Sex & Mayhem 02 The Devil's Ride (24 page)

Astaroth gave him an even wider smile, her eyes
drilling holes in his brain.

“It’s like… it’s nothing.” Luci looked down to
Beasts cuddly fur. With each heartbeat he was getting more
self-conscious. “I mean… does it show?”

Asty nodded. “Uh-huh. You’re following him like a
puppy.”

“
It’s not like anything’s gonna happen.” He laughed
nervously, still remembering how close their lips
had been, how hot Tooth’s arms
were around him.

Asty shrugged. “Maybe you need something to distract
you, huh?”

“Yeah, like a cock.” Luci looked up at her with a
frown. “Was that too dirty?” He wasn’t sure if this was how he
should talk to a sister.

Astaroth shook her head. “I can second that, though
I don’t think we could share one. I was thinking maybe something
like work? You keep your hair in such amazing shape.”

“At the salon? I actually kept wanting to ask you to
put in a good word for me. I wanted to do barbering and stuff. I’ve
been looking stuff up online, but Tooth hasn’t yet let me touch his
hair, so I’m stuck. But after today, I doubt Dolly will let me step
foot in her salon.”

Asty sighed. “Yeah,
Mom’s super stubborn, but I can talk her into
pretty much anything. Can’t make any promises, but it seems doable
with a bit of persuasion.”

“
That would be
really amazing. I could do a course over summer, maybe. Dad
keeps moaning about me going back to school, but I managed to push
it till September. Is he not pushing ‘his little ray of darkness’
back to high school?” Luci snorted.

Astaroth shrugged and slowly made her way out of the
pen. “Nah, he knows I’m a passionate beautician.”

“We would be a dream team for weddings if your mom
didn’t hate me.”

They spent some time cleaning Beast’s pen and shed,
and it was an opportunity to talk freely about the things Luci was
ready to share with Astaroth. It was so good to have someone who
accepted him unconditionally, just because they were related. He
was sad to see her go, but at the same time, her enthusiasm for the
idea of getting him a job at the salon made him hopeful for the
future. He didn’t want to be a nuisance to Dolly, but maybe she
could tolerate him eventually? At the end of the day, it really was
irrational to hate him just because of something his mom did.

There was no more screaming when he walked back to
the clubhouse, ready for a chat with Priest. Luci
had done a lot of thinking
about what Tooth told him, and there had to be something that could
be done. Whatever it was, Luci wanted, needed, to be a part of
it.

The clubhouse wasn’t too busy, with most of the
brothers working in the adjacent repair shop during the day. Luci
knew Suzy was in one of the guest rooms, but he didn’t want to
knock on every door and instead went straight to the office, where
he expected to find Dad. He could smell heavy cigarette smoke even
before he knocked.

When Priest yelled for him to come in, Luci had to
take a deep breath. He could imagine that after the argument with
Dolly, the last thing Priest wanted to see was him.
Fortunately,
Don was
inside to be a buffer if needed.

The club treasurer was as
laid-back as old men could be, usually
sipping whisky, and with cigarettes so prevalent in his image, it
almost seemed they were additional fingers. He greeted Luci with a
friendly smoke ring in the air. “I heard you were a source of
controversy today. Priest here’s wetting his pants.”

Priest threw a bunch of documents at Don, but the
old man brushed off the rain of paper with a low laugh. “Dolly has
you under her thinnest stiletto. If I listened to my wife, I
wouldn’t even be here.”

“Why? Did she tell you to go kill yourself?” Luci
tried with a smirk, and Don laughed, which turned into a cough.

“Good! The boy’s got a mouth on him.”

Priest shrugged. “No, his wife just hates the club.
She’d bar Ghost from coming over as well if she could.”

Don made a vigorous circle with his hand. “And
that’s what I’m saying. You can’t have your woman dictate your life
like that. What the fuck’s wrong with taking care of your kid
anyway?”

“Speaking of which…” Luci smiled slightly and
entwined his fingers. “I was kinda thinking, and Astaroth was
saying it as well, but I’d probably need your support… I wanted to
apprentice at the salon, but I don’t know how that will work out
with the Dolly thing.”

Priest turned around, grabbing his own head. “Oh,
for the love of God! How could that possibly work?”

