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She changed after witnessing Manny’s demise at the hands of the sadistic crime lord. Seeing Jonathan made her realize how far off the path she’d traveled. It forced her to look at her life, and it was uncomfortable. She’d seen and experienced things Jonathan never would and that colored her world in shades of gray. She hoped once they discovered Sadist’s identity, she and Gavin could settle into some kind of normal. Until then, she would live under the suffocating security blanket Gavin provided.
She went inside and stretched out on the couch across from Carmen. Even in sleep, her cousin looked photo-shoot ready. She inwardly snorted and checked on Nora from her phone. Her daughter was sucking her thumb. She listened to her daughter’s quick breaths and shut her eyes.
4
Lyla
“Lyla.”
She opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she was stretched out on the couch in the living room. Gavin sat beside her, hand on her hip while he held Nora in the crook of his arm.
“She’s hungry, and there aren’t any bottles in the fridge,” he said.
She sat up and smiled at Nora who drooled over his pristine slacks. She glanced at the couch where Carmen had been and found it empty. She yawned as she shifted her dress aside to nurse Nora.
“What time is it?”
“Four,” he said.
“That was a long nap.”
When he didn’t reply, she looked up and found him watching her closely.
“What?” she asked.
“We argued today.”
“I know.”
“I’m doing this to keep you safe.”
He wouldn’t let up. She hadn’t even been up for five minutes, and he was already drilling her. No, she would never have a restful life with Gavin.
“You’re donating so much money to a good cause, and I want to help.”
“There will be other events.”
“I want to go, Gavin.”
A muscle clenched in his jaw. “You’re pissing me off.”
“Why?”
“You’re being distant and bitchy.”
She said nothing.
“You’re still doing it.”
“I’m a human being. I have emotions. I can’t ditch them as easily as you do.”
He tensed. “There it is again. What the hell happened at that meeting with Alice?”
“This has nothing to do with Alice.”
“Then what is it about?”
Nora made an urgent sound, clearly uneasy about their heated tones. Lyla made comforting sounds and angled her body away from Gavin.
