“Your whole body is trembling. With need. For me.” He slid his fingers beneath the elastic of her underwear again and dragged his rough fingers over her clit. “You’re getting close to orgasm, aren’t you?”

  Laila did her best to hold out, panting her way through a rise of pleasure that was lighting up her body and setting her skin on fire.

  “Aren’t you?” He spanked her pussy again, this time even harder than the last.

  Another strangled, shuddering cry slipped out against her will. She dug her nails into his arms and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on holding back her peak, on not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he could manipulate her body to respond to him so utterly and so easily.

  “Come on. I want your fucking honesty,” he growled as he skimmed her bare sex again, his big fingers circling her nub once more. “Are you about to come?”

  Yes. She ground her teeth together. Stubbornly, she shook her head.

  “If you don’t want this, stop me. I taught you the word. You know it. All you have to do is say red.”

  He would stop—everything. She might not know this aggressive, confrontational Trees, but she believed he would honor that safe word.

  Laila couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was wrong and it was weak, but she needed his touch too much to make him stop. “Shut up.”

  “Bad girls don’t get orgasms. They do without.” He ripped his hand free from her underwear again and landed three hard, rapid spanks on her pussy.

  The air left her lungs. Her whole body jolted. Pleasure disintegrated her resistance. Her legs collapsed beneath her, leaving her no choice but to give herself over to Trees. Her head lolled back against him, her breaths hot, hard blades cutting through her chest as she went up in flames.

  Climax was right there…

  Then suddenly, his hands were gone.

  Her eyes fluttered open. Disoriented, she blinked and tried to take a steadying breath. Her nipples felt beyond engorged. Her sex throbbed in relentless need. Laila didn’t want him to stop. But she didn’t want to let him go.

  She was terrified.

  Laila whirled on him with a frown, shocked when she caught sight of a syringe in his hand. Her eyes went wide. She tried to step back.

  He held firm.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice shook.

  “You picked the hard way, honey. I gave you chances to be honest and you chose to lie. So I’m making sure you can’t run. Your sister wants you close, not in Mexico where you’re not safe. It’s time you stopped playing dangerous games with dangerous people. And I want you in my fucking bed, all to myself.”

  Her eyes widened, and a protest formed on her lips, but he’d already pressed the needle into her neck. Seconds later, her world went black.

  Lafayette, Louisiana

  Laila woke groggy and disoriented. Her head felt fuzzy. How long had she been out? She had no idea. She wasn’t even sure where she was except in a moving vehicle with the sun beating through the windshield, blinding her sensitive eyes. Every one of her limbs seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

  “You awake?”

  That voice…it was familiar. She’d heard it in her sweetest dreams. But it also haunted a nightmare that tugged at the edge of her consciousness.

  Instinctively, her heart beat faster. Her breaths came quicker.

  It took all her concentration and most of her strength, but she turned her head and found the man who stopped her heart. “Trees.”

  The last time she’d seen him, at her condo in Mexico… It all rushed back. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Right now? To Valeria. We landed in Louisiana about twenty minutes ago. She and Jorge are eager to see you.”

  Panic filled her. She tried to swim through the thick cotton wrapped around her thoughts and remember why she shouldn’t want to see her sister. It was like casting a line into a yawning abyss. “No. I cannot.”

  His face softened. “You’re worried about their safety.”

  “Yes.” That was it.

  “We aren’t being followed. I’m making sure of that. You’ll have an hour with them.”

  Then what?

  Laila’s mouth felt dry and sour. A result of the drug he had given her. She swallowed.

  As if Trees had read her thoughts, he handed her an unopened bottle of water. His other hand was curled around the wheel. The sunglasses perched on his nose, his head-to-toe black, not to mention his size, all made him intensely intimidating.

  She took the cool plastic, screwed off the cap, and downed a few sips. It helped, but she still didn’t feel like herself.

  Laila shifted in her seat, startled to see that he’d clothed her in a bright sundress and a sweater. Where had these clothes come from? Had he dressed her himself?

  That wasn’t all she noticed… Despite the fact she’d been out for hours, her sex still felt sensitive, swollen. Memories rushed sensations through her body, as if every nerve ending remembered the pleasure only he seemed capable of giving her.

  Again, he read her mind. “We should talk about what happened.”

  “No. You should return me to Mexico.”

  “That’s not happening. Is your pussy sore?”

  She closed her eyes, an unwanted thrill burning her skin. He knew the answer. He must. The way he’d growled the question… She heard the pulse of his excitement. Giving him the truth terrified her. It would make him more feral. More relentless. More possessive. It would embolden him to lay claim to her. Best to come at Trees sideways. “Is Geraldo Montilla dead?”

  He pressed his lips together. “We don’t know. My gut says no. Injured, yes. I know that because I shot the bastard myself. Now answer my question.”

  She didn’t. Her heart went to her throat. “You were involved in Kimber’s rescue?”

  “How did you know about that?”

  Carajo, she had said too much, so she gave him the one answer that might shut down conversation. “Victor.”

