by Mia Knight
“You think you can walk in here with no more backup than an ex-cop and Vinny’s slut?” Maddog sneered.
She focused on Maddog as he bared silver teeth.
“You and Pyre think your money and name is enough to protect you. It isn’t.” Maddog tucked his thumbs into his jeans. “You’re in my territory, my city. I’m not about to let some East Coast fuck take over my town.” He looked around the room, proud and silently looking for votes before he refocused on Angel. “Vega showed us one thing. Gavin can be defeated, which means you can too. You bleed just as easy as the rest of us.”
No one breathed.
“I think it’s time for new blood, Roman.”
His eyes flicked to her. Dark eyes glittered with hatred. He knew exactly who she was. Her skin prickled, and her hand tightened on the gun.
“Did Pyre tell you what happened to his other cousin who tried to take his throne? That little bitch didn’t even last a week.” He smiled at her. “It was a joke for Vinny to take Gavin’s place. It was only a matter of time before someone gunned him down. I heard that fucker squealed and tried to run for his life. Gavin signed his cousin’s death warrant—”
Carmen raised her gun. Maddog laughed and elbowed the men on either side of him who had their hands on their weapons. Maddog spread his arms wide.
“What are you gonna do with that, princess? I’ll give you one free shot. I dare you—”
The first bullet went through his bicep. He grabbed his arm and cursed, but he didn’t have time to reach for his gun. The second bullet got him in the chest before Angel did a head shot that sprayed the bar and everyone around him with blood. For a moment, there was absolute silence, and then the bar erupted.
The man in the booth beside her got to his feet and shoved her to the ground. He stood over her as the members of the Black Viper gang withdrew guns, and other occupants began to turn on one another. The sound of gunfire was deafening. From her prone position, she saw Angel put down three bikers with head shots. Blood splashed over the filthy floor. Rapid gunshots sounded behind her. She peered through the legs of her protector and saw Eli and several other men take down those who tried to fight back or make a run for it. The general sat in the midst of the bloodbath, splattered with blood, eyes trained on Angel.
When silence fell once more, the man above her shifted, and she slowly got to her feet. The metallic scent of blood assaulted her nostrils as Angel surveyed the room.
“Never underestimate how many allies a man has in the room.” He focused on her, and her stomach clenched. “And never taunt a woman who’s lost someone she loves.”
Carmen lowered her gun but didn’t put it away.
“Let the members of the Black Vipers know I’m coming for them. I don’t believe in survivors,” Angel said.
He walked to her and held out a hand. She didn’t want skin contact at the moment, but she knew everyone was watching. This wasn’t about her; it was about his image as the new boss. She wasn’t allowed to disrespect him in front of the underworld. She grabbed her purse before she took his hand and clenched her teeth as he laced their hands together. He pulled her through the ranks of silent men. She felt a presence behind them. When she glanced back, she saw Eli on their heels with a gun in each hand.
Angel pushed the door open into the chilly night. She sucked in a breath of fresh air and jerked her hand away. He didn’t push the issue. He opened the passenger door for her. She got in without looking at him, dropped her purse between her feet, and stared straight ahead.
There was the low murmur of male voices as Eli and Angel spoke.
In the week she’d been awakened, she’d been a slave to her impulses—food, cars, sex. Every desire needed to be met. Tonight, the taste for blood ignited, and she reacted. It was only a matter of time before someone gunned him down. The incandescent rage that compelled her to shoot still coursed through her veins. There was a roar caught in her throat. Something dark and lethal fought to erupt out of her skin. It took every ounce of control she possessed not to give in to the need to let her demons free.
Angel slid into the driver’s seat. “You okay?”
“Take me home,” she said quietly.
Angel pulled away from The Pussy. He drove down the unlit lane before he turned onto The Strip. The return to civilization didn’t make her feel better. Neither did the crowds or energy, which never failed to lift her spirits. All she could see was that fucker’s face as he talked about Vinny—the disdain and satisfaction that they put him down. Like he was a dog or deer—something weak and vulnerable and fair game. Her senses were hyper elevated. A tangled mess of emotions rumbled inside her, demanding to be set free to wreak havoc on her surroundings.
“You had my back in there,” Angel said.
She had given her allegiance without thought. Even though he blackmailed her into going and drugged Kiki, she’d been willing to defend him. The ties of family loyalty were engraved in her bones.
“Why did you take me tonight?” she whispered.
“You were looking for a rush.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were,” he countered easily. “I recognize another restless soul when I see one.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she growled as she wrapped her arms around herself to conceal the fine shaking slowly creeping through her arms.
Angel coasted on the freeway, which quickly took them away from The Strip. “Baby, I know you better than you think.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“I don’t? Okay, how about this? You changed after Vinny died. One of two things happen when people like us lose someone to violence.”
“Like us?” she echoed. “I’m nothing like you.”
“You’re not? You wouldn’t do whatever it takes to protect your loved ones?” He slanted her a look. “Even kill to protect their memory?”
She stared straight ahead.
