“You look like you know something,” Chief Jerry said. “Should I get a warrant and search the clubhouse?”
“You look like you know something,” Nate replied.
“The boy. He’s missing.”
“You said he ran away,” Nate said.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s not where he’s supposed to be. My eyes are on you.”
That’s when Nate’s phone beeped. He turned and hurried away, leaving Chief Jerry behind. Disrespectful move? Yeah. But oh well.
It was one of the prospects.
Mia was at the judge’s house. There was a police cruiser circling the street. They were waiting for her to do something. Nate wrote back to tell the prospect to stay on her and if something goes down to step in. To put his ass on the line for Mia.
Nate then started to run toward his ride.
“Nate!” Miller yelled.
“I wasn’t done!” Chief Jerry said.
Nate got on his motorcycle and walked it toward the chief. He stared at him. “What?”
“The van,” Chief Jerry said. “Since you seem to care so much about it.” Chief Jerry folded up the picture of Jacob and handed it to Nate. There was information written on the paper. “That’s where the van is. You want to check on it? You want to be some kind of hero, Nate? You want to get the full message? Go find it, Nate. Just be careful what you wish for…”
Nate grabbed the piece of paper. He wished he could see into Chief Jerry’s eyes right then. To see what kind of eyes they were. Deadly? Cold? Dead? High? Because this wasn’t the man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the MC for a long time working on deals. Yeah, there had been a lot of fights, a lot of murders, a lot of dark days and nights, but the end result had always been the same. It was always about protecting Frelen and keeping it clean.
That’s what Chief Jerry used to care about.
Not anymore.
Nate tucked the paper away and started his ride. It came to life with a thundering roar. Nate throttled the motorcycle as he stared at Chief Jerry, letting the beast roar again and again.
“Gaige!” Miller yelled. “Go with him!”
Nate wasn’t waiting though.
He had to get to Mia and save her.
It took Gaige only a couple minutes to catch up to him. Nate looked at Gaige as he got alongside him. He nodded at Nate. Nate nodded back. They had an understanding. Whatever was going to happen, they stayed close, together, as brothers. They take care of the town, the patch, and they keep their respect for each other. That’s how Back Down Devil got through so many storms before.
And Nate wanted to believe they would get through this storm.
His cell started to vibrate and Nate hurried to dart to the side of the road. Kicking up dirt and dust, he turned the ride off and answered the phone.
“What’s wrong?”
“Holy shit.” It was Mia. “I’m getting pulled over.”
“What?” Nate asked.
“I have a gun in the car. I’ll go to jail, Nate.”
“What happened?”
“He pulled a gun on me. He knows everything. What do I do? Nate… if I stop and he sees the gun. Or searches the car. I should have stayed with Uncle Jake.”
“No!” Nate bellowed. “You keep going, babe. I swear to you, just keep going. Do not stop. No matter what.”
Fuck.
This was bad.
The pieces had officially went from crumbling to completely collapsing. Everything was in the open and exposed now.
Nate ended the call and looked at Gaige. “Mia! Cops are tailing her. This is going to get bad, bro.”
“Let’s go get her,” Gaige yelled.
He then surprisingly took the lead. Nate sped up and they were blasting along the streets of Frelen. They rode from the commercial section into the residential, right to the hills where the upper class could afford seven figure homes. Their kids went to private schools, had their own sports and leagues, living a life like they existed in some kind of wealthy bubble. That’s where the judge lived.
That’s where Nate saw Mia driving with a cop car behind her. His lights flashed, siren beeping every few seconds. He was holding a gun out the window. This was all controlled by both the judge and the chief. They were going after Mia now. They were going to get her, take her in, and then hold her there. To fuck with Nate. To fuck with the MC. Anything to throw the guys off course. Chief Jerry had been around long enough to know how to get to them. Attacking straight forward would never work - unless the club wasn’t focused.
