by Mia Knight
Finding out he was privy to something so private, she paled. She had known Blade just as long as she knew Gavin. Blade had been Gavin’s personal bodyguard before he became hers. She spent more time with Blade at her side than Gavin, but she knew next to nothing about him. The day Manny had been murdered, Blade had been shot five times and managed to alert Gavin in time to save her life.
“I never thanked you,” she said quietly.
“I did my job.”
“Both of us almost died that day.”
“I’m sure it won’t be the last time I’ll be shot.”
“Why do you do it?”
“That’s my job,” Blade said.
“But why choose this? Is it the money?”
Blade didn’t respond immediately. The smell of fresh baked oatmeal cookies drifted into the living room, stroking Lyla’s appetite, but she resisted.
“I threw my life away before I hit puberty. I was a junkie going nowhere when Manny executed everyone in my gang, but decided to give me a chance since I was so young. I watched the Pyres take control of all the local gangs.” Blade shook his head. “If you think what the Pyres do is bad, you should see what the local gang lords did to their members. They infected them with HIV, got them hooked on drugs or made them commit murders to prove their loyalty. If you tried to leave, they raped or killed your wife, mother, neighbor, anyone you cared for. Life means nothing to them. All they care about is territory, respect and money. The public is fair game. The Pyres put a stop to that. They make it... civilized, if you will.” Blade’s eyes gleamed. “Yeah, they kill and torture, but only if you’re stupid enough to betray them. They don’t cut off limbs, pluck out your eyes or make you watch as your son is bled out in front of you.”
Her skin rippled with goose bumps. Blade showed no emotion and his voice held no inflection. She stared into fathomless black eyes and could almost hear the echoes of the horrors he had seen. In the kitchen her aunt and cousin began to sing, Gimme More by Britney Spears.
“I know what the streets used to be like before the Pyres claimed full control. I’ve known Gavin over half my life. I taught him how to shoot and fight. He was conditioned to walk into a daily hell and be able to function under pressure. You don’t know what Manny did to him to accomplish that.”
Beau ducked his head under her arm and nudged her hand. She took a shaky breath and stroked his head.
“Emotion is a sign of weakness in my world. When you started dating, Gavin didn’t change so you weren’t seen as a weakness to exploit, just a piece of ass.”
Lyla gave him a baleful look.
“When you left, Gavin went completely cold and got heavily involved in the underworld dealings. He wasn’t like Manny who ran the show and had people carrying out his orders. Gavin got his hands dirty. He dealt with everything personally. Everyone knows his face. The things he did to bring the criminal underclass to heel are legend. He became the most feared man in the state. The fact that he was able to transition from the merciless crime lord to the polished CEO in the boardroom scared the shit out of everyone. When he brought you back, his image began to crack.” Blade shook his head. “The filth in the underworld can smell weakness a mile away. Vinny got gunned down and then you and Manny were attacked.”
“So it’s my fault?”
“Your effect on Gavin has caused a ripple effect through the city. The underworld is in chaos and the man whose taken the throne is a sick fuck who encourages chaos and destruction. They lace candy with drugs and hand them out to kids, they slaughter and steal... The new crime lord is good at keeping his identity a secret. So far, all we’ve been able to discover is that he has a fondness for leaving mutilated victims in his wake.”
Lyla’s stomach twisted. “So, what’s the answer?”
Blade’s eyes flicked to her stomach and then her eyes. “Most men who have seen what Gavin has can’t live normal lives, but he’s managed to do so through you. He made his choice. He won’t give you up. The whole city could go up in flames and he wouldn’t go back to the underworld if it meant losing you.”
“What do I do?”
Blade didn’t answer for a long minute. Their gazes held. She gripped the back of Beau’s neck as something built inside of her.
“I don’t know,” Blade said finally. “All we can do is bribe someone who will give up the identify of the new crime lord, kill him and hope whoever takes the throne isn’t as sick as he is.”
Lyla moaned as a cramp dragged at her insides.
“What is it?” Blade asked sharply.
