Chapter 8
“Wow,” Starr said as she climbed out of her car and looked over at Lilith as she did the same with her own vehicle. “I never would have recognized you if you hadn’t called out to me. Why don’t you wear makeup while at work?”
“I do, just not as much as I normally would. Believe it or not, it gets hot in that library, and I sweat most of it off. I like to pamper myself every once in a while.” Lilith frowned when Starr continued to look through her. Not at her. “Is something wrong?”
“What? Sorry, no, I just had a flash of making you into a portrayal of Lilith from the Bible. I can see you dressed as her. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I had heard somewhere that Lilith and Lucifer, after he was cast out of Heaven, hooked up.”
Lilith laughed, and shook her head. “I’ll have to read up on my lore. The only thing I really research for myself are haunted places. I like to take one place a year, research the heck out of it, and go visit there for my vacation.”
“Haunted?”
“Yes, currently, I’m researching a former prison in West Virginia. I’m still early in my research, but it’s fascinating. I think this is the only prison that ever housed, men, women, and children at the same time. They were not of the same family either. Just your everyday bad person.”
“Wow, you’ll have to mention that to Luc, because I know he loves the paranormal crap that’s on television.”
They paused as several vehicles pulled in, and decided to go in ahead of them.
They entered and Starr made a beeline for a table in the ‘dining’ section, far away from the pool tables and bar.
It didn’t take long for a waitress to arrive and take their drink orders, leaving them plenty of time to look over the menu.
When their drinks arrived, they ordered their burgers, and started talking, getting to know each other more.
Starr liked how easy it was to talk to Lilith.
They looked up as their meals were delivered, and as soon as the waitress left, after making sure they didn’t need anything else, someone took a seat and sat down.
Lilith looked over at the man, and froze when she realized the man looked exactly like the sketch Starr had showed her a couple of days prior. Arched brow and all.
Luc leaned over and kissed his sister’s cheek, stole one of her onion rings, then looked over at the woman with his sister and froze with the treat halfway to his mouth.
He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it.
She was absolutely, stunningly beautiful.
It took several seconds for him to clear his throat.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
At the sound of her voice, with just that one word, Luc found his insides stirring with interest.
“Luc, this is my friend, Lilith. Lilith, this is my brother, Luc.”
Luc wiped his hand on the thighs of his jeans and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. What brings you to Hell’s Coffin? I haven’t seen you here before.”
“This is my first time here.”
“Well, welcome.” He felt his throat close up until his sister nudged his foot under the table. He looked at her with his famous scowl.
“I met Lilith a couple of days ago at the library. She’s helping me with some research for your costume for your Halloween Bash. I’m going to add to it.”
“Don’t make it garish.”
“I won’t, trust me, it will be subtle, but worth it.” She took a bite of the burger, and watched as her new friend and brother couldn’t take their eyes off one another. She decided to stir the pot.
“You know, Luc, I think you need to ask Lilith out on a date.”
“Excuse me?” both of them asked at the same time as they whipped their heads around, and stared at Starr like she’d just grown another head.
“She was just about to tell me about the vacation she’s going to take this year?”
“And why would I be interested in that?” Luc asked with a scowl, then turned to Lilith. “No offense.”
“None taken,” she said with a smirk of her own, and picked up her burger. She would let Starr explain it to her brother.
“Because you and Lilith have the same interests.”
“About?” Luc asked, and turned his head to study the beautiful woman. He was polite enough not to talk to her while she chewed. When she finished her bite, he nodded to her. “What are your interests?”
“You have to understand that it might be hard to explain.”
Luc shrugged. He looked around the bar and saw that it was filling up nicely for a Saturday night, but he also saw his staff doing their jobs efficiently.
He also saw members of the club, wearing their patch, as he was, weaving around the patrons, keeping an eye on things.
He turned to her with his own smirk. “I have time. Try me.”
Lilith drew in a deep breath and let it out in a rush, then she stalled by taking a sip of her beer.
She had wanted wine, but didn’t think it would go good with her burger, and she liked beer, so it was a perfect pairing.
Knowing she was stalling, she picked up a fry and used that to wave around as she talked.
She didn’t know if she was stunned in shock, or desire when he gently took her hand in his, leaned in, took the fry from her fingers with his mouth, and licked the salt off her fingers.
He chewed and looked at her with a grin.
“Please, continue.”
“Oh, sorry.” She stared at him and shook her head, deciding not to become offended. “I love anything paranormal. Stuff that can be proven, anyway.” She had studied him when she spoke and saw him freeze.
“What do you mean by proven?”
“I watch TV shows about the groups of people that go to haunted places and lock themselves in at night in order to use their equipment to see if they can detect anything.”
“Go on,” Luc said as he reached over and took another fry from her plate. “I’m listening.”
Lilith moved her plate so it was between them, and as she talked, they shared the fries together. At one point, he asked the waitress to bring her another beer, and he held up his glass to indicate he wanted another. He looked at Lilith with a smile.
“I’m on the clock, it’s just ginger ale with lime.”
“Oh, I wasn’t judging.”
“I know, I just didn’t want you to think that because I own the bar, that I drink for free. I save my drinking for home, or other establishments. Don’t want to drink all the profits.”
“That’s a smart idea. Anyway, to get back to what we were talking about.
I had heard about a prison, or technically, a penitentiary that is finally open to tours.
You can’t stay there like a hotel, but there are plenty nearby and the prison is claimed to be haunted by its past guests.
