Embracing Everly (3 page)

I COULDN’T REMEMBER
the name of the broad thrashing her legs around my neck, but I knew I’d been between those perfect creamy thighs before. She was a new girl who had been coming around since her old man kicked her to the curb with a beating last month. I had so much shit on my mind with Diego’s club looking for revenge that not much could keep it from my thoughts, except getting some ass. Diego was looking for the killer of one of his men. Things went to hell during my last job, and I jumped the gun, so to speak, trying to haul him in, killing my target. Not to mention the cops were digging in, too.

Normally, I’d grab Fiona for a quick fuck, but she had been getting needy, too needy with me of late, so I was getting lost in a woman whose name I’d forgotten.

“Yes, oh, yes, fuck right there, baby,” she moaned as I lapped at her wet, pink nub. The ‘baby’ part almost, almost had me stop from flicking her clit further with my tongue. I hated when chicks called me that. I was not your baby. I was no one’s baby or lover. I was Mick fucking O’Malley. A quick and an amazing fuck that could make a holier-then-thou nun scream out for her savior. The Mick O’Malley, the guy who could nail anyone of my choosing and have no problem owning up to it. A snap of my fingers, a wink of the eye, or the one that always sealed the deal—the smile. My face and dimples had been pinched more times than I could remember when I was younger. I was told on a daily basis how cute they were, how cute I was. It didn’t take long for me to learn I was blessed with a very powerful weapon. At least the old man was good for something—the O’Malley dimple trait never failed when it came to getting laid.

The ring of my cell was barely made out with her loud moaning. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to forget my troubles for just one night, even for one hour, but I couldn’t since it had been ringing off the hook. This was how I forgot. “Don’t move.” I slipped her legs off my shoulders and onto the edge of the bed.

I grabbed my phone. “This better be important.”

“Mick, it’s me, Dawson.”

I paused for a beat, hoping he had some news about the job I jacked up. “What’s up?”

“I need a favor. A job.”

“Hold up.” I flicked my attention to the chick watching me from the bed, still spread eagle, still shimmering between her legs. Even though she was a tasty morsel, I had to take the call over her. “I need to take this. Get on out.”

“But, baby, I haven’t finished yet.”

“Get out NOW and don’t ever fucking call me your baby again.” She hesitated; annoyance flared across her face as she grabbed her shorts and quickly slipped into them with a scowl on her face. I caught her giving me the middle finger salute as she stormed out my bedroom.
Whatever
. “Okay, what do ya got?” I asked Dawson, as I kicked the door closed.

“I need you to pack enough shit that you think will last you about a month. You’ll need to stay longer, but just bring the necessities for a job up in Charlotte.”

Now he had my full attention. I’d been waiting for the ball to drop, and I guess the time is here. They were trying to get rid of me already by sticking me somewhere we had no business being. “Since when do we do jobs up there?”

“Since I said so. Pack your shit and meet me at the club in one hour, or you’re out. And, Irish, pack nice shit and shave that fuzz you try to pass off as a beard before you come.”

I blew out an exasperated breath, wondering what the hell he could want me to do in Charlotte. If it was legit or if he was just blowing smoke up my ass, but orders were orders.
Suck it up buttercup.
“I’ll be there. Bike or truck?”

“Truck.”

“Fuck!”

Once I finished throwing some shit in a suitcase and shaved my goatee, I pulled my Harley keys out of my pocket and placed them on the counter, exchanging them for the truck keys. I was curious as hell as to why I needed to put my old hat back on, the life I used to know for a job. My family was very well off, and well known in the state of Massachusetts. My father had been extradited back to his homeland serving over twenty for his involvement with “the cause” and countless other charges, while my mother was living the good life from his crimes somewhere off the coast of France. My sister, Mary Catherine, my twin, had always been a believer in my father and the IRA, so she went to live with family in Ireland, waiting for my father’s hopeful early release. When I didn’t follow like the good sheep I always had been, she walked right up to me, smacked my face with a dark, harsh look and then poof she was gone. Never heard from again. But, I knew where she was. Over the years, I had kept tabs on my family in the interest of making sure I was safe from the claws of the IRA, and my father, the infamous Declan O’Malley.

I grew up with a silver spoon and hated every minute of it. I couldn’t wait to turn eighteen and make my own life, make my own decisions. Hell, I even did the collegiate track and got a fancy degree in criminology all on my own. Unfortunately, I never agreed a hundred percent with the law and wanted to be above it. I thought if I went to school for it and got a job in law enforcement it would make me the opposite of everything I was groomed to be when I grew up.

I found Dawson’s crew one night while out drinking during my travels. I overheard a conversation I wasn’t really supposed to, but threw my name in the hat and begged them for a chance. They gave it to me. Dawson took me under his wing and taught me everything about being a member of their club and the dangers that went along with it. And like the newbie bitch I was, I fucked up the second job they handed me. I still swear I saw that dude going for a gun in his waistband when I busted in his front door. We were contracted to haul his ass back in for failure to show in court. He borrowed from the usual bail bondsman who had then hired us. He was watching porn and was fixing to put his dick back in his shorts. It was dark as shit other than the light from the television. I choked and pulled the trigger. That was one of our club rules; fire before being fired upon. No one told me he was the cousin of one the major gangs in Florida. Now they’re looking for revenge and the cops are looking for the killer. Normally, the police would back us up, but since he didn’t have a weapon, and I ducked out in a panic, we remained silent on it. No one knew shit, but it didn’t mean they’d never find out.

