“I’ve been here an hour, and shit’s already real. Is it always this eventful?”

  “No,” he assured. “Hell of a first day, though.”

  Kane nodded. “You could say that…”

  The guy seemed all right. Trees wasn’t convinced he had the experience to fill the shoes of a former CIA agent and report up to a couple of former SEALs, but they had a mission to complete. Trees would perform to the best of his ability, regardless of Kane. From what he could tell, Valeria and her family had been through enough. She deserved some safety from the murderous cartel who kept hunting her. Her sister, too…if they hadn’t already ended her.

  Of course, their rescue lessened the likelihood that Kimber Trenton made it out of captivity alive.

  Pierce Walker, their resident sniper, who preferred to be called One-Mile, approached, shaking his head. “Hell of a Monday morning.”

  “Yep.” Trees poured himself a steaming black mug, then set the pot down for Walker, who snatched it up and dumped the last of the brew into his cup.

  Zy approached then, muttering under his breath. “Those fuckers we work for left me in charge.”

  Someone had to be while the bosses devoted themselves to rescuing Kimber, but Zy was a rebel. Him being an authority figure was really ironic. Still, they trusted him. Besides, who else was there? Kane was too new, Walker was crazy, and Trees…well, they thought he was guilty as fuck.

  “Where are we with your trip to Florida?” Zy asked.

  Clearly, the bosses hadn’t told him much before they raced to their sister’s aid.

  “We don’t know exactly where we’re going yet,” Trees said, then explained everything Hunter had relayed about Valeria’s missing sister and son.

  Zy nodded. “Logan said as much.”

  So they were on the same page. But something about this situation bothered the hell out of Trees. “If the cartel took Laila and Jorge, why would they have kidnapped Kimber this morning, demanding to know Valeria’s location? They seemingly have hostages they can better use as leverage.”

  Zy shrugged. “Because they want to flush Valeria out fast and they’re leaving no stone unturned?”

  “Maybe.” But Trees wasn’t buying it. Maybe the woman and the toddler had somehow escaped…

  “No one has heard from Laila?” Zy asked.

  One-Mile shook his head. “She has my number. When I left Florida after relocating them, I made sure she knew how to contact me.”

  Without her phone, how could she?

  “Unless you hear from her, we need to come up with a plan,” Zy insisted. “If Laila managed to escape, every hour she and Jorge are floating out there without help or resources is another hour they’re likely to be scooped up by Emilo Montilla’s gang. Do we know who’s running the show now that Walker put a bullet in his head?”

  One-Mile shrugged. “I made a few friends while I spent a month in Mexico, trying to off the son of a bitch.”

  “And?” Zy prompted.

  “I’ve heard that some underlings inside Emilo’s compound are trying to seize power…but there’s also gossip that his father intends to take over and oust anyone who gets in his way.”

  That made sense. Inside Tierra Caliente, Emilo had been a guppy. Geraldo was a shark.

  Trees had a suspicion that the elder Montilla had given the splinter faction to his son in the hopes that he’d grow a set of cajones big enough to run the entire cartel someday. Now that his son was dead, Geraldo was too much of a narcotics king to turn over any part of his operation to Emilo’s underlings.

  Zy nodded. “Do we know where Valeria is holed up?”

  “No,” Trees answered. “I have a number to call. When we get to Orlando, we need to arrange a meet.”

  “And we’re certain she still hasn’t heard from her sister?”

  “Yeah. She’s had calls from an unfamiliar number, but she’s been afraid to answer it. I’ll tell her she should next time her phone rings.”

  Zy nodded. “Keep me posted.”

  The powwow was about to break up when a phone buzzed.

  One-Mile pulled his mobile from his pocket. “Walker.” A frantic, high-pitched voice on the other end had him frowning. “Wait. Wait! I don’t speak Spanish.” He pulled the phone from his ear and glared at the rest of them. “Who the fuck speaks Spanish?”

  “Who is it?” Zy demanded.

  “Laila.”

