Hounds Ascend

by Erika Blount

  “Good luck,” she grinned.

  He smirked at her. “You too, baby.”

  They both got down on their cues and Cass counted.

  “One...Two...Three.” On three, they both tapped their ball. Lilly’s was moving slightly faster than Cass’s, but she hoped that was a good thing. Her cue hit the rail first and came barreling toward her. There was no way it was going to stop before it hit the rail. She cursed under her breath when her cue hit the rail and bounced off just as Cass’s stopped right past the first diamond from the rail that she wasn’t supposed to hit.

  “Rack ‘em, rack girl.”

  Lilly and Cass had barely finished one game before they had an audience. Clayton, Micah, Raven and Linc stood by watching. Lilly wasn’t sure when Linc had gotten there or if he’d been there the whole time and she just hadn’t seen him.

  They were on the second game. Cass had just broke and made a solid, so now he was working on knocking them in. Lilly waited patiently as Cass made one ball after the other. Finally, he shot his last solid too hard because he put too much English on it, trying to gain more control of where the cue ball would stop.

  He left the cue ball in the perfect spot and Lilly spotted a run before she ever stepped up to the table. Their audience was silent, intently watching the game. The only sound in the room was the music playing in the background and the sound of Lilly’s heart hammering in her ear. She wanted this win, and she wanted it bad, but she was nervous and whenever she got nervous, she generally fucked up.

  She took her first shot slow and easy and knocked the nine-ball in the side pocket. From there, she picked off the stripes with ease until her last shot.

  “You might be in trouble, son,” Clayton piped up from the nearest table that he leaned against.

  “Told you, she’s a good shot.” Cass’s voice wasn’t laced with sarcasm, it sounded genuine.

  Lilly almost had the game won until now. She sunk the last stripe on the table and the cue ball stopped on the other side of Cass’s last ball, making that six-ball the only thing between her and winning this game.

  “Fuck,” she breathed, examining her handiwork.

  The only way she was going to get remotely close to that eight ball was to come off the rail and bank it, and banks weren’t her forte. She sighed as she lined up the kick-shot, knowing it was do or die. If she missed, and she likely would, then Cass had the game won.

  Her competitive side was rearing its ugly head and she focused intently on making her shot. She got down on her cue again, pointed to the corner pocket she intended to make the eight in, and shot. The cue ball came off the rail and hit the eight-ball dead on, sending it spiraling toward the corner pocket she had called.

  “Holy shit!” Cass watched the table in awe.

  Just as Lilly felt victorious, the eight-ball stopped. Dead-stopped in the center of the pocket without falling.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Lilly sighed, exasperated. She laughed at the irony.

  “Damn, girl. I don’t know how that didn’t go,” Clayton said, scratching his head in confusion.

  Cass approached the table and tapped the six-ball in, then lined up on the eight. It went in easily and he came off the rail to ensure that he wouldn’t scratch, but the look on his face was not victorious. He looked more frustrated than she was that she had lost.

  “Sorry, love.”

  “It’s okay. Even though I lost, that was still a damn good shot, so I’m good with it,” she offered him a smile.

  “I agree,” Raven said.

  “Me too,” Micah chimed in.

  Lilly smiled as she set her cue down. “Always got to kick my ass, don’t you?” she asked, wrapping her arms around Cass’s neck. She resisted the urge to press her body flush against his and crush her lips to his. She was still reeling from the interruption at the beach earlier, her body still aching for Cass’s touch to guide her to the release she had been so close to achieving.

  “Not always, just as often as I can,” he smiled, lightly pressing his lips to hers before letting go of her and turning back to the pool table.

  “I’ll take a whack at it,” Clayton challenged, eyeing Cass.

  “Rack ‘em, then, old man,” Cass teased.

  Clayton racked then walked to pick a cue off the wall while Lilly stood by Raven.

  “Girl, I didn’t know you could shoot that damn good!”

