Trouble: (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) (Made & Broken Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Epilogue

  Audrey

  Liam

  Louis

  William Steel

  Aubrey

  More from Nora

  Darkness

  Trouble

  Made & Broken 3

  Nora Ash

  Copyright © 2016 by Nora Ash

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any and all likeness to trademarks, corporations or persons, dead or alive, is purely coincidental.

  Summary

  Summary

  I share everything with my twin—every man I kill, every woman I fuck. But once my sight is set on her… she’s all mine.

  Audrey

  If there is one thing I don’t have time for, it’s men. Especially not men six years my junior, with a wicked smile and abs for days. No self-respecting woman with career goals and bills to pay would fall for a guy like Liam Steel—he’s everything I never wanted, with his easy laugh and complete disregard for rules.

  He’s not the man for me, I know he isn’t. He’s got secrets, and if I get too close they’ll end up burning me alive.

  So why can’t I stay away?

  Liam

  It was meant to be a harmless fling—she was supposed to be just another quick fuck before I was out the door. But Audrey Waits is so much more than I ever thought she’d be.

  She’s the one.

  I should be happy I’ve found the woman I want to marry. After all, isn’t that what everyone spends their entire life searching for? Their one true love.

  Too bad I’ll never get my Happy Ever After.

  How can I, when being with me means she’s marked for death?

  Louis

  It was always Liam and me. Through every hit we’ve done, every woman we’ve fucked and every loss we’ve suffered, we’ve been left standing because we had each other’s backs.

  Then she showed up. The prissy little bird who’s wrapped my twin around her finger, making him careless. Making him vulnerable.

  In our business, you have a weakness, you’re dead. And if there’s one thing I won’t survive, it’s losing Liam.

  So I’ll protect him—even from himself, if I have to.

  I’ll make her think I’m him.

  And then I’ll break her.

  She’ll regret the day she fell in love with a Steel.

  Trouble is a full-length romance novel with a guaranteed HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger!

  Third and final part of the Made & Broken series, but can be read as a standalone.

  Sign up for Nora Ash’s newsletter to receive updates about new books You can also get in touch via Facebook, Twitter & Google+, or drop by her website.

  Contents

  1. Audrey

  2. Audrey

  3. Liam

  4. Audrey

  5. Liam

  6. Audrey

  7. Audrey

  8. Liam

  9. Audrey

  10. Audrey

  11. Liam

  12. Liam

  13. Audrey

  14. Louis

  15. Liam

  16. William Steel

  17. Louis

  18. Audrey

  19. Louis

  20. Audrey

  21. Louis

  22. Louis

  23. Audrey

  24. Audrey

  25. Louis

  26. Audrey

  27. Liam

  28. Aubrey

  29. Aubrey

  30. Louis

  31. Audrey

  32. Audrey

  33. Liam

  34. Audrey

  35. Liam

  36. Audrey

  37. Louis

  38. Liam

  39. Audrey

  40. Audrey

  41. Louis

  Epilogue

  More from Nora

  Darkness

  1

  Audrey

  I’ve generally always seen myself as on the right path, job-wise, but if there was ever a time I’d regretted my choice of career, it was today.

  “Sonuvabitch!”

  My screech echoed across Potters Fields Park, making a cluster of pigeons take flight. I windmilled desperately to avoid face-planting into the deep puddle on the pavement that I’d attempted—and failed—to jump across in my three-inch heels.

  My feet skidded out, but I managed to right myself at the last second—and heard the distinct snap of my right heel breaking underneath me, followed by a splash as I stepped heavily into the water, soaking my foot to the ankle.

  Yup, today I would have traded my years of university and corporate ladder-climbing for a nice, trainer-wearing shop floor job. Bet I could have made the jump if I hadn’t been forced to climb into these ridiculous stilts!

  I limped out of the puddle, aware that my broken heel and defeated disposition made me resemble the hunchback of Notre Dame. The fifty-page report from my briefcase had gone flying across the path. A couple of pages were in the damn puddle, and the rest seemed busy soaking up the wet London grime covering the pavement.

  I gave them a miserable look. Apparently I wouldn’t just be late for my morning meeting now—I’d also be presenting the clients with waterlogged paperwork.

  Smashing.

  “You all right there, love?”

  I jolted at the amused, masculine voice that sounded right behind me.

  “Yes, I’m fucking fantastic,” I hissed at whoever thought it was a great idea to do a drive-by mocking. Instead of giving the perpetrator any more of my attention, I tried to limp a step to the side to grab at my fleeing report and managed to stumble on my broken heel and re-soak my foot in the puddle once again.

  “Jesus fuck!”

