Sucking in a fortifying breath, she took off, darting toward the thick copse of trees less than fifty meters away. There was nothing between here and there to hide her, and the waxing moon was bright. But she made it, disappearing between a pair of tall trees and running headlong into the woods.

  Branches overhead, mostly devoid of leaves, looked like jagged daggers against the silvery sky. Laila shivered and circled around, trying to get her bearings, but the dense branches and the thick, rolling clouds soon swallowed up the moon.

  Suddenly, the sky turned dark. Panic pressed in. She shivered, arms clasped around herself, in the pitch black.

  A thousand terrible memories pelted her, threatening to unravel her.

  Then she heard the howl of a coyote—too close for comfort. As if that one sang to the rest of its pack, others answered, even closer. More clouds drifted across the sky. The darkness turned blacker, thicker. Then she heard the crunch of leaves. A growl sounded nearby. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She swallowed a scream.

  Laila tried to penetrate the darkness to find a tree she could climb for temporary safety, but she could no longer even see her hand in front of her. Panic flowed like ice in her veins as she spun in a circle to find the direction the growl had come from. She heard it again, this time so near she let out an involuntary shriek.

  Run. She could run. Out of the forest. Back to the campground. Hopefully, the people there would scare away the predatory pack.

  But in the dark, surrounded by trees seemingly closing in, she no longer knew which direction she’d come from.

  Another howl resounded, now right behind her. There was another growl on her left. Then she heard the stampede of animal feet in her direction.

  With a cry, she dashed to the nearest tree and jumped to a low branch, trying to scramble up the rough-barked trunk. It scraped the skin off her knees and flayed a raw patch on her inner thighs, but the snarling below and the snap of sharp teeth blunted everything except her fear.

  Laila could all but feel the coyotes nipping at her heels, hungry for their next meal as she hugged the trunk with all her might. Blood ran down her calves and rolled beneath her feet, warm in the bone-chilling cold, as she reached for the branch directly above.

  It snapped off in her hands and sent her sliding down. Frantically, she clawed at the trunk, reaching blindly for another branch…and wishing like hell she could go back in time even fifteen minutes. Valeria had always said she was too headstrong and independent, that it would be the death of her.

  Laila began to fear her sister was right.

  If she failed to save herself, would Valeria ever know what had happened to her? Or would the coyotes consume her so completely that her body would never be identified?

  No, she couldn’t think that. She could endure bloody knees and raw fingertips. But she could not give up.

  Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. She started and bit back a cry of fear. Who was out there? Why?

  At her feet, a coyote yelped. Then two more shots rang out with deafening bangs. The other two animals scattered, fleeing quickly until she heard nothing but her own harsh breathing and runaway heartbeat. Was the shooter looking to kill her next?

  “Laila!”

  Trees. His footsteps closed in. Clutching the sharp, crumbling trunk in terror, she glanced over her shoulder. He came toward her with long, sure steps, holding a semiautomatic in one hand and a heavy-duty flashlight in the other.

  “Laila! Can you see me? Follow the light.”

  “Trees.” Her whimper cracked.

  He jerked the flashlight her way, and the bright beam landed directly on her. “Son of a bitch!”

  In seconds, he was beside her, wrapping his arm around her and lifting her into his embrace.

  Laila couldn’t remember ever being happier to see anyone in her life.

  She scrambled to face him, throwing her arms around him and clinging to him as if her life depended on it. In truth, it had. If he hadn’t come along and saved her from the coyotes, how much longer could she have dangled before her legs gave out and her fingers bled too much, and she fell to her doom?

  He held her tight against him, as if he’d never let her go. “Are you all right? I saw blood…”

  “None of them bit me. The tree… I was trying to get away.”

  His mouth flattened. “I know you were. Can you walk back?”

  “I think so.” Honestly, she wasn’t sure. Adrenaline scorched through her veins as it drained out, and her legs felt like noodles. But she’d already shown weakness. She refused to crumble and fall now, especially after being so stupidly impulsive and impatient to escape.

  With a clipped nod, he took her hand in his. She hissed at the contact of his skin against her raw abrasions. He released her immediately, giving her palm a once-over. Then he guided the light down her body, focusing on her legs.

  “Fuck. Hold this.” He thrust the flashlight in her hands. “Point it in front of us.”

  Before she could ask why, he bent and lifted her into his arms, against his broad chest.

  She couldn’t explain why, but when he held her close and searched her face with tight anger, she burst into tears.

  Teeth grinding, Trees settled her closer, angling her face toward his shoulder as he stomped away from the coyote bleeding out on the leaf-riddled ground. It wasn’t long before he broke through the trees and onto the campground. He headed straight for the RV and locked them in.

  As soon as he set her down, he flipped on a light, surveyed her with a glance, and cursed.

  He didn’t have to speak another word to make her feel chastened.

  “Trees…” But what could she say that wouldn’t anger him more?

  “Take off your shirt and shorts,” he demanded.

  Laila didn’t ask why. Did he want to have sex with her now? Likely, and she didn’t kid herself. This time he would punish her. There would be no toe-curling pleasure or explosions of bliss. He would use his body to punish her, and he would think she deserved it. She could only blame her own stubbornness and desperation.

