Page 31 of Snagged By Hook

If only Nova would be as easy.

“So be it,” Prez mumbled. “Carry on, Hook.”

His throat was a little clogged, and not just from the subject matter he still needed to speak on. Fuck, he’d just claimed an ol’ lady. Did he even love her? She occupied every brain cell he had, that was for sure.

She brought a certain peace to his soul, and he loved knowing she was in his space. If he didn’t love her, he could see lovecoming. But could it be that simple? Nothing in his life ever had been for him.

It was done.

In the eyes of the club, she was his whether she wanted it or not. Hook would let them go if that’s what they wanted. Hell, he wasn’t even going to tell her what he did. In a million years, he’d never take away her choice. He knew how precious that was. No matter what the club thought, she was free. Nova would be his only if she wanted to be.

“Hook?” Outlaw prompted.

Shit.

Hook highlighted more pertinent details.

He explained how the three boys ran away. How he’d thought, until the time Casey walked out, that they’d truly been brothers. He hated going into detail about who Barbara was. He left off the fact that they had to call herMom, no way in hell was he sharing everything. They didn’t need to know those things in order to put an end to the current threat.

A part of his heart turned black at the thought of who the threat was and how he’d be the one to end him.

“Anyway, I believe Brent could be Casey. Maybe he started up where Barbara left off since it seems he’s pulling from her old playbook almost verbatim.”

“How do you know she left off? She could still be running the show. In my experience, people like that don’t retire.” It was a question he expected from Outlaw, since Zombie had asked him the same one earlier. One he’d dodged.

“She’s not,” Hook denied emphatically.

“But we don’t know that. We need all the info on her so we can be prepared. Assumptions get people killed.” Leave it to Virus to keep digging.

“I know that. So, forget about Barbara, and focus on Casey.”

“How do you know that, Hook? It’s been yea—” Interrupting Prez wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done, but it wouldn’t be the dumbest either.

“I don’t care how long it’s been; I fucking know.”

Zombie’s voice had a hard edge to it that was rarely there. “How?” It was a command to answer. His tone said he knew Hook was holding back, and he wasn’t allowing it.

Hook rocketed up from his chair. Before he could gain control of himself, he shouted out a truth no one else knew.

“BECAUSE! I SLIT HER FUCKING THROAT AND WATCHED HER BLOOD SOAK INTO THE HIDEOUS GODDAMN BEDSPREAD SHE MADE ME FUCK HER ON RATHER THAN GET THE LITTLE BOY SHE ORDERED ME TO JUST SO I COULD GO FREE LIKE CASEY DID, OKAY!”

What in the unholy fucking world compelled him to utter that confession?

“Fuck,” he growled.

He picked up the nearest thing, which happened to be his chair, and threw it against the wall behind him.

The room went eerily silent.

Pacing back and forth like a caged animal, he locked his fingers in his hair until his scalp stung.

It wasn’t until Squatch stepped into his path and Hook ran into him that he stopped. Expecting to see pity when he looked up into the face of one of his closest brothers, he was shocked. Instead, he saw rage and anger. But it was the love and kinship that were unexpected. The look in his eyes said Squatch could relate, and that wasn’t something he ever wanted in common with another.

Hook had always known that Squatch had been through something horrid, but to see that confirmation on his face hurt his heart. Squatch wrapped him in an embrace of what could only be described as healing. No sooner did Hook return it thanSquatch pulled away. Patting him on the back and clearing his throat like Hook hadn’t just confessed to killing his rapist.

“Good.”

Good?

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