Laila took a deep breath and forced herself to look him in the eye. “Because he wanted it, and I thought he would look sexy driving it.”
“Sexy?”
Something inside her died as she forced herself to lie to him. “Do you always believe every sad story a woman tells you? I have been with Victor for a long time. I am attached to him. When he came for me, I saw the chance to return home and resume my life. Of course I took it.”
Trees looked at her, dumbfounded. “You want to be with him?”
“Of course. I always have.”
He scowled. “Bullshit. You can’t fake the terror you felt for him the night he cornered you in the women’s room of that hotel. You were desperate to escape. You screamed for help—until he tried to strangle you. You kicked and scratched and tried to get away.”
“It is a game we enjoy. It is our foreplay. I like sex rough.” That lie turned her stomach, but to save Trees’s life, she told it without flinching.
“I don’t believe you.”
“You should. If you came here to find me, you have wasted your time.” She jerked from his grasp. “Leave. Go back where you belong.”
“No.” He grabbed her arm again. “If you like the way he fucks you so much, why did you just kiss me with your whole heart?”
“I did not say you lacked skills. Your abilities between the sheets are quite good and kept you happily believing everything I told you.” She shrugged. “But Victor does me better.”
“That’s a lie.”
“If that is what you need to tell yourself…” She yanked free again. “But the truth would be better for you. I am leaving. You should do the same. Do not follow me.”
Then Laila darted down the narrow path between the houses, skirting the cowboy, before she dashed down the street in time to see Victor barreling toward her, gun in hand. A wave of trepidation threatened to pull her under, but she had to stay strong.
She headed Victor off, hands up to stop him, doing her best to keep him far from Trees. “Victor—”
“Where is that bastard? I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“I sent him away. Do not be distracted. We have bigger things to do. The car, did you settle it?”
“Gustavo is handling that now, so I have time to put a bullet between that son of a bitch’s eyes for killing Hector.” He shoved her out of the way. “Where the fuck are you, Scott?”
God help Trees if he was foolish enough to seek a fight now. It would be his demise. He didn’t know how dirty Victor fought. He might not understand no one in this town would help him.
She grabbed Victor by the elbow. “You must stay focused.”
With a growl, he shrugged her off. “I am—on revenge. He will pay for all he’s done.”
“Hector was reckless. He and his wife kidnapped a baby with plans to end her little life.”
Victor turned to glare at her as if she was half-witted. “I know. I helped them. Who gives a shit about a baby? Oh, you think Scott is noble for saving the poor, innocent child, don’t you? That makes him heroic in your eyes. But he still forced you to his bed, didn’t he?”
Laila let the lie stand. If she told Victor the truth, he would only come after Trees harder.
“Your fight now is with Montilla so you can take over the cartel. Ignore your petty tiff with that nobody of a paid mercenary. He can do nothing to stop you once you become the leader of Tierra Caliente. You will be untouchable. But you will fail if you let yourself be distracted.”
Victor stopped and looked around the street as if he saw nothing and no one. “I don’t see Montilla anywhere. I have plenty of time to end the asshole who killed my brother.” He gripped her arm. “Who dared to touch what is mine.”
Laila blanched. Normally, she wouldn’t risk inciting Victor, but she must keep his attention on her, not Trees, whom she prayed had taken her advice and fled. It was a good sign that he and the cowboy hadn’t come out to confront Victor.
She jerked her elbow from his grip. “I have fresh gossip. Montilla’s men are in town, watching for you. If you do anything to draw their attention…”
“You are sure?” His eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
His curse told her that if he didn’t exactly believe the lie, he at least believed it was possible. Hopefully, that would be enough for now. “Walk back to my villa. I will collect the car and meet you there. We will take it and find someplace more secure, somewhere Montilla and that freakishly tall bastard will never find us.”
That would never work. If Trees was anywhere close, he would find her trekking the road alone. He would follow her. And he would take her. “Let me stay with you.” She forced herself to hold his hand and squeeze it. “Be your eyes and ears. Who else can you trust?”
Victor glared her way, then glanced down at their joined hands. “I’m not convinced I can trust you, chiquita.”
“If I wanted you dead, I would not have told you that Montilla’s men are coming, and the longer we argue, the closer they get.” She tugged him toward the garage. “Let us reclaim the truck before Gustavo locks it away and get on the road. Or instead of hiding, maybe we simply move forward with our plan and exchange the car for Montilla’s bargaining chip.”
He scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Once we are out of town, I will explain. All of it.” She swallowed nervously, looking for Trees.
What was he doing? Thinking? Or had he gone?
Suddenly, she felt his eyes on her. He was still near. Terror gripped her.
“Always promising me later,” he snarled. “I’m done waiting. Tell me now or I will find your tall hero and shoot him.”
He would. Laila had no doubt. Her heart stuttered. Once she revealed her plan, she would have little leverage left over Victor. He would no longer see her as a partner, just an expendable nuisance. But his mistreatment or his bullet was better than watching Trees die.
“Montilla is holding a prisoner. The Edgingtons, who own EM Security? Geraldo abducted their sister, Kimber, and is keeping her captive. We can use that against him.”
“That’s it?” he thundered. “That’s your bargaining chip? I already know he has her. That’s not useful.”
Laila blinked. She hadn’t considered the possibility that he knew of Kimber’s abduction. But it made sense. If he had a spy on the inside, it was possible he’d already been tipped off. Carajo! She had to think fast. The tactic that always worked best was to stroke Victor’s ego.
“Of course you are aware of the captive. I merely suggest you use her as leverage, so she goes from being a bargaining chip Montilla would use to force EM Security to give up my sister’s location to a liability that could weaken them, perhaps even prove their downfall—all orchestrated by you. If you succeed, there are few who would challenge your right to run the cartel.”
Victor stared at her as if he could see through her. Abruptly, he snaked one hand around her nape. The other clamped down on her jaw. He jerked her closer, against his body, until his angry face hovered a mere inch above hers. His threat was clear, but still he spoke it aloud. “If you’re full of shit, if you’re playing me… I will kill you, Laila. And I won’t give you a polite double-tap to the head. I’ll rape you. I’ll starve you. I’ll torture you. I will make you beg for the end, and I will not give it to you. I will let you wonder how long I intend to keep you alive to use for my perverse amusement. The answer will be until I get bored with your suffering. And that may be never.”
She didn’t want to be afraid of Victor, but he never made idle threats. Once her plan backfired and he realized she’d been using him for her own ends with every intention of feeding him to Montilla, he would do exactly what he warned.
Suddenly, Trees emerged from between the two houses, gun drawn, barreling toward them with ground-eating strides. “Get your fucking hands off her. Now!”
* * *
Trees watched Laila and Victor Ramos exchange words. He couldn’t hear what they said, but it sure seemed like a fight. And he didn’t like how the angry son of a bitch was looking at her.
But when he tried to jump out from between the two houses and intervene, Matt jerked him back, one hand wrapped around his arm, the other fisted in the back of his shirt. He was breathing hard. “Don’t do it.”
“Let me the fuck go,” Trees growled.
“So you can commit suicide? No. I’m supposed to make sure you get back in one piece.”
He tugged against Matt’s hold again. “We’re supposed to bring Laila back, too.”
“You heard her. She doesn’t want to come back with you. Let her go.”