Page 77 of Recaptured by the Crime Lord

Gavin tensed. “It was a dream, Lyla.”

“But you think that too, right? That’s why you want me going to the gun range and why you train? You think he’s going to come back.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“You said you were trying to draw him out of hiding?”

“No one’s willing to give him up.”

Lyla felt a chill creep up her spine. “Which means he’s powerful.”

“I’m going to get him.”

“You better.”

Gavin appeared to be taken aback by her tone. Her heart still felt as if it was being torn in two. It had been a blessing and curse to have the dream about Manny. She missed him so much. What was that warning about? Was that her subconscious talking or a spiritual intervention?

Lyla leaned forward, hair whipping around her as she glared at her husband. “That fucker doesn’t deserve to live. He’s not allowed to. You do one more kill, Gavin. I won’t feel safe until he’s gone.”

Gavin was silent for so long that she wondered if she said something wrong. He rose, leaned across the table and kissed her. Just when she was getting into it, Gavin released her and sat with a grin.

She scowled. “What the fuck? I tell you that fucker needs to die and you smile at me?”

“You’re a crime lord’s wife, all right.”

“Former crime lord,” she corrected.

He shrugged. “Once a crime lord, always a crime lord. I’m hardwired to take justice into my own hands. I have resources and a lack of morals that make it easy.”

Lyla watched the ripple of muscles beneath his tight shirt. Gavin was a beast. He bulked up to ridiculous proportions and it looked fucking delicious on him. He looked like a UFC fighter. Gavin was ready for war, she realized. He wasn’t taking anything for granted. He would fight dirty to keep her and Nora. Lord have mercy on whoever was dumb enough to mess with him. After her experience with Sadist, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on another human being. She couldn’t stand by and watch someone else be taken from her. No fucking way.

“What’s the plan?” Gavin asked.

“Plan?” she echoed, trying to get her mind off of violence and blood.

“You said I’m free for a week?”

“Yes.” She took a calming breath and let the beauty of her surroundings soothe her. “It’s your birthday in a couple of days. I don’t have any plans. I thought we could catch some sun, swim, eat, and chill.”

“Sounds good to me.” He glanced at Beau who was getting a suntan. “I can’t believe you brought that dog on a yacht.”

“He’d freak if I left him home for a week.” Lyla pointed along the coast. “There’s a lot of coves we can anchor in, we can go up and down the coast or we can go ashore if we’re not into it. We can do whatever. No plans.”

“No plans sound good.”

Lyla beamed. “Yay. Birthday weekend!”

***

Lyla slumped on the couch and moaned.

Gavin’s birthday weekend had been a success. They lazed in the sun, swam, fucked, slept and ate to their heart’s content. Gavin only picked up his laptop once and she felt refreshed and ready to rumble when they returned to Las Vegas. She accompanied Alice to the school where they volunteered, armed with new computers, instruments and much more. Janice was there, as were several reporters. Lyla did an impromptu interview, which Janice reassured her had been perfect.

A week ago she and Gavin attended a birthing class. It had been illuminating, reassuring and horrifying. Lyla was nervous as hell for labor, but she told herself (as the instructor reiterated multiple times) that women had been doing it since the beginning of time and she would survive. Just when she thought she couldn’t get any bigger, she did. Now, she literally couldn’t touch her toes. Even putting on yoga pants was a struggle. It was the final haul and she was big, miserable and horny as fuck. Gavin was delighted.

Even now, only four hours after he left, she needed him. God! Lyla put Beau in the backyard, locked the front door and was about to go upstairs to relieve herself when she remembered Gavin watching the live feed on his desk. What were the chances that he was watching her right now? She couldn’t call his office to ask him to come home and fuck her, but if he saw it for himself and wanted to join... That was a different thing.

Lyla shoved a section of the couch in front of one of the cameras. Horniness gave her extra strength. She felt as if her body was on fire. Thank God the weather was cooling and they were going into the holidays because she would have been miserable during this part of her pregnancy in the summertime. As it was, she wanted the temperature in the house around sixty and broke into a sweat at night. Gavin grumbled when she shirked his body heat. Between the two of them, they generated enough heat to warm people in Russia.

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