Page 2 of Hook

"No, word on the street is the Seven Oh Sevens are on the rampage for some reason. Now we don't have any problems with them, but if there's a street war about to go down, we all need to make sure that we steer clear. I don't want to hear anything about any of you needing bail. Remember, if you give up your freedom, you give up your patch." Brick glares at each one of us before he stops his eyes on Pipe and visibly gags.

"Dismissed, Pipe, get the fuck out of here. You smell like rotten shit." Brick bangs his cuffed wrist on the table. The higher-ups in the Brutal Chains MC all wear one half of a pair of broken handcuffs on their wrists. It's a sign of power and a reminder of where they've been. I got mine three months ago when I was promoted to VP.

Now not only do I have to worry about my business, which is by far one of the most confrontational, but I also have to worry about the other members of my MC. It was never the job I saw for myself, but being a felon, there aren't many jobs out there for me. At least with this crew, I can do something I'm proud of. Being part of the Brutal Chains MC has changed my life for the better, and I refuse to let anyone come in and take it away from me.

Two

Bea

"Sunshine...sunshine..."I sing softly to myself as I huddle down even as tightly as I can on the floor of the back seat.

My mother used to sing me this song when I was a young girl. Whenever she'd sing it to me I'd feel better. Unfortunately, it's not having the same effect on me as it usually does. Mostly because it's near freezing out, and I'm trying to hide under a small fleece blanket and the rest of the clothes I was able to sneak out of my house.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to focus on the words of the song, but my teeth are chattering so hard my jaw hurts and I can't.

How the hell did this happen?

One day I was living a semi good life. Working a dead end job and my social life was in shambles, but I was still looking forward to waking up and getting on with the day. I never thought my fucked up decisions would come back to haunt me.

That is, until I got the first letter.

Lance Toffee was my first bad boy. He's charming and intense. He love bombed me from the very first second we met and instead of seeing all the red flags for what they were I conveniently ignored them.

By the time he went to prison for aggravated assault I was just a shell of the woman I'd used to be. When he got in the police car I thought my life would finally go back to normal. I was so wrong.

Week after week, Lance would somehow get a message to me. Sometimes it was letters, other times it was dead flowers. The worst was when he'd get one of his henchmen to come pay me a visit, saying they were just making sure I was okay. It was all a ploy to keep me under his thumb. The only comfort I had was knowing that Lance was locked up.

Now he's out.

They actually gave that crazed psycho parole and he took no time in letting me know that he was coming for me.

I went to the cops and tried to plead my case but since there was no real proof, they couldn't do anything to help me. Only said if he shows up I should give them a call. What good that's going to do me. If Lance shows up, I'm as good as dead.

Doing my best I force my thoughts away from Lance. I'm a fool for thinking I could change him. For letting myself be claimed by someone I knew was bad for me. I'll never let anyone get close to me. Not again. I've learned my lesson.

"Sunshine... Sun..." The words falter in my throat and I get still as I hear a vehicle rolling up near my car. I'm parked in a lot. When I got here earlier there were plenty of cars but I haven'tlooked out the window in a long while. I don't want to chance someone seeing me in here. It's late enough that I know whoever is outside my car isn't here for anything good.

It's got to be one of Lance's men.

My mouth goes dry as I sip small breaths in. If I don't make a sound, maybe whoever is outside will go away. I'm going to have to find a new hiding spot. I can't go back home. It's the first place Lance is going to come looking for me. My parents are on the other side of the world and when I started my relationship with Lance they all but disowned me. I'm on my own here.

Heavy footsteps walk around the car. The tromping reverberates in my body with every step. My mind plays over a million and one scenarios. None of which ends well for me. I can't get taken. Can't let Lance win.

Moving as slowly as I can I fumble around next to me on the floor and wrap my hand around the tire iron I brought out of my trunk. This is the only weapon I have. If whoever it is outside has a gun or something I'm not going to last very long. Still I have to try.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming out when I hear the front door open and a heavy grunt as someone looks through my vehicle.

Why the hell didn't I lock my car?

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Moving is not an option right now. My palms are sweating and whereas before I was shaking because of the cold now I'm shaking in fear. Any second the person in the front seat is goingto look in the back and move the blanket that I'm hiding under. They'll find me and kill me right there on the spot.

I say a silent prayer to whoever will listen for my life. I just need to get through tonight. I need to get through tonight and then I'll make a plan. I'll go to church. I'll do community service. I'll do whatever I have to just to stay alive.

The heavy sighs and grunts stop and whoever is in the front seat opens the door again and gets out of the car.

Did that really just work?