  “Hang on, I’ve got you,” the same voice said, this time with a full laugh. A male figure bent from behind me, easily snatching up several pages. When he took a couple more steps down the path to gather the rest of my flighty report, I saw he was wearing jog pants, trainers and a tight vest that showed off wide shoulders and strong arms.

  Clearly a health nut. Great.

  “Here you go,” he said as he turned around, holding out the smudged pages to me. “Not sure they’re all salvageable, though.”

  I opened my mouth to thank him, but as my fingertips grazed over his warm hand, I looked up into his face—and promptly lost all ability to control my tongue.

  “Huh… ank… s.” I was vaguely aware that the noise I’d produced didn’t much resemble human speech, but most of my focus was pulled toward his eyes.

  They were a startling, silvery gray, but what captured my attention so completely wasn’t the color—it was the warm mirth dancing in them, pulling at me like a magnet. His gaze was so completely filled with life, it made the rest of the world seem dull and mute by comparison.

  He had a chiseled jaw and the kind of facial features a runway model would kill for, crowned by a shock of red hair, but mainly I just couldn’t stop staring at those amazing eyes.

  “Happy to help.” The slight sardonic note to his voice made it clear he was fully aware of my open-mouthed staring. It was enough to finally break the spell, and I flushed beet-red when I realized what I’d been doing.

  “S-sorry, I should get going,” I muttered, pulling away from him. The distance gave me a new view of his broad shoulders and—holy hell, he was definitely in goo
d shape, the way those pecs and abs practically strained against his vest. Wow, men hadn’t looked like that when I’d last dated, that’s for sure…

  “See something you like, love?”

  I took a step further back, mortified at the wry grin on his full lips. He’d clearly caught my gaze sweeping up and down his body.

  I squeaked out a weird little sound that was supposed to be ‘thanks for the help’ but sounded more like a trapped mouse, and spun around to flee.

  Only I’d forgotten about my broken heel, and the next second, I was flailing wildly in a desperate attempt at not face-planting on the pavement.

  “Whoa, steady there.” Large hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me safely upright and turning me back around.

  The redhead sank down in a crouch in front of me and pulled out what looked distinctly like a zip-tie from his pocket. “Give me your foot, darling.”

  Too mortified to do anything but obey, I did what he asked while attempting to keep my balance on one leg.

  “You can lean on me,” he said without taking his eyes off my shoe, probably because I was wobbling unsteadily above him on my high heel.

  I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to fall on my arse, so I awkwardly placed my fingertips against his ginger mane to steady myself while I tried to pretend I didn’t see the amused looks from passersby.

  Nothing to see here, people, just a woman in a business suit, making a complete twat out of herself.

  I glanced down at the young man kneeling in front of me. He seemed fully focused on my foot, and I briefly wondered what kind of obsessed handyman had zip-ties in his jog pants.

  Handyman, complete Adonis, kind helper of strangers. If he’d been a decade older, he’d have been my dream guy.

  But he’s not, you absolute pervert, I mentally scolded myself. He looked to be several years my junior, and I wasn’t exactly some hot blooded cougar.

  The only thing that got close to my lady parts these days was my trusty Magic Wand.

  Just as the words Magic Wand flashed through my head, the young man looked up with that wicked smile curving his lips, as if the knew what sort of thoughts were running rampant through my head.

  “There you go, that should hold you through the day.”

  I blinked and looked down at my shoe. He’d looped the zip-tie around the heel and secured it around the sole, managing to stabilize it completely.

  “Wow,” I muttered, momentarily shaken out of my embarrassment by complete awe of his MacGyver skills. “Thank you so, so much. You’re an absolute life-saver.”

  “Happy to help a pretty lady,” he said, giving me a friendly wink.

  Only, he was still crouched down in front of me, and that wink made me realize his face was right in front of my crotch.

  Oh, God!

  “I, um, h-have to get to work. Thanks again!”

  This time, my shoe supported me perfectly when I spun around to flee.

  2

  Audrey

  “You’re late,” Eileen said the second I stormed into our office like a panicked goat, arms full of the still-sopping report. “What were you thinking, being late the one day you have a morning meeting scheduled with Perkinson, of all people? He’s already been waiting ten minutes, and you know how he gets.”

  “I know, I know!” I threw my handbag on my desk and pulled my emergency supply of Kleenex out of a drawer. “I had an accident. Now just help me dab!”

  “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Perkinson. I had a bit of a disastrous morning,” I hurled out the second I stepped into the meeting room, a stiff smile plastered across my lips. “I trust Nadine’s been keeping you with coffee?”

  “Tell me, Miss Waits, is it normal procedure for Caslik Consulting to assume their clients have nothing better to do than wait all morning for a young woman to waltz into work long after business hours have commenced?”

