Hook (Brutal Chains MC #1)

Chapter 9

Nine

Hook

"Holy shit." Bea breathes out beside me as I escort her into the courtyard in front of the entrance to the clubhouse. The grass is perfectly manicured, there's a huge fire pit in the middle. Tables and chairs. A basketball court and free weights.

Very few people have ever been this close to the clubhouse who weren't in some way affiliated with us. Bea is the first one.

"How did I not see this place?" She asks.

"Hidden in plain sight. Everyone thinks the building is an old warehouse or storage. No one ever comes back here but us." I shrug but can't help the pride welling up inside of me. This is my home. A home I share with my brothers.

"This is amazing. I'd have never guessed this was back here." She looks around the area like it's a secret entrance to a mystical land. It makes me laugh.

"Come on. Brick doesn't like to be kept waiting." I urge her forward and the smile drops from her face.

"You think he's mad?" She asks and I feel my hand tighten against hers.

"Sure, but Brick is always mad about something. He's not mad at you in particular."

"Okay, let's go." She nods and moves a little faster to the front door.

The entrance of the clubhouse is indicated by the heavy metal doors. They are large and Torch burned in our insignia a long time ago. Bea tries to push the doors open but they don't budge. I put a little force behind it and they swing open easily for me.

"Talk about a boys club." She scoffs and I shake my head. It's true that everyone in the MC are men but I don't think it's a requirement. It's just the ladies never bothered to ask if they could join. Maybe the BCMC is too rugged for them. I'm not going to complain about it. If there's one thing I know it's that women make things so much more complicated. At least that's always been my experience. The proof is standing right next to me in Bea. I should be out searching for cars to tow but now I'm here trying to figure out with Brick how to keep her safe without getting too deep into her mess.

"Oh, are we having a party?" Light asks as he comes out of his room and sees Bea standing inside the clubhouse.

"Fuck off." I answer right away. Out of all of us, Light is the one the ladies usually go for. With his baby face and soft blonde hair. He's pretty. I've never been jealous of him or anything like that but I don't want to leave anything up to chance. Bea is completely off limits.

"Damn, Hook. Why you so mean?" He asks and continues on his way in Bea's direction. Instantly I can feel her relax as he smiles at her. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does but the second Light puts his hand out to shake hers I want to punch him in the face.

"I'm Light, nice to meet you..." He lets the words trail off.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Bea."

"Bea, that's a beautiful name." He continues.

"You know what's going to be beautiful, the way your blood spills on the floor when I knock your fucking teeth in. Back off." I snarl in his direction and his eyes go wide.

"Whoa, easy there, Hook," Light says, backing away with his hands raised. "I was just being friendly."

Bea looks between us, confusion and concern etched on her face. I feel a twinge of guilt for my outburst, but I can't help it. The thought of Light getting close to her sets my teeth on edge.

I guide Bea past him, my hand on the small of her back. As we walk down the hallway, the familiar scents of leather, and stale beer fill my nostrils. Bea's eyes dart around, taking in the various MC paraphernalia adorning the walls – old photos, patches, and even a few mugshots.

"Hook," she whispers, tugging on my sleeve. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I stop and turn to face her, my hands resting on her shoulders. "Look, I know this is all new and probably scary as hell, but trust me. Brick may be a hardass, but he's fair. We'll figure this out."

I'm hoping I'm not lying. Brick has never once led me down the wrong path but so far all he's wanted to do is to get rid of Bea. Telling me to leave her alone. I can't do that and all I can hope for is him to be understanding of that fact.

We need another solution.

She nods, but I can see the uncertainty lingering in her eyes. I give her shoulders a gentle squeeze before leading her to where Brick is sitting. He's not in church but instead sitting in the chill out area where we have our large TV and games set up. There are a few tables scattered around and he's sitting at one of them waiting for the two of us to get there.

I pull out a chair for Bea to sit, before I grab another for myself.

"Now, what the hell happened?" Brick asks getting straight to the heart of our business.

"I took her to the police station like you said. We were all set to go in when she saw the same two assholes that tried to get information out of me yesterday. They were coming out of the police station with two cops right next to them. They had flyers. They're making it seem like she's a missing person." I reach into my pocket and pull out one of the flyers that I pulled down from the telephone pole so Brick can see it.