Luci nervously cracked his knuckles. “Well, I
wanted to do men
’s
hairdressing and a barbering course. They don’t have that in her
salon. I’d be useful.”

Priest groaned and fell into his chair. “Right now,
I’m wondering if I’ll find my things in the garbage when I return
home. I could consider it if they’re still in the house, even if in
the guest room,” he said grimly.

Luci looked down
at his shoes. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.
Rick’s my friend, and he said my name. I-I better go. This was a
stupid idea.”

“No no no, come back!” Priest walked out from behind
the desk and stood in front of Luci, stuffing his hands down his
pockets. “That’s not how I meant it. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Told ya! It was bound to happen,” added Don from
behind his ancient computer.

“Shut it,” growled Priest without much
conviction.

Luci looked up at his dad with some hope. “‘Cause
it’s not like I think it’s gonna happen today. But maybe in a week
or two she’d let me be around. Maybe when she’s not there? I heard
the assistant manager is really nice.”

Priest sighed and slowly put his hand on Luci’s
shoulder. “Yeah, she’s a sweetheart. But Dolly’s hard like a...
well, very hard,” he muttered. “Women
are
difficult to understand, but Dolly is in her own
category, believe me.”

“Is it because of her magic? Tooth told me she
curses people. I kinda don’t believe that, but I still wouldn’t
want her to curse me.”

Priest scowled. “She does, but who believes that
shit? If her powers were real, I’d be incapacitated by diarrhea
every time we argue. Don’t worry about it. She’s just stubborn, but
I won’t send you away just because she’s telling me to.”

Luci chuckled, pulling on his fingers. “And about
Suzy…”

Priest sighed. “What about her?|

“Her kidney was taken. I talked to Tooth, and he
really wants to find out who did it. And me too. So if there’s
anything we can do, I want to help.” He straightened up hoping
Priest would take him seriously.

Priest’s eyes narrowed, and he folded his thick arms
across his chest. “What do you have in mind?”

“Anything really. Maybe the fact that I’m not part
of the club could be helpful. I could get in somewhere you guys
wouldn’t be welcome. Whatever’s needed,” he said in one exhale.

Priest looked at him, and behind his back, Don
showed Luci a
thumbs-up.
The guy really was like a grandfather Lucifer never had.

“Well, okay. I will think about it,” said Priest in
the end.

Luci nodded. “Thanks. So… yeah, keep me in mind,” he
finished awkwardly, already heading for the door. It was stressful,
but he really wanted to make the point.

He was wondering whether Tooth wanted company now,
but on the other hand, he was covered in dry sweat and probably
smelled like a gym changing room, so he quickly ran up the stairs.
He was on the landing between the floors when he heard the quiet
sound of a door closing. It was
Bell, who looked at the door he’d just shut and moved
toward Luci.

“
Is Suzy in there?” Luci asked, stopping
midstep.

Bell took a large gulp of air and spread his arms.
“Yeah. She fell asleep. Ghost confirmed she has a fresh scar in the
right place. He’s with her, just in case.”

“You think we’ll find out who did it?” Luci
whispered, walking up closer. He didn’t even want to imagine the
horror of what she’d been through. She was lucky to be alive.

Bell gave him a small smile and patted Luci’s
shoulder. “Let’s hope so. She’ll stay here for a few days.”

“Who’s gonna take care of her? You?” Luci raised his
eyebrows. This wouldn’t end well for Suzy. He already knew the look
on Bell’s face, the one he had whenever he found a girl hot. And
kidney or not, Suzy was hot.

“All of us,” said Bell.

“Is there something she can’t eat? I have to go
research this stuff.” Luci shook his head and waved at Bell before
walking off. This place was getting too messed up.

Luci enjoyed the glamour of Dolly’s beauty salon,
with its clean, smooth surfaces and smell of cosmetics. It was all
black and white, with full-length mirrors in front of each
hairdressing station and floors that made him feel like he was
walking on brocade. The whole establishment consisted of a front
room, which was partitioned with a divider between hairdressing and
nail care, and a smaller room in the back, used for massages,
tanning, and other beauty treatments. For a salon its size it was
quite profitable, and employed a total of seven girls
full-time... and him, currently
in the position of a general cleaner/helper/Cinderfella, but he was
actually learning the basics of the trade as well. On top of that,
Priest had paid for a three-month barbering course for him without
batting an eyelash. When Luci found out, he had to lock himself in
the bathroom so Tooth wouldn’t see him cry. No one had ever taken
care of him like that.

