by Erika Blount
Cass annihilated the two chicken legs he got and stood next to her while she finished her belly bomb. The guys all came out of the store laughing and Lilly watched as they talked and ate. After they were through, it was time to get on the road.
Lilly didn’t know it until then that her favorite part of riding was getting on the interstate, or taking off in general. On the on-ramp, Cass slammed the throttle and the gravity of it made Lilly’s stomach somersault, but not in an I’m-gonna-puke kinda somersault, more of a holy-shit-this-is-amazing kinda somersault.
The interstate wasn’t crowded, and that was odd for a Sunday morning. Lilly figured most people would be going to church, or at least getting ready to. The ride through Louisiana was peaceful and quiet aside from the roar of the engines. Lilly watched as Cass rode, he paid attention to everything. It was like his head was on a swivel and it had to turn every two point eight seconds. He was constantly looking at what was going on around him on both sides of the interstate, although nothing was going on.
Scott didn’t look around everywhere. He looked like a man driving a nice, comfortable Cadillac. He was leaned back slightly with his feet on the foot pegs, wind blowing back his beard and eyes dead ahead.
Lilly wondered what he might be thinking. He had to have thoughts. Cass’s head turned again, catching her attention. She had to quit looking every time his head turned because there wasn’t anything that he was looking at other than everything. She was fully convinced that if a squirrel moved in a tree that they were passing, he’d see it.
They rode on the interstate until they reached the Slidell exit. Cass and Scott led the guys to a gas station right off the interstate where eight or ten bikes were parked at. She knew by the patches on the front of the men’s cuts who they were. Hounds.
Lilly recognized Shorty and Leo, with Lucy and Carrie riding bitch, and a few of the other men looked familiar but she didn’t know who they were, and they all had a lady riding with them. She looked over the faces of men, and one in particular caught her attention. Linc was there, but that wasn’t the face that had stopped her looking. Mindy was riding on the back of Linc’s bike.
She didn’t have time to go ask Mindy what she was doing here before they were taking off again. Evidently, they only stopped to grab the guys and the one woman that got out of a car and onto Scott’s bike. Must be one of his pincushions.
She was the only woman Lilly got a good look at since Scott was side by side with them while they rode. She was slim, not too much make-up caked on her face, and she wasn’t dressed like a slut.
Lilly looked in the mirror of Cass’s bike and could see glimpses of Carrie and Lucy, both leaned back and enjoying the ride. Old School’s beard had split in half from the wind and was nearly touching his ears. Lilly laughed at the sight, it wasn’t often you saw a beard split in half.
The day was pretty, sun shining and warm. Lilly noticed that Cass and Scott weren’t riding as fast as they normally would, and Lilly assumed it was because he was leading a pack of bikes. The sound of engines rumbling was comforting and made Lilly feel at home as they rode down the interstate.
Once they crossed the Mississippi state line, Lilly leaned up to Cass’s ear.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Benefit in Gulfport for another MC,” he yelled back.
Cass said Gulfport but what Lilly heard was beach. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been to the beach and now she was starting to get excited. She was also excited to be around another club, especially one that wasn’t part of the problem at home.
She sighed in relief and rested her head on Cass’s shoulder for the remainder of the ride, soaking up the sun and Cass’s presence. Cass and Scott led them off the first Gulfport exit, and they rode through town until they got to Beach Boulevard. After a left on Beach Boulevard, Lilly knew where they were going. There was a huge park on the right-hand side of the road and the parking lot was full of bikes. It was a sight to see, so many different bikes and clubs.
There must have been a thousand bikes out there. Cass and Scott managed to find an open area big enough for everyone to park. Lilly stepped off the bike, stretching her legs and hoping her ass woke up from sitting so damn long.
Thin, feminine arms wrapped around Lilly’s waist and a chin rested on her shoulder. She turned her head to find Mindy looking back at her with a grin on her face.
“Things worked out okay between you two last night, I see.”
Mindy’s grin turned into a full-on smile. “I like him so far, so let’s see where this goes. Besides, how could I turn down a road trip on a motorcycle with my best friend?”
