Page 133 of Once A Crime Lord

“Why not?”

“You’ll cripple the city! Every cop and FBI agent in the country will be gunning for you!” Malone snapped.

“I think we need new people at the top,” Gavin mused, almost to himself, and then glanced at Lucifer who was walking toward Lyla and Blade with champagne. “Hey, Lucifer, what do you do with the bodies in Hell?”

“I have my own crematory, of course. I’m not gonna waste time digging graves in the desert,” Lucifer said.

“You hear that, Malone? No evidence. Lucifer will turn you into ash and flush you down the toilet. The fucking FBI won’t find a tooth. What happens in Hell, stays in Hell,” Gavin said quietly. “That’s why you should’ve never walked through those doors.”

The masked men glanced at one another. The tension in the room rose to a screaming pitch. Someone would make a move.

Gavin tugged on the strings of a man wearing a wicked demon mask. The mask slid across the table, revealing Steven Vega who was visibly trembling. He raised his hands to cover his head as if he expected a blow.

“Steven, what are you doing here?” Gavin asked.

When Steven didn’t answer, Gavin gripped him by the hair and yanked viciously. Steven yelped.

“I asked you a question.”

“Y-you k-killed my father!” Steven whimpered.

“So, you joined the other side? I warned you what I’d do.”

“What’s the meaning of this, Lucifer?” one of the men at the table asked.

“What do you mean?” Lucifer asked as he sipped champagne.

“You brought Pyre here?”

“He arrived early, promised me a good show, and I get to play godfather to his kid.”

She jerked. “What?”

No one heard her. The men were all looking at one another, trying to communicate silently.

“Masks off,” Gavin ordered.

Long seconds passed. No one moved. She edged backward. In the arena, two men fought with swords. Adrenaline, anticipation, and fear stole her breath.

“Give him to me,” Gavin said.

“And you’ll let us go?” a man with a lizard mask asked.

“No.”

“You can’t take us all on,” Malone said.

“You think not?” Gavin asked and all hell broke loose.

Men pulled out knives, machetes, and axes from beneath the table. Gavin narrowly dodged a ninja star that cut his cheek. He brought his hands up, brass knuckles gleaming as men rushed him.

“Gavin!” She couldn’t hold back the scream, but the battle cries of the men drowned it out.

Eli and Angel were lost in the scuffle, and Blade backed her out of the room. She could feel him vibrating. The need to engage must be riding him hard. There were still too many men against Gavin, Angel, and Eli but, for some reason, no one had a gun. She heard something shatter and peeked through Blade’s arm. A masked man used his chair to break into the arena. Apparently, he thought his odds were better out there.

“Look at them run,” Lucifer said gleefully.

She caught a glimpse of a man on top of Gavin with a machete inches from his face. She shoved at Blade.

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