Page 57 of Recaptured by the Crime Lord

Carmen nodded.

Lyla didn't have to pee so she tossed the wand in the trash and hurried downstairs with Carmen on her heels. Blade was nowhere to be found, which was a good thing, considering Lyla wouldn't have been able to conceal that something was wrong. She downed two bottles of water while Carmen pulled a bouquet of flowers out of her shopping bag and arranged them on the dining table.

Lyla couldn't stay still. She went outside to get some fresh air and paced around the pool, arms wrapped around herself. She couldn't be pregnant, could she? Yes, she hadn’t taken the pills, which left her open to pregnancy, but they had been married less than four months. What were the chances that Gavin had super sperm? Oh, God, Gavin would be ecstatic. Lyla covered her face with both hands. Gavin Pyre, former crime lord, CEO of Pyre Casinos, husband and maybe baby daddy. Pregnant... Lyla felt a surge of protectiveness, joy and terror when she thought about the being that could be growing in her tummy.

When she was ready for the next test, she rushed into the house, interrupting Carmen and the cook who were deep in conversation. The second pregnancy test was on the vanity. Lyla was trying to read the directions when Carmen barged in.

“Here.”

Carmen took the wand out of the box, uncapped it and shushed her over to the toilet. “You have to pee on here,” she instructed.

Carmen obviously wasn't going anywhere and Lyla was feeling strangely vulnerable so she didn't say anything. After she peed on the stick, Carmen recapped it and set it on the counter.

“Now we wait ten minutes,” Carmen said.

Lyla sat on the edge of the tub and clasped her hands together. “Oh my God.”

Carmen sat beside her. “Aren't you excited?”

“I don't know. I knew this was a possibility but I never thought I would ever get pregnant.” She couldn't take her eyes off the innocent looking wand that would change her life.

“Have you talked about kids?”

“Yes. He wants them badly.”

“Well, he is older than you.”

“Yes.” She hesitated and then confided, “When he was in jail, he had a dream about a little girl named Nora. He said the dream was so real he could smell her, feel her weight against his chest. She gave him hope.”

“Nora,” Carmen said quietly. “I like it. His mother's name, right?”

Lyla nodded. “I wanted to go on birth control, but after he told that story, I couldn’t. I didn't want to take that away from him. He believes our kids will be his redemption.”

“You might be making his dreams come true, but what about yours?”

“It’s kind of too late, isn't it?” Lyla asked with a hollow laugh, gesturing to the pregnancy test.

“You have choices, Lyla.”

“Like what?”

Carmen pinched her. “You know how I feel about Gavin.”

“Actually, I'm not sure what you think about him anymore.”

Carmen straightened her shoulders. “I didn't really know Gavin when you started dating him. I just liked the fact that we were cousins dating cousins. I thought that was cool. I knew Gavin loved you and Vinny loved me. In my mind, that's all we needed. I didn't care what they did on the side as long as they came home to us. I had no idea that Gavin would cheat on you. I think I felt just as betrayed as you did. I trusted Gavin to take care of you, to love you as your father never had and he failed. Then, he killed that man in your basement and you begged me to help you leave. That's one of the hardest things I ever had to do—help you escape, knowing I may never see you again.” Carmen let out a ragged breath. “Gavin never stopped looking for you. I didn't know if you were better off without him. I'm not going to lie. When he brought you back, I would do almost anything to make you want to stay. I'm glad Manny got involved. You've always had a strong connection with him, almost as strong as your connection with Gavin.”

Lyla brushed away tears. Manny would never see his grandchild. Her child never knowing its paternal grandfather made her heart ache with grief, bitterness and anger. Life was so unfair... and his killer was still out there. Lyla shivered.

“Manny made Gavin see reason and Gavin began to treat you like the queen you are. Then, Vinny died.”

Carmen's voice was flat and emotionless. Lyla put an arm around her cousin to comfort her.

“Everything started to fall apart. Manny was murdered and I almost lost you again.” Carmen sniffled. “I'm glad you asked me to get you out of Vegas again. It's what I was planning for myself and I was glad to have a partner, even though I suspected Gavin would look for you. I was right.” Carmen let out a watery laugh. “God, he is one stubborn son of a bitch.”

Lyla laughed with her and felt some of her anxiety slip away. If they could get through the murders of loved ones, they could handle this.

“When he came for you in Montana, I couldn't read him and that scared the crap out of me. I didn't know if he would punish you for leaving. When he forced you to marry him, I was even more alarmed. In the jet, he nearly hit me.” When Lyla tried to explain, Carmen patted her hand. “I know Gavin's been through the wringer. I know he carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders. We’re all scarred by what happened and Gavin doesn't know how to deal with losing his father and best friend. I get it. We’re women and we have each other. Gavin? He only has you left. When I saw you at the funeral, I knew.”

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