Once A Crime Lord (Crime Lord Series Book 3)

by Mia Knight

  “Her father sold her out. Lyla found him about to murder her kid. She shot him, no hesitation.”

  Lucifer looked at Gavin. “You have a kid?”

  “A daughter,” Gavin said grudgingly.

  Lucifer’s expression was thoughtful as he asked, “What else?”

  “Lyla unloaded a clip each into three men who raped her mother. She has nine kills and she just started. Who knows what she’ll do in the years to come?”

  Lucifer looked unduly impressed. Graphic images of what Gavin could do to Lucifer danced through his mind. He forced himself to look away and saw Angel staring at Lucifer as if they’d uncovered the devil. Gavin understood the feeling. Dad brought him here to teach him a lesson—about real evil and how little those in Hell cared for life.

  “Can you imagine how their daughter will turn out?” Blade continued. “Between Gavin and Lyla, she’s going to be a monster.”

  Gavin glared at Blade. What the fuck was he doing?

  “They could have more kids,” Blade went on. “Do you know what havoc they’ll wreak? They could be regular patrons here.”

  Lucifer held up a hand. “Okay, okay. Fuck.” Lucifer downed the last of his Coke as if it was a shot and got to his feet. “I have conditions.”

  Gavin shifted restlessly. Blade gripped his arm and squeezed.

  “First, I’m coming with,” Lucifer declared.

  Blade nodded.

  “Two, I meet them once a year.”

  Gavin stiffened. “Meet who?”

  “Lyla and your kid.”

  Gavin started towards Lucifer, but Angel and Blade held him back.

  “What for?” Angel asked.

  “To hear about their kills,” Lucifer said as if that should be obvious.

  “What if Lyla doesn’t kill anyone else?” Blade asked.

  “If she’s as interesting as you say, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Why do you want to see the kid?”

  Lucifer had a peculiar expression on his face. “I’ve never been a part of a kid’s life.”

  “For good reason,” Angel muttered.

  Lucifer frowned. “I could teach her. With their blood in her veins, she has to be a fighter. It would be... interesting.”

  Gavin lunged for him, but Blade and Angel held firm.

  Lucifer frowned at him. “Don’t you want your daughter to be prepared?”

  “For what?” Gavin asked through clenched teeth. Adrenaline pumped through his body and the sounds of another taking battle in the Pit made him yearn to feel the clash of steel and give Lucifer the fight he hungered for.

  “Your daughter will be hunted all her life,” Lucifer said and Gavin stilled. “Your family has generations upon generations of enemies. Even if you step down, it’ll never stop. Once you’re in, you can’t get out.” Lucifer spread his arms wide. “I can teach her how to be invincible. She’s a girl so...” Lucifer tapped his chin. “I can teach her how to use her brain and not her strength. Even if she turned into a weight lifter, she couldn’t best a man that way. She has to think dirty. Pluck out eyes, rip off dicks. That kind of thing.”

  Lucifer was definitely insane, but there was something strange going on. It was almost as if Lucifer was feeling paternal. Angel shuddered and Gavin made up his mind.

  “Fine.”

  Lucifer stopped listing all the ways Nora could kill with her bare hands. “Huh?”

  “You can teach Nora when I think she’s ready to know that shit,” Gavin said. Hopefully Lucifer was murdered before that time came. If he wasn’t... he would deal with him when the time came.

  “What about annual visits?” Lucifer asked.

  “No.”

  Lucifer crossed his arms. “Then the deal’s off.”

  “Fuck. Fine. It’ll be supervised.”

  Lucifer pointed at all of them. “You all fight tonight, right? I want three deaths per man, so nine deaths minimum. I want them bloody.”

  Gavin would drop as many bodies as he had to. “Deal.”

  “I want bloody, bloody, got it?” Lucifer snapped.

  “The faster you give me my wife, the faster you get your fight,” Gavin snapped back.

  Lucifer held out a hand. Angel and Blade released him. When Gavin went to shake his hand, Lucifer withdrew.

  “Maybe you and I can spar occasionally?” Lucifer asked.

