Page 1 of Lucifer's Hounds

Chapter One

Itap my foot anxiously as I watch the clock move slowly toward six. Mindy, my relief and best friend, is usually early. Like clockwork, Mindy walks in fifteen minutes early, her light brown curls bouncing down the middle of her back with each stride as she walks through the bar confidently.

She disappears into the back but not before pressing a quick kiss to my cheek in passing. I shout out ‘last call’ before shift change to the two customers sitting at the bar. They’re older, a man and a woman, and they reek. Sitting at the end of the bar, directly in front of the window unit, the smell of body odor has been blowing into me since they arrived.

The first few times they came into the bar, I found myself nonchalantly attempting to sniff my own armpits, thinking maybe I forgot deodorant that morning. After the second time it happened, I realized it was them and not me. John and Melinda, a couple who’ve been married twenty years, give or take a few. They’re what Mindy and I call ‘semi-regulars’ because they only come in some of the time. It’s usually random or sporadic and sometimes they’re gone for weeks between visits.

“Lilly! Shifts over. Clock out and go home, woman,” Mindy yells from down the bar.

“I’m finishing paperwork now. Don’t fuss me. Besides, I’m leaving town when I get out of here,” I say, sticking my tongue out at her.

Mindy raises her brows. "Is that so? Where to this time, my little drifter?"

I can’t help but laugh. "Why must I be a drifter? Why can't I just be spontaneous?"

"Because you're a drifter, Lilly."

My eyes meet hers and there’s a look of understanding there. She knows me better than nearly anyone else.

"I'm going to Houston for a few days. I need a break from this place."

"Houston sounds wonderful. Let me know when you get there."

"Of course, ma'am."

I close the day-shift binder and put it in the safe along with my bank bag. Creek’s Sports Bar is a tiny bar room in the small town of Port Vincent, Louisiana, on a side road, just off the main highway. Although it’s a hole-in-the-wall, I love it here. I get a moderate amount of time off and my gypsy soul needs that.

I kiss Mindy’s cheek before heading to the car. My three days off will be spent in Houston with a camera by day and a drink in my hand by sundown. I’ve been a random road trip kind of girl, and I don’t think that’ll ever change. There’s something about the complete and utter freedom of a long drive and music, tuning out everything else in the world.

I whip into the driveway of my small, but cozy home. Making a beeline for my closet, I toss a week’s worth of clothes into my duffel bag and zip it up. It lands with a thud on my passenger seat, and I’m west bound and down. I think I’m more excited for the drive than the actual trip itself. It’s only five hours frommy hometown and I’ve been looking forward to this trip for two weeks now.

Sammy KershawPandora blasts through my speakers as I drive down Interstate Ten. The Atchafalaya Basin bridge feels endless and just when I feel like I’ll never reach the end of it, I do. With the sun setting in the distance, I’m entranced how the sunlight makes colors of purple and orange across the horizon. The water beneath the bridge is calm, like a perfect sheet of glass with the sun beating down on it. Moss hangs from the trees and a flock of birds fly overhead, catching my eye. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be a bird. To fly wherever, whenever, but the more I realize the technicalities of it, I realize it’s not for me. Heights are not particularly my strong suit.

I drive the rest of the way without paying much attention to anything. Listening to the music play and letting my mind run wild with ideas of what I want to do while I’m away. It’s midnight by the time I check into my hotel.

"Reservation for Lilly Summers,” I say to the clerk, setting my license on the counter.

"Here you are, Miss Summers. You're in room 6212. Building 6 is around the back." The clerk smiles at me as she hands over the key.

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your stay with us at The Hampton Inn."

I return her kind smile and walk back to my car. This week, I will make it a point to do absolutely nothing for anyone else and absolutely everything for me. It’s been so long since I’ve had my camera in my hand, and I amdyingto take pictures at the Project Row Houses.

The first thing I do inside my room is close the curtain and turn on the air conditioner. I lay all my things out on the second bed since all they had available was a double bed suite. I open my phone and look for local pool halls. Something is bound to begoing on in the night life around here and I need a drink and a game of pool in my life.

Shit. I forgot to text Mindy. I open my texts and send out a one-word message.

Lilly: Drifted

I scroll until I find a bar that catches my attention. A pool hall that looks perfect and is open for another two hours. I race back down the stairs to my car. Cranking Betty, I type in the address to Skeeter’s Billiards. It’s in a shopping center not far from the hotel and thankfully, it doesn’t look very busy when I turn into the parking lot and park near the streetlight.

Walking inside, I’m greeted by a curvy redhead behind the bar with average tits pushed up so hard, they look twice as big as they actually are. Her nametag says ‘Lacey’ and she’s wearing a green crop top with a pair of black shorts. Her hair is shoulder length and definitely naturally red.

"What can I getcha, babe?" Lacey asks.

"I'll take a Double-Crown and Sprite, please."

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