Dolly on the other hand barely spoke to him,
making him feel like a
Dalmatian puppy in front of Cruella De Ville, but his
shifts were mostly at times when Lisa, the assistant manager, ran
the place. Luci was just finishing his shift when he saw a familiar
face lurking in the window. The bald head and a crooked nose were
something he’d always recognize.

Rick waved at him from behind the glass and raised a
pink paper bag with the logo of a candy store Luci liked.

Luci smiled widely and took off the rubber gloves he
used for cleaning. “Lisa! I’m done. Can I go a few minutes
early?”

Lisa smiled from the chair she was getting a haircut
in, using the quiet hours of the day. “Yeah, yeah, as long as
you’re done. See you tomorrow!”

Rick was already munching on some nuts when Luci
went outside. “Hi there, wanna go for a walk?”

“Yeah, we can finally talk.” Luci grabbed his bag
and jumped down the three little steps from the salon to the
street. “How are you doing? Not getting into any new fights I
hope?” He poked Rick with his elbow.

“Nah, it’s been pretty quiet lately. Everyone’s
missing you back at Vanilla,” said Rick as they strolled along the
street.

“
I’m not missing the creepy dudes.” Luci laughed.
“Oh no, I do miss that one guy. You know, we nicknamed him Twinkie,
‘cause he came with so much spunk. Nice dick on the outside,
surprise on the inside.” One thing missing in his
life
—being sexually
active. But he wasn’t all that keen on straying from his One True
Never-Gonna-Happen.

Rick snorted. “Christ, that’s filthy. You never
change, do you?”

“What can I say, I have an appreciation for dick.”
Luci leaned closer and pulled out what could only be his favorite
salted caramel pretzel. “Aww, you remembered my favorite!”

“Yeah, well, you’re not talking to me. I needed
something to convince you,” said Rick.

“You think you can buy my attention for pretzels?”
He bit into the treat. Ah, so sweet and salty all at once. He’d
purr if it wasn’t weird. “I came out ‘cause I like chatting to you.
I… let’s just say my options are a bit limited. Tooth took my
phone, and he doesn’t want me to go visit Vanilla.”

Rick frowned. “Why would you listen to him? You are
clearly walking freely?”

“Yeah, but I live there. He knows when I’m gonna be
back from work.”

“That sounds controlling,” muttered Rick. “Why would
you stay there?”

Luci figured that telling Rick about the phone he
got, one that allowed him to only call three numbers (Tooth,
Priest
, and Asty) wasn’t
the best of ideas. “Oh, you know. There’s other things that are
good. Like, he’s teaching me self-defense. We go out together. He
already got us tickets to see Motörhead next month. And he’ll be
taking me to school. I enrolled into adult classes,” muttered Luci,
trying not to sound too negative. He had to remind himself that
Harlow wouldn’t be there. What could that bastard possibly seek at
an adults’ school?

“Which school?”

Luci shrugged. “It’s like... fifteen minutes by car
from here. An ugly concrete building.”

For several seconds, Rick walked next to Luci in
silence. “Is that guy your boyfriend, or something?”

“Uh, no!” Luci laughed nervously and stuffed his
face with a pretzel. “He’s just… a friend. My dad asked him to look
out for me.”

Rick ate some more nuts. “I hope you’re staying
healthy. Eating well? Exercising?”

“Yeah, I go to the gym with Tooth. I never was all
that crazy about cooking for myself, but I often make meals for us
both, so I’m trying hard to make it great.”

Rick sighed and fumbled with his pocket, producing a
small cell phone. “Look, take this. You’re like a younger brother
to me, and I need to know you’re safe, okay?”

“Aww, Rick, that’s so sweet.” Luci took the phone
and quickly hid it in his bag. They were getting far too close to
the club. “I’ll call you if anything happens. And I’d let you know
when I can meet up again.”