Steel Temptation (Back Down Devil MC #6)(54)

His hands were empty now.

He lifted one hand and gave a quick wave.

“Shit,” Mia whispered.

She backed down the driveway and sped away. She reached for her cell and hurried to call Nate. At the first stop sign, she waited an extra few seconds to catch her breath.

Nate picked up the call with a “What’s wrong?” as a blip sound echoed around her.

Mia checked the mirror and saw a cop behind her. Lights flashing.

“Holy shit,” she said. “I’m getting pulled over.”

Mia crept forward slowly, the cop right on her ass.

“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.” The siren went off behind her. She looked in the mirror again and the officer was waving his hands. Mia shook her head. “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.”

Mia checked the mirror a third time.

The officer now had a gun in his hand.





twenty-three.



The chief walked back and forth, thumbs hooked through his belt. He had a lot of questions that had no real answers. The more he talked, the more questions he asked, the worse it got between him and the MC.

Miller finally made the call for everyone but Gaige and Nate to go inside.

The move surprised Nate because he never dealt with Chief Jerry before. He never dealt with the personal club shit. It was always Miller and Gaige. Then they’d come inside, call a meeting, and the club would decide on a plan.

But Nate stood there, next to Gaige.

Chief Jerry faced them. He didn’t even bother to take his sunglasses off.

“How’s the family?” Miller asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Chief Jerry asked with a cocky grin.

Nate watched the anger crawl across Miller’s face like a storm climbing over the horizon of a mountain, ready to attack.

“Why are you here?” Gaige asked. “I mean, there’s obviously something going on here.”

“You’re right. What’s going on here is that bodies were found. In an abandoned warehouse. Not all that far from here. The room looked trashed. Coast Road members. You’re friends, right?”

“Friends,” Miller said. “Yeah.”

“What else was in the room?” Gaige asked.

“I bet you know that answer already,” Chief Jerry said. Then he turned his sights to Nate. “And I bet that memory of yours is serving you quite well.”

“What if it is?” Nate asked.

“What do you remember, Nate?”

“What are you trying to prove with all this? I thought the relationship…”

Chief Jerry waved a hand. “No. That’s not what we’re talking about, is it?”

“He’s got a point,” Miller said. “We’ve always been good. Why the sudden change? Lost trust? Interest? How do you plan on taking care of your wife and son…”

“You leave them out of this,” Chief Jerry said. “They’re my problem.”

“Problem?” Miller asked.

Gaige then shot a hand out and kept Miller from stepping forward.

“Let me talk to Nate,” Chief Jerry said. “Or else I’ll make one phone call and this place will be swarming…”

“What did you do with that van?” Nate asked. “The one we called you about.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Yes you do. You treated those Coast Road guys like you treated us. You played the scene to get us out of there. Then what? There were drugs in there.”

“Drugs,” Chief Jerry said. “You’ve seen them before?”

“Yeah, I have. Right before I was attacked. Threatened. Left to bleed out and die.”

Chief Jerry curled his lip. “I was there to help you, Nate.”

“You were there in on the f*cking deal,” Nate growled. “I saw the entire damn thing, Chief. Sorry. You should have had someone actually kill me.”

“Boy, those are some intense accusations,” Chief Jerry said.

He reached into his pocket and everyone jumped. Nate knew this was it. The chief was going to start killing them. And he’d get away with it too. He had the judge in his corner, the badges of the town, and power that went far beyond Frelen.

Gaige lunged forward and grabbed Chief Jerry’s arm. Miller was right there, too. Nate stepped forward, unafraid to die. Of course, if his stomach was going to swallow a bullet, his last thought would be about Mia.

“Ease up,” Chief Jerry yelled. “I’m not pulling out a gun. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead by now.”

“What the f*ck is this?” Miller asked. “I mean… years of this… together… what happened? I kept my end of the deal, Jerry. Just like you wanted me to do.”

My end of the deal?

Nate watched as the chief took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “This is what I wanted to show you three. So back away before I arrest you.”