Once A Crime Lord (Crime Lord Series Book 3)

by Mia Knight

  “Blade,” she whispered. “Go.”

  “I can’t!”

  “I’ll stay right here. There’s no one in the room!” she shouted, shoving at him as one of the masked men began to whip a chain above his head.

  “Fuck!” Blade whirled on Lucifer and gripped his shirt. “Watch her!”

  “Sure, sure,” Lucifer said. “You better get out there.”

  “You won’t let anyone touch her?” Blade demanded.

  “You said she could take care of herself.”

  “You—”

  “Blade!” Lyla screamed as Eli staggered from a whiplash.

  Blade snatched knives from bodies and the machete before he ran into the arena and broke the circle surrounding Gavin and the guys by cleaving a man’s head in two. It was brutal, chaotic and gory. This was ten times worse than a gun battle.

  Lyla skirted the bodies and ran to the shattered window. Eli’s dagger landed in the throat of the man wielding the whip while Gavin played with a man who was trying to cut him in half with a sword. Gavin waited for his moment, pivoting while the man swung wildly, his actions becoming more desperate. When he miscalculated and staggered forward, Gavin’s hand flashed out, brass knuckles flashing in the stadium lights. His victim’s head snapped to the side. Blood and teeth splashed across the sand. Gavin followed this with a punch to the temple that made Lyla close her eyes and look away. Fuck.

  She tapped the edge of the window anxiously, but wasn’t able to look away for long. There was a piercing scream followed by the roaring crowd. She looked back in time to see Angel wielding a trident with the same ease he drove the car earlier today. The crowd leaned over the rails, yelling their heads off as Angel sliced a man’s stomach open.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Lucifer came up beside her with a champagne glass and a round metal shield. Lyla gave him a disbelieving look before Eli sliced a man’s calf open and then followed it with an efficient throat slit. Blade stood back from the others, gauging and taking out the masked men with an efficiency that made her realize this was far from his first time in the Pit. Gavin claimed a sword. The sight of him in a bloody suit with a sword would be imprinted in her mind for all time. She was about to take a breath when a man wearing a wolf mask snapped the whip at Gavin’s back. She let out a battle cry and would have launched herself forward, but Lucifer yanked her back.

  “No women in the arena,” he said.

  “You—”

  She whirled around to search the room for a weapon to toss and saw Steven Vega hiding beneath the table. Despite his position, there was something about his face that riveted her. He didn’t look terrified. No, he was... seething. Something vicious flashed in the dark depths of his eyes and her world imploded.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Lyla

  Even as Lyla was trying to come to terms with what her eyes were telling her, Steven crawled out from under the table. He straightened and smoothed a hand over his suit.

  She would recognize the malevolence in those eyes anywhere. She had been nice to this fucker. She talked to him in the bar and helped him up when he fell in his father’s hospital room. This man defiled her, used her parents as pawns and massacred Manny, the only father figure she’d ever known. He robbed Nora of the privilege of having Manny as a grandfather and Vinny as an uncle. The memory of this man tortured her every night for over two years and he had been hiding in plain sight. He was a true wolf in sheep’s clothing. She built Sadist up in her mind to be an invincible monster when he was just a sicko in a mask. No one would dream that the timid lawyer was actually a sadistic killer capable of running the underworld, not when he left a trail of mutilated bodies in his wake.

  “I told you, you’re always at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Steven said.

  No stutter. That soft, gentle voice assaulted her ears, making her stomach roil and head pound with nightmares.

  “It’s you,” she whispered.

  His eyes glittered with rage in his pale, angular face. “So you finally see me, do you? When we met at the bar, I thought you were different until I found out you were with Pyre. You’re just like the rest of the whores.” He picked up his cane and pointed it at her. “Time to finish what I started.”

  The way he was pointing the cane made it clear that it wasn’t a normal walking stick. Lyla half turned to protect herself, even though she knew it was lethal and squeezed her eyes shut. She heard a gunshot and then the sharp ping of metal.

