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“Don’t, Lyla.”
She heard the threat in his voice and froze. She was well acquainted with Blade, Gavin’s personal bodyguard. Blade was unflinchingly loyal to Gavin and would carry out any task, legal or illegal.
“Blade, please,” she whispered.
Blade gave her an unreadable look before he focused on the phone in his hand.
“She’s here. Come, Lyla, Gavin wants to talk to you,” Blade said pleasantly.
Blade turned the phone towards her. Gavin Pyre looked back at her. Her heart beat so hard in her chest, she was afraid she might have a heart attack. Gavin hadn’t changed. He wore a deep V neck shirt that showed off his defined chest. He was otherworldly handsome with shoulder length black hair and stunning amber eyes. Gavin’s intense gaze skewered her. The boyish charm he used to fool everyone into believing he wasn’t dangerous was alarmingly absent.
“Lyla.”
Her name rolled off his tongue. The sound of that deep voice, the one that haunted her dreams made her take a step back in self-defense.
“You're more beautiful than I remember,” he said.
She shook her head wildly. “Gavin. Please, don’t,” she said in a choked voice.
“Why, Lyla?”
She shuddered and whispered, “What do you want?” Gavin wouldn’t send Blade to track her to Maine after three years for a friendly chat.
“Why, Lyla?” he demanded.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Three years did nothing to lessen the impact of his presence. She didn’t realize she was moving until she hit the counter in the kitchen and could retreat no more.
Blade followed her with the phone. She turned her face to the side to avoid eye contact with Gavin who watched her silently.
“Come back to me, Lyla,” Gavin said quietly.
“No,” she choked and glanced at the screen in time to witness Gavin’s expression smooth into unyielding lines. Dread morphed into full blown terror as she witnessed the change. She knew how ruthless Gavin could be.
“You might find this interesting,” Gavin said coolly as he disappeared off screen.
Against her will, she eased forward to get a better look while her mind tried to process what she was seeing. A man was bound to a chair. His face was so swollen and disfigured that she wouldn’t have been able to guess his identity, but she recognized the bloody crucifix around his neck. She clutched the countertop for balance as her head swam.
“What have you done to my father?” she whispered.
“He’s been stealing from me,” Gavin said as he strolled into her line of sight. Gavin pulled a gun out of his waistband and pressed it to her father’s temple. Her father came alive, bucking at the ropes, eyes rolling madly. She felt her world tilt sideways as she listened to her father’s stifled screams through the gag.
“Gavin, no!” she cried as she took the phone from Blade who let it go easily enough. She held the phone in her shaking hands, willing Gavin not to pull the trigger.
Gavin raised a brow in mock surprise. “You care if he lives, Lyla?”
“I have money,” she said and tried to keep the phone steady as her hands shook like crazy.
“You have half a million?”
The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “Half a million?” she whispered, aghast. Her father was a fool. She didn’t have more than five thousand in her bank account and that was because Jonathan didn’t let her pay rent. Maybe she could get a loan—
“Your father knows the consequences of stealing from us,” Gavin said.
Everyone knew not to fuck with the Pyres. The Pyre men weren't known for being merciful. They were hard, cruel and calculating.
“What are you willing to do for him?” Gavin asked.
She broke out in a cold sweat. Gavin knew what she was going to say. “I’ll do anything,” she whispered.
