Unexpected Destiny (Assassins and Sweethearts Book 3) Read online

  “I’d like that.” He squeezed her ass. “Sure. I’ll help, Lizzy.” He tugged on her hair. Then he’d help himself to more of her.

  “Cute.” She shook her head.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been called cute.”

  “No, but I can imagine a few things you’ve probably been called.” She looked him up and down. “Oh and you can call me Elizabeth or Liz. Lizzy if you must but not Beth or Bethy.”

  “Not Bethy.” A smile pushed its way in. “Got it. I’m good with Aidan.” A need to know more of her preferences and show her several of his own stirred his thoughts.

  It took both of them and a little too much persistence to get her two friends into the cab. After giving the cabbie a large tip, Liz ended up sitting on his lap. His night was finally looking up in more ways than one. Her hot sweet ass rocked against his cock most of the way as they sped north on Lake Shore Drive.

  “Aidan, I’d like you to meet my two best friends, Sherri and Emily.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both. You must be getting married.” Aidan said to Emily, the drunker of the two friends.

  “I am! How did you know?” Emily looked back and forth between all of them. “Is he some kind of wizard?”

  “Emily, sweetheart.” Sherri tugged on Emily’s veil.

  “Oh, right. I totally forgot.” Emily pulled it from her head. “What else did I forget?”

  “You’ll remember it all in the morning.” Liz giggled.

  “Oh no.” All three laughed. They clearly got along well. His own friends might not share in the same kind of jokes but the support felt just as obvious.

  “I used to live up here,” Aidan observed as they flew past Irving Park. Memories of his early days in Chicago brought his grandmother back to him. “Do you know a few blocks inland are large homes with yards?” He pointed to the left as they past Buena Park.

  “Of course she does,” said the less drunk friend. “Lizzy used to live over there.”

  “Yeah, this is where she met that husband of hers,” said Emily. “Too bad she didn’t meet you instead. I wonder how different things would have turned out.”

  “We’re not talking about Reese, remember?” Liz’s cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.

  Shit. He didn’t remember seeing a ring. Beautiful woman or not, he didn’t miss details. He glanced at her hand. No ring.

  If Reese had been the one who’d given her those bruises, he’d make damn sure he never laid another hand on her no matter what their marital status looked like.

  “He did leave you a great apartment and because of him you bought the villa in Tuscany. Lizzy’s letting us use it for our honeymoon. That husband wasn’t completely worthless.” She tapped her on the shoulder. “He left you a couple of great properties.”

  “True, although they’re both sucking dry what’s left of his bank accounts.”

  “Just don’t sell the place in Italy until we get back.” Emily’s eyes got very wide.

  “Don’t worry. The realtor knows to wait until she hears from me.”

  “What’s your name, cutie pie?” said Sherri. “We should Google him and make sure he’s not an ax-murderer or something.”

  “Oh! Right. What’s your name, hot stuff?” Emily asked.

  “Aidan Clery.” He liked these girls. They didn’t have all their faculties but they were still thinking.

  “He’s the owner and operator at Aidan Clery Enterprises,” Sherri read from her phone and all three nodded like it sounded impressive.

  He’d told Nadia not to list the company name but she’d insisted when she found it on his tax returns, claiming any kind of online presence was better than none. None sounded just fine to him.

  “Sounds kind of important,” said Emily. “There’s a review. Click on it. Let’s see what they have to say about our man Aidan here.”

  “Okay.” Sherri said. “It’s coming up. Here it is. Nadia Duskin gives Aidan five stars for customer service. That’s nice.”

  “Customer service is very important. You take good care of Lizzy here.” Emily pointed at him. “Okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Apparently something was better than nothing.

  “I’ve got another test.” Emily raised her hand. “Are you good to your grandmother?”

  “Oh, good one,” Liz said.

  “I was actually. My parents weren’t around much when I was little. My grandmother was my whole world and the reason I spent so much time in Buena Park.”

