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

Mr. Linde stood, finishing his drink. “You can go. We’re almost done with the cleanup anyway.”

Beast opened the door for Laurent and smiled at Mr. Linde. “I heard about the break-in. Glad nothing got stolen. If you have any trouble in the future, give me a call, yeah?”

Laurent could barely comprehend the audacity of that statement, but he supposed it would direct suspicion away from them.

Mr. Linde groaned. “Yeah. Nothing important was stolen. I guess they got spooked by the police. Must have been some kids.”

“I did like that bracelet though. Was cheap, but I got it on vacation. It was a keepsake,” Tierra complained as she finished wiping down the tables and tossed the cloth into the sink behind the counter.

Laurent made a mental note to pretend he’d found it in the alleyway when taking out the trash. “Scoundrels,” he said, before leaving in a hurry, because this conversation was putting cold sweat on his back.

Truth was though that no money, no bracelet, and even other people’s property didn’t count when Marcel’s safety was on the line.

Magpie stood outside in one of his expensive outfits, and Laurent was surprised to see a thick layer of bandages covering his forearm to the elbow. But the more pressing question was: what was he doing here?

Beast pulled Laurent close and gave him a soft peck on the lips. He tasted of minty toothpaste, which meant he’d either just eaten—which was unlikely, considering his routine—or he wanted to be prepared for this exact moment.

“How was your day?” Beast asked, pulling Laurent toward his car.

Laurent held Beast’s hand, but still looked back at Magpie who followed them with the smile of Mona Lisa. “Tierra gave me a sourdough bread recipe, so I’m excited to try doing that. I’m learning so much. I know this whole endeavour began because of bad blood between us, but I’m actually finding it very satisfying. How about you?”

Beast cleared his throat and opened the passenger door for Laurent, being so extra nice it was making Laurent suspicious already. “Oh, it went… okay. We have only one injury,” he said, nodding toward Magpie, who sat in the back, staring at the crumbs of food and empty food packaging littering the cab, with distaste. Laurent supposed it was high time Beast cleaned his car, but his man was too busy with other things to worry about such trivial matters.

“I have heard scraps from Elliot, but I would appreciate it if you kept me informed,” Laurent said. There. He could be diplomatic when he wanted. “I am very sorry to hear you were injured, Jasper.”

Beast squeezed the steering wheel, and the gesture made Laurent stiffen, because Beast rarely showed such involuntary signs of stress. “We tried to get rid of one of the trees but the machine was sabotaged. I think Baal might have put a mole inside the clubhouse, and it has to be someone who doesn’t know what’s coming. Any of the hangarounds would fit the bill. And I can’t get rid of them or he’ll take you away from me.”

“A perilous predicament indeed,” Magpie said from the backseat, his face stiff. Laurent’s precious brooch was pinned to his collar, and Laurent tried to forget how much he missed it. He’d given it up for a good cause.

As soon as Beast started driving, Laurent put his hand on his arm and was surprised to feel him flinch. “I know this might not be a good moment, but I was planning to do some shopping today. Would you mind turning toward the supermarket? I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Jasper. I want to be sure I have all the products necessary for Marcel in case he hatches soon. Also, what happened to you?” he asked Beast, staring at his arm but finding it difficult to say if there were any injuries on the densely tattooed skin.

Beast told Laurent what had occurred during his absence, and as his voice got raspy when he mentioned the fire, Laurent wanted to crawl into his lap and close him in his arms until both of them could forget all about the danger.

Magpie had turned out to be a hero in all this, which made Laurent ashamed of all the times he’d mocked the flamboyant camp Magpie had set up because he claimed the clubhouse didn’t have appropriate facilities for a lengthy stay.

Anger about not being invited to the whole event flared up in Laurent in an instant, but he quelled the fire by deeply inhaling the pleasant, citrussy scent of the car. Beast had been right. Laurent wouldn’t have been useful during the fire. On the contrary, he might have distracted Beast when he needed to remain clear-headed.

“We can get some salve for the burns at the shop as well.” Laurent pulled Beast’s hand to his lips and gave it a kiss.