Page 81 of Recaptured by the Crime Lord

Lyla regarded him for a minute before she said, “How often do you check the cameras?”

He glanced at her and then continued to type. “Once an hour. I can watch from my phone as well.”

“Is it recorded?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll delete it.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Lyla

Lyla wiped sweat from her brow as she finished dressing and sat on the bed. She looked at Beau.

“Pregnancy isn’t for pussies,” she said.

Beau cocked his head to the side and then ambled over with his tail wagging. He nudged her tummy with his nose and sat. She leaned forward to scratch him under the chin. He closed his eyes in doggy ecstasy and she covered his face in kisses. She couldn’t imagine life without him. Beau seemed to sense her precarious moods and never budged from her side.

“You’re such a good boy. You ready to go?”

Carmen called last night and told her they were going to the spa to be pampered. Lyla was scheduled for a pregnancy massage and could barely contain herself. The last two months of her pregnancy had been hell. Her back ached, she was sleep deprived and didn’t know her own body anymore. Last night she went to the bathroom ten times. She didn’t know whether she had to pee, poop or fart. Unable to sleep, she decided to go for a swim at two in the morning. Gavin dozed on a lounge chair as she floated in the heated pool. When she was tired, they went to bed and she finally fell asleep.

Lyla stood, hands outstretched for balance. She sucked in a breath at the pain that caused. Lyla raised her shirt and watched her stomach shift as Nora moved. God, this kid had energy to spare. Lyla fetched her purse and checked her pistol to make sure the safety was on and that she had an extra clip just in case. Since her dream about Manny, she had been on edge. Gavin beefed up her security, but it didn’t make her feel safer. She could hear an invisible clock counting down to a showdown that she wasn’t privy to. Nora would be here soon. Is that what Sadist was waiting for? Fuck that.

“Come on, Beau.”

Lyla held onto the rail as she walked downstairs. Beau trotted by her side as she opened the front door. Their property was always teeming with guards and today was no exception. Five SUVs were lined up in the drive.

Lyla looked at Blade. “You don’t think this is an overkill for a trip to the spa?”

“Gavin doesn’t think so,” Blade said.

No, her husband wouldn’t think having a security detail of twenty guards was an overkill. “Let’s go.”

The guards climbed into the SUVs. Lyla and Beau got into the backseat while Blade drove and his second in command, Jordy, rode shotgun. Jordy had a baby face, which was deceiving since he had to be lethal and capable of carrying out brutal tasks if he was in Gavin’s employ.

“Where to, Lyla?” Blade asked.

“We have to pick up Carmen and my aunt and then we’re going to the spa,” she said.

Beau rested his face on her thigh and closed his eyes as they left the property. Lyla texted Carmen that they were on their way and stroked Beau’s head. It had been nine months since Gavin showed up in Montana and married her. Lyla rubbed a hand over her swollen stomach. Of course, Gavin wasn’t satisfied with marrying her. He had to get her pregnant as fast as possible. What had Gavin said when he brought her back?I need you with me, Lyla. I’ll take whatever you give me. Gavin had, indeed, taken whatever she could and given back so much more. The strength of his love humbled her. She wouldn’t have been able to handle him in her younger years. Now, everything felt right. They had been through enough trials to last them a lifetime and they were still here. They would make it.

Carmen and Aunt Isabel came out to the SUV when they pulled up. Carmen sat in the back while Aunt Isabel sat on Beau’s other side and stroked his back. Aunt Isabel chattered all the way to the spa about the benefits of the wrap she was going to get. Lyla spent a lot of time with Carmen and Aunt Isabel and it felt good. They enjoyed and supported one another. Her mother wanted in on their girl days, but Lyla said a flat out no and Aunt Isabel supported her decision. There would always be drama with her parents and they would never stop hounding her for money. With her daughter on the way, Lyla wanted all negativity out of her life and that included her parents. She wanted to keep those who loved and cared for her close. Everyone else could go screw themselves.

Lyla sucked in a breath as she stepped down from the SUV. Carmen rushed over to pat and rub Lyla’s stomach as if she was a lucky Buddha.

“How’s Nora?” Carmen asked.

“Really active today.” Lyla winced and arched her back as a sharp pain passed through her belly.

“What is it?”

“Sore today,” Lyla said.

“I can’t go into the locker room,” Blade said in a low voice. “I’ll be in the waiting room. You have your phone?”

Lyla checked her purse, nodded and then kissed Beau. Blade clipped on his leash and went ahead of them as they walked into the spa. Blade settled by the door closest to the locker room after they checked in.

The smell of eucalyptus immediately raised her spirits. Naked women paraded through the locker room with perfect, Barbie-like bodies. Aunt Isabel, Carmen and Lyla were the only ones without implants. Lyla slipped into a robe, which gaped at the throat, revealing a hint of her scars. The women stared, horrified by her swollen belly and disfigured chest. Lyla ignored them because she was too sore to care. There was unrelenting pressure in her pelvis that wasn’t going away and seemed to be getting heavier by the hour. Would her last two months of pregnancy be like this? She hoped not.

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