It is also reputed to have housed women, men, and children at the same time, in the same ward, but they weren’t from the same family. ”
“Really? How long does the tour last? Are there other places in the area to explore?” he asked questions, and finally shook his head when the drinks were brought.
“Sorry, but I really like this type of stuff. I’ve never gone to them myself, but I wouldn’t mind seeing this place. Can you tell me where it is?”
“West Virginia.”
“Nice six-hour ride.”
“Yes, I’m going to go there when the tours start in three months. I plan on being gone for a week, my annual vacation. There are other places in the area that aren’t portrayed on television, but they are said to have paranormal activity.”
“Do you want company?”
“Right now? I’m going to say no, but if we get to know each other better, then I don’t see a problem with us going together. It would have to be a fifty-fifty split though.”
“That’s a given. Let me get your number, and I’ll give you a call next week.”
“I work six days a week, the best time to contact me is on Sunday, my only day off.”
“May I ask what you do for a living?”
“I’m the head librarian at the library downtown.”
“The one at the corner of Maple and Elm?”
“Yes.” It shocked Lilith that he knew where that was.
“I’m not just a dumb biker.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“You’re right. Sorry.” They all looked up at a commotion at the pool tables, and he sighed heavily. “Again, sorry, but duty calls. May I have your number?” He pulled his phone out of an inside pocket of his leather vest and handed it to her, but not before unlocking it.
Lilith took it, programmed her number in it, and passed it back. When their fingers touched, they both jerked at the sparks from the contact.
“Thank you,” he said with a nod to her, then turned to his sister. “Starr. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Not a problem.” She smirked at him, and both women watched as Luc walked over to the commotion, holding his ginger ale and lime, and just stood there with his signature cocked brow.
“Is there a problem here, boys?” he asked in his gravelly voice, and the commotion immediately stopped when the guys trying to fight stopped and started to tell Luc to mind his own business.
It took about thirty seconds before someone with the young men rushed to the tussling men and whispered to them.
In the next fifteen seconds, the chairs and table that had been knocked over during the commotion was put back to rights, the young boys, roughly around the age of twenty-two or three, profusely apologized to Luc, who only stood there with his quirked brow, and blank expression.
“That was your only warning, boys. If you’re in my establishment again and cause a ruckus, you will be barred from here.
For life.” He sipped his drink and shook his head, like it saddened him to speak the next part.
“Don’t think I won’t put the word out to blacklist you from every bar in the tri-county area. ”
“You can’t do that,” one of them cried out to him.
“Try me,” Luc said, and looked at the members of the club who had come up to stand beside and behind him. “If they mess up again, see that they’re escorted out.”
“Yes, boss,” they all echoed, and Luc looked over at Lilith with a wink when he had turned his back on the punks, and the entire bar heard them swear and say they didn’t know he was a biker.
“Wow,” Lilith said as she leaned in and stared at Starr.
She picked up her now cold burger to take a bite.
She didn’t care that it had gone cold. It was still good, and she had had a wonderful conversation with Luc.
She wasn’t going to hold her breath that he would call her anytime soon.
When the waitress came to clear their plates, they asked for the bill, but she shook her head at them.
“Luc said it was on the house.”
“Starr, I can understand,” Lilith said as she withdrew her wallet. “But not me.”
“Please, don’t piss him off, he said it was on the house.”
Starr reached over and put her hand over Lilith’s.
“Trust me on this. Luc is extremely, and I mean, extremely tight fisted with his money, and the money for the bar. If he says it’s on the house.
It’s on the house.” When Lilith still looked skeptical, Starr looked at the waitress.
“Tell me, does Luc still bring in his own ginger ale and limes?”
“Yes,” the waitress sighed. “How do you know that?”
“I’m his sister. I asked him when he first opened the bar why he didn’t just get his drinks for free here. He said he did the cost analysis and it was cheaper for him to bring in his own. He didn’t want to be accused of dipping into the till.”
“Oh, wow,” Lilith said, then waited for the waitress to walk away with their empty plates. She placed a ten dollar bill on the table, beneath the salt and pepper shakers. “Just because Luc paid for our meal, that doesn’t mean the waitress has to go without a tip.”
“I agree,” Starr said, and laid her own ten beneath the other one there.
“Want to get a table over in the bar area?”
“We can, and as much as I don’t like to switch my drinks, I would love a glass of white wine.”
“Let’s go.” They ended up using the facilities, washing their hands from their meal, then got a table in the corner.
There were several women already there, and Starr knew them.
She introduced Lilith to them, and it didn’t take long for them to all begin talking and laughing like they had all known each other for months instead of minutes.
Bandit walked up to stand beside Luc as he stood in the kitchen looking out at the bar, and frowned when he saw where Luc was looking.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Why are you staring holes in your sister?”
“It’s not her.” Luc kept his answer short and decided to let Bandit figure it out for himself.
“Who’s the beauty sitting beside Starr?”
“Her friend,” Luc turned with a smirk. “Someone I’m going to call in the coming days to ask out on a date.”
“Holy shit, really?”
“Yes, so hands the fuck off.” Luc waited until Bandit held up his hands and backed up two steps.
“Heard.” He shook his head as he studied his best friend who studied the beautiful woman sitting at the table with Starr and the ladies associated with other club members.
He wondered if Luc finally had found someone that he would date and if this woman wouldn’t screw him over like the ones in the past had.