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Lilianna
Lilianna James walked into the bar and looked around. It was the last known address for her older brother, Cillian, but why would he give their mother a bar as his forwarding address? She didn’t know very much about her brother, other than her mother missed him terribly right up until her passing and she blamed herself for the time that he did in prison. As if their saint of a mother could be responsible for anything like that. Her mum died believing that nonsense. She said that she felt guilty about leaving Cillian in America and if only she brought him home with them, to Ireland, things would have been different for him. Maybe she was right, but Lili had a feeling that her big brother would have found trouble no matter what country he lived in.
The address that he left as his last known residence was a good indication that her brother hadn’t changed a bit since she last saw him. It was a bar, for Christ’s sake, called Savage Hell and she was pretty sure that most of the guys in here were fresh out of prison, just like her big brother. The last letter home told the family that Cillian was out of prison and could be reached at this place. Lili just never dreamed that she’d actually have tocome all the way to America to find him, but she had no choice. She needed his help and if she was turning to Cillian, it meant she was pretty damn desperate.
She boldly walked up to the bar, ignoring the badass bikers who stared her down. “You’re not supposed to be here tonight, honey,” the hulk standing behind the bar stared her down and she defiantly shrugged. “Tonight’s church and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll come back tomorrow when we allow barflies like you in.”
“Are you the owner?” she asked.
“I’m not,” he said, squinting his eyes at her. “Name’s Bowie. I’m the owner’s husband. You’re not from around here, are you?”
Lil rolled her eyes at the big guy. That was the very first thing guys asked her as if she didn’t know that she wasn’t from the states. “No kidding,” she mumbled more to herself than to him. “Is this a gay bar then?” she asked.
“What?” Bowie asked. “Why would you think it’s a gay bar?” He looked around as if something was amiss.
“Because you said that this place belongs to your husband,” Lil said. “Meaning, you’re gay, right? I mean I’m not judging you, I don’t give a feck,” she shouted over the music that had just started. “Jesus—that’s loud,” she complained.
Bowie smiled at her and nodded. “I told you—no women tonight. It’s church and the guys get a little rowdy. And to answer your question, I’m bisexual—my husband, Savage is too. We have a woman we share between us.”
She nodded at him as if she was satisfied with his answer because, as she just admitted, she didn’t give a feck about who the guy was fucking. “Your business,” she said.
He smiled and nodded back at her. “So, you from England or something?” he asked.
“You think I’m from fecking England?” she asked.
“Well, your accent sounds English,” he said.
“How dare you,” she shouted over the music. “I’m not from England and I don’t fecking sound English. I’m from—"
“Ireland,” a man’s voice shouted from behind her. “Lil is from Ireland, and she shouldn’t fucking be here.” She didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind her. His Irish lilt gave him away.
Lil turned to smile up at her big brother. “Cillian,” she said. “You’re really here?”
Cillian held his arms out wide, “In the flesh, Lil,” he said. “Now, how about we get to the point of why you’re here?” he asked. “I thought you were back home, in Ireland.”
“Why should I stay back there when Da and Ma are both dead and buried?” she challenged. “You got to leave that cac town, why shouldn’t I have the same privileges you do?”
“That town wasn’t a shit town, Lil,” he chided. “It was our home and when I left there, only trouble followed me. You’d be better off back home than here, trust me.”
“Trust you?” she challenged. “Why should I go and do a crazy thing like that? You broke Ma’s heart, Cillian. You left her to believe that she was the cause of you going to prison and she never got over that.”
“Not getting home to see Da or Ma before they passed is my major regret, Lil,” Cillian said. “I beat myself up the whole time I was in prison, but I can’t change any of that now. All I can do is be there for my wife and kids and be the best husband and father I can be.”
“Wife and kids?” Lil repeated.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m married and have two kids with another on the way. You should come by and meet the family. Hell, why don’t you stay with us?” he asked.
“I can’t do that,” Lil said.
“Why the feck not?” Cillian growled.
“Because it will put you all in danger and I won’t do that to you, no matter how angry I am at you, Cillian,” Lil said.
“Danger,” the big guy behind her said.
“Jesus,” she breathed, “there are more of them, and they keep getting bigger,” she muttered to herself.
The huge man with the salt and pepper beard laughed so hard that he garnered a good bit of attention, just what she was trying to avoid. “I’m Savage,” he said, holding out his hand to her. She looked it over as if it offended her, finally deciding to shake it.
