SEVEN
By the time Lilly made it home, she felt both happy and sad. Cass was leaving for a few days. That would give her time to get her head together, though, so she shook it off.
Lilly walked inside and lay on her couch. She was exhausted, and the television would be good enough company to put her to sleep. She slept peacefully despite being alone in her house. She hated being alone, but she was learning how to cope with it, or at least she was trying to.
Lilly woke with the first rays of sunlight, her phone buzzing on the stand next to her. Picking it up, she realized she had a text from Cass.
“Good morning beautiful.”
Lilly smiled. “Good morning. What time’s your flight?” Lilly looked at the time. 7:03 a.m.
This man is never going to let me sleep past eight. She let out a defeated sigh and walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Might as well start my day from here.
Lilly wasn’t a morning girl, but at the same time, she loved being up and moving around early so that she could get more done and feel like she had time to accomplish things during the day. Fixing a bowl of cereal, Lilly sat down at the table in her small kitchen, phone in hand. Buzzing with another text from Cass, Lilly opened her messages.
“I take off at 7:30.”
This fucking sucks.
“Text me when you land, boss man.”
Quickly, before she could talk herself out of it, she snapped a picture of herself making a goofy face and sent it to Cass. A few minutes later, she received his reply, which was a picture of him making the same goofy face. Lilly smiled again. She was growing quite fond of him. Her phone buzzed again.
“It’s time for me to fly.”
She and Mindy met up at the bar to get things ready for the grand reopening. Representatives for the different liquor and beer companies were coming in today to set up their accounts, and the two of them had to be present since the boss man was out of town. Lilly pulled into the bar at ten o’clock on the dot to find Mindy sitting on the front porch with coffee. My kind of morning. Mindy smiled when Lilly got out and met her on the porch with a hug and a kiss.
“Good morning, sunshine. Someone looks chipper this morning.”
“It’s just a good morning.” Lilly smiled. Mindy pushed a second cup of coffee on the table toward Lilly.
“Oh. For me? That’s so sweet,” she picked as she took the cup and drank half of it in one gulp. “That’s heaven. One of the many reasons I love you, woman.” She took her seat next to Mindy on the porch. “How many of the vendors are supposed to be in today?”
“All of them, if my memory serves me right. Boss said that you and I are to manage all accounts; he doesn’t really want a hand in that kind of thing. Also, he doesn’t want his name in any of this. No one is to know that he is the new owner, or that he’s in an MC,” Mindy said.
Lilly’s head snapped toward the driveway at the rumble of a motorcycle. Pulling down the drive was an orange-and-black motorcycle, along with a blue-and-black one to its right. As the two pulled up, Lilly could make out Scott but had no clue who the other guy was. They were both in the same cut Cass wore. Figures, she thought with a spark of realization. He’s with Cass’s MC.
The two men parked and stepped off their bikes. Scott met them on the porch along with a man who looked to be in his mid- to late thirties. He had a goatee that fell nearly to his chest; his hair was dirty blond, short, and he had light blue eyes.
Scott greeted Lilly with their routine hug, the one where she jumped into his arms and he popped her back from the top of her neck all the way down to the bottom of her spine. Lilly sighed in relief.
“That’s amazing,” she said.
Scott chuckled. “You’re welcome. Lilly, Mindy, I’d like you to meet Leo.”
Leo extended his hand to each of them. “Hey. Nice to meet y’all,” he said, shaking their hands.
“You too,” Lilly said.
“Leo and I are here to help out while Cass is out of town, so, anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s what we’re here for.”
“Thank you,” Mindy said.
“Cass said something about vendors coming in today. He asked us to make sure they didn’t give the two of you any problems, and he wants all accounts set up in Lilly’s name.”
Lilly paled. “Do what?”
“Boss’s orders,” Leo said, laughing at the stunned look on Lilly’s face.
“Is it because he doesn’t want anyone to know about the club?”
“Yes ma’am.” Scott nodded.
“Come on, let’s get inside and check out what needs to be done while we wait on vendors.” Mindy ushered everyone inside.
The four of them walked into the bar and Leo gasped. “Holy shit.” Everyone turned to look at him.
“What?” Mindy asked.
“It looks great in here.” His eyes scanned the bar as he turned in a slow circle. “He wasn’t joking; he went big with this one.” Leo spoke more to Scott than anyone else.
“He did,” Scott said.
“This one?” Lilly asked, confused.
