“Yeah. I think you were right to tell me after all. Good job, Jake,” Knight said, mindful of making their only prospect feel appreciated even if he wasn’t getting his patch yet. With that, he walked off and slid through the door that would lead him to the garage. Hopefully, he could still catch up with Elliot.
The fast march turned into a run, and he entered the garage, quietly peeking inside first. Bikes formed a tidy row on one side, cars were parked on the other. When he walked in, the automatic light was still on, but Elliot’s car was gone, fumes from the engine still biting into Knight’s nose. If Knight was fast enough, he could catch up with Elliot’s car. There was no crossroads on the way to the state road, so he should be able to find the idiot before he hurt himself. And once he got his hands on Elliot, he’d tell him off for leaving during a party without letting anyone know.
Knight’s first instinct was to go for his bike, but if he wished to see where Elliot was going with the stolen beer, he couldn’t be easily recognized. His eyes darted to the right where a beautifully restored 1982 Corvette Coupe stood unused. The Barbie-pink shade of the exterior was biting Knight’s eyes, but he’d commissioned this color because he’d known Jordan loved it. Now that she was gone from his life, he wasn’t even sure what to do about this classic sports car uglified with such a jarring shade.
A curse pushed at Knight’s lips as he grabbed the keys from the cupboard nearby and rushed back to the vehicle. He’d got that baby for Jordan’s birthday but ended up never giving it to her, since they split. At least it would serve a purpose this one time.
Knight wasn’t a sports car enthusiast and needed to get a grip on the manual transmission as he started the engine, but by the time he reached the line of trees surrounding the clubhouse, he felt confident enough behind the wheel. With the sun still licking the horizon, the girly color of the car should fool Elliot and make him ignore his tail.
Knight sighed in relief when he spotted the lights of Elliot’s trash can of a car, but he made sure to keep his distance to not be recognized. Being alone in the car, though, only made Knight imagine all sorts of scenarios. What could possibly be more important to Elliot than being invited to an orgy? And for fucking free at that. Even if Elliot were to just watch, it would surely still be good entertainment for him. People begged to be vetted for these events for months, and he’d just thrown it all away. And for what? To drink himself blind on a beach or something? To celebrate Fane’s birthday?
He kept a low profile but was surprised when Elliot drove past Brecon and the trailer park, heading toward the national park where very few people lived. Somewhat weirded out, he saw Elliot abruptly stop in the middle of a straight road, only to drive into a narrow path between the trees. Knight switched off his headlights entirely and followed, trying to memorize the exact way Elliot’s rear lights moved ahead of him. Fortunately, the dirt road was mostly devoid of curves.
When he noticed the lights go off, he parked his car as well and opened the door to listen. The tall trees loomed over him, quiet like giants waiting for their victim to make a mistake. He swallowed when an owl cried nearby, breaking the absolute silence of the cold woods. He regretted not taking his jacket as soon as he left the Corvette, but he hadn’t been thinking straight when he left the clubhouse. As tension rose in his body, he heard voices but couldn’t make out any words.
Elliot was clearly where he’d intended to come, so Knight left the car and approached his target on foot, set on making himself unheard. At least there was no snow for him to sink into.
As he came closer and the bright glow coming through the windows provided him with some light he saw Elliot’s car parked along a rusty pickup truck in front of a tiny house made of pale brick. It was surrounded by heaps of junk and used tires dotted between thatches of grass and piled-up leaves. He took a deep breath and approached, somewhat weirded out. What the hell could Elliot be looking for in a place like this?
He made sure to tread carefully, in case there were any traps laid out for intruders, but the scrap metal and other junk were unnerving in their own right. Scattered all over like old bones spat out by whoever lived in the cabin, they could alert the owner of the house quite effectively if stepped on.