Was this some possessive caveman thing? A bit. Maybe more than it should be. But a big part of him wanted to give her safety, security, comfort, love—all the things she’d never had. And in turn, she would give him something that, Zy excepting, he’d had very little of in life: acceptance.

  From the time he’d been little, he’d been freakishly tall. As kids, other boys had avoided him. Girls had feared him. As a teenager, he’d been useful in pickup basketball games but not friendships. He’d been hungry for companionship and love. The opposite sex, now filling out bras and wearing makeup, had been a beautiful lure. They’d buzzed around him aplenty. At first, he’d loved it. He’d wanted a girlfriend. Then he realized they’d merely thought fucking him was something between a curiosity and a challenge.

  As high school graduation approached, he’d taken a few college campus tours. He’d had the grades to go. He’d even been offered a basketball scholarship. But matriculating hadn’t been for him. Socializing with kids during his weekend campus visits? It had been the same everywhere he went. If his height and quiet nature hadn’t turned people away, being a poor miner’s kid had.

  He’d joined the army instead. Easier. Safer. Less need to fit in. Not too long after that, he’d been blessed with Zy’s friendship. It had been great—more than enough, he’d told himself—for years. But since his bestie had paired off with Tessa…Trees had to admit he’d started yearning again for more.

  Laila loved him. She’d nearly given her damn life to prove it.

  He’d be an idiot to let her go.

  But to keep her, he had to make sure she was safe—once and for all. Not for one minute was Trees naive enough to think that Laila was in the clear. Ramos still wanted her. And after she’d outed him to Montilla, the crazy son of a bitch would come after her for vengeance. Montilla had a use for her, too. Everyone knew Laila would do anything for her nephew. If the drug lord took her captive, he’d be one step closer to getting his hands on Jorge, the grandson he’d never met, supposedly to groom the toddler to someday take over his narcotics throne.

  Everywhere he looked, Laila was in danger.

  He’d also managed to dig himself a grave. Killing Victor’s brother, Hector, then taking Laila from the surviving Ramos brother had put a target on his back. Now Montilla had cause to want him dead, too. After all, he’d helped free Kimber from captivity and shot the son of a bitch.

  He’d be an idiot not to realize that he had mountains to climb and obstacles to overcome before he and Laila could have any sort of future. But he was determined to do whatever he could to make that possibility a reality.

  No more sitting at home, trying to solve this defensively. Time to play offense.

  After slipping from bed, Trees donned a clean pair of boxers, then headed out to the kitchen. He didn’t bother turning on the lights. He had an uneasy feeling, like they were standing in the calm before a raging storm. If Matt or Ghost had encountered anything that looked like an intrusion, they would have told him…but Trees couldn’t shake the feeling that someone—probably multiple someones—was out there, just waiting for an unguarded moment.

  With a sigh, he plopped down at the kitchen table and grabbed Victor Ramos’s phone. He launched Ramos’s Abuzz account without any prompt for a new password. The cartel had been using the social media platform Zy’s father had once owned and was now selling as a part of his imminent divorce. The chatter among Ramos’s contacts had died down over the past week, but there was still plenty of dirt.

  The most recent post made his blood run cold.

  As of a few days ago, a spy Ramos had inside Montilla’s organization had claimed el jefe was in a coma, but when he awoke, he would be out for Ramos’s blood. Victor had written back to ask if Montilla would consider their feud settled if he served up the cabrón who had shot him.

  No reply, at least not one visible in the chat. But the message string gnawed at Trees. Ramos knew exactly where he lived. It was only a matter of time before he showed up. With Laila here, that made her vulnerable, too.

  Sure, he could defend his property. He’d updated and equipped it to deal with most any possible apocalypse. But he’d never imagined he’d be fighting off a cartel and their criminal assets while trying to defend the woman he loved.

  It was too much to risk. There was too much at stake. He’d examine the rest of the phone later. He had to get Laila to safety now.