“Yeah, this project. He always has some sort of business endeavor he’s got his hands in,” Leo said.
“Prospect, that’s enough,” Scott warned. He was clearly talking to Leo, but she wasn’t sure why he called him that. Prospect? Lilly thought about it for a second before she got sidetracked. Leo and Scott took a seat at the bar while Mindy and Lilly walked to the office to check the calendar for the appointments they had with the vendors and at what time. All the vendors would be in today at some point between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“Is the bar open? I need a beer if I’m stuck here all day,” Leo said.
“Sure, it might as well be. What you drinking?” Mindy asked.
“Give me an Ultra and a double shot of Fireball.”
Lilly could hear the cooler doors open and then she heard a beer bottle hitting the top of the bar.
“You look happy today,” Scott said, walking into the office and sitting at the desk next to Lilly.
“I am.”
Scott shook his head. “You have so much to learn.”
“What do you mean?”
“About our world. It’s not like yours. There are rules and terms and things you need to know before you get involved with Cass.”
“Who said I was getting involved with Cass?” she retorted.
“Cass did. He’s one of my best friends in this world. More than that, he’s my brother, and there isn’t much about him I don’t know. He told me a few days ago about y’all. Look, whether you’re ever going to be an item, or if you’re just having fun, you need to be aware of what’s going on around you.”
“Your brother?” Lilly asked. She was starting to realize maybe she needed to ask more questions. She didn’t know Cass had a brother.
“He’s my club brother. Blood doesn’t always make you family. That’s one of the reasons men strive to be part of clubs—for the brotherhood that comes with it. You need to know that the cut he wears is more than just a vest with a patch on it. There are responsibilities that come with it, and it’s also like a giant bullseye sitting on the center of our backs. There are rivalries with other clubs, certain people we make it a point to avoid.”
“Rivalries?” Lilly laughed.
“Yes. As crazy as it sounds, those do exist in the biker world,” Scott said.
Mindy knocked on the door before walking in. “Sorry to interrupt, but two vendors just showed up, and I need you to come set up the accounts since they’re going in your name.”
“Okay, I’ll be right out.” Lilly looked back to Scott. He nodded his head in understanding. This conversation wasn’t over, and she had tons of questions now about everything Scott had just told her.
Lilly walked to the front to find the vendors sitting at a table by the stage. Both had computers in hand and were waiting on Lilly to set up the accounts. It didn’t take quite as long as Lilly expected, and the accounts were set up in no time.
The day seemed to drag on as Mindy and Lilly made sure everything was ready for the grand reopening. Mindy ran errands to get everything they needed to fully stock the kitchen, and the coolers in the front, with vegetables and other necessities like juices and milk, while Lilly stayed behind to hang out with Scott and wait on any other vendors that would be coming in.
“What else do we have to do?” Leo asked, obviously bored with sitting at the bar.
“Not a whole lot. Mostly just sitting around and waiting,” Lilly said.
“I’m going to sit outside and call my girl.” Leo walked away from the bar. Lilly laughed.
“He doesn’t care to be here, does he?” she asked, looking in Scott’s direction.
“There aren’t any poker machines, and his ol’ lady ain’t here. The only thing that piques his interest is the fact that there’s alcohol, but he doesn’t care to drink alone.”
“I get that. Unless you’re the only one in an empty bar room and have free reign of alcohol.”
“Sounds like you have some experience with that.” Scott laughed.
“Me? Never. I would never take advantage of a full bar that’s completely empty when I’m having a bad night. Nope.” Lilly put on her best serious face.
“Mm-hm,” Scott said. Lilly smiled and walked around to sit next to him.
“So, about that conversation we were having earlier.”
“What about it?”
Lilly’s phone went off, and her face lit up when Cass’s name appeared on her screen.
“Landed in Cali. How is the bar?” the text said.
Lilly looked at Scott.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She looked back at her phone and replied to Cass’s text.
“Good. You want to explain to me why everything is going in my name?”
“You talking to the boss?” Scott asked.
“Yep. Anyway, back to our conversation. What else is there that I need to know?”
“We’ll talk later. You’ll be seeing a lot of me this week; therefore, plenty of time to talk about that.” He smiled.
“Not fair.” She folded her arms in protest.
“Oh well,” Scott said and looked down at his phone. Scott was texting someone as well. Lilly assumed it was Cass.
“What’s boss man got to say?”
“It isn’t the boss man. It’s one of my pincushions.”
