Connelly Crime Family Trilogy

by Winters, KB

  It would be nice to have a friend. I hadn’t made time for friends right after my parents died and working from home meant there were no colleagues to enjoy cocktail hour with while commiserating over a much hated boss. So yeah, my list of friends was disappointingly empty. “I don’t have to hear about your sex life, do I?”

  “If you don’t want to, no. But my sex life is pretty damn good and you might pick up a few pointers.”

  “Ew, no. Gross. Stop!” I covered my ears and sang while he continued laughing and talking. “I’m not listening!”

  “But there’s this one move that I do,” he swirled his hips.

  “Still not listening!”

  Ian held up his hands. “Fine, we don’t have to talk about our sex lives. But we can talk about anything. Like siblings.”

  “I’d like that.” I couldn’t remember the last time I had someone I could just talk to, shoot the breeze with and get advice.

  “Good. Because I really think you should give Shae a chance.”

  “Ian.”

  “No. Listen to me. Seriously.” Ian struggled to sit up and I scrambled for the remote to help him by raising the bed.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Good?”

  “Perfect. But don’t change the subject. He stopped in to see me yesterday.”

  “Shae?”

  “Yep. Stopped in to check on me and talk to Shamrock.” He motioned to the door where the big man stood guard, keeping us both safe while Shae was away. “Came in and suggested you might worry less about me if I stopped being an immature prick and checked in once in a while.”

  My lips twitched because it sounded exactly like something Shae would say. “I’m sorry he said that.”

  “Don’t be. He was right. Said if I acted more like an adult, then you would treat me like one. I needed to hear it and I’m sorry, Ivy. Really, truly sorry.”

  “Well shit, I don’t have a response for that.”

  He barked out a laugh and clutched his side. “It’s not the overwhelming and emotional acceptance I expected, but I can deal with speechlessness.”

  “Thank you, Ian. You are a brat, but I love you, and I’m glad you called me last night. It was good to see your blue-green face.”

  He blinked and flashed a wide grin. “That’s why I think you need to give him a real shot.”

  “Ian, it’s not gonna happen.”

  The bed clothes had gotten knotted and Ian focused for a minute on tugging on the twisted fabric until he had pulled free of the covers trapping his free leg. “Look,” he said at last, “I don’t know why you think this, but he seems like a pretty good guy to me. And he likes you. More than that, he gives a damn about you, Ivy. That’s more than I can say about the few losers you’ve dated over the years.”

  “He is a good guy but he’s not the guy for me. Can we just leave it at that, please?” I didn’t want to think about Shae like that because there was nothing more than lust between us. As good as it felt when we were together, he couldn’t even bring himself to admit he cared about me this morning.

  “I like him and he likes me but this is all temporary, okay?” As soon as all this drama was over and Ian was free of nonstop medical care, Shae would go back to his life and I’d go back to mine and somehow learn to forget him.

  “Fine. I’ll butt out for now, but as your brother it’s my duty to bug you about this from time to time.”

  “You mean the way I plan to bug and tease you mercilessly about Nurse Candace?”

  “Exactly. She said when I finish my PT she’ll let me take her out.”

  There was a gleam in his blue eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time. I just smiled, envious that Ian had the ability to take the crap life threw at him and handle it all with a smile.

  “Then I guess I don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll keep up with your physical therapy.”

  “Not with that ass waiting for me.” His grin widened salaciously and I rolled my eyes, wondering if I was strong enough to handle being friends with my kid brother.

  It was nice to just sit and chat and laugh with Ian. I couldn’t remember when or if we’d ever done anything like it before, but I hoped we would get the chance to do it again. “How are we even related?”

  Ian smiled and shrugged. “You can’t expect me not to notice a pretty woman in a uniform that looks like it was made just for her.”

  “I expect you to notice, but I’m not too keen on hearing the sharing part. Unless of course you want to hear about my special blow—”

  “Nope. No way. Hell no, I do not want to hear the rest of that sentence. In fact, let’s make a rule that you never say the word blow again, yeah?” He interrupted.

