Victor raised a brow. “Pointless? He killed my brother. But I am curious, chiquita. Why do you care what happens to this man? Is it because he killed for you? Because he means something to you?”
When her heart started pounding and she had to resist the urge to fidget, she worried he could see right through her. “He means nothing. I merely prevent you from making a stupid mistake. I told you he is not a man to cross. If you do not want to fight him while doing the far more important work of deposing Geraldo Montilla, forget this man.”
“He fucked you.”
Oh, he did much more than that.
Heat rushed to Laila’s face and she hoped Victor didn’t notice. “Of course he did. He is a man—a very large one. I had no way to stop him from taking what he wanted.”
Never mind that, last time, she had ached to give herself to him.
He shrugged, as if the possibility that someone else had raped her meant nothing to him. “Why do you care whether I seize Geraldo Montilla’s throne? Are you hoping for money?”
Dipped in rivers of innocent blood? “No. I want peace. If you rule the cartel, the threat to my family is gone. You become rich and powerful beyond your dreams while Valeria, Jorge, and I are finally free. Our paths will not cross again. I believe it is, as the Americans say, a win-win. Do you not agree?”
Victor stared so long she felt dissected. Could he see through her, down to her half-truths and lies? The urge to squirm rode her, but Laila tamped it down and waited, preparing arguments in case she needed them.
“You are right,” Victor conceded.
Somehow, she kept in her giant sigh of relief. “As soon as you leave, I will