Lilly turned around and hugged her. “You couldn’t, which is why you’re here.”
“Hey ladies, come on.” Cass beckoned her to walk with the rest of the guys that she didn’t notice had already started walking toward the large crowd of people and away from the beach that was so close on the other side of the parking lot.
There were people everywhere and the music coming from the stage was loud but sounded phenomenal. It was a cover-band, that she knew for sure, because they were singing a country song, but their sound was spot on. She walked faster to catch up with everyone else, Mindy at her side.
“There’s so many people.” Mindy looked around in amazement.
“I know. I wonder what the benefit is for.”
“Linc didn’t say, but it must be something special. Look at all this.” Mindy motioned to the vendors that were set up throughout the massive, open park. There were booths of all sorts of varieties. From where Lilly stood, she could see multiple food booths, a leather store booth, and one set up with women selling T-shirts. There was a cage toward the middle of the park that had a few people inside of it and a dunking booth next to it.
Cass walked up to the girls with two daiquiris in hand.
"Here, I figured y’all could use a drink."
Lilly smiled and took them from him. "Thanks, baby."
"Thanks, boss." Mindy grabbed hers from Lilly's hand and took a sip.
"What's that cage for?" Lilly asked.
Cass looked in the direction Lilly had pointed then turned back to her. "No clue."
He turned and walked off, in the direction of the cage. Standing outside of it was a woman in cut-off shorts and a halter top. She had something on her hip and was holding something else in her hand. Beads, maybe? It was hard to tell from where she stood.
Cass walked up to her and they talked for a bit before Cass pointed in Lilly and Mindy's direction. He reached into his pocket and pulled out cash, handed it to the woman, then walked off.
"What do you think he's doing?" Mindy asked, looking at the woman who was now walking in their direction.
"I have no fucking clue."
"Hi ladies!" The woman approached them with a huge grin on her face. Lilly could see now that she had handcuffs in her hand and a toy gun on her hip.
"Hello." Lilly smiled.
"I hate to do this, but it's kinda what I'm here for. You're under arrest." The woman grabbed Lilly's wrists and pulled them behind her back.
"In order to get out of jail, someone has to pay double what that guy paid to put you in."
Lilly could feel her cheeks turning bright red and she glared at Cass who was standing with Scott and Old School, all three of them laughing as the woman pushed Lilly toward the metal cage in the center of the park.
Mindy walked beside them. "How much did he pay to put her in?" Mindy asked.
"Two hundred dollars."
Lilly looked at the woman in astonishment. "He paid two hundred fucking dollars to put me in here?" Her voice rose a few octaves when she spoke.
The woman laughed. "Yes ma'am."
Mindy looked at Lilly with pity in her eyes. "Sorry, love. I can't get you out. I don't have any cash on me." She shrugged her shoulders before she went to stand by Linc, who had just joined the crowd Cass was with.
Traitor.
The woman put Lilly insid
e the metal cage and locked it behind her. Looking around, she took in the people inside. Two men and a woman that she didn't recognize stood inside. The two men wore a cut with a patch on the back that she had never seen before. According to their patch, they were the Highway Sinners out of Gulfport, Mississippi. The center patch was a single, one-piece patch with a skull in the center on a black background with a circle of yellow chain surrounding it.
"How much is your bail?" The taller of the two men asked. Lilly looked up into a pair of the brightest green eyes she'd ever seen. His cut said he was the Vice President.
"Four hundred."
"Goddamn, who put you in here?"
"That big fucker with the shit eating grin on his face," Lilly said, pointing at Cass. He was looking over at her from the vendor booth he was standing at, a huge smile on his face.
"Is that your ol' man?"
Lilly thought about how she should answer that question. He was hers in every sense of the word.
"Yep." She smiled.
"You must be Lilly, then."
Lilly looked at him confused. "I am."
"I'm Micah. Cass and the Hounds are good friends of ours. We're the ones putting on this benefit. I've heard a lot about you."
"Nice to meet you."
Micah looked over at Cass and shook his head before he turned back to Lilly.