  “Ha, yeah. It’s a thing I learned from bartending in small bars. When it’s slow, there’s only so much cleaning you can do then there’s pool, darts, or boredom. I chose pool,” she shrugged.

  “No shit! You bartend? So do I!”

  “I knew I liked you for a reason,” Lilly said.

  “Me too. Bartending is not for the weak.”

  “Ain’t that the damn truth.”

  Raven smiled at her before Micah called her to him. Lilly watched them interact and it made her happy to see how happy the two of them were. They sort of acted the way she and Cass did. She watched him lean down and kiss Raven, who smiled subconsciously as she walked off to go do whatever it was he had asked of her.

  “All of y’all are fucking mushy,” Linc’s voice sounded behind Lilly. She turned to see a scowl on his face.

  She giggled at his outburst. “What’s wrong? Missing our girl?” she asked.

  “Yeah. This fucking sucks. I wish she was here, but instead she’s back home working while those fucktards are still out there trying to stir up shit.”

  His energy had just changed, and she could feel him making himself uneasy. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re going to be going home in a few days. Besides, she’s being protected. You know that.” Lilly tried to reassure him, but his scowl remained.

  “I know, but still. I just…I’d be a lot more comfortable if I were there with her.”

  “You will be soon, Linc.”

  Cass hollered a loud “fuck”, gaining him the attention of everyone in the room. Lilly took a few steps in his direction to see what it was that had him aggravated. As she inspected the table, she heard it before she saw it. The cue ball was coming out of the designated slot and there were no stripes left on the table and seven solids.

  “You aren’t supposed to scratch on that one,” Lilly said.

  “Yeah, I know. Damnit!’

  Clayton stood with his arms crossed in the same spot he had when he was watching Cass and Lilly play, with a smug grin on his face. Cass set his cue on the table.

  “Good game, old man.” He offered his hand to his father who accepted and shook his hand.

  “Still not taking your time when it comes to closing out your game, I see.”

  “Old habits die hard,” Cass chuckled.

  “Lilly, I think you’re up,” Cass said, walking toward the door that led down the hallway.

  Lilly and Clayton played a few games, all of which resulted in him beating her. If she thought Cass shot a good game of pool, she hadn’t seen anything until Clayton had started shooting. No wonder he got to be such a good shot, he learned from a professional.

  Linc stood by the island for the duration of their time in the game room and Lilly couldn’t help but notice that something seemed off with him today. He wasn’t himself, probably due to all the bullshit going on back home. He had already confirmed that he had a lot on his mind, but she was still worried about him. She would have to get Cass to check on him later. He would be more apt to open up to his brother, and that was fine with her.

  As the night carried on, Highway Sinners began filling the room and Lilly had given up the table and was now standing around the island with some of the guys. They had brought ice chests of beer back here, but there was still liquor at the bar in the front if anyone needed a drink. Lilly had downed two of her regulars and was working on her third when she heard it.

  The sound was eerie, and it sent chills up the back of her neck. It was the sound of Linc, screaming in a mixture of anger and agony. Lilly’s head whipped toward him and saw that he was hold
ing his phone in his hand. At first, she had thought someone had swung on him, but now that she was looking, she knew it wasn’t anything of that nature.

  Cass was at his side immediately with Clayton right there with him. The look on Cass’s face fell as he looked at Linc’s screen and Clayton wore a look of sympathy as he shook his head. The falter in Cass’s guard was gone as quickly as it had appeared and was replaced with anger. He was livid, and Lilly knew what that meant. Someone was going to pay for whatever it was that had just happened, and she didn’t want to be around to watch.

  Cass pulled Micah and his guys to the side before they cleared the game room and went down the long hall way to what could only be their meeting room. All patches and Linc went inside, leaving Lilly and Raven standing in the game room, clueless and unaware of whatever it was that was going on. Lilly could only assume the worst that it was what she thought it was. Something was going on back home. She wanted to know what it was so badly, because now her stomach was twisted in knots as she sat at the bar in the main room of the club house, waiting for them to come out.

