Table of Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Thank You
Also By
Author Bio
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents depicted in this work are of the author’s imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 Madison Stevens
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.
Noel (Kelly Clan #3)
by
Madison Stevens
When the Kelly Clan needs something handled, they always turn to Noel. He’s a man who was trained from childhood to get things done.
He never thought about much else until the night he was captured and tortured by the Kelly Clan’s greatest enemy: the Russian Mafia. Now his every waking moment is consumed with revenge.
Noel also never planned on catching the eye of the feisty but innocent Haley. He doesn’t understand why she’d be interested in a brooding, scarred criminal like himself. Nor does he want to risk her being endangered by the many enemies that come with his lifestyle. Still, he can’t deny his passionate yearning for the woman.
When an old nemesis in the Russia Mafia slithers out of hiding, Noel and Haley realize just how dangerous their attraction to each other can be.
Chapter One
Noel hated the shitty little dive. Disheveled slobs gulped down beer all along the bar and at the scattered tables under the dim lights. Rock music blared from speakers in the corner. A pungent mix of piss and stale beer kept attacking him. The scent would cling to his clothes and linger in his nose long after he’d gone home for the night. There was no way in hell he’d ever choose to sit in a place like this unless it was worth it.
Noel took in a deep breath and snorted at the smell. He bet even the roaches avoided this place.
The waiting should have been worth it. After three days in this cave of shit, he should have turned up something on Anton.
All his sources told him that this place was the Russian’s current haunt. This was the closest Noel had been in months, but he hadn’t caught a glimpse of his target.
Anton had been lying low ever since his boss in the Russia Mafia, Boris, had been shot. Noel’s boys, the Irish, hadn’t managed to finish off Boris, and the bastard had to stay in the shadows to heal like the roach he was. The Russians liked to talk big, but in the end, they were the ones hiding.
Noel glanced around the dimly lit room, taking in the dust, stains and shadows. He’d been in places like this for most of his life. When he was younger, this kind of shit hole was where his parents could be found if they weren’t at the family gun store.
Fighting and guns, that’s what his family knew. In the end, it had been a good move for him when they shipped him off to the States for his uncle to raise him.
At least getting away from his parents allowed him the chance to be something different, maybe something even better. Not that he’d escaped his role in the family. That had never even been an option.
No, once you were in, you were in. Noel knew this from early on, and that was fine by him. He was needed, and that was good enough for him. He didn’t have to worry about someone getting drunk and taking it out on him. Or watch the people he loved fight because they couldn’t be faithful. Not with his boss Finn at least.
Finn didn’t expect much from the men. He just wanted them to work hard and do what they were told. That was something that Noel could do, especially knowing he could trust the man calling the shots. Not only would Noel lay down his life for Finn, but he knew that Finn would do the same. That was just how they worked.
Someone coughed loudly near him, drawing Noel from his thoughts. Billows of smoke wafted around the lights overhead. Streaks of smoke floated in the air.
Noel wrinkled his nose. He hated smoke.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, the shrink he’d talked to after he got out of the hospital popped into his head. Finn made him go to the useless doctor after months of dealing with shit his own way. Lot of good that had done Noel.
All that pencil-necked twat wanted to talk about was why he hated smoke so much. It’s not like it was some big fucking mystery.
His hands clenched in his lap.
One look at him should tell just about anyone why smoke bothered him. It didn’t take a genius to see the scars and put the two together, let alone being able to look at the damn hospital records.
The burns across his body from both fire and acid should be enough evidence. The distorted tattoos as well. Just the thought of it made his stomach churn. He could still hear the sound of his flesh sizzling and the sweet smell that filled the room.
Noel unclenched his shaking hand and ran it across his shaved scalp. The knuckles ached from his tight grip. He’d make that bastard Anton pay for what he did to him. If it was the last thing he did, he’d make sure that prick knew the pain he suffered.
Hell, the guy was a complete bastard anyway. Worthless. Less than worthless. Even if he hadn’t tortured Noel, he deserved to die and then some. Boris and Anton made guys like Finn and Noel look like angels in comparison.
Eyes burned into him from across the room. He narrowed his eyes as a waitress stared at him and then turned to argue with a bartender.
It wasn’t Noel’s concern. Their fight didn’t involve him, and, if he could help it, he’d keep it that way. If they thought he was going to leave because people were uncomfortable around him though, they could all just fuck off.
His looks were generally enough to keep him out of petty trouble. When a huge tattooed guy with a shaved head doesn’t seem to care about you, most people are smart enough not to give him a reason to care.
And he didn’t give a shit what they wanted. He wasn’t there to just hang out and drink a beer. This was Anton’s spot. If Noel stayed here long enough, they were bound to run into one another, and then the little pyro psycho would pay.
