I prowl out of the warehouse and turn first to the docks. The ship is still moored, which means the smugglers or traffickers or whatever they are must still be on board. I think about going on and confronting them, but I know I need to speak to Aiden and Brendan first. This needs to be played carefully and without alerting the O’Donnell’s. Still, I sniff around and see what I can find out.
I catch Patrick O’Donnell’s stink and growl, but turn my attention to other smells. People, not from around here, at least fifteen of them...I can’t tell their ages or their sex because the smell of fear and desperation is so strong. My guess is they are being trafficked. I feel my hackles rise and what I really want to do is tear onto that boat and rip the throats out of the traffickers, but that won’t solve the problem in the long term. This requires strategy.
Knowing I won’t be able to follow the truck through the city without terrifying the hell out of someone, I retrace my steps and pick up her scent instead. I have to know who she is, so I follow it, resolving to go as far as I can before the route gets too public. Her accent was local, so she must be from a local paper.
But would they really be investigating this? Her story has as many holes as mine. Perhaps if I had concentrated more on that than on getting my hands on that luscious body I might know more and I wouldn’t have to stalk her through the streets of Dublin.
As I track her I realize I’m going into the back streets of the city, near O’Donnell territory, and I wonder if she was lying about being a reporter. But the O’Donnell’s don’t have women in their crew and the look of horror on her face when she realized what they were about was most definitely real. If she’s staying anywhere near them though, she’s just put herself in a lot of danger. My hackles raise at the thought of any of the O’Donnell bastards hurting her, and even in wolf form a wave of very human possessiveness sweeps over me.
She’s mine. My woman.
And she appears to be heading straight for the O’Donnell home.
I stop at the end of the road and watch her as she walks up the path to the front door and lets herself in. With a key. I feel myself go cold all over as the implications sink in.
She’s not just connected to them...but she’s certainly no reporter.
She’s an O’Donnell.
One of the enemy.
I sit at the large wooden table in the kitchen which once belonged to our grandparents and watch my brother’s faces as I tell them about Patrick, the ship and the truck. Brendan’s hands ball into fists while Aiden lets his breath out in a slow whistle and drums his fingers on the table. I don’t tell them about the woman yet, although I know that I have to.
“Trafficking. The son of a bitch,” Aiden says finally. I nod. Although in one way I’m not surprised, in another I’m deeply shocked. Even criminals have some morals, for fecks sake, and no one respects anyone involved in selling people.
It also shows just how little respect Patrick has for us. Dublin is our turf, although he’s been encroaching on it for some time, but this new venture of his is beyond the pale and he must know it. Perhaps he hoped we would never find out.
“We have to take them out,” Brendan says. He’s keen. He has his own personal issues with the brothers.
“Yes, we do,” I say, “and the quicker the better, or we look like we’re losing our grip and then every wannabe gangster will be challenging us. But we also need to find out where the victims are being taken to and where they’re coming from. Find out who he’s working with and make sure they know Dublin is off limits for this shite.”
“So we intercept the next shipment,” Aiden nods. “We’ll get a crew together.”
“What do we do with the victims?” Brendan asks. “Or are you planning on starting a halfway house?”
I shrug. “Take them to the relevant authorities and make sure they get help. What else can we do?”
Brendan smirks. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you recognize any authority other than yourself Cormac.”
I glare at him, partly because I know he’s right. But that side of things is out of my hands...how would I know what to do with a truckload of trafficked people? Anger washes over me again as I smell the potent scent of their terror. I will rip Patrick’s throat out with my bare hands for this.
“So we’re set then,” Aiden says. “We intercept the next shipment, find out what’s going on, and take out Patrick and Sean.”
I wonder if Sean even knows. If this sparks a feud between them it can only be to our advantage.
I sigh, knowing I have to tell them about the girl.
“They have a sister, don’t they?”
Brendan nods, looking surprised at my question. “We don’t target women.”
“I know that, what do you take me for?” I snap. “She was there last night, at the docks. Hiding...and spying on Patrick. She looked as disgusted as I felt.”
“Okaaay,” Aiden says slowly, leaning forward and scanning my face, “What are you not telling us brother?”
That she’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen and I want to mate with her until she’s screaming my name, I think. My brothers know me too well, and their instincts are too sharp, to not pick up on something. They exchange glances.
“Cormac,” Brendan says slowly as though he doesn’t really want to ask but knows he has to, “Did she see you?”
I nod. “It was unavoidable. She doesn’t know who I am...and she told me she was a reporter.” I leave out the bit about being naked...they will take the mickey for months if I tell them that.
“Then how do you know she’s not?”
“Because I followed her.”
There’s a silence while Brendan and Aiden just look at me, waiting for what’s coming next.
“The way I felt when I saw her...I’ve found my mate.”
Aiden’s mouth drops open, while Brendan slaps a hand to his forehead. I don’t blame them, I’ve been feeling the same way all morning, prowling the house until they woke up and I could fill them in. Luckily their fiancées,’ Keeley and Aisling, are back in America visiting their families, so they will be out of the way for whatever is about to go down.