  Thank God. Hopefully, the woman had gotten free, and Valeria would have one less death to grieve.

  “She’s crying and too upset to speak English, so I can’t understand a fucking word she’s saying.”

  Trees was about to volunteer since he knew un poquito Spanish, but Kane beat him to the punch.

  “I do. I’ll talk to her.” The new guy held out his hand.

  “Thank fuck.” Walker pressed the phone to his ear again. “I’m going to give you to another guy. He’s one of us, so he’ll help keep you safe.” He slid the device into Kane’s palm.

  “Find out where she is,” Zy murmured.

  Kane raised the phone with a nod. “Bueno?”

  The former small-town sheriff exchanged rapid-fire Spanish with the clearly distraught woman. Trees and the other operators watched, waiting impatiently until the new guy ended the call.

  “Well?” Zy prompted.

  “Laila escaped with one of her assailants’ phones. She’s got Valeria’s son with her. They ran to a women’s shelter. She didn’t know where else to go.”

  That had been a resourceful move. The shelter’s management wouldn’t ask too many questions, and if cartel thugs showed up, the police would be called. “She needs to dump the phone.”

  “She turned off location services, but yeah, the longer she holds on to it the more of a liability it becomes. She’s concerned that she’ll be without any way to contact her sister once she trashes the device.”

  “Where did you two leave things? Did she tell you where to find her?”

  “Not exactly. She wanted to know about Valeria. Laila was panicked because she’s been calling her sister, who hasn’t picked up.”

  That explained the unknown calls to Valeria’s number.

  “I assured her Valeria is fine and suggested she try calling her sister again. I also told her it wasn’t a good idea for them to hook back up until we roll into town. I hope she listens.” Kane shrugged. “By the end of the call, she seemed calmer…but she’s still rattled. We need a plan. Let’s put our heads together, gentlemen.”

  Orlando

  After nearly twenty hours, Laila would soon be reunited with her sister. But she didn’t like how this was unfolding.

  First, Pierce Walker wasn’t involved. His friend, whom she’d spoken to on the phone, had come to Florida with a different operative to take them elsewhere. Both men were strangers. What assurance did she have that they were who they claimed to be? What did she know of their character?

  Second, EM Security had relocated her to safe houses twice since they had helped her escape Emilo—and both had been breached. Obviously, they had a problem keeping their clients’ locations a secret. Why should she believe relocating a third time would end any differently?

  She needed a longer-term strategy. Valeria seemed happy to pay these men to hide them from their enemies. Her sister swore they were the best. Laila disagreed. True, they had freed her from captivity last September, but almost nothing had gone right since. She didn’t trust them.

  Then again, she trusted no man.

  Beside her, Jorge played fitfully with a stuffed animal she had found in his diaper bag. He was bored. He was running out of diapers and food. There hadn’t been even a bite to spare for her, and she refused to ask for charity. Night had fallen. Hiding in one place for so long made her nervous. Hector and Victor weren’t stupid. They would guess—rightly—that she had not gone far with her nephew in tow. Undoubtedly, they were looking for her and Jorge. Valeria, too.

  If she only had herself to worry about, Laila would have disappeared. But she wouldn’t abandon her sister.

  Glancing again at the phone she’d swiped from her attacker, Laila resisted texting Valeria. If her assailant logged in to his cloud account, he would see her messages. She didn’t dare say anything that might give away her location or their plans.

  Suddenly, the device in her hands rang. It was hardly the first time. Victor had called all night. She hadn’t answered, but every time his name appeared, she’d fought panic. What calmed her was knowing that if he had any idea where to find her, he wouldn’t waste time dialing.

  Thankfully, the number on her display now was the one Walker had told her to expect.

  “Hello?” she answered cautiously.

  When the man on the other end asked if she was all right in Spanish, she recognized his voice. Walker’s friend.

  “You can speak English.” She was calmer now.

  “All right. I’m Kane Preston. I have your sister with me, along with fellow operative Forest Scott. He’s called Trees. We’re on our way to your location and we’ll take you to safety.”