  “You’re lucky to have had her. My situation wasn’t too different. When did she pass?” Liz asked.

  “Over a decade ago.”

  “I’m sorry.” She squeezed his hand. “Grandma’s are the best. I’m not sure I would have made it to twenty without my grandma. She passed about six years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.” His grandmother would have liked Liz. The thought warmed him all over.

  By the time they got to the girls’ apartment, a high rise near Catalpa, the two friends were able to get themselves out of the cab. Liz was kind enough to help them upstairs without him. She promised to be quick with her return.

  He shifted his hard cock as he watched her disappear into the building. The last time a woman had distracted him from his work, it hadn’t turned out pretty. But the way his adrenaline was running, maybe he’d be able to taste the sweet Liz and take care of business tonight.

  One way or another, he’d have to take care of one of his jobs tonight. He pulled out his auction envelope. Letting the clock tick by was a simple way to get your own name added to the next auction. Forty-eight hours wasn’t a long time, especially when you planned to do a whole lot of fucking in the middle of it.

  He pulled the first contract out and reviewed all the details. The photo the auction house provided appeared to be the wedding photo. The thing looked only a few years old. The skyline he recognized with the lights of Navy Pier in the background. The photo must have been taken from one of the hotel balconies downtown. Then he noticed the bride, familiar eyes stared back at him.

  “Holy shit.” Lizzy. What kind of crappy luck would he have to have to meet a mark this way?

  He checked the name of his target. Elizabeth Martin. “Damn.”

  Frozen, he stared at the picture of lovely Liz and her innocent happy eyes. He didn’t know much about her, but knew she didn’t deserve this sentence. Thank God Gavin had heard about this contract in time for him to get involved. He snapped a picture of the paperwork and sent it to his brother and Sam, his security tech.

  His thumb crumpled the image of what must be Reese Martin. The asshole would pay for his actions. At least he had an added reason not to let the beauty out of his sight, except he didn’t at the moment.

  The broken lights near the bar flashed through his thoughts. What if he wasn’t the only one looking for Liz tonight? He rubbed his neck, jamming his fingers into his aching shoulder muscle.

  A quick look at the exterior of the building did little to settle him. He pulled out his cell and called one of the few men he could trust.

  “Gavin, hey brother.” Aidan got out of the cab.

  “Did you get the contract?”

  “Yes, they titled it husband wants wife dead. There was no missing it. The information your contact provided was right on point. Just sent you a photo.” He tucked the paperwork back into his coat pocket. “The auction house isn’t usually so bold in their listings.”

  “I’ll add it to our list of grievances for the place.”

  “Good idea. I did get a couple other contracts too.” He looked around the cab and counted the parked cars.

  “Dammit, Aidan.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Listen, have you ever known a client to purchase several hits on one target?” All the parked cars along the street appeared empty except for a dark sedan facing the wrong direction.

  “It’s rare but it happens. What did you witness?”

  “Coincidences.”

  “Enough said. I should have known there wou
ld be more to this job.”

  “Do you mind telling me now how you found out about this one?” Aidan checked his watch.

  “I’ll try to find out how the other assassin was hired and attempt to get more information out of my contact. I’m calling a meeting for tomorrow, one o’clock.”

  “Good. Call Sam. He can help and I can make sure nothing happens to the wife.” He stepped in close to the building and listened.

  “Aidan?”

  “It’s fine. I found a way in.” He stepped back and held the door open for Liz while he checked on the sedan.

  “The girls are settled.” Liz sauntered out of the complex and stopped in front of him. “We’re free.”

  “Who’s that?” Gavin grumbled in his ear.

  “The contract. I’ll call you later.” He hung up on his cursing brother.

  Grabbing hold of Liz’s hand, he tugged her back to the cab. She climbed in and gave the cabbie her address. Getting her out of the city would be the smartest move but Aidan always preferred to walk directly into a situation. Her place could provide several answers, whether they’d answer more about the woman or why her husband wanted her dead mattered little at the moment.