  Well, his phone had given her the information. It wasn’t a total lie.

  “Why weren’t you with him when I found you? Last we heard, Montilla sent his hitmen after Ramos at some motel—I guess that’s where you filmed him fucking you—but by the time they arrived, Ramos was gone. So were you.”

  So Victor hadn’t been captured and offed by Montilla’s men. Then where was he?

  “Laila?” Trees prompted impatiently.

  Admitting that she’d ditched Victor days ago would only encourage Trees in his insistence that she belonged to him. “I-I…um, have a headache.”

  From the middle console, he pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen and a granola bar. “I thought you might.”

  Laila took the items with a frown. She didn’t understand Trees. He’d threatened her, he’d unleashed his sexuality on her, he’d withheld orgasm, and he’d abducted her. Why was he caring for her now? Being considerate?

  She studied him as she chewed a couple of bites of the bar, then downed a pair of the tablets and drank more of the cool agua. His strong profile, his control of the wheel, his focus on the road… Something about all that aroused her. She shifted in her seat. Her sex burned. “Thank you.”

  As she set the bottle in the cupholder, Trees zipped his gaze her way. “Why, Laila? And before you think of lying to me, I know you hadn’t been with Ramos for a while. Your sister told me.”

  Why would Valeria give up her confidences? Come to think of it, Trees should never have been able to find her…unless her sister helped. Had Valeria divulged her secrets in some misguided attempt to protect her?

  Laila’s ire rose. Valeria must know she was doing her best to keep her family safe. More than anyone, her sister should understand the consequences of failure. Laila had to be the one to get the cartels off their backs. Jorge needed his mother. Valeria must stay alive to raise her son. While Laila often wondered…if something happened to her, who, besides her sister, would even miss her?

  She turned again to look at Trees. He might. This big, dominating bundle of muscle and testosterone seemed determined to have her. To own her. He might mourn her death and yearn for her if she was gone. But why?

  If he loved you two weeks ago, could he have truly fallen out of love after you sent him one awful video?

  Why did the possibility that he still loved her make her heart flutter? Why should his feelings matter?

  Because he did. Because she loved him. Lying to herself about that was foolish.

  “I tried to give Victor’s location to someone in Montilla’s organization in exchange for information that might ensure my family’s safety.”

  He raised a brow. “You tried?”

  “Victor had an informant. Someone in Montilla’s inner circle.” She licked her lips. Her next admission would tell Trees so much… “I offered him the location of his boss’s car and the man who had stolen it if he told me where to find Kimber.”

  Trees sent her a weighty stare. “So you sold Ramos out. Then you called Valeria with the information, and she passed it to EM Security.”

  She nodded. “Now Kimber is safe, yes? How is she?”

  “Better than expected. No one raped, beat, tortured, or starved her.”

  “They would not. She was too valuable a pawn to risk. If they had abducted her to exploit her or to use her as an instrument of revenge, their treatment would have been much different.”

  “Makes sense that they didn’t abuse her. They always intended to exchange her.”

  “For Valeria and Jorge. That is why I tried to beat them at their own game.”

  “Gutsy,” Trees said with admiration, then his expression became a glower. “But dangerous and absolutely forbidden in the future. You won’t do that again.”

  Laila didn’t refute him. It would only start an argument, but she couldn’t afford to let him dictate if or how she kept her family safe.

  “How long before we reach my sister?” She pulled down the visor and stared in the little mirror, blanching at the mussiness of her curls as she tried finger-combing them into submission.

  “Just a few minutes.”

  That was a relief. Sitting this close to Trees, knowing he was furious, yet remembering how he made her feel when he’d touched her… She fidgeted anxiously.

  Who do you think you’ll be with once the visit to your sister is over?

  Trees. And God only knew what he would do to her next.

  “Now answer my earlier question. Is your pussy sore?”

  She changed the subject again. “Where are my things?”

  Trees clenched his teeth in anger. “In the back seat. I cleared out the condo. There’s no trace of you left. If either Ramos or Montilla’s men come looking for you, they’ll find nothing. I even paid the sisters who own the place to swear you were never there.”

  He’d thought of everything. Laila supposed she should be grateful. She hadn’t wanted to admit that she might be in over her head, but she couldn’t afford to stop, not until Montilla and Victor were both dead.

  “Thank you for packing up everything.”

  He cut her a glance as he rolled down the highway. “But not for taking you from Mexico?”

  Since she would rather not lie to him, she pressed her lips together, not saying a word.

  He sighed. “You know, once we’re done here, I’ll take you home. Then you’ll answer to me.”

  “You do not own me.”

  “I don’t. But I’m responsible for you.” He slid his free hand to her thigh and his fingers tightened. “I’ll do whatever I need to keep you safe. And let me be clear. The corrective discipline I mentioned in Mexico? That’s still coming to you. Is your pussy sore? I’m not going to ask you again.”

  Laila remained mute as Trees pulled into the parking lot of an upscale apartment complex, drove straight to a building on the edge of the property, then turned to her, his expression sharp. “Laila?”