  Were they foolish enough to believe any place was secure from the violent Ramos brothers? From the ruthless Geraldo Montilla? “Where?”

  “I’ll explain when we arrive.”

  Laila opened her mouth to object.

  “Jorge!” Her sister’s wail filled her ear. “How is he? Is my son all right?”

  Laila understood the worry, since she loved Jorge like her own. “Fine. You know I will protect him with my life.”

  Her sister sobbed in relief. “Thank you.”

  “I will always do anything I can to keep you two safe,” she assured.

  “You are so brave…” Valeria dissolved into tears.

  Kane took the phone again. “Be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

  “The shelter?”

  “The state. We’re taking you far from Orlando.”

  Finally, a decision she agreed with. She had never felt safe in this city. Too many neighbors too close together. Too many unfamiliar, transient faces. Too many people seemingly stared, as if they knew she didn’t belong.

  “All right.” Once she learned where Kane and Trees planned to settle them, she would decide if it made sense to remain. For too long, she had allowed her sister, and therefore EM Security, to decide. No more. She was captaining her own ship. No one else was making her choices. And if Valeria didn’t agree, she would persuade her older sister to her way of thinking.

  Seven minutes later, the same number rang back. “Yes?”

  “We’re here,” Kane replied. “Exit the building into the alley. You’ll find two vehicles. Bring the boy to the minivan. Then get in the RV.”

  She didn’t like his authoritative demeanor. Walker had worked with her when, with the rest of EM Security’s help, they had escaped Emilo and Mexico. Kane barked orders as if he knew the enemy better than her. Arrogant man.

  “Why two vehicles?” Did he intend to separate her from her sister?

  “I’ll explain once you’re outside.”

  In other words, trust me.

  Laila scoffed. “I want to hear now.”

  Before she put her life and her nephew’s well-being in the hands of strangers.

  “Since we’re blocking the alley, the shelter only gave us five minutes to collect you and get out.”

  That was likely true. The narrow lane had been used early this morning for delivery to the restaurant two doors down. A bank on the far end had received a visit from an armored car a few hours back. Besides, she couldn’t continue risking everyone else at the shelter. They had problems of their own. That meant she either had to run away or comply. Since it was dark and cold, and she had no way to care for her nephew, she would follow Kane’s edict—for now.

  Was there any possibility he and Trees had planned it that way so they could lure her and her sister to their doom?

  Kane sighed impatiently, and Laila’s thoughts raced. She glanced around what had once been a bedroom in this old house. Now bunk beds lined three of the four walls—all full of women unfortunate enough to find themselves at the receiving end of some man’s threat, including a sobbing woman with a bruised face and an infant. Laila’s heart went out to her.

  Then she caught sight of the paring knife a volunteer had brought the woman to cut her apple and some cheese. The blade still sat on the little cutting board…and the woman lay on the bed with her baby curled tightly against her.

  “I will meet you outside.” Laila hung up without waiting for Kane’s reply, then lifted Jorge before hopping down from her bunk.

  The diaper bag dangled from her shoulder, concealing her hand as she casually swiped the knife and tucked it against her side. She passed the same volunteer in the hall, probably on her way to retrieve the cutting board and utensil.

  Definitely time to leave.

  She wound her way to a sitting room, where a TV played the local news. Laila glanced at the broadcast, not surprised that a woman and her young nephew being attacked by two armed men was deemed too unimportant to mention.

  As she reached the back door, another volunteer waited. “Will you be all right? The bed is yours for another night if you need it.”

  Valeria—and by extension, these men—knew where she was. The location was no longer safe. Since someone inside EM was leaking secrets, she worried Victor and Hector would soon come for her, guns blazing. She already felt guilty for the hours she’d stayed. “I will be fine. Give my bed to someone in need.”

  At the forty-something woman’s understanding smile, Laila drew in a steadying breath and let herself out the door.

