by Erika Blount
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Hounds Ascend
Erika Blount
Copyright © 2018 Erika Blount
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any way, shape, or form or by any means whether it be electronic or mechanical, including email, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, events and/or incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, both living and dead, is coincidental.
Editing by Darlene
Cover Images: Adobe Stock
Cover design & formatting: Decadent Designs by Dee
Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Dedication
For My Charlie Boy, because one-days do happen.
I love you and happy birthday, my love.
Lilly
Two weeks ago, Lilly Summers’ life changed. Whether it was for the better or not was still in question. She had been kidnapped, beaten, then finally returned to the man she loved, Cass, Lucifer’s Hounds Baton Rouge Chapter President.
Her job at Creek’s Sportsbar, the bar he had just bought, was put on hold while the club tried to figure out what precautionary measures to take to keep her safe. For the past two weeks, she had been staying at the clubhouse, forbidden to leave the premises alone. Which was really starting to irk her nerves.
“I’m not a fragile fucking child!” Lilly screamed her frustrations into her cell phone to a listening Mindy.
“Lilly, I’m sure he knows that, but he’s just making sure you’re safe. I can’t say I blame him after the shit those guys pulled.”
She sighed in frustration. “You aren’t supposed to agree with him!”
“I agree with whatever keeps my best friend alive and in one piece. So, therefore, I agree with him.”
“Ugh!”
“Gotta go, people walking in. Love you, bye!” Mindy said before the line went dead.
Lilly tossed her phone on the double-bed in what was now her room at the clubhouse. She had made it hers, too. The closet that was next to the adjoined bathroom was full of her clothes and the bathroom had everything from her house in it. She had a desk in the corner of the room where she kept her laptop and camera.
The rooms in the clubhouse weren’t your typical rooms. They were nearly identical to suites in a hotel. Large, spacious, and set up almost the same way. Someone took their time designing these rooms for sure. Who would’ve thought bikers could be so classy?
Lilly had tried to tell him that it wasn’t permanent, but he insisted she have everything she might need. Since she didn’t feel like arguing, she had decided to go to her house to get her things, but not without Linc right behind her. Linc was one of the newest Prospects, trying to earn his patch. When Cass said he needed someone to supervise Lilly, Linc was all over it. He was a determined little shit.
Lilly decided it was never too early to drink so she headed downstairs. As usual, Linc was behind the bar and a couple of Hounds sat on barstools. She was getting to know a few of the guys. Old School was one of her favorites. He sat next to Snapper at the bar and they were laughing when Lilly walked up.
“Hey gorgeous.” Snapper’s scratchy, rough voice made her smile. The guys had welcomed her with open arms.
“Hey darlin’,” she smiled as she took a seat next to him.
“Prospect, get our girl a drink,” Old School ordered. His soft voice was not what you would expect from a man who looked like he’d lived this lifestyle since the day he was born. Although he had a rough exterior, he was kind and soft-hearted. But, Lilly knew that was not all he was made up of. He would no doubt kill anyone without flinching for fucking with his brothers. All the Hounds seemed to have that trait, though she wasn’t sure how she felt about it yet.
Linc set a double Crown and Sprite in front of Lilly before sitting down behind the bar. Lilly thanked him before taking a big sip. The Crown didn’t burn anymore, it was now a welcoming feeling. Most of her days were spent on the phone with her mom and Mindy. Her mom was anxious to meet Cass, but she and David were still on a job in Ohio.
She knew she wasn’t a prisoner, and she didn’t feel like it. But sometimes it would be nice for a long, relaxing drive. Alone. Without supervision. Cass had been so busy lately that he would come in dirty and tired, shower, then go to sleep and do it again the next day. She knew he was busy with club shit, but damn. She was starting to get lonely.
“I hear we have a national run coming up.” Snapper’s voice caught Lilly’s attention.
“Yeah, Prez said it’s in Oklahoma this year,” Old School said.
“They said the chapter up there has a nice spot for the party.”
“Fuckin’ right they do. I went in ’03. One of the best parties I’ve ever been to.”
“And we all know you’ve been to a lot of parties in your long life.”
Lilly couldn’t hold her laughter back, gaining the attention of the two men.
“What’s so funny?” Old School asked, his tone playful and energetic.
“Snapper just called you old. You gonna take that abuse?” she asked, stirring the pot.
Snapper’s expression changed and the look he gave her could’ve frozen water on the spot. He held his façade for only a few seconds before he burst out laughing.
The front door of the clubhouse opened and they all turned their heads toward it. Cass came walking in with Scott and Gater in tow. They were cutting up and laughing. To her surprise, they didn’t seem nearly as exhausted as they usually were when they got in. Lilly looked at the clock on the wall behind the bar. It was only five-thirty. Of course, they didn’t look exhausted, this was the earliest they’d been back to the clubhouse since the night she got here.
