Page 132 of Once A Crime Lord

No one spoke, no one even breathed.

“You dare to desecratemine.” Gavin hissed the last word, the veins in his neck popping as he tried to contain his fury. “I’ve been waiting two years for this moment. Two long years since my father and cousin were killed. Now, tonight, it ends.”

A loud pop made everyone jump. Lucifer made a carry-on gesture as he poured glasses of champagne.

“He’s sitting here, in this room.”

Gavin accepted the flute of champagne Lucifer offered and took a sip. She had seen Gavin go gonzo, but right now, he was control personified. This was the crime lord. Absolute control, absolutely terrifying. She could feel the chill from across the room. This was the man who beat that man in the basement with a single-minded focus and detachment. There was no doubt in her mind that no man in this room was a match for him. Gavin wasn’t a mere man. He was born for this—to make others cower and beg for mercy. Wrath seeped from his pores. His sheer will on display, and it was beautiful to behold.

“Whoever my enemy is,” Gavin said as he stepped on a body in his path. Bones cracked. “He’s patient. He’s a great planner...” He finished his glass and set it in front of the man with an eagle mask. “And he’s going to get everything coming to him. So much so that anyone half associated with him will be annihilated.”

He yanked the cord holding the mask in place. It clattered on the table and revealed a familiar face that scrambled her thoughts.

“Governor,” Gavin acknowledged as casually as if they were at a dinner party. “I stopped by your office a week ago.”

The governor was ghost white and sweating profusely.

“You told me you didn’t know the identity of the crime lord, and that you weren’t working with him,” Gavin said pleasantly.

“I-I came here for—” the governor began and stopped abruptly.

“For what? The show?” Gavin picked up the eagle mask and leaned in close. “Did you choose the eagle because you’re a patriot?”

The governor’s mouth opened and closed. “Gavin, please, I knew your father—”

“And he’s dead.”

Gavin smashed the beak of the metal mask into the governor’s eye. The man’s scream made her shudder. Gavin slammed the governor’s face repeatedly against the table until the mask was flat and the older man didn’t move.

“I think there’s been some confusion about my title,” Gavin said calmly as he resumed his stroll. The masked men edged away. “Your presence here means you don’t see me as the crime lord and have hedged your bets on the other guy, which means your lives are forfeit.”

Gavin braced his legs apart as he surveyed the group.

“Give him up.”

There was a beat of silence and then a man at the opposite end of the table stirred. He tipped back his troll mask, revealing a face that wasn’t hard on the eyes.

“What are you going to do, Gavin? Kill us all?” the man asked with an insolence that made her grip the back of Blade’s jacket.

“Detective Malone,” Gavin acknowledged.

Malone looked at Eli. “What are you doing here, Stark? I thought you died in a hole somewhere months ago.”

“I’m looking for the guy who ordered the hit on my mom,” Eli said.

Malone’s eyes moved to Angel and narrowed. “You can’t bring another crime family into this. What happens in our city is our business.”

“Angel’s taking over, so this is now his city as well,” Gavin said.

There was a touch of unease in Malone’s voice as he said, “Roque hasn’t served his entire sentence.”

“I’m flattered that you know so much about my family,” Angel said with a grin. “Raul can handle himself.”

“Everyone knows the Romans,” Malone muttered and switched his attention back to Gavin. “You can’t kill us all.”

“Can’t I?”

A smug smile curved Malone’s mouth. “You already killed the governor. What are you gonna do? Kill a police detective, a senator, judge, and gaming commissioner?”

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