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“Thank you. We’re ready,” Carmen said.
“Gavin?” Lyla asked through stiff lips when the maid left.
“Probably. You ready?”
Lyla glanced at her reflection and said goodbye to Morgan Lincoln. Her eyes flashed with pain and longing as she thought of Jonathan and the simple life she left behind. What would Jonathan think if he saw her done up like a high class hooker? Lyla shoved self-loathing to the side. She would deal with that later when she had time to wallow. Right now, she had a job to do.
Lyla and Carmen headed down the curved staircase. Carmen’s home was done in bold colors and filled with fine art, which included paintings, statues and rare antiques. Carmen led her to the backyard, which had a beautiful infinity pool and a large dining table beneath a gazebo strung with white lights. A man got up from the table. Carmen and Lyla paused in mid-stride.
Manny Pyre, Gavin’s father, wore a tailored black suit that wouldn’t have been out of place on Wall Street, but the top three buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, giving him a rakish air. His shoulder length white hair was combed into a slick ponytail. Gold gleamed on his fingers and around his neck. Even at seventy, he was handsome. Despite losing some weight, Manny still possessed the physique of a much younger man.
Lyla’s heart thumped rapidly. Even though she was glad to see her mom and Carmen, it was Manny that she’d been excited and terrified to see. She worked for Manny for a full year before Gavin asked her to be a kept woman. Manny was the father she never had, but what did he think of her leaving his son? Had he changed as Gavin had? Did he loathe her? Like father, like son? Lyla swallowed hard as she suppressed the urge to run to him.
“Uncle Manny,” Carmen said and rushed forward. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
“Vinny told me my daughter came home,” Manny said, never moving his eyes from Lyla.
Lyla swallowed hard as emotion clogged her throat. From the very start, they clicked. Manny called her his daughter when she and Gavin went on their first date. Back then, Lyla worried that Manny’s pushiness would turn Gavin off. To her surprise, Gavin didn’t seem bothered by his father’s interference. He fell in line with his father’s wishes. After Lyla discovered that he’d been cheating on her the whole time, she wondered if Gavin dated her only to please his father.
“A drink, Uncle?” Carmen asked, sounding unusually nervous.
“No, I’m fine.”
“I’ll go check with the cook about the meal,” Carmen said and tactfully left them alone in the backyard.
Lyla stared at Manny, the man she considered her father in every way but one.
“You don’t have a welcome for me, baby girl?” Manny asked.
The pet name originated from Manny and hearing it from him, she knew all was well between them. Lyla wasn’t aware of her feet moving, but she managed to pull back a moment before impact so she wouldn’t topple the older man. She wrapped her arms around Manny, buried her face against his chest and lost herself in his musky scent. The smell filled her with nostalgia and bittersweet memories. From the very start, Manny saw something in her that no one else had and took the time to nurture her love of learning. She tried to wrap her mind around the fact that the man hugging her ordered the hit on the man Gavin beat to death in the basement.
Manny drew back and cupped her face in one large paw. “Let me see you.”
Lyla tried to smile, but failed miserably. Tears coursed down her face as Manny examined her. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip. She jerked and he tipped her face up to the light. She knew he wasn’t fooled by the makeup. She averted her eyes from his.
“Lyla, what happened?” he asked gently enough, but she sensed danger in the air.
“N-nothing,” she said and tried to draw back.
Manny clutched her arms to hold her in place. She wasn’t able to stifle her painful cry, which she bit back immediately. Lyla tried to draw away, but Manny manacled her wrist and she froze, forcefully reminded that she didn’t really know the Pyres. Manny patted her down as efficiently as a TSA agent. Lyla wasn’t able to stop a flinch when he located the bruises on her other arm and the ones on her neck. Manny smoothed her sleeves up and examined the black and blue marks before he tugged on the stretchy material of the high neck of her dress. Manny’s hands fell away and Lyla took a step back, unsure what to expect from him.
“Who did it?” Manny hissed.
Lyla’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. “Manny, I—”
“Don’t lie to me, Lyla.”
For a moment, she wondered if she should lie despite his warning, but Manny possessed the same soul searing gaze as his son. He was a human lie detector and he would know. Manny knew her better than her own parents. Surely, Manny knew she wasn’t here by choice... “Gavin.”
Manny jerked as if she shot him. His incredulous expression made her flush with icy fear. Did he not believe her? Fuck, she should have lied. Lyla reached out with placating hands as she tried to think of a way to fix it.
“I-It was nothing. It doesn’t hurt. I’m fine. I bumped into—” she babbled.
Manny slashed a hand through the air and she stopped. His face took on an ugly cast and she began to shake. When Manny was pissed, heads rolled. Literally. She wasn’t sure if his anger was aimed towards her for daring to tell him such a thing or for Gavin. Either way, this wouldn’t end well. If there was a choice between believing her or his son, she had no doubt who Manny would choose. She was on the precipice again, her life on the line. Lyla was lightheaded with terror.
“Why are you here?” Manny asked, voice devoid of emotion.
Lyla’s heart shattered. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the sudden chill. Eyes on her painted toes, she whispered, “My dad embezzled. I’m here to pay his debt.”