  Raven fixed Lilly another drink and set it down in front of her.

  “Got a smoke?” she asked, realizing she’d left hers on the bike and she wasn’t in the mood to walk outside and go get them.

  “Yes ma’am, I do.” Raven pulled one from a green pack behind the bar and handed it to Lilly.

  Lilly lit it and exhaled slowly, letting the nicotine touch all those parts of her soul that needed soothing before she took another sip of her drink.

  “What do you think happened?” Raven asked, the concern in her eyes making Lilly’s heart twist.

  “I’m not sure, but whatever it is…it certainly can’t be good,” Lilly sighed and took another pull from her cigarette.

  The longer she sat there, the quicker worrisome thoughts flirted through her head. Why would a prospect get a message instead of a patch? Who did it come from? Did they have his family? His family wasn’t from here, but Lilly knew the Moccasins had charters all over the continental US. Her brow creased with worry as she waited patiently for the guys to come out of the damn meeting room. It had been an hour or better since they’d gone in and she was beginning to lose her mind. Raven had been trying to help the best she could, but the only thing that would ease her mind would be confirmation from Cass on just what in the hell was going on.

  After another hour of agonizingly waiting, Cass and the guys finally emerged. Cass still bore a look of anger while Linc looked like he had a multitude of emotions in play. Clayton looked like the leader Lilly envisioned he may have once been, confident and strong as he walked out behind the two guys. Brock was at Clayton’s side, making Lilly wonder where he had been all night. She hadn’t seen him since they’d arrived at the clubhouse. He hadn’t even walked in with them.

  Behind Brock, the rest of the Sinners made their way out of the room. Cass walked over to where Lilly sat with Linc right behind him. She waited patiently, or at least as patiently as she could, for Cass to say something. The air was thick with tension and the quiet felt like it lasted forever.

  “We have to go. They’re retaliating,” he said, pressing his lips to her forehead.

  “What’d they do?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t give away just how concerned she was.

  Cass inhaled a deep breath and sighed before he pulled back to look at her.

  “I...I can’t tell you.” His words were forced, and she could tell he wanted to tell her exactly what happened but he was trying to protect her.

  “What? Why?” she asked.

  “I just can’t, alright?” he snapped, turning to Linc.

  “Call Shorty and Leo. Have one of them come clean out our rooms and one of them come get Lilly. She’s riding home with one of them tomorrow. Get ready, we’re about to get on the road.”

  Linc didn’t say anything, simply nodded and walked off. Lilly was still reeling from the fact that Cass wouldn’t tell her what happened. Now she was getting pissed, but this wasn’t the time or the place to question him. Something felt off, though and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  Everyone cleared out of the room, leaving Cass and Lilly alone at the bar. He sat down next to her and took the drink that sat in front of her. He downed it and set the empty glass back on the bar before he spoke.

  “They’re fucking with us. It’s just another dumb stunt and I don’t want you to worry about it.” His voice was low, barely above a whisper.

  Lilly thought for a moment before she responded. I have to keep it together. He’s keeping something from me, I can feel it and I’m going to find out what the hell it is, one way or the other. Until then, I don’t want him to know that I doubt the amount of truth in his words.

  She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. “Okay,” she sighed.

  “I know you heard me earlier, but Shorty and Leo are going to come get you. I’m sorry if that was a dick move, but shit just sucks right now and I’m already not the best at taking other peoples’ feelings into consideration.”

  “It’s okay, just get home and take care of those assholes that call themselves bikers.”

  Cass smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes as Linc walked through the front door. “Ready when you are, Prez.”

  Cass wrapped his hand around the back of Lilly’s neck, pulling her face to his. His lips collided with hers gently before he pulled back and gave her an apologetic smile. “I love you.”

  “I love you, baby. Be safe.” She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him before he turned away to leave.

