A few miles from his place, he sent a text to Zy. There in ten. Everything ready?

  Yep, Zy wrote back.

  Thank god. I need to be more than a foot away from this woman.

  It was late when he finally steered the lumbering RV down the dirt road to his house outside of town. The gate was open, the lights on, and the security relaxed. Zy stepped onto the front porch with a wave just before he pulled around the back of the house so no one could see the RV from the road. Then he cut the engine and heaved a huge sigh.

  One trial down, a whole new tribulation about to begin. Laila would be staying here indefinitely.

  As Trees stood and pocketed the keys, Zy jogged around his brick ranch house. Trees opened the RV door. Despite the chilly breeze, he stepped out happily and stretched. “Hey. So fucking glad that’s over.”

  “I’m glad for you, man. Good to have you back.”

  It was good to be back, especially with his best friend, who would understand how rough it had been with Laila since he’d had problems of his own with Tessa. But when he looked at Zy, it was obvious something was wrong. “You look like shit.”

  “Well, stress, lack of sleep, and your girlfriend looking for the politest way possible to tell you to fuck off will do that.”

  Hadn’t they just recently—finally—gotten together? And everything had already gone to hell? Trees hated to keep thinking the worst, but Tessa didn’t seem like the kind of head case who would sabotage a new relationship with someone as awesome as Zy…unless she was guilty of something. Spying for the enemy, maybe? “No shit?”

  Zy nodded. “It’s been one of the worst weeks ever.”

  “Sorry, man.” Trees clapped his arm, not sure what else to say. Bad-mouthing Tessa to Zy wouldn’t make his friend see her as a suspect, so he bit his tongue.

  Behind him, he sensed Laila and glanced over his shoulder to find her staring out the window over the dining table. She was a silhouette in the near dark. Her coffee-colored hair flowed past the satiny ribbon wrapped around her slender neck he hadn’t seen her wear before. The tails of her choker and her abundant tresses floated down to her tits, barely covered by a pink tank. Half her damn midriff was bare. Beneath the tight, ought-to-be-illegal shorts, she flashed sleek legs. Yeah, he needed to fucking stop staring. His head and his heart both knew that. His cock wasn’t on board with logic yet. It just wanted her.

  “Did you bring everything I asked for?” he asked Zy.

  “Yeah,” Zy confirmed. “I had a little trouble. It took a couple of stores to find the right clothes, but it worked out.”

  Trees breathed a sigh of relief. “I owe you.”

  Behind him, he heard Laila’s soft footfalls. Automatically, he held his hand out to her to assist her down. He told himself it was because of her injuries. But he was bullshitting himself and he knew it.

  She laid her small fingers across his meaty ones and seemed to float down the steps, despite being barefoot. But she was gorgeous everywhere, even her dainty, polished toes as she scanned his property.

  Trees knew exactly who she was searching for, and he wondered how long it would take her to realize her family wasn’t here. He wasn’t taking her to them, either. He’d put off that conversation because he knew fireworks would ensue. And yes, he knew it would blow up in his face.

  “Hi, Laila.” Zy stuck out his hand. “You may not remember me. I’m Zy.”

  She peered at him, then looked down at his hand, dragging in a breath—for courage?—and shook it. “Hello. Is Señor Walker coming?”

  Trees leaned in, less than pleased. “She likes him.”

  “I trust him,” Laila corrected.

  And she still didn’t trust him. That went both ways.

  Then she brushed past them, curling her arms around her tiny middle to ward off the cool evening wind.

  “See what I’ve been dealing with?” he grumbled as she headed toward the house, wincing as she tiptoed over dead branches and crisp fallen leaves with her bare feet.

  “Are all her clothes that…brief?”

  Trees rubbed at his eyes. “That’s her modest outfit.”

  Zy’s eyes bulged, then he shook his head. “Well, I brought her sweatpants and oversized T-shirts, just like you asked.”

  “Thank god. Maybe that will cool things off between us.” Or at least help him stop wanting her so bad it nearly brought him to his knees every fucking time he looked at her.