  “My sister has been staying here?”

  He nodded. “Since she and Kane arrived from Florida. Sit there. I’ll come around for you.”

  Did he think she was going to run?

  With a sigh, Laila let herself out of the vehicle. When he rounded the back and saw her on her feet, he glowered. “You don’t listen well.”

  “I heard you.” She smoothed down her dress.

  When she looked up, he was against her, pressing her against his Hummer. He took her chin in his grip. “Then you need to learn to obey.”

  She raised a challenging brow at him. “You need to learn that I will bow to no man.”

  “I don’t want you to bow, honey. I want you to kneel.” He shocked her by leaning in and raking his tongue up the side of her neck. “To learn to trust me to keep you safe.” Then he smacked her ass with his big, broad palm. “And to fucking answer my questions.”

  “You do not—”

  “Get to tell you what to do? We’ll see about that—after you visit your sister.” Trees gripped her arm and led her up a flight of stairs, to a nondescript front door, then knocked. “And you’ll be very sorry you refused to answer me.”

  The fear and thrill that jolted her veins startled Laila.

  Before she could think of something to say, Kane Preston answered and ushered them in, scanning the lot before shutting and locking the door.

  “We’re clear,” Trees said.

  Kane nodded, then turned to her. “Hi, Laila. Valeria is eager to see you.”

  Oh, she wanted to speak to her sister, too. “Where is she?”

  “Changing Jorge,” he added. “She’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kane offered them a drink, which they both declined. Together, they made their way to the sofa and sat in uncomfortable silence. Thankfully, Valeria emerged with her long hair piled on top of her head and Jorge in her arms, looking adorably fresh from a bath with slicked-down hair and a dimpled smile.

  Laila jumped up from the sofa. “Sobrino!”

  Valeria handed Jorge to her with a soft glance of love. “He missed you.”

  “I missed him.” She clutched the boy close, basking in the hint of his powdery baby smell. “It has only been three weeks since I saw him, but he has grown so much!”

  Her sister nodded. “More every day, it seems.”

  “He is recovered from his illness?”

  “Completely.”

  “Good.” Laila swallowed, then looked at her sister with a million questions in her eyes. She didn’t dare ask them in front of Trees and Kane. And if she switched to Spanish, Kane would understand. They needed privacy. “Where can we talk?”

  Valeria hesitated. Clearly, her sister knew she was displeased.

  “The bedroom?” Kane offered.

  Laila nodded to her sister. “I will follow you.”

  Clutching Jorge, she kissed his little head as she and Valeria made their way to the back of the small but comfortable unit. Inside, she sat on the edge of the bed and bounced Jorge on her knee.

  Valeria shut the door. “We are alone.”

  “Why did you betray me? Why did you tell Trees where to find me?”

  Apology softened her face. “Because I am worried about you.”

  “I am doing all I can to keep you and Jorge safe.”

  “If you had asked me, I would have told you not to risk your life. I pay EM Security to do that.”

  Laila huffed. She understood her sister’s perspective, but as before, they saw this matter differently. “They have yet to succeed. If I do it myself, I know it will be done.”

  “At what cost?” Valeria took Jorge from her, set him in the playpen, then turned back to her. “You are my only sister. Other than Jorge, you are my only family. You worry about us—”

  “Of course I do.”

  “We worry about you.”

  “So you sent Trees to stop me?”

  “I sent Trees to make sure you stop baiting dangerous men who would make your end terrifying and awful simply for the sport of it and leave me without the sister I love. We have been apart for too long. After I escaped, I felt incredibly guilty that circumstances did not allow me to bring you along. I could not save you for nearly two years. I did not risk everything to get you free so that you could throw yourself back to the wolves in some misguided attempt to save me. Stop sacrificing yourself for everyone else and start living for yourself.”

  Laila sighed. Of course Valeria saw the situation that way. And she could hardly tell her older sister to care less. “As Emilo’s wife, you did not see the worst of his men, of their plans. You do not grasp how they think. You do not understand just how ruthless—”

  “They can be?” Valeria laughed bitterly. “My husband did not love me. He did not even like me. To survive, I had to learn his business, hoard information, figure out how to manipulate him and those around him to provide for my own comfort, as well as yours and Mamá’s.” Then her sister seemed to remember Laila’s reality, and her voice grew small. “Or I tried. I had no idea what was happening to you…”

  “We have been over this. You could not have known. Emilo made sure of it.”

  “But I should have guessed.” Valeria did not often cry, but she looked close to breaking down.

  She had also inadvertently made the point Laila had been trying to. “You did not because you do not understand the criminals and degenerates of that horrible cartel.”

  Her sister fell silent, gripping the side of the playpen as if she needed the support and strength. “If I could tear the whole thing down, I would. Today. In one fell swoop. I would wipe it off the planet and I would laugh.”

  “I know.” Laila would like that, too. But she understood full well that something more violent would only grow and metastasize into that criminal space. Because she was a realist, she had been happy to settle for eliminating the people who wanted her and her sister dead. “Why did you send Trees after me?”