Crime Lord's Captive (Crime Lord Series Book 1)

by Mia Knight

  “I love you, Dad.” If there was a spark of life in him, she hoped he heard her. Lyla pressed a kiss onto his palm and whispered, “I’ll see you on the other side.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lyla swam in a sea of pain. Death was a series of flickering images and agony. Lyla wanted it to stop. Lyla reached for dark, fathomless oblivion.

  ***

  Lyla opened her eyes. Every inch of her body hurt. Even the act of blinking her eyes sent a shaft of pain through her skull. She closed her eyes and drifted. Something soft brushed her fingers. The pleasant sensation distracted her from the mind numbing agony. Lyla opened her eyes and tried to focus on the shadow at the periphery of her vision. Blonde hair swished over the back of her hand. A person sobbed at her bedside with such fervor that Lyla pushed through the pain so she could focus. Lyla moved her hand an inch and let out a strangled cry at the unbearable pain. The blonde head lifted and bright blue eyes awash with tears stared at her. Carmen. Lyla shifted and clenched her teeth against the agonizing pain.

  “You’re awake, you’re awake,” Carmen babbled and ran to the door and shouted, “she's awake!”

  A slew of people congregated around her bed. Crisp, direct words were directed at her, but she couldn’t make sense of them. A doctor shone a light in her eyes and tried to adjust her, which made her grunt urgently.

  “Thank God,” Carmen whispered and shoved a nurse aside to take Lyla’s hand. “I can’t lose you too. I just can’t. Vinny, Manny—”

  There was a wild rushing sound in her head. Memories of the men in masks, Manny’s prolonged torture and then being stabbed... Rage ripped through her. Lyla braced her hand to lever her body off the pillows. Pain ripped through her chest. The monitors went crazy and the medical personnel began to shout. Lyla collapsed as her head swam. She was dimly aware of Carmen squeezing her hand as darkness consumed her.

  ***

  When Lyla opened her eyes, it took her a moment to realize that a man sat at her bedside. Gavin was dressed in a black suit that seemed inappropriate in the sterile setting. As if he felt her regard, he lifted his head. They stared at one another. Gavin looked untouched by recent events. He was cool, calm, collected. It made her lightheaded with fury as memories of Manny being tortured flickered through her mind.

  “I know you’re angry with me,” he said.

  Lyla’s lower lip trembled. She compressed her lips to stop the telltale action, but tears spilled over anyway. Anyone could get angry over stubbing their toe. What she felt towards Gavin wasn’t mere anger. The taste of betrayal on her tongue was like acid, eating away at her insides. She wanted to strike him, beat him with her fists until he was bruised and bloody. She would never get those images of Manny out of her head. If her body wasn’t so broken, she would have launched herself at him. Instead, she was forced to lay there with him inches away. She could smell his cologne, but couldn’t feel his body heat and she was so cold. She should be dead. What was she doing here? She didn’t want to be on this planet. It had too much hate on it, too much pain. She wanted to be with Manny, not here with his son who was so closed off, she wouldn’t know he was human if he didn’t blink and breathe.

  “Blade managed to alert me after he was shot. He’s in critical condition but he gained consciousness long enough to send me a red alert code. I got there in time to save you, but not Dad. I didn’t get all of them. They’re still on the run. Are you able to give me any information? Do you know what the leader looks like? Who they work for?”

  She was laying in a hospital bed, unable to move and he was asking about the monster who did this. Gavin would never stop. He didn’t ask about his father or her stab wounds. Lyla wanted to scream. Instead, she turned her face in the other direction and wept for the man who would never be her father-in-law and for the son he left behind who was a hollow shell of a human being.

  “Lyla, I need information,” Gavin said without inflection.

  Lyla wanted to vomit. After Vinny’s death, she told Gavin to let it be. He didn’t and this was the result. His father paid the ultimate price and she... She would never be the same. Witnessing such brutality, Lyla didn’t think she would ever be okay. Gavin broke his word. Therefore, she wasn’t obligated to honor hers.

  “I don’t have a lot of time,” Gavin continued, “I’m a suspect in a bunch of murders, but they don’t have enough evidence. They’re looking into my businesses and trying to pin me with money laundering. I’m going to be tied up with lawyers and cops. I need to know what happened.”

  What more did he need to know? These men were from the criminal underworld and had a personal vendetta against the Pyres.