  He pulled her closer and stretched his arm around her shoulder. After a quick check on the sedan, he caught it pulling from the curb and head in the opposite direction. Experience told him it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

  Her little hand landed on his thigh. “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing.” Eventually he’d have to tell her at least one person had been hired to kill her. He’d much rather it was later after she had a reason to believe it wouldn’t be him.

  He kept decent observations of the cars driving around them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary which pissed him off. Plenty of the killers in the city didn’t hesitate to complete their contracts. Aidan knew the unrushed assassin would be harder to eliminate. He’d seen how quickly a target could be lost.

  She rested her head on his shoulder and they rode in silence. The sounds of the city filled the space, the rattling of the L train, honking horns, and several dogs barked in the distance. He finally found a woman unafraid of quiet moments.

  It figured he held a contract to kill her in his pocket. Clery luck at its finest.

  Chapter Three

  Finally, the cab pulled in front of her building. Aidan paid the driver before the car stopped moving. “Out you go,” he said.

  She swung the door open and he was on her heels pushing her toward her building. “Are you afraid I’ll change my mind or something?” She pulled the door open and wiped her damp palm on her hip. Her nerves were all fluttery and she hoped he hadn’t noticed.

  “Nah. It’s getting cold out here.” He rubbed her shoulders, then took hold of the door and waved for her to go in ahead of him. “This is a tall building.”

  “Sixty-five floors. My place isn’t the penthouse, but I have a pretty good view. It’s just high enough to make it possible to jog up the stairs if needed.” Two years ago, this place had her believing she’d landed in a fairy tale. Reese had been her prince until almost the moment he disappeared and taken her happily ever after with him. A thousand times, she thought about moving and leaving all the bad memories behind, but tonight she was glad she still had the few perks the building offered.

  “Hi, Jerry.” She waved to the night doorman. “I have a visitor tonight.” The code words seemed silly when she moved in with her new husband but not now. Jerry would check on her in an hour if she didn’t call down with another code word.

  “Okay. Sir, you need to sign in here.” Jerry pushed forward a clipboard. “And I need to see some identification.”

  “Sure. Glad to see you have decent security here.” While Aidan signed the sheet, Jerry scanned his ID.

  “Yes, Ms. Elizabeth is important to us. Have a good evening, you two.” He grinned and winked at her, probably glad to see her with a man.

  She was really doing this, bringing home a man for the sole purpose of sexual pleasure. A thrill ran up her spine. Taking control of her life was an unbelievable rush.

  The second Aidan had his ID back, she pressed the button for the elevator. Several long minutes later the doors opened and they stepped inside. She pushed the button for her floor and then positioned herself in the back corner, a good spot to observe him. Damn, he was good looking. Emily had picked well for her. He had this dreamy look about him except there was also something mysterious, dangerous even. She leaned on the wall of the elevator. Her thoughts filled with many things she wanted to try with him and none of them included being this far apart or clothed.

  This devilishly sexy man, in his jeans, t-shirt, boots, and leather jacket was turned on by her. If the bulge in his pants was any indication, she’d soon be quite satisfied. She licked her lips and watched him watching her.

  But she only knew four things about Aidan. He enjoyed going commando, he liked her at least a little, he was kind enough to help a few drunken strangers, and he owned a company. Surely it was plenty to know about a man she just wanted to have sex with. She bit the inside of her cheek.

  Nope. It was most definitely not enough to know about him. She shifted her weight from side to side and considered running to the stairs the second the doors opened.

  “Shit. This is pretty dumb of me to invite you up here. For all I know you could be a serial killer.” The elevator opened on her floor and she scooted out ahead of him. Now, her building security felt insufficient. How had she let Sherri and Emily talk her into this? Because she needed this. She really needed this.

  “Well, I’m not.”

