Page 25 of Lucifer's Hounds

“You’re joking. What did he say?”

“Initially he carried my drunk ass from the bathroom floor to the couch. Then when I woke up, I found him sleeping in thechair next to me. Evidently, although his name is Caine, when he introduces himself to people outside of business, he uses the name Cass.”

“Lilly, you’re losing me. What?” Mindy’s blank stare tells me she hasn’t got it yet.

“Cass would be the mystery biker I met in Houston.” I point out, waiting for her reaction.

I watch as the light bulb goes off in Mindy’s head and her jaw drops.

“Wait. Mystery biker is now our boss? No fucking way! How is that even possible?” she asks.

“I don’t know. But the son of a bitch disappeared again! I woke up and he was gone again. I don’t get it! He’s a sweetheart and he’s amazing to me, then he pulls a Houdini and disappears into thin fucking air again. Why? I don’t understand.” I’m pacing the room now as my mind runs wild, but the more I walk, the more my head thumps so I stop and sit down on the couch.

“So, I guess I was wrong when I said that the owner would make you forget about mystery biker, seeing as the new owner is mystery biker,” Mindy starts laughing.

“It is not funny!”

“Yeah, it is. Lilly, this is hilarious. It’s crazy, and no one would ever believe it.”

“Ugh. Fine!”

I storm off and head into the bathroom, turning on the shower. I need to get my head together. I’m confused and angry. How could he disappear like that all the time and with no regard for anyone else or their feelings? If he isn’t interested, then why stay until I wake up? He could’ve easily avoided me for much longer if that were the case, maybe even forever. Who knows. What the fuck is he trying to do? Is this something he’s into, some kind of mind game? I don’t understand it. My feelings are hurt, and I don’t know how else to deal with Cass’s odd behavior,so laughter it is. I shake my head under the water and laugh, letting some of the tension in my body out.

Soon, laughter turns to crying, and I realize how angry I truly am. Struggling to shake it off, I turn off the water and shiver as I step out into the cold room. I dry off as quickly as possible and get dressed, feeling better now that I’m clean.

Something about a hot shower after a drunken night makes everything okay. Even if Cass is a disappearing asshole, and even though he’s my new boss, everything is okay in this moment. A knock on the door startles me.

“Lilly, hurry up. You’re going to miss breakfast if you take forever trying to cover up the zombie you resemble,” Mindy yells through the door.

“Can’t I have a moment of peace?” I yell, laughing.

“No. This is what friends are for.”

I hear Mindy’s footsteps fade as she walks away. I pull on some clothes from my duffle and apply some light makeup to ‘cover up the zombie I resemble’. The smell of coffee, paint, fresh cut wood, and sweet breakfast pastries hit me all at once as I emerge from the back of the bar. The smell is nauseating and there are twenty-five men in the bar, all of them staring at me.

“What?” I ask, looking at Scott.

“You look like you need a hug,” he says with his arms open.

“I don’t know about all that. I need something, all right, but I’m not sure it’s a hug. A sit down with my car doesn’t sound half bad right about now,” I say.

On second thought, I walk over to him and jump a little to put my arms on the back of his neck.

“I figured you’d change your mind,” he says as he lifts me off my feet and squeezes me. My back cracks from the bottom of my spine up to my neck.

“Holy shit. That felt good,” I say as he sets me back on the ground.

He gives me a smug smile. “You’re welcome.”

Mindy walks up next to me and Scott takes that as his cue to walk away.

“Well, he’s a big, burly guy, and he doesn’t seem like the Houdini type,” Mindy says.

“Fuck you, Mindy,” I smile at her through my hangover.

“I’m leaving. My head is pounding, it smells like death in here, and everyone seems to think it’s just the thing to do to pick on Lilly today. So, with that being said, fuck y’all. I’m out,” I flip Mindy the bird and walk away.

I walk to the door and as I go to storm through it, I slam directly into it. The whole bar goes quiet and everyone erupts in laughter.

---