The waitress drew his attention once more. She huffed loudly and grabbed something from the bartender’s hand, her irritation clear.
Noel watched cautiously as she made her way over to him.
“Um,” she said quietly, glancing around as if looking directly at him might make her break out in burns.
He stared hard at the woman. She was older than she first seemed and looked as if she had seen her fair share of rough days. Her hair hung limply on the sides of her head, the dull blond color a mere shadow of what it had once been. A flickering bolt of pity zipped through him.
“What?” he said gruffly, the words sounding more like a command than a question.
She cleared her throat and glanced back to the bartender. The older man nodded.
Irritation flared in Noel as the two exchanged looks. Either she spit it out, or he was going to start getting angry. Well, angrier.
“Here’s your tab,” she said and placed a paper on the table.
Noel picked
up the tab. Six dollars seemed a little steep for one beer, especially the swill they’d served him. It looked like they were trying a new tactic to get him out.
He pulled out a ten and placed it on the table.
The waitress snatched up the money as it hit the table.
Noel sighed. “Keep the change.”
He watched as she stuffed the money into her apron. It wasn’t like he was hoping for her praise, but a thank you would have been nice. It’s not like the service had been great.
“This is for you,” she said and placed a red envelope on the table. The woman raced away.
He stared at the red envelope. Usually when a man in his line of work was handed something like this, they ended up dead or on their way to dead.
It was strange really, getting a message that way. The envelope seemed to be in the shape of a card. He narrowed his eyes.
Noel looked around the room, but there didn’t seem to be anyone paying attention to him.
He pulled out his pocket knife and carefully slid it under the seam. The blade cut through the paper effortlessly. He reached in and pulled out the card. He frowned at the bright red and green NOEL on the front.
He ripped open the card.
Your decorations look so pretty in the light. I hope we can do more decorating soon.
His hands clenched the card so tightly it crumpled into a wad. Noel stood and whipped his head back and forth to check out the room. The bastard had been there, right there under his nose, and he had missed him. He slammed his fist down on the table. So damn close.
Some glasses clinked on the bar, and he spun in his seat. He locked a baleful gaze on the waitress and leaped up. She looked for some way to escape, but he was closing in faster than she could think.
“Where the fuck is he?” Noel barked.
She trembled.
“I don’t know,” she said and shook her head.
“Don’t feed me that shit,” Noel said and leaned across the bar toward her. “I know he was here. Now you fess up or…”
Sure, he wouldn’t hurt some innocent waitress, but he wasn’t averse to rattling her cage a little. She had to know who he was. Who he worked for. Even if Finn was moving the Irish Mafia into more reputable business ventures, it’d be years until their old rep went away.
The bartender walked over and stood beside the waitress.
“Hey, buddy, take it easy.” The man placed his hands in the air as if to show they had nothing to hide.
“I’ll take it easy when I know where the fuck he is,” Noel said and shook the card at the man. “The guy who gave this to you.”
The man shook his head. “Look, a kid brought that in here and said he’d give us a hundred if we gave it to you.” The waitress turned and jabbed the older bartender in the gut. He grunted.
“You lousy bastard,” she said, glaring at him. “You told me it was forty, and we’d split it fifty-fifty.”
The man sighed when she held out her hand. He looked over to Noel, who only raised a brow.
“Sounds to me like you owe her some money,” Noel said.
The woman shot him a look of surprise. He ignored her and fished in his wallet for a moment. Noel pulled out a card and five twenty-dollar bills.
“You see him again, give me a call.”
The man pulled the money toward him, keeping his eyes on Noel the whole time.
He gave a grunt and stepped away from the bar. That was likely a hundred down the drain, but it was worth a shot. At this pace, Anton was going to surprise him, and Noel had a feeling it wouldn’t go as well as he wanted. He didn’t like being poked.
He stomped over to the entrance and threw open the doors. Without looking back, he made his way out of the crappy little dive and back into the sun. He breathed in deeply and enjoyed the fresh air.
Someone gasped nearby. He didn’t even bother looking anymore.
Noel frowned and pulled out his sunglasses. Better to have something to hide behind.
He slowly made his way to the car. The longer it took, the more likely he’d be able to avoid anything that might be uncomfortable.
In particular he wanted to avoid a little redhead who couldn’t seem to take a hint. Or maybe didn’t want to take a hint. He still couldn’t quite figure her out, and she was driving him up the wall.
He needed to keep his head clear, to focus on Anton. He didn’t have time for luscious redheads, no matter how much they seemed to like him.
Noel groaned as he opened the car and got in. Today was going to be one giant headache. He could already feel it.
