STEEL TEMPTATION (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) (3 page)

Before Nate could think of anything
else to say, she kissed him.

It wasn
’
t good, but it wasn
’
t
bad.

At least it would take everything
away
…
if only for one
night.

three.

Mia knew the drill. When the call
came, there was work. With work came money, and who the hell didn
’
t want more money? She never
intended her life to revolve around such greed. Hell, there were times when she
wondered why she didn
’
t
just sleep with him. Then she could ransom his life, his career, for a big
paycheck and then just disappear.

After all, he wasn
’
t actually her uncle. He was her
stepuncle. Yeah, it was a little nasty to think about, but Mia
’
s life was nasty. From her shit
apartment and roommate that never cleaned - or paid rent - to the past that
made the stepping stones for the present ,that had her standing at her uncle
’
s backdoor.

She wasn
’
t allowed to use the front door because the
neighborhood was too prestigious to have someone like Mia there. That meant she
had to park down the street and do her best to sneak around. This was the plan.
This was how it always went.

Once properly welcomed and checked
to make sure she wasn
’
t
high or anything, then her uncle would let her park the car in the driveway.
Well, as long as the car wasn
’
t
a total piece of shit. Her uncle told her there was a settling image about him
helping his niece. You know, since she was going to law school and whatnot.

Law school.

Mia knew plenty about the law, but
it was not the kind most wanted to know.

She stood in jeans with holes in
the knees. A t-shirt with a low cut neck. She was tired from a crappy night of
sleep thanks to a long shift at the strip club.

Mia didn
’
t take her clothes off, well, most of them. She
worked behind the bar, making some money, but nothing like the women who were
on stage. Her boss told her straight up to put a new set of tits on a credit
card and then come talk to him. She told her boss to fuck himself. Then cracked
her across the face.

That was all water under the
bridge. Well over two years ago.

The comment and thought still
lingered with Mia though.

She knocked on the back door and
thought about it.

Maybe her uncle would pay for her
tits.

If she could really do it
…
she could make some serious
money. Save it up. Get a new place. Find somewhere to move and find peace.
Instead of this mixed up life.

Sighing, Mia stretched her neck and
groaned.

“
Come
on,
”
she whispered.

She really had to pee.

When she opened the bathroom door
this morning, her roommate had fallen asleep with her head resting on the
toilet. A night of puking, some guy in the bathroom, naked, was the usual for
her roommate.

On top of the usual morning pee,
Mia held a cup of coffee in her hand. It was mostly empty and had gone straight
to her bladder. And since she was still so tired, it made her wonder if the
caffeine didn
’
t just bypass
her system at all.

Another minute passed and Mia
lifted her hand again. If the gaslight on her car hadn
’
t been on for the better part of the ride here she
would have left. But honestly, she needed money. At least twenty bucks to get
ten for gas and then a crappy lunch.

The door opened and Mia looked
down.

“
Jakey,
”
she said.
“
What up, cousin?
”

Jake looked up at her. His left eye
had a yellow-purple ring around it from a bruise.

Mia dropped down and grabbed Jake
by the shoulders.
“
Hey,
what happened to you?
”

“
Mia?
”
Jake asked.
“
What are you doing here?
”

“
Your
father needs me for something.
”

“
One
of his dinners?
”

“
Yeah,
exactly.
”

It hurt Mia to lie to her ten year
old stepcousin. Lies were okay though. Everyone told them and most people lived
in them.

“
I
’
ve missed you,
”
Jake said.
“
I wish you could just live here.
”

“
You
only say that because you saw me in the bathroom that one time
…”

Mia smiled and Jake
’
s cheeks burned red.
“
Ew. Gross.
”

Mia ruffled Jake
’
s hair.
“
Tell me about your eye.
”

“
Bullies,
”
he whispered.

“
They
’
re everywhere,
”
a third voice said.

Mia stood and stared at her uncle.

“
Uncle
Jake,
”
she said.

Her uncle was a judge. A crooked
judge at that. He took bribes, called favors for murders, and arranged illegal
underground gambling rings. And that was just the tip of the iceberg her uncle
sat upon.

He was tall, thick, wore glasses,
and had the dark, stoney eyes of a killer. His jaw was defined and his lip
always seemed to be curled.

When he put a hand to Jake
’
s left shoulder, the young man
flinched a little. It made Mia wonder exactly how Jake got the black eye. It
was a long time ago that Uncle Jake
’
s
wife - Aunt Theresa - left. Uncle Jake made it clear that his ex-wife was a
dirty whore who preferred a dick in her ass than to be a good mother and wife.
Something told Mia it was all a lie. Not to mention nobody ever heard from Aunt
Theresa again.

There wasn
’
t much family anymore; everyone scattered, hating
each other, or dead. The newest form of the true American family.

Hell, Mia hated Uncle Jake. But
when he called, there was money to be made.

“
Jake,
disappear,
”
Uncle Jake
said.

“
Okay,
sir,
”
Jake whispered.

“
Hey,
Jake. Do me a favor?
”
Mia
asked.