  “Sorry, buddy.”

  Trees groaned. “Can’t you come stay with her for a few days? Maybe by then I can jack off enough to get some of the blood back to my brain.”

  “Nope. Whatever you do with your meat, keep that shit to yourself. But a word of advice? Don’t fuck the client.”

  Too late.

  “Technically, she isn’t the client.” Not that it would stop the bosses from firing him if they found out. He was already on thin ice.

  “Valeria doesn’t like the way you look at Laila,” Zy reminded.

  “Which is a really good reason for Kane and me to switch assignments. He can watch Laila, and I’ll keep an eye on Valeria and her baby. Problem solved.”

  “No can do.”

  Because, according to the trio of cocksuckers they worked for, he was the mole. Of course they weren’t going to let him anywhere near Valeria. If anything happened to her, their reputation would be toast and there would be hell to pay. He understood. He just didn’t know how to prove that he wasn’t guilty.

  “What else do you need here?” his buddy asked, seemingly eager to change the subject.

  “You in a hurry?”

  “Not so much me, but I’m assuming the sooner you let her into your place, the sooner she can cover up everything tempting you.”

  “Good point.” He headed for the house. “Anything new?”

  Zy dodged the question. “Let’s go inside.”

  That didn’t sound good, and he needed to focus on business.

  Trees opened the back door and let Laila in. “Come with me.”

  Zy hung back in the kitchen as Trees touched a hand to the small of her back and ushered her forward. Even that small touch had him sweating. Memories of her kisses, her touches, her body surrounding him as he impaled her deep just wouldn’t be banished, no matter how hard he tried.

  “Where are we?” She took in the shadowy house, gaze jerking all around. “This is not an apartment building, and we are not in Lafayette.”

  Couldn’t say she wasn’t observant…

  “My place. We’ll be staying here for a few days.”

  She whirled on him. “Why are you not taking me to my sister? You promised—”

  “I said we were heading to Louisiana, and that’s where we are.”

  “You deceived me.”

  “No, you assumed I was taking you to your sister.” He hated using the bait-and-switch on her. She would see it as a betrayal. “We’re still not sure that location is safe. So you’re staying here until the bosses decide otherwise. I know you’re disappointed, but it’s not my decision. Take it up with Valeria. She signed off on this plan.”

  “But you had no problem lying to me.” Laila jerked from his touch.

  “I didn’t enjoy it.” Trees nudged her across the living room, down the hall, and into the guest room, then he flipped on the light. “You can put your things here. Shower if you want. Or go to bed. I’ll be with Zy. And by the way, I’ve outfitted the house with the best security. No one is getting in—or out—without me knowing in a handful of seconds. And even if you managed to make it off the property, I’m at least thirty miles from civilization in every direction. It will be forty-four degrees tonight. And if you thought the wildlife in Alabama was scary, it’s a lot more deadly out here. Get comfortable. I’ll be back.”

  Trees closed the door on her silent fuming, shutting her inside. He had the house alarm armed thirty seconds later, and he tried to relax…but he didn’t dare. Laila wasn’t done trying to reach her sister. He knew that as sure as he knew his own name.

  He stomped back to the kitchen and plucked a bottle of beer from the fridge. “Thank you for picking these up for me. I need one.”

  Before he could open the bottle, Zy stopped him. “They’re not cold.”

  Yeah, his pal probably hadn’t been here long enough to fridge them.

  “I don’t even fucking care. That woman…” She was driving him to drink—literally.

  “You can’t imbibe on the job.”

  Why the hell did Zy have to be right?

  “Fuck.” Trees shoved the beer back in the fridge.

  “Is she mouthy and difficult?”

  “No.” Well, not mouthy, anyway. “She barely speaks, and I swear sometimes I’d do just about anything to know what’s running through her head. The problem is, I want to fuck her.” And hold her while he promised to keep her safe and right her world. But she would have to trust him, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

  “Sorry,” Zy said. If anyone understood wanting a woman he couldn’t have, it was his buddy. Zy had lived through nearly a year of look-but-don’t-touch torture with Tessa.