“What the fuck is a pincushion?”
Scott laughed. “Ask your boss. He came up with the term to begin with.”
Lilly picked up her phone and typed quickly. “What’s a pincushion?”
A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. “Roflmao. Tell my brother hi for me.”
That is not an answer. Ugh.
“Is it what I think it is?” she typed in response.
“Probably. It’s a term I came up with to name Scott’s women. He treats them like a pincushion. Pokes them cause that’s all they’re good for.”
Lilly burst out laughing. Scott looked at her, clearly amused.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, but she didn’t answer. He knew damn good and well what was so funny.
Lilly was doubled over, nearly in tears. “Oh, my god. You have a term for your fuck buddies . . . more morally degrading . . . than the word fuck buddy, itself,” Lilly said between laughs.
Scott laughed with her. “Yep. Pretty much.”
“Cass says hi by the way.”
“I know. I was talking to him too,” Scott said.
“Oh, that’s wrong.”
“Is not. I hear you like to shoot pool. Want to shoot a game?”
Lilly’s cheeks burned as thoughts of last night played through her mind. She wondered if that’s what Scott was talking about. Did Cass tell him?
“Yeah, sure. I’ll go grab some quarters.” She hurried off to the back to grab her purse. Lilly walked up to the table and noticed they had been replaced. Now, instead of green felt, she saw purple in its place. “When did we get new pool tables?”
“This morning. I brought them in,” Scott answered.
“Why? What was wrong with the other ones?”
He scuffed the tip of his pool stick. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”
“Sorry.” She leaned down to rack.
“Nothing was wrong with the other ones. He just wanted tables with purple felt. He’s got a theme going.”
“Oh, okay.” She backed away from the table. “Have at it.” Lilly pointed at the table. Scott broke and ran every last ball out.
“I thought you wanted to shoot a game.”
“I did.” Scott laughed.
“No, no. You just practiced. I didn’t get a damn shot!” She stomped her foot with her arms crossed, pretending to pout.
“Aw. Well, rack again and I’ll try to give you a shot,” he said. Lilly walked over and re-racked. Scott broke and nothing fell. “Open table.”
Lilly shot out six of her seven stripes.
Scott ran out all his solids and missed the eight ball on purpose. “Dammit.”
It was about a half-inch off, and someone who shot with his accuracy wouldn’t have missed such an easy shot by so little.
Lilly glared at him. “Really?” Nothing got under her skin more than someone allowing her to win.
Scott giggled, trying to stifle his laughter. The door opened, and Leo walked in.
“You kicking her ass in pool already?” He looked at Scott.
“Maybe,” Scott said with a shit-eating grin. Lilly walked over to the table and shot the eight ball in.
“Make that a definite yes, he’s kicking my ass,” Lilly said. Scott looked over at her and couldn’t contain his laughter anymore.
“She’s a little feisty,” Scott said.
“Noted.” Leo laughed. “My girl’s going to come up here shortly. She gets off at three thirty.”
“What time is it now?” Scott asked.
“Almost three o’clock,” Leo said.
“Holy shit. Where is Mindy?” Lilly walked over to the bar where her phone sat. Picking it up, she dialed Mindy’s number.
“Hello?” Mindy asked.
“Hey, woman. Where are you at?”
“I’m walking in the door now.” The front door swung open, and Mindy walked through with hands full of grocery bags.
Leo and Scott both held out their hands to take the bags from her.
“Thanks, guys. Y’all are so sweet.”
“Is there anything else in the car that we need to get?” Scott asked as he set the bags down on the bar.
“Umm, yeah. I think there’s a case of water in the trunk. Oh, and three bags in the backseat.”
“All right. We got it.” Scott walked out to the car with Leo in tow. Lilly noticed then that Leo’s patch on his back didn’t have as much on it as Scott’s. There was only one patch on his back, the bottom one, and it read “PROSPECTIVE” while Scott’s said Lucifer’s Hounds on the top and Baton Rouge on the bottom, along with a demonic-looking hound dog directly in the center, ears pinned back and teeth bared. Next to the hound was a small circular patch that read “MC,” and it was all proportionately purple and gold.
Mindy propped her feet up onto the barstool next to her. “I hate shopping.” She sighed in relief when she leaned back.
“You and me both. I’m glad you went and I didn’t have to.” Lilly grinned.
“Thanks, you bitch.”
“Anytime love. Anytime.”
