by Mia Knight
“Carmen, I think there’s something wrong with me,” Lyla whispered as Carmen’s cotton candy scent engulfed her.
“Why?”
“My mind went blank and I just... I just—”
Carmen pulled back to give her a fierce look. “You became a fucking badass.” She held one hand to her chest and waved one in the air as if she was in church. “I mean, Lyla, you took out five professionals. I heard what they did to your mom at that warehouse... and what you did too.”
Lyla couldn’t breathe. She set Nora on the bed, went to the window and threw back the curtains. Guards milled on the property. There was no sign of the attack that sent them fleeing through the underground tunnels. If she hadn’t heard the sound of gunfire taking place or the bomb, she wouldn’t believe there’d been an attack on the fortress.
“Lyla?”
She turned and saw Carmen watching her with Nora on her hip. Lyla ran her hands over her face and saw that although she wore a clean nightgown, she was still covered in... stuff.
“I need a shower,” Lyla said and headed towards the bathroom.
“What are you going to do?” Carmen asked as she settled on the vanity bench with Nora.
“What do you mean?” Lyla called as she stepped under the spray and vigorously began to scrub herself. She wondered how many people’s blood she had on her skin.
“Blade told me you saw Gavin at the hospital.”
She didn’t want to talk about Gavin. She was so fucking angry at him. He risked their relationship because he couldn’t stand that she had been with another man. Gavin’s blind jealousy resulted in this—a fuck up of epic proportions. Had Sadist known that Gavin wasn’t in Las Vegas and that’s why he scaled this attack? If Jonathan was dead, what was she going to do about Gavin?
“Gavin must have gone through hell, trying to come home when all this crap was going down,” Carmen continued.
Lyla stepped out of the shower and examined her reflection. She didn’t look any different, although her eyes seemed a shade darker. Was that possible? Her skin was paler than normal, which was expected. The woman looking back at her had bloodshot eyes and an impassive expression that concealed the turmoil going on inside of her.
“This has to end,” Lyla whispered.
“Yes,” Carmen agreed and kissed Nora. “Gavin is probably slaying everyone in his path, trying to find out who Sadist is.”
“Did you undress me?” Lyla asked suddenly.
“Of course. Blade isn’t going to do it. He wants to keep his head on his shoulders.”
“The phone was in my pocket—”
“Blade gave it to Gavin.”
She blew out a breath. Sadist didn’t trust anyone, which is how he survived this long, but he was human and could make a mistake. She hoped they would find something on the phone that would identify him. He wore a mask the day Manny was murdered even though he never intended there to be a witness. Sadist was intelligent, cautious and cruel—a dangerous combination.
“What are you doing?” Carmen asked as Lyla slipped on jeans.
“I have to see Mom.”
“You’re going out again?” Carmen asked indignantly. “Lyla, it’s not safe.”
“You didn’t see what mom went through, Carmen. I can’t leave her there alone. I owe her more than that.” She focused on Nora who was chewing on Carmen’s shirt. “Can you stay here and watch her?”
“Lyla, you took on those guys at the cabin, your dad and then went on a rampage to find your mom. You need to eat and chill.”
“I don’t have time to chill.” Lyla slipped on a shoulder holster and put her leather jacket over it. She slipped ammo and a magazine into her purse and went into the bathroom to fix her hair, which was wet, limp and in her face.
“Lyla, let Gavin do what he does best. You’re putting yourself at risk—”
Lyla slashed her hand through the air. “Mom’s in the hospital because of me. If I wasn’t with Gavin, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. If it was your mother, would you leave her there alone?”
Carmen sighed. “You’re running on fumes, Lyla.”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
“Not funny.”
Lyla grasped Carmen’s face between both hands and rested her forehead against her cousin’s. “I need you here with Nora. You’re the only one I trust to carry this out. I could do what I had to at the cabin because I knew you would protect Nora with your last breath. I need you to do this for me.”
Carmen sniffled. “I’m supposed to be the protector, not you.”
Lyla’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Once all of this is over, I’ll let you take the lead again.” She kissed Carmen and then Nora. “I’ll be back.”
Lyla yanked open the bedroom door and came face to face with Blade. His eyes flicked over her.
“You’re armed,” he said.
“I’m going back to the hospital.”
“Lyla, you’re exhausted. Maybe you should—”
Lyla ignored him and marched down the hallway, down the stairs and out the front door. Her attention fixed on Gavin’s silver Bugatti, which rounded the drive. Her heart slammed against her chest. She had only a fuzzy memory of what went down between her and Gavin in the ICU, but it hadn’t been pretty. The sight of him made her lightheaded with rage. He not only sacrificed the future of their relationship by going after Jonathan, he had put all of them at risk and this was the result. She would never forgive him.
Before Lyla could decide what to do, the Bugatti stopped and a man unfolded from the driver’s seat. It wasn’t Gavin. He was gorgeous and looked fresh off the cover of Bad Boy magazine. He was tall and lean and wore a black tee with jeans and a thick leather belt riding low on his waist. He gave her a brilliant smile as he strode towards her. Lyla glanced at the guards who were watching their interaction closely, but nobody made a move to stop him.
