Page 30 of Once A Crime Lord

5

Gavin

Gavin settledNora on his lap as he typed on the computer. He was grateful for her presence because she stopped him from losing his shit. Claiming Lyla on the couch did nothing to purge the dark, tangled emotions pulsing in his chest.

The troubled, wistful expression on Lyla’s face as she breastfed in his office at the casino had bothered him all day. She hadn’t been quick enough to smooth it off her face when she realized he was watching. He assumed Alice or Janice had said something to upset her until he questioned Blade who mentioned that she had an episode in the casino.

He watched Lyla’s panic attack on the surveillance cameras earlier, but now that he knew the full context of what occurred, he had to watch it again. He accessed the casino security cameras and enlarged the video. There was no way to isolate the audio, which pissed him off.

He watched Lyla stumble to a stop. He had to switch to a different camera angle to witness a startling blankness settle over her face. When Blade touched her arm, she recoiled as if she had been shot. Fear and loss claimed her features. His heartbeat accelerated with the need to react. Lyla backed up against the wall and braced her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Blade stood in front of her, obstructing his view.

A man stopped on the outskirts of Lyla’s security detail. One of the guards noticed him before the others and held up a hand to stop his approach. He would get a raise. Gavin changed camera angles again as Lyla straightened and recognized the man. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. He leaned toward the screen so he could capture every nuance of her expression—shock, pain, regret. Her lips moved, forming the bastard’s name.

He stopped the video. He focused on Nora who smiled at him. He rubbed his face against her soft skin and blew raspberries against her neck. She squealed delightedly and wrapped her arms around his head. He inhaled her innocence, and it calmed the savage beast inside him. He didn’t care that she yanked on his hair or drooled all over him. He would take whatever she gave him. Nora wasn’t identical to the little girl in his dream; she was even better. He loved that she had her mother’s silver blue eyes and couldn’t deny that he was pleased she’d inherited his black hair. He didn’t question his need to brand Lyla and Nora. They were his.

When he felt fortified enough, he watched the rest of the video. It didn’t matter that her ex wasn’t handsome or a bodybuilder. Lyla wasn’t a superficial person. She cared more about the substance of the person, which was why she left him the first time. His money, looks, and lifestyle hadn’t been enough to make her stay. It was obvious that the sight of this guy gutted her. She couldn’t conceal her feelings, which is why the ex followed. He was trying to speak to her, believing he had a chance. Did he?

He cradled Nora in one arm as he watched Blade propel Lyla through the casino. Blade hadn’t told him about the ex because he wasn’t a stupid man. Blade said Lyla had a panic attack and suggested Gavin talk to her. Blade left it up to her to tell the truth.

The first time he watched the video he assumed the guy had mistaken Lyla for someone else. He hadn’t been paying attention to Lyla’s reaction since he assumed she was shaken by the panic attack, not the man. Now, he catalogued everything about the encounter. Lyla was clearly shaken, and when the guy finally stopped his pursuit, he looked heartbroken. Welcome to the club, fucker. That was how he felt the first time Lyla left... and the second time. What had Blade said to make the ex stop dead in his tracks? He wanted to know every word spoken, but it wouldn’t cool his rage. He was already dangerously close to hunting the bastard down and making sure he didn’t see the next sunrise. He could already imagine the warm, slow drip of the worthless bastard’s blood on his hands. He should have sent Blade back to Maine to finish the job years ago.

Nora rubbed her face against his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. Lyla wouldn’t leave him, but that look of remorse on her face made his soul feel as if it was being shredded. He had done everything possible to redeem himself for past sins. In the past, his only competition had been himself and now... Now, the only man on the planet she had feelings for had surfaced and caused her to feel... what? What if she tried to leave him for the normal guy? She was crazy enough to do it. She was gnawing at the bit, trying to get out of the house. She wanted to volunteer at the hospital. Just the thought of her in a crowd made his palms sweaty, but if he prevented her from going, it would be another strike against him, and he had enough of those already.

He opened up the report on Jonathan Huskin. Huskin was five-foot-ten, one hundred eighty pounds with brown hair and eyes. Graduated from Boston University with degrees in Computer Science, Business, and Computer Engineering. He made eighty-five thousand a year, paid his taxes, and spent a lot of time traveling for work. He was the only child of Mark and Jackie Huskin who lived in Boston and were retired college professors. Had Lyla met his parents? He sneered at the screen. This guy didn’t even have a parking ticket. Huskin had never been in a car accident, arrested for public intoxication, or been late on his fucking rent. He had no debt and made some investments that were doing fucking splendid.

“Da, da, da,” Nora chanted.

If he killed the crime lord, he could give Lyla the life she wanted. Every time he came home, he dreaded the inevitable questions:Any leads? Did you find him?There was no trace of the fucker he called Phantom. Why would this man scale an all-out attack on his family, mutilate Rafael Vega, and put twisted leaders in positions of power only to disappear when he showed up to reclaim his title? It didn’t make sense. He wanted to believe the crime lord was dead, but life never handed anything to him gift wrapped. The Phantom was out there, biding his time. For what? Another chance at Lyla? Fuck that.

He kissed his daughter’s forehead and walked out of the office. He could hear the distant murmurs of Lyla and Carmen talking in the dining room. They spent every day with one another and still managed to find shit to talk about. What the fuck?

He headed to the nursery with Beau on his heels. He sat in a rocking chair and settled Nora against his chest. She rubbed her face against his shirt and fussed a little. When he put his hand on her back, she calmed instantly. As he rocked back and forth, he stared straight ahead.

Having Lyla order him to go back into the underworld lifted a weight from his shoulders. It saved him from breaking his promise to her. She knew he was a killer and still welcomed him home with open arms even though his hands were still wet from washing off the blood.

He stroked a hand down Nora’s small back. They were a family. They were happy, right? Uncertainty gnawed at him. The urge to dominate and control warred with his need to give her what she desired.

When Nora was asleep, he settled her in the crib. Beau got to his feet to greet someone. He didn’t have to turn to know who entered the room.

Lyla came up beside him. “You have the magic touch.”

His chest tightened. Sometimes, he wondered if God designed him just for her. She made his life light up in color. Every smile, every touch made him crave more. He loved everything about her and couldn’t imagine being without her. He wanted to ask about Huskin, but he didn’t want to hear her answers. It didn’t matter anyway. Lyla was his.

“I have to go,” he said.

She took a deep breath and let it out. “I know.”

He wanted to brand her again until he was certain no other man was on her mind, but he had shit to do. He shouldn’t have stayed last night or come home this evening, but settling things with her was more important than the shit going down in the underworld.

She wrapped her arms around him. “So, the next time I need to get laid, should I call or text?”

“Both. Immediately.”

She laughed as he leaned down to kiss her. He stroked her tongue with his and absorbed her taste, hoping it would tide him over until he could make time to come home again. When he raised his head, he was pleased when she rose on tiptoe to prolong the kiss.

“I love you,” he said.

“Love you too. Hurry home to us,” she said.

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