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

  I guess they are pretty great, she mused.

  “You want me to be bait and see if he takes it. I get it, I really do, but that’s really not my specialty,” she said, getting her thoughts back in track.

  “I’ll pay double your regular fee and if he does take the bait, I want him dead.”

  The words tumbled out of Jenny’s mouth, fast and quiet. She stopped to stare Kate down, studying her expectantly. Kate sighed, thinking it over.

  Sure, the job wasn’t ideal. Being slobbered on by some cheating dirtbag wasn’t her idea of a fun evening but she had to start somewhere. She hadn’t had a lot of jobs since moving to New York and she couldn’t really afford to be picky.

  Besides, it was easy money.

  And I can bet good money on the fact that hubby dearest has a few malpractice suits he’s not entirely innocent in tucked away in the background as well…

  “Okay, Jenny. Just for you, I’m willing to make an exception.”

  “Yay! This will be so great!”

  Jenny clapped her hands together gleefully as Kate suppressed a groan.

  This was not what a respectable hitwoman was supposed to be doing with her time. At least it couldn’t get much worse.

  Or so she thought.

  Three

  River

  River grabbed a rag to wipe the blood from his hands. Richard was a bloody pulp in front of him, his head hanging down to rest on his chest. The fingers of his right hand were missing most of their fingernails and his left knee was a mangled mess. Blood dripped from his mouth and face, painting his t-shirt red.

  How did I get back here? River wondered for a moment, looking at the man with something that almost resembled pity.

  There had been a time when River had thought he had gotten away from this life. He found purpose in the Navy, camaraderie. But his temper got the best of him, like it always did, and he ended up back on the streets, just another civilian. Seemed like even the great United States military couldn’t quite handle him.

  He had been stupid to think he would get away from his name and what he grew up in.

  I should have known better.

  His whole family was already in the crime business, so why did he even think he would do anything different?

  The son of the great and powerful Dornan Royce, ruler of the Boston mob. No one but River himself had thought he would do anything but follow in his father’s footsteps. It’s what he had been groomed to do from a young age, after all, given all the tools of the trade and blessed with the ill temper that came along with it.

  You can’t fight destiny, River thought grimly as he shook Richard awake.

  “No passing out,” he warned as the man groaned to life.

  “Please… No more,” Richard mumbled.

  “You’ve already lasted a lot longer than I thought you would. You’ve suffered enough, I can see that. Tell me what I need to know and this can stop.”

  “I don’t know much… She doesn’t let anyone in.”

  That admission alone told River Richard had been broken. Now it was just a matter of asking the right questions. Inwardly, he felt bad for the guy. His own left arm throbbed for a moment, and his cheek seemed to burn – ghostly memories of the last time River himself had been in Richard’s position, beaten and tortured.

  What doesn’t kill you, only makes you kill, River recited wryly, remembering one of his father’s favorite quotes.

  “Let’s start with what you do know. Does she have any living family?”

  Richard’s shoulders slumped and his breathing grew irregular as he began to talk, sounding like he was forcing the words out.

  “I never saw any family visit her or vice versa. She was friendly with a couple of colleagues, but she wasn’t really close to any of them. While I worked for her, the only lasting relationship she had was with Calloway. First lovers, then friends. And I got the feeling she cared for his mate, Selina, as well.”

  River paced around the room, his hands behind his back. Since he couldn’t use Calloway or Selina as leverage, this information was pretty much useless to him.

  “There has to be something else. I suggest you dig deep,” he prodded with a growl.

  His hands twitched into fists for a moment, before he forced himself to open his palms and stretch out his fingers. There it was again, that temper of his. The slightest thing could set him off at times.

  Having lost three lieutenants as of late, it didn’t take that much to light his fuse. Though River was nowhere near naïve enough to think that it was only the failures of his chosen lackeys that were causing his ill mood…

  “There…there was something odd, once. I stepped into her office without knocking, and she was staring at some picture. She tucked it away as soon as she saw me and got angry. I was curious, so after she left on a mission, I went into her office again and found it.”

  That got River’s attention. Anything Kate wanted to keep hidden, he wanted to know. Even the smallest piece of information could give him a clue to her whereabouts.

  Richard coughed, spraying the floor with blood.

  “Go on,” River prompted.

  “It was a framed photograph of her with some guy, having a picnic at the park. Her hair was different and she was younger. I’d never seen the man before. They looked very cozy, and they were both wearing wedding rings.”

  “Are you telling me she was married at some point?” River demanded, eyes widening.

  If Kate had been staring at the picture in secret and the man in it was absent from her life, that could only mean two things. Either they split up and she was pining for him or the guy was dead. Whatever the case, it seemed Kate had a nostalgic streak.

  Everybody had a weakness.

  “Any idea where the picture was taken?”

  “There was a statue in the background… I’m pretty sure it was Central Park.”

  “New York, huh….” River said, rubbing his jaw.

  It was a start, at least. Could be a total wild goose chase, but he felt compelled to follow up. Personally.