As Mia drove by, Nate realized he and Gaige had no damn plan. They had to somehow take out a cop? That wasn’t part of any of this shit. That was a dangerous move to make. It was one thing to go after a crooked judge and chief, but to go after an officer? Unless the guy was in on things. Even then, what kind of message would that send to the rest of Frelen?
The cruiser was right behind Mia.
Gaige throttled his motorcycle and then took off right toward the cruiser. Nate hurried behind him and watched as Gaige came damn close to hitting the front of the cruiser. The car quickly swerved, losing traction. The car darted left to right a few times.
Nate took the lead then and both he and Gaige got the car off to the side of the road. They both put their front wheels to the driver’s door of the cruiser. The lights were still flashing, but they were far enough away from anything that resembled the general public so they were in the clear for whatever was about to happen.
“Turn it all the fuck off!” Nate bellowed.
The car turned off. The lights turned off. He showed his hands, they were shaking.
“He’s not in uniform,” Gaige said to Nate.
“Are you even a cop?” Nate asked.
The guy just stared.
Nate took out his gun.
The guy cringed and rolled down the window. “Fucking hell, man. I’m just doing favor!”
“Are you a cop?” Nate asked again.
“No,” the guy said. “No, not at all.”
“Who are you?” Gaige asked.
“I work in Judge Jake’s office. He offered me a job. To help with his niece. That’s all. To get her to stay close to him. From you guys. You’re going to kill her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Gaige said.
“Where did you get the car from?” Nate asked.
“Judge explained how to steal it.”
“The gun?”
“Stole that. With cuffs.”
“Cuffs? You were going to cuff Mia?”
“Yeah,” the guy admitted. “I’m just doing my…”
Nate climbed off his ride. He walked to the open window and grabbed the guy by the shirt. He pulled him out of the car and put him to the ground. Nate then stomped on the guy, a heavy boot to his chest, stomach, back up, wanting to smash his skull to the pavement and let his brains leak all over the ground.
But Gaige pulled Nate back. “Bro, easy. Go get Mia and get out of here.”
The two prospects then rolled up on the scene. Nate looked at them. He wanted to believe that they would have done the right thing to save Mia. Hell, they had basically done the right thing already by calling him. He pointed to the prospects and then waved.
“Keep tailing!” he yelled.
They both gave thumbs up.
“I got this one,” Gaige said. “I’m going to cuff him to the front of the car and give Miller a shout. Let the chief deal with this. Not like it fucking matters.”
“This is bad,” Nate said.
“Yeah, it is. Go. Now.”
Nate got back on his motorcycle and rode up to Mia’s car. She had pulled over and was waiting. She got out of the car and threw her arms around him. Nate slid his right hand around Mia’s waist and hugged her. He kissed her neck and then hurried to take his helmet off. He gave it to Mia and she put it on. Their eyes were locked together and Nate felt a pulse going through his body.
“He did something to Jacob,” Mia said. “I know it. He’s going to make m
e disappear next.”
Nate thought about the paper in his pocket. The picture. The directions. The van. That’s where Jacob probably was. He hesitated, not wanting to say anything to Mia.
“I know,” Nate caught himself saying. “I might know where he is. Let me take you to the clubhouse first. So you’re protected from all this.”
“No,” Mia said. “If you know where Jacob is… I have to see him. I have to know the truth…”
Mia’s eyes were big and sad. Like she already knew the truth that could be waiting.
“Babe, I don’t want you in…”
“Nate,” Mia yelled. “Please. I can’t be away from you anymore. All those lines we weren’t supposed to cross? They’re fucked. I’m lost. I’m over the line. I’m past even falling for you. I’m in…”
Nate gritted his teeth. “Get on the ride.”
He didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t hear it. A woman in love with him…
It made the anger flow through his body.
She wanted to see it all? Fine.
Nate took out the paper and looked at it. He knew right where it was. Just a few miles away. In another rundown industrial part of Frelen. Against the edge of the town that bled out into the desert. Buildings, factories, warehouses that would never sell because the people - the entities - needed the buildings and the lots for their own personal use.