  I laughed until my tummy ached and my skin was red and deeply in need of oxygen. “What about head, is that a word I can use, oh picky one?”

  “No.” Arms crossed with a dark look on his face, Ian made the same face he did when we fought over his bone deep hate of green vegetables.

  “How about if I just say suck—”

  “Finish that sentence and you’re out of this hospital right now.”

  With a satisfied smile, I leaned back in the hard plastic chair and folded my arms across my chest. “I totally get the appeal now.”

  “Of what?”

  “Annoying my kid brother. It’s more fun than I realized.”

  He rolled his eyes, but I saw the twitch of amusement at the corners of his mouth. “Not for me.”

  “Welcome to my world, baby brother. Have a drink, stay a while.” I felt an odd sense of fairness that I could now annoy him as much as he did me.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Shae

  It killed me to walk into Reilly’s, our favorite pub, and leave Ivy on her own at the hospital. But Shamrock was there. He might not be family but I trusted him with my life, as if he was family. I knew he’d make damn sure Ivy was safe until I could return. Knowing she was safe helped, but I still didn’t like it.

  I didn’t even want to think about what that meant. I couldn’t, not when we had a group of filthy gangsters to take care of. After the Milano problem was resolved, then I would sort through my feelings where Ivy was concerned.

  “Well, well. Look who finally decided to show his ugly mug.” Rourke flashed a playful smile, taking a big swig of the brown ale he favored.

  Rourke and Eamon took up the high-backed, hunter green, round booth in the back with the burgundy leather piping around the edges. It had to be at least twenty years old. Outdated by now, but everything in the bar was well cared for. Besides, no one dared say a word about the décor to the owner, Maggie Reilly, great granddaughter of the original Seamus Reilly.

  Maggie was all piss and vinegar, same as her dad, and she’d just as soon gun a man down than accept his opinion on her pub. I took a seat, and Eamon groaned when I forced him to the center of the booth.

  “I had to drop Ivy off at the hospital and check in with Shamrock,” I explained.

  “What’s the deal with the girl Shae? Are you into her or what?” Rourke leaned back in the booth looking as casual as he could from the outside, but those sharp eyes missed nothing. I knew he’d already tagged the increase in my pulse and the way my foot tapped too fast under his assessing gaze.

  “What’s with all the questions?” I asked. “All you need to know is that I’m keeping her safe,” and sleeping with her, “until this bullshit with the Milanos is over. That’s it.”

  At least that was the story I planned to stick with until I had more time to worry about the relationship end of things.

  Rourke and Eamon stared at each other for a long time before a grin broke out on Eamon’s face.

  “He likes her,” they said at the same time.

  “I like all the women I sleep with.” At least at the time I slept with them I did. But usually my interest and any kindness I felt, faded soon after I was done with their bodies. It made me an asshole, but I wouldn’t apologize for who I was. Not fucking ever.
r />   “Yeah but you don’t bring them home, and you damn sure don’t move them into your house.”

  “Saving my life put her in direct danger. What the hell else was I supposed to do?” I flagged the waitress and ordered a beer and a shot.

  Rourke laughed, totally oblivious to the hateful glare I sent his way, while Eamon appeared far too interested. I started to squirm.

  “So you paid her back for saving your life by fucking her?”

  “Maybe we should leave him at home tonight if that’s how he shows his gratitude,” Rourke laughed, motioning for Maggie to bring another round to the table.

  “Fuck you,” I growled, but the words held no real anger because we’d spent our entire lives giving each other shit about any and everything.

  Rourke chuckled into his drink.

  “Don’t get pissed, man. I’m just worried that I might shoot someone who was aiming at you and you’ll grab my cock in thanks.”

  “Maybe you should spend less time worried about what I might do to your cock and focus on finding a woman of your own.”

  Unlike me and Eamon, Rourke rarely dated. I had no fucking clue why, only that he didn’t.