  Lilly sat there, at the bar, unmoving for a moment before she remembered her cell phone was in Cass’s bike. She ran outside just as they were cranking up. Cass was closest to the building, followed by Clayton, Brock, then Linc. She ran to the side of his bike and yelled over the sound of the engines.

  “My phone!” She pointed down at the saddlebag as she opened it and grabbed her phone along with her cigarettes and lighter. She gave him one last quick peck on the lips before she turned and headed back inside the club house. She could hear them take off just as the door closed and she was back inside.

  Lilly yearned to be with them, going back home to figure out how to get these idiots to understand that they really didn’t want to mess with Lucifer’s Hounds. Instead, she was stuck being treated like some precious gem that couldn’t get scratched and had to stay behind while they went to fuck shit up. She huffed and sat back down at the bar, setting her phone down and pulling a cigarette out to light.

  The familiar taste of a menthol assaulted her taste buds as she took a long drag before exhaling. She ran her free hand through her hair before her phone buzzed on the bar, gaining her attention. Two missed calls from her mom, one missed call and voicemail from an unknown number, and a text from Mindy.

  She opened the text first. It was sent earlier that night at eight and it was now after midnight.

  Mindy: I can’t wait for you to get home! I miss you! And Linc.

  Without responding, she went straight to the voicemail from the number she didn’t recognize.

  “Miss Summers, this is Alanda with Baton Rouge Medical. I’m calling in regard to Mindy Hollis. You are the only person listed on her emergency contact and she has just been in a horrible car accident. Please return my call as soon as possible.”

  Panic. Pure panic coursed through her veins at the words she’d just heard. She should’ve known something had happened to Mindy.

  “Fucking shit!” she yelled, unable to form a complete thought. She needed to get home, now. She needed to call the hospital back and she couldn’t do a damn thing from this clubhouse where she had no way out and a room full of club members that weren’t going to let her leave. Raven was her only hope.

  Raven sat down beside her, causing her to jump. She hadn’t heard her through her scattered thoughts.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I need to get home, now. Mindy, the girl that was with me yesterday, is in
the hospital. She was in a bad car accident and—” Lilly’s voice broke and hot tears spilled over her eyes.

  Raven pulled her into her arms, rubbing up and down on Lilly’s back in that way that people do when they try to comfort others that are hurting. Lilly didn’t need comfort right now, she just needed to get home.

  “That motherfucker!” she said in disbelief.

  “Who?”

  “Cass. He didn’t fucking tell me. He knew! He knew I’d want to go home right away and he didn’t tell me about her being in the fucking hospital!”

  “Whoa, Lilly. He probably didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to go home and be in danger again.” Raven tried to defend Cass, but Lilly wasn’t having it.

  “I don’t want to talk about him or his reasons right now. I need to get home.” Her words lacked any emotion as she composed herself, hardening her outer shell to stone the way she had liked to keep it.

  “I heard him say that two guys were coming tomorrow to get you,” Raven suggested.

  “No, I’m going home now. Not tomorrow. Now.” Lilly was stern and determined. She’d find a way to get home.

  Raven sighed. She turned without a word and walked off. When she returned a few minutes later, she had a duffle bag over her shoulder and a set of keys in her hand.

  “Going somewhere?” Lilly asked, her mood already getting better.

  “Yeah, looks like I’m taking a damn trip to Baton Rouge.”

  Lilly ran to Raven, embracing her in a hug. “Thank you!”

  “Yeah yeah, just get in the damn car before I change my mind. And hurry, we don’t have much time to get going before we’re spotted.”

  “Wait, you didn’t tell Micah?” she asked.

  “Nope. Can we finish this conversation in the car though? I mean it, we don’t have much time. Go.” Raven ushered her out the front door of the club house, barely giving her enough time to grab her cigarettes and phone off the bar.

  They climbed inside a white Kia Sorento and were out of sight of the clubhouse in minutes. Adrenaline pumped through Lilly at their narrow escape, making her temporarily forget about the reality of the situation and why she was rushing home.