  She didn’t fight him, merely peeled the shirt from her skin with a hiss of pain and lifted it over her head. Bark fell from the material onto the vinyl floor with scattered pings. But Trees wasn’t even looking at her, much less like a man who intended to use or humiliate her. Instead, he pulled back the drape over the dining table and peered out as if he searched for trouble while she shimmied out of her denim shorts.

  Laila shivered in the semi-dark, wrapping her arms around herself, terribly aware that she wore only her bra and a tiny pair of panties.

  With a curse, he yanked the drape shut and tossed her one of his big T-shirts. “Put this on and don’t say a word.”

  She did as she was told. His anger was too palpable to defy him.

  The sudden knock made her gasp. She scampered to the shadows and listened as Trees yanked the door open.

  “Howdy, we heard gunshots and saw you carrying someone here. Y’all okay?” said what sounded like an older man with a thick Southern accent.

  “Fine. My wife went walking and stumbled into a pack of coyotes.”

  “They can be a problem around here. She didn’t know?” A gray head appeared in the door, scanning the inside.

  Laila shrank back, trying to disappear into the shadows of the bedroom.

  “She’s not from around here. Thankfully, she wasn’t bitten, just got a few scratches when she fell. Probably needs some first aid, so if you’ll excuse me…”

  “My wife is a retired nurse. I can send her over—”

  “Thank you, but we’re fine. She just needs a few bandages and a good night’s sleep.”

  “Are you sure?” The old man tried to look like an affable good ol’ boy. “I think my wife would rest a whole lot easier if she got a look at your missus.”

  “My wife is very shy and would prefer privacy. But we appreciate the offer.”

  “How about in the morning?”

  “We’ll be gone early. Good night.” Trees slammed the door.

  Laila winced. Since he had done little to allay the man’s suspicions, they would definitely have to flee well before sunrise.

  But she stopped worrying about that when Trees stalked down the middle of the vehicle and headed straight for her like a man on a mission.

  To punish her for running away?

  When he reached the bedroom, she retreated to a corner and watched as he opened a closet and withdrew a black case. “Come here.”

  What would he do? How much would it hurt?

  Laila had never been a coward, and she wasn’t about to start now. But oddly, it wasn’t his physical show of anger she feared. It was his tongue lashing.

  Slowly, arms clutched in front of her, she made her way toward him.

  “Shirt off. Lie down. Arms at your sides.”

  She shuddered but complied.

  With an angry huff, Trees flipped on the bedside light. “Where does it hurt most?”

  Everywhere, to be honest. She felt as if her entire body had been abraded by steel wool until she bled.

  “M-my thighs.”

  Grimly, he nodded. “Stay here.”

  He stomped into the bathroom and flipped on the water. Minutes later, he returned with a warm, damp towel. Laila expected him to drag it across her raw, sensitive skin to teach her a lesson. Instead, he gently settled the cloth over her scrapes.

  He wasn’t punishing her but rendering first aid?

  When she tensed at the sting, he cupped her shoulder. “I know, little one. But we’ve got to get you clean so infection doesn’t set in.”

  He repeated the process twice more, pausing to pluck out pieces of bark and splinters meticulously before he cleaned the area. Then he opened the black case and rummaged through first aid supplies to apply antiseptic. It burned like hell, but she endured in lip-biting silence.

  He repeated the process everywhere else on her body, his hands moving gently yet thoroughly. He followed that by giving her a couple of ibuprofen and a cup of water. Once she’d swallowed both dutifully, he sat and pulled her into his lap. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I have to reach my sister. She needs me.”

  “We’re heading to Louisiana in the morning.”

  Shock flared, followed by hope. “I did not know.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  True. She should have. “I am sorry if I caused you problems.”

  “Since I picked you up in that alley, you’ve caused nothing but problems. If I weren’t so angry right now, I’d paddle your ass.”

  Laila reared back. “Because you want to humiliate me?”

  “Because the stunt you pulled tonight deserves punishment. I suspect getting the hell scared out of you was a punishment all its own, but if that’s what it takes for you to finally fucking grasp that we’re on the same team…”

  She looked away. “Thank you for saving me.”

  He took her chin in his strong grip and forced her stare to his. “I’m always going to save you.”

  “It is your job.”

  “It is. But after tonight, it’s my responsibility. My right.” Suddenly, he set her aside and stood, towering over her. “Or maybe I’m fucking kidding myself.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “Why did you seduce me earlier?”

  Laila stared at him, not sure how to answer.

  “It wasn’t because you wanted me, was it? Or because you wanted to know what I feel like. It definitely wasn’t because you would feel safer with me if we fucked. Was it?”

  She bit her lip. If she admitted the truth, would he stop talking to her? Funny, in some ways she feared that more than him hitting her.

  “Not going to ’fess up to the fact you wanted to make sure I was good and asleep so you could sneak out and run away again? Not going to look me in the eye and tell me that what we did in this bed earlier didn’t mean a goddamn thing to you?”

