Unexpected Destiny (Assassins and Sweethearts Book 3)

E
VERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2016 S.J. Maylee

ISBN: 978-1-77233-978-9

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Katelyn Uplinger

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To Liz, I’ll always be thankful you gave my books a try. That one step on your part has led to a friendship I treasure. It’s my honor to name this heroine after you and to give you a hero who has stolen my heart. Love you, Lizzy!

UNEXPECTED DESTINY

Assassins and Sweethearts, 3

S.J. Maylee

Copyright © 2016

Chapter One

Aidan walked into the auction hoping to win the contract on a nasty bastard. He was in a rather shitty mood and nothing but a clean kill would brighten his day. After tossing his cell into the basket, he picked up the brochure and slumped into a seat in the back row.

On the docket for the evening were a dozen jobs, many for taking out drug dealers, a few gang members, and even one for his preferred job, an abuser. Killing a man who’d tried unsuccessfully to kill his wife was like candy.

The dark room filled with the usual suspects. Half of the assassins sitting in front of him deserved to be on Aidan’s kill list, not vying for jobs alongside him. An honorable assassin didn’t let his business spill onto anyone but the mark. He cracked his neck and stretched out his legs.

He hadn’t shut down the auction yet because the man who ran it sent available candy jobs his way. It was time to find a new source though. These auction houses could never play by the rules for long.

He didn’t used to be so picky about his kills. There was a time not so long ago when he would have killed for anyone who’d have paid him. Pulling himself out of those dark days hadn’t been easy and he hadn’t done it alone. Three fellow assassins deserved most of the credit. The four men had formed a strong bond over the years. They even met weekly like some sort of deranged book club to review their jobs and offer advice. His brother had instigated the elite group. Together, they worked more efficiently and a hell of a lot smarter.

From a young age, their parents had encouraged their study of martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, and weapons training. His mom always said if someone was willing to kill another, they were worth a kill shot. Keeping his family safe had always been priority one, followed closely with their neighborhood and all women and children. No excuses. All of his clients were obtained through referrals or sent to him directly from fellow assassins. No exceptions. Except for the candy.

Tonight, his big brother had sent him to win a particular job and Aidan found it right away. He rubbed his hand over his hair and glowered at the listing. They hadn’t bothered to hide the fact the contract was for killing a man’s wife. Gavin’s connection hadn’t offered the name of this rotten husband, but once Aidan won the business he’d find him and then the rat would die.

One thing was for sure, he’d make sure this wife stayed alive. He had no interest in killing women, but the last couple he’d skipped had been rather vile wenches. Recently his buddy, Ethan, had won bragging rights for taking out the bitch tricking women into going with slavers who shipped them overseas.

That same friend had also found the love of his life and Aidan was pissed. None of the men in their line of work dated. Ever. It’s just how it was. It was something Aidan relied on not to change, but Ethan had smashed the code to smithereens.

No matter how much he disliked it, in the end, Aidan couldn’t blame Ethan, especially after witnessing how he benefited from Nadia’s love. The man was more focused than ever.

Aidan had always said he didn’t want a single woman in his life. He wanted many and for none of them to stick around, making his life a mess. Now, all those rules were out the window. He desired what Ethan had. The craving to find his someone filled his thoughts constantly and the change pissed him off.

It didn’t help that Nadia worked for him now, methodically hiring the staff members he needed. She’d proven herself capable with each hire. The general office staff worked well together and now she had her first security hire, too. Sam’s skills had already justified his expense. Several more hires would be needed to fill up his team but it was a start.

Aidan cracked his knuckles and decided to bid on more than one job. If the auction’s days were numbered, he might as well make bank first. He closed his brochure, not bothering to read any more, and dropped his number in each of the hats.

An hour later he had two jobs, plus the one for the poor wife. Within forty-eight hours, each contract would need to be completed. His reconnaissance would start immediately. After checking the address at the top of the form for the unhappy couple, he recalled a bar in the neighborhood with quite a few delicious and thirst-quenching craft beers.