  “Lyla.”

  He touched her arm. That made her whip her head around, which made her feel faint. Despite the blast of pain she managed to say, “Don’t touch me.”

  Her voice was a bare whisper, but it was there. Her chest was on fire.

  Gavin’s soulless amber eyes didn’t so much as flicker with emotion. “I need information.”

  “This was payback,” she hissed.

  “Anything else?”

  She closed her eyes against the wave of memories. “No,” she said in a broken whisper.

  The door burst open. Lyla smelled cotton candy before she opened her eyes and saw Carmen. She looked like a ray of sunshine in Lyla’s otherwise bleak world. Lyla used the last of her strength to hold up her hand. Carmen rushed over with tears coursing down her cheeks.

  “You’re awake,” Carmen said fervently, rubbing her face into Lyla’s palm, “You can’t leave me, Lyla. You can’t.”

  Gavin rose. Carmen shot him a frosty look as he walked out, back ramrod straight. Lyla’s vision blurred with tears. Carmen leaned down to press a kiss to her brow as Lyla moaned in pain.

  “You were in a coma. I was scared you wouldn’t wake up.” Carmen swallowed hard and brushed away her tears, which were instantly replaced by fresh ones. “All that matters is you’re awake. You’re okay. You’re gonna be okay.”

  It wouldn’t be okay. It would never be okay. Lyla closed her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks. She felt as if she were going to shatter.

  “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with Gavin. This is the first time he’s come to the hospital. I don’t know where he’s been. There’s cops all over the place,” Carmen hissed.

  Would they find enough evidence to convict Gavin for multiple murders? He had more than enough blood on his hands to be put away for life. Lyla didn’t have to ask Carmen to know that there had been a bloodbath in the wake of Manny’s death. Gavin would never let it go. If he had been remote before, he was completely gone now. Lyla reached out, brushed her hand over Carmen’s and got her instant attention.

  “We need to go,” Lyla said.

  Carmen searched her eyes. “Are you sure?”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Yes. He won’t let it go. He’ll never stop. He broke his promise. I’m free.”

  “Gavin won’t let you leave. His personal security is outside your door.”

  “You know how to get around them.”

  “You really want to do this?”

  “Please,” Lyla croaked. “I can’t do this a third time.”

  Carmen nodded decisively and shouldered her gold rhinestone purse. “Let me see what I can do.”

  Lyla nodded. Carmen shimmied out the door, hooker heels clacking purposefully. Lyla had no doubt that Carmen would be able to get her out a second time. Carmen had contacts. Lyla held up her left hand and using her thumb, slid the engagement ring off her finger. It clinked when it hit the floor and disappeared from sight. Lyla felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was done.

  Crime Lord Series

  Thank you for reading Crime Lord’s Captive. Lyla and Gavin’s story continues in Recaptured by the Crime Lord!

  For a sneak peek, click here.

  If you enjoyed the book, please leave me a review, it helps me out loads!

  Author’s Note:

&nb
sp; Hi All,

  I hope you enjoyed Crime Lord’s Captive. Please leave a review and recommend the book to a friend, it helps me out a lot!

  Crime Lord’s Captive came out of nowhere. I was writing the second book in the Silver Fox Series (coming soon). Gavin was the ex that the heroine ran from. I realized halfway through the book that the heroine wouldn’t leave Gavin to go back to my silver fox hero so... I ended up drawing Gavin out of the Silver Fox Series and creating an unplanned series—the Crime Lord Series. I changed names, created a new backstory and Crime Lord’s Captive was born.

  Manny and Gavin really captured (hehe) my heart. I was compelled to write these books. All of the characters and story were there, just waiting to get my attention. Once I began, I couldn’t stop. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do.

  Don’t miss Recaptured by the Crime Lord. It’s going to be a wild ride!

  Mia

  About the Author:

  Mia lives in her head and is shadowed by her dogs who don’t judge when she cries and laughs with the characters in her head. Mia comes from a big, conservative family that doesn’t know how to handle her eccentricities, but with encouragement from her fans, has found the courage to put the characters in her head on paper.

  Stalk Me:

  Author Website: miaknight.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/authormiaknight

  Twitter: @authormiaknight

  Email me at: authormiaknight@gmail.com

  Cover Art by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design

  www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk