AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did you stay with your booty call all night?” His black eyes flicked to her, telling her without words that he didn’t want to discuss this, but she needed a distraction, and he was the only one here. “Do you go to a strip club to pick someone?”
He folded the paper and picked up his bowl.
“Come on, Blade.”
“Gavin said no training.” Blade soaked his bowl in the sink and then turned to her. “And I didn’t stay out all night. My watch went off during your nightmare, and I took Nora downstairs while Gavin disciplined you.”
She flushed with mortification. Blade sure knew how to put her in her place.
“From the looks of it, he took it easy on you.”
She gaped. “Are you fucking serious?”
His eyes flicked to Nora again, and this time, he actually looked upset. “Watch it.”
“You think he took it easy on me? I won’t be able to sit down for days!”
“At least you can stand.”
She stared at him. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “You marked him.”
She stomped her foot. “A tinyscratch!”
“Gavin’s on a hair trigger, and he doesn’t have another outlet.”
“And I’m supposed to be the punching bag?”
“You can channel his energy any way you choose. I’d say from his mood this morning, he enjoyed it, so keep doing whatever you want, just be prepared for consequences.”
“You guys are messed up.” Blade was like a fucked-up Yoda, giving her advice to tame Gavin.
“You’re dressed to go out,” he said, ignoring her outrage.
“I’m taking the dogs to Aunt Isabel’s.”
He glanced at his watch. “Departure time about an hour from now?”
“Yes.”
He reached for his phone and began to make some calls. Blade and Gavin weren’t taking any chances. She had an escort of ten to twenty guards whether she was going to the salon or her aunt’s house. The security detail would meet to discuss the route and have an emergency plan in place before they left.
Blade wandered out of the room, leaving her with Nora. She went to the baby and ran her finger along her daughter’s tiny neck and shivered. Killing her father and Steven in cold blood changed her. She didn’t think the same, and her moral compass hadn’t found a true North yet. There was a darkness inside her that she couldn’t purge. Now she knew what she was capable of. She would maim, murder, and torture to protect or avenge. What kind of mother was she? At times, she wanted to confide in Gavin, Blade, or Carmen about her dreams, fears, and sanity, but she already knew what they would say. Either they would placate her and say it would pass, or tell her they had the same dark thoughts. She wasn’t sure which was worse.
Nora reached for her. She hesitated before she picked up her child. She held Nora close and breathed in her scent. She would protect Nora even from herself.
An hour later, they piled into an SUV with Blade riding shotgun and the dogs, Nora, and herself in the back. Three SUVs accompanied them to Aunt Isabel’s new home that she shared with her fiancé. They pulled up to a picturesque house with a garden, tidy lawn, and even a white picket fence. Lyla climbed out of the SUV and paused to take it in while she held Nora on her hip. She had a moment of deja vu even though she had never been here before. This house was what she had pictured for herself. A simple home and the love of a kind man. It was a dream that would never be fulfilled.
“Dada,” Nora said, reminding Lyla of the irrevocable path she was already on.
She pressed her forehead against Nora’s. “I know, baby.”
Aunt Isabel opened the front door and waved. “Come in!”
Blade let the dogs out, and they bolted for her aunt. She walked up to the door, flanked by security. She had to nudge her guards out of the way so she could hug her.
“Last night was wonderful,” Aunt Isabel said warmly as she took Nora who kicked her legs excitedly.
