Page 121 of Once A Crime Lord

Gavin didn’t answer because it went without saying. They spied his brass knuckles and admired his knives before they moved onto Blade.

“That you, Blade? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” One Eye stepped to the side so he could see Angel. “Who are you, pretty boy?”

“This is my cousin, Angel,” he said.

One Eye grinned, displaying the three teeth he had left.

“We make demons out of angels here.” One Eye suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Your cousin?” He eyed Angel with more interest. “You a Roman?”

Angel nodded, and One Eye elbowed his friend.

“Roque’s brother.”

“You know my brother?” Angel asked.

“Everyone knows your brother. He stepped into the arena several times. Those were nights to remember.”

“They’re clean,” the other man announced.

“Lucifer expecting you?” One Eye asked Gavin.

“Yes.”

“I have a feeling tonight’s gonna be entertaining, boys.” His eye roved over the three of them and nodded. “Very entertaining.”

One Eye opened the door and gave them a mocking bow as they passed.

“Welcome to Hell, my brothers.”

He walked forward and heard Angel suck in a breath. Hell was a two-story amphitheater with wide staircases that led to the sandy pit that saw more action than the Colosseum. Nearly every seat in the arena was taken. The only sound in Hell was metal clashing as the men in the pit fought with swords, rousing Gavin’s beast.

He turned to the scattered tables in front of the bar where men watched the action on screens instead of the bloodthirsty crowd where their throats could be slit. He focused on a man lounging at a table with a crossword puzzle in front of him, drinking Coke. The giant man watched the TV screen as idly as if he were watching a commercial. He snorted in disgust when one of the fighters was decapitated. He twirled a pen between two fingers and scanned the crowd. When he saw Gavin, the pen stopped moving and a wide smile curved his mouth. Lucifer’s Polynesian, Russian, and Swedish blood made him into a monster of a man. Despite his size and reputation, he managed to appear as unthreatening as a California surfer, but Gavin knew better. Lucifer knew every method on earth to kill a man. He resisted the compulsion to grab his knife as they approached.

“I never thought I’d see the day when you lost control of the underworld,” Lucifer said in greeting.

“I want my wife.”

Lucifer waved a hand with red nail polish. “I heard you were partial to your wife, but I didn’t believe it. What makes her different from any other?”

He wasn’t going to have this conversation with him. “Give her to me.”

Lucifer ignored his order and steepled his hands in front of him, fingers touching at the tip, perfectly aligned. “A friend of mine came to me with a generous offer. He offered to share the experience of torturing your wife in the pit using his considerable skills and then summon you for the rematch I’ve been waiting for.”

Blade and Angel crowded him, ready to restrain him if need be, but his demon was in control, and it wasn’t easily baited, not with Lyla’s life at stake.

“This is generous of my friend,” Lucifer continued blithely, “but you and I go way back, Gavin, and I want a fair fight. I want you clearheaded, not distracted because you see your wife in pieces.”

“I have no interest in ruling Hell.”

Lucifer’s eyes danced with excitement. “So sure you’ll beat me?”

“Yes.” He had no choice but to win. He wouldn’t think of any other outcome.

Lucifer waved a hand. “Come now, Gavin. I think you’ll come to appreciate Hell as much as I do. My friend can run the underworld and you, Hell. I’m sure you two can see eye to eye if you put your hostilities aside.”

“No.”

“Was what he did so bad? He set you free, Gavin.”

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