STEEL TEMPTATION (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) (5 page)

“
Yeah,
we
’
ve got that,
”
Nate said.
“
Thanks for your concern.
”

“
Hey,
I
’
m just checking. You were
pretty banged up on the beach, Nate. Pointing to the water and mumbling some
strange shit.
”

“
I
don
’
t remember,
”
Nate said.
“
I have a headache.
”

“
Hungover?
”

“
You
checked on things,
”
Miller
said.
“
Go home to your
family. Enjoy them.
”

Chief Jerry backed up to his
cruiser. He looked around.
“
Wish
there was more I could do.
”

The chief got into his car and
backed out of the compound.

Nate stood, nostrils flaring, eyes
wide.

“
Tell
the truth,
”
Nate growled.

“
What?
”
Gaige asked.

“
Chief
said he wished there was more he could do. He could tell the fucking truth. Be
a fucking man.
”

“
Nate,
take a ride,
”
Miller said.

“
What?
”

“
I
said, take a ride. Get the fuck out of here for a minute. You need to step
away. Blaine, go with him.
”

“
Are
you kicking me out of here?
”
Nate asked.

Miller turned and put his hands to
Nate
’
s shoulders.
“
Brother, I
’
m not kicking you out. I
’
m telling you to take a ride. I
know how hard this is for you. I know how hard it is for all of you.
”
Miller
’
s eyes looked to everyone else for a second.
“
We have to be right on this all
around. There
’
s no room for
fucking up. That doesn
’
t
mean I don
’
t believe you,
Nate. That means we need to get this in order. Because
…
how do we fight it?
”

Such a simple question posed by the
Back Down Devil President, but it was hard to swallow down and take. The truth
hurt sometimes, Nate knew that firsthand.

How do we fight it?

That was it.

How do you fight the authoritative
ally that
’
s been with the
MC for years? How do you take down a powerful judge who had already fucked with
the club once before? How do you go after Coast Road MC without kicking the
hornet
’
s nest?

“
Shit,
”
Nate growled.

“
You
need the open road for a minute. Clear your mind. Then come back, grab a drink,
and we
’
ll start working on
this.
”

“
How
do you plan on working on this?
”
Nate asked.

“
Bro,
don
’
t,
”
Gaige said.

“
Nate,
”
Miller said.
“
Look at my patch. I
’
m being patient. I
’
d like to put your fucking head
through the wall right now for not telling me this sooner. Okay? That
’
s a form of treason to me. You
put the entire MC in danger. We
’
re
trying to catch our breath, enjoy a little entertainment
…”

“
Me
getting something shoved up my ass,
”
Blaine said.

Miller lifted a fist and smacked
Blaine in the nose.

“
We
could have been attacked and hurt,
”
Miller said.
“
So you need
the road for freedom for a minute and I need freedom from you. Because I should
take your cut, Nate. Do you understand that?
”

Nate hated this shit. He hated
being called out in front of everyone. In a different life he wouldn
’
t have taken it. That different
life left him physically scarred and everything and everyone non-existent in
his life.

In other words, Nate had to back
down from Miller.

He nodded and turned to look at
Blaine. Blaine held the bridge of his nose and gave it twist. There was a pop
sound and Blaine groaned, putting his nose back in place. He used his t-shirt
to wipe up some blood and then let out a breath.

“
Let
’
s ride, motherfucker,
”
he said to Nate.

“
Is
your ass going to be able to handle it?
”
Nate asked.

“
My
ass can handle anything,
”
Blaine announced.

“
Jesus
Christ,
”
Miller said.
“
I need a drink.
”

When Nate got on his ride and fired
up the roaring engine, it made him instantly start to feel better.

Goddamn Miller was always right.

He took off, Blaine trailing a
little behind.

Leaving the compound left a shitty feeling
running through Nate. There were charters north, east, south, everywhere. But
going too far east was where Nate came from. The suits and backdoor business
life he grew up in. Being a chunk of muscle for guys with rich blood, rich
money, and the need to kill and control. It seemed inevitable that a MC would
push against the mob, and it would happen again. There was only so much space
in the world. And so much power.

Nate throttled his ride and sped
up. Blaine then hurried up and met him, riding side by side. Going through the
town up into the windy roads of Frelen. The rolling hills and land held a lot
of secrets. A big chunk of land was owned by Back Down Devil MC. That dirt had
a ton of history to it. Dirt that could easily put everyone in the MC away for
a long time. Even in prison though, the MC had a way to survive. The only way
to stop it was to kill.

Death was the ultimate end of it
all.

The open road did wonders for the
soul, even for one that was tortured and twisted. Nate settled in, even if he
didn
’
t have a destination.
They
’
d have to get back to
the clubhouse. They
’
d have
to attack soon.

Very soon.

Nate took to a large turn and eased
his ride all the way around. Time to go back. There was nowhere else to go.
Circling around ghosts and demons wasn
’
t
going to do anything to fix the problem right now.

When Nate made the turn, Blaine
right there with him, he noticed something in the mirror. He saw the car a few
minutes ago and didn
’
t
think much of it. His training with the mob had taught him how to look for
everything. Never take anything for face value.