  “You know that’s against the rules,” Lucifer barked.

  Lyla opened her eyes and saw that Lucifer had deflected the bullet with his shield. She looked at Steven who now had his cane pointed at Lucifer.

  “You stay out of this,” Steven said, his voice icy with control.

  Lucifer handed the shield to Lyla who nearly dropped it. The shield felt as if it weight forty pounds, but it could deflect bullets so... She held it in front of her with both hands as Lucifer headed towards the madman.

  “You know it’s not allowed,” Lucifer snapped.

  Steven’s expression twisted. “How could you betray me like this? You ruined everything!”

  “I didn’t ruin anything, I made a deal to get a better show, which is what you’re interrupting. Give me the gun.”

  Steven jabbed the cane at him as he retreated. “Pyre made fools of both of us. You hate him.”

  “I don’t hate him,” Lucifer said. “He’s the closest thing I have to a brother.”

  Steven’s mouth went slack with shock. “That’s not what you made me believe!”

  “I find your hatred for others amusing.”

  “Amusing?” Steven echoed.

  Lucifer was walking towards a serial killer with a gun. He had no weapon that she could see and he was baiting him on top of it. Lucifer was obviously insane. Lyla looked for an escape route, but with Steven by the door, the only other place to go was the arena and that wasn’t happening. Lyla caught a glimpse of Angel going for the death strike, the triton about his head before bringing it down and being sprayed in red mist.

  “You find me amusing?” Steven shouted.

  Lyla raised the shield just below her eyes and prepared to duck if Steven started firing wildly.

  “You’ve been a source of entertainment for me,” Lucifer continued on in a voice that was bored personified. “I gave you the skills you hungered for to work out your rage and I was amused by your ability to manipulate and fool Gavin and the others this long, but you can’t hide behind the mask forever. It’s time to step into the light.”

  “That wasn’t your call to make!” Spit flew as Steven raged. “You kept my secrets. You made me believe I could do anything. I have the underworld in my hands and you turn against me now. Why?”

  “You wanted me to give you your throne. I don’t believe in giving anyone a handout. You want your throne, you take it.” Lucifer gestured to the Pit. “You want Gavin? He’s right there. Take your throne, don’t use me or anyone else to do it.”

  “You made me who I am!” Steven screamed. “I thought you were my friend.”

  “I don’t have friends,” Lucifer said, brutally blunt. “And I let you play in the brothel, but you never got in the Pit. You never step into the light because you don’t have the confidence to take an enemy head on. No crime lord can lurk in the shadows forever. There has to be more to you than the mask because one day they’ll find out the truth. This was your opportunity to show everyone what you’re made of.” Lucifer’s voice became scathing. “Yet you hide under the table and insult me by bringing a gun into my house. If you can’t survive without a gun or the mask, you’re nothing. You’re not worthy to claim the title. You’re a coward.”

  There was the sharp crack of a gunshot. Lucifer jerked and a stain of red spread over his right shoulder. Lucifer looked at his shoulder and then back at Steven who took a wary step back despite the fact that Lucifer was unarmed.

  “You always were a lousy shot,” Lucifer said.


  Yes, Lucifer was unhinged.

  “I’ll give you one more shot,” Lucifer said and spread his arms wide.

  What? Lyla looked over her shoulder at the arena for help but all four of the guys were engaged in bloody battle. Gavin now had two swords and was hacking body parts to the crowd’s delight.

  The second gunshot made Lyla duck. She peeked around the side of the shield, expecting to see Lucifer on the ground. Instead, she saw him launch himself at Steven. He ripped the cane out of his hands and broke it over his knee before he backhanded Steven with enough force to make the smaller man spin and fall on his hands and knees.

  Lucifer met her gaze from across the room. “You want your revenge? Take it.”

  Lyla was so shocked that she didn’t notice Steven crawl beneath the table and launch himself at her until it was too late. She saw the flash of metal and brought up the shield instinctively. The blade landed on the shield and scraped over it’s surface.