His eyebrows furrow as he reads over the information. "It says here you're out of your damn mind. Is that right, Bea?"

"I don't know, maybe I am out of my mind to think that you all would be able to help me. As far as anything else, I'm as sane as the next person." She says with a shrug and I cringe at the way she's talking to Brick. He's not the type to sit back and be disrespected but I can tell that he's really enjoying her demeanor. It's not every day someone goes against him.

"I think I'd know if she was crazy Brick. They're just trying to make it so her story is less credible make it so more people believe them then her." I add in.

"Yeah, I'm getting that." Brick sighs and flings the flyer back in my direction. "I guess it's time you tell me exactly what he wants from you and what you did to make him so pissed off."

Bea quickly tells him everything that she's told me. Tells him about how she left her home to get away from him, how he's basically been stalking her even while he was in prison, even how he has quite a few people who are willing to do his bidding. She tells him about the shelter and living in her car. Everything I already know but for some reason just hearing her say it again pisses me off more than anything.

This woman truly has been through hell just because this asshole doesn't know how to treat her. I may not be the best man in the world but I know I'm a better man than this Lance bastard.

"So you see Brick, I can't just turn her away," I finish, leaning forward in my chair. "We're her only shot at staying safe."

Brick's face remains impassive as he processes everything we've told him. The silence stretches on, and I can feel Bea fidgeting nervously beside me.

Finally, Brick speaks. "This Lance character, he's got connections with the police?"

Bea nods. "From what I've gathered, yes. He's got friends in high places."

Brick grunts, his fingers drumming on the table. "Makes things trickier. Can't just go to the cops."

"That's why I brought her here," I say, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. "We can protect her, Brick. Give her a chance to breathe without looking over her shoulder every five seconds."

Brick's eyes narrow as he studies Bea. "You realize what you're asking, girl? Getting mixed up with us ain't no picnic. We ain't saints."

"I know," Bea says, her voice steady despite the fear I can see in her eyes. "But right now, you're the only option I've got. I can't keep running forever."

Brick nods slowly, then turns to me. "Hook, you vouching for her?"

I don't hesitate. "With my life."

The words hang in the air, and I can feel Bea's eyes on me. Brick leans back in his chair, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright," he says finally. "She can stay. But she's your responsibility, Hook. You keep her safe, you keep her out of club business. And if this Lance fucker shows up, we deal with him our way. Got it?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

"Good, get her settled in. I need to do some research..." Before he can get up his phone buzzes and he pulls it out of his pocket. "Motherfucker!" He barks as he stares down at the screen.

"What's up?" I ask instantly.

"Light! Let's roll!" Brick barks.

All in a matter of seconds, Brick goes from calm and collected to a man on a mission. I'm not sure what's going on but I know whatever it is isn't good.

"Brick?" I call out to him.

"Someone's at my storage facility. I just got a message from the alarm company. I'm being robbed." He barks and rushes outside. I hear the sound of bikes roaring up. I look from the door to Bea. I can't leave her here on her own but I've never not been around when my brothers needed to ride out. I'm torn.

"Shit, come on!" I yell at her and race to the front door.

"Where are we going?" Bea asks as she follows behind me.

"Don't ask questions, and do everything I fucking say." I snap at her and am surprised when she just nods her head and follows me.

Racing out into the courtyard I go into the garage and hop on my bike.

I rev the engine, feeling the familiar rumble beneath me. Bea hesitates for a moment, eyeing the bike warily.

"Get on," I growl, tossing her my spare helmet. She catches it clumsily, fumbling with the straps.

"I've never been on a motorcycle before," she admits, her voice barely audible over the engine's roar.

"There's a first time for everything. Now move your ass!"

She swings her leg over the seat, settling in behind me. Her arms wrap around my waist, grip tightening as I kick the stand up.

"Hold on tight," I warn, then we're off, tearing out of the garage and onto the street.

The wind whips past us as we weave through traffic, following the distant rumble of Brick and Light's bikes. Bea's arms are like a vise around my middle, her body pressed flush against my back. I can feel her heartbeat pounding, matching the adrenaline coursing through my own veins.