"I can't believe he put up two hundred dollars to put you in here. He must've wanted you in a cage pretty fucking bad."
Lilly shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently."
The other woman inside the cage walked up behind Micah and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Lilly, this is my girlfriend Raven. Raven, this is Cass's ol' lady Lilly." Micah moved to the side and Raven stepped up next to him.
She had long black hair like Lilly's, dark blue eyes, and an hourglass figure. She was Lilly's height, but the heels she had on put her a few inches taller. She was still smaller than Micah, though. He had to be at least six-foot-four. Even though they had a significant height difference, they fit together.
"Hey, Raven." Lilly smiled at her.
"What do ya'll say we get out of here?" Raven asked.
"Ya'll might be able to, but I don't have any cash on me. I'm stuck here," Lilly said.
Raven reached into Micah's back pocket and pulled out his wallet. She opened it, taking a stack of hundreds out and counting them.
"No, babe. It looks like your bail just got posted." Raven looked up at Micah who had a smirk on his face as Raven turned on her heel and walked to the gate. She handed the woman the wad of cash before she signaled to Micah and Lilly.
"Come on!"
Lilly and Micah walked out of the gate behind Raven as the jailer closed it back up. Cass was still watching from across the park.
"Thank you," Lilly said, to both Micah and Raven.
"It's for a good cause and if Cass put you in there then I had to get back at him by getting you out. Though, I'm not sure who the real winner is being as I'm out a couple hundred dollars, and his ol' lady is still going home with him." Micah laughed.
"She could come home with us." Raven's eyes sparkled as she looked at Micah in question.
"She's Cass's ol' lady, baby. You know the rules. No club ol' ladies." Micah's tone was soft, caring even. They seemed perfect for one another.
"Fine," Raven said, poking her bottom lip out. She turned her attention back to Lilly.
"But I would definitely take you home if you weren't an ol' lady already." Lilly searched for anything in Raven's expression that would give away some insight into whether she was joking or not, but by the way she was looking at her, she was most definitely not joking.
"I..." Lilly started, but a pair of large, rough hands wrapped around her waist, stopping her mid-sentence.
"Hey baby." Cass's voice in her ears immediately made her shoulders relax.
"Hi, love." Lilly could hear the smile in her own voice. This man made her so happy, even if he hadn't been around much lately, he was still the only person she wanted holding her at night. This one. The one with his arms around her.
Cass kissed her head and then rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I see you met Micah and Raven."
"I did. Thanks to you." She knocked her head into his, softly.
"You're welcome. Micah's been a friend of mine for a long time and the Highway Sinners are a brother club to us. He's done a lot for not only me, but the club as well."
"Thanks, brother." Micah beamed with pride at Cass's words. Even Raven had a sense of pride in her eyes.
Lilly saw more everyday of how much of a family the club was, not only inside the Lucifer's Hounds, but with other clubs as well. This lifestyle was family. People just got the wrong impression.
"Come see, I've got some friends I want to introduce you to." Cass tugged at her waist.
Micah and Raven smiled at them before walking off to talk to some of the other people standing around while Cass directed Lilly toward the group of people he had been hanging around while she was in "jail". When they reached the group, Mindy peered at Lilly over Linc's shoulder.
"Don't hate me. I'm broke. Tell my boss I need a raise," she joked.
"Babe, you heard her. She needs a raise." Lilly looked at Cass, waiting for his response.
"She can have a raise if you make a deal with me."
"What's that?"
"Move in with me. Completely. In my house, not the club house."
Lilly's jaw went slack as she stared at him, speechless. Her mind was trying to process everything. He wanted her to move in with him away from the club house. Did that mean her "punishment" was over? Was she able to return to her normal life, now? So many questions formed in her head and fuck was he giving her whiplash. But it’d be a lie if she said it didn’t make her happy.
"Yes." She agreed with him before asking these questions because that's where her heart was. Her heart was with him, whether that was at the club house, his house, a bar, their house, or across the country. She'd go anywhere and do anything for Cass.