“When you lose someone to a violent crime, it changes you,” Angel said as he sped up, changed lanes, and navigated with ease. “Either you shut down and try to forget, or you embrace the dark and fight back.” He grinned as he shifted gears. “You know which I chose.”
“You shouldn’t have taken me! I was in a room full of the most notorious cons, murderers, and rapists in the city!”
“You were covered.”
“Covered?” she echoed, voice rife with disbelief. “You were practically begging them to kill you.”
He shrugged. “They need to know who’s boss.”
“You’re a fucking crazy man. Take this exit.”
He followed her directions. She was too fucked up to enjoy the new car smell, the roar of the engine, or the ease with which he drove. His words sloshed around in her head.
She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Who did you lose?”
“My parents.” His voice held no inflection.
She opened her mouth to ask more questions but then shut it. She didn’t want anyone asking questions about Vinny, so she would let it be.
“If you’re born into a crime family, there’s no escape. Even if you try to fight it, sooner or later, you lose someone to the underworld, and you have to choose. You either let them get away with it and turn your back on your family name, or you get even and then destroy everyone associated with them.”
She stared at the way the light revealed and then concealed his features as they sped past buildings lining the freeway.
“Raul handles it better than the rest of us. If it wasn’t for their murders, he would probably be the fucking mayor of New York. Instead, he does what he needs to for the family. Loyalty. That’s all we know. You fuck with one of us, you fuck with us all, and you bear our wrath. I wear my parent’s tainted memory on my skin for everyone to see, and I send motherfuckers like their murderers to hell with a smile. That’s what pushes all of us, including you.”
“No,” she said faintly.
“Let me guess. What used to satisfy you won’t do it for you any
more. That’s why you’re out every night, why you were dancing on stage at the strip club. Your cheap thrills won’t work anymore.”
“Gentlemen’s club,” she muttered.
“I know what works for my cravings.” He glanced at her. “You need to find out what yours is.”
Her restless, insatiable hunger jumped from food to bloodlust at the speed of light. No one could have stopped her. It was probably only sheer disbelief that she would do something so stupid in front of witnesses that kept anyone from reacting faster. The wrath Maddog ignited still burned in her gut. Tonight, she killed a man in cold blood without an iota of remorse. Even now, she felt nothing. If she could kill him again, she would. Gavin signed his death warrant. The words knocked around in her head. She bowed her head and curled her toes in her shoes in a vain attempt to keep memories of Vinny from intruding.
“I’ll take care of the Black Vipers,” Angel said.
“What?” she whispered.
“They won’t touch you. That’s why I took the head shot. Hopefully, I can get eyes off you by claiming the kill.”
She froze. For the first time, she stopped thinking about why she killed and focused on the other part—who. She killed the leader of the Black Vipers, the most notorious and violent biker gang on the West Coast. Fuck. “My mom—”
“I’ll get some guys to watch your place.”
She dropped her face in her hand. Just when the danger should have disappeared, she reignited it by doing something monumentally stupid. “Shit.”
“I’ll take care of it. I was planning to kill him myself, but if it made you feel better, so be it.”
He didn’t give two shits that she killed a man in cold blood. Even as it soothed her bloodlust, a voice in the back of her head said something was very wrong about the fact that Angel thought killing people was appropriate if it made you feel better. And on that note …
“What the hell was that?”
“My introduction as crime lord.” He gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Everything went according to plan, including killing Maddog. I just didn’t expect you to be the one to do it.”
“You planned to kill him all along and took me with you? Are you crazy?”
“Your father was an enforcer, and you were married to Vinny. I doubt much shocks you. Besides, you’ve killed before.”
“That was self-defense!” she shouted and then realized where they were. “Turn left.” Angel obeyed, and she continued her rant. “I don’t kill people when I’m bored.”
“No, only when provoked. It was your right to kill him, Carmen.”
She leaned toward him, sure any moment now she would breathe fire. “You shouldn’t have forced me to go with you! I fucking killed a man, and you made enemies with all the big players in the city! You need allies, not more enemies. Fuck. You have a death wish.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“They are going to kill you,” she enunciated, clapping her hands for emphasis with each word. “And me too. Turn here.”
“They can try,” Angel said absently as he looked around. “This neighborhood is …”
“Not what you’re used to?” she quipped. “Yeah, I know, rich boy.”
“Doesn’t look like someplace you’d be either, sweetheart, when you have the fortune you do. Your shoes cost more than the mortgage for these houses.”
“I grew up here.”
“And live with your mom?”
“Actually, I’m looking for a new place, and the sooner, the better it seems.”
“There’s a property near mine. Actually, maybe it’s better if—”
“No,” she clipped. “Turn left on Craig Road.”
“Maybe you should move back in with Gavin and Lyla.”
“I’m fine.” She was so far from fine, it was ridiculous, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.
Angel followed her terse directions and pulled up to her family house. He put the car in park in her driveway. “I was hoping to give your demons what they needed tonight.”