We race through the city, the scenery blurring into a smear of colors and shapes. I can see Brick and Light up ahead, their leather cuts unmistakable even at this distance. We're gaining on them, the storage facility can't be far now.

Brick and Light screech to a halt, and I pull up alongside them. Before I can even cut the engine, Brick is off his bike, storming towards the entrance with murder in his eyes.

"Stay here," I order Bea as I dismount. "Don't move, don't talk to anyone. If shit goes sideways, you run. Got it?"

She nods, eyes wide with fear and excitement. I turn and jog after Brick and Light, my hand instinctively reaching for the blade tucked into my waistband. Whatever's waiting for us inside, we're ready for a fight.

As we approach the entrance, I can hear muffled shouts and the sound of things being thrown around. Brick pauses at the door, looking back at Light and me. We nod, ready for his signal.

With a roar of rage, Brick kicks the door open, and we charge inside, ready to face whatever – or whoever – is stealing from our president.

"Do we know who it is?" I ask out of breath as I catch up with the two of them.

"If I knew who the fuck it was, do you think we'd be sneaking around like fucking assholes?" Brick snarls at me in a hushed whisper. This is the last thing we need, and the stress of it all is written all over his face.

I close my mouth and follow behind Light and Brick, hoping to find whoever it is inside the warehouse by surprise. The best-case scenario is that it’s a few kids doing some shit they have no business doing. The worst-case scenario is that it’s one of the gangs that frequent the area. If they try to steal from Brick, that means they no longer hold any respect for my president, and that could mean a war is coming—something no one in the crew wants anything to do with.

The three of us move silently as we walk up and down the aisles of cement and sheetrock that Brick has in the storage facility. He’s a contractor, so there’s a lot of expensive equipment in here that he can’t bear to have stolen from him.

Just as we turn one of the corners, there’s a small skid of someone’s foot behind us.

The three of us turn like tops in that direction.

"Shit!" Brick hisses as he sees Bea step into the light, her eyes wide and her hands up.

She’s so lucky that none of us are walking around with guns right now, or she’d be blown away.

"Get your girl," Light mutters before the both of them turn around and continue looking through the place.

"What the hell did I tell you?" I lunge forward and grab hold of Bea to pull her closer to me.

"You were taking so long I thought something was wrong," Bea says as an excuse. I can see the concern in her eyes. She doesn’t even know me, but she’s concerned about what happens to me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way about her.

This isn’t the time to go into that, though. "Stay close to me and don’t make any noise." I place one of her hands against my back so she understands how close I want her and continue to follow Light and Brick through the area.

"Shit! Wendy, where are you?" I hear a woman's voice, and instantly I’m confused. What is a woman doing in here?

Brick and Light turn the corner, and as I follow, I see a woman tearing through large boxes and pushing things to the side.

"Hey!" Brick calls out, which startles the woman. Instead of standing still, it seems like her fight-or-flight reflex goes straight into fight mode. She rushes Brick, who takes a few steps back, startled. There’s a large wrench in her hand, which she swings at him.

I hear the whoosh of the air as she puts all her strength behind the swing. Light and Brick are too close to each other. As Brick moves back to get away from the assault, he trips over Light's boot and goes down hard. Now the woman focuses her attention on Light, who is trying to back up as well but is tangled in Brick’s legs. With no one left to fight, the woman turns her attention to me. Instead of swinging the wrench, she picks up the nearest piece of building brick and throws it in my direction. It strikes me on my shoulder, and I bend forward, trying to cover my head. The woman is out of her mind.

"Stop it!" I hear another woman scream out, and that’s when I see Bea somehow has gotten behind the woman and jumped on her back.

"Get off me!" the woman who broke in screams as Bea takes her down to the ground hard. The heavy wrench skitters across the pavement, out of the woman’s hands.

Bea doesn’t let up, and I can’t help the smile that breaks across my face. Of course, she’s a wild one. I knew that from the very moment she hopped out of the car and kicked me in the stomach.

"Stop!" Bea screams at her again while she manages to turn the woman over and sit on her midsection, trying to hold her arms down.

"No one is going to hurt you," Bea says as she looks up at me and I nod my head. The BCMC may have a lot of fucked up people in our ranks but none of us are women beaters.

Finally the woman calms a bit looking from Bea and then back up to the three of us who are standing looking down at her.