  Not only to show everyone he was a hands-on kind of leader and his people better not cross him, but there was something else as well. Truth was, he needed some space. He had been feeling off for a while now, his animal side more restless than usual and his thoughts clouded with primal needs.

  He knew all too well what it meant. The heat was creeping up on him, fast and strong. His body was telling him he needed to find a mate and continue on his bloodline.

  That was the curse of being a tiger shifter. Once in their lifetime, without much warning, the period of heat would come on, and the tiger would be compelled to find a woman to make his own. Once that happened, the pair would be bonded for life and the tiger would be able to start a family with that person and that person alone.

  But River had no intention of doing that. He was many things, but a family man was not one of them. Sooner or later the heat would pass and things would go back to normal.

  Or as close to normal as they could get.

  So he chose to focus on the matter at hand, hoping the distraction helped keep him sane. Going to New York was a great way to get away for a while before anyone in his crew figured out what was going on with him. Besides, this Kate, a woman assassin who had managed to kill some of his sharpest operatives, definitely deserved a little personal touch from him.

  I wonder if she’d last longer than Richard. Probably.

  River pulled himself back into the moment. There was no way a woman like that would hang up her hitwoman coat to go on the straight and narrow. All he had to do was track down the up-and-comers of New York’s underground scene. If Kate really had returned there, she was bound to be making an impression.

  A knock at the door made him swirl around with a growl just as one of his guys popped his head in. Jones, a longtime guard and general goon.

  “Hey, boss, you have a visitor,” Jones said.

  “Now?” River thundered, gesturing at the bloody mess t
hat was Richard.

  “It’s your brother,” the man replied, shrinking back from the door.

  River let out a long sigh.

  His little brother had been hanging around more than usual lately, which immediately made him suspicious. They were blood, but that’s where the connection ended with the two. River knew his brother only cared about his own interests and any behavior that suggested otherwise was just a front. It was the Royce way, after all.

  “Show him in,” River commanded after a couple of seconds of contemplation on what exactly it was that he’d done to grace himself with the presence of his ruthless baby brother.

  The door slammed shut and when it opened again, his brother was strolling in, hands spread, a wide smile pasted on his lips.

  “Brother!” he exclaimed, as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.

  He’d been by River’s just the other day, stirring shit up as usual.

  “Dyson,” River acknowledged, placing his hands on his hips.

  The men looked similar enough, as far as brothers went, both inheriting their father’s dark hair and hazel eyes. But while Dyson had a long, narrow face, River’s features were more angular and his jaw more squared. With his 6'3" frame, River was also a couple of inches taller than a little brother, something Dyson had always been sour about.

  Everything was a competition with them.

  “I see you’ve caught your prey,” Dyson commented as his gaze settled on Richard’s slumped frame.

  “He wasn’t easy to find, but nothing is impossible when you’re determined enough.”

  “Ain’t that the truth. Did he give you anything useful?” the younger Royce asked, circling Richard and poking the man here and there to see if he was still conscious.

  Richard stirred, mumbling something incoherent.

  “He did. It looks like I’m going to New York.”

  River walked back to his table of tools and palmed a scalpel idly.

  “Leaving us again already?” Dyson queried, eyebrows raised.

  “I feel like this matter deserves a personal touch,” River explained through gritted teeth.

  He didn’t like being questioned, and the heat only amplified those emotions. To his tiger, Dyson was just another shifter challenging his authority. And any concern Dyson was expressing was most certainly fake. Getting on one another’s nerves was nothing if not a professional sport for the Royce clan.

  But blood was blood. Dyson was nothing if not ruthless and having a man like that on his side was better than having him on the opposing side. Besides, both of them had something to prove – that they could be someone without their father around. River could give his younger brother a shot until he came up with something of his own.

  While River’s first choice had definitely not been to follow in his father’s footsteps, it came naturally to Dyson. As such, maybe River even had something to learn…

  “You’re awfully touchy lately,” Dyson remarked as a growl River was trying his hardest to suppress rumbled in his chest.

  “Wouldn’t you be ‘touchy’ in my position? First Parker gets our money stolen, then we promote a god damn traitor to lieutenant and to top things off, Holland screws up a perfectly simple ransom negotiation. We’re lucky we’ve managed to recover from those fuck-ups as well as we have,” River thundered, his eyes flashing gold.

  Yes, Crimson Claws’ lieutenants hadn’t really shown a lot of good judgment lately. Good for them they were dead, or they’d be in a similar situation to Richard. There was nothing River hated more than rampant incompetence. Having so much of it in his own organization as of late was a smack in the face.

  Or maybe it just goes to show how little you care.

  “Okay, you can turn it down a notch, I get it,” Dyson replied with a roll of his eyes, stepping away from Richard to lean against a nearby wall.

  River walked the short distance from the table to Richard’s chair and lifted the man’s face. The blood loss was finally getting to him, as Richard’s eyes were starting to roll back. He muttered something.

  “Is it over?” it sounded like.