  She turned on a dime and walked backwards toward the stairway. “Not what? You’re not a killer?”

  “I’m definitely not a serial killer.”

  “Ah.” She snorted and covered her mouth.

  “Besides, you did Google me.”

  “Well, it no longer seems enough.” She tilted her head and tried to figure him out. “Or am I overthinking again?” She twirled her hair around her finger. Sherri would tell her to listen to her instincts and they were screaming at her to give in to this incredibly handsome man. This is what she’d been looking for. This is what she needed.

  They both took a step forward and bumped into each other. His mouth came within an inch of hers and he wrapped his arms around to squeeze her ass.

  “I’m here tonight to bring us both incredible pleasure.” He claimed her lips. Strength plundered her mouth and his tongue caressed along hers. He smelled of the night air and something a bit spicy, aftershave maybe. White hot heat coursed through her. Oh yeah, she wanted this.

  When they came up for air, she breathed in deep, “I believe you.”

  He took a step away and pulled the keys from her hand. “Which one is yours?”

  “This way.” She pointed to the door on her right and stripped the keys from his hand.

  “Your husband won’t mind you bringing me home?” He followed her.

  “No.” She stiffened and turned around. “Wish Sherri hadn’t mentioned him.” She shrugged her shoulders. “He disappeared over a year ago.”

  “He’s not responsible for the bruises on your neck?” He tugged on her scarf.

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” She pulled the fabric free and rubbed the fading black and blue. “I was mugged a couple weeks ago.” She stuffed it in her purse.

  “Shit, Liz. Did you get hurt anywhere else?” He stepped back and checked her over. “There are no obvious signs.”

  “No, not obvious.” She looked away. “I held onto my purse strap and he used it against me.”

  “Don’t do that.” He grabbed her shoulders. “I mean it. None of your possessions are as important as your body, your life.”

  “I get it. I do.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “It was just instinct. It all happened so fast.” She’d still be rocking herself and crying in her apartment if her girlfriends hadn’t helped her to stand back up. It had taken her months to gat
her the courage to socialize again after Reese disappeared. The mugger had stolen the courage she’d managed to pull together, along with her purse. “Sherri got me to take a couple self-defense classes. The first thing he taught me is not fighting back.”

  “Sounds like a great start.”

  “I hate those classes. How much am I supposed to take before I get to whoop someone’s ass?” Things kept happening to her and she wanted back in the driver seat.

  “Keep taking the classes. You’ll get to kick ass.” He rubbed her arms and she wished the chill of terror would leave her alone for good. “It’s important you understand the time for letting go and when to fight back. It will save your life.”

  “That sounds important. But I’m going to tell my instructor I get to kick ass.” She held up her fists and threw a couple tiny punches.

  “You must be his favorite student.”

  “You know it.” She giggled. With a shake to her hips, she turned to her door. What she wanted now was simple—a long hot night with an intoxicating stranger. She pushed her key to the lock and the door drifted open. “What the hell.” Her quiet voice shook. “I locked the door when I left.”

  He yanked her behind him. Silence filled her ears except for the racing of her heart. Before Aidan pulled her back, she’d caught a glimpse of her apartment. It was a disaster. Someone had been inside her home and torn it to shreds.

  She stepped in behind him and pressed her cheek to his back. A crunchy sound broke through the silence as she followed him into her apartment. It was like walking on little pebbles that broke and cracked with each step. She glanced down and saw shattered glass for as far as she could see. All except for the television. It sat eerily undisturbed in the corner.

  “Stay back.” His hand came around her.

  “What the fuck, Aidan.” Another scan of her apartment and not a single item seemed to be in the same place. The pictures had been torn from the walls. All the furniture ripped to shreds with the stuffing scattered everywhere, feathers and fuzz floated through the air. “They were just here. Weren’t they?” A dark haze drifted over her. “I thought I could at least trust this place to keep me safe.”