She seemed to consider his words, then she licked her lips and glanced over her shoulder, to the back of the motorhome. “Fine. I will sleep if I can lock the bedroom door.”
He weighed her desire for solitude against the need for safety, but the back window was an exit. “Sorry. If you want more privacy, there’s an extra sheet in the cabinet above the dining table. String it across the RV.”
He would still hear if she tried to escape.
“I will not run again tonight.”
Trees noticed she said nothing about tomorrow. “The door stays open.”
Laila did not reply, simply pursed her lips together and turned toward the back.
He grabbed her wrist. “Just so we’re clear, if you jump out the door while the RV is moving, either the fall or the area wildlife will kill you.”
She yanked free, then tugged a string across the cabin meant to act as a temporary clothesline before she tossed a spare sheet over it, blocking his view.
Trees heard the bathroom door shut and the water running. He turned on the radio and stopped at the first station with decent reception so he didn’t think about Laila naked. She didn’t need to know that he hadn’t felt an attraction to any woman like this in years—maybe ever.
The music sounded like it belonged at a dance party, all electronica and shit. He tried to get into it, but music these days just sucked, and his mind wasn’t on tunes.
Finally, the shower cut off and he heard her rummaging around the back.
“If you need a T-shirt to sleep in, I have a spare,” he called.
“I am fine.”
Which meant she would either don her dirty clothes or the only clean change she had. Stubborn woman.
In the very back of the RV, the light flipped on. After some rustling, she climbed into the bed. He wished holding Laila would make her feel safer. She needed comfort and security. It sucked that, at least for now, staying away from her was more likely to put her at ease.
The bright lights in the bedroom cut off, plunging the back of the vehicle into darkness.
A whimper broke the quiet. After a squeak of the mattress and a huff of frustration, the overhead light in the bedroom lit up the back of the RV again. “Is there another light—something less bright—I can leave on while I sleep?”
She wanted a nightlight? “In the bedroom?”
“Please.”
“You don’t want to sleep in the dark?”
“No.” Her voice shook.
Because she was afraid? After everything that had happened with Victor, maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. “Leave the light in the bathroom on.”
She sighed. Sheets rustled. Her footsteps padded toward the middle of the vehicle. Bright light flared through the white sheet before she headed back to bed.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
“Good night, Laila,” he called back.
She crawled between the sheets again. Ten minutes later, he hadn’t heard a peep.
Now he could focus on his other problem, like the fact that when he’d stopped for gas and checked in with Kane, the new guy had let him know that, in the wake of Kimber’s abduction, the Edgingtons were now using the safe house they had intended for Valeria and Laila for their own wives and kids. Trees understood that, absolutely. But where the hell should he be taking Laila once he got the green light to bring her in?
Since Zy was in charge, Trees grabbed his device and dialed his buddy, who thankfully picked up right away. “Hey, man.”
Trees frowned. Zy sounded distracted. “Hey. I figured I’d check in with you.”
“Yeah. Give me five?”
“You talking to me?” Trees asked.
“Sorry. Talking to Tessa,” Zy replied. Then some rustling and some nighttime sounds told him that his buddy had stepped outside. “What’s up?”
Shit, he’d been so wrapped up in his situation with Laila that he’d forgotten the bosses had removed the nonfraternization clause from everyone’s employment contracts this morning, allowing Zy and Tess to finally be together—so Zy could investigate whether she was their mole. In his opinion, it was a stupid idea. Zy was way too into Tessa to do any part of the job thoroughly except the fucking. “Did you finally take her to bed?”
“If I had, why would I tell a nosy prick like you?”
“So that’s a yes. Was it everything you thought it would be?”
“Let’s put it this way: I have an appointment to look at engagement rings tomorrow.”
Zy might be a rebel through and through, but he was rarely impulsive. “You’re that sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
Either Zy was convinced Tessa wasn’t selling them out…or he loved her too much to see it. Either was a blind spot that could be dangerous. “Wow. Congratulations, man. That’s awesome.”
What else could he say when his best friend sounded so damn happy?
“Well, even if I buy a ring tomorrow, she’s not going to say yes right then.”
“A little gun-shy?” Or a little guilty?