  Trees shrugged. “I’ll deal. What do you want to tell me?”

  “Some friend of Walker’s has temporarily joined the team to help with Kimber’s recovery. Name’s Matt. You probably won’t see much of him. I met him. He seems okay.”

  “Even though he’s a friend of Walker’s?”

  Zy nodded. “Trust me. I was as shocked as you.”

  “Why wouldn’t I like that news? It’s fine by me. Hell, whatever the bosses need to do to bring Kimber back…”

  “Keep that in mind because what I say next might make you blow a gasket.” Zy’s apologetic glance told Trees this was going to suck. “They’re thinking about using Laila as bait to help get Kimber back. Pretend to set up a hostage swap and—”

  “No. Fuck no!” Were they crazy? Did they not grasp what Laila had been through? “Over my dead body. Absolutely not. End of conversation.”

  “It’s not my favorite plan, either, but I think they’re running out of options and getting desperate. Maybe they’re thinking that Kimber is a wife and a mother with two small children who need her, and Laila is—”

  “Expendable? That’s fucking bullshit! She’s a human being and she’s”—he clenched his fists—“fragile.”

  “I know.” Zy sounded sincerely sorry.

  Trees was too pissed off to care. “You don’t know! She’s been bullied, abused, and raped since she was fourteen by the very people who want their hands on her now.” At least he deeply suspected that’s what had happened. “You’ll have to kill me before I let anyone dangle her in front of a bunch of cutthroats. I’m dead fucking serious.”

  “Is there any chance such a plan will allow for the capture of those who wish to hurt my sister?”

  Trees spun to the sound of Laila’s voice and found her at the far end of the kitchen. When the hell had she sneaked up on them?

  He cursed, doing his best to glare her into taking those words back. Her stubborn expression said she wasn’t budging. Son of a bitch. Then he zipped around to Zy. His buddy understood that plan was a no-go for him and would bury that shit, right? Laila was his responsibility.

  No, she was his.

  But Zy gave him a regretful shrug since he was merely the acting boss and lacked real authority. “It’s possible, but it’s risky.”

  She scoffed. “Breathing around these people is risky—and certainly not a guarantee. My sister has endured too much, and she has her son to consider. I will do it.”

  Trees whirled, towering over her possessively with bared teeth. “You will not.”

  She stood unblinking and undaunted. “You cannot stop me. You brought me here safely, and for that I thank you. But I owe you nothing beyond my appreciation.”

  “I didn’t ask you for anything. But I would consider it a personal fucking favor if you would please give a shit about your safety.”

  She cocked her head, and the sadness there nearly took him out at the knees. “Unfortunately, Emilo never gave us that choice. And I am certain his father, Geraldo, who is probably running his organization now that he is gone, will be even less interested in such things.”

  Unfortunately, from what Trees had heard, she wasn’t wrong. “Fuck.”

  “If the Edgingtons or Muñoz ask me to help set a trap for Geraldo and his goons, I will say yes. My mind is made up.”

  Trees gripped her shoulders. “Laila, you’ll be bait. Chum. Something my bosses will skewer on a hook and use to reel these bastards in. And if they lose you?” He shrugged. “Oh, well. Not their problem. Do you understand that?”

  “Yes. But do you understand I will have no future if I refuse? No one in my family will.”

  With that, Laila turned away, then looked back at Zy. “I cannot pay you for the clothes on my bed. Please return them.”

  “It’s not a problem,” his buddy assured. “You left your house in a hurry and you weren’t dressed for our winter.”

  “I will not accept your charity.”

  Then she was gone.

  As soon as he heard her bedroom door shut, Trees lost his shit. “See what I mean? She’s going to drive me crazy.”

  Zy shook his head, his face full of sympathy. “Take a breath. One day at a time, okay? You’ll get through this.”