She turned back around at the bar and took a sip of her drink. She could hear footsteps behind her and out of nowhere her barstool was tipped backwards, nearly hitting the floor, and Cass’s lips were on hers. His tongue infiltrated her mouth, dancing with hers. His kiss was like lightning, wild and electric.
He sat her barstool upright and pulled away. It took her a second to catch her breath and she couldn’t wipe that silly grin only he could cause off her face.
“Come here often?” he asked.
“Yeah, kinda.” Lilly’s words were breathy and quiet.
“Damn, brother. That’s the best pick-up line I’ve seen in a long time,” Scott said.
Cass shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “Well, ya know.”
He sat down next to Lilly at the bar and downed half of what was left of her drink.
“Hey!”
“What? I was thirsty.” He smiled a wide, happy smile.
Lilly narrowed her eyes at him. “Uh-huh. I see that.”
Cass slid
her drink back in front of her. She had missed him since he had been gone so much and just seeing him sitting next to her was comforting, but she was dying to be alone with him.
“Is it wrong that I want to forcefully drag you to the bedroom right now?” she whispered.
He raised his eyebrows at her and his entire face lit up. “Nope. It isn’t wrong at all, but church is about to start.”
Lilly sighed. Of course, that’s why he was here so early today. It was Saturday and they had church, or their meeting, every single Saturday evening. She had learned a lot about the club in the two weeks she had truly been around. Everything prior to these last two weeks were simply minor details in the whole aspect of it all.
Now she got to see it from the inside, so to speak. She wasn’t allowed in their meetings, no one was, and Cass didn’t tell her much about what was going on. Although she was dying to know what they were going to do to take care of the Moccasins, Cass hadn’t been home long enough for her to ask.
Lilly was tired of being cooped up, so she ran upstairs to retrieve her phone to text Mindy.
“Drinks after work? I need to get out of here for at least an hour or two.”
“Done. I have lots to fill you in on, anyway.”
Lilly smiled as she set her phone down on the bar. By the time she had come back downstairs, Cass was already in church. She looked at Linc, who was still behind the bar.
“I’m going to meet Mindy at the bar,” Lilly said.
“Fuck. When?” he asked.
“I’m leaving in about five minutes.” Lilly smirked.
“Lilly, I don’t know if Prez is gonna like this shit.”
“Oh well. He’s in church and church is never to be interrupted. So, what you gonna do?” she asked as she walked slowly backward toward the front door of the clubhouse, twirling her keys in her hand.
“Fuck.”
Linc set his cut down behind the bar and followed Lilly out the door.
“If you’re planning on drinking, I’ll drive my truck, or if you’d rather I drive your car…?”
“Your truck it is.”
Lilly climbed into Linc’s blacked-out Chevy. It was navy blue with a lift kit and looked brand new on the inside. However, alternative rock blasted through the speakers when he cranked the truck.
“I expected hokey country to be your choice of music.”
“Not quite. I like old country, but I’m not a fan of new country,” Linc said as he backed out of the driveway.
“You know how to get to Creek’s?” she asked.
“Well yeah. What kind of Prospect would I be if I didn’t?”
“Alright. Alright.” Lilly threw her hands up in surrender. He really was a good prospect. He was always at the clubhouse and that made Lilly wonder if he had a family. She hadn’t gotten to talk to him much about his personal life. Hell, she hadn’t talked to any of them about their personal life much.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty-two.”
“That’s it?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. That’s it. Why?”
“I was just wondering. You don’t have a family or anything?”
“I do. I have parents and siblings, but we aren’t from here and they live a thousand miles away. So, it’s just me.”
“Oh. So that’s why you spend all your time at the clubhouse.”
“Yeah. I don’t have anything else to do, so why not prove my loyalty to the club with all this free time I got?”
“Good point. Okay.”
Creek’s wasn’t far up the road and they were in the parking lot before she knew it. Mindy’s car was parked out front along with a few bikes and other cars and trucks. There wasn’t anything special going on tonight, but the place seemed to have a good crowd.
Lilly hopped down out of the truck and headed to the door without waiting for Linc. She could hear the jukebox playing before she even opened the door. The music was loud, a cloud of smoke filled the bar, and people were everywhere. She scanned the crowd and found Mindy sitting at the bar in the corner with an empty seat next to her. Perfect.
“Hey love!” Mindy squealed and pulled her into her arms. Her hug was one that said, “I miss you” and it made Lilly feel good. It was good to be missed.
“Hey babe!” Lilly sat down next to her best friend.
