Page 6 of Snagged By Hook

“Now that that’s over with, are you guys ready for the real show? I want you screaming for Vengynce.” She drew out the last word before stepping behind the drum kit and pounding out a beat that had everyone cheering.

The rest of the band joined in, and the music vibrated through Nova’s body. She loved metal. That was half the appeal of the job. The other half was paying bills, of course. The crowd surged, and she was trying to cut through it when TAW’s girlfriend approached her.

Great, it was probably going to be a stay-away-from-my-man situation.

Nova was not in the mood, but TAW was RBMC, which meant his girlfriend was connected too, and since her employer was also RBMC, she’d have to let the woman warn her off and be polite in her reception of the message.

Internally, she rolled her eyes when the lady leaned in to shout in her ear over the music. “I’m Devin, Croon’s sister.”

Fuck, so not only an ol’ lady-slash-girlfriend, but her boss’s boss’s sister. Great.She cringed at the word. She really needed to open a fucking thesaurus sometime.

Wait, weren’t there rules about sisters in an MC? So not only did TAW not respect his girlfriend, but it would also seem his respect didn’t run as deep for his brothers as she thought it did in that lifestyle. Admittedly, most of her knowledge came from documentaries and TV dramas.

“Hi, Devin, I’m Nova. Did you need a drink? I’m working the bar, but I’d be happy to grab it for you.”

“No, I don’t, but Hook needs a shot. Do you think you could bring him one, but don’t tell him I ordered it? He’s a great guy, by the way.”

Nova had to assume Hook was TAW. She didn’t know what game Devin was playing, but she wasn’t interested. “I’m sure he is. Does he have a preference?”

“You.”

“Excuse me.”

“His preference: you. I’m sure you saw him checking you out earlier. You’re beautiful and just his type. A lady could do a lot worse, that’s for sure.”

Okay, enough was enough. “I meant a preference for his shot. While I’m flattered, I’m not interested in whatever you’re proposing.” Nova tried to be as nice as she could while being clear and decisive.

“Oh, god. No. Shit, I’m fucking this all up. I’m not—” The rest of her words were lost to the heavy riff. Nova watched Devin’s mouth moving, but her lip-reading skills were confined to mostly drink orders. The song’s intensity suddenly dropped, and she could hear again.

“So, you see, that’s what I meant.”

No, Nova did not see, nor did she care to. The woman was just like she used to be—delusional as fuck. She justified and explained away Brent’s flirting until she was blue in the face.

While she didn’t hear many of the actual words Devin had said, her brain filled in the blanks.It was probably something like…so while you are his typical type, that’s why he looked at you, but he isn’t interested. He loves me, and it’s just harmless. That’s why I said a lady could do a lot worse. I am so lucky. He’s the best, blah, blah, blah.

Nova blindly agreed. “Got it, Hook, great guy. Is tequila good?” She didn’t wait for Devin to confirm, stepping away and heading behind the bar.

She put the shot on hold. Dale was getting slammed at the bar, so she did her bartending job first. She couldn’t help but notice TAW, or Hook, but she liked TAW better, and Devin had their heads together talking almost the whole time. If it weren’t for TAW’s smile, she would’ve thought Devin was giving him the business about flirting.

Maybe that’s why she ordered the shot, to test him. See how he would react to a woman bringing him a drink he didn’t order. Well, she would not be the point of a fight. The bar slowed, and she poured three shots instead of one and made her way to where they sat with a huge dude.

Hook beamed at her as she approached.

“Guys, this is Nova. Nova, this is Squatch.” Devin indicated the big guy to her left. “And this is Hook.” Devin patted him on the shoulder like a buddy would. Nova could only assume at that point she was setting him up for failure because she wanted a fight, either with her boyfriend or with Nova. Or they were into something as a couple that she wanted no part of.

Challenge not accepted.

Hook gave her the same smile and wink he had outside. “It’s very nice to meet you, Nova.” He spoke in a tone that was smooth as satin, while his voice was rough as cheap sheets. Not as rough as it had been with the whistler, though. She noticed his hand lift as if to grab hers, luckily, she was still holding the tray.

Instead of the nice to meet you she would normally spout, she simply nodded and smiled.

“I brought you all shots because, why not? Shots!” Nova used her cheeriest voice and set them down along with a saltshaker and lemon wedges. “Enjoy.” Before she could make her escape, the big man at the table spoke.

“Nova?” When she met his eyes, he smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.” He spoke so genuinely; it soothed her annoyance a bit. His vest, or cut, proclaimed him Sasquatch, Enforcer, but Devin had called him Squatch.

Nova was just the waitress at their bar, she wasn’t RBMC adjacent. She wasn’t sure if it would be okay for her to use the shortened version of his road name or not. She decided to play it safe and not use either.

She noticed Devin was moving away from the table with her drink in hand, so she kept her gaze firmly on Squatch.

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