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Lyla let out a long breath and tried to suppress the urge to cry. She’d shed too many tears in the past week. She drifted into uneasy sleep with Carmen reaching for a husband who would never sleep beside her again.
Chapter Fifteen
The next day Carmen urged Lyla to do something for herself. Lyla eyed Carmen critically. Although she was wan and thinner than she had been a week ago, Carmen looked steady. Blade drove Lyla back to Gavin’s where she showered and changed. The house seemed as cold and empty as she felt. There was no sign that Gavin had been sleeping in their bed. Lyla paced for a half hour before she asked Blade to take her to Manny’s. She found Manny sitting by the pool. Wordlessly, he opened his arms to her. Lyla fell into his embrace and wept.
“You’ve been taking care of Carmen?” he asked.
She nodded.
“That’s good. How are you doing?”
Lyla took the chair beside him and stared at the pool. “I don’t know.”
“Gavin’s preoccupied at the moment.”
“Preoccupied?” Lyla repeated with a snort. “He hates me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“And it’s not his either!” she said passionately.
“I know,” Manny scrubbed a hand down his face and looked older than his years. “I can come out of retirement and—”
“No, Manny.”
“Gavin still has a future—”
“And you do too,” she insisted.
“I’m tougher than I look.”
“Neither of you should be doing this. Gavin should be running the casinos, not killing people for revenge. You should be enjoying your retirement, not contemplating going back to a life of crime.”
“I don’t want this to affect your relationship with Gavin.”
“That’s Gavin’s choice.”
Manny took both of her hands in his. “Don’t give up on him. He needs you.”
“He’s losing himself to these people. I wanthim, not all this crap that comes with his job.”
There was a soft popping sound. Lyla turned her head and saw Ricardo topple sideways. Before Lyla could comprehend what she was seeing, men in white masks and black suits glided through the house and joined them in the backyard. Lyla couldn’t catch her breath to scream as Manny rose and pushed her behind him.
“What do you want?” Manny asked.
Two men grabbed Manny by the arms and dragged him into the house. They didn’t touch Lyla, but with a jerk of their guns, indicated that she follow Manny inside. Mind a blank canvas, Lyla obeyed and stopped stock-still beside Ricardo who had been shot through the head. The men dragging Manny threw him on the polished marble like trash in the middle of a circle of men dressed in identical suits and masks. There was an ominous silence in the house and on the grounds. Where was Blade and the rest of Manny’s security? They couldn’tallbe dead, right? Lyla opened her mouth to scream, but a soft voice caught her attention.
“I’ve heard stories about you, mighty crime lord.”
Manny faced a man who had a gentle, pleasant voice that didn’t belong to a killer.
“Funny how you look so harmless, but I know what you’re capable of.”
“Who are you?” Manny asked.
The man gave a mocking bow. “The new crime lord, of course.”
“What do you want?” Manny asked as he braced himself on his hands and knees.