  Trees retrieved his own phone and flipped through his contacts. Which of his bosses would be the least difficult in this fucked-up situation? None of them, but he hoped Laila providing them Kimber’s location so the team could rescue their sister provided her some cred with the trio. Plus, her sister was paying them to keep her safe. That should mean something, too.

  Finally, he settled on the brother who seemed most straightforward, least likely to waste time growling about the fact he was emotionally in deep with Laila, and quickest to help him come up with a plan.

  He tapped the screen. Hunter Edgington answered on the first ring. Though he’d probably been asleep, his voice didn’t sound scratchy or slurred at all. “What’s up, Trees?”

  “I think I have a situation. Or I will if Laila and I stay here.” He explained the contents of Victor’s Abuzz account in a few succinct sentences.

  Hunter paused a fraction of a second, then jumped into action. “I agree. Pack up. Get ready to head out. Matt and Ghost still there?”

  “Should be. I’ll check in with both as soon as we hang up.”

  “Good. Laila will head out with Matt to another secure location. I’ll find one in the next hour.”

  With Matt? His boss intended to separate him from Laila? “No. Where she goes, I go.”

  “Stop thinking like a guy who fell for a client and start thinking logically. Ramos will expect you to be together. If he can get two for one, that just makes you a juicier target.”

  Trees ran that advice around his mental track…and had to admit Hunter was right. Laila was even more at risk if he was with her. He fucking hated that fact. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I need to do some legwork. I’ll text you when I find a location for Laila.”

  “Where should I go?”

  “The office. My brothers and I will meet you there.”

  “Who will be watching Laila while we’re meeting? Just Matt? He’s great, but alone he won’t be enough to defend her.”

  Hunter hesitated, his pause uncharacteristically long. “We’ve been in talks to have a long-term working relationship with Oracle. They’re professional, well trained and managed, and fucking good at what they do. They feel the same about us. EM Security has gone well beyond the original scope of our business—bodyguarding, corporate security, and the like. We never anticipated taking on a motherfucking cartel. But my brothers and I agree with Jack and Deke that there’s safety in numbers. Intermingling teams on an as-needed basis makes sense.”

  Trees concurred. “So you’re saying some of theirs will help watch over Laila, too?”

  It wasn’t his first choice, but until he could protect her himself, this would be safest for her.

  “Yeah. I’ll call over there as soon as we hang up. He’ll give me guys besides Ghost. Trevor would be a good choice since he’s up to speed with the situation and a hell of an all-round good operator. Jack Cole also grew up around these parts, so I suspect he’ll have a good safe house in mind.”

  “Fine,” Trees grumbled. “I’ll pack up. You call with details.”

  They ended the call, and he checked in with both Matt and Ghost. Apparently, all was quiet.

  Too quiet?

  Trees couldn’t explain the nagging feeling. He didn’t like it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to dissect it.

  Vaulting out of his seat, he took ground-eating steps to his bedroom and crouched beside a slumbering Laila. “Little one?”

  Her eyes fluttered open. She looked disoriented for a second. Then she blinked again and her wide hazel eyes looked alert. She sat up, holding the sheet to her breasts. “Trees?”

  “We have to go.” He grabbed his bug-out bag, double-checking its contents as he explained everything.

  She scowled. “We will be separated?”

  So she’d latched onto that first, too? That reassured him on one level, scared the hell out of him on another.

  “Temporarily,” he promised, cupping her face. “I’ll make my way back to you as soon as it’s safe.”

  But until he and the rest of EM Security managed to take down all their adversaries, how would that even be possible?

  Trees shoved the thought away and helped her from the bed, doing his goddamn best to ignore the lush curves of her naked body. He ached to lay her down and escape inside her again. Instead, he retrieved the duffel he’d shoved her stuff in when he’d packed up her Mexican bungalow and set it on the mattress beside her. “Do you need anything else?”

  She glanced inside, then shook her head. “No. I do not require much. I will be all right.”