  “Two seconds or the deal’s off,” Gavin barked.

  Lucifer quickly took his hand and shook. “Okay, fine. Geez.”

  “Take me to my wife.”

  Lucifer went to the bar and grabbed another Coke before he waved a hand, indicating that they follow him. Hallways led out of the arena into the brothel and whatever other salacious activities Hell offered. Lucifer turned down one of the dimly lit hallways, which led to a red elevator. Lucifer pressed the down button and turned to Gavin.

  “You know, there hasn’t been a kid in Hell since you and I?” Lucifer asked as he popped the top of his soda.

  “For good reason,” Gavin said. “Our father’s were the only ones fucked up enough to have us fight to the death before we were teenagers.”

  Gavin felt Angel’s glance, but didn’t return it.

  Lucifer shrugged. “It’s kept us alive.”

  The elevator arrived. They all stood behind Lucifer with their hands on weapons as the elevator traveled down two floors. The elevator opened to reveal a hallway with red walls and carpet. Moans, squeaking beds, screaming and snapping whips echoed down the corridor.

  Lucifer walked up to the first room and opened the door. Gavin shoved him aside, expecting to see Lyla. Instead, he found a man fucking a woman chained to the wall. There was blood everywhere. Whether it was his or hers, Gavin didn’t know or care. He slammed the door and turned on Lucifer who was opening the next door, exposing a woman stomping on a man’s dick. The woman looked up.

  “Carry on. Wrong room,” Lucifer called and shut the door.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Gavin growled.

  “I don’t know where she is. She’s here somewhere.”

  Gavin reached for Lucifer, but Blade stepped between them.

  “How many rooms are there?” Blade asked Lucifer.

  “Sixty six.”

  “If you’re fucking with me—” Gavin began.

  “I’m not,” Lucifer said crisply. “They should be coming for her any minute now.”

  Blade and Angel ran through the hallway, opening and closing doors. Gavin grabbed Lucifer, slammed him against the wall and grabbed him by the throat. When he began to apply pressure, Lucifer did nothing to stop him. On the contrary, he looked delighted.

  “You’re trying to change your stripes, Gavin, but you can’t deny what’s inside of you.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “You’re a junkie like me, but it’s not for drugs. No, it’s for violence.” Lucifer’s voice was hoarse from Gavin’s grip. “By unleashing his true self, he freed yours too.”

  Gavin tossed him to the side. Lucifer was too quick to fall on the floor like Gavin wanted him to. He took one step and pivoted with perfect balance.

  “You try so hard to deny your desires, Gavin. It’s a crime.”

  “Fucking find my wife,” Gavin snarled.

  Lucifer opened another door, revealing a man with a drill about to do primitive surgery on a woman who splayed on the bed looking blissed. Lucifer gave the fucked up couple a thumbs up and closed the door.

  “Stop!” Blade shouted.

  At the end of the corridor a man held a limp woman draped over his shoulder. It took only a second for him to recognize Lyla’s distinctive blonde hair. He started forward even as the man turned, revealing Eli Stark’s profile.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Lyla

  The sound of the door opening roused her. She raised her head, but of course she couldn’t see through the blindfold. The faintest hint of light penetrated through the material. Terror flooded her. Lyla erupted, straining at t
he chains. Her wrists protested, but she couldn’t stop. No, she would fight to the death.

  “Stop.”

  It wasn’t Sadist’s voice, but it could be one of his cronies who would take her to the ‘show.’ Lyla screamed into the gag.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” the gravely voice said.

  She didn’t believe him for a moment.

  “Stop fighting. I’m going to get you out.”

  That penetrated. Lyla paused and felt the brush of fingers on her face. She jerked back, nearly braining herself on the wall in her haste to avoid his touch.

  “That fucker,” he said and then, “hold still.”

  The chains went taut and she resisted the impulse to fight like an animal. Then, the chains loosened and she fell face first into the concrete. Her arms trembled as her muscles protested being in such an awkward position for so long. Lyla bit back a whimper and tried to lever herself up, but her arms were useless.