  Lyla backed up and shifted the shield in time to see Steven coming at her again. The impact made her stagger backwards. She grasped the shield desperately. The shield was too fucking heavy for her to lift it with one arm as it was intended to be used.

  “Go on the offense,” Lucifer called like a basketball coach.

  Lyla jumped back as Steven aimed below the shield and tried to slice her legs or belly. He swung savagely. She wouldn’t be able to hold the shield forever.

  “I’m going to carve your heart out and shove it in Pyre’s face,” Steven ranted as his blows rained down on the shield. “He’ll kill me, but he’ll have nothing.”

  His vicious, mocking tone made her stop in her tracks. Something dark unfurled inside of her. No running. This would end here. Steven came at her again and she braced for impact. As he slashed down, she rammed the shield up and into his hand. Steven screamed as the knife went flying. He cradled his hand and froze when Lyla blocked him from retreating his knife.

  They stared at one another. In the arena, the crowd booed. She and Steven both turned to look. Eli was sprawled on the sand. Angel stood over him, trying to keep the last of the masked men at bay. Gavin ran towards Blade who was caged against the wall by three men who were tossing daggers at him as if he were a dartboard.

  Steven glanced at her, his expression malevolent and sly. He hopped into the arena and grabbed a scythe. He was going to do what he did best—hit when no one was looking. Lyla whirled, searched for his knife and then turned back to the arena. Lyla took aim and tossed the knife as hard as she could. It sank into Steven’s lower back. He staggered and howled in pain.

  Lyla wasn’t aware of anything but her prey. This was it. Lyla hefted Lucifer’s shield, hopped out of the window and rushed across the sand. She used both hands and all the momentum she could get and bashed Steven in the back of the head, sending him face first into the sand. Rage obliterated all thought. She gripped one edge of the shield, raised it over her head and brought it down with every ounce of strength she possessed. For Manny, for her mother, for Vinny, for Carmen—

  The shield was ripped from her hands. She whirled, teeth bared and stared at a blood streaked Blade, Gavin, Angel and Eli. Beyond them, the arena was strewn with body parts and hundreds of silent spectators in the stands.

  “You took the show, sweetheart,” Angel said.

  “You want to tell me why you’re trying to dismember the Vega wimp?” Gavin asked.

  “It’s him,” she panted.

  “Who?”

  “Sadist.” No comprehension on his face. “The crime lord.”

  Gavin froze. “What?”

  “It’s him. He’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing. He doesn’t have a stutter. He’s the right body type, dark eyes, he’s been here the whole time!”

  Gavin kicked Steven onto his back. Lyla felt nothing when she saw the odd angles of his limbs. Blood trickled from Steven’s mouth, but there was still activity in his eyes.

  “I testified against your clients and caused you to lose some high profile cases,” Eli said quietly.

  “And you were at the hospital before Santana's men attacked,” Gavin said quietly. “You’re the one I talked to on the phone the night I killed your father. You were at the hospital.”

  Something evil stirred to life in Steven’s eyes.

  “You think you’re big shots,” Steven hissed, blood oozing from his mouth. “You’re just like Rafael. You push your weight around. You think no one will challenge you.” A deranged smile curved his mouth. “I showed you. I took everything from you.”

  “I should have killed you the night I killed your father,” Gavin said.

  “I did what my dad and Rafael could never do! If you hadn’t shattered my knee and I didn’t get my jaw wired shut, I would have killed you sooner.”

  “That explains the four months of silence,” Gavin said.

  “I had you,” Steven snarled, his face twisting into something less human. “If Lucifer hadn’t interfered, I would exterminate the Pyres and rule—”

  Gavin ran Steven through the chest with his sword. The sound of the blade sliding through muscle and grazing bone made her feel sick, but she didn’t look away. Steven screamed, the sound so high pitched and tortured that Lyla’s hands fisted at her sides. It took every ounce of courage she possessed not to look away.

  Gavin walked away and returned with another sword. The demon retreated as Steven realized he was going to be impaled again.

