Page 21 of Awakened by Sin

“Please.” Carmen shook her head as tears streamed down her face. She was very aware of Nora crying against her chest. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’ll hold them off until Blade comes and distract them if I have to. Here.” Lyla tucked a gun into the pocket of her robe. “Go.”

Fear consumed her. “Lyla, you can’t do this to me.”

“I love you. Now, go!”

She made the impossible decision to save Nora and leave Lyla behind. She could still feel the merciless scrape of branches on her legs and the cold terror rushing through her as she ran. She suffered multiple strokes as she huddled against the canyon, listening to the deafening crack of gunshots echoing through the night.

“Talk to me, Carmen.”

Her throat swelled with anxiety as she paced. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You have to.”

“Why?” she snapped.

“Because you need to get it out. It’s killing you.”

She whirled to face him. Rage was better than worry, so she embraced it. A lethal combination of fury and panic collided in a vicious starburst in her chest. She felt as if she could breathe fire.

“What’s killing me is that this isn’t over,” she said through clenched teeth. “What’s killing me is that the motherfucker who killed my husband is still breathing. What’s killing me is that Lyla’s been kidnapped again, and Gavin is on his way to Hell!” She suppressed an angry roar. “It’s been almost three motherfucking years since Vinny and Uncle Manny were murdered. If he touches one hair on her head, I’ll rip his fucking heart out with my bare hands!”

“We’re gonna get through this. Gavin will bring her home.”

“Gavin told me he would take care of Vinny, and he’s dead! Gavin can’t stop him. No one can. He took everything from me! He took Lyla to finish what he started and I-I can’t …”

He reached for her, but she backed away, shaking her head so viciously that she felt dizzy. Pain threatened to split her heart in two.

“She can’t do this to me. I can’t lose anyone else. My heart can’t take it.”

Bravado fled, leaving only fear. She would shatter into a million pieces. She wrapped her arms around herself and heard her teeth chatter from emotional overload and shock.

Two arms wrapped around her and drew her against a solid chest. The urge to burrow against him, to lean on another human being was so tempting, but she couldn’t do that to him.

“Marcus, I’m fine,” she said as she pushed against him.

He didn’t budge. “You’re not fine.”

“I am—”

“Hush.”

His hand slid beneath her hair and cupped the back of her head as he held her close. She was immediately engulfed in his scent and strength. For a moment, she held herself stiff within the circle of his embrace and made a valiant effort to save him from herself, but he didn’t take the out she offered. He tucked her face into the hollow of his throat and hugged her tight.

“No matter what happens tonight, we’ll get through this together.”

Her attempt at keeping him at a distance crumbled. She was so fucking tired of being strong and holding everything inside. The need for human contact was stronger than her pride and mortification over her breakdown during their bathroom hookup. With a mewl of surrender, she collapsed against him.

He picked her up and carried her to the seating area on the other side of the nursery. He settled on the couch with her on his lap. She tucked her legs on either side of him and held on for dear life as her shields came crashing down. Fear had its talons lodged in her gut. She cried her heart out for Vinny, her father, Lyla and Gavin, and Aunt Beatrice who was in a coma. It was too fucking much. She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but when the storm passed, she slumped against his chest, and Marcus kissed her temple. It was a sexless, comforting gesture that made her feel coddled and safe.

“Gavin will bring Lyla back,” he said as he ran his hand over her quivering back. “He’s gonna end this. After tonight, it’ll be over.”

“How can you be so sure?” she whispered.

“Because I know Gavin. Besides, he doesn’t want us raising Nora. That’s reason enough for him to make sure he and Lyla make it through this.”

For the first time in days, her lips lifted into a ghost of a smile. “I should have warned Gavin I’d teach Nora to dance on a stripper pole before she’s seven if he doesn’t come back.”

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