“So, how are things going with you and the boss?” Mindy asked, raising her eyebrows.
Lilly laughed. “Things are going.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just find it amusing that I can now say that about my boss. But he wasn’t my boss when this started. I didn’t intentionally seek out my boss. Can you hear the bullshit from the regulars if they ever found out? I’d never live it down.”
“This is why they don’t find out. You know I’m not saying a word. And nobody else knows.”
“Scott does,” Lilly said.
“He doesn’t count as a regular though, so you’re good to go.”
Scott and Leo had finished putting everything away in the back and came up to the bar. Leo stood behind the bar and lifted his shirt to tie it up like those slutty country girls do.
“Can I get you ladies anything?” he asked in the highest pitched voice he could manage while swinging his hips and blinking his eyes quickly in their direction. Lilly and Mindy laughed and, at about that time, the front door opened and a woman walked in.
“Leo, what in the hell are you doing?” she asked.
Lilly looked at the woman more closely. “Carrie!” she exclaimed and jumped up to go hug her. She was the agent Lilly met with about her house.
“Hey honey!” Carrie said, hugging Lilly back.
“It’s good to see you.”
“What is my goofy man doing?” she asked, pointing at Leo.
“I didn’t know he belonged to you. Not that I cared who he belonged to. Okay, that all sounded bad,” Lilly said, giving her best apologetic smile. “I didn’t realize the ol’ lady that was mentioned was you.”
Carrie laughed at her. “Girl, you’re good. I know where my man’s heart is, and his heart is attached to his penis. He isn’t going anywhere, and I know I have nothing to worry about.”
Leo walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “She is absolutely right.” He turned her around to kiss her.
Carrie turned around, her smile mirroring Leo’s. They looked so good together and clearly made one another light up.
“So how do you know my girl?” Leo asked, looking at Lilly over Carrie’s shoulder.
“She’s the property manager of my house,” Lilly said.
“Really? This is the new tenant you were talking about?”
“Yes, baby.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“Small world.”
Carrie turned to look around the bar. “Oh my god. Cass did well with the place!”
Lilly beamed. She felt a sense of pride in that moment. “Yes ma’am, he did. He’s pretty great.”
“Somebody’s got the hots for the new owner,” Carrie noted.
“Of course she does. Where have you been?” Scott asked.
“Umm, at work. You know, that thing that normal people do on a daily basis?” she retorted.
“Hey, I know what that’s like. I’m working right now.”
“Yeah, looks like you’re doing so much work,” Leo said.
“Nobody asked for any lip out of you, Prospect.” Scott smiled.
Leo shook his head. “Always picking on the prospect.”
Lilly watched them. They sound like siblings.
Leo and Scott walked to the end of the bar, leaving Carrie with Lilly and Mindy. Lilly turned to them.
“Mindy, this is Carrie. She works for the company that bought my house. Carrie, this is my best friend and co-worker, Mindy.”
Mindy extended her hand to Carrie. “Nice to meet you.” She shook her hand.
“You too. I love my guys, but thank God there are women around here. Since the bar isn’t open, are y’all serving beer?”
Mindy giggled. “Yes ma’am, we are. What would you like, babe?” she asked as she got up and walked behind the bar.
“Hey! While you’re back there, can I get another beer and another double shot of Fireball?” Leo asked from across the bar.
“Sure thing.”
“I just want an Ultra, please.” Carrie sat down on the empty barstool next to Lilly. “I hear Cass is into one of the bartenders here. I bet I know which one.”
Mindy threw her hands up in protest. “Not me. Not this girl.” She pointed at Lilly. “Her. Ask her. She’ll tell you all about her mystery biker.”
Lilly laughed at her friend.
“Mystery biker?” Carrie looked at Lilly.
“Long story. He played Houdini for a while, and that’s what we referred to him as. He was mysterious. Sneaky,” Lilly told her.
Carrie gave her a quizzical look. “Cass? Mysterious?” She paused for a moment. “I guess I could see that.”
Lilly looked down at her phone. Nothing. She opened the message between her and Cass. “How’s Cali?” she typed.
She couldn’t help but let her mind wander to what he was doing. As bad as she hated to admit it, she missed him. He had a knack for keeping a smile on her face, and one appeared when she thought of their pie fight the night before.
“Lilly?” Carrie asked.
“What?” she said, coming back to reality.
“I was asking how you met Cass.”
“Oh,” Lilly said softly, her smile never leaving her lips. “Well, you see, what had happened was—”
Scott laughed. “A story like that is always a good one.”