Utilizing alleys and side streets, he made his way across town. Most streets in Chicago had their dark spots at night, making it easy to stay out of sight. He’d been on the block where the bar was located before and his memories reminded him it wasn’t normally shady. A quick inspection to the street lights and a crunchy step forward revealed his suspicion. He couldn’t rule out vandalism, no matter how unlikely in this neighborhood, but it was the first step taken by several assassins working in the city. Aidan believed in a few things and coincidences were not on the list. Chances were this woman’s evil husband had hired more than one professional to ensure her death.

“Fucking A.” He rubbed the ache etching its way across his forehead and quickened his pace to the bar.

A cab pulled to the curb and three women nearly fell out. Their laughter bounced around the empty street as they stumbled into the bar. They should be on their way home. He could only imagine how much alcohol they’d already consumed. It appeared one of them thought she’d found her mate and was getting married. The silly white material hanging from her head and the necklace of condoms were a dead giveaway.

He followed them inside, holding the door for the only sober one in the bunch, and the prettiest too. Her lovely scent lingered behind her like an exquisite bouquet. Simply intoxicating. His gaze followed her enticing backside as she and her friends found a table. Damn, he could stare at her ass all night. Too bad he now had a shitload of work to do.

Taking a seat at the bar, he pulled the sheet detailing the job that had required his attention tonight a few inches from the envelope. “Fuck me.” He really had won the grand job of killing a woman whose only crime seemed to be marrying the wrong guy. He shoved the paperwork back into his pocket and signaled the bartender. He couldn’t handle knowing any more until he got a beer.

The only benefit of a job like this wasn’t the payout, it was killing the fucker who hired him and that’s exactly what he planned to do. Unless the wife turned out to be as deplorable as her husband.

Maybe there was a silver lining here. Maybe this woman deserved to be taken out and it wouldn’t matter how many assassins this piece of shit hired. Not that he’d ever failed to stop a hit when needed, but if it were true … it still wouldn’t make him feel any better. No wonder Ethan had gotten pissy when they’d congratulated him. The thought of hurting a woman, no matter how wicked, turned his stomach.

“Can I get you something?” the bartender asked, luring him from his thoughts.

“Any new craft beers?” He noticed the waitress carrying a tray with two white wines and a bottle of Goose pale ale to the table of ladies he’d followed earlier. At least one of them had good taste.

“We have Bells. Just got in a box of Two Hearted,” the bartender said.

“Perfect.”

The bottle appeared a minute later. He took a sip and then another. Smooth malt balanced all the edges. “Women,” he muttered under his breath. All his life, they’d made everything harder. They were either racing to leave him high and dry, impeding his ability to do what he did best or, the worst of all, leaving him wide open to pain. Aidan could handle most kinds of injury. He’d broken most of his bones and had been shot several times over the years, but nothing hurt like a woman tearing out his heart.

Why now did he have to change his mind? Why should he care about finding his ideal woman? He squeezed his right fist and rubbed it on his thigh. The kicker of it all was he was happy for Ethan and Nadia. He couldn’t even get angry at them for showing off their obvious attraction.

Some women were worth the trouble. Two women in Aidan’s life had done right by him, but they were both long gone from this earth. His mom and grandmother were made from a special cloth. They didn’t make them like that anymore.

When his grandmother died, Aidan had only been eighteen. He had many memories, but one stuck out the most. She’d told him there was one woman who would rock his world, but he’d have to wait until she was ready.

“
All good things are worth waiting for.”

He’d never forget his grandmother’s last words. She’d called it the Clery curse. She’d claimed even Gavin was caught in the web of misfortune and would have to wait for his one. They all thought she was a crazy old kook. At the time, his brother was in love with his high school sweetheart. He supposed Gavin still was, but no one had seen the girl since she walked out on him years ago. Grandmother would have blamed it on the curse. Aidan blamed the woman. Both men were still waiting.

