Page 71 of Lucifer's Hounds

“I definitely like bartending a hell of a lot better than my last profession. I made damn good money, too.”

“Bartending is good for quick cash, but don’t get me wrong, you work your ass off for every penny you make. You earn it.”

“I noticed. My legs are killing me.” Ryan rubs her thighs.

“Yeah, you’ll get used to it though. So, which one of the guys is yours?” Curiosity gets the best of me, and I have to ask.

Ryan smiles. “The one with the longest beard that always has a cigar in his mouth.”

“The one that works at the machine shop?” I ask, remembering when I barged in looking for Cass. He’s the guy that was working and got the brunt of my frustration.

“Yes ma’am. That’d be my pain in the ass, Gater.”

“I met him at the machine shop a few weeks ago,” I admit.

“I know. I heard about the little firecracker that came through the door like a mad woman looking for Cass. It’s nice to finally meet you, officially.”

I smile shyly. “It’s nice to meet you too, and it’s nice to have you as part of our team.”

Lucy enters the doorway and sits down next to me at the table.

“My feet are so sore.”

“You get used to it…. eventually.”

“I didn’t think the people would ever stop coming in,” Lucy says.

“They have to stop at some point. Ya’ll ready to shut it down?” I ask.

“I was ready four hours ago,” Ryan gets up and leads the way into the bar.

I duck as I walk through the doorway, coming eye level with a case of beer resting on Leo’s shoulder.

“I grabbed one too many cases.”

“I see that. Trying to kill me already. I’m telling Carrie on you,” I tease.

“Go ahead!” he hollers over his shoulder.

The bar is empty; only the club guys and four stragglers are left to help the band pack up. Mindy is emptying ashtrays and putting bar mats in the sink to soak when I spot her. While everyone else is busy, I start cleaning off the bar, throwing away empty beer bottles and Styrofoam cups then spraying the bar and wiping it down.

Ryan is cleaning up the area around the cash bar and Shorty’s picking up barstools so we can sweep and mop. Everyone is pitching in and doing their part. Lucy and Mindy have the bar itself clean in no time.

Ryan, who finished cleaning the cash bar, appears with her tip bucket in one arm and an exhausted look on her face.

“Let’s see how we did,” Mindy says, grabbing her own tip bucket and motioning for Lucy and myself to do the same.

We follow Mindy to the lounge and sit down in the middle of the floor. I lean against the couch and relax for a moment before I count tips with the girls and exchange the low bills for larger ones.

“Holy shit!” Ryan exclaims after counting her money. “I made five hundred and eighty dollars in tips alone!”

“And I get seven dollars an hour for eight hours? You’re fucking kidding!” Ryan’s excitement is contagious.

Mindy’s smile mirrors mine as she speaks. “Yep. This is why we do what we do. Sometimes it sucks so badly, but the money is fire.”

“Welcome to the world of bartending.” I smirk.

Chapter Eleven

---