“I met him in Houston when I went on a mini-vacation. We met at a pool hall and ended up spending a little bit of time together. Then he disappeared. Then one night, I got hammered here after closing about a week or two later, and I got woken up to him pretending to be a motorcycle in the lounge.”
“Pretending to be a motorcycle?” Leo asked.
“Yeah, you know, snoring.” Everyone burst out laughing.
“Obviously, you have never been around Scott when he sleeps,” Carrie said.
“Hey now,” Scott protested.
“You know it’s true. You can’t sleep within a mile of him without hearing him.” Carrie shook her head at Lilly while Scott just looked down.
“That bad, huh?” Lilly asked.
“I am not that bad.”
Lilly’s phone buzzed. Another message from Cass.
“It sucks. I never have anyone to travel with me. It’s no fun without someone to share it with.”
She quickly responded. “Wish I were there. I love to travel.”
“Anyway,” Lilly said and looked up from the phone, “he and I have had a thing going on since. Don’t ask me what, ’cause I’m not one hundred percent sure, but . . . it’s something.”
“Well.” Carrie took a sip of her beer.
“When’s Cass supposed to be back from California?” Leo directed his question at Scott.
Mindy piped up. “He’s supposed to be back by Wednesday night.”
Leo looked at her. “Oh. Okay.”
“How did today go? Did you get everything set up?” Mindy asked, turning her attention to Lilly.
“Yes ma’am. Everything is good to go. Now, all we have left are the finishing touches inside, then open the doors on Friday,” Lilly said.
“That’s awesome. I’m so excited!”
Lilly looked around at the people around her at the bar. Her phone buzzed. “I wish you were too, I could use good company.”
“One day, maybe,” Lilly responded.
Scott put his hand on Lilly’s shoulder, making her jump.
He snickered. “You stay jumpy, don’t you?”
“No, I just don’t like surprises.”
“What do you have planned this evening?”
“I’m not sure I have anything planned other than hanging out here. Why?”
“I was given indirect orders to make sure you are safe, so let’s take a drive,” he said. "I want Taco Bell."
“Safe from what?”
“Anything.”
Looking toward Leo and Carrie, he nodded at Leo. Leo nodded back. They seemed to have already discussed whatever it was that Scott had planned.
“All right. I’m in. But I have a condition,” she said. Scott raised an eyebrow.
“I drive,” she said. She crossed her arms and waited for any objection.
Scott nodded his head, barely concealing a smirk. “Done. Say goodbyes and get in the car.”
Stern and serious. Cass is keeping an eye on me vicariously. Lilly turned to Mindy. “I’ll see you bright and early in the morning. We have to get in here and start stocking when the beer and liquor come in, and we have to program the POS system, as well as a shit ton of other things.” She wrapped her arms around Mindy, pulling her in tight.
“You good?” she whispered in Lilly’s ear.
Lilly nodded into her shoulder. “Yes ma’am. See you then.”
Mindy kissed Lilly’s cheek.
Lilly went over to Leo and Carrie next. “Bye y’all!” She hugged them simultaneously.
“Bye love,” Carrie said.
Lilly walked to Scott. “Okay, all ready. Let’s roll.”
“After you.” He held the door open for her. Lilly walked out and got into the driver seat of Betty. This is gonna be great. Six-foot-two Scott is fixing to get into my little bitty ass car. Scott opened the passenger door and ducked down low to get in. Lilly couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” she said. “So where are we going?”
He slapped his hands on his knees, which were bent against the dashboard. “To get food. I’m starving. Just drive to Taco Bell, then we’ll go from there.”
“All right, all right. No need to get hostile.” She giggled.
“Not hostile.”
“Hey, Scott?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, ask away.”
“Am I just a pincushion for Cass?” she asked. For some reason, it just dawned on her that maybe he wasn’t serious about what he had said. Maybe she was just a pincushion.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I really don’t know. My brother and I haven’t talked much about it. He’s been so busy with this new bar and working his other job that I haven’t asked.”
“Well, why is he keeping a guard dog on me? No offense.” She rolled her eyes at her own words. “Not that I consider you a guard dog. I just feel like he’s making sure someone is always with me. So, I guess my question really is, is he having you watch me because he doesn’t want anything to happen to me or is he having you watch me because he wants to make sure I’m not out fucking other people?”
Scott chuckled at her question. “Lilly, you worry too much.”
