Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) (34 page)
Read Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) Online
Authors: Nicole Edwards
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I hope you enjoyed Max and Courtney’s story. Beautifully Brutal is the first book in the Southern Boy Mafia series, which is a spin-off from the Sniper 1 Security series. You can read more about Courtney’s family (the good guys)
here
.
Want to see some fun stuff related to the Southern Boy Mafia series, you can find extras on my website. Or how about what’s coming next? I keep my website updated with the books I’m working on, including the
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.
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Keep reading for a preview of
WITHOUT REGRET
(Devil’s Playground #1)
Nicole Edwards
Copyright © Nicole Edwards, 2015
Release Date: July 7, 2015
1
The dark interior of the casino called his name but Isaiah Fontenot doubted the voices were saying the same things to him that they were saying to most of the people surrounding him.
Hit me!
Stand!
Come on six!
No, those weren’t the same voices he was hearing. Not today anyway.
Isaiah wasn’t drawn to the flashing lights of the slot machines or the cheers coming from the blackjack tables. Nor did he find any interest in the chaos that surrounded the craps tables.
Then again, he wasn’t a gambler—at least not when it came to casino games. Other things in life, sure.
So, it only made sense that he wasn’t hearing
those
voices in his head as he snaked his way through the various slot machines, past the line of blackjack tables teaming with people. Unlike most of the people in the place, he wasn’t seeking a way to discard some of his hard earned money in minutes. No, Isaiah was actually looking for someone.
A woman.
More accurately, a beautiful woman. One who had found herself in a shit ton of trouble as of late and had somehow ended up as Isaiah’s problem.
Being that he was from Las Vegas, lived and worked on the Vegas strip—in the very casino he currently traversed, in fact—Isaiah didn’t have much interest in the tourist hot spot, didn’t find intrigue in the sights and sounds of money being spent hand over fist in an effort to hit the big one, all with enormous hopes of coming out a winner. However, he did see the merits of using the place as a hideout, as the woman seemed to be doing.
With a cautious eye on his surroundings, Isaiah continued toward the bar.
Nope, nothing.
No spark of excitement in his gut, no antsy fingers ready to hit or stand. In fact, Isaiah was certain he’d been desensitized to it over the years. Although he wasn’t opposed to gambling as a whole, he simply tended to lean toward a different type of risk, something a little less … controlled.
Not to mention, the family he worked for wouldn’t take too kindly to him gambling on the job. He’d been sent on this particular mission in order to locate a specific person, who, according to his boss, wouldn’t be too keen on going with him once he did finally locate her, but that was a challenge Isaiah was up for.
Good thing he knew how to make things happen, it was one of the reasons the family he worked for depended on him and his twin brother Micah to run the show in Las Vegas. They’d been in charge of one of Vegas’s swankiest nightclubs, Devil’s Playground, for the past five years and had, over time, established quite the reputation.
As he eased up against the bar, Isaiah peered around, pretending to be looking for someone. It was partially true, he
was
looking for someone, someone he’d already located. In fact, he’d made eye contact with the copper-haired goddess, even offered a smile that reflected his feigned interest. Or he hoped it did anyway.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
In an attempt to appear casual, Isaiah ordered a drink and then retrieved his cell phone from his pocket while he waited. Thumbing the screen, he pulled up his contact list. He didn’t have to scroll too far to find the information for Maximillian Adorite. Pulling the number up, he hit the button to send a text.
Found her.
Less than a minute later, he received a response back: report when you have more information.
Knowing his boss didn’t need unnecessary pleasantries, Isaiah pocketed his phone as he retrieved his drink from the bartender. He sipped the top shelf, single malt scotch, allowing his gaze to once again roam the area. His mark hadn’t left from where she sat alone at a corner table. She looked nervous as hell and Isaiah couldn’t very well blame her. Despite the fact that he worked for the Texas family known as the Southern Boy Mafia, by far one of the most powerful and influential organized crime families in Texas, this girl … well, she’d inadvertently gotten in bed with some pretty nasty people and his boss had asked that he pull her into the fold in order to protect her.
Strange that. Isaiah wasn’t used to tracking people, or saving them, as was the case here, but he didn’t defy orders—nor did he question them—when they came down.
So here he was.
Waiting.