She heard the door open behind her and instinctively looked to see who it was. It was Linc. He looked over at the two women, nodded, then walked to the other side of the bar. Turning her focus back to Mindy, Lilly saw the look in her eyes as she watched Linc.
“I ordered you a drink. Double Crown and Sprite.”
Lilly grinned at her. “You’re the best. Okay, so tell me all about everything that I’ve been missing out on!” she demanded.
“Well, the bar is doing great. He’s definitely making a profit off the place, which is good because I wasn’t sure we could turn this place around from what it had been turned into before.”
“Kevin ran it into the ground pretty good.”
“Oh, yeah. Completely. But now that Cass is running it, things are starting to pick up and take off. You know, there have been a lot of bikers coming in, and they are the most respectful and down to earth people I’ve ever been around. It almost makes me wonder how they got stuck with such a bad reputation.”
Lilly thought of the night at the clubhouse when the Moccasins returned her and what Cass had done to them right in front of her. The only emotion he showed was sympathy for her. He didn’t even flinch when he pulled the trigger or when their lifeless bodies crumbled to the ground. That’s where they got their reputation.
“Almost, huh?” Lilly asked.
“Yep. Almost. I know that there’s probably a lot that the public doesn’t see. Some of it good, some of it bad. But I’m just gonna choose to be blind to it and pretend they’re the nicest people I’ve ever met, because they are when they’re in here.”
“I’ve only been around the guys at the clubhouse. I kind of haven’t been able to go out by myself.”
Mindy laughed. “I noticed. Speaking of…” she trailed off as her head turned in Linc’s direction. He was sitting on the other end of the L-shaped bar.
“I don’t know a whole lot about him. I know he isn’t from here and doesn’t have anyone family-wise. But as far as a girlfriend, well, you’ll have to find that out for yourself.”
Lilly knew what her words would do. Sure enough, Mindy looked at her inquisitively for only a second before she got up and walked across the bar to where Linc sat. Linc pulled a chair out and Mindy sat down. They were smiling and talking and from what Lilly could see, it looked like they were hitting it off.
She lit a cigarette and sipped her drink. For the first time since she got there, she looked at the girl behind the bar. Lucy, Shorty’s wife, was working and she was handling the crowd well for being a new bartender. Lilly watched as Lucy scanned the bar tentatively, making sure all the customers were taken care of. That was a quality that was few and far between in bartenders, which made Lilly glad to have her as a part of their staff.
Lucy approached the side of the bar where Lilly sat.
“Your face looks better!” she said. Lilly had been watching her bruises fade for the past two weeks. They were still there, but damn did they look a hell of a lot better.
Lilly smiled at her. “Thanks love!”
“You good on your drink or do you need one?” she asked.
“I think I need another one and a blueberry bomb.”
“You got it.” Lucy walked off to fix Lilly’s drinks while Lilly looked over at Mindy and Linc. Linc’s usual stone-faced demeanor was gone, replaced with softness and a smile. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, though, because this was the first time she’d really been out and around Mindy and she bolted on her.
Over the sounds of the music, Lilly heard motorcycles pulling up. More than one, but she wasn’t sure how many. She looked over at Linc. He met her stare with his own but th
ere was no worry on his face. That meant it was Hounds pulling up. Which meant Cass was pulling up. Great.
The front door opened, and Cass walked in with Snapper, Scott, and Old School right behind him. He scanned the room until he spotted Lilly in the corner only a few feet from him. He smiled and walked over to her.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” she said as Lucy sat another drink and shot down on the bar.
“I’ll have the same thing,” he called to Lucy before sitting down in the chair that Mindy had abandoned.
“I might not look it, but I’m pissed.” Cass smiled as he said the words through his teeth.
“I don’t know why. It isn’t like I just ran off. I brought the new babysitter with me and everything.”
“I expected you to be at the bar when I was done with church.”
“And I expected you to be around more often than to just sleep and then leave again the next morning,” she retorted.
Cass’s nostrils flared. “Do you even have any fucking idea what I’m doing?” His voice was loud, but controlled. He wasn’t loud enough for everyone else to hear, but it was loud in Lilly’s ear.
“No. I don’t have any fucking idea what you’re doing because you’re never around to fucking say anything!” Lilly had a buzz already and that liquid courage was giving her balls. Balls that she wasn’t sure she could back up, but balls nonetheless.
His frustration was evident on his face. Eyebrows drawn together. Mouth in a taut line. Lilly had pushed his buttons and he was fighting to keep his temper under control. She could see it.
Lucy set down Cass’s drink and shot on the bar and walked away. Cass threw back the shot and downed the double Crown and Sprite that sat in front of him in two gulps.
“Say your goodbyes and meet me outside.” Cass’s demand was non-negotiable as he stood up and walked out the door. Scott followed behind him. She hadn’t even seen him since he walked in until now.