I’ve always known I’d marry for duty over love. How could I not when my father pounded it into my head almost daily? But I’m still disheartened. Sad I won’t see adoration in Kieran’s eyes as I walk down the aisle. Sad his face won’t alight with pure love and reverence as he makes me his wife.
Ellison isn’t the only one wearing a veil today. Hers is white and sheer. Perfectly placed just below the crown of her head. Flowing down her back.
My veil is a smile. A straight spine with shoulders pushed back. Chin a little higher than usual.
Despite the joy of today, and I am truly thankful for this marriage between these two amazing people, my heart breaks. But there will be no tears, only a mask of happiness. It’s my job to hide my heart, and forever keep it locked away.
When Elli says her vows to Jamie, and I see peace and radiant delight in her face, the mask is not hard to maintain. She is stunningly beautiful inside and out, and my heart is full because she’s found her home. Her forever alongside her husband and best friend. My brother.
For that I can rejoice.
For that I can smile.
For that I can be the treaty bride who marries Kieran Hendry.
The End
Unintended
Book Five
Kieran and Westlyn's story
Captor becomes lover…
I’m a marksman. Mobster. Deadly assassin.
My job is to protect my brotherhood, but that isn’t my only responsibility.
I’m Kieran Hendry, the up-and-coming leader of The Order, and a new duty calls. I must take a wife.
A wife I don’t know.
A wife born into a position at the top of The Fellowship hierarchy.
A wife who will forge a strong alliance between her brotherhood and mine.
A wife I don’t want.
I knew next to nothing about Westlyn Breckenridge when I abducted her, but I quickly discover that she’s intelligent, strong, defiant, selfless. And beautiful.
One night with her is all it takes for me to see that she is no typical Mafia princess. I’m hopeful this arranged marriage won’t be the miserable union I imagined it to be. But convincing my intended to give us a chance won’t be easy when she sees me as the enemy. The brute who kidnapped her. The vile fiend who threatened to do as he wished with her body.
It’s true. I am all those things. I had cruel intentions. But everything has changed. My affection for her is unexpected. My love, unintended.
Prologue
Kieran Hendry
This day.
It’s been a jack-in-the-box ever since I became a man. Dormant, but hiding inside its refuge, always threatening to make an appearance at any time. Each day has represented a crank of the handle controlling its release.
Today, it escaped.
It’s time for me to fulfill my obligation to my new brotherhood. It’s the burden that comes with being in a leadership role.
I must take a wife.
A wife I don’t know. A wife born into a position at the top of a hierarchy. A wife who will forge a strong alliance between The Order and The Fellowship.
A wife I don’t want.
I am Kieran Hendry. Eldest son of Lennox Hendry and Arabella Grieves Hendry, the new leaders of The Order. Many would kill to be in their position. Literally. But that isn’t how the brotherhood works. We are born into the role. Like royalty.
My mother has been called home to preside over the brotherhood that her father and brother once led. My dad will act on her behalf until I’m ready to take my place as the leader of these people. My first act as their future leader will be to enter into a marriage treaty with a Fellowship woman. Bring peace between The Order and their enemy, The Fellowship.
I’ve been conditioned to accept an arranged marriage as my fate for as long as I can remember. Doesn’t make it any easier though.
I always thought I’d marry from within The Syndicate, the brotherhood in which I was raised. I expected to forge a union with a woman I’d known my entire life, whose position within my brotherhood would strengthen my claim to leadership in the event of my paternal uncle’s and cousins’ deaths. A woman with virtue and purity who’d saved herself for her husband. Who the hell knows what I’ll be getting with a woman from The Fellowship?
The Fellowship killed my maternal uncle and the brothers want retribution. They demand blood. A lot of it. But vengeance isn’t our way. Revenge and death only yield rotting corpses. That isn’t profitable: a dead man can’t make money for us. Alliances. Those yield gain. Profit is always our focus.
My father pours two whiskies and brings one to me. “I know you need this; I still haven’t forgotten what it felt like to hear my father tell me that I was going to marry a woman from The Order as part of a marriage treaty alliance.”
I need more than one whisky. “I don’t want a wife.”
“I don’t have to tell you that what you want doesn’t matter. You’re a Grieves and a Hendry. Future leader of The Order. Being at the helm of this organization means you don’t get a choice. It’s your duty to strengthen your brotherhood with an advantageous marriage. You will marry a woman from The Fellowship.”
This marriage isn’t something I can refuse. “Do I at least get to choose which woman I’ll marry?”
“You have three choices.” Well, at least there’s that. “The most desirable is Abram Breckenridge’s older daughter, Evanna. The next would be his younger daughter, Westlyn. Last choice is Sinclair’s sister-in-law. Not a Breckenridge, or even a member of The Fellowship yet, but she will be soon.”
“Why is the sister-in-law a consideration?”
“She’s the sister of Bleu Breckenridge. Sinclair will do whatever it takes to maintain Ellison’s safety because he wants to keep his wife happy.”
An American who wasn’t raised in a brotherhood. “She’ll be weak.”