His thousand-watt smile sent butterflies hammering the inside of her stomach. And that's why. That smile, right there. Cass pulled her to him and pressed his lips firmly to hers, sending those familiar electric blue sparks tingling through her.
When Lilly opened her eyes and regained her senses, Mindy was still peering over Linc's shoulder, a look of bemusement on her face.
"Damn, it was that easy? Hey boss, I need another raise!" Her energy made Lilly's heart happy. She was elated to see her best friend with a newfound luminance.
"Hey, easy now. That was just a way for me to get her to move in with me. Besides, I figure you deserve a raise and she deserves to be out of the clubhouse and have a place to call home. That, and I'm selfish and want her to share my home with me." Lilly's cheeks hurt from the smile that threatened to stretch off her face if she didn't keep it under control.
A man in a Lucifer's Hounds cut walked up, but Lilly was certain she had never seen him around before. His nametag said his name was Clayton and he was the Sergeant at Arms. Cass's eyes lit up when he saw Clayton and he greeted him with a hug.
"Whatcha say, old man?" Cass asked, his tone light and happy.
"Had to come see what y’all were up to down here." Clayton's voice was deep, and he looked to be in his mid to late fifties. He had amber-colored eyes and the wrinkles at his eyes were most definitely from a lifetime of smiles and laughter. He didn't have your typical rough exterior like most of the older men that had been around clubs. Either he was harmless and always happy, or he wasn't harmless and always happy.
"Oh, man. Not a whole lot. Just out supporting these guys."
Clayton turned his attention to Lilly, who was still standing next to Cass.
"I'm Clayton, Cass's father." Clayton smiled, holding his hand out for Lilly to shake.
Lilly's heart hammered, her nerves kicking into over drive because she was meeting someone in Cass's family. "Hi, I'm Lilly." She shook his hand.
"She's pretty, son. I'd go to war for her, too."
Cass's face dropped, and he eyed his father suspiciously. "Let's take a walk." Cass's tone wasn't harsh or rude, it was curious. Clayton nodded at Mindy, Linc, and Lilly before walking off with Cass.
Mindy looked at Lilly. "Cass's dad is a Hound?" She asked.
"Evidently so," Lilly said.
She looked at the two men walking away. Clayton had about a foot on Cass in height, but they shared the same broad shoulders. She could see his back patch now. His bottom rocker was Oklahoma City. No wonder she had never seen him before. Lilly pondered a minute before she turned to Linc.
"Did you know his dad was a Hound from Oklahoma City?"
"Nope." Linc's answer was monotone. Flat. He wouldn't tell her even if he did. Lilly rolled her eyes. Stupid brother code. Ugh.
Mindy eyed Linc suspiciously, but didn’t say anything. They stood there for a moment before Linc was called to go do something by Snapper, leaving Lilly and Mindy alone.
“Are you thirsty? That daiquiri didn’t last long, and I could use another one.” Mindy held up her empty cup.
“Hell yeah. I wish they served liquor around here, though,” Lilly huffed.
Mindy walked off to the nearest daiquiri stand while Lilly stood and waited. She looked around the park, taking in all the sights. The sun was bright, and the people were plenty.
While Lilly had stared off into space, Carrie and Lucy snuck up on her. One minute she was alone, the next, they were right beside her.
"Hey sunshine!" Carrie's enthusiasm never failed to make Lilly smile.
"Hey love!" Lilly wrapped her up in a hug before turning to hug Lucy.
"What have ya'll been doing?" Lilly eyed them suspiciously.
Lucy snickered and that's when Lilly noticed her eyes. They were red and glazed over. She looked at Carrie to find the same thing. "You found weed, didn’t you?"
Carrie nodded her head quickly, her excitement evident in her expression. "Yep. Want some?"
"Hell yeah," Lilly said as Mindy approached with two daiquiris in hand.
"Damn, if I would've known ya'll were here I would've grabbed two more."
"That's okay, love. We have something for you, anyway." Carrie grinned as she pulled a small baggie out of the pocket of her vest. Mindy looked down and smiled.