Steel Temptation (Back Down Devil MC #6)(56)

“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 f*ck with Nate. To f*ck 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 f*ck 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.”