  Two hands tucked under her armpits and pulled her into a sitting position. She had no balance and began to tip to the side. The man cursed and clamped a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright. Cramps wracked through her and she moaned.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  A goon fetching her for the ‘show’ wouldn’t care that she was hurt, right? A kernel of hope flared and she shook her head since he still hadn’t taken off the gag. She desperately wanted to see who he was, but her arms were limp noodles at her sides.

  “We don’t have time,” the man said impatiently.

  A hard grip forced her to her feet. She moaned again as needles shot through her legs. This was temporary because a broad shoulder rammed into her stomach and she was suddenly airborne. He gripped the back of her thighs and began to move. Her arms hung down, bouncing against his ass as he walked. She twitched her fingers and sucked in a breath. Fuck that hurt. Her head spun as her white knight (or was it new captor) turned left and then right. The muffled sounds she’d been hearing through the door were now on full blast. Screams and moans assaulted her ears. If she had the strength, she would have covered her ears. God, what was this place?

  “Stop!”

  Lyla’s stomach lurched as the man carrying her came to an abrupt halt and turned, making her dizzy and nauseous. The man holding her suddenly slid her in front of him. She sagged on her feet and he banded an arm around her waist to keep her upright. She was grateful until she felt the tip of a knife at her throat. She froze. Seriously?

  “Lyla?”

  Her heart skipped. “Blade?” she screamed through the gag.

  Hope blossomed. Oh, God. Oh, God. Please be Blade. She would obey his dictates for the rest of her life if it was him.

  “Let her go, Stark,” Blade said.

  Stark? The name tickled her memory, but eluded her for the moment. God, Blade was here. She was so close to getting the fuck out of here... She flexed her hands and this time embraced the shaft of pain. She stayed very still as the knife pressed hard enough against her throat to make her stomach flip. Ever since Sadist carved her up, she couldn’t handle knives. The moment she saw the gleaming blade, she remembered what it felt like being stabbed. Why couldn’t these bastards just shoot her and end it quick?

  “It’s over, Stark,” Blade continued. “Let her go.”

  “What are you doing, Eli?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

  Unlike Blade, this guy didn’t sound worried, just curious.

  “Pyre has my mother,” the man holding her growled.

  Lyla’s mind scrambled, trying to figure out who he was and then it hit. Eli Stark, the dirty cop who approached them at Lux. The gorgeous one with turquoise eyes. His mother had been viciously attacked before he could testify in court and was in a coma. Gavin had his mother? Why?

  “Let her go and I’ll make your death quick.”

  Her heart nearly beat out of her chest. Gavin was here. She was going to live.

  “I keep telling you, I have nothing to do with any of this shit,” Eli growled. “Someone framed me.”

  He was so close, his breath fanned her cheek.

  “Kinda hard to feel sympathy for the man who’s holding a knife to my cousin’s wife’s throat.” Angel’s voice was soft but full of menace.

  Lyla felt as if her heart was going to burst. They were all here. Okay, so maybe having family wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

  “Pyre took my mother. I have nothing else to bargain with,” Eli hissed.

  “You think Gavin’s going to make a deal with a man who bound, gagged and tortured his wife?” Angel barked.

  “I didn’t do this,” Eli snapped.

  “Really? Who did?”

  “Fuck if I know. I found her like this.”

  “If you’re not involved, how did you know she was here?”

  “I still have my contacts.” Lyla grunted when the knife dug into her skin. “Stay the fuck back, Pyre!” Eli ordered.

  “Did you kill Stark’s mom?” It was that cool, detached voice.

  No one answered.

  “That would be a damn shame if you did,” the bland voice continued.

  “Why’s that?” Angel asked.

  “Because he’s telling the truth.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “What?”

  That was Gavin’s voice, flat and remote. Whoever had that dry voice was seconds away from death, he just didn’t know it.

  “Eli’s not working for my friend. He’s been much too busy indulging in some vigilante justice. He’s the perfect man to pin this on since he has the contacts and has been out of the spotlight and oh yes, you two had a falling out.” The man’s sigh was full of admiration.