Chapter Two
The giant bottle of rum clinked against the hard marble of the table. Haley winced at the sound and pushed a few strands of red hair out of her face. It wouldn’t look good if she broke a bottle and made a mess in a mob boss’s house. Well, former mob boss, kind of.
She chuckled at the size of Finn’s living room. Her living room certainly didn’t have its own bar in the corner. A couch and loveseat filled the room, along with a huge TV.
Who said crime didn’t pay? Sure, Finn had allegedly gone legit, but it wasn’t like everything in the house was paid for with clean dollars quite yet.
That wasn’t her concern at the moment. The drink in front of her was. She eyed her glass of rum.
“Well, someone is planning on getting wild tonight.”
Haley turned and found her best friend, Alyssa, standing close behind her. She smiled at the other woman. The small pixie-like woman that she’d known for nearly all her life just beamed with happiness. Every time she saw her, Alyssa seemed even more in love than before.
Haley had her doubts at first about Finn. Being the head of the local Irish mafia wasn’t really a selling point in her eyes, but he had proven himself over and over again when it came to Alyssa. Whether he’d always been a good man or was turning himself into one for Alyssa, the end result was positive.
Plus Alyssa was free from her abusive old boyfriend. It was kind of funny in a weird way that a mobster would be a better boyfriend. God had a funny sense of humor at times.
Watching her friend show up at her door with bruises all over had been heartbreaking for Haley, particularly as she couldn’t do anything about it. Her friend had been in the worst kind of relationship, and all Haley could do was be there for her.
She shook the past out of her head and smiled warmly. There was no point in dwelling on those times. Things were better now for her friend, and Haley hoped they’d be better for herself soon as well.
“Hey, I got screwed out of my summer vacation,” she said. “I’m going to make sure I make it up on the weekends.” She took a big gulp from her drink. “Want some? I call it rum with a tiny splash of Coke.”
The rum went directly to her head, and for a moment, she slightly regretted being so liberal with the alcohol. She didn’t party enough to pound drinks back like one of Finn’s crew.
Alyssa shook her head and held up her hands. “I’m good for now.”
“Move it, you,” said someone else.
She turned, and another arrival, Anna, bumped her to the side with her hip. The blond-haired woman leveled a gaze at Haley and said, “You’re not the only one in need of a drink or two.”
Anna was trailed by her boss and friend, Claire.
They all knew Anna had been through a lot recently. Her lowlife husband had not only cheated on her, but made a pass at Claire, nearly ruining her campaign for city council. In the span of just a few short months, Anna was out of her house and battling for anything she and her husband had worked for together. Instead of the cut and dry divorce it should have been, he was spending his time pulling every dirty trick he could.
Haley supposed he had the time since his law firm had demoted him.
“How are things going?” Haley asked Anna. She tried to keep her tone light as she spoke.
Anna took a long drink off her glass.
“Well.” She sighed and walked back over to the couch next to Claire. “Jason has cl
osed every account we have together, pulled all our savings and won’t respond to the lawyers’ calls.”
She took another long drink and sighed.
“Is that legal?” Teagan, who had been quietly folding clothing, said.
Anna shook her head. “It is until we get in to see a judge who will order him to give back half. Only problem, he’s using every resource he has to make sure that doesn’t happen. Given some of the stuff he’s said before, I don’t even know if he cares if it’s legal as long as he can mess with me.” She slammed her glass onto the table. “Meanwhile, I’m spending every dime I have just to keep my lawyer as she chases him around.”
Riley grunted from the door. Haley had nearly forgotten about him there. The man was so quiet he almost blended in with the furniture. She wondered to herself what sort of job he had in the family that would require that skill, then decided she didn’t want to think about it too much. Sometimes a bit of mystery let you sleep at night.
“I could find him,” Riley said quietly. “And talk to him. You know, man to man.”
The room went silent as Anna stared at Riley. They all knew what he was saying. It wasn’t often that one of the men was so obvious in their dealings. And despite the good intentions of getting out of illegal business, Finn’s crew still seemed to have no problem crossing over into the criminal realm if the need called for it, especially if it meant protecting a woman.
Anna smiled and shook her head.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to do this the normal way,” she said.
Claire snorted. “Getting a boyfriend bigger than him to go rough him up?”
Haley glanced over to Riley and thought he might just be the right sort of man for that job as well. He obviously wanted to teach Jason a lesson or two.
“Oh no, no, no,” Anna said. “I’ve sworn off men. I’m done. Put me on the shelf and give me my fuzzy slippers. There’s no way in hell I’m going there again.”
Claire frowned, but her green eyes twinkled with mischief. “Sounds boring. What about sex?”
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