  He swore under his breath. She didn’t require much, but he’d saved nearly every penny he’d ever made. He’d invested wisely. He had money. Someday, he’d shower her with everything he could so she would have a better life. She more than deserved it.

  After they finished packing, Trees set plenty of food and water out back so Barney would be fed for the next few days. Zy would check in on him, too. Then he ensured the house was secure, grabbed his keys, and took Laila’s hands. Standing by the back door, he peered at her through the shadows. “I don’t know how long this will take.”

  “I am scared.”

  He cupped her cheek. “You’ll be fine. I would put my own life in Hunter Edgington’s hands. He’ll make sure you’re well protected.”

  She shook her head. “I am not afraid for me. I am afraid for you. What Victor is suggesting…”

  Trading Trees for his own freedom? “Are you really surprised?”

  “No. But I am angry.” She dropped his hands and curled herself against his body. “And I do not have a good feeling about this.”

  He didn’t either, but staying here wasn’t wise.

  “It will be fine.” Trees hoped she believed him as much as he hoped it was true. Then he lifted her face to his for a lingering kiss before reluctantly backing away. “Time to go.”

  When he reached for the knob, she stayed him. “I am sorry. For everything since we met. I have been difficult. I have run from you. I refused to trust you…”

  Coming from Laila, that was huge. He knew how difficult it was for her to trust. It was even harder for her to admit that she should have all along. “Water under the bridge, honey. Just know that I love you and I’m coming back for you.”

  “But should you?” Tears welled in her eyes. “Because of me, you made enemies you never would have—Victor, Montilla, the whole Tierra Caliente cartel and their hitmen… Simply because you swore to protect me. If you let me go—”

  “Ditch you for my safety? Never. Do you love me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Until you, I never wanted a man. I never wanted entanglements of the heart. But then you touched me and took care of me and tried to heal me. How could I not fall for you?”

  He wiped her tears from her cheeks. “You make my life worth living, my future worth looking forward to. You’ve given my empty world meaning. I’ll be back for you, come hell or high water. Wait for me. And whatever Hunter or EM Security tells you to do to stay safe, do it. Promise me.”

  Her chin trembled as she held back more tears. “I promise.”

  As he kissed her one last time, someone knocked on the back door. He shoved aside the back drape and looked out the little square window. Matt and Ghost. Trees wanted to bash their faces in for taking Laila from him, but they were just doing their jobs. He should be grateful.

  He wasn’t.

  “You got the phone you left here last time?” he asked her.

  “Yes.” She squeezed him again. “You will call me?”

  “Every chance I get, little one.”

  The knock sounded again, this time impatient. Trees cursed. His time alone with Laila was up.

  He wrenched the door open to find Matt leaning against the porch railing, cowboy hat shading most of his face from the patio lights. Ghost stood a few feet behind him in darkness, wearing a black ski cap nearly pulled down to his inky brows, which accentuated his otherworldly gray eyes. The shadows clung to the angles of his face, more suited to the runway than undercover work. Dark stubble clung to his aggressive chin and a sharp jaw. His mouth was turned down in an eternally pissed-off smirk.

  “You got a problem with me?” Trees challenged the guy.

  The look Ghost shot him would have felled any man who didn’t make their living by a gun. “I have a problem with you fondling on the client while we should be getting the fuck out of here. It’s unprofessional. You mooning over her risks all of us getting killed.”

  Trees couldn’t argue with Ghost’s logic; he was right. But the motherfucker didn’t understand. “I’m sorry this isn’t to your liking, Casper. Laila is upset and afraid.”

  His dark brow arched up, almost disappearing under the cap. “So you’re going to revive her with mouth-to-mouth?”

  Trees lunged for him, violence sizzling through his veins. In the back of his head, he knew attacking an ally was stupid, but he didn’t need this shit. Neither did Laila. Based on size alone, he could take the guy, but… “I thought we were on the same team. I guess you just want to flap your gums so you can feel superior?”

  Ghost, who hadn’t moved a muscle, suddenly snapped to life, moving so fast he was a blur.

