Steel Temptation (Back Down Devil MC #6)(39)

“And he said?”

“He said I needed to survive on my own.”

“And then you said?”

Mia looked down. “Fair enough, Nate.”

“No, tell me.”

“You’re right. I’m wrong.”

“I said to f*cking tell me.”

Mia looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Yeah. So I pushed at him. Said he had to have something for me. And he did. You’re f*cking right. Congrats.” Mia kicked off the bed and walked to the door.

“You can’t leave.”

“I can do what I want.”

“I’ll get the chains.”

Mia glanced over her shoulder. “Come get me then.”

She opened the door, tempting Nate. She made it no more than two steps before she stopped, crippled with fear.

Where am I going to go?

There was nowhere to go.

She turned just as Nate came out of the room. He grabbed her by the arms. “You want to know it all? Goddammit. That’s what you want. To know about Nate. Because you think you like me. Because my cock is big and fun to play with. Because I’ll go down on you until you scream. Because I’ll shoot everyone in this clubhouse to protect you. That’s not me. Not who I used to be. I… I took women like you and set them up. Nothing but *, money, and murder.”

“What kind of murder?”

Nate leaned in. “Simple. I’d murder you right now… if it was a different life.” He then backed up. “Still want to know everything?”

Mia sucked in a dry breath. She walked to the open door and went back in the bedroom.

In a matter of a few minutes they were back on the bed like nothing had happened. Nate in the same position. And he looked pissed.

“You actually murdered women?” Mia asked.

He put his hands out. “With these hands? No. I never thrust a knife or pulled a trigger. But what does it matter when I was paid to lure them in?”

“You don’t do that anymore though.”

“No. Unless Miller asked me to do it. For the cut, I’ll do anything.”

For me? Mia thought but didn’t dare ask.

“What did you do then, Nate?”

“I worked for the mob,” he said. “That’s the easiest way to put it. Business with suits and ties. Kind of like the MC here, except we wear leather and ride motorcycles. Actually, this life is better. More freedom. I’m able to contribute. I’m able to feel alive. Until you came crashing through this place. You’ve f*cking ruined everything I’ve worked for.”

“I ruined it? What the f*ck did I do?”

“You suck at following people,” Nate said. “You made it so we had to get you, bring you here. And the second I saw you I knew you didn’t belong in this mess. You’re not a bad person, Mia, at all.”

“I’m glad at least someone sees that,” Mia said.

Silence fell.

Nate sighed and ran his hands down his face. When he put his hands to the bed, Mia slowly moved her hand to touch his. Such dumb romantic moves, but it mattered to Mia. Just touching Nate ever-so-slightly was enough to make her feel comforted.

“Is all that real?” Mia whispered. “What you used to do?”

“Yeah. It still is real. The MC and those guys have agreements in place. Who gets to be in what parts of the state, the country.” Nate looked at her. “This isn’t a town thing, babe. Back Down Devil MC has charters that go up and down the coast. That move east and north. We are everywhere. So are they. I mean, other MC’s like Coast Road and Eight Under. Coast Road attacked us. They’re working with your uncle.”

“He’s working with a motorcycle club…”

“Yeah. And the chief of police in town. It’s dirty stuff, babe.”

“Keep telling me about you.”

“It’s cliche. I had no home growing up. It made me tough and jaded. Blah, blah. I got into a fight once and took down three guys at once. All for twenty bucks some woman stole from me. I took the guys down and then put my hand out. The woman finally gave up the money she stole. A boss named Anthony saw it all happen and then offered me a ride in his limo. Within twenty-four hours I was in a suit, cleaned up, had two grand in my pocket, and was on my first job. I didn't think much of it at first. You know? These were people who owed money. They had debts and those debts weren’t being paid.” Nate’s eyes went cold, dark. “All debt must be paid. And death was merely a message to everyone else. The bosses joked and called it their version of a write-off. Take the loss, but send a bigger message. Want to know something else?”

Mia nodded. She was hopeless, addicted to everything Nate had to say.

“When they took someone out, money suddenly started coming in. It was like these pieces of shit that got into trouble always thought they could just slip away. But that’s not how it worked. Everyone paid. Sometimes with money. Sometimes with a hand. Or foot. Sometimes with life.”

“A hand or foot?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you ever…” Mia closed her eyes. Don’t ask.

“Did I ever… cut someone’s hand off?” Nate asked.

“Yes. I’m afraid to know.”

“You want all the f*cking truth, take it. I did. I cut someone’s hand off. A guy named Richie. He grabbed Anthony’s wife’s ass. Drunk, young, being a dumb punk. So we grabbed him and took him to a back room. Anthony was livid. Killing the guy would have been too easy. So Anthony held the guy’s hand and I had to cut it off. Slicing through flesh and bone. The guy screaming. Blood everywhere. Anthony then took the guy’s hand and shook it at him. Like it was a broken toy and the guy was a child. Anthony kept the f*cking hand.”