  I gritted my teeth, somehow managing not to lose the fake smile despite my sudden urge to throw the damp-despite-my-best-efforts report in his face. I’d only been assigned to Perkinson the previous Thursday, but he’d already become my least favorite client of all time. “I can only apologize and assure you it won’t happen again.”

  “It better not,” he rumbled, irritation clear on his pudgy face as he swiveled around in his cushioned seat to face the table. “I don’t want to have to remind your boss how much money I’m prepared to walk away with if he can’t get me a halfway competent consultant.”

  I did my best ignore the dig, despite my temper flaring up like a hot burst of acid in my gut. I’d worked hard for my position at Caslik, and before that, I’d busted my arse at university so I could prove to my parents I was good enough, smart enough. My career was everything to me, and to have this arrogant pig insult and threaten it gave me rage-induced acid reflux. But I swallowed my anger and, despite the urge to slap the haughty bastard, smiled until my cheeks hurt. If he actually followed through on his threat and went to my boss with a complaint about me, I’d be having a rather unpleasant chat with HR before I could blink.

  Perkinson brought in the kind of money that had everyone rolling over like over-excited puppies. He was my first major client, and up until last Thursday, I’d been absolutely thrilled. His company was my first major account, and I knew that if I did well with him, I was that much closer to the senior position my manager had been dangling in front of me like a carrot for the past three years.

  “Have you had an opportunity to consider the branding options for your new vodka we went over on Thursday?” I said as I sat down in front of him, doing my best to ignore the throbbing vein in my temple. I wasn’t about to let a man like Perkinson snatch away what I’d been working so hard for for so long. Mel, my older sister, was made managing director of the snazzy little design company she’d been working for for the past ten years just last Christmas, and I’d not heard the end of it from Mum and Dad. Perfect Mel, with her perfect life, and her perfect promotion. No, I was getting this client wrangled, whatever it took. I could live with my anger for a few weeks.

  “Yes, we’ll be going with the upscale Playboy demographic. I want every man to get hard when he sees a bottle of our booze. He needs to think that buying Perk Vodka turns him into literal James-fucking-Bond. You got it, sweet cheeks?”

  Okay, so apparently I’d also be swallowing my pride too.

  “Sure.” If I smiled any harder, my face would be in danger of cracking. “Sounds good. I’ve put together a launch strategy—if you care to have a look?” I slid the still-damp report across the table to my client. “I apologize for the state of it. I had a bit of a fall while on my way to work.”

  Perkinson took the offered papers with a look of mild contempt, making sure only to turn the pages with the very tips of his fingers. He made small grunts along the way, and I took the lack of berating to mean he didn’t find any flaws with my work. Finally, at the end of the 30-something pages, he placed his index finger against the slightly smudged text. “This. The launch party. I want that to take center stage. I want you to blow my socks off—invite everyone who’s anyone, a casino night, strippers, you know, the classy kind. Girls serving my vodka with their titties. You get my drift?”

  “I believe I do. I’ll get that coordinated with the event planner. We just need to decide on a dat—”

  “No!” I jumped in my seat when Perkinson slapped his hairy knuckles against the table. “You’re my account manager, right? I want you in charge of this event. I pay your company an awful lot of money, so I expect you to do the heavy lifting, got it? I want you to have your hands in every aspect of that launch party—and no excuses about your monthly or whatever else you pampered business girls come up with to get out of hard work.”

  I tried to contain the grimace on my face at the prospect of planning an event where I’d have to hire girls to serve vodka with their ‘titties’. “I understand where you’re coming from, Mr. Perkinson, but I believe you’d be much better served with someone whose entire focus is on
event planning. I will oversee everything, of course, but as the account manager, I have to keep track of everything with this launch, not just the part—”

  “Girl, do I need to go to your boss and tell him you can’t do the job I’m asking? And paying for, I might add.” Perkinson’s cool blue eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his seat, and I knew with uncompromising clarity that I hated that man. I hated him, because I knew I was going to bend over backwards to please him, even though he was the biggest prick I’d ever met. And I’d met my fair share in London’s business world.

  “No, of course not, Mr. Perkinson,” I managed through my teeth. “I’ll do your party myself. And it’ll be spectacular, I promise.”

  3

  Liam

  “I hope you two realize how serious the situation is.”

  I suppressed a grimace as I took a swig of my beer. “Pretty hard not to, when we have to play whack-a-mole a couple of times a week with whichever patriarch thinks his Family is strong enough to steal the throne while we’re still bloody on it.”

  “Or the men you’ve had stationed around our flat for the past few months,” my twin said, a carefree note to his voice I knew he didn’t feel. We both knew why those men were there, and it wasn’t to protect us. “We’re not Blaine. We don’t do the whole entourage thing.”