Nate reached out and got close
enough to touch Blaine
’
s
shoulder. He then put a thumbs up and pointed back. When Blaine looked, his
hand went for his gun. Nate shook his head.

No shooting. Let
’
s get them
…

So they kept going.

The car kept following. It kept a
distance but not far enough. Either the person driving the car didn
’
t give a shit about being seen,
or they were just plain stupid.

Whatever it was, Nate was done
dealing with this shit.

For a split second, he almost felt
bad for the person in the car.

Then again, it was going to be a
blast killing whoever it was.

five.

Mia only had experience one other
time following someone. It was her boyfriend a few years ago when she knew he
was fucking someone else. He insisted he wasn
’
t
cheating, just working the late shift at an auto garage that closed at seven.
He
’
d go out at ten with an
emergency and then come back at two in the morning, showered and changed.  And
horny. Which was sick in itself. Then, Mia just followed the asshole to other
woman
’
s house and raised a
little hell.

This was far different though.

Mia was following two motorcycles.
Just like Uncle Jake wanted her to do. She had waited for over an hour for them
to ride by. Now she was behind them. Her hands clutching the wheel, not sure
what to do next. All Uncle Jake wanted was for her to see what they were doing.
He insisted they were a threat to Frelen and everyone in town. Not that Mia
could argue that. They were big, rough, and violent men.

They went around a small bend, the
two motorcycles turning at the same time. Mia took the turn, gently pressing
the brakes. She told herself it was just driving. Play it cool. Nothing stupid.
Nothing wild.

The motorcycle on the left started
to get ahead of the other one.

Mia hit the brakes again.

Her heart started to pound with a
sick sense of premonition.

Before she could react -
which
would honestly be what?
- the other motorcycle cut to the left, turned
sideways, and the rider pulled out a gun.

The following was officially
over.

Mia felt her foot hit the gas
pedal.

Don
’
t run him over
…
don
’
t kill him
…
he
’
s Back Down Devil
…
holyshitholyshitholyshit
…

Mia turned to the right, then tried
cutting the wheel to the left. Her car went off road, into the dirt, kicking up
dust. She felt her ass end cut out and the car spun. She put both feet to the brakes
and shut her eyes, fearing the worst.

As fast as it all went bad, it all
stopped.

There was silence for a few
seconds, the dust clearing.

Then it got worse.

Much fucking worse.

Mia saw the biker approaching the
car. His gun pointed. His lip snarled. The darkness of his eyes bothered the
hell out of her. Not just because they were terrifying but because they were
beautiful. He had beautiful, dark eyes.

Seriously? He
’
s going to kill you and
you think he
’
s
hot.

Of course he was hot.

His shoulders were bigger than the
boulders all around her. Muscles flexed as he held the weapon tight in his
hands. The second biker started to approach, his gun also drawn.

Mia was so screwed.

She grabbed at the car door and
opened it. She jumped from the car and put her hands up.

“
I
’
m a woman!
”
she yelled.

“
I
don
’
t give a shit who you
are,
”
the first biker said.

“
I
can tell you
’
re a woman,
”
the other biker said.
“
Nice tits.
”

That made Mia feel even worse. Two
of these big, tough men coming at her, with weapons pointed at her.

What are they going to do to me?

Mia backed up and hit her own car.
The bikers kept moving at her.

“
Check
her, Blaine,
”
the first
biker said.
“
Make sure she
’
s not carrying.
”

“
Oh,
fuck yeah,
”
the second
biker, Blaine, said.
“
I
’
ll search her. I
’
ll check every inch of her body.
Full cavity search.
”
He was
inches from Mia. He stunk of booze and body odor. And muscle and grease.
“
Let
’
s see how far my fingers can dig deep into you
…”

Mia couldn
’
t control herself. She threw a hand at Blaine. She
slapped him across the face and then brought a knee up and hit him in the
balls. He groaned and took a step back.

That was Mia
’
s small chance to try and run. But she didn
’
t. She froze, shocked that she
actually just tried attacking a biker. Of all bikers, one of the guys in Back
Down Devil MC.

Blaine was right back at her
though, and he was smiling. His body pressed against hers.
“
Hey, pretty thing, I love a
woman who can hit hard. Do it again. You
’
re
making my cock throb.
”

“
Fuck,
Blaine,
”
the other biker
said. He reached out and pulled Blaine off Mia.
“
Get
back for a second.
”

“
Thank
you,
”
Mia said.

“
Shut
up,
”
the biker said. He
pointed the gun to her head.
“
Were
you fucking following us?
”

Mia went tight lipped.

“
Just
take her, Nate,
”
Blaine
said.
“
Don
’
t fuck with it. She knows
something.
”

Nate.

Mia had a name now.

Nate towered over her. His body
huge, too close for comfort. Mia shouldn
’
t
have felt so warmed up right now. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wasn
’
t sure if it was from the gun at
her head or the man holding it to her head.

“
Nate,
”
Mia whispered.
“
Please, listen
…”

“
What
’
s your fucking name?
”

“
Mia.
”

“
Mia,
”
Nate growled.

He
’
s even hotter when he says my name.