  “And wind up like you two?” he said with a sneer. “No thanks. E walks around half in a daze with a goofy ass smile that says I’m deliriously in love and getting laid on the regular. And you are so far gone you don’t even see it. Another one bites the dust.”

  Even if there was any truth to his words, which there sure as shit wasn’t, I wouldn’t have said so in the moment.

  “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ro.”

  His phone rang and just like that, Rourke was all business once again. The quick change in his demeanor always surprised me, but that was typical Rourke, able to compartmentalize and shove extra bullshit to the side when it was time to get down to family business. His brows dipped low as he turned away from the rowdy sounds of the pub to listen to his caller, a finger plugged firmly into his other ear.

  “Yeah all right, thanks. We’re at Reilly’s and we’ll stay until you get here.”

  Rourke finished up the call, taking his sweet ass time disconnecting the call and locking his phone before shoving it into the inside pocket of his black motorcycle jacket.

  “Well? Don’t fuckin’ keep us in suspense,” Eamon growled after another minute of silence passed.

  Rourke’s lips twitched with amusement at how easily he could make the usually calm and collected Eamon lose his shit.

  “Conor’s got some info on the Milanos.”

  “Jesus fuck, Rourke, don’t make me pull every detail from you or I’ll be forced to shove my fist down your fuckin’ throat to do it.” Eamon ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and swore into his drink.

  Rourke barked out a laugh at his cousin’s tortured reaction. “Calm down, dude. It’s better that we all get the information all at once and cut down on any confusion or miscommunication.”

  Rourke was the reasonable and logical one even if Eamon was normally calm, able to diffuse any arguments with one sentence. “While we wait, Shae can tell us all about his non-relationship relationship with the lovely Ivy.”

  The shit eating grin he wore was a sure sign trouble lay ahead and it had my name written all over it.

  “Nah. Let’s talk about E-money’s wedding and which of us will be the best man.”

  Rourke frowned. “I will, of course. You’ll forget the rings and sleep with the maid of honor before she even makes it down the aisle.”

  His lips twitched, and I flipped him off. “One damn time and you never let me forget it. You’re just jealous the maid of honor found me first.”

  She’d been a hot and easy little number and the wedding was for a distant Connelly relative we rarely saw. “And the wedding went off without a hitch, so E-dawg should be so lucky.”

  “Fuck that,” Eamon laughed and picked up the bottle of Jameson, pouring a couple fingers and draining it quickly. “Layla wants a small wedding with just family. God bless my woman for saving me from a year of wedding planning.”

  “Unless she changes her mind,” I told him with an evil glint in my eyes.

  “Yeah well, there’s no talk of a wedding until we settle this shit with the Milanos. I can’t start my marriage with war hanging over our heads.”

  And that was the crux of why it was so damn hard to date any woman seriously in our line of work. Organized crime wasn’t an easy life, and being born into it the way Eamon, Rourke and I were, a different life wasn’t an option. Finding a woman like Layla who accepted all the parts of his life was like finding a fucking four leaf clover sprouting up in the desert outside of Rocket.

  I wanted the best for my brother and his bride, which was why tonight needed to go off without a hitch. “Then we better make sure this shit ends tonight.”

  “Hear, hear,” Rourke said and lifted his newly refilled glass in the air. Eamon and I joined in and finished off our drinks.

  “What, none for me?” Conor appeared at the side of the table looking every bit like the O’Donnell side of the family with his dark brown hair and green-specked brown eyes. A dimple winked in his right cheek when he smiled. It gave him a harmless look that many a man had mistakenly assumed meant he was harmless, which was far from the actual case.

  “Grab a seat. I hear you have good news.” Annoyance gone now that Conor had arrived, Eamon sat up straight and flagged down Maggie for another drink.

  Conor shrugged out of his own leather jacket and took a seat beside Rourke. “Frank and Gio rented a house over near The Highlands.”

