Page 77 of Once A Crime Lord

“I’m not involved in anything to do with Santana.”

“How are you paying for your mother’s medical bills?”

A pause. “That’s none of your fucking business. Give her back to me.”

“Who’s the crime lord?”

“I don’t know. I’m not working with him.”

“How much does it cost to make you talk?”

“I don’t know who he is.”

Eli sounded as if he was speaking through clenched teeth.

“Call me when you determine a price.” Maybe Stark would be good for something before he gutted him.

“Did you—?” Eli’s voice was thick with rage. “If you killed my mother, Gavin, I’ll end you.”

“Not if I end you first,” he said as he hung up.

His men waited for orders, but dispersed when he didn’t give any.

Once upon a time, he would have trusted Stark with his life, and now, very soon, he would kill a man he once considered a friend. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last.

He eyed his men as the engines revved. He was ninety percent certain the men in his employ were loyal, but there was always a chance he had a rat in the bunch. He couldn’t get Paul Vega’s words out of his head.How many can you kill? You think your name will protect you? You have nowhere to turn.Like Paul, people were hedging their bets on him or Phantom. The fact that Phantom was still alive and had made successful hits on his family hurt his reputation and made him look weak. Men like Stark would sell him out in a heartbeat. He didn’t know who he could trust. Aside from torturing and killing every man in the underworld, the only way to solidify his claim to the title was to execute Phantom publicly.

The Phantom had to be someone he knew. No outsider could roll into Las Vegas and take the underworld from him. The Phantom slipped into the underworld too easily. It had to be someone who was already established. When he bowed out and Vinny took his place, the Phantom saw his chance and took it by calling the hit on his cousin before going after his father to win over the bloodthirsty underworld. He couldn’t trust any of his former contacts. Like Paul, they had been bribed in some way. Fuck, Paul joined up with the man who carved up his own son. It was unbelievable. He had no backup and no one to turn to...

“Tell the pilot to head to New York,” he ordered.

“You got it, boss.”

He pulled out his phone and tapped into the security cameras at home. Their master suite was dark. He could barely make out Lyla beneath the covers. He still wasn’t sure how he wanted to deal with her. He switched to another camera and saw Blade prowl through the hallway. He paused in front of Lyla’s closed door before he went into the nursery to check on Nora. He stood over the crib for a minute before he pet Beau and then went downstairs. Blade was the only man he trusted implicitly, which was why he was Lyla’s shadow. He wasn’t sure how Blade would react if he tried to give him another job.

All was quiet at home. He was too close to New York not to stop by for a short visit. His battles in Las Vegas could be delayed a few hours.

14

Gavin

Two hours later,Gavin stepped out of a taxi in front of a townhouse. Memories of his childhood and teenage years skipped through his mind. He was dimly aware of slamming doors as his men joined him. He started toward the townhouse that belonged to the Romans, one of four families who ran New York’s underworld. It had been a second home to him as a child. Before he touched the front gate, three men in suits and trench coats stepped onto the front steps. As he opened the gate, a guard raised his hand in warning.

“Hold it right there.”

“Mr. Pyre?” An older guard pushed the younger man aside and gave him a respectful nod. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” Gavin said. “Are they here?”

“They are, sir. Are they expecting you?”

“No.”

“Let me escort you.”

“Thank you.” He passed the younger guard who took a step back now that he knew his identity.

Gavin stepped into the townhouse, which was warm and smelled of fresh cookies. A gleaming wooden staircase led to upper and lower floors. The townhouse was five stories tall. A grand chandelier lit the entrance hall. There was a hushed quality to the richly furnished home despite the fact it was milling with security.

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