Page 96 of Once A Crime Lord

“Please,” Carmen whispered, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’ll hold them off until Blade comes and distract them if I have to. Here.” She tucked the second gun into the pocket of Carmen’s robe. “Go.”

“Lyla, you can’t do this to me.”

“I love you. Now, go!”

They stared at one another. For a moment, she thought Carmen wouldn’t leave.

“If you get one fucking scratch on you, I’ll kill you,” Carmen hissed before she whirled and ran as fast as she could toward the mountains. The blanket from the house streamed behind her like a cape.

She circled around the house so she would see them arrive. She replaced the bullets in her magazine. Eight bullets. Eight tries to defend herself before she had to reload. She crouched behind a mesquite tree. Most of the landscape had only spotty coverage so they lucked out in this location.

She found a spot about thirty feet from the house. From this angle, she could see the front porch and the ridge where they would appear. She went on tiptoes to search for Carmen, but there was no discernible movement and the only audible sound was her own ragged breaths.

She took a deep breath and let it out. She could do this. She had to. No Gavin, Blade, security guards, or Beau. It was just her, a gun, and her wits.

Sadist had her mother gang raped. The walls around her heart shuddered under the weight of guilt, sorrow, and rage that savaged her insides. Sadist killed Manny, kidnapped her mother, and manipulated her father into murdering his grandchild. She refused to look at the house, as if that would erase what she’d done. This had to be a dream. If this were real, she would be scared out of her mind. Instead, she felt nothing but the bite of fury and an icy coldness that obliterated all thought. She welcomed it because whatever came next, she couldn’t afford to have a conscience. The need to retaliate was a drum beat in her blood. For the first time in her life, she understood what drove Gavin when Vinny and his father were murdered. She didn’t feel like a person, more like a machine with a mission and purpose—survive, protect, and kill if necessary.

Time passed. She didn’t feel the cold. She didn’t feel anything. The environment was unforgiving—just like her. These men belonged to Sadist. They were monsters who carried out orders to murder children. She wouldn’t go with them. She would die before she allowed them to take her to Sadist. Did he personally want to dismember her while she was still alive? Fuck that. If anyone was spilling blood, it would be her. What morals she had shriveled up and died in the house along with her father. No matter what the cost, she would protect her own. Neither Carmen nor Nora would die here. She wouldn’t allow it.

She scanned the landscape once more and then dropped into a crouch when she heard an approaching vehicle. She was eerily calm. Headlights pierced the darkness, and a minute later, two SUVs pulled up in front of the house. Doors opened and men stepped out, guns drawn. She slowed her breathing as if that would conceal her better. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but the rumble of their voices carried in the quiet.

Two men from each SUV approached the house. She watched as they kicked the door open and walked in. Within seconds, they reappeared. They walked to the SUV and reported their findings to their comrades. Two more men exited the SUV, guns drawn. Eight men. They wore some kind of black-on-black ensemble. In short order, the SUVs rounded the house with four men flanking them on foot. They headed toward the canyon, which sent a spear of unease through her until she saw that the SUVs were going to have a hell of a time finding a path between the massive cactus, mesquite trees, and prickly shrubs.

She focused on the two men who stayed behind. Lookouts. They knew Blade would make his way back at some point and would alert the others if he approached. She couldn’t let that happen.

“You think the daughter did it?” one man asked the other.

“Her or the smoking hot cousin.”

There was a pause. Her muscles ached as she moved in a half crouch and closed the distance between them. She was about twenty feet away, close enough to see that the men were Hispanic and in good shape. She didn’t dare go any closer since there wasn’t anything higher than waist-high shrubs to hide behind.

“Must have been the daughter. Pyre married her for a reason. Word is she’s building up quite a tally. She killed some boys during the last two runs.” He elbowed his comrade. “You think he’ll let us try the daughter?”

The other man shrugged. “Sounds like he wants her for something special.”

He grabbed his crotch. “I’ll bet. The mother wasn’t bad. Took her twice before she passed out.”

She stopped breathing. He had a nice smile, couldn’t be over thirty, and looked like a decent guy, but the words coming out of his mouth told the real story. This man raped her mother?

“You think she’s still alive?”

“If she is, she won’t be for long,” the other said as he pulled out a cigarette.

“If she’s still at the compound, I’ll do her again before he buries her. I can’t believe these mental bitches went on foot.”

She raised her gun, but froze when he walked in her direction to look around the house to watch the progress of the search party. Headlights pierced the darkness while the men yelled to one another as they spread out. She took her eyes off her quarry as worry pierced through the dull roaring in her head. She prayed Carmen found a good hiding spot and managed to calm Nora. She should be following the search party to create a diversion to give Carmen time, but she wouldn’t last long without backup. Blade was their only hope of getting out of this alive, and these two men were going to prevent that.

“They couldn’t have gone far.” The cigarette bobbed in his mouth. “You got a light?”

“No.”

“You think the dead guy has one?”

“He’s in his fucking pajamas.”

“You think there’s something in the kitchen?”

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