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.