  If she told him it had, he wouldn’t believe her now. Instead, she swallowed, curled her knees up to her chest, then wrapped her arms around them. “Sometimes, Victor or Hector would get too rough with me. I learned that when I gave them orgasms with my mouth, they would calm and go to sleep. I did not expect you to want more.”

  “Than your obligatory blow job?” Trees reared back. “No matter what I’ve said or done over the past few days, you’re still determined to cast me in the role of villain.”

  What did he want from her? Everyone in Emilo’s compound who had ever claimed he intended to help her had merely wanted pleasure. Once they had tumbled her a few times, they had been far less motivated to improve her situation or help her escape—and that’s if Hector and Victor didn’t find out someone had poached their “property.” When they had, her “helper” hadn’t lived long.

  “I do not understand you,” she said softly.

  “It’s fucking simple, Laila. I was hired to protect you until we could find another safe house closer to the team. You’ve done your best to defy and undermine me at every turn. And trick me. Can’t forget that…”

  She had responded to Trees with uncertainty and mistrust. But what else did she have to compare him to except criminals and rapists?

  “Why did you have sex with me?” She turned the question on him. “You are angry with me for seducing you, but you could have said no. You did not because you wanted…what? Gratification? Easy pussy? The power of mounting and penetrating a woman smaller and weaker?”

  Trees huffed out a bitter laugh. “No, I’m an idiot because I just wanted you. When I was inside you, I told you that I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you. That wasn’t a lie. I’m not interested in easy lays or cheap thrills. If I wanted a booty call, I could pick up the phone and have multiple choices. But I don’t because I’m over sex that has zero meaning. And I’m the schmuck for hoping that what we did tonight meant anything to you except the means to an end.”

  A wave of shame overcame her. Usually, she didn’t bother with guilt. It had no place in survival. When every breath, every morsel of food, and every bit of clothing was dependent on catering to monsters’ whims, she had done her best to reserve all emotions for her family.

  But Trees had slipped under her defenses. “I am sorry. It seems you are not like Victor, Hector, and their ilk.”

  And she meant that. More than once, she had apologized to one of Emilo’s men without meaning it. How did she make Trees believe her now? His hand was inches from her. Perhaps if she reached for it, wrapped her fingers in his, and squeezed… But too much anger poured off of him. She doubted he would welcome her touch.

  Laila kept her hands to herself.

  “You’re damned right I’m not.” He knelt in front of her. “You can’t fake orgasms like that.”

  Women did that? “I did not.”

  “You felt something with me,” he growled.

  She had. Something she didn’t understand. Something that terrified her. Every other man lorded the power of violence and pain over her body. But Trees…he had the power of pleasure. He knew how to make her body melt, to make her thoughts float away like smoke, and how to make her entire being surrender to a blinding ecstasy she’d never thought possible. He had more power over her body than she did, and that terrified her.

  Not for anything would she admit that.

  “No reply, huh?” he challenged, then shook his head. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to be a job, and I was wrong to take you up on your oral offer. For the rest of the trip, it will be strictly professional. And by tomorrow night, we’ll be in Louisiana, and I’ll do my best to make sure you’re someone else’s problem.”

  He turned away, slamming the bathroom door when it blocked his path, and rummaged through his duffel. Moments later, he turned back to her, padded cuffs in hand. “Give me your wrists.”

  She shrank back.

  “I told you what would happen if you ran from me again.”

  He had, and she had believed him. But she hadn’t had a choice. “Please…”

  Laila hated the whine in her voice, the fear racing through her veins. It made her feel weak to beg for his mercy. After everything tonight, she didn’t expect him to have any.

  “Fuck me…” With a sigh, he marched back to the front of the RV, flipped on every light, dragged out his tools, and in a handful of minutes installed the lock he’d bought to secure the door from the inside. “There. No cuffs. But you’re not going anywhere.”

  “I will not try.”

  “Trust is a two-way street, honey. So excuse me if I don’t believe you. Go to sleep.”

  Trees turned away, utterly ignoring her as he doffed his boots, shirt, and jeans, then settled into the bed, turned out the lights, and rolled away.

  Laila stayed awake, listening to his even, raspy breaths, drowning in regret and guilt. Sleep was a long time coming.

  Trees couldn’t remember a shittier night of sleep. Or a more tense day as he drove a circuitous route through parts of Alabama and Mississippi, avoiding highways and cities, before finally approaching Lafayette. When he had stopped for gas earlier, he’d called Zy and asked if there was anywhere besides his place to drop Laila off.

  Of course there wasn’t. He was stuck with a woman whose finger he’d mentally put a ring on, impregnated twice, and pledged his undying love to while she had merely fucked him to get away.

  Good job reading the room, moron.

  Worse, except when she was talking to Valeria about Jorge’s worsening condition, she was too quiet. Not sulky but withdrawn. Remorseful? He didn’t know. He didn’t exactly make the effort to strike up a conversation. The stupid-ass part of him wanted to hold her, talk to her, resolve their strife. But he’d been too angry to handle last night well, and she was too damaged to believe anything he said.

  They were a recipe for disaster. He needed to stop obsessing about her and move on.