They rode the rest of the way in silence, the only noise in the background being the radio playing an old country song so low that Lilly couldn’t make out what it was.
Lilly swung Betty around the drive-thru.
“What you want?” she asked.
“Umm. Get me a bean burrito and a Mexi-Melt. Oh, and a Dr Pepper,” he said without scanning the menu. Lilly ordered their food and pulled up. Scott handed her his debit card. Lilly laughed.
“Nope. I got it,” she said.
“No, really. Use my card.” He handed it to her again. Lilly ignored him and paid cash for their order, then pulled up. Scott grumbled in the passenger seat. Lilly couldn’t help but snicker at his pouting. He’s probably one of the biggest people I know and, to most people, he would come off as intimidating, or maybe even scary, and he’s sitting in my car right now, pouting.
“It’s not funny.” He folded his arms.
Lilly couldn’t contain her laughter anymore. “Yes, it is. It’s hilarious. You’re pouting.”
He was probably trying to be serious, but the curve of a smile ruined that. The cashier handed Lilly their food and Lilly drove around to the parking lot.
“Here you go.” Lilly handed Scott his food and drink as she pulled into a parking spot.
“Thank you.” His expression was soft.
I would hate for him to feel like a guard dog, like this is something he had to do against his own free will. I don’t want to be categorized as some child who needs protecting and everyone ends up hating me because they’re always stuck babysitting.
“Have you talked to my brother lately?” he asked.
Lilly shrugged her shoulders. “I haven’t checked my phone since we were at the bar.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. Four unread messages.
“One day.
“How’s the bar?
“Lilly where did you go?
“I guess I’ll text you in a little while.”
Lilly laughed and responded. “Sorry, Scott and I went for a Taco Bell run. It now seems I have a babysitter.” She smiled at her reference.
“What you smiling about over there?” Scott asked.
“I told him that I now have a babysitter.”
“I’m not your babysitter. I’m just making sure you’re safe. There’s a difference,” Scott said. Lilly nodded her head in understanding. “There are people around here that will fuck with you when they find out that you’re Cass’s girl.”
“But no one knows that I’m Cass’s girl. I mean, I haven’t even been in public with him around here, yet. There is literally nothing tying me to Cass other than the fact that I work for him.”
“I get that, but you never know. So, just in case, I’m here. I’d do anything for him, and right now, what he needs me to do is look out for the woman that he’s involved with. That’s what I’m doing.”
Lilly’s phone buzzed. Saved by the phone.
“Lol. You don’t have a babysitter. He’s just doing me a favor. I can’t be there to protect you, so he is taking my place.” Cass’s words made Lilly’s eyes light up. Lilly smiled looking down at her phone as another text from Cass came through. “I’m missing you today.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” she responded. This man will be the death of me, I swear it.
Scott crumpled up the wrapper of his burrito, pulling Lilly out of her thoughts. He looked over at her as if whatever she had to say was the only thing to be heard.
“What?” she asked, not able to contain the smile on her face.
Scott shook his head. “Nothing.”
Lilly reached over and lightly punched his arm. “Where to now, babysitter?”
“Let’s just go back to Creek’s. You need to practice your pool game, and I’m sure it’s pretty dead right now anyway.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She pulled out onto the highway. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“There’s so much, but I can’t cover it all with you. Just be on the lookout for any patches coming in, especially red and green.”
“What’s red and green? Or, more so, who? Do their patches look like y’all’s?”
“Red and green are the Moccasins, properly known as Moccasins MC. Their patches don’t exactly look like ours. Theirs has a two-headed moccasin in the center, with Moccasin MC as their top rocker and Louisiana as their bottom rocker.” Lilly let Scott’s words sink in. She wanted to be fully aware of what she needed to look for.
“Okay. Red and green. Moccasins MC. Got it. They’re the bad guys,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Well, they aren’t exactly the bad guys, as you put it. They just don’t like Lucifer’s Hounds much. We have a different lifestyle than they do and a different view for the future of not only our club but others as well. It’s Cass’s view, and they can’t stand him because of it. Which is why he wanted me to keep an eye on you. They think they own the area that the bar is in.”
Lilly’s head turned to the side questionably. “What do you mean different views?”
Scott let out an exasperated sigh. “They want to sell drugs and guns and women. We want to do away with that altogether, in all of the clubs around us. Cass got the Hounds away from it, and that started a movement among our brother clubs to follow suit. The Moccasins are one of the few left in this area that still take part in that shit.”
