Page 4 of Crime Lord’s Captive

Her throat began to close. “He’s going to kill me for running from him?”

Blade snorted as if her fear was unfounded. “If he wanted to kill you, I would have done it.”

That didn’t reassure her. Maybe Gavin wanted to do the deed himself. “Why now? Why after all this time?”

“You’ll have to ask him that.” Blade opened the apartment door. “Let’s go.”

Lyla’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked around the apartment that had become a short-lived haven. For three months she allowed herself to believe in a happily ever after with a good man. What would Jonathan think when he discovered her note? The only way she could ensure that Jonathan wasn’t touched by her past would be to leave without a trace. Jonathan was no match for Gavin Pyre.

Lyla followed Blade out of the apartment and found a taxi waiting at the curb. Blade held the door open for her. Lyla stopped, raking her mind for a way out of this, but in the end, she had no choice but to get in. She and Blade sat side by side in silence. There really was nothing to say to one another. Blade wouldn’t reveal anything that would help her. Lyla focused on keeping her rocking stomach under control.

The taxi dropped them off at a private airstrip where a Pyre jet waited. Lyla paused, eyeing the sleek black and gold jet. Blade ushered her up the steps where they were greeted by a beaming flight attendant who offered warm cloths for their hands and champagne. Lyla took the cloth before she collapsed in the nearest seat and closed her eyes. Most people would have been thrilled to be surrounded by such luxury, but Lyla knew it was a gilded cage. There was a heavy pressure on her chest that made it hard to draw in a normal breath. There was no one else on the jet aside from Blade and the staff. She heard lowered voices and tried to act as if she were sleeping, but Blade wasn’t fooled. She felt the impact of his stare.

Lyla tried to wrap her mind around the fact that she was going back to Las Vegas, back to Gavin Pyre. Her body tingled with fear as she conjured up Gavin’s face. Cold, beautiful, cruel. Once upon a time she loved him with every fiber of her being. She would have done anything for him and then her world imploded like a hotel on The Strip. Gavin shattered her heart into pieces. It was self-preservation that made her run. Rage drummed through her. Lyla turned her face towards the window to hide the tears she couldn’t hold back. What did Gavin want from her? Why use her father to force her back to him? How would she pay off her father’s debt? The thought filled her with mind-numbing terror.

***

Lyla saw The Strip appear, a beacon of lights in the middle of the desert. She spotted several Pyre Casinos, towers of gleaming black with a bold stripe of gold. Despite the fasten seat belt sign, Lyla lurched out of her seat and barely made it to the bathroom in time to vomit. The flight attendant handed her a miniature bottle of mouthwash, which she took gladly. Even after two ginger ales, her stomach rocked as if she were seasick. She hadn’t been able to eat a thing.

Blade gave her an amused look, clearly enjoying her fear. He was in a better mood now that they were here. They’d been delayed in Chicago due to an unexpected storm. Blade had several terse conversations with Gavin who was clearly displeased. Lyla wished they’d been delayed days instead of hours even as the suspense of not knowing what lay in wait consumed her. Lyla hadn’t been able to sleep and was now sick with exhaustion. Lyla muttered prayers under her breath as the plane landed and taxied. When it came to a stop, she didn’t loosen her death grip on the armrest. The door of the jet opened. She held her breath as she waited for Gavin to barge in. Blade impatiently unbuckled her seatbelt and shuffled her towards the door, ignoring the flight attendant’s appalled gaze. Lyla was too tired to elbow him in the stomach for his rough handling.

Lyla stumbled down the stairs, looking around wildly for Gavin, but he wasn’t there. Her hands were clammy despite the dry heat that blew her hair out of her ruined French twist. There was a private car waiting for them. Blade put her in the back seat and sat up front with the driver. Because of the solid partition, she couldn’t hear them, which put her on edge. Now what?

As they drove away from the airstrip, the sky began to lighten. Las Vegas changed little since she left. The stark desert landscape was a far cry from Maine’s rocky coastline, lighthouses, forests and lakes. Lyla watched as they drove out of the city to a mansion surrounded by red rock mountains. This place was as familiar to her as her family home. They passed through an electronic gate into the inner courtyard, which was filled with armed guards patrolling the grounds. The car rounded the fountain in the drive and stopped. Blade opened her door. She took his hand because she didn’t want to fall on her face and she had some pride left. Blessedly numb, she walked up the steps into the foyer and stopped. She took in the familiar white marble floors and open floor plan of Gavin’s mansion. It was alarmingly quiet.

“Gavin’s at work,” Blade said shortly. “You want something to eat?”

Lyla shook her head. Blade took her arm and led her upstairs.

“What about my father?” she asked.

“Gavin will talk to you about him.”

“But, how do I know if he’s alive?”

“You don’t,” Blade said as he opened the door to a room and pushed her in. “I’m locking the door from the outside. If you need anything, use the phone on the nightstand.”

Lyla’s skin stretched tight as she surveyed the master bedroom. It hadn’t changed since she picked the sheets, drapes and cream carpet. She and Gavin spent countless hours making love in this room.

“C-can I wait for him in another room?”Anywhereelse.

“No.”

Blade closed the door and turned the key in the lock. She waited until his steps retreated down the hallway before she tried the door. Yes, locked. Lyla stared at the bed as if it would come to life and swallow her whole. The girl that once inhabited this house, this room had been so naive, so trusting. Lyla wasn’t that girl, not any longer. Lyla retreated to the window seat and looked out over the property.

Gavin’s compound was ten minutes away from civilization. He was paranoid and liked his privacy. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew there was an Olympic size pool in the backyard and a monstrous garage that housed Gavin’s luxury cars. Lyla knew a secret route to get out of the mansion in case of an attack and the location of Gavin’s safe house in New Mexico.

Tears slipped from her eyes. She was in Gavin’s world again—a dangerous world swimming with violence, money and sex. She wanted no part of it. Damn her father for putting her in this position.

Lyla paced the room like a caged animal, taking in the walk in closet, opulent bathroom and familiar surroundings, which made her want to scream. Lyla dug her nails into her arm, willing herself to wake from this nightmare. She couldn’t be in Las Vegas, in the room she once shared with Gavin. What did Gavin want from her? She had no idea how he interpreted her escape three years ago. She suspected he would make an effort to find her, but thought he would give up by now. Did he renew the search when he found out her father embezzled money? Was she here for punishment?

Sick with worry and exhaustion, she settled on the window seat and wondered how long Gavin would make her wait. Since Gavin found her, he knew the measures she took to remain hidden. She paid an exorbitant amount to have a new identity created. She had a birth certificate, social security card and driver’s license declaring that her name was Morgan Lincoln. Her identification passed muster in five states. She traveled as far as possible from Nevada while staying on the same continent. She took low profile jobs and kept to herself until Jonathan. She didn’t know how to protect herself from his friendliness and warmth. For a short time she believed she could live a normal life. Now, she was back in hell, awaiting judgment. By now, Jonathan would know something was wrong. Would he come back early? Would he believe that she would willingly leave him?

Lyla moaned and stretched out on the window seat. She dozed in the sunlight streaming through the window as a tear slipped from her eye.

Chapter Two

Lyla lay against a warm chest. She looked up at Jonathan who wore an unusually somber expression. They were in bed in their apartment. Sunlight poured through the window, but the apartment was curiously silent and muted. She sat up and brushed a hand through his short cropped hair. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but she pushed it away so she could focus on him.

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