  The Florida night was cool, with a hint of a breeze that quickly worked its way under her thin tank and chilled her exposed legs. Carefully, she tucked the stolen knife into the pocket of her shorts and avoided the hazy golden light illuminating the door, scanning the alley for her sister.

  Instead, she found two men—strangers—each standing in front of a different vehicle, arms crossed, expressions somewhere between watchful and impatient. The one beside the minivan stood a bit over six feet with black hair, an olive complexion, broad shoulders, and a capable mien.

  There was no sign of Valeria.

  “Laila?” he asked, approaching slowly, hand outstretched. “I’m Kane Preston.”

  Walker’s friend. Because Walker trusted him, she shook his hand. “Hello.”

  All the while, she side-eyed the other man—a mountain of muscle so tall and broad he made her heart stutter. If this man wanted to pin a woman down and force himself on her, she would have no chance at all of stopping him.

  “That’s Trees,” Kane provided.

  The big man stepped closer, holding out his hand to her. Instinctively, she retreated, cradling Jorge protectively. But it was a pointless gesture. If he intended to rip her nephew from her arms, she could do nothing.

  To her surprise, he froze, then eased away, making no further move to come near her.

  “He’s safe. He’s one of us,” Kane assured.

  She scowled. The men’s blank expressions said that Walker’s fellow warriors had no idea what she had endured at the hands of the Tierra Caliente cartel. Laila wasn’t sure whether she preferred their ignorance or pity.

  “Where is my sister?”

  “In the van.” Kane bobbed his head toward the nondescript gray vehicle behind him. “You two shouldn’t be seen together.”

  Yes, there were eyes and ears everywhere…but Kane blocked the view of anyone who might spot them from the east side of the alley. Trees more than blocked the line of sight from the west. So why wouldn’t they let Valeria out of the van for a few short moments? Was she even here?

  “I insist on talking to her. I will not take another step until I do.”

  Kane cast a dark stare to Trees. He was a giant in his mid-thirties with short hair and a close-cropped beard, both in a warm brown. The seeming softness of his full mouth was offset by his massive hands. His intent stare made her shiver.

  Trees nodded and pointed to the van. “Two minutes. Inside.”

  His deep voice rattled in his larynx with a hint of rasp, as if he hadn’t used it in so long it had become rusty.

  He intimidated her—more than any man ever had. Victor and Hector were thoughtless, vile, and cruel—but not physically frightening at a glance. This man could take them both apart simultaneously without breaking a sweat.

  What could he do to you?

  Laila refused to let them lead her to their van—with no escape routes—like a lamb to slaughter when she had no assurance her sister was inside. For all she knew, they had already ended Valeria and disposed of the body. “Then what?”

  Kane cleared his throat, as if he realized she wasn’t simply going to comply. “We’ll get on the road. We think the best strategy is to minimize risk. Your intruders will be looking for two women and a toddler so—”

  “We’ll separate you and Valeria,” Trees cut in, still taking her apart with those glittering eyes. “Kane will transport your sister and your nephew directly into hiding. You’ll come with me.”

  Alone? Separated from her sister? With a man she could never escape? Away to an undisclosed location? For an undetermined amount of time? To be at his mercy?

  Absolutely not.

  Laila gripped her nephew tighter, glimpsed a speck of daylight on the west end of the alley, and started running as if her and Jorge’s lives depended on it.

  She feared they did.

  Trees watched Laila take off with a sigh. Son of a bitch.

  Kane muttered similar words. They exchanged a glance. Then the former deputy dashed to the minivan to preempt Valeria’s escape. Trees darted after Laila, whose dark curls whipped wildly behind her. Since her legs were roughly half the length of his, this wouldn’t take long.

  As he ate up ground between them, he stared. She might be small, but she was a firecracker. Clearly, she didn’t trust anyone—not that he blamed her. And as much as he hated to admit he’d noticed, her faded denim shorts flashed an enticing amount of juicy, round ass.

  Not the time to ogle her, dude.