Killer Prince: a vigilante romance (Adair Legacy Book 3) Read online

  Killer Prince

  A vigilante, single parent romance

  Adair Legacy

  Book 3

  KL Donn

  Copyright © 2022 by KL Donn

  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.

  Photographer: Lindee Robinson Photography

  Models: Brian & Racheal

  Cover Design & Formatting: Alluring Write Productions

  Editor: KA Matthews

  Contents

  Adair Empire/Legacy

  Blurb

  Prologue

  1. Noelle

  2. Noelle

  3. Holden

  4. Lilith

  5. Holden

  6. Noelle

  7. Holden

  Epilogue

  Next in the Adair Legacy

  About the Author

  Also By KL Donn

  Dedication

  For Noelle,

  I fell completely in love with you,

  You deserve this story.

  Adair Empire/Legacy

  Family Tree

  King & Lilith Adair (King: Adair Empire Book 1)

  Holden (Noelle) Adair – Killer Prince: Adair Legacy Book 3

  Aria (Seven & Severo) Adair – Broken Princess: Adair Legacy Book 1

  Luther & Ariel Sutton (Luther: Adair Empire Book 2)

  Nolan (Bea) Sutton – Dark Knight: Adair Legacy Book 5

  Lake (Saint) Sutton – Vicious Saint: Adair Legacy Book 8

  Damien (Whitney & Santo) Sutton – Forbidden Temptress: Adair Legacy Book 9

  Castiel & Talia Adair (Castiel: Adair Empire Book 3)

  Hadley (Ashton) Adair – Tortured Duchess: Adair Legacy Book 2

  Hendrix (Miabella) Adair – Vengeful Pawn: Adair Legacy Book 6

  Atticus & Catalina Kincaid (Atticus: Adair Empire Book 4)

  Bishop (Cordelia) Kincaid – Damaged Bishop: Adair Legacy Book 7

  Easton (Stella) Kincaid – Beautiful Devil: Adair Legacy Book 10

  Carver & Meadow Rivers (Carver: Adair Empire Book 5)

  Scotlyn (Jaxson) Rivers – Delicate Dame: Adair Legacy Book 4

  Saint (Lake) Rivers – Vicious Saint: Adair Legacy Book 8

  Dimitri, Danika, & Daniel Petrov-Corelli (Trinity: Adair Empire Book 6)

  Seven (Aria) Petrov-Corelli – Broken Princess: Adair Legacy Book 1

  Severo (Aria) Petrov-Corelli – Broken Princess: Adair Legacy Book 1

  Santo (Damien & Whitney) Petrov-Corelli – Forbidden Temptress Adair Legacy Book 9

  Authors note: While the Adair Legacy books can all be read as complete standalones and, in any order, I do suggest reading the Adair Empire series in order of books 1-6.

  Blurb

  From USA Today Bestselling Author KL Donn comes an all-new obsessive, vigilante, dark contemporary romance.

  There’s a darkness lurking inside.

  Settling in my bones.

  And the only way to tame it is by righting the wrongs of the law.

  I’ve never been a good man. Never wanted to be.

  Until I saw her.

  Noelle Rose.

  Beautifully broken and trying to hide.

  She has secrets, some darker than mine.

  Once I know the truth, I’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe.

  To keep them safe.

  I’ll show her not all evil is bad.

  After I slay her demons, she’ll be mine.

  And nobody can stop me.

  Reader beware, some themes may be triggering.

  Prologue

  Holden

  Brent, Florida – Patrick Ames: Acquitted due to lack of evidence.

  “Oh fuck. Yeah. Just like that.” The liquid heat spills like a broken jar of honey, and screams fill the swampy night air.

  No one can hear us.

  See us.

  We’re completely alone, and my dick has never been harder.

  “Do you admit it?” I groan again, waiting for an answer.

  “Y-yes.” I finally get a whimpered response instead of more crying.

  “Tell me what you did.” Coarse hair slips through my fingers like fine wine. “Tell me,” I hiss, leaning closer to their face.

  “I did it.” Whimpering ensues. “I killed her.”

  I dig the blade deeper, wiggling it from side to side. “Killed who?”

  “Carly Clarkson.” Tears flow as quickly as the blood from his open thigh wound and the fresh hole in his gut.

  “Details, Patrick. I want the details.”

  His face is a mask of agony from the torture I’ve put him through. But nothing worse than what he did to eight-year-old Carly Clarkson one year ago today. The girl deserved a guilty verdict; instead, her family was raked over the coals all over again. Her injuries were so grave that after three days in the hospital, she passed peacefully in her sleep.

  “I ra-ra-raped her. Beat her. It’s not my fault!” His screams only further incite my anger.

  “You keep saying that, but all I hear is I couldn’t help myself. I don’t like you, Patrick. I don’t like that you breathe the same air as me.” Dragging my knife upwards slowly from his pelvis, his screams echo in the otherwise silent marsh.

  “Please don’t do this. I’m sorry!” But I don’t give him the chance to say anything else as I plunge my blade into his chest, blood spurting out as I hit an artery. His eyes stare up at me, slowly draining of life. Twisting the sharpened steel, satisfaction rolls through me as all signs of life leave his body.