As Nate rode through a peeled back chain link gate, he wondered if this was a set up. To kill him. To get Mia. He looked back to make sure the prospects were tailing him.
They were.
Nate rode around to the side of the building and saw the van. The white goddamn van. The tires were still shot out from when Nate took care of them. There wasn’t going to be any drugs in the van though. Those were already delivered.
When Nate stopped, Mia hurried off the motorcycle. Nate tried grabbing for her. She twisted her wrist, did a full spin, and broke away. Moving fast, Nate went after Mia. He got to her as she grabbed the handle to the backdoor of the van. She pulled as Nate’s left hand was around her belly and her right hand down at her wrist.
“Babe, let me do it,” Nate growled in her ear. “Please…”
Mia threw a left elbow to Nate’s gut. It didn’t hurt at all, but he knew she wasn’t going to give this up.
So Nate backed up.
He let Mia open the door to the van.
Nate wanted to see Jacob sitting there. To see him tied up, hurt, whatever, but his eyes open, staring at Mia and Nate.
Not a fucking chance…
The door opened and Jacob was in the back of the van.
Dead.
twenty-four.
Mia saw Jacob in the van. He was just there. On his side. For a second she thought he had curled up in a ball. Maybe he was sleeping. Maybe he was just scared, thinking he was going to die. But then something else happened… Mia’s eyes were in control before the rest of her senses. When the smell hit her nose, she finally turned her head. She took two steps and dropped to her knees. She heard the door click shut and turned her head to see Nate standing there. His face looked pale. He was afraid. He was terrified.
As he started to drop down, touching Mia’s back, she shut her eyes and felt the world spinning. So fast, so hard… Jacob’s dead. He fucking killed Jacob. Gone forever. Just like he did with Aunt Theresa. And he’s going to kill me next.
Mia opened her eyes, but it was still all dark. Her body shook and she fell forward. Hands grabbed her, touched her, held her.
“Babe, I’m right here,” Nate’s voice echoed. “I’m right here. You’re okay. I promise, you’re okay. You’ll be okay. I’ll protect you through this.”
Her lips were moving, but Mia couldn’t talk.
She blinked a few times and the world started to come back to her. The first thing she saw was Nate’s sexy cut jaw and face. His eyes staring down at her. Sweat on his forehead. She felt his strong hands holding her. Keeping her safe.
Slowly, she reached up and touched his cheek. “Nate…”
“I know,” he said. “I’m so sorry, babe.”
“He killed his own son.”
“I know,” Nate said again. “I don’t know what to say.”
“How did… how did you know…”
Emotion finally caught up to the scene. Mia lost it. Tears filled her eyes and spilled with ease. She tried to suck in a breath and it turned into a deep sob. She put her hands to the warm pavement and pushed, bringing herself to a seated position.
“Let’s get out of here and I’ll explain everything,” Nate said.
“I need to know right now. The truth. Everything.”
“Okay,” Nate said. “Okay. Just take a deep breath.”
Mia nodded. She looked at the van and the tears kept flowing. Poor Jacob was in there. Gone. Just his body. Whatever happened after death…
“He’s gone,” she whispered.
“The chief in town,” Nate said. “You know it’s all connected. He gave me a piece of paper with Jacob’s picture on it. He wanted me to find the body. Maybe even bring you here. Mia, babe, I need you to look at me carefully.”
Mia looked at Nate. “I’m looking.”
“They’re trying to fuck with our heads and hearts. They know they can’t fight Back Down Devil. So they’re working to throw us off our guard. I need to get you back to the clubhouse and keep you safe. Okay, babe? Just you and me now. I’m so sorry about this. About Jacob.”
“It’s…”
“We really need to go,” Nate said. “We have to play all this off. I hate myself for saying that. I hate myself for being cold. But we’re outside right now. We’re in the open. That guy who was following you wasn’t a cop. He was someone working for your uncle, pretending to be a cop.”
