Page 202 of Awakened by Sin

Lucifer uncoiled with ease and then tossed an arm over her shoulders. He leaned in close. Marcus took a step forward, but Angel grabbed his arm. She stared straight ahead as the devil nuzzled her bruised cheek. She suppressed a flinch as he whispered, “I’ve killed men for looking at me the wrong way. Don’t think I can’t kill you five different ways with one finger. I’m tempted to kill you just to see the looks on their faces when I pull your little heart from your chest and eat it in front of them.”

Her heart skipped. Duly noted. He wasn’t the king of Hell for nothing.

“Hmm.” Lucifer rested his chin on her shoulder as he regarded Angel and Marcus. “You both care for her, which is interesting. I have to admit, she’s entertaining.” He pressed his cheek to hers as if they were BFFs. “What say you, Carmen? What’s your life worth?”

“Nothing,” she whispered.

He clucked his tongue. “Don’t be so dreary. Two men came to your rescue.”

The silence stretched. None of them moved.

“I like favors,” Lucifer said quietly. “Marcus obviously doesn’t know the art of a bloody fight so maybe a favor is more appropriate in this case. You too,” he said to Angel. “I’ll call on you when I’m ready.”

“Fine,” Angel said and looked at her. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Lucifer murmured and to Angel and Marcus, “She’s all yours. May the best man win.”

She shrugged his arm off and got shakily to her feet. Marcus was in front of her before she could take a step. When he tried to take her arm, she jerked back, but he wouldn’t be denied. He grabbed a handful of her outfit and yanked her against him.

She shoved against his chest. “Let me go.”

He ignored her and picked her up in his arms. He moved swiftly, weaving through the tables. He was getting her out of here. She dropped her face on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and tried to ignore his familiar scent. His grip didn’t slacken as he climbed stairs. She heard a familiar beat and opened one eye. She caught a glimpse of a familiar bar. Before she could place it, he shouldered through a door into the night. She had lost a day. That didn’t seem possible. She shuddered as cold air penetrated through Lucifer’s thin clothes.

Marcus set her down beside his Audi. She glanced around and saw the unlit sign for The Pussycat, the bar where she killed the leader of the Black Vipers.

Marcus cupped her cheek. “Carmen, did he do anything to you?”

She jerked away. “Don’t touch me.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I want my mom.”

“She’s not here, remember? You told me she’s in Utah. We didn’t want to call her until we knew …” His voice trailed off, and then he said with more force, “Gavin and Lyla are on their way back from Bora Bora. Are you hurt?”

The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional destruction Lucifer wrought. She was hanging on by a thread. She needed somewhere quiet and safe to recoup, and it wasn’t with Marcus. His presence wreaked havoc on her control, which was paper thin and getting more tenuous by the second. There was a maelstrom of emotions inside her, trying to break free. She needed to get away from him. Over his shoulder, she spotted Angel leaning against the Bugatti, watching them. The knife was nowhere in sight.

“One of the employees at the Red Diamond found Mickey’s body in the parking lot,” Angel said, and Marcus tensed. “Kiki reviewed the footage, saw you were attacked and drugged and called me. Lucifer made sure to stay out of frame, so we couldn’t identify him. We didn’t know if you had been taken by another gang.” Angel’s eyes were piercing as he asked, “Did Lucifer touch you, baby?”

His gentle voice made her eyes burn with tears. She shook her head and held herself more tightly. The one time she was in a really bad bind, Mom and Lyla were out of town. Her life fucking sucked.

Angel pushed off the Bugatti and held out a hand. “You want to come with me?”

Marcus caged her against the car. “She’s coming with me,” he said without turning around.

She shook her head and pushed against his chest. She tried to talk, but her throat was closing up as a surge of panic swelled in her chest.

“She doesn’t want you, Fletcher,” Angel said.

“We had a misunderstanding,” Marcus countered.

Angel sneered. “A misunderstanding that caused her to go to the strip club where she was attacked?” His eyes gleamed. “A misunderstanding that led to her being in my bed?”

28

Marcus disappeared.One second, he was pinning her against the car, and the next, she was staring at his back, and Angel was on the ground at his feet. Angel leaped up and slammed his fist into his jaw. Marcus staggered back and then rammed him into the Bugatti and kneed him in the abdomen.

“Stop it!” she shouted.

Angel elbowed his face, which didn’t faze him at all. She reached them as Marcus knocked Angel’s head against the car. She slapped his back.

“Marcus, stop!”

---