“Okay. Cass wants to modernize and civilize life in and around the clubs and these guys don’t. Why?”
“There’s good money in it. Money is power to them. There’s also good product in it. They’re the kind of people that use the drugs they get instead of selling the majority of it.”
“But it isn’t money power to y’all, too?”
“It is, but it isn’t. We have actual businesses that bring in revenue for us, legally, but we don’t have to have a high income to be powerful. We’re one of the oldest and largest clubs in the state. Another reason the Moccasins aren’t so happy that we’ve been showing up around their town lately.”
“In their mind, you’re trying to fuck up their livelihood.”
“Their livelihood and their high.”
Lilly turned into the long driveway of the bar. When they reached the parking lot, Lilly noticed that Mindy’s and Carrie’s cars, along with the two bikes, were still there. She said goodbye for nothing. “Damn, Carrie and Leo are still here?”
“Leo can’t leave without me.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s my prospect, and he can’t leave me, especially around here. Our guys don’t ride alone out this way because the Moccasins are always around this area.”
“Wait, why would Cass buy a bar out here if this is where your rivals hang out?”
“Good question,” Scott said.
Lilly pulled up next to Mindy’s car, and Scott got out to wait for Lilly. He always stood with such a presence anywhere he went. Almost soldier like. Always quiet, watching every move going on around him, and always ready and waiting for anything that came his way.
Lilly leaned down to put her shoes on. It was nearly impossible for her to drive with them on, and it had become such a habit to kick them off as soon as she got in the car that she didn’t even notice that she did it anymore. Stepping out of her car, she walked over next to Scott.
“Let’s go see how drunk everyone is.”
Walking in, Scott and Lilly found Carrie, Leo, and Mindy sitting at the end of the bar playing cards with a stack of quarters in front of them. Lilly walked up to the bar.
“Having fun?” she asked, looking at Mindy.
“Always,” Mindy said with a smile.
“Yeah she’s having fun. How could she not have fun with us?” Leo asked.
“Good point.” Lilly smiled.
Scott walked up to the pool table and set the quarters on the side. “Ready for that practice game?”
“Hell yeah. I’ll rack.” A huge smile spread across her face as she remembered the last time she shot pool with Cass. All she could see was Cass standing next to the table half-naked. She let the memory linger in her mind as she racked the balls and stepped away from the table.
Scott broke, and the cue ball flew off the table. Lilly retrieved it and took her shot on the four ball. She ran out five of the solids before she missed. Scott walked up and shot out six of the stripes and missed a straight-in shot.
“You did that on purpose.” Lilly glared at him, his smug look the only confirmation she needed. “Asshole.”
Lilly walked back to the table and shot without aiming. I hate it when they let me win. Scott was laughing so hard when he walked back up to the table that he couldn’t shoot and missed his ball altogether. Lilly walked back up and ran the rest of the balls out.
“See, you won.” Scott patted her on her shoulder.
“Don’t.” Lilly held up a finger, pointing it at him.
Scott’s phone started ringing, and he walked outside to answer it. Lilly walked to the bar where Leo, Carrie, and Mindy were still playing cards. Lilly had just enough time to sit down before Scott came in and tapped her on the shoulder.
“I’m about to head to the house.”
Lilly stood up to give him a hug.
“Bye. Be careful,” she said as he squeezed her tight and cracked her back. “Oh, that’s heavenly.”
“Oh, mine next!” Carrie yelled, hopping off her barstool. Scott popped her back next, and she moaned with each crack.
“Damn, she doesn’t even make those sounds for me,” Leo said, walking over next to them. Scott finished with Carrie and she melted, his arms the only thing keeping her from hitting the floor. “My turn, dammit,” Leo said, waiting for Carrie to move.
Carrie stepped back and turned to face Lilly. “Bye, Sunshine.” Carrie wrapped Lilly up in a hug.
“Bye, love!”
“We need to get together soon,” Carrie said.
“I agree, and outside of this place.”
“All right, Prospect. You ready?” Scott asked.
“I thought you’d never ask. Let’s go.”
Lilly hugged Leo and said her goodbyes, followed by Mindy hugging everyone. As Leo, Carrie, and Scott walked out, Lilly walked back to the bar.
“They seem like really cool people. Definitely nothing like the bikers I’ve heard horror stories about,” Mindy said, cleaning up around the bar.