“Brother,” Brendan growls, “Have you gone insane? You think you’re going to claim her as your mate when we’re after murdering her brothers?”
Yeah, like I haven’t thought of that. “She’s free to turn me down,” I shrug, although the thought of it rips through me. We only get one mate, and whereas I had no problems being alone until I saw her, now a life without having her seems unbearable. The thought of her meeting another man...I want to kill him already. Brendan’s right...it is insane.
“This is going to cause a war.”
“We’ve got one anyway,” I point out. “And I seem to remember being nothing but supportive when you mated with the Mob princess you were meant to be guarding and you,” I nod towards Aiden, “nearly started a war with the Italian Mafia. I’d say an O’Donnell sister is quite tame compared to that.”
There is, of course, nothing that either of them can say to that.
“Fair enough,” Aiden says eventually, “but this does complicate things doesn’t it?”
“It’s more than a complication,” Brendan growls, “It’s a feckin’ disaster. You don’t do things by halves do you brother?”
Wait until they hear the next bit. “I’m going to get her,” I say, “And bring her back here until it’s over.”
When they both go to protest I snarl, silencing them.
“She’s my mate...and she’s in danger. If Patrick suspects she saw him last night, or if she confronts him...do you think that mad bastard won’t harm his own sister?”
“Okay, you’re right,” Brendan admits. “But do you really think that she’s going to come with you? What will you do, kidnap her?”
I shake my head, knowing I could never do anything to hurt her. She might not agree to come with me...especially when she finds out who I really am...but I do know I wasn’t imagining the way she respo
nded to me last night. That she wanted me as much as I wanted her, and if I hadn’t stepped away from that completely inappropriate kiss we would have been fucking on the warehouse floor. The thought alone has my cock twitching in my pants.
“No...she’ll come,” I say with more certainty than I follow, then I stand.
I’m going to get her.
Chapter Four
Shannon
As I walk back home from the greengrocers I can’t shake off the feeling that I’m being followed and it puts the fear of God into me. Patrick didn’t come home last night...does he know that I know? As much as I would like to believe that my own brother could never hurt me, I would be lying if I said I was sure of that fact. He’s always been a bully and as the years have gone on he’s gotten harder and meaner.
I bumped into Sean in the kitchen last night as I was making coffee and he knew straight away that something was wrong even though I tried to hide it.
“Do you know where Patrick is?” I had asked. He shook his head, looking surprised that he wasn’t home.
So Sean doesn’t know what out brother is up to, I’m sure of it. Should I tell him?
I don’t know what to do about any of it. Then there’s the detective guy...I can’t believe it happened. I’m trying to put it down to the shock of learning what my brother’s up to, because I would never usually act that way. At the grand old age of twenty I’ve never even had a boyfriend, and there I was having my first kiss with a naked man whose name I don’t even know...who was spying on my family.
The whole mess is making my head hurt.
I turn into a side street I wouldn’t normally go down, trying to get rid of the feeling that I’m being followed and instantly realize my mistake. It’s deserted...and I can hear soft footsteps a few yards behind me. I stop and take a deep breath, telling myself that I’m being paranoid and ridiculous...then I hear him.
“Shannon? Can we talk?”
That deep, growly voice...it’s the guy from last night. Taking a deep breath I turn around slowly.
Damn, he’s fine. Now that I can see him fully in the bright morning sunshine he truly is breathtaking. His piercing green eyes and black hair make a striking contrast, and his body would put Van Damme to shame. It’s as though the gods made a prototype of everything the word ‘man’ entails and then still gave him an extra shot of testosterone.
“How do you know my name?”
“You’re Patrick’s sister,” he says matter-of-fact. I take a step back, poised to run. Hot or not, amazing kisser or not, this man works for the Killanney’s. He’s my enemy.
Patrick will definitely kill me.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, and for some reason I believe him. There’s something about him that draws me to him in a way that’s magnetic and about more than just lust, but it makes no sense. I don’t even know him.
“I see you put some clothes on today,” I say. A corner of his mouth quirks upwards and then erupts into a full faced grin that makes him look younger and boyishly handsome. I know he’s older than Patrick, at least thirty-three, but when he smiles like that I see something of the youth he must have been. He’s exquisite...I want to touch him. I should be running away from him but instead I want to throw myself at him and beg him to take my clothes off. What the hell is wrong with me?
“I did.” Then he looks serious again. “I need you to come with me,” he says.
“Where? I’m not going nowhere near the Killanney’s if that’s what you think,” I say. He winces.
“Shannon...my name is Cormac Killanney,” he says. I freeze. I know who he is...the oldest and most lethal of the Killanney triplets. The man that Patrick desperately wants to supplant.
And now he knows my brother is involved in human trafficking, I have no doubt Cormac will try and kill him. I press a hand to my suddenly throbbing head.
“You’re taking me hostage?” I ask. He looks shocked.
“No. It’s an offer...to keep you out of harm’s way.”
“Why would I be out of harm’s way with you? You kissed me,” I accuse, and then realize what a ridiculous statement that is. His mouth lifts again and I can’t help but let my gaze linger on those full lips and remember how good they felt when they were on mine.
“I don’t remember you complaining.”
Arrogant bastard. “I was in shock,” I retort. He steps towards me and although a part of me tells me to run, a larger part wants to be in his arms again and I find myself stepping forward towards him until I’m looking up at him and our faces are just inches apart.
“Why should I come with you?” I whisper. As he lifts a hand to my face and strokes a finger down my cheek, it’s as though he’s putting a spell on me. I’m transfixed.
“Because I promise to keep you safe,” he says in a voice that is almost tender. Why does he care so much? None of this makes any sense...does he feel some obligation to keep me out of harm’s way just because he kissed me in a warehouse? I’ve heard enough about him to know that he’s a very dangerous man, so this just doesn’t fit.
Then I wonder how bad it’s going to get. Patrick deserves whatever is coming to him, but Sean...
“Sean has nothing to do with this,” I tell him. “You have to keep him out of it.”
“I can promise to try,” he says, and I know he can’t do more even if he wanted to. Sean will support Patrick no matter how dark his deeds. That’s always been the way it goes...except where I’ve been involved. As kids Sean always stuck up for me when Patrick tried to pick on me. I really hope he has the sense to keep out of this.
“I have to warn him,” I say.
“Then you will tip him off and he will no doubt tip Patrick off and we won’t be able to intercept the next shipment. This isn’t just about gang war...I won’t have trafficking going on in my backyard.”
A criminal with honor...I’ve heard the Killanney’s are a rare breed.
He’s right, and I know he’s right. I love my brothers of course I do, even Patrick, but those poor people...It has to be stopped.
Then I realize that Cormac isn’t asking me to come with him because he thinks I’m in danger of getting caught in the crossfire. He thinks I might be in danger from my own family. I swallow nervously, knowing he might be right.
His hand is still on my face, and I gasp as the pad of his thumb brushes across my lower lip.
“Come with me,” he says.
I must be crazy. I am crazy.
“Yes,” I say.
Chapter Five
Shannon
We walk to his car, and the whole time I’m looking around terrified of being seen. He’s silent as he drives me to pick up a bag and then out of the city and to Killanney’s, the hip nightclub bar that he owns with his brothers. It’s the hottest spot in Dublin County and has a regular stream of chart-topping bands and local celebrities, but most people know it’s merely the respectable front of their criminal cartel. Before he died my Dad, obviously seeing what was to come, warned Patrick not to try and take them on, but since Dad passed away Patrick’s been a law unto himself. I suppose I’ve known for a long time that it would come to this.
I follow him around the back of the building and up the stairs into the apartment at the top of the bar. It’s larger than it looks from outside, with what looks to be three floors.
“Who lives here?” I ask.
“Myself, Aiden and Brendan, and they have both recently moved their women in. My cousin Caitlin who manages the bar stays here a lot too. You’ll get on with the girls.”
He says the last as though I’m going to be here for a while.
He ushers me into the lounge and introduces me to his brothers, who look at me curiously but without surprise. He’s obviously told them to expect me. It’s disconcerting seeing two exact copies of Cormac, although there are subtle differences. And while they are all undoubtedly as gorgeous as one another, his brothers don’t have the same magnetic pull on me that Cormac does. Which makes me think t
his is about a lot more than just physical lust...which is crazy, because I’ve only just met him.
“Hey,” one of them says, “Nice to meet ya.”
I smile shyly, thinking how odd this is, and how Patrick would be spitting bullets if he could see where I am right now.
“Would you like me to fix you some food?” the other brother asks. I nod gratefully and then look at Cormac.
“Is there somewhere I can put my bag?”
“Sure, I’ll show you the spare room.”
I follow him up another flight of stairs and into a small but expensively decorated room. I’m surprised to see fresh flowers on the window sill.
“I told Caitlin you were coming,” Cormac explains and I can’t help but feel touched by the gesture. I turn to him to say thank you just as he steps towards me, and all of a sudden we are standing just inches apart.
I can see the lust in his eyes as he looks at me and I take a step forward before I fully realize just what I’m doing. I want him to kiss me again.
And he does.
As our lips meet I feel desire rush through me, setting every nerve ending on fire, and I know straight away that I didn’t imagine the electricity between us last night. Whatever this is, it’s real. I wind my arms around his neck and push my body into his unashamedly. I want to feel his hands on my body.
He runs one large, rough hand over my breasts and I feel my nipples harden instantly, rubbing achingly against the fabric of my dress. He buries his other hand in the hair at the base of my neck, entwining his fingers in my curls, while he starts to knead my breasts, making me moan into his open mouth. My breasts ache, wanting to feel skin directly on skin. I have a sudden image of myself straddling his thighs, my breasts swaying over his face as he plays with them, and I feel myself go wet and warm between my legs at the thought. Fully awakened now, my clit is throbbing and my panties are damp against my skin.
I want him inside me, and the strength of that craving takes me by surprise. I’ve never even been with a man and yet somehow I know instinctively that his body would fit perfectly against mine, and that finally I have met the man I want to give myself to.
Claimed By The Enemy (Irish Wolf Shifters Book 3) Page 2