“
What?
”

“
Grab
my bag?
”

“
Sure,
”
Jake said.
“
How long are you staying, Mia?
”

“
As
long as I need her,
”
Uncle
Jake bellowed.
“
Enough
talk, Jacob.
”

Jacob?

Mia watched her younger step cousin
stiffen. He took her bag and disappeared up the stairs in the kitchen.

“
Hello,
”
Mia said.

“
Are
you high?
”

“
I
don
’
t do drugs.
”

“
Can
I search you?
”

“
Have
at it.
”

Uncle Jake didn
’
t move.
“
I just want to remind you how connected I am. With
one phone call you can be gone forever. And nobody would know or care.
”

“
Like
Aunt Theresa?
”

Mia regretted saying it. She
regretted it even more when the back of Uncle Jake
’
s hand connected with her mouth. She spun right the
hell around, facing the backyard of the house. There were black and white stars
and spots flashing for a few seconds, followed by a hand clamping on her
shoulder.

“
I
’
m not some asshole pimp at a
stripclub,
”
Uncle Jake
said.
“
Let
’
s get that straight.
”

Mia flexed her jaw.
“
Okay. I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Good.
How much money do you need right now?
”

“
Gaslight
’
s on in my car.
”

“
That
it?
”

“
That
’
s never it,
”
Mia said.
“
What do you need from me?
”

“
Want
some coffee?
”

“
I
have to pee first.
”

Uncle Jake spun her back around. He
touched the red mark on her jaw and then smiled.
“
You
know where the bathroom is. Clean yourself up. I
’
ll
send Jake to a friend
’
s
house.
”

Mia walked through the big and
bright kitchen to the bathroom. Everything was black, white, steel, all
designed that way by her uncle to show his commanding style. Sure, everyone on
the street knew he was a hard ass and powerful judge. They probably all
respected him. Then again, for all Mia knew, half of them probably attended the
illegal dealings of her uncle. She used to wonder how he got away with this
kind of stuff, but when police, detectives, and other high profile people
started showing up, it made sense. Even the most powerful men enjoyed having
their own underground world.

The one thing Uncle Jake did for
her though was make sure she was never propositioned by anyone. And if she was
approached, he was there to take care of it. Mia told herself it was maybe a
small sign of love. She knew better. Uncle Jake didn
’
t want her running away with someone else. Or
breaking up someone
’
s
marriage and causing a chain of events that would ruin all he had worked for.

In the bathroom, she took a
satisfying pee, washed her hands, and looked at her face. She
’
d been hit worse. The mark would
go away in no time. Not that it mattered or anyone would give a damn. Hell, her
last boyfriend - some guy who was just a blip on the radar of life - would ask
her what she did wrong to deserve it.

Fucking asshole.

They were all assholes, men. Every
single one. Even the good ones, too.

How many times Mia saw husbands and
fathers come into the strip club, hating their lives. Pissed that their wives
weren
’
t the women on stage.
Try giving birth, asshole.

Mia took a breath and exited the
bathroom.

She met Uncle Jake at the breakfast
nook in the kitchen, where a black metal bistro table sat with two chairs. The
newspaper was folded, placed under a small basket of fruit.

“
Sit,
”
he ordered and brought over two
mugs of coffee on a tray along with cream and sugar.

“
Can
I ask about Jake before we get into anything?
”
Mia asked.

“
What
about?
”

“
He
seems
…”

“
He
’
s a boy trying to live in a
world run by men. There
’
s
been situations because of my actions. Tough lessons to learn but he
’
ll manage.
”

“
What
does that mean?
”

Uncle Jake smiled.
“
The little shit stabbed some of
the assholes who were fucking with him. That
’
s
why he
’
s been home with me.
School thought it was best to remove him for now. I have a tutor come over and
take care of him. It was a mess for a little while. But I defended him. He
’
s my child, right?
”

“
Stabbed
…”

“
Yes.
Give advice by the lowest of scum in Frelen. You ever heard of Back Down Devil?
”

“
The
motorcycle club?
”

“
Yes.
”

Mia nodded. She
’
d heard of them. Who hasn
’
t heard of them? Their
reputation was notorious and they were rumored to have charters up and down the
west coast. From San Diego to Portland. Maybe even up into Canada and across to
Alaska. And even crews that pushed east into Nevada and up into Montana.

They were bold, reckless, and
powerful.

Mia had dealt with them in the
strip club a few times. When they showed up, they controlled the place, the
night, the women, everything.

“
I
’
ve had problems with them,
”
Uncle Jake said.

“
Okay,
”
Mia whispered.
“
Does it involve Jake? What he
did?
”

“
What
Jake learned was a powerful lesson in life,
”
Uncle Jake said.
“
That
’
s nobody
’
s concern but my own. Some boys were picking on him
and he found the urge to fight back, with a knife. The urge to fight is human
instinct. A basic need for survival. But to stab
…
and attack
…
that
’
s primal. Maybe I should be
proud of him. Maybe I should punish him in a way he never thought possible. I
have his entire life to enjoy the idea of it.
”

The way Uncle Jake said
his
entire life
made Mia shiver. It implied that Uncle Jake expected to outlive
his young son, which didn
’
t
seem likely. Unless Uncle Jake had a plan in place for something else.