Aidan was done waiting.

“Excuse me.”

He turned and found the mostly sober woman from the bachelorette party, flashing her gorgeous brown eyes at him.

“We’re playing a few games tonight.” She tugged at the scarf around her neck, revealing a couple of ugly bruises.

His fist clenched. Beautiful skin shouldn’t be marred by such nastiness.

“Is it okay if I ask you a personal question?”

He forced his gaze back to hers in time to catch the tender vulnerability trapped in her stare. “Ask away.”

“Are you wearing boxers or briefs?” Her quick blush lightened his spirits.

“That’s a question I can’t answer.” He took a sip of his beer.

“Is that so?” She captured him with her enticing smile.

He leaned in. “I’m not wearing either.”

She looked down and her eyebrows rose. “Oh.” She bit her lip.

Gosh, she was breathtaking. “Now, tell me what you’re wearing.”

She leaned in and whispered, “A tiny scrap of lace.”

Her friends hollered and she hurried back to her table. Nothing like a beautiful woman to warm his mood. He hoped to think about that scrap of lace for the rest of the night and what it rubbed against, but he worried he’d be thinking about the bruises and the shit who put them there.

He watched the girls having a good time over the next half hour. They were all drinking too much except his curious girl. His. He looked down at the bottom of his bottle. A woman like that would never consider dating someone like him. But maybe she’d consider a night of unrestrained passion. Even better if she’d let him tie her up. A woman strong enough to submit satisfied him like no other.

Through the mirror behind the bar, he observed the ladies clink glasses and giggle. Their evening was set and so was his. He pushed back his empty bottle. It was time to get moving. First, he’d hit the loo and then he’d do some surveillance.

****

Liz covered her mouth. “Emily, you can’t say things like that right when I take a sip.”

“What?” Emily looked back and forth between Liz and Sherri and pushed the tulle from her eyes. “You can’t keep your eyes off him.”

“Emily’s right.” Sherri patted Liz’s hand. “You should go for it. He’s frickin’ hot.”

“He really is.” A weight lifted from Liz’s chest. It might be Emily’s bachelorette party but they all knew the real purpose for the evening. Liz needed to get laid. She’d had a hell of a year and, if she didn’t fight her way through it, she’d have nothing but shittier times ahead. She checked over her shoulder and found his stool empty. “Fuck. Where did he go?” She searched the bar.

“Relax, vixen. He went to the bathroom.” Sherri shook her head. “You’ve got it bad.”

“I do.” She rubbed her palms on her jeans. “My hands are sweating. What’s wrong with me? I feel like I’m in high school.” When he’d leaned in to answer her question, her gaze locked on his. Between his enticing blues eyes, the strong line of his jaw, and his alluring scent, she couldn’t think of anything else at the moment. “Gosh, I need this.”

“Go for it,” her girlfriends said together.

“What if this is a bad idea?” She licked her lips and turned to check on the bathroom.

“We’ve got a plan, remember?” Sherri said.

“That’s right.” Emily rubbed her hands together. “We’ve all got our parts down. We’ll help you question him. If he passes our tests, the security at your place will handle the rest. You’ve got this. Now, go get yourself a hot piece of ass.”

“I’m going to do this.” Liz stood and swung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m taking control of my life.”

“Yes, you are.” Sherri smacked the table.

Liz tucked her hair behind her ear and headed to the bathroom. She could do this. She could proposition a man.

“Shake what your momma gave you,” Emily hollered.

Liz stopped and checked on her girlfriends. They were both beaming at her. She shook her head and rolled her shoulders. Knowing they had her back had gotten her through the worst year of her life. At least Emily wasn’t going to have any problem pulling off her role as the drunken girlfriend.

She stopped at the door to the men’s bathroom and wiped her palms on her jeans. It was now or never. Shoving the door open, she stepped inside.