Hook (Brutal Chains MC #1)

Chapter 3

Three

Hook

I've had my share of pissed off car owners but this takes the cake.

This woman jumped out of the back seat of her car like a fucking banshee. She screamed and attacked. I didn't even have the chance to get myself ready. I don't usually get caught off guard but at the same time women don't usually hide out in the back of cars.

Right now I can't focus on that, right now I have to focus on the fact that there's a weapon coming straight for my head. At the last second I catch the heavy metal coming straight for me.

The woman doesn't let the tire iron go. I could easily rip it out of her grasp, but then I'd run the risk of her saying that I hit her. I'm not about to go down for a domestic abuse charge—especially when she's the one who snuck in here.

How the hell did she get in here in the first place?

I turn her so her back is pressed against my front, and she can't swing the tire iron anymore. The minute I feel like she's finally starting to lose some of the fire burning inside of her, I whisper in her ear, "someone's been a bad girl."

She was like a wildcat caught in a trap, her body tense and coiled like a spring. And as I whispered those words in her ear, her fiery resistance began to falter.

She shudders, and I feel her muscles go tense.

With one final tug of the metal, I disarm the woman and let her take a step away from me. "What are you going to do to me?" she whispers, but she doesn't take her eyes off my face.

I can't see much of her. I can tell she's a woman, but the slight frame of her body and the strands of hair pouring out of the hoodie she's wearing catch my attention. Her voice is soft but determined.

Something happened to this woman, and right now she thinks I'm about to further that trauma. If the trauma has anything to do with her car, I might just do that.

"What are you talking about?" I take a step back before I throw the tire iron against the side gate, away from both of us. The motion seems to put her at ease because she lets her arms drop to her side, and I swear I hear her exhale.

"He told you to bring me here, right? So where is he?" She pulls the hood down from her head, and I gasp at the sight of her.

She's definitely not what I expected. She's beautiful, a little skinny, and the bags under her eyes let me know that she's been deprived of good sleep for a long time. But besides that, she's still a looker.

I close my eyes before I look down, willing my cock not to get hard. She's already on edge, and if I can't control my hormones, she's definitely going to get the wrong impression.

"Look, lady, I don't know what you're talking about. No one told me to bring you anywhere. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you got off my property."

"Your property?" she questions, looking around. She does a tight spin, and when she's turned in my direction again, I see the small "o" on her face. She's just understanding what's going on here. I didn't take her anywhere; I took her car.

The scent of rust and oil from the tire iron fills the air. Mixed with it is the woman's perfume, a sweet and flowery scent that contrasts with the musty odors of my tow lot. It’s not the best job in the world but I don’t have to answer to anyone besides Brick who owns the building.

"You towed me!" she shrieked.

"Yeah, you were parked in a no-parking zone. The stores were closed, and the owner of the establishment has had too many people using his lot as free overnight parking."

"Well, I didn't know that." She bristles and presses her hands against her hips.

"The signs were clearly posted."

"I didn't see them." She shrugs and tries to walk back to her car. I sidestep just to stop her. I wasn't going to put my hands on her, but I definitely wasn't going to let her take her car. I'd already let the authorities know that I'd picked it up.

"I don't know what to tell you, but you can't keep me here." She lifts her chin, and part of me wants to boop her nose like a small child.

"No, I'm not going to keep you here. In fact, if you could high-tail it the hell out of my lot, I'd greatly appreciate it."

She tries once again to get around me. "I'm not leaving without my car."

The words slipped from my lips like honey, dripping with sincerity and love. "Oh sweetheart, you are, you just don’t realize it yet," I whispered, my voice barely audible but full of conviction.

She took a step back, her body tensing up as if anticipating a threat. I can't blame her for being cautious, in the best of lights I can be described as menacing. Tonight in the dim light of this car filled lot I’m sure I look like a monster in her eyes.

I can see the fear in her eyes, the apprehension in her movements. Every inch I closed the distance between us, she retreats further away, almost as if she was afraid of getting too close.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to scare me?" she whispers as she backs up to the gate of the lot.

"I'm not trying; you just seem to be skittish on your own. Now get the hell out of here." I snarl in her direction, and she jumps slightly at the tone of my voice.

"Please," she looks down at the name tag on my shirt. "Hook?" she questions, and I nod my head.

"Please, Hook, you have to let me take my car back. I don't have any money and no place to go. If you don't let me take my car, they'll find me. I'm sure they will." She squeezes her eyes shut, and a sudden surge of protectiveness rushes through me. Her problems are not my problems, but it's clear that she's going through something—something that she can't get through on her own.

"Look, miss?—"

"Bea, my name is Bea."

I shake my head, not interested in her name. I don't want to know anything more than what I already know. What I know is I don't need any problems. I'm still on probation, and from the way she reacted when she popped out of the car, whatever she's going up against is a problem that's destined to send me back to the clink. I'm not going to risk it, even if she is an intense woman who seems to be the only person to make me laugh in the last few months.

"Listen, Bea," I say with as much patience as I can muster. "I understand you're going through a tough time. But this isn't my problem."

She glares at me, her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're heartless," she spits out.

"I'm realistic." I shrug, not wanting to get into a philosophical debate about emotions and heartlessness.

For a split second, guilt tugs at my chest and for some reason, I feel like an asshole for making her go through this situation alone. But then reality hits me like a ton of bricks and reminds me why staying out of this mess is the smarter thing to do.

"Bea, I can't let you take this car out of here. You're going to have to pay the fine. If you can't pay the fine, then you can't have your car." I shrug and try to reach behind her to open the gate.

"So what am I supposed to do? Where do I go?" she asks me as if I had the answers to all her problems.

"Can't you go to the cops or something? There are plenty of resources in town."

"I can't go to the cops. Don't you think I would have done that if I could?" she fumes at me.

"I don't know what you would have done. I don't know you, woman. That means whatever your damage is isn't my problem. I did my job, and right now you're trespassing."

She squints her eyes at me, and I can tell that she's seconds away from blowing up at me. I don't have time for this. "See yourself out. If you try and steal the car from the lot, I'll have the police hunt you down for grand theft auto. Don't test me." I turn my back to her and walk over to the other cars I towed today.

"I should've known. You're just like that asshole. Bastards, all of you," she mutters before I hear the gate open and her walk out.

I'm not sure who this bastard is that she's talking about, but I know whatever he did, he truly hurt her. I don't want to be. It's not my business. I just let her go as I focus on my job. I'm sure whatever problems she's gotten herself into, she's more than capable of getting herself out of them.

I'm no one's hero.