Page 34 of Awakened by Sin

“Machete.”

“A machete,” she repeated and shook her head. None of the guys who’d gone into battle last night left unscathed. “I should call a doctor.”

“You should see the other guys.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, they’re dead.”

Point made. “Fine. If you want to be scarred and prolong the healing process, go for it. I have shit to do.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“You’re moving back with your mother?”

She clapped her hands together. “Yes! Lyla isn’t under house arrest, Gavin isn’t the crime lord, and the psycho who murdered my husband is dead. Gavin tells me he suffered, and that’s all that matters. I can move on with my life. I want to go dancing or something, but I think I should dye my hair first. What do you think about me going red?”

He couldn’t control his sneer. “I don’t give a shit about your hair color.”

She ignored his surly mood and handed him her car key. Blade opened the door and tossed the key to a nearby guard who jogged toward the massive garage to find her vehicle among the fleet.

“You should have an escort,” Blade said.

“What for? Vega’s dead.”

“Vega may be gone, but there are still a lot of people who hate the Pyres, and you’re included.”

She shrugged. “We both know I’m not a target, not like Gavin and Lyla. Vinny was the crime lord for less than a week. No one cares about me. What do you think of Angel taking over?”

Blade didn’t answer immediately. His eyes moved over the guards while they did their rounds.

“Word’s out that he’s taken the title. Angel’s young so some might underestimate him, but he’s a Roman through and through. They’ll learn soon enough if they didn’t already hear what he did in Hell last night.”

She shouldn’t ask, but curiosity got the better of her. “So he’s a good fighter?”

“He survived in the pit.”

That must mean yes. “And you think it’s a good thing he’s taking over?”

“Isn’t that what I said?”

She rolled her eyes. Men. “He’s not what I expected of a Roman.”

His attention snapped back to her. He searched her eyes and then shook his head. “No.”

“What?”

“Fuck no.”

It wasn’t surprising that his reaction was nearly identical to Gavin’s. They were two of a kind. She could practically hear the lecture forming in his head. Fortunately, her gold convertible rounded the drive. She shouldered her bag and gave him the peace sign as she sashayed outside. “There’s my baby. Take care of Lyla for me.”

“I always do,” he growled. “Don’t do anything stupid, Carmen.”

She put the top down on the convertible before she perched on the seat. Blade was doing a good imitation of an Indian chief as he watched her from the top step, legs braced apart and arms crossed over his chest.

“What do you think of cherry?” she called.

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