  Before the guy could make good on his furious snarl, Matt stepped between them, glaring at them both. “Let it go. We need to get on the road before we have uninvited company.”

  Fuck. The cowboy had a valid point. As for Ghost…Trees admitted he probably was out of line. Having to separate from Laila was fucking with his mood. He let out a deep breath and backed down. “Fine.”

  Ghost stepped away, too. “Fine. But don’t ever fucking call me Casper again.”

  Whatever. Trees didn’t have time for this guy’s ego. He turned his attention to Matt. “Where are you taking her?”

  Apology crossed his face. “Need-to-know basis, man. And you don’t need to know.”

  “Seriously?”

  Matt nodded. “Precaution. She won’t know where to find you, either.”

  Clearly, the cowboy didn’t understand Trees’s role on this team. Otherwise, Walker’s bestie would have figured out that he’d already given himself a way to track Laila’s phone. He’d also given her a way to track his. She didn’t know yet, but all she had to do was look.

  Trees forced himself to relax. “Let’s go.” Then he turned to Laila and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Soon.”

  She blinked up at him as if he were her moon and stars. “Soon.”

  Ghost glared his way. “Looks like you’re stuck with me. I’ll follow you in my truck.”

  Trees shook his head. “I can take care of myself. She’s suffered six years of rape and abuse. Stay with them.” He gestured to Laila and Matt. “Make sure neither Ramos nor Montilla gets their hands on her again.”

  “Those aren’t my orders.”

  Did this asshole love to argue for the sake of arguing? “In my shoes, what would you suggest?”

  Ghost hesitated for the span of a heartbeat, then pulled his keys from his pocket, grumbling. “I’ll trail them and stay with her. You leaving first?”

  To provide a target if anyone was watching. “Yes.”

  “Don’t get too far from us until we’re on the open road.”

  Where there might be traffic, witnesses, and cameras. “Sure.”

  Silently, they made their way to Matt’s truck. Trees settled Laila’s bag in the back seat of the cab, everything inside him hating this idea…yet knowing it was the safest choice. The cowboy settled behind the wheel. Ghost hopped in the back of the bed, gun drawn, looking watchful.

  Laila paused beside the open passenger door. “Stay safe.”

  “You, too. Don’t try to run from your bodyguards. Don’t balk when they feed you. And no matter what, don’t put yourself in danger.”

  “Will you promise me the same?”

  Crafty girl, answering his question with a question he was guaranteed to refute. “Danger is my job.”

  “Danger has been my life,” she countered. “But for you I will do my best to stay safe.”

  Trees brought her against his chest and held her close, breathed in the spicy floral musk of her scent, and closed his eyes. He was putting off the inevitable, and he knew it. But he didn’t want to let her go.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t have much choice. He was Ramos’s number-one target, so she was safer in someone else’s capable hands. End of story.

  Laila laid her head on his chest and exhaled, melting against him. “I can hear your heart beat.”

  He dropped his lips to her ear, whispering to her alone. “It beats for you. When I come back, you’ll marry me?”

  She eased back, a tear perched on her lashes. “I want that more than anything.”

  Trees believed her…but there was something she wasn’t saying.

  “Let’s go, kids,” Ghost growled.

  The longer they were here and unmoving, the more they were sitting ducks.

  “I love you,” he murmured.

  “Te amo.”

  Since he didn’t dare delay any longer, he helped her into Matt’s back seat, where she would be less visible, gave her hand one last squeeze, and shut the door.”

  Matt drove away slowly with a jaunty salute in his direction, his truck rumbling toward the end of the lane and pausing at Ghost’s. Jack Cole’s buddy hopped out of the bed and dived into his Tundra, starting the engine and idling.

  Waiting for him.

  Trees cursed, then grabbed his own duffel from the house, set the alarm, locked up behind him, gave Barney one last head scratch and a few more treats, then climbed into his Hummer. It wasn’t long before he pulled around Matt, settling in for the long miles until they were no longer on a dirt road. Ghost followed them.