  Right now, it didn’t feel that way, but arguing wouldn’t change a thing. “Let’s talk about something else. What’s up with you and Tessa?”

  “I don’t want to bore you. I don’t understand it enough to explain, anyway.”

  “She’s pushing back?”

  “She’s pushing me away.”

  What the hell? “I would have sworn that woman loves you.”

  At least in her way. But maybe money had become more important to her than love.

  “I thought so, too, but she’s never said that in so many words. And now she’s barely answering my texts. Something is…weird. Something is wrong.”

  “Well, that’s definitely not right.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I pushed for too much too fast. I told her at Christmas that I love her. About three minutes after we got the all-clear to have more than a working relationship, I asked her to move in with me. She said she needs time to think. But it doesn’t feel like she’s thinking; it feels like she’s just putting daylight between us.”

  “So what if you’ve moved fast this week? I don’t think you rushing her is the issue. After all, you two have been eye-fucking and exclusive for months. You wanting to start a life with her didn’t come out of left field. It’s something else.”

  And Trees could only think of one thing. She was guilty.

  “Yeah. I was at her place a little bit ago. She actually begged me to leave.” Clearly, it was killing Zy because he was so in love. “And she’s been lying to me. Sure, about little things like her headache. But still, lying.”

  “Any chance there’s someone else?”

  Zy pondered, then shook his head. “No. I think it’s me.”

  “Or…she’s guilty and she has something to hide.”

  “I don’t see it.”

  “Because you don’t want to. Keep pursuing her, man. You’ll never be happy if you just walk away from her. But while you’re doing that…look into her. Take her seriously as a suspect. Do your fucking job.”

  Zy sighed. “I don’t have a choice. I guess that’s priority one.”

  “Sorry, man. It’s better to know than not.”

  “Roger that. You need anything else or are you two set?”

  Wasn’t that a good question? Honestly, Trees wasn’t sure. But if Zy wasn’t staying to spell him, then he might as well start dealing with Laila on his turf and figuring out what came next. He had a feeling they were in for a battle.

  Chapter Eight

  When Laila hung up with Valeria, tears streamed down her face. Jorge’s condition had not improved. That worried her a great deal. So did her sister’s exhaustion. If the boy wasn’t better tomorrow, supposedly Kane would take them to a doctor. That was good news, but Laila hated not being there to tend to her nephew and support her sister. And she hated that, just like Trees had told her, Valeria refused to let her come there and help because she feared it wasn’t safe. Arguing with her sister had done nothing to change her mind.

  Trees had known that when he’d told her he would bring her to Louisiana. He had twisted his words to mislead her, then hidden her less than an hour from her family.

  So close…yet so far away. It seemed cruel.

  His deception hurt more because, despite plotting to seduce him, when she had given her body to Trees, he had somehow slipped under her skin. Because of the way he touched her. The way he had given her pleasure. The way he seemed to care.

  For the first time, for a brief moment, she had felt treasured.

  Now? He merely seemed terse and happy to put distance between them. She would oblige him. It was more important to focus on finding ways to help her family, especially ending the danger to her sister and Jorge. If that meant she had to offer herself as bait, she would.

  Swiping the wetness from her face, she availed herself of the warm shower. The house was older but meticulously kept. The bathroom was entirely bright and white, except for the black penny floor tile.

  Once she was clean, she dressed again in her dirty clothes and tiptoed out of her bedroom. The house was quiet. The motorcycle that had been in the front when they’d pulled up was absent. Zy must be gone.

  She and Trees were alone.

  Pressing her hand to her nervous stomach, she made her way toward the only other light on in the house—the kitchen. He stood in front of the stove, heating something in a saucepan. It smelled good. Spicy. She was starved.

  “You hungry?” he asked, pulling a can of green beans from his nearby pantry.

  How had he known she was there? “I am fine.”

  He skewered her with a frown over his shoulder. “You’re not. You haven’t eaten in over twelve hours. And you’re still wearing goddamn dirty clothes meant for Florida weather. Why, Laila? I’ll take care of you if you let me.”