Page 4 of Recaptured by the Crime Lord

“Lyla, stop.”

“No! You just show up, tackle me, threaten to hurt my cousin and force me to marry you. Who the hell do you think you are?”

Gavin turned towards her. If she could run, she would have. Although Gavin had always been a bit scary, there was a quality to him now that made him seem even more menacing.

“I'm your husband,” he said in a soft voice that sent chills up her spine. “Don’t forget it.”

When she tried to scoot away he tightened his hold, anchoring her to his side. It didn't take long to reach a small, private airstrip. Her stomach plummeted when she saw Gavin's private jet, the same one that collected her from Maine almost two years ago. Gavin led her on board. She was relieved to see Carmen there, unhurt. Lyla broke away from Gavin and ran to Carmen who hugged her tight.

“Girl, are you okay?” Carmen whispered.

Lyla didn't answer. She wasn't sure how she felt. Being legally bound to Gavin wasn't ‘okay’ and Carmen knew it. A hand twisted in the back of Lyla’s shirt and inexorably pulled until she was out of Carmen’s embrace. Lyla landed against a rock hard chest. Muscular arms wrapped her possessively close.

“You have some nerve,” Carmen began, hands on hips. “You have no idea what she's been through because of you!”

“I'll let you live out of respect for Vinny,” Gavin said, icy voice easily cutting through Carmen’s outraged one.

Carmen paled and when Lyla looked up, she could see why. Something that looked very close to hatred flared in Gavin’s eyes.

“You must've been grief stricken and temporarily insane to remove Lyla from my protective custody to go driving around the United States with my father’s killer on the loose,” Gavin said. “Don’t mistaken my leniency towards you for forgiveness. I'm sending you to your mother. Your father passed two months ago.”

Lyla jerked in his hold. Uncle Louie died? It was another shock on top of too many. Carmen staggered back, clearly stunned.

“He had a heart attack. You’ll stay with your mom. I sold your house with Vinny and put a freeze on what’s left of your money so you don't do anything stupid. You need money for something, you need to go through me,” Gavin said in a clipped voice.

“That's my money!” Carmen shouted.

“Not anymore.” In contrast, Gavin's voice was whisper quiet and way more effective. “You've shown that you're reckless and thoughtless. Until I'm satisfied, you won't have access to your money or Lyla.”

“You smug bastard! You have no idea what you did to her,” Carmen said as she flushed with rage. “Have you seen her scars? Have you heard her screaming at night? Were you there to hold her when she cried? Do you know what happened the day your father died? No, you don’t. I wish I didn't know, but I do. You broke your promise and left her alone in a hospital bed when she needed you. You went off to chase those bastards so I took your place. She asked me to get her out, so I did. You think she would have been safe with your expensive security detail?” Carmen sneered. “If she was so safe your father would still be alive and she wouldn't be scarred for life.”

Lyla felt his body go rigid a moment before his fist flashed out. Blade deflected Gavin’s punch before it connected with Carmen’s face. The air around them went electric as Gavin went apeshit and launched himself at Carmen. Guards went flying and blood sprayed the luxurious carpet as Gavin’s security team tried to restrain him. Flight attendants screamed and ran off the jet. Lyla caught a glimpse of Gavin's face, contorted with blind rage. It made her hands clammy with fear. It took nearly ten minutes for his men to pin him down. Lyla couldn't see him, buried as he was beneath a pile of men. Blade knelt on the ground to talk sense into him.

When Gavin resurfaced everyone watched him like a ticking bomb. Although his expression was impassive, no one trusted his control. Several men stood in front of Carmen, hands on their weapons. Gavin’s eyes fixed on Lyla and he moved towards her. Lyla backed up, but there was nowhere to run. Gavin caught her up in his arms, walked to the back of the jet and locked them in a private room. Even as he dumped her on the bed and came down on top of her, she heard the engine rev. Gavin tucked his head under her chin and settled his body on hers.

“Get off of me!” Lyla shouted and pounded his shoulders, but he didn’t budge. “You could've killed her.”

No response from Gavin.

“You’re out of control.”

“Going to jail will do that to you,” he said, lips moving against her skin as he spoke.

Lyla hesitated before she asked, “How long were you in?”

“A year. I've been out six months, looking for you.”

“You didn't have to. I'm fine,” she said.

“So what Carmen said isn't true?”

Lyla didn’t respond. She heard the low murmur of voices on the other side of the door, but no one interrupted them as the jet gained speed and lifted off. Gavin showed no signs of moving so she blocked him out and stared at the ceiling. It took nearly half an hour for Lyla’s brain to process everything that happened, but two points stood out amongst the rest. She was now married to Gavin Pyre and she was going back to Las Vegas.

CHAPTER TWO

Gavin

Gavin crossed the clearing. He couldn’t believe they were in Montana. If he weren’t grasping at straws, he would have thought the tip that brought them here was a mistake. It never occurred to him that Carmen would be able to live in an RV. She was high maintenance, materialistic and the furthest thing from a girl scout. Lyla, on the other hand, he could imagine on the road. She wanted a simple life and this was as simple as it got.

---