“Shit.”
“And he pulled a gun on you?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s getting bad. It’s going to get worse.” Nate then stood up. He offered his hand to Mia. “We have to do this together. I can’t go alone anymore. Not today, tomorrow. Not in my life. You destroyed me, babe. From the second I saw you in your car, following me, you fucking destroyed me. I can’t waste anymore time. On anything. So I’m telling you right now that I… I really can’t live without you.”
Mia’s chin quivered. How could something so tragic collide with something like this? Nate was bearing his heart to her with death all around. There would be a lot more coming soon.
Mia gave Nate her hand and he pulled her up.
They then set off together, back on Nate’s motorcycle, putting distance between them and the van. Mia did look back one last time, feeling her heart ache.
Right behind them the entire time was two more motorcycles. At first, the sight of them scared Mia, but she quickly realized they were there for protection.
The ride to the clubhouse was eerily quiet. Just the motorcycles on the open road. Mia hands were tight around Nate’s body, knowing that holding on like this had more meaning than just falling off the motorcycle right now. She wanted to hold onto him forever. That meant accepting death in a way she never thought possible. Sure, everyone would eventually take their last breath and be gone, but Nate’s life made it that he tempted death with each breath he took. He didn’t stare at death out on the horizon like most people did, he chased it down, almost wanting it to come.
But with Nate, Mia never felt so alive. And being that alive made death worth it.
Once they arrived, Nate quickly had a hand around Mia’s waist, keeping her close, keeping her feeling safe. Everything he did now had the appeal of romance, whether he meant it or not.
Inside, Erik and Jace were right there, waiting. Miller behind them. Miller pushed through. “What happened?”
“The judge killed his kid,” Nate said. “He was in the van. The one I shot the tires out on. The one that was once filled with drugs. The one that Chief Jerry wanted me to go to.”
“Fuck,” Jace said. “No…”
“Yeah,” Mia said. �
�I saw…”
“It’s okay,” Nate said. “You don’t have to talk.” Nate kissed the top of her head. “Miller, I have to get to the room. She was being tailed by someone that worked for the judge. In a stolen cruiser.”
“Stolen,” Jace said. “Probably fucking took it without care or punishment.”
“We have to kill them all,” Erik said.
“Christ, man,” Nate snapped. “Easy.”
“The judge killed his own kid,” Miller said. “Chief Jerry knew the kid was dead I bet. That the kid was in the van.”
“It’s ending,” Nate said. “You want old school, Miller? I’ll give you old school. But it’s happening right fucking now. I’m not waiting anymore. We know where the lines have been drawn. Where everyone stands.”
“Okay,” Miller said. “You’re right.”
“Good,” Jace said. “I want to gut that judge…” He looked at Mia. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Mia said. She felt so cold and empty. “He killed my aunt, too. The same thing. She left a note and disappeared.”
“I’m really sorry,” Miller said. He touched Mia’s shoulder. “Hey, we all are. You did a great job for this club. You’re welcome in this clubhouse. My orders. You have full protection from all my guys. I’ll make sure at the next meeting they all know. They are ordered to take a bullet for you.”
“Thanks,” Mia whispered.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Let me get her out of here,” Nate said. “Then we can talk.”
“Go, brother,” Miller said. “Go.”
Nate walked Mia to the room. The second he shut the door, Mia felt his strong hands on her shoulders. He pulled her back to his body, her back to his front, and slid his hands around Mia’s body.
“I wish there was more I can do,” Nate said. “But all I have is my word. And my word is that he will pay. For everything he’s done to you and to your family. To your aunt. To your cousin. That’s a young life gone now.”
“Maybe it’s for the better,” Mia said. That truth stung. “He won’t be hurt anymore, Nate. He’s… free. I mean, whatever happens after death.”
“That’s something you have nothing to worry about. No more death. I’m going to cause the death, Mia. It’s going to be on my hands. To protect you. To… love you…”
STEEL TEMPTATION (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) Page 17