  Dropping his limp frame off the edge of the dock, three alligators tear him apart in minutes before what’s left sinks to the bottom of the murky water.

  Wrapping up the plastic I worked him over on, I put another pair of gloves over my bloody ones and tie up the garbage bag. I’ll come back tomorrow to do another sweep to ensure no evidence was left behind.

  The news calls me a vigilante killer.

  The police call me a serial killer.

  I’m neither. I’m just a guy looking to balance the scales and gain justice for those who have been failed by a broken system that violates them far more than any individual person might.

  Swiping a streak of blood across his license, I place it in an envelope. Six families have found closure because of me. I won’t stop until I’m caught or dead.

  Chapter 1

  Noelle

  “Good morning; welcome to The Snug. What can I get you?” I smile at the woman and her young daughter as they take their time choosing a treat and a drink.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” the woman says, looking slightly embarrassed as they can’t decide. “What do you suggest?” She finally looks at me when the man behind her huffs out his impatience.

  “Well”—my grin widens—“personally, I love these brown sugar muffins with a steaming cup of coffee or a cold glass of strawberry milk.” I wink at the little girl who giggles behind her book.

  “Perfect, we’ll get that.” The mom smiles gratefully at me.

  After ringing her up and getting them their treats, I drop all pretense of being cheery for the jerk with a scowl on his face.

  “What can I get you?” His eyes roam across my chest with a lascivious look I could do without.

  “You,” he chuckles. “Black coffee and a bran muffin,” he continues when he sees I don’t find his comment funny.

  “It’ll be ready over there.” I point to the pickup station.

  He scoffs. “You got theirs here. I don’t have time to wait because of their pickiness.”

  “I made a special exception for them; they were cute. You’re not.” Ignoring him, I try to help the next customer when the man leans forward.

  “Listen, you little bitch-”

  He’s cut off by a hand squeezing the back of his neck. “Call her a bitch again. I dare you.” The hotty with the dirty-blond hair and soulful blue eyes who has been coming in here for a month now drawls in his ear.

  “Get the fuck off me!” the detestable man snaps.

  “Apologize first.” He must squeeze harder because the guy drops to his knees.

  “Fuck,” the mean man murmurs. “I’m sorry.” Letting go as quickly as he latched on, the stranger stands back so the other can take his leave. Not without tossing a threatening glare my way first.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous says, keeping his focus on the other guy until he exits the shop.

  “Not the first time I’ve run into a jerk, won’t be the last. But thank you. Now, what can I get for you? On me.” I share a genuine smile as he turns back to face me.

  I’m ensnared by his startling dark cerulean gaze as his eyes rake over me from top to bottom. He’s inspecting me, I realize, and turn away slightly, knowing he’ll notice the bruise on my shoulder and neck that my shirt refuses to hide.

  He frowns but doesn’t comment. “Black coffee and one of those brown sugar muffins.”

  “Coming right up.” This time he stays put after handing me a twenty.

  “I said this one was on me.” I try to push the money back as he’s handed his order.

  Without another word, the man takes his food and walks over to the same table he always sits at. Only this time,
he doesn’t watch the people outside; he watches me. Sipping his drink slowly and only ripping off small bites of his muffin, his stare never wavers.

  After an hour of this intensity, I head into the back, needing a break. Sitting on a box of crates near the rear exit, out of view of anyone, I pull the corner of my shirt down to see the discoloration of my latest mishap.

  Swirls of black and blue cover the upper half of my body; small yellow dots in the middle of each bruise can be seen from the impact of every hit. There are more, and I ache with every fiber of my being from the beating I took, but it was worth it. I’ll do it again a thousand times if it means saving his life. Saving him from any pain.

  Sawyer is only six and doesn’t deserve the dysfunction of our family. I stay for him. I bleed for him. I will die for him if I have to. But first, I need to continue working on getting him out. Anything has to be better than what we face now.

  “Hey, Noelle. Hot guy is looking for you,” Trista calls out, popping her head around the corner. She winces when she sees my shoulder but doesn’t say anything. She learned months ago that my situation was not going to change, and I wasn't going to just leave the boy behind.

  I may be twenty and able to move out on my own, but I know if I had left my cousin with his parents, he’d be dead by now. I’ve barely survived some of the beatings; there’s no way he would have. My parents died in a car accident when I was nine. It probably should have taken my life, too, but I was ejected as we rolled. It’s a miracle I’m even alive. And I’m not yet free of the trauma.

  I had lain on the snowy highway with a broken leg, arm, and a concussion and watched as the car exploded when it hit a tree. It was a freak accident caused by black ice and a deer.

  Getting to my feet, I make my way up front to find the stranger standing just beyond the entrance to the café. Typing on his phone, he looks up as soon as the small swinging gate opens.

  He doesn’t smile, but his eyes soften as he stands straight, bringing his height, and my lack thereof, to notice. At five foot three, I stand shorter than most, but he’s tall. Well over six feet and muscular. His arms strain in the confines of his navy-blue shirt.

