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I watched the light fade from his eyes. He was dead within seconds. I expected to feel loss or fear…something that would indicate that a member of my family died in front of me. But the only thing I felt was intense relief.
Omar dropped the corpse in his arms. It hit the ground with a heavy thud. I stared at it for a long moment, and then slowly, I lifted my eyes to meet Omar's.
CHAPTER36
Omar
“What thehellare you doing here?” I demanded.
Lyse clicked the safety back on the gun and dropped it on the ground. Then she sprinted across the room and flung herself into my arms. I squeezed her so hard that I worried she would shatter.
Then I set her down on her feet, dumbfounded as I grabbed her by the shoulders, intending to shake the life out of her for daring to come back here. But the more that I touched her, the more I needed to hold her. I pulled her against my chest again, groaning softly when her arms immediately wrapped around me, holding me just as tightly in return. I buried my face in her sweet-smelling hair. “What are you doing here,conejita?”
“Saving your ass, apparently,” Lyse griped, but her words were muffled against my neck. I could feel the wetness of her tears soaking into my shirt. “You were letting him win.”
It wasn’t a question, and I cringed. “I didn’t, though,” I said, not trying to defend myself. “He’s gone now, and we’re here, together.”
She cried harder. “Don’t ever leave me again, all right? That was shitty.”
“If you’re with me, you’re in danger,” I said, tipping her chin up so that she was looking at me. “I love you too much for you to be in that close proximity to violence all the time.”
“You…you love me?” she asked.
“Was that ever in question?”
Lyse let out a shuddery breath, and more tears fell from her eyes. “You left me,” she said softly. “You put me on a train.”
“BecauseI love you. Because I wanted to give you freedom and keep you safe,conejita,” I said. “You deserve to live the life that you’ve always wanted.”
She shook her head, and when I cupped her cheek, she leaned into it. “I can’t do that without you,” she said. “I had the ability to run and do everything that I have ever wanted to do…and I got off the train after less than ten minutes because of you.”
I tried to frown, but there was a warm fondness spreading through my chest. “Masochist,” I accused.
“No,” she said. “I’m just a woman in love.”
My breath caught. “In love?”
Lyse nodded. “I love you, too, Omar. Don’t send me away again.”
“I won’t,” I promised. I kissed her, hissing a little when she slid her arms across my torso.
Lyse pulled back, frowning. “Could you, maybe, stop getting the absolute shit beat out of you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without bruises all over your face.” Her fingers brushed against a sore spot on my cheek, and I did my best not to pull away.
“I’ll work on that,” I said, but the aches and pains were already fading from the forefront of my mind. I wanted…no, Ineededher. I always wanted her; it was a given that there was always a thrum of desire simmering in my gut whenever I looked at her. But this need to have her, despite my injuries, was a force too powerful to resist. It didn’t matter if I ached afterward, so long as I got her underneath me, making those beautifully soft, pleading sounds. “Come with me.”
Her eyes strayed to Jesus’s body. “Seriously? We’re just going to…leave him there?”
“Efrain will come for him. Helena can handle the clean-up.”
“What about the fire?”
I let her go long enough to peek out the window. Everything was destroyed: there was a very good chance that the Rojas family would get what they wanted after all. Once the Syndicate knew that we’d destroyed their property, whether it was our fault or not, they’d turn on Angel. It was not going to be good.Fucking hell. I should call Angel and tell him…but thatneedstill boiled in my gut. It was hard to even contemplate how much shit we were going to be in when all I wanted was to be in Lyse’s arms. “They’ve got it nearly out,” I told her. I would call and tell Angel later when I was of clearer mind.
“It’s all just managing at this point. They don’t need us right now.”
“That doesn’t sound very fair.”
“It’s their job,conejita.” I took her hand and led her away from the bloody mess. “I need to get clean, anyway.”