“I’m having these pains,” she said and Blade stiffened.
“Are you sure it’s not labor?”
“It’s probably that Braxton hicks thing.”
“What?”
“False labor.” She let out a long breath as it faded. “Damn. It keeps coming and going.”
“Like labor?”
She shot him an irritated glance. “Contractions are supposed to be consistent. This has been happening since yesterday. Sometimes I don’t feel anything for three or four hours.”
“We better head home,” Blade said and rose.
“I’ll say goodbye to Carmen and Aunt Isabel and then we can go,” she said.
Lyla walked slowly towards the kitchen and tried to ignore the ache in her belly. Carmen and Aunt Isabel were dancing in the kitchen while they prepared a casserole. After her talk with Blade, she was glad to see her family so carefree and happy. Lyla couldn’t believe how much Aunt Isabel had come out of her shell since Uncle Louie’s passing. The longer Aunt Isabel and Carmen spent together, the closer they became. Lyla wished she could have that type of relationship with her mother.
“Stay for dinner,” Aunt Isabel said.
“I’m not feeling that great and Gavin will be home soon.” Lyla kissed her aunt on the cheek and waited patiently as she stroked her belly.
“You’re going to be such a gorgeous girl,” Aunt Isabel cooed. “We can’t wait for you, Nora. You’re so loved.”
Lyla blinked back tears. Yes, her baby was going to be loved. Nora wouldn’t have Manny or Uncle Louie. Instead, she had Gavin, Blade and Marcus. It was an interesting mix, but they would dote on her.
“And I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever,” Carmen said to Lyla’s belly. “I’m going to teach you all the things your mother doesn’t want you to know.”
Lyla rolled her eyes and kissed Carmen on the cheek. “Thank you for today. It’s just what I needed.” Her breath caught as another pain came and went.
Lyla made her way to the door where Blade waited. He got into the driver’s seat while Jordy opened the back door for her and Beau. Lyla shifted restlessly on the seat and couldn’t find a comfortable position. If felt as if Nora was doing jumping jacks on her pelvis.
They drove out of Aunt Isabel’s neighborhood and emerged on the older side of town. It was rundown and not the safest area, but it wasn’t completely overrun by crime yet. Maybe Carmen and Aunt Isabel could move closer to her once the baby was born... She spotted a crew of gangsters standing on the corner and her stomach dipped. Blade painted the underworld in a way that made it so vivid that she could feel it pressing in around her. She knew what Gavin was capable of. She witnessed him beat that guard to death with such methodical precision that she knew it wasn’t his first time. The underworld needed a crime lord. One with a code and who could control the sick perverts and sadists.
Beau focused on her as if he could sense her inner turmoil. She let out a long breath and then gripped the door handle as a cramp gripped her uterus in a vice.
“Shit,” she hissed.
“What?”
She writhed on the seat. “C-can you pull over?”
“Why?”
“Pull over!” she shouted and put her hands over her belly, which was hard as a rock. “I need to walk. I think sitting is making the cramps worse.”
Blade pulled off the main road and followed a small side street to an empty field. Lyla groaned as she st
epped out of the SUV and began to pace. The sun was beginning to set and the air was chilly. Beau bounded out of the SUV and nudged her with his nose.
“You okay?” Blade asked briskly.
The other SUVs parked and the guards got out to see what was going on.
“I’m just gonna walk around a little.” Beau whined in the back of his throat and stared up at her. “Go run.”
Beau hesitated.
“Go on,” she said.
Beau darted across the field, his legs a blur. Lyla rubbed her stomach and took a deep breath. They weren’t in the best part of town, but with her security, she wasn’t worried.
“You should go to the hospital and call Gavin,” Blade said.
“I have eight weeks left until my due date. It’s too early.”
“You could always have her early.”
“No.”
He shook his head. “You don’t take your health and safety seriously.”
“Why should I when I have you and Gavin?”
Blade glared at her, but she thought she was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
“Do you think one life is worth sacrificing to save thousands?” The question popped out of her mouth before she could hold it back.
“It depends who cares for the life you’re sacrificing.”
His words hung in the air between them.
“My family was murdered in front of me when I was eight years old. I haven’t felt much since then. I thought Manny was the cruelest man I’d ever met until Gavin took over. Those men, I didn’t believe they had feelings until you came around. It’s the craziest shit I’ve ever seen. I thought love was a myth made up by people who can’t face how fucked up the world really is.” Blade cast a wary eye around the field. “You and Gavin have been through major shit and put your issues to the side to become a unit. Never seen anything like it in my life.”
“And?” She couldn’t decipher the expression on his face. It was dark and intense. She wasn’t sure if he was pissed, disgusted or something else entirely.
“I thought the scariest thing in the world was a man with nothing to lose,” Blade said.
“It isn’t?”
“No, the scariest thing in the world is a man who has everything to lose.” He took a deep breath, big chest expanding as he glared at her. “Never believed in family, loyalty or love before I watched you and Gavin. What you two have is worth protecting.”
Lyla swallowed hard. She and Blade had never been friends. They always maintained a professional distance. This was the first time he had opened up to her and it made her mind reel with the knowledge that there were people forged though such pain and suffering. Gavin and Blade had both been raised to survive in hell and were capable of such brutality, yet treated her with care and respect.
Lyla reached out and placed her hand on his arm. She felt his muscles jump beneath her fingers. He jerked reflexively, eyes flaring as he stared at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but a strange popping sound made her turn. Blade threw her to the ground. Lyla landed with a jolt and groaned as another pain clutched her stomach.
Blade pulled out his gun and fired. The sound nearly burst her eardrum. Lyla rolled away and looked across the field and couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. Her guards were firing at... each other? They were firing at one another, using the SUVs and trees for cover.
“What the fuck is going on?” she shouted over the gunfire.
Blade didn’t answer. He hauled her up, shoved her behind him and emptied his gun. Two guards dropped. Blade reloaded as he backed up with her behind him. Lyla clutched fistfuls of his suit, unable to comprehend what was happening. Three guards ran forward, guns raised with Jordy leading the pack, eyes cold and blank. Blade shot twice, wounding two, but not killing them. Jordy stopped and took aim. A scream built in her throat. A gray shape launched itself out of the darkness. Beau clamped Jordy’s arm in his mouth and shook his head savagely. Jordy screamed, firing his gun wildly.
“Beau!” she screamed.
“Let’s go!” Blade shouted.
More of her security ran forward. Lyla panicked. She couldn’t tell who was trying to defend or kill her. Blade reloaded as he shielded her with his body and killed two security guards who had been with Gavin for over a decade. Blade slapped the keys in her hand and shoved her.
“Get in the SUV, lock the doors. It’s bulletproof.”
Lyla ran the last few feet to the SUV and ducked as a bullet hit the car less than a foot away. Blade returned fire. Lyla yanked the driver’s door open, scrambled into the seat and slammed the door. The SUV rocked with the force of the bullets being imbedded in its side. Lyla ducked and screamed, hands over her head. The glass didn’t shatter. Lyla curled around her daughter, wondering if this was it. Through the terror, anger rose. She had to fight back.
Lyla forced herself to sit up and jumped as two men tried her door. Her guards stared at her as if she were something to be annihilated. They began to shoot at point blank range. Lyla put the keys in the ignition and fired up the SUV. Even as she slammed her foot on the gas pedal the window was sprayed with blood as another guard shot her attackers from the back.
The SUV shot forward. She could still hear the ping of bullets, but she ignored them and focused on getting out of the thick of it. When she was on the outskirts of the field, she made a U turn and braked hard. She was breathing hard as she flipped on the headlights and blindly reached in the backseat for her purse. She pulled out her gun and fumbled with the controls to move the seat forward as she examined the field. She located Beau who was wrestling with Jordy on the grass. There was a flash as Jordy fired his gun. Beau’s body jerked and her heart stopped as he flopped on the grass. Jordy got to his feet and raised his gun for a killing shot.
“No!” Lyla slammed her foot down on the gas pedal.
The SUV kicked up dirt as it lurched forward. Men dodged out of the way as she barreled across the field towards Jordy who swung his head around. Rage obliterated all other emotion. No. This couldn’t happen to her again. She wouldn’t allow it. Beau lay still and lifeless on the dirt, gray coat gleaming with blood.
Jordy fired. His bullet hit the windshield, splintering the glass in front of her, but it didn’t shatter. Lyla leaned to the right and kept her eye on her target as he fired again, inches from the last bullet. Jordy turned and fled, but he couldn’t outrun her. When the bumper was inches from him, Jordy dodged, but she anticipated that. Lyla turned sharply and hit him. There was a sickening crunch of bones and a strangled cry as she ran him over.
Lyla skidded as she made a sharp turn and paused to take in the scene. Blade hid behind a tree and was being approached from opposite sides. Lyla slammed her foot on the pedal and went after one of the traitors. He met the same fate as Jordy. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she turned the SUV around again and rolled the window down to take a shot at another traitor. The man screamed as she got him in the gut. That would be a painful death. Lyla swung her gun around when someone pounded on the passenger door and saw Blade. She unlocked the doors and he hopped in.
“Roll up your window,” Blade snapped.
“Is it over?”
“I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.”
“Jordy shot Beau.”
“Lyla, we have to go. I don’t know who we can trust—”
“I’m not leaving without him!” Lyla drove towards Beau who hadn’t moved. When she tried to get out of the car, Beau clamped a hand on her arm.
“Keep your ass in here!” Blade ordered and got out.
He went to Beau’s body and held up his gun when two guards approached. They tossed their guns and Blade lowered his. She heard low voices and then the trunk opened.
“Is he alive?” Lyla shouted. She wanted to see and touch, but she couldn’t pry her hands off the steering wheel.
“He’s breathing,” Blade said and slammed the trunk.
The driver’s door opened. Lyla raised her gun and the guard held his hands up.
/>
“I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise,” he said showing a suit covered in blood. “I’m gonna drive him to the vet.”
“I can drive,” she said, voice shaking.
“You need to call the boss. Are you hurt?”
“I-I—” she stammered, unable to get out a word.
“Come on.”
The guard pulled her out and helped her into the backseat. Lyla caught a glimpse of Beau in the trunk and it jarred her out of her shocked state. She dropped the backseat and crawled over to him. Her hands hovered over the bullet wounds. He was breathing too hard and fast. Lyla curled herself around him and willed him to live.
“You can’t die, you can’t die!” she whispered.
Fear grabbed her by the throat. Beau was her companion, her friend. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t allow it. Lyla ignored the pain ripping through her stomach and hugged him close.
“You can handle this,” she whispered, stroking his head. “You were such a brave boy. Mommy loves you so much. Stay with me, Beau. Just stay with me.”
The dam collapsed and tears streamed down her face. The SUV lurched forward and she clutched Beau. Blade was shouting from the front seat, but she didn’t care. The sound of her cell phone broke through her near hysteria. Gavin. She scooted towards the backseat where her purse was. She snatched her cell phone and put it up to her ear as she lay beside Beau again.
“Tell me you’re okay.”
Gavin’s voice was guttural. Lyla opened her mouth to speak, but a sob escaped instead. She buried her face in Beau’s wet fur and held onto him. She wanted him to know she was here.
“Lyla, please.”
“Beau’s hurt,” she managed to get out.
She heard him suck in a deep breath.
“I know. Blade told me. Tell me you’re okay.”
Lyla shook her head. “I-I’m not okay. Why does this keep happening?” A cramp in her belly made her moan. She panted and tried to ignore what was happening to her body. Everything had to wait until she got to the vet.
“I promise I’ll get him, baby.”
The SUV braked hard, making her slide a foot. The SUV doors opened and shut. Blade opened the trunk, reached for Beau and dragged his body into his arms. Beau wasn’t moving. The other guard helped her out of the trunk. She sagged to the pavement on her hands and knees and breathed through another gut clenching cramp.