  “How can I help you?” My cheery disposition appears out of habit.

  His hand lifts, drawing my attention, sucking in a sharp breath as he touches the top of my breastbone below my neck. His fingers are warm as they graze along my collarbone. By the time I realize what’s happening, it’s too late, and he’s pulling my shirt a little to the side, exposing what I’ve tried so hard to cover up for far too long.

  “You okay?” he asks. The emotion in his voice is masked. I nod because nobody has ever asked me that before. They’ve asked what happened or why, but never if I was okay. “You need help?”

  “No.” My brows draw together. I’ve never had that offer, either.

  “What time’s your shift over?”

  Too stunned by the shift in questions, I answer honestly. “Three.”

  “I’ll be here to pick you up.”

  “What? No. I have to pick up my cousin from school.” What is happening?

  “We’ll grab him on our way. Give me your phone.” I react to his demand without meaning to. Handing over my phone, I can feel Trista’s eyes on me. “My number's in there. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

  “I don’t even know your name,” I say as I stare down at the phone he hands back, to see that he didn’t even enter it—just his number.

  “Tonight, Noelle.” He smirks, and this tiny dimple appears in his cheek, making me tingle.

  “Tonight what? What is happening?” I should be panicked, but I’m intrigued and possibly a little excited.

  He reaches forward again, this time cupping the side of my neck and rubbing his thumb along my jawline before pulling me closer. Our bodies are so close they should be touching. I want them to. His mouth hovers just above mine as he speaks, “Tonight,” still not answering me.

  My eyelids flutter as his lips come closer, and when I sigh, I hear, “What the fuck, Noelle?”

  “Cory.” Startled, I try to pull away, but this man, he doesn’t let me.

  “Who the fuck is he?” mystery man asks.

  My gaze slides to where Cory stands a few feet away. “My boyfriend,” I confess, hating myself for wanting this man to kiss me and then not getting that kiss.

  He smirks again, and the dimple breaks out. “Not anymore.” Without another word, he gently releases me and walks away.

  I watch him as Cory storms over to where I am, completely flabbergasted, and begins questioning me about what he just witnessed.

  I don’t understand what happened, but I feel like my world is about to explode. Again.

  Holden

  For a month, I’ve been coming to this place, ordering the same black coffee, sitting at the same table. Watching the same girl.

  Noelle Rose. Twenty years old. Taking courses part-time at Brighton River College for Hospitality Business Management. Working at The Snug, part-time—a coffee shop and bookstore combination. She imparts a fake smile to everyone she greets. Well, almost everyone.

  The dick from this morning sure as hell didn’t get one. Which is for the best because I likely would have snapped his neck and walked over his fresh corpse to get to her.

  The boyfriend she claims to have is a cheating asshole who isn’t worthy of her time. In the month I’ve been studying Noelle, I’ve seen him with at least four other girls. None of whom he cares for, but it's easy sex. That, in itself, leads me to believe she isn’t giving it to him. Which pleases me.

  Checking my watch, I find I have an hour before I pick Noelle up. The perfect amount of time to give this dick a piece of my mind and scare him off my girl.

  Climbing out of my Tahoe, I follow behind him as he takes the steps two at a time to a seedy hotel that rents by the hour. With my head down, I wait until he’s opened the door before I shoulder him in and close it behind me.

  “What the fuck, man?” Cory scrambles off the floor, shaken by my actions.

  Retrieving the blade from my pocket, I grab him by the front of his shirt and slam him into the wall. Lifting his body off the floor, I snarl, “Stay away from Noelle.”

  His eyes shift from side to side, and I know he’s tweaking. “You’re the guy from this morning.”

  “I am. You gonna stay away?” I ask, and he’s already shaking his head.

  “Hell no. Noelle is my girl.”

  My hand twists in his shirt collar, closing off his airway. “Say that again,” I dare him.

  He gurgles, but no words are forthcoming.

  “Noelle is off-limits. You stay away”—I press my blade to his belly until I feel a pop of skin—“I won’t have to kill you. Deal?” He nods vigorously.

  Dropping him to the ground, he holds his side as I wipe his blood off on his sweater. “I’ll be seeing you, Cory.” Exiting the same way I came, I leave the flimsy slat of wood ajar. I hear the door slam shut as I walk down the stairs, passing the hooker I presume he was meeting on my way.

  I already anticipate that as soon as Noelle finds out what I’ve done here today, she’ll be pissed. She’ll likely try to break things off with me. I know, projecting much? And with every advance I make, she’ll only try and push me further away.

  That’s why I intend to occupy so much of her time that she’ll forget all about the asshole and be thankful that she's learned about his transgressions. Though, I don’t imagine that’s how it'll go down. From all that I’ve witnessed, Noelle is headstrong and independent. She’s going to be mad as hell.

  Peeling out of the parking lot, I head back to The Snug, contemplating the entire way there about what the hell we’re going to do now that her cousin is tagging along. I’d planned on taking her somewhere romantic for dinner, but now I have no clue. I don’t have any experience with kids.