Looking at the dash I realized I had no time left and needed to get my ass to the club. I already wasted too much of it wondering what Dawson could need from me. I was so new to the group and with what just went down, and it had me on edge a bit. I’d hate to leave when I felt like I was just fitting in and finding a place to hang my hat and call home. I pulled up, and the lights were all on, music was pumping loud enough to hear outside. I lit up a cigarette and began making my way in. It was only the guys shooting pool and no girls in sight, which put me on the defense right away. I glanced around and realized that even Beth wasn’t there. And she was always there when Fuzz was. Shit!

“I thought I told you to dress nice,” Dawson yelled from the bar. I peered down at my ratty ass jeans and my favorite shirt with a few holes in it. What the hell was wrong with the way I was dressed?

I sauntered up pretending not to have a care in the world even though I was silently shitting my pants they were going to cut me loose. And then where would I go? “About that? What the fuck is in Charlotte?” I kept up the charade even though my nerves were kicking in. I liked these guys, and I liked my job so far. And even more, I liked Dawson. He’d been good to me. Back home, it was all kissing ass and playing the good boy with my family when they were around. Now they were all gone and, even though my dad pleaded with me to take part, it wasn’t for me. I did it for too long. I hated the make believe bullshit that I did for him and swore I’d never do it again. Be someone or something that I wasn’t.

“Sit down, Irish.”

“Why the fuck do you keep calling me that?”

“Why do you think? I know who your old man is now.” And he did, I told him everything a few weeks prior over some drinks. I tried to keep it secret, but I broke down one night, believe it or not thinking about my sister and how much I missed her. She didn’t deserve any love from me, but I still had it for her. “You have trust issues like the rest of us, which is why you’re one of us. You come from a lot of money, kid, so I hope you have nicer things packed because I need you to go to college.”

I shook my head in refusal as his words started to register. What the hell could I be needed there for? “No way. I did that shit and never again.”

“Sit the fuck down and have a beer so I can explain this.”

Dawson handed me a cold one and kicked the stool toward me. “I have a niece. Well, I consider her my niece, but she’s my goddaughter and she might be in a little trouble. At this point, she isn’t. No one knows she even exists, and we need to keep it that way. You don’t know the whole story, and I’m not getting into it with you right now. She’s my best friend’s baby girl, and he can’t protect her right now. He’s in a bit of trouble. So, you my friend are going to watch her. Do not open the door to communication unless necessary, and most importantly keep your dirty dick out of her. You only make contact if you think it’s of the utmost importance. You do not have to take classes since that would be too hard to arrange anyway, but linger on campus, fit the part. I have no one else to fit the bill. You’re the youngest one and the only one that could pull this shit off with that baby face of yours. I have everything on her you’ll need. Burner phone to call in, photos and I even got you a vacant apartment in her building. You’re right next-door. She’s the most important thing to me right now. I have a chance to do right by Thomas, and this mission cannot, I repeat, cannot be fucked up.”

“So I’m babysitting?” I sat back, taking a long ass swig letting it sink in. I hated the idea, but it was better than the scenario I’d come up with.

He shrugged like it was no big deal. “If that’s the way you want to look at it. I wired money into an account. Here’s your bankcard.” He slid it toward me. “The pin is 9876. It’s under an alias to keep you off the grid, so do not let her ever see it if you make contact. You call me every fucking night with an update.”

I picked up the card. Matthew McGee. “Pfft.” I snickered at the choice of names knowing it was one of his stupid jokes on my Irish background. I began to rifle through the packet with all her details and scanned the phone, the card, the photos, etc. Whoa! Hold up. I took each little piece of her in from the long blonde hair, a pair of blue eyes that could suck a weak man right in, down to her tanned and toned legs. She was dressed in an awesome Bad Company shirt and short ass shorts that had me drooling just thinking about slipping into someone as fine as her. “Damn, she’s fine,” I mumbled. I held it up unable to take my eyes off of her image as I asked, “Is this a recent picture?”

A wallop across the back of my head had me looking up. “What?” I asked, rubbing the back of my head where he smacked me.

“I promised no one would touch her. She’s a good kid that doesn’t need to be tainted by you. Dip your stick somewhere else. That’s a direct order, Irish.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” I agreed, hoping she’d be some raving bitch who I wouldn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole anyway.

“Her dad had to go underground but gave me a little info. She has a boyfriend he hates. She plays and sings in cafés, which makes her visible and an easy target if discovered. We have no idea if anyone will even find out about her, but I promised to watch her and let her stay in school. She only has one semester left. At the most you’ll be there four to six months.”

I jumped, kicking my stool behind me. “Four to six months? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

Dawson rose slowly and got in my face, obviously pissed I snapped. “You ever talk to me or question a job again and you’re gone. This, as far as I’m concerned is the most important gig I’ll ever hand you. I need you take it seriously. If you can’t, then you know where the door is, and I’ll send Johnny in.” He knew that name got under my skin. We were like two peas in a pod, but it seemed like we were always competing for the same piece of ass, which I usually won, but hated putting the extra effort in to win it.

Relenting, I studied the photo one more time as I slouched back on the stool. “What if she finds out?”

“Don’t let her. Just watch her. If you think she’s in trouble, then you make a move and get her back to me yesterday. Are we clear?”

“Crystal, boss.” I knew he could hear the displeasure and anger in my tone, but I didn’t care. This was a shit job, and probably everyone else passed on it. But being the newbie bitch, it landed on me. “Nothing will happen to her, I promise.”

His hand came down to rest on my shoulder. “I’m trusting you, Mick. Watch her and take care of her like she’s mine. I’d go, but then she’d know her dad was in trouble. He doesn’t want her to worry until she needs to. He’ll reach out to her whenever he feels it’s safe for him, but she can’t find out about her dad and the shit that’s following him. From what he tells me, she’s not the sit around and wait type.”