  The Highlands was a cheap apartment complex made up of nearly a dozen seven story buildings. Much of the non-tourist-related crime in town originated from The Highlands.

  “They’re trying to buy up all the freelance workers?”

  Conor nodded, accepting his beer from Maggie with a wide, flirtatious grin that she barely noticed.

  “Trying to, being the operative phrase. No one knows who the fuck they are, and they’re not willing to tie themselves to an unknown horse when Connelly money is steady and guaranteed.”

  “You know that for a fact?” Eamon didn’t give a shit about anything but stopping threats to the family.

  “Yep. I stopped by The Highlands myself to talk to a few of our frequent flyers who wanted me to know they’d be happy to act as eyes or backup guns against these assholes.”

  Conor paused and took a long pull from his beer, never one to be rushed into doing anything. “Frank and Gio have big plans for tonight, dinner and a show at Wet Kitty.”

  Conor wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he mentioned one of the low end strip clubs in Rocket.

  I knew the place well because they never checked ID’s and the Wet Kitty was the first place I’d seen my first pair of live tits. They were fake as hell with slightly lopsided nipples from a botched boob job, but they were real and shoved in my face while Brandi gave me my first lap dance.

  “There are only two exits, front and back. We could get to them inside the club and have full cover to finish our business.”

  Eamon raised an eyebrow. “Got something you wanna tell us little brother?”

  “I just told you. And if we throw around a little bit of cash, the girls will be very generous with info.” The Wet Kitty was nothing like the high end clubs that catered to rich tourists and even richer gamblers, which meant the dancers were up for just about anything for some extra money.

  “Shae’s right,” Conor said with a knowing grin, because I suspected he also had be initiated into the beauty of the female form by that club.

  “Three reliable sources are working tonight. Cammie, Boo and Sugar are lined up to be our eyes and ears.”

  “You sure we can trust these girls?” Rourke asked. “Crack heads aren’t exactly the most reliable sources.”

  “I’m positive,” he said enthusiastically. “Boo is twenty-one and bears a striking resemblance to Frank Milano’s missing girlfriend.”

  T
he table fell silent at that little bit of information. She’d been missing for nearly a year, and it was widely suspected that he was the source of her disappearance and her likely death.

  “He’ll almost certainly book her for a private dance and that’ll give us the opening we need.”

  “What about Gio?”

  “Gio won’t leave the club without his brother, but we’ll have our guys surround him the minute Frank goes to get his dick wet.”

  Conor had thought everything out, which was exactly why he was the right man for this job. For all his flaws, Patrick had a knack for putting people in a job they would succeed at time and again. So far, Conor had yet to let him down, which was more than I could say for the rest of us.

  Eamon smacked his hands together and a slow grin spread. “You got everything all figured out for tonight?”

  “Yep. I do. I have eyes on Gio and Frank so we’ll know the moment they get moving.” A quick glance down at his watch and Conor said, “I assume they’ll go between eight and ten, which means we need to have our men in place and ready to strike when they leave.”

  “Not a problem,” Rourke said. “We’re ready when you are.”

  “I need to pick up Ivy and get her back to my place, but otherwise my schedule is wide open.”

  Eamon nodded his agreement. “We need Shamrock, so relieve him and put someone else in his place.”

  It was an order, not a suggestion. Under normal circumstances I might have bristled at his tone, but Eamon was right. Despite his fluffy teddy bear appearance, he was a mean son of a bitch when the situation called for it.

  “I’ll let him know now and get someone over there ASAP. Shamrock needs some downtime before tonight anyway.”

  I hated to put anyone else in charge of Ian’s protection, but tonight was important, too important to go in without our best men. I sent a quick text to Shamrock and turned back to the table. “We got dark weapons?”

  Conor’s grin split his face at the mention of weapons.

  “Fuck, yeah, we do. Just got a new shipment of semi’s, handguns and a few beautiful pieces of automatic machinery. We’re all good to go on the weapons front. Just make sure you guys are dressed for the occasion.”