“
You
know Chief Jerry?
”
Nate
asked.

“
Who?
”

“
Don
’
t fucking lie to me.
”

“
I
swear, I
’
m not. Look, I
’
m sorry.
”
Mia slowly reached back and grabbed the handle of
the car door. In her mind, this could work. The car was still running. Just get
inside and take off. She should have never gotten out of the car. That was a
bad mistake.

“
Why
were you following us?
”

“
I
was just going back into town. That
’
s
all.
”

“
You
followed us up here and turned with us.
”

“
I
’
m lost,
”
Mia said.
Which is true.

“
Fuck
her,
”
Blaine said.

Mia made her move. She pushed
herself at Nate, feeling his rock hard body against hers for a second. She then
pulled at the door handle and opened the car door. She spun around and lifted
her right foot. In that moment, she saw this working. Get into the car and get
the hell out of there. Even if it meant knocking down Back Down Devil bikers
’
bikes, oh fucking well. Then
she
’
d tell Uncle Jake to go
fuck himself and she
’
d be
gone for good this time.

But before her right foot could
even touch the car, an arm went around her.

Nate pulled her close and backed
up, taking her away from the car.

“
Fuck,
”
she groaned.

“
Fuck
it right,
”
Nate growled.
“
Trying to escape?
”

“
I
want to leave. I didn
’
t do
anything wrong.
”

Nate turned, Mia with him. She
tried to go limp, but that was useless. Nate was too strong. He just lifted her
with one arm tight around her chest. His forearm pressed hard against her
breasts. The movement shouldn
’
t
have turned her on but it did.

 A lot.

Mia swallowed hard, reminding
herself that she was probably going to end up dead.

“
Blaine,
get the keys,
”
Nate said.
“
Right now.
”

Mia listened to the sound of the
car shutting off. Then the door slamming. Then her keys jingling.

Blaine dangled the keys in front of
Mia
’
s face, grinning.
“
You
’
re fucked, pretty thing.
”
Blaine then pointed to the black keychain with the
purple diamond logo on it.
“
Holy
shit, Nate. Look at this.
”

“
What?
”
Nate asked.

“
She
works at a strip club. I know this place. I
’
ve
been there.
”
Blaine stepped
closer to Mia. He touched her face.
“
Do
I know
…”
His eyes looked
down.
“
Nate, lift her
shirt. Let me see her tits.
”

“
No,
”
Nate yelled.
“
No.
”
Nate turned, Mia with him.
“
Get on your ride, Blaine. We
’
re leaving.
”

“
Please
…
I swear
…”

“
Yeah,
you fucking swear,
”
Nate
said.

He let Mia go and spun her around,
putting her back up against her car.

She stared at him, telling herself
to get angry. To fight back. Not to look into his gorgeous eyes and want his
body against hers, but to realize the true danger she was in. This was a
complete disaster. Even if she got away from these guys, she would have to face
Uncle Jake.

Mia slowly put her hands up.
“
Look, I
’
m not doing anything wrong. I
’
m just
…”

“
Shut
up and listen to me. If you were a guy, you
’
d
be fucking dead already. But I want to know why a woman is following me. You
work at a strip club?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Do
you strip?
”

“
That
’
s not your business.
”

“
It
will be. Here
’
s the deal.
We
’
re leaving your car
here. You
’
re getting on the
back of my ride. If you try to jump, run away, scream, anything
…
I
’
ll
kill you. Understand?
”

Mia
’
s
heart was racing faster than ever. Her knees started to get wobbly.
“
Okay.
”

“
When
we get to the compound, it
’
s
going to be nasty. I can fend everyone off of you. Right now, Mia, I
’
m your best friend. And in
return for keeping you safe - for now - you
’
re
going to tell me the truth. If you don
’
t,
nobody will ever see you again. Understand that?
”

Mia accepted the words for what
they were worth. Her life had been threatened many times, but this was real.
Sexy or not, Nate was real. There was blood on his hands, death on his soul, he
wasn
’
t just fucking around.

Everything started to spin for Mia.
It felt like her head was rolling round and round. She stepped forward and fell
into Nate. She felt the hardness of his chest and then it was all darkness. All
blackness. All gone.

I
’
m dead. I died. It
’
s over. No more pain,
worry. No more money problems. I didn
’
t
have to take a bullet. I bet that would have really hurt
…

“
Hey!
Mia!
”

Mia felt her eyes flutter for a
second. She opened them and saw Nate looking down at her. She was on the ground
now. But Nate wasn
’
t
wearing his leather cut. Just a black t-shirt that hugged all the right places.
Mia turned her head and realized Nate had rolled up his leather cut and put it
behind her head.

Nate touched her cheek.
“
Hey, are you okay?
”

“
Christ,
bro, are you going to make out with her?
”
Blaine called out.

Nate looked back.
“
Fuck off. If she needs a
hospital
…”

“
Just
leave her,
”
Blaine said.
“
Let her learn her goddamn
lesson.
”

“
Shut
up, man.
”
Nate looked at
Mia.
“
You need to stand up.
Remember, I
’
m your only
fucking friend right now.
”