Max Adorite wasn’t known much for his kindness, but ever since Max married Courtney Kogan, he’d gotten a little soft. Not that Isaiah would ever let anyone hear him say that. After all, he didn’t have a death wish. Apparently, with this particular gig, Max was doing a favor for his wife. According to the information he’d been given, the mystery woman’s family had sought out the Sniper 1 Security team to help locate, and protect, the woman’s brother, and since Courtney’s family owned the business, and the incident was in Vegas, they’d leaned on her to help out because they knew Max had business there.
And now Isaiah was involved.
Micah should’ve been as well, but … he was MIA. As was usually the case during the daylight hours.
For a brief moment, Isaiah allowed his gaze to slide over the mystery woman whose life he was about to save, although his methods would likely be questioned. Not that he gave a shit. He got things done and he knew just what the situation warranted.
He’d known what she looked like thanks to the picture Max had provided, but the camera hadn’t done her justice. Her long hair looked like copper silk hanging over her slender shoulders and caressing the tops of her breasts. From his vantage point, he could also tell that she had a really,
really
nice rack—something that hadn’t been evident in her picture—hidden beneath a snug, black tank top.
Her clear, sea green eyes glimmered in the dim lights shining over her as she peered out from beneath her lashes, pretending not to notice him watching her. With the way the lights shown down on her, her alabaster skin appeared soft and smooth, and despite his mission, and the notion that the woman would likely freak once he officially introduced himself, Isaiah couldn’t deny the instant attraction he felt for her.
Not that he was looking for a woman. He had enough of those to deal with on a nightly basis, all types, all races, all shapes and sizes. He loved women, all of them, but he didn’t have to go searching for one. Being that he managed Devil’s Playground—Max’s Vegas nightclub, named the same as its sister locations in Dallas and New York—he had his pick of the litter on any given night. Being that the club was located in one of the ritziest hotels on the strip, Isaiah didn’t have to worry about relationships either, thanks to the tourists that strolled in and out of his world almost instantly. In this city, people were usually just visiting, merely a temporary distraction as far as he was concerned.
But, tonight, before he went to work, Isaiah had another job. One that required him to move away from the bar and talk to this woman before she slipped away and he had to spend hours searching for her again.
When she finished her drink, he decided to make his move. Taking his glass with him, he made his way over to her. Smiling, he decided to forego a cheesy line in the hopes that direct would be the better angle.
“Mind if I buy you a drink?” he asked as he approached, watching the attractive woman intently.
And for the first time in all of his thirty-eight years, Isaiah experienced something he’d never encountered before. The woman whose attention he was looking to attract took one look at him and … panicked.
Yep, that was certainly new.
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About Nicole
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers - even when she’s supposed to be writing.
Nicole also writes contemporary/new adult romance as Timberlyn Scott.
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Acknowledgments
I have to thank my family first, for putting up with my craziness. From my sudden outbursts when I think of something that needs to be added or when I question why one of the characters did what they did, to the strange hours that I keep and the days on end when I’m MIA because I’m under deadline or just engrossed in a story… Y’all are incredibly tolerant of me and for that, I am forever grateful. I love you with all that I am.
My street team – The Naughty & Nice Posse. Ladies, your daily pimping and support fills my heart with so much love. You are a blessing to me, each and every one of you.
My beta readers, Chancy and Denise. Ladies, I’m not sure thanks will ever be enough. However, not only are you the ones who catch the weird things and ask the bigger questions, you’ve both become my friends and you keep me going.
My copyeditor, Amy. Punctuation and grammar… well, that’s not my strong suit. But it is yours and you are truly remarkable at what you do. You simply amaze me and I am so glad that I found you.
Nicole Nation 2.0 for the constant support and love. This group of ladies has kept me going for so long, I’m not sure I’d know what to do without them.
And, of course, YOU, the reader. Your emails, messages, posts, comments, tweets… they mean more to me than you can imagine. I thrive on hearing from you, knowing that my characters and my stories have touched you in some way keeps me going. I’ve been known to shed a tear or two when reading an email because you simply bring so much joy to my life with your support. I thank you for that.
Also by Nicole Edwards
The Alluring Indulgence Series
Holidays with the Walker Brothers
The Club Destiny Series
Adored
The Dead Heat Ranch Series
The Devil’s Bend Series
The Devil’s Playground Series
Sniper 1 Security
Southern Boy Mafia
Standalone Novels
Writing as Timberlyn Scott