  River didn’t reply, just raised the hand holding the scalpel and slid it over the man’s throat, fast and smooth. Blood gushed from the wound, staining both River and Richard as well as the floor and walls.

  River didn’t bother stepping away. He was responsible for this blood, might as well let it wash over him. There was some gurgling and twitching, but all in all, Richard’s death was quick and relatively painless.

  It was Kate’s mistake she didn’t do it herself. He was nothing but a liability from the beginning.

  Dyson remained near the wall, looking at the scene impassively.

  “You’re in charge until I get back,” River said, packing up his tools, earning a nod from his brother.

  I hope that’s a decision that’s not going to end up biting me in the ass.

  Four

  Kate

  Kate squeezed into the tightest dress she owned, and she owned many. Her breasts were pushed up and pressed together, demanding attention. Her blonde hair was already in loose curls, just the way she liked it, and a swipe of red lipstick tied the whole look together.

  Looking at herself in the mirror, she acknowledged she wasn’t entirely playing fair. Jonathan, or Jon as Jenny called him, was going to have a hard time keeping his eyes off her, if she did say so herself.

  If a little cleavage and red lips is enough to make him stray…

  Jenny had given her the name of the hospital Jonathan worked at and what time his shift should be over. She also informed Kate that Jon had called and told her he’d be working late since a colleague suddenly got sick. Kate had a feeling that story might be a pile of bull, hence the getting dolled up part.

  She’d done her due diligence on the guy. He was no saint. As far as she could tell, he was hiding a bit of a liquor and uppers habit on top of the penchant for chasing tail. His malpractice suits trend had been going up steadily lately and she could find several instances where a poor choice of ‘Jon’s’ had most likely led to the death of a patient.

  Hard to be a conscientious surgeon when you’re hopped up on coke and booze.

  Slipping on some heels, Kate grabbed her purse and headed out, taking the elevator down to the underground parking lot. She had gotten her Porsche detailed recently, and it gleamed under the fluorescent lighting.

  It wasn’t exactly a vehicle fit for undercover work, but she doubted Doctor Jon was keeping an eye out for a tail.

  Besides, the car was fun to drive and she needed some fun in her life right about now. Picking New York as a place to relocate and start over had been an easy choice, because it was familiar. All her instincts had told her falling into old habits was a bad idea, but she was certain no one knew of her connection to the city. Her time here seemed like a lifetime away now.

  With everything that had happened in Chicago, most of it still weighing heavily on her conscience, she’d be the first in line to grab at any honest and true way to unwind a little.

  The familiarity was comforting at first, but then the memories she hadn’t expected to rear their heads crowded in. Walking down a certain street or past a particular café triggered things inside her she had thought long buried. It still hurt, being here without him…

  Kate shook her head, as if to clear it, and got in the car. The leather was cool and soft, the engine roaring to life and urging her to let loose as soon as she turned on the ignition. She pulled out of the lot, tires squealing, hoping to feel that rush of adrenaline she had been missing.

  Thrills were few and far between with the yawn-inducing targets she had been after lately. All scum and the world was better off without them, sure, but they weren’t exactly interesting.

  She sped through the crowded streets, pulling some questionable maneuvers. A smile stretched her lips as her heart started beating faster, reminding her she was still alive and kicking.

  Sometimes she wasn’t sure. Her carefully
crafted cold exterior had melded over her in time, until she didn’t remember how she’d ever managed to be anything different.

  Recent events had proved as much. She didn’t regret helping Stone and Selina, but it definitely turned her life upside down. At least they were happy now. They had a family, and they were far away from Chicago and the Crimson Claws.

  Stone sometimes sent her pictures of his little guy and it was absolutely disgusting how cute the kid was.

  Kate arrived at the hospital and found a spot close to Jonathan’s car. She took one last glance at the picture of him on her phone before relaxing into her seat and waiting. If Jon was a good little boy, she would be waiting for a while. If he was naughty, she wouldn’t have time to get bored.

  She kept her eyes darting between the exit and the parking lot, keeping her senses on high alert, even though Jonathan would have to pass her quite closely to get to his car. But if he had fallen into old habits with the nurses, he might not use his own car. Seeing as things were quiet, Kate took the time to check the lining of her purse. She hadn’t used it in a while, the jobs she had grown used to weren’t usually this up close and personal.

  Her fingers found the little dagger hidden beneath the fabric easily, sewn into the silk so it wouldn’t be discovered if someone happened to search her bag. It was unlikely she would even need it, she could take down someone like Jon with her hands tied behind her back, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Unexpected things happened all the time in this line of work.

  A man, dressed casually but smartly in jeans and a blazer, exited the building, waving goodbye to someone she couldn’t see. His face was still a little blurry at the distance she was at, but his build and hair color looked like it matched Jonathan’s. The closer he got, the more evident it became.

  This was her target.

  You better be off to take a secret dance class to surprise your wife with your tango skills.

  Jonathan got in his car and drove off, with Kate following at a discreet distance. She let out a disappointed sigh when Jonathan pulled up to an upscale bar in the Lower East Side.