  “Please—” Steven got out before another sword joined the first.

  By the time Gavin was done, no less than six swords stuck out of Steven’s body. He shuddered as his blood drained out of him. No one moved, no one spoke.

  Lucifer grabbed his bloody shield as he approached. There was an angry murmur when the spectators saw his bullet wound. Lucifer eyed Lyla for a long moment before he held out a fist.

  “That was awesome,” he said solemnly.

  Did he want a fist bump? She hesitated, but he didn’t lower his fist. The setting was surreal enough that she hit his massive fist with her smaller one.

  “He brought a gun into Hell.” Lucifer shook his head. “Doesn’t he know me at all?”

  With a swift savageness that took her aback, he brought his shield down. Steven’s head rolled away and the spectators grunted in approval.

  “I might have to revise my rules about no women in the arena. That was great,” Lucifer said and smiled at Gavin, Blade, Angel and Eli who looked as if they walked through red rain. “How you feeling, boys?”

  No one spoke. They were jacked and Lucifer knew it. Lyla couldn’t stop shaking.

  “Need to visit the whorehouse? First round’s on me,” Lucifer said graciously and then eyed Lyla. “I also have men—”

  Gavin’s hand moved. Lucifer raised his shield and a knife sparked as it collided and then toppled to the sand. Lucifer grinned unrepentantly at Gavin.

  “Just a suggestion,” Lucifer said.

  Gavin turned to her and cupped her face with gritty hands. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  She glanced at Lucifer who was watching them with his head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed. “Lucifer saved my life.”

  Gavin dropped his forehead on hers. “Fuck.”

  “He stopped the bullet with his shield.” She smoothed her hands over his tattered shirt. “You? You hurt?”

  “Nothing that’ll kill me.” He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s over.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed handfuls of his shirt.

  “You kept up your end of the agreement. That was a bloody good show,” Lucifer said. “I knew Lyla would figure out it was Steven.”

  “All this time you knew,” Gavin said.

  “Yes,” Lucifer said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why should I? I don’t have an investment in the underworld and I admired Steven for having the balls to dethrone you Pyres. You’ve had it too easy for too long.”

  “It’ll take a decade to right t
he wrong Steven’s done in two years,” Gavin hissed.

  “Good thing Angel’s hungry for it, huh? You’re not planning on getting a hobby, are you, Roman?”

  “Nope,” Angel said dryly.

  “You hear that? No harm, no foul.”

  Lyla whirled in the circle of Gavin’s arm. “No harm?”

  Lucifer eyed her coolly. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

  She tried to take a step forward, but Gavin held her back. “He left mutilated bodies all over the city!”

  Lucifer glanced around. “You mean like this?”

  She bared her teeth. “He destroyed Manny.”

  “Manny’s an awful man.”

  “You didn’t know him!” she shouted.

  Lucifer took a step forward, eyes locked on her face. The bottom of his shield dripped with Lucifer’s blood and other... stuff. Lyla was dimly aware of Blade, Angel and Eli drawing near.

  “I know Manny,” Lucifer said quietly. “He wasn’t a good man.”

  She tossed her head back. “He changed.”

  Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before they focused on Gavin who held her tight against him.

  “Maybe,” Lucifer conceded. “But the man I knew would sacrifice his son to the underworld.”

  “I survived,” Gavin clipped

  Lucifer nodded. “So you did.” His eyes dipped to Lyla before he said, “You lucky fuck.”

  Lyla focused on the bullet wound, which was still oozing. She couldn’t resist. “You should see to that.”

  Lucifer snorted. “My dad used to shoot me once a week so when the real thing came, I wouldn’t go into shock. This is nothing.”

  She turned to Gavin. “Nora, Carmen?” she asked urgently.

  “They’re at the house.”

  “I want to call. She must be terrified. I need to hear her voice, tell her it’s over.”

  Gavin lost his jacket at some point and his shirt was shredded and blood soaked. He ran a hand over his pockets and then looked around.