“Agreed. Hence the reason she’s your third choice. You’ll only marry her if the other choices don’t work out.”
I’ve heard of Abram Breckenridge. None of it good. “What do you know about Abram’s daughters?”
“Not a lot yet, but I’ve placed both under surveillance. We’ll learn as much as we can before you choose.”
It won’t matter that The Order is under new leadership. “The Fellowship isn’t going to willingly agree to an alliance with us, and Thane Breckenridge isn’t going to hand over one of his nieces as a treaty bride.”
“That’s why we’re going to force his hand by taking the bride of your choosing. He’ll have no choice but to consider our proposition.” My father pauses a moment. “And as a symbol of our good intention, I’m going to offer Shaw in marriage to his younger son or nephew.”
Shaw is only eighteen. Still a child. And so headstrong. She has dreams and plans and ideas about the way she wants her life to go. My sister won’t take well to being told she must marry anyone, treaty for the well-being of the brotherhood or not. “Won’t my marriage suffice so Shaw doesn’t have to marry?”
“Not with The Fellowship. There’s too much bad blood between them and The Order. We have to propose an equal offering, or they’ll never consider it.”
“When is this going to happen?”
“As soon as you decide which woman you want.”
I don’t want any of them.
“I’ll have a full report from the surveillance by the end of the week.”
“Then I guess I’m claiming a wife this weekend.” Which means I’m getting laid. I’m not pissed off about that.
“You’ll need to bind your union to her as soon as possible.” Bind my union. He means impregnate her. “Once your bairn is inside her, the claiming can’t be undone by anyone.”
A bairn. I don’t want that either.
I was born nine months after my parents married. My father didn’t waste any time binding his union with my mother. We’ve never discussed it, but I’m guessing he was persuaded to do so by his father just as he’s doing with me now. “How did you feel when Grandfather
told you that you were going to marry Mother?”
“I wasn’t happy, but I knew taking Arabella as my wife was my duty to the brotherhood. Your mother and I both understood, and we made the most out of it.”
Maybe theirs hasn’t been a fairy tale romance, but my parents love and respect each other. And they share a common goal: they want the best for The Syndicate and The Order. That includes making this alliance with The Fellowship.
I’m the future leader of The Order. It’s my job to ensure the prosperity of my brotherhood and those we’re in alliance with. If that means taking a Fellowship woman as a wife and putting my child inside her then that’s what I’ll do.
Even if it’s the last thing on earth that I want.
Chapter 1
Kieran Hendry
I’m a marksman for my brotherhood. An assassin. A hit man. But tonight I’m not ending the life of a loose end or an enemy or an opposition. The man I’ve been for the last twenty-eight years is the one being ended; I’ll soon be mated to a Fellowship woman. Probably tonight.
“What can you tell me about the Fellowship women we’re considering?”
My father sighs. “Bleu Breckenridge’s sister is living with Thane’s nephew. They’re sharing a bedroom.”
Good thing that one isn’t a front-runner.
“And the older Breckenridge sister…” Dad pauses. “She’s spending a lot of time with a Fellowship man. Behind closed doors. And overnight.”
“What you’re telling me is that two of my three choices are fucking other men?”
“Aye.”
That eliminates both of them in my book. I won’t have my wife hopping out of one man’s bed and into mine.
“What of the younger Breckenridge sister?”
“My men saw nothing unbecoming.”
“She hasn’t kept the company of any man?”
“Westlyn’s only interactions have been with family and female friends.”
I could ask my father to tell me more about this woman, but the truth is that nothing he tells me will matter. She’s the only option I’ll consider for my wife at this point. “Where is she now?”
“I’ve been informed that she left her apartment with Sin’s sister-in-law, and they just arrived at Duncan’s Pub.”
I have planned and carried out countless assassinations without so much as a qualm. But this… this, I dread like hell. I don’t tolerate the weaker sex well. The tears. The whimpering. The whole fragility thing. I despise all of it.
But the pussy… I deal with that just fine.
“I’ve called Niall to bring the limo around.”
What is my father thinking? “The limo will call too much attention.”
“The limo will have the room you’ll need for the men going with you.”
I’ve never taken anyone with me on a job. “You know I work alone.”
“This is different. You aren’t shooting someone while you’re perched at a distance. You’re going into Fellowship territory, a place where they’re always on guard, and you’re going to take a woman of great value. No one person should attempt to do that.”
I don’t know the brothers of The Order yet. I don’t trust them to carry this mission out flawlessly, but my father is right. I can’t pull off this kidnapping by myself. “All right. I’ll take four men from your surveillance team. But they need to understand that I expect them to stay the fuck out of my way. And fuckups won’t be tolerated.” If this effort fails, we’ll likely not get another opportunity; Westlyn will be placed under a watchful eye. And that means I’ll be forced to take one of the others as my bride.
I can’t let that happen.