“No, they aren’t at all what people say.” Lilly smiled at the thought. Oh shit. I never checked for a text from Cass.
Pulling out her phone, she saw that it was already nine thirty and she had three texts from him.
“Okay, good.
“I wish you were here.
“You’d love the view out here.”
Lilly quickly responded. “I’d love to be there but unfortunately the guy I work for left me here to take care of things while he’s out of town.”
Mindy was staring at Lilly when she looked up from her phone. “You talking to the boss?” she asked, intrigued.
“Maybe.” Lilly smiled.
“Tell him I said he needs to get back so you and I can have a night off. Well, he needs to get back and hire another bartender.”
“No shit. We have the grand opening in three days and it’s just the two of us.” Lilly’s phone vibrated again.
“I was starting to think I scared you off. Your boss sounds like a dick. Tell him you’re needed in California for two days.”
“What’s he got to say?” Mindy asked. “You’re smiling awful big.”
Lilly looked back at her from her phone. “Probably just a load of bullshit, but it sounds nice.”
She started typing again. “I’d tell him that, but there isn’t anyone to cover my shift.”
Mindy was wiping down the bar and emptying ashtrays while Lilly cleaned off the tables. It was a routine they were both used to and when they did it together, it was done in twenty minutes. Lilly sighed as she began lifting the barstools and putting them on top of the tables, starting by the stage and making her way back toward the bar. Mindy had everything done but her register when Lilly sat back down. Her phone chimed again.
“That can be arranged. Get on the next flight out.”
Lilly’s smile grew into a chuckle. “Mindy, I can’t tell if he’s being serious, but he just told me he will get the shifts covered and for me to get on the next flight to Cali.”
Mindy’s head jerked toward Lilly, stopping her in her tracks. “What? Why are you still sitting here?”
“Because I don’t know if he is serious.”
Mindy laughed. “Then find out!”
Lilly replied to Cass’s text. “Are you serious?”
He didn’t answer for several minutes. Lilly’s mood started to fall. Then, her phone started ringing.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” Cass said.
“Hi.”
“Yes ma’am, I’m serious. Scott has a plane ticket for you. He’s on his way to you now.”
“Really?” Lilly couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. After all, this was the kind of thing she lived for.
“Yes ma’am. Don’t worry about packing anything. I’ve got you taken care of.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I will see you in a few hours.”
“I can’t wait. Have a safe trip, beautiful.”
Lilly heard a car door outside, followed by Scott walking through the door.
“Damn, that was fast,” Lilly said, hugging Scott.
“I have a delivery for you.” He handed Lilly an envelope that held a plane ticket and three hundred dollars in cash along with a black cloth bag.
“Thank you so much. Is it you that’s covering the shifts at the bar, too?” Lilly couldn’t help the amusement in her voice at the thought of Scott behind the bar, dealing with drunks.
“Oh no. Ryan, one of the club guys’ wife, is coming in tomorrow to train with Mindy.”
Mindy piped up. “I guess I’ll be here in the morning then.”
“Ryan will have another girl coming in with her to train so we can give Mindy some time off as well,” Scott said.
Mindy ran around the bar, jumping into Scott’s arms and catching him slightly off guard. He stumbled back at the unexpected impact. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she yelled, squeezing him in a long, drawn-out hug.
Scott patted her back and set her down. “Thank Cass. He had it arranged. I’m just the messenger today.”
Mindy’s smile was radiant, and even though the exhaustion was written all over her face, the news of her getting to take a break made her light up like a Christmas tree. One of the many things Lilly loved about her best friend was her ability to shine anywhere she went.
“All right, Lilly Amber. Get the fuck out of here. There’s a sexy biker waiting for you, and he’s only a plane ride away. That, and I’m ready to close this fucking place down and go to bed. So, go!” Mindy hugged Lilly and ushered her to the door.
“Wait! Look in the bag and change into that before you leave. Boss’s orders,” Scott said, stopping the two girls at the door.
Lilly opened the bag to find a navy blue halter dress that fell just above her knees, a pair of black converse, and a tube of her favorite shade of red lipstick. Lilly smiled as she changed quickly into the dress and put on the lipstick. He’s good. I should give him that. The sizes are perfect, and he got the right shade. Then she thought for a moment. I wonder which woman he had do his dirty work. Walking back out front, she hugged Scott and Mindy one more time before rushing out the door. I can’t believe I’m getting on a plane to go to California to meet up with this man. What am I doing?