Her eyes settle on Bea and I can almost see the rage turn into fear, "Please help me. My sister. She's in here."

"What do you mean? No one should be in here." Brick says from where he's standing. I can tell he's trying to not sound as imposing as he really is but it's not like he can help it. Brick is a huge man.

"She's in here. “I know she is,” the woman says.

“What the hell would she be doing in here?” Light asks.

“Some of the kids come in here to get high. She had a bad day, and none of her usual spots or people can tell me where she is. This is the only place she goes when she's alone,” the woman says as Bea gets off her and lets her get to her feet.

“Motherfucker,” Brick growls and takes a step to the side, clearly looking for the girl this woman is talking about. All at once, everyone darts around looking for this missing girl.

“Here she is. Oh God,” Bea calls out, and I see her taking a few steps backward. Whatever she's found doesn't look good.

I race up behind her, and sure enough, a skinny girl probably no bigger than a hundred pounds is curled into one of the shelves with a few boxes around her. Her kit is laid out, and the tourniquet is still wrapped around her arm.

“No, no, Wendy,” the woman cries and starts yanking the boxes away from her sister so she can get to her.

“Come on, baby, wake up.” She shakes Wendy but gets no response.

“We need to call an ambulance,” Bea says from my side.

“They'll never make it in time,” I whisper back. She may not know much about the area, but in this part of town, the cops aren't known for their speedy response time.

“We can take her,” Light says, looking over to Brick.

“How the hell are we going to do that? We're on our bikes!” Brick snaps at him as he leans down and presses a hand to the unconscious girl's throat. He's checking her pulse.

“She's still breathing, but barely,” Brick says out loud, which causes the sister to break down crying even harder. Brick isn't known for his bedside manner.

“I've done it before. I just need someone to help me get her on the bike,” Light replies. He's jumpy, which isn't the norm for his cool and collected nature. Light never really lets anything get under his skin. This must really be hitting home for him if I can even see the panic rising inside of him.

“Please, please help me get her to the hospital.” The woman looks around the room, and I know right then and there there's no way that we're not going to.

At once, the three of us grab the woman and run back out to the front of the storage facility, Brick not even caring about all his supplies and boxes thrown around.

“What's your name?” I hear Bea question the woman as they hurry up behind us.

“Luna.”

“Okay, Luna, they're going to do everything they can, alright? I need you to calm down so you can help them, okay?” Bea rubs a hand up and down on the woman's shoulder, and Luna nods her head.

Just a few moments ago, this woman was ready to take our heads off, and she and Bea were rolling around on the floor like a bunch of wrestlers. It's nice to see people coming together in a time of need. Before I joined up with the BCMC, that wasn't something I saw much of.

“Come on, we have to move,” Light shouts, breaking me out of my daydream as we get to his bike. He hops on and steadies the bike. “Sit her backwards, her front to my front,” he orders, and Brick and I do as he asks. The woman's dead weight flops against Light's large body, and he expertly wraps his arms around her so she doesn't fall back. It’s not something I'd ever seen before—not with an unconscious woman—but Light looks like he knows what he's doing.

“You, come on,” Brick shouts at the sister.

“Luna, her name is Luna,” Bea snaps back. She is still sticking up for the woman.

“Whatever, Luna, on the bike now,” Brick continues to bark out orders before he looks at me. “Brick, you get back home and get this one inside. I'm going to ride with Light to the hospital.” I nod and grab hold of Bea while Brick and Light take off in the direction of the hospital. All at once, all the mania subsides, and I can finally breathe again.

“Well, that was interesting,” Bea chuckles, and I can't help but join in on the laughter. It's not every day something like this happens.

“Come on, let's get back to the clubhouse. I'm sure the rest of the guys are home now, and they're going to want to know what's going on.” I put out a hand to her.

Bea smiles and hops on the back of my bike. The ride back to the clubhouse is short but comfortable. It's amazing how right she feels behind me. When her hands start moving up and down on my stomach I have to stop myself from getting turned on. Bea is a wildcard for sure.

We stop at a light and I put a foot down on the ground to steady the bike before I look back at her. She's staring off to the side worrying her lip.

"They'll get her to the hospital." I say over the hum of my bike.