I’m surrounded by four men who’ve watched my wife-to-be for a week. They know more about her than I do, including what she looks like. I’m tempted to ask about her appearance, but I don’t; these men have possibly seen parts of Westlyn Breckenridge that should be reserved for my eyes only. If I found out one of them had looked upon her unclothed, I’d be tempted to yank his eyeballs out of their sockets.
I’ve only had a few days to adjust to the idea of taking Westlyn as my mate. Don’t ask me to explain it, but I already consider her my property although I’ve never laid eyes on her. My possessive feelings are completely insane, considering how much I don’t want her or this marriage.
“Westlyn and Ellison… that’s them coming out of the pub, boss.”
They didn’t stay long. I slide upward in my seat and watch the two women leaving the pub with a man. “Who is he?”
“Jamie Breckenridge.”
Family. Good girl, Westlyn. “Drive slowly until we reach them. When the car stops, we’ll exit together. First man who gets to Westlyn will hood her face and pull her into the backseat. Once she’s inside, we’re out of here.”
“Jamie will be armed.”
I’d expect no less. “I’ll take care of him.” I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in him if he comes between me and my taking Westlyn tonight.
The back door opens, and we spill out of the car. Jamie Breckenridge moves in front of the two women, shoving both behind him. One of the women goes down, landing on the sidewalk.
He pulls his weapon just as I knew he would, but he doesn’t stand a chance at this showdown. Gunman versus doctor. It isn’t a fair fight.
My bullet enters his upper shoulder, the exact target I was aiming for. It isn’t my intention to kill the man who is about to become my brother-in-law. Just need to hinder him a little.
He collapses to the sidewalk. One of the women screams and crawls to him on her hands and knees as though it’s the end of the world. With that kind of reaction, I’m assuming that she’s his American lover who wasn’t raised in a brotherhood. A woman accustomed to these things wouldn’t behave that way.
She places her hands over the growing wet sphere, leaning over him and saying things that I’m unable to hear.
“Get them in the car now.”
Them? Here we go with the fuckups. This is why I work alone. I’m the only person I can depend on to get things right.
The other woman screams for help and fights impressively while Marshall holds her, and Glen places a hood over her head… before I’m able to see what she looks like. “Not both women. Just Westlyn Breckenridge.”
“That’s not what your father ordered.”
He didn’t mention anything about taking both women. “No time to argue. We need to go now.” We likely only have seconds before The Fellowship brothers inside the pub realize that something has taken place.
The backseat of the limo fills, this time with two extra passengers. One more than I intended.
I’m not certain which of these women is my intended. I thought Marshall and Glen had Westlyn, but now I don’t know since my father ordered both women to be taken.
“On your knees. Hands behind your back.” I’m not worried about the MacAllister woman, but I’d expect Westlyn to have had extensive training on what to do in the event of an abduction. Can’t be careless with that one.
A text comes in on the phone Glen has taken from one of their purses.
Fellowship: Let’s talk.
Kieran: I’ll consider that after I’ve had my fun.
Fellowship: Don’t fucking touch them.
I’m amused by whomever is texting. Does this person really think he can tell me what to do?
Kieran: A little late for that. Don’t come for them or they die.
Kieran: We’ll contact you when we’re ready to talk.
I toss the phone to Glen and he returns it to the purse. No need to ditch it. The Fellowship will trace us to the compound eventually anyway.
“Wes?” the woman to my right says. Her voice trembles, as does her body. She’s like a frightened rabbit.
“I’m here.” Westlyn Breckinridge hesitated before answering—and identifying herself. She’s probably silently pleading with her friend to keep her mouth shut.
I flick my wrist at Glen, cueing him to skip binding Westlyn Breckinridge�
��s wrists. I want her hands free.
“She’s not Fellowship. You gain nothing by taking her.”
I laugh at Miss Breckenridge’s weak argument. “You don’t think the sister of Sinclair’s wife is powerful leverage? Sounds to me like Miss Breckenridge doesn’t think very highly of you, Miss MacAllister.”
Westlyn needs to learn sooner rather than later who it is she’s dealing with. “Crawl to me, Westlyn. On all fours like the Fellowship bitch you are.”
She pleases me when she does as she’s instructed, proving she’s able to follow orders. A good quality to have in a wife. “On your knees in front of me. Kneel before your master.”
I’m going to be her leader. Her master. Her husband. She might as well get used to being on her knees in front of me. I plan on having her in that position often.
“Good lass. I think I’ll reward you for following orders by taking off your hood.” I lean forward and slowly lift the covering from her head.
I’m about to look into the eyes of the woman I’ll call wife for the rest of my life. I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t mildly panicked about what I’m going to see.
The interior lights are on, and I stop lifting the cover to study the lower half of her face. No mustache. No beard. A narrow nose, slightly turned up on the end. A perfectly pouty set of pink lips with a deep cupid’s bow.
I like what I see so far.
I remove the cover from her head, and her eyes blink several times before focusing on mine. Bold black strokes line the top of her eyelids with a slight wing on the outer corner. Long, lush lashes surround irises of… what color I can’t tell. But they’re much lighter than my nearly black ones.
Sexy. As. Fuck.
Complete Sin Box Set Page 92