Page 15 of Lucifer's Hounds

Mindy smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Mondays suck everywhere.”

I hug Mindy’s neck, and we go our separate ways. The only thing I own in this life, right now, is my car. I guess that’s why I take so much pride in it. Betty is my baby and she’s all that I have.

The drive home is short since I only live ten minutes from the bar and by the time I put my head on the pillow, it feels like my brain is going to explode from the headache that kicks in. I take two over-the-counter meds and am asleep before I have time to think.

I sleep hard, exhausted from the trip and the hangover. When I wake the next morning, the first thought I have is Cass. I curse under my breath. I have to get him out of my head.

He’s nothing special. Let it go.

I grab my phone and shoot Mindy a text.

Lilly: Meet me at Astaire’s Seafood. I’m starving and need good company.

I take a quick shower to wash off the sweat from my deep slumber and leave to meet Mindy for lunch. It’s noon when I pull into the parking lot of Astaire’s and Mindy’s car is waiting for me in the parking lot.

"Good morning, sunshine," Mindy says sarcastically when I sit down across the table from her.

"Good morning." I rub my face, thinking I can somehow rub the exhaustion away.

Mindy insists on buying and is always trying to take care of me. She’s twenty-eight, four years older than I am, and she always says that the reason I am such a drifter is because the adult in me hasn’t kicked in yet. I beg to differ, but Mindy won’t hear it.

“You work tonight, huh?” Mindy asks.

"Yes, unfortunately," I groan.

"Hey, none of that. You need the money and even if it isn't much, it's something."

"Yeah, I guess you're right.”

We eat the rest of our meal in a comfortable silence. After we finish eating, Mindy stares at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired.”

"No, bullshit. You can tell anyone else that bogus excuse, but I know you. That is not, in fact, what is wrong with you, Lilly Amber. Now if you don't want to tell me, then fine. But I know you're lying."

"I just can't get mystery biker out of my head," I confess, knowing if I don’t tell her what she wants to know, it’ll just irritate me longer the more she pries.

"Lilly, you've had one night stands before. With men that were sexy as fuck and none of them ever got to you. What's so special about this one?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that he stood me up. Maybe I really liked the person he was, or at least the person I thought he was. That could be it. I hate surprises, so maybe it’s because he threw a curve ball when I wasn’t expecting it. Anyway. I'm going home and getting ready for work." I rise from the table, setting my napkin over my plate.

"Lilly, don't shut down on me. When you close tonight, which I'm sure will be around nine or ten, go home, get fixed up and let's go out. We're getting you drunk and finding someone to occupy your mind."

"How about we just play it by ear? I'm in to drink, but I don't know about this whole ‘finding someone to occupy my mind’.”

After leaving Mindy at Astaire’s, I spend a few hours at home, unpacking from my trip and getting ready for work. I make it in a few minutes early. When I walk inside, Kevin is sitting at the bar.

“To what do we owe the pleasure, Kevin?” I ask, pulling up the chair next to him.

"I'm calling a meeting tomorrow morning. I need all you girls here. I have some news, and I'd like to share it with the three of you at the same time."

"Okay. What time?" I ask, concerned for whatever this news is. My stomach is in knots. I hope he isn’t closing the place down. The thought alone makes me want to vomit.

"Well, we open at eleven, so let's say nine-thirty,"

"All right. Sounds good."

"I'll call Mindy and let her know and I already told Carly,” he says, pointing at the girl behind the bar.

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