Free Helluva Luxe by Natalie Essary Page A

glass. But when I got to the landing, I heard Massive Attack thumping through Ash’s door.
    And then I heard Lily moan. The little vixen must’ve shimmied through the vents.
    I set the food down and got the heck outta there.
    I think that might’ve been about the time I started questioning everybody’s motives. Even my own. I needed normal for a while, man. I wanted to see some friendly faces, talk a little smack, and drink scandalous amounts of booze. So I went back down to my bar and hung out with a few of my crew who weren’t there to see the show and didn’t know anything about any kind of drama.
    During the second encore, I saw Lily slip down the stairs and into the crowd. She was wiping her nose with the back of her hand. I couldn’t tell if she’d been crying or what, and I wasn’t even sure which option was worse at that point. She left for the after-party alone.
    After the club cleared out, Ash came down the stairs, holding her takeout box. She set it on my bar, and I poured her a shot. She took it, leaned back against the wall and studied me. I couldn’t read her at all.
    “Why the fuck do we have locks on the outside of the doors?” she said.
    “In case we need to use the rooms for storing treasure instead of people. Want me to nuke your Amarillo?” I asked. “I’ll take the pickle out first.”
    She smiled. Kind of. So I grabbed her Styrofoam.
    “I need a better plan,” she said. Her voice was so low I thought it might be in my head.
    “You need to figure out a way to make him back off.”
    “Which him, Rorke?”
    I handed her a beer. “Point taken.” I couldn’t believe what I was about to say next. So much for family. “Can’t we just buy Zayzl out? You, me and Lily? That’d get rid of one of one of our problems.”
    “Nope. I tried.”
    I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You tried to buy Zayzl out?”
    She nodded.
    I wanted to ask her where the hell she got the dough to buy Zayzl out on her own, but instead I said, “Whose dust was in the booth?”
    “His. He planted it. Then he sent Wolf up there.”
    “Wait. Wolf’s not in on it?”
    “Nope.”
    “Christ. You should’ve said something, Ash.”
    “Can’t. I got it for him.” She grinned at me. “I’m in deeper than you think, baby.”
    Several heavy beats of silence passed while we watched one another, and she took a long tug on her beer. I was choking on questions, but she picked up her food and stood to leave.
    “I like you too much to get you involved.”
    “Ash, wait.”
    “Can’t,” she said. “Not anymore.”

Chapter 13
     
     
    Rorke stood up, dumped the ashtray, cleared our empty bottles, and grabbed her rag. She was suddenly a bartender again, but I felt like I’d been dropped from a high place.
    “Whoa there, Nelly,” I said, reaching across the bar for her hand.
    She snapped me with her rag. “We open in an hour.”
    “You can’t leave me hanging, woman. Keep talking. I’ll help you set up the bar.”
    “You’re doing that anyway, Salem.” She pushed an apron at me. A red one with black lace and horns on the pockets.
    “Wearing this?”
    “Nah. I just wanted to see if you’d put it on. Now be a good boy and stuff my box.” She patted the cooler and twitched her ass.
    I chucked the apron back at her. “You’re finishing the story after last call.”
    “Baby, the story ain’t ever over.”
    Don’t I know it.
    An hour later, my skin was on fire from the number of times she almost brushed up against me. Every inch of space behind that bar smelled like a woman. Like that woman. I’ve never been so hot without breaking a sweat. Too much leaning, too much eye contact, too many twisted smiles, and way too many smartass remarks. Her spicy friends were sharp as tacks, too, and they were damn thirsty. Even the coffin cooler mocked me.
    And the music. Don’t get me started on the eerily suggestive music. Ash riding the board alone was like one long sexual encounter, building from open to close. If I