"I know I just hope they get her there in time. She looks so young." Bea replied only to get a nod from me in response. It's hard to see when someone as young as Wendy going down the wrong path but I know it happens more times than not.

The light changes, and I kick off once again, leaving a tense silence between Bea and me. I want to tell her how good she did, how impressed I was by how she took Luna down, but I don't know how to get the words out. Compliments have never been my forte.

Now that the mess at the storage facility is handled, I'm looking forward to falling into my bed and getting some much-needed rest.

We get to the clubhouse, and I go in the back way. A dead-end alley gives us access to the garage, and like everything else, most people don't even know it’s there.

The bike comes to an abrupt halt when I turn off the ignition and wait for her to get off from behind me. She stretches her arms and legs as I dismount. My eyes roam down her body. The way her ass fills out the jeans she's wearing and the small sliver of skin that shows when she lifts her hands has me hot. It's not usual that I find someone who can turn me on so much without so much as saying a word. Something about Bea is tempting the hell out of me, and I can't ignore it anymore.

"Bea, we need to talk," I say behind her, and she turns quickly. My voice is full of gravel and desire, but I'm sure she doesn't hear that. At least I hope she doesn't.

"Yeah?"

"You need to listen when I tell you to do something. Shit could've been much worse than just some little girl OD'ing in the racks."

"I told you why I followed you in already. It was taking so long," Bea tries to excuse herself, but I won't let it go that easily.

"I don't care if it took twenty years. If I tell you to stay put, you stay put, unless all of a sudden you think you're bad." I take a step in her direction, but instead of moving back, she stands still and raises her chin. She's testing me. Even I can see that. She's trying to see how far she can push me. I'm always up for a challenge.

"I'm not scared."

"Are you sure?" I question getting even closer into her space.

"Yes." Her voice is soft as she lifts her head, craning her neck so she can look at me.

Fuck how I want her.

All rational thought flies out of my mind as I push her back hard against the wall of the garage and grab hold of her neck before my lips crash down on hers.

She squeals for a second, her hands flying up and grabbing hold of my vest.

At first, I can’t tell if she’s pushing me away or not, but by the time my tongue slides out of my mouth, I’ve got no doubt. She’s pulling me closer. Her legs open up for me, one knee lifting slightly, putting pressure against my thigh to keep me close to her.

She tastes like redemption. Tastes like everything I know I don’t deserve.

I’m not the man for her, and I know it, but that’s not stopping me from taking every last bit she’s giving to me.

I tilt my head so I can get deeper, so I can taste every last bit of her mouth. When she moans, I answer with a groan of my own. This shit feels good. Too good.

If there’s one thing I know as an ex-con, it’s that usually when something feels too good, I shouldn’t be doing it.

In a flash, I push myself away from her, holding her still so she can’t follow me forward. This isn’t what I’m here for. I’m here just to make sure her ex isn’t going to hurt her. That’s what I need to be focused on—not how good it would be if I spread her legs right here and sunk balls deep into her.

“Hook…” Bea mutters and licks her lips, ready for more.

“Bea, no. We can’t do this.” I shake my head as I let go of her neck and take another step back.

“Why not? I want to,” she whispers, refusing to let go of my cut.

“You don’t. I’m not a good man. There’s nothing about me that’s soft or romantic. You’re going to go from one fucked-up bastard to another. You don’t need to be doing that.” I shake my head at her.

Her face falls slightly, but she doesn’t let the expression stay. “It’s my choice who I want, and I want this right now.”

She’s testing my willpower.

“No, it’s not happening, sweetheart. I just wanted to say thanks for saving my ass back there. This won’t happen again.” I grab hold of her hands and force her to release me.

She sighs but doesn’t say anything more about the subject. I run my hand down the front of my body and press against the hard on in my pants. I already know a cold shower is on the horizon.

"Come on, I need to get a few things from my office and then we can go inside." I say over my shoulder as she follows behind me.

We walk through the courtyard in silence and I go into the tow yard so I can get to my office.

Ain't this a bitch.

My body freezes up and at the last second I put my hand up to stop Bea from walking. Standing right here in the middle of the tow yard are three men. The two who were searching for Bea before and one other.

All of them staring straight at me and all of them with guns in hand.