  “If Lucifer’s telling the truth, what did you plan to do with Lyla?” Gavin’s voice was soft and menacing.

  “I needed insurance since you wouldn’t listen to me,” Eli said.

  “I want to hear it from Lyla,” Gavin snapped and he sounded closer.

  Eli tightened his grip on her and took a step back, dragging her with him. “Stay where you are, Pyre.”

  “If you’re innocent, let her go. If not, I’ll kill you. You have thirty seconds.”

  Gavin sounded homicidal. It was music to her ears. For a long minute, Eli didn’t shift. She mentally urged him to hurry the fuck up.

  “You know I had nothing to do with this, right?” Eli murmured under his breath.

  She nodded and the knife left her throat and the gag loosened.

  “He didn’t bring me here,” she said immediately and began to cough.

  Eli’s arm dropped away and she swayed only to be caught up against a solid chest. She didn’t need to take the blindfold off to know who he was. She wrapped quivering arms around Gavin and felt her tears soak the blindfold. His hand cradled the back of her head.

  “My mother, Pyre,” Eli barked.

  “One floor up in the hospital under the name Grace Stein,” Gavin said as he held her so tight she could barely breathe. “I don’t kill old, defenseless women.”

  “This is touching and all, but you’re running out of time,” the irritating voice said.

  Gavin didn’t release her when she tried to raise her head and see who the fuck that guy was. Gavin squeezed her so tight, she could barely breathe.

  “Gaaaaavin,” the man whined. “You promised.”

  Gavin eased his hold on her and tugged down the blindfold. Lyla shut her eyes against the blinding light.

  “Who took you? Do you know who he is?” Gavin asked.

  Lyla opened her eyes and peered into dangerous golden eyes. He was really here. She ran her hand down his face with a trembling hand.

  “I don’t know,” she said and began to wheeze again. “Water.”

  She heard a door open behind Gavin. The sound of someone being whipped made her push away from Gavin, but he didn’t release her.

  “What—? We have to help,” she said.

  Gavin shook his head. “No, we don’t. We’re in a brothel.”

  Lyla
stilled. “Brothel?”

  There was a fine hum of vicious energy around him. She wanted to burrow against him and beg for him to take her home, but knew that couldn’t happen. They had unfinished business. Business, which included killing Sadist once and for all. She tried to suppress her shit and focus.

  “Here.”

  It took considerable effort to look away from Gavin to the man standing beside him. She clutched Gavin tighter as she surveyed the beast holding a bottle of water in his humongous hand. This guy looked like a wild mountain man with a full beard, a braid halfway down his back and black, glittering eyes. He had to be over six foot five and was built like a warrior from an age past. He wore baggy beige pants and a fitted tunic top, which showed every muscle beneath the fabric. Lyla dimly registered that he wore red Crocs and had red nail polish, but was distracted by his eyes. He was staring at her with a hunger she normally associated with Gavin, but it wasn’t sexual, it was something else. An eagerness for... something.

  “You need water,” he said.

  His voice didn’t match his appearance. A man like him should have the deep rumbling voice of a bear, not the airy lightness of a schoolboy. There was something about him that put her on edge. She didn’t trust his smile or his hippy attire.

  Lyla reached out for the water bottle and noted that Gavin was eyeing Lucifer as if he hated him. What the fuck was going on here? Lyla gripped the water bottle and tilted it to her lips. She spilled a little on herself and Gavin, but he didn’t release her. She downed half of it before she took a breath.

  “I’m Lucifer,” the mountain man/hippy said.

  “Lucifer?” Lyla said sharply. “Gavin, he’s working with Sadist. He—”

  “He’s double-crossing him,” Gavin said.

  She stared at him. “Why?”

  “Gavin made me a better deal.”

  Before Lyla could ask what kind of fucked up deal, Gavin asked, “Who is he?”

  Lucifer clapped his hands together. “He’s so good at this! No one suspects him. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s been a longtime patron of Hell. He does well up there,” Lucifer pointed up at the ceiling, “and down here. I don’t know how he does it. I admire him, actually.”