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

“Want some coffee?”

“I have to pee first.”

Uncle Jake spun her back around. He touched the red mark on her jaw and then smiled. “You know where the bathroom is. Clean yourself up. I’ll send Jake to a friend’s house.”

Mia walked through the big and bright kitchen to the bathroom. Everything was black, white, steel, all designed that way by her uncle to show his commanding style. Sure, everyone on the street knew he was a hard ass and powerful judge. They probably all respected him. Then again, for all Mia knew, half of them probably attended the illegal dealings of her uncle. She used to wonder how he got away with this kind of stuff, but when police, detectives, and other high profile people started showing up, it made sense. Even the most powerful men enjoyed having their own underground world.

The one thing Uncle Jake did for her though was make sure she was never propositioned by anyone. And if she was approached, he was there to take care of it. Mia told herself it was maybe a small sign of love. She knew better. Uncle Jake didn’t want her running away with someone else. Or breaking up someone’s marriage and causing a chain of events that would ruin all he had worked for.

In the bathroom, she took a satisfying pee, washed her hands, and looked at her face. She’d been hit worse. The mark would go away in no time. Not that it mattered or anyone would give a damn. Hell, her last boyfriend - some guy who was just a blip on the radar of life - would ask her what she did wrong to deserve it.

Fucking *.

They were all *s, men. Every single one. Even the good ones, too.

How many times Mia saw husbands and fathers come into the strip club, hating their lives. Pissed that their wives weren’t the women on stage. Try giving birth, *.

Mia took a breath and exited the bathroom.

She met Uncle Jake at the breakfast nook in the kitchen, where a black metal bistro table sat with two chairs. The newspaper was folded, placed under a small basket of fruit.

“Sit,” he ordered and brought over two mugs of coffee on a tray along with cream and sugar.

“Can I ask about Jake before we get into anything?” Mia asked.

“What about?”

“He seems…”

“He’s a boy trying to live in a world run by men. There’s been situations because of my actions. Tough lessons to learn but he’ll manage.”

“What does that mean?”

Uncle Jake smiled. “The little shit stabbed some of the *s who were f*cking with him. That’s why he’s been home with me. School thought it was best to remove him for now. I have a tutor come over and take care of him. It was a mess for a little while. But I defended him. He’s my child, right?”

“Stabbed…”

“Yes. Give advice by the lowest of scum in Frelen. You ever heard of Back Down Devil?”

“The motorcycle club?”

“Yes.”

Mia nodded. She’d heard of them. Who hasn’t heard of them? Their reputation was notorious and they were rumored to have charters up and down the west coast. From San Diego to Portland. Maybe even up into Canada and across to Alaska. And even crews that pushed east into Nevada and up into Montana.

They were bold, reckless, and powerful.

Mia had dealt with them in the strip club a few times. When they showed up, they controlled the place, the night, the women, everything.

“I’ve had problems with them,” Uncle Jake said.

“Okay,” Mia whispered. “Does it involve Jake? What he did?”

“What Jake learned was a powerful lesson in life,” Uncle Jake said. “That’s nobody’s concern but my own. Some boys were picking on him and he found the urge to fight back, with a knife. The urge to fight is human instinct. A basic need for survival. But to stab… and attack… that’s primal. Maybe I should be proud of him. Maybe I should punish him in a way he never thought possible. I have his entire life to enjoy the idea of it.”

The way Uncle Jake said his entire life made Mia shiver. It implied that Uncle Jake expected to outlive his young son, which didn’t seem likely. Unless Uncle Jake had a plan in place for something else.

“How’s the coffee?” he asked.

Mia took another sip. “Very good. Thank you.”

Uncle Jake reached for the newspaper and opened it. He turned it around and pointed to the date.

“It’s old,” Mia whispered. “Like… very old.”

“Sure. It was news then. To me, it still is.” His thick finger ran down to an article. “See this?”

Mr. Strokner was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Preliminary findings show that he had what’s being called a ‘secret hideout’ where he would conduct ‘business.’ The nature of the ‘business’ has not been released but it’s safe to speculate that, perhaps, the wealthy businessman had dark ties within the Frelen community.

“What does that all mean?” Mia asked.

“That’s why you’re here,” Uncle Jake said. “See, we’re trying to take care of the town. You can read all you want about economic recession and recovery and all the political bullshit in between…”

“Excuse me, sir?”

Jake stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a backpack strapped to his skinny shoulders.