It was almost nice in a fucked-up way. He was trying to help her. He understood her cravings and tried to feed them but got more than he bargained for. She let out a long breath. “We’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
“There was never going to be another outcome.”
Arrogant. “How are you going home?”
He pushed open his door and climbed out. “Eli’s tracking me. He shouldn’t be far behind.”
“So he’s your second?”
“If you want to call him that.” A car slowed down at the end of the driveway. “I think this is him.”
She heard a sharp ping that she didn’t understand until his body jerked. Two more muffled shots made him reel back as he took the bullets to the chest. No. Rage blotted out common sense and fear. She grabbed her gun and tossed herself over the console and peeked her head out the door. Three men approached with their guns drawn to finish him off. It was a reenactment of Vinny’s murder. This couldn’t be happening to her again.
Her first shot went wide, but her second got one of them in the shin, and another in the man’s throat. A bullet lodged in the Aston less than six inches from her face, but she didn’t flinch. She was trying to get her bearings to make the last shot count when Angel shot two of them from his prone position. Sharp, earsplitting cracks split the air as Eli jogged up the driveway with a gun in each hand and took out the last hit man.
Carmen bent over Angel, hands going to his chest, ready to apply pressure to keep him from bleeding out. She touched him, expecting to feel the sticky wetness of fresh blood, but there was nothing.
“Angel?”
“I’m wearing a vest,” he wheezed.
It took her a few seconds to process. When it did, she fell back on her ass. Angel sat up with a wince and gingerly touched his ruined shirt, marred by three holes on his chest.
“Fuck, that hurt.”
Eli cursed under his breath and turned to confront her curious neighbors, who’d gathered in the street. Adrenaline drained from her as fast as it came. The horror of watching Vinny’s murder play out right in front of her with another man who claimed the crime lord position after Gavin stepped down was too much.
“Carmen?” Angel crouched beside her and touched her clammy skin. “Are you all right?”
She looked up at his handsome, arrogant face. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to throw herself into his arms or murder him. “No, I’m not.”
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
She forced herself up on shaky legs and faced Angel, who thought he was invincible. Vinny’s death destroyed her so badly she wasn’t sure she would ever be okay again. She saw Vinny one last time before he was cremated. The memory of his blood-stained dress shirt and his open, horror-glazed eyes was ingrained in her mind for eternity. Angel’s fearlessness scared the hell out of her. Was he really that good or setting himself up for a bloody ending? He thought he could conquer the world and bring these men to heel. He thought his name and smarts were enough, but she knew the truth. Nothing would ever be enough.
“I can’t,” she said again.
“Can’t what?”
“Watch another man die. I’ve lost too much. I don’t have much left.”
Angel searched her face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Eli called his name and distracted him. She took the key out of the Aston Martin and put her gun in the purse before she walked into the house. She didn’t look back to see the bustle of cars and people gathering on her front lawn. It was Angel’s job to lie and do whatever he had to, to make the three dead bodies disappear. She was so fucking done.
It took several attempts to unlock her door since her hand was shaking so badly. When she finally got in, she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.
“It’s done,” she whispered. “It’s over.”
Even as she said the words, she shook her head. Her mind
kept replaying the way Angel jerked when he got shot, and the awful sound he made as the wind got knocked out of him. How many times had her mind reenacted Vinny’s murder?
She walked upstairs, pushed open her door, and stared at Vinny’s urn. Her heart cracked, and so did the wall of denial. She dropped her purse and keys in the doorway and advanced as first one tear fell and then another. She sank to her knees in front of the dresser, buried her face in the carpet, and gave into the need to scream. The carpet muffled her tortured howl, so she did it again and again. She beat her hands against the rug until her fists were throbbing. If she had the strength, she would have destroyed her room, so it matched her insides.
Tonight, her deepest, darkest secret had been shoved in her face. It was a truth she had been avoiding since his murder. She’d never spoken the words out loud, never allowed herself to think about it because it would destroy her. The leader of the Black Viper gang was right. Someone had signed Vinny’s death warrant, but it wasn’t Gavin. It was her.
“I’m sorry, Vinny,” she whispered. “It’s my fault.”
13
Three Years Ago
Carmen bounced on her toes as she watched Gavin and Lyla share a deep kiss. It took less than two weeks for Lyla and Gavin to pull their heads out of their asses. No one watching them would suspect they’d been apart for three years. The connection between them was electric. A couple of days ago, Lyla had been putting up the good fight and doing everything possible to hold him off and now … now, everything was back the way it should be, and her heart felt as if it would burst.
“You taste good,” Gavin said.
“It’s meatloaf,” Lyla replied.
“Damn, that sounds good.”
Gavin turned to Carmen and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for keeping Lyla company.”
She and Gavin had some rocky encounters during Lyla’s absence, but all of that was done now. The man looking back at her was a Gavin she hadn’t seen in years.
“No problem, and thanks for keeping her here permanently,” she said with a wink before she dashed to the car and slipped into the passenger seat. “Don’t they look happy?” she demanded as Vinny pulled away from the Pyre estate.