Purrks of the Job: Paranormal Ex-SEAL Surprise Pregnancy Mafia Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) Read online

  Purrks of the Job

  Chicago Catastrophe

  Anya Nowlan

  Rory Dale

  Contents

  A Little Taste…

  Copyright

  1. River

  2. Kate

  3. River

  4. Kate

  5. River

  6. Kate

  7. River

  8. Kate

  9. River

  10. Kate

  11. River

  12. Kate

  13. Kate

  14. River

  15. Kate

  16. River

  17. Kate

  18. River

  19. Kate

  20. River

  21. Kate

  22. River

  23. Kate

  24. River

  25. Kate

  26. River

  27. Kate

  28. River

  29. Kate

  30. River

  31. Kate

  32. River

  33. Kate

  34. River

  35. Kate

  36. River

  37. River

  38. Kate

  Epilogue

  Big Bear Daddy Excerpt

  Want More?

  About the Authors

  Thank you for reading!

  A Little Taste…

  “Don’t worry, this isn’t about her divorcing you and taking you for half of all you’ve got. She’d rather have it all,” Kate replied, her tone pure ice. “And I think I agree.”

  She let her purse fall to the ground and kicked off her high heels, cracking her knuckles. Jonathan laughed incredulously, no clue of how much trouble he was in. She must have not looked like a threat to him, but River knew better.

  If she’d managed to hold her own against shifters, handling Jonathan would be a piece of cake for her. He rested on the balls of his feet, excited to see the show.

  Guess this one’s personal, he thought, considering that she had chosen for a bare knuckle approach instead of capping him between the eyes.

  “You’re crazy. I’m out of here,” the man said, turning to leave.

  Kate grabbed on to the back of his shirt collar and yanked, putting her whole body behind it. Jonathan stumbled backwards, taken off guard.

  “Don’t touch me,” he demanded, turning to face Kate and pointing a long finger at her.

  She didn’t even acknowledge him as she tugged at her skirt, yanking it upwards to reveal strong, pale thighs. Given how tight her dress was, she was doing it to give herself some more range of movement. Jonathan was going down, that was for sure.

  There was no warning before Kate’s elbow flashed out and up, smashing into Jonathan’s jaw. She let the momentum of the hit carry her body forward, swiveling on her right foot as her left one came back around and kicked the man in the midsection.

  Jonathan hunched over and started to say something, but his words came out as a cry of pain as Kate’s foot came down on his kneecap.

  River was entirely enthralled. This woman certainly was one of a kind. How could he possibly rob the world of her? His tiger clawed at him, eager to join the fight, no matter how one-sided it was. Her beautiful hands shouldn’t be marred with the blood of those who didn’t deserve her attention.

  Jonathan crumpled to the ground, holding his knee. Kate picked up one of her stilettos and with one last contemptuous glance, jabbed it into the man’s neck. Jonathan’s eyes grew wide as he looked up at her, seeing her for what she really was.

  Deadly.

  I’m going to enjoy this, River thought with a grin, rising up from the shadows.

  Finally, a fight that didn’t bore him.

  Copyright © 2016 Anya Nowlan & Rory Dale

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Purrks of the Job

  Chicago Catastrophe

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Anya Nowlan and Rory Dale. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  Cover © Jack of Covers

  You can find all of the books here:

  Amazon Author Page – Anya

  www.anyanowlan.com

  Amazon Author Page – Rory

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  One

  River

  “Now Richard, why don’t you tell me how a dead man was able to hide from me for so long?” River asked, unwrapping his set of tools.

  The metal glistened in the limited light of the storage room of one of the businesses River controlled, a fruit wholesale store. Boxes lined the walls and the air smelled like ripe peaches.

  The man he was addressing was bound to a chair in front of him, immobile and helpless. His dark hair clung to his sweaty forehead and his feet were bare on the dirty floor. But his eyes were still defiant.

  That would change once River got started.

  “Screw you,” Richard spat out, his muscles tensing against the restraints as he struggled feebly.

  River appreciated the effort, but he had tied the man up himself. Even though Richard was strong for a human, there was no way he was going to wiggle his way out.

  River held up some pliers and a scalpel, inspecting the sharpness of the blade. He didn’t usually do the interrogations himself, being the leader of the infamous Crimson Claws and all, but he was making an exception in this case.

  “I’d watch your mouth if I were you,” he warned. “I’m all out of patience.”

  That was more than true. There had been too many slip-ups in his organization lately and it was time to clean house. He hadn’t become the most feared man in Chicago, among humans and shifters alike, because he let things slide. The tiger inside him was twitching and roaring, urging him to violence.

  Soon enough…

  Richard let out a harsh laugh and glared at him.

  “I already hate myself. What’s a little pain?” the man said, face twisting in a mixture of shame and anger.

  River had a pretty good idea what Richard meant by that. He was after the man’s boss, Kate Walker. Or at least that’s the name the Chicago underground knew her by. His background checks had revealed precious little, making him suspect it was an alias.

  But that didn’t matter right now.

  Richard had been Kate’s head of security, but sold her out to one of River’s lieutenants, Parker. From what River had managed gather about the whole situation, it was out of some misguided need to protect the woman. Kate was helping a man named Stone Calloway hide a woman Parker was supposed to kill and make an example of. Richard had promised to hand the woman over in return for Kate’s safety.

  The man knew no one went against the Claws in this city without it blowing up in their faces sooner or later.

  Things didn’t exactly go as Richard had planned, as making the deal with Parker only confirmed his lieutenant’s suspicions. Kate was involved in hiding Calloway and the woman. Parker had sent a hit squad to Kate’s house, obliterating her whole security team.

  Unfortunately, Kate herself got away and most of
Parker’s squad died in the process. The entire thing had been a complete mess, finally culminating in Parker’s death and Kate’s going into hiding. It was only one of the many problematic occurrences that had made River angrier by the day at some of his ‘trusted’ lieutenants.

  In the end, it had been Parker’s own fault that he had been stupid and weak enough to get his throat ripped out over some girl he had grown too fond of. River couldn’t blame Calloway for being a creative problem-solver. In his place, he would have likely done the same.

  Leveraging the information he’d gathered, Calloway got out with his girl. But Kate had played a large part in this huge headache and now, River had resolved to deal with her personally.

  Someone had to be held responsible for killing a slew of his men and a high-ranking lieutenant. If Calloway was off the table, it might as well be Kate.

  Besides, Calloway was an outsider, he didn’t know how things worked in Chicago. Kate should have known better, and she still chose to work against the Claws.

  People needed to know that kind of thing wasn’t a forgivable offense.

  And River had to admit, he found the woman intriguing. Her reputation as an assassin was beyond reproach. Whatever the job, she got it done cleanly and quickly. She managed to take down his guys without being a shifter or having any military training that he knew of.

  A woman like that could have been an asset to him at another time.

  She seems like fun. Too bad I’m going to have to kill her.

  River set the scalpel down and approached Richard, opting for the pliers this time.

  “You’ve already betrayed her once, what’s a second time?” he taunted.

  “No, never. Not after she showed me mercy,” Richard replied, looking haunted but sure of himself.

  “Oh, so she was in on the playing dead thing.”

  It was a statement, not a question.

  Richard’s mouth thinned into a tight line as the man realized he’d already said too much. His pupils dilated just a little. River grinned.

  “Now stop me if I’m wrong,” River said, grabbing Richard’s chin with one hand and squeezing his mouth open. “But I have a feeling the fact I found you hiding out in Bolivia wasn’t by preference alone.”

  Richard’s body tensed and he averted his gaze as River forced the pliers into his mouth. He let them sit there for a moment, the cool metal against the soft, warm flesh of Richard’s tongue.

  “Now, I would have just killed you, but Kate must have had a soft spot for you. Still, leaving you alive would be bad for her reputation. Can’t have anyone thinking she’s lost her edge, not in the business she’s in.”

  Richard started squirming as River maneuvered the pliers around a tooth, clamping down on the handle and making sure the jaws of the pliers were tight around it.

  “So she offered you another option. You go into hiding and she tells everyone you’re dead.”

  Richard tried moving his head but River’s grip on his jaw was too strong. River leaned forward so they were eye to eye, and even though Richard tried looking tough, the fear on his face wasn’t hard to see.

  She could have done better than to have a chump like this on her team, he thought almost ruefully.

  “You haven’t stopped me yet so I’m guessing I’ve got it right,” River said, giving the pliers a savage yank.

  Richard cried out in pain, his fingers twitching and digging into the chair’s armrest.

  “Was that a yes?” River asked, flicking the molar behind him on the concrete floor as blood started streaming out of the man’s mouth.

  Two

  Kate

  Quiet. Good.

  Kate finished her sweep of the surrounding area and stepped inside the café she was supposed to meet her new client at. She was still a little jumpier than usual, after everything that went down in Chicago. Who wouldn’t be after losing an entire team and almost her life in the process?

  But she was also anxious to get back to normal. Killing people for money being normal for her. For that, she needed clients.

  Since she’d had to take up a new identity, she couldn’t really pick and choose her jobs anymore. She had to build up her reputation all over again. But Kate wasn’t concerned. As soon as she had some successful jobs under her belt, word would spread. She might have a new name, but her skillset was still the same and she was just as deadly as before.

  The smell of coffee and baked bread filled her nostrils as she delved deeper into the café, looking for a woman she only knew by the username ‘Pinkluvr’.

  Ordering murder over the internet. We truly are living in the future, Kate thought, running her gaze over the patrons. Maybe I should make an app for it.

  If her nervous demeanor hadn’t given the woman away, the accuracy of her username certainly would have. The combo of a pink top, purse and shoes didn’t leave much room for doubt and Kate slid into the seat opposite the woman.

  “Pink lover, I presume,” she remarked in way of a greeting.

  The woman’s eyes lit up as she gave Kate an assessing look.

  “You’re perfect!” she exclaimed in hushed tones, hands curled around her coffee cup.

  “Thanks?” Kate replied with a raised brow.

  “Oh, sorry, I got excited. Yes, it’s me. You can call me Jenny. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Kate took a harder look at Jenny. She was blonde and perky, but the lines around her eyes suggested she might be older than she tried to look.

  The woman was certainly a lot chattier than most of her previous clients. Most people really weren’t interested in small talk when hiring a contract killer. The whole transaction was done in five sentences or less. From the diamonds in her ears and around her wrist, at least Jenny didn’t look like she lacked in funds.

  “Samantha. Now why don’t you tell me about your problem and I’ll see if I can take care of it for you.”

  Jenny fidgeted in her seat, looking uncomfortable at her blunt attempt to get down to business. Kate should have known she was one of those clients that needed her hand held. She hadn’t dealt with those in a while, but she’d have to get used to it. It would take some time until she got some serious gigs again.

  Kate tried a more gentle approach, willing herself to soften her demeanor. She gave Jenny an encouraging smile and put a hand on her arm for a moment. Jenny wasn’t some hardened criminal who wanted their competition knocked out. For her, this was probably a big deal.

  “I know this must be difficult for you. I gathered from your e-mail that this has something to do with your husband? Tell me about him.”

  Jenny tapped her long nails on the rim of her cup and gave her a nervous smile. Kate folded her hands on the table and leaned in, putting on an interested expression.

  I hope this one’s worth it. I’m not going to kill someone who doesn’t deserve it.

  “Jonathan is a doctor, real important, a surgeon. He’s a pretty good husband all in all, or at least I thought so… Until I found out about the string of nurses he’s been fucking behind my back.”

  There was a fire in Jenny’s gaze now, her nervousness gone as she recalled events unknown to Kate.

  “That bastard,” Kate commented dryly, shaking her head and trying her best to look adequately outraged.

  That’s an appropriate response, right? Sympathetic while also confirming her hurt feelings are justified.

  Jenny nodded furiously, obviously agreeing with Kate’s assessment.

  “After I’ve been nothing but a supportive and faithful wife for ten years! I take care of myself, work out and dress nice, have a tasty hot meal waiting when he comes home. And this is how he repays me!”

  Jenny’s voice was getting progressively louder and her knuckles around her mug were turning white. Not wanting to draw too much attention to their exchange, Kate reached out and patted Jenny’s hand encouragingly.

  “Nothing is enough for guys like him. You didn’t do anything wrong,” she assured her.

  Tear
s welled up in Jenny’s eyes and she quickly brushed them away. Kate gave her hand one last squeezed before pulling away.

  “Thank you for being so understanding,” Jenny said, sniffling a bit.

  “I’m here to help. Just tell me what you need.”

  Translation: give me the guy’s name and half of my fee in advance so I can get out of here and on with the due diligence.

  Like many hitmen in the business, Kate ran by a code. Every target she got, she would check out individually. Usually, if a person had their finger in the wrong pie, it was pretty much a given that the reason someone wanted them dead wasn’t all they were guilty of. There was always more.

  If Kate found that the target she was given really deserved to die for what they’d done, she’d take the money, do the hit, and go on her merry way. If not, then she’d simply keep the retainer.

  Every client was informed of this before she ever met them. It kept the rage-killers off her client list and allowed her to be picky with her targets, both of which were important for her.

  “Well, after he got caught, Jon promised me it would never happen again. We went to counseling and everything. He admitted he has a problem and swears he has it under control now.”

  I don’t like where this is going.

  “But how can I really trust him, you know? I can’t watch him 24/7. That’s where you come in,” Jenny beamed at her, obviously very pleased with whatever plan she’d come up with.

  “Look, I don’t do surveillance…” Kate started, before getting cut off.

  “Oh, no, that’s not what I want. There’s a reason I sought out a hitwoman and you’re more than I could have ever asked for! That’s why I said you’re perfect when I first saw you.”

  Oh no. She better not be suggesting what I think she’s suggesting.

  “You’re just Jon’s type. Blonde, pretty, great tits.”

  Kate resisted the urge to look down her own shirt.