him, tonight it would serve to his advantage. There was light in very few windows in sight, but as he slid into the garden of someone living back-to-back with the café, the faint glow of a television screen illuminated his way.

Beast ducked as he passed under the window, before stepping through the low fence separating Sweet Break from its neighbors. The backyard was small and used for keeping trash and excess outdoor tables, but Beast didn’t hesitate, even when the light above the back door came on. He broke into a run and collided with the entrance so ferociously the lock gave with a creak, leaving him with an aching shoulder but successful. A red light flashed above him right away, but he continued inside as soon as he regained his footing. Laurent’s instructions were clear enough, but with his field of vision limited, with the thick clothes making him sweat, he still felt like armed police could burst in at any moment.

Listening to the thud of his own heart, he entered the staff room and went for Laurent’s locker first. Like he’d been told, it was the last in line, and the lock budged after just two hits with the mallet. For a terrifying second, Beast stared at the backpack tucked inside, listening for cries or the sound of the shell cracking, but Marcel remained still, and despite the temptation to look at the egg and make sure it was indeed fine, Beast pulled it out and proceeded demolishing two other lockers.

One didn’t contain anything of value, so he dragged out someone’s sweater, but the people using the other two weren’t so lucky, because Beast didn’t hesitate to steal someone’s purse if it was a matter of taking the beacon of suspicion off Laurent.

He jumped over the fence between the two properties on his way back, chased by the hum of a rapidly approaching car. At this time of night in Brecon, it could only be the police, and he would not be caught with Marcel. The crime he’d committed couldn’t be in any way associated with Laurent.

The short yelp of a siren nearby confirmed what Beast had been dreading, so he opened the passenger door and was glad to see Laurent had the same idea as him. He was already sitting in the driver’s seat, urging Beast to get in, but Beast put the backpack in and fastened it with the seatbelt.