Before she could move back, he grasped her shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks. Lyla had been treated to the gesture before by Manny, but she was nonplussed by it coming from a stranger.
“I’m Angel,” he announced as if that was supposed to mean something to her.
An apt name for a man with a face like that. “Hi. Who are you?”
“I’m family.”
“Excuse me?”
Angel looked her over. “Where are you going?”
“Who are you?”
“Where are you going?” he repeated.
“To the hospital.”
Angel nodded. “Your mother?”
She stepped away from him. “Seriously, who are you?”
“Angel Roman.”
She froze. Everyone knew about the notorious Roman family from New York. She heard about the Pyres connection to the Romans, but had never met any of them until now. “You’re visiting?”
“Something like that,” Angel said with a smile she didn’t trust.
The door opened behind her and Blade appeared.
“Angel,” Blade said, voice tight.
“Old man,” Angel acknowledged and jerked his thumb at the Bugatti. “Want a ride? I’m testing out Gavin’s car to see what I want to buy.”
“I’ll take her,” Blade interjected and gestured to the guards to bring a car around.
“We’ll meet you there,” Angel said and draped an arm over her shoulders.
“Angel—” Blade began.
Angel turned his head. All signs of the affable bad boy vanished. His eyes were cold and sinister.
“I know who she is. You think I’d let anything happen to her?” Angel asked.
Blade said nothing.
“We’ll meet you there,” Angel said firmly and led her to the Bugatti.
Lyla glanced at Angel as he climbed into the driver’s seat and revved the engine. An SUV pulled in behind them and Blade got behind the wheel.
“We always have driver’s,” Angel said conversationally as he peeled out of the driveway and barreled towards the gates. “Th
“Don’t drive,” she said faintly as they passed through the gates with inches to spare. “Blade usually drives.”
“Maybe when this is all over you can,” Angel said easily as he shifted gears and put on mirrored shades.
Silence fell. She didn’t feel like talking, especially to someone she didn’t know. She looked out at the desert, which passed in a blur thanks to Angel. He may not drive often, but he handled the car with the efficiency of a racecar driver.
“Gavin’s going to fix this.”
Lyla tensed, but didn’t look at him.
“He came to New York, said he wanted to step down because you’ve paid too high a price for his role. We heard what happened to Uncle Manny and Vinny, but we weren’t able to come out for the funerals. Shit’s been tense in the city. We thought everything here was taken care of until Gavin showed up and told us about this fucker.”
Something clicked. “You’re taking his spot?”
“Yeah.”
She turned her head. “You don’t know what you’re taking on.”
He glanced at her. “You know who I am.”
“Yes.”
“Then you know I was born and bred for this.”
“Gavin was too.”
“Gavin would do it for the rest of his life, but you want out so he’ll give you that. Gavin’s fully capable of doing this until the end of time.” He shifted gears and then said, “You didn’t grow up in the life. I get it and hearing what you went through, what you’re still going through, I don’t blame you.”
“You said Gavin went to New York?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know if he went anywhere else?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know if he stopped anywhere else besides New York?”
“He mentioned something about Maine, I think. Why?”
Confirmation, even though she hadn’t needed any. Lyla’s heart felt like a stone in her chest.
“Gavin’s checking on the leads from the warehouse, phone and the GPS on the vehicle you drove. He asked me to watch over you,” Angel said.
“I didn’t ask where Gavin is.”
“I know. I’m telling you.”
She fisted her hands in her lap.
“Heard you screaming this morning.” When Lyla said nothing he added, “Saw Blade bring you out, drug you. Heard the state your mom’s in, don’t fucking blame you.”
The city loomed in the distance. She wanted to tell Angel to shut the fuck up, but had a feeling he would ignore her order.
“Heard your dad swung the other way and you killed him... and a bunch of others.”
Lyla closed her eyes to stop herself from attacking him.
“You may not be born in our world, Lyla, but you’re handling yourself just fine.”
“Shut up,” she whispered.
“You did what you had to. Life sucks and you’re still here, breathing and protecting what’s yours. There’s no shame in that.”
Silence descended and she thanked her lucky stars. She focused on keeping her mind blank as Angel navigated through the city to the hospital. He parked the Bugatti. Before he could turn off the car, Blade slid into the slot beside them. Lyla started towards the hospital and was brought to a halt by Angel who snatched her hand and laced their fingers together.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped and tried to tug her hand away.
“You’re shaking.”
She hadn’t noticed until he pointed it out. “That doesn’t mean you need to hold my hand.”
“Doesn’t hurt.” He eyed her disgruntled face and grinned. “You’re cute.”
“I’m not used to strange men holding my hand.”
“We’re family.”
“How, exactly?”
“Gavin and I are first cousins.”
Oh, shit. That was a little too close for comfort. “I don’t need you to hold my hand. I’m fine.”
He squeezed her hand. “You’re not fine. Let me take care of you.”
“Why do you care?” She didn’t expect a bloodthirsty Roman to be the handholding type.
“When something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”
“I’m not family.”
“You are now. You’re Gavin’s, which means you’re mine too.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You’re mine,” he stated baldly. “Someone fucks with you, they fuck with me. You and Gavin have been without family for too long.”
Lyla was so distracted by Angel’s primitive views that it almost distracted her from what she was about to walk into. Lyla went up to the ICU desk and when she gave her mother’s name, received a wary glance. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the nature of her mother’s injuries, because the nurse heard about her freak out this morning or because of the host of men around her.
“We’re limiting Beatrice Dalton’s visitors,” the nurse said, eyeing their group.
“I understand,” Lyla said.
“We’ll wait here,” Angel said and kissed her cheek.
Lyla stared at him. She didn’t know what to make of him. He was blunt, affectionate and annoying. She glanced at Blade before she followed the nurse to her mother’s room.
“No changes,” the nurse said.
Even though she knew what to expect, the sight of her mother’s bandaged body with tubes coming out of her still hit her like a ton of bricks. She stopped in the doorway, unable to get her legs to move.
When she composed herself, she sat by her mother’s side and cradled her hand. She stared at her mother’s swollen eyelids and willed them to twitch or better yet, open. Nothing. Lyla rested her aching head on the edge of the bed and breathed. Her mother was all she had left. She had to live.
The beeping monitor and the sound of all the machines got on her nerves. She tried to ignore them but the longer she sat there, the worse it got. She hated seeing all the tubes and needles and found herself reaching for the IV to rip it out of her mother’s arm before she jerked away. She was turning into a fucking psycho. Was she trying to kill her own mother? She forced herself to leave.
When she left the ICU she found Blade, Angel and the rest of the guards in the hallway. Angel moved forward and took her hand again.
“Good. I’m starving,” he said. “You hungry?”
“Hungry?”
“Yeah. Let’s see what they have in the cafeteria. How’s your mom?”
“Same,” Lyla said numbly and looked down at their clasped hands. She was holding hands with a member of the Roman family, one of the most ruthless and notorious crime families in America.
Angel noticed her glance and shrugged.
“It’s a habit you’ll have to get used to. I’m always taking Luci out and you have to keep a hold on her or she’ll disappear.”
“Luci?”
“My sister.”
“How old is she?” she asked, trying to imagine Angel escorting a young girl around New York City.
“Twenty-five.”
Lyla was outraged. “You have to hold onto your twenty-five year old sister?”
“You don’t know Luci. She could get into trouble at a library.”
“Do you hold your brother’s hands too?” she asked snidely, offended on Luci’s behalf.
“Only when they’re drunk,” Angel said without missing a beat.
“Do you always hold women’s hands?”
“Only the ones I don’t want to lose track of.”
“And you’re not married?”
“I have wild oats to sow, baby.”
“You just said family means everything, blah blah.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to get married. I’m happy with nieces and nephews... and cousins. Lots of cousins. I’m built to protect, that’s my job.”
Although she wasn’t hungry, Angel grabbed a salad and sandwich and settled with her at one of the tables.
“Eat,” he said before he bit into his pizza.
When she glared at him, he grabbed her fork and stabbed greens and a piece of chicken. Clearly, he intended to feed her. She snatched the fork and took a bite. When she didn’t go back for another bite, Angel took the fork and did the same process.
“I can feed myself!” she snapped.
“Then do so,” he said.
“No wonder you’ve never married. No woman would put up with your bullshit,” she muttered.
“It’s not bullshit. I’m taking care of you.”
“It’s not your job to take care of me.”
“Of course it is,” he said.
Lyla looked at Blade. “I can’t pass on these genes. I’m not having anymore kids.”
“Don’t count on it,” Angel muttered.
Lyla didn’t realize she’d reached for her sandwich until she swallowed the first bite. She glared at Angel who snickered. “You’re annoying.”
“So I’ve heard. By the by, Luci wants to visit when Gavin guts this motherfucker.”
“Luci?” Blade echoed.
Angel looked up. “Yeah.”
“She’s coming to Las Vegas?” Blade asked sharply.
“When it’s safe,” Angel said.
Lyla raised her brows. “You know her?”
“Met her a long time ago,” Blade said.
Angel’s expression tightened. “Yes, a very long time ago.”
She looked between them. “When?”
Blade glanced at Angel and then down at her food. “Finish your food and I’ll tell you.”
Angel held Blade’s gaze for a long moment before he demolished his hospital food. Obviously, Blade had a history with the Romans. Not surprising, really, but she had the feeling it wasn’t going to be a happy story. Nevertheless, she wanted to hear it. She ate as much as she could before she sat back. Blade took her tray and dumped it and signaled to the other guards who were already on their feet.
They walked out of the cafeteria and she asked, “So, what’s the story?”
When Blade didn’t speak, she glanced up and saw him looking down the corridor. She followed his gaze and halted when she saw Gavin striding towards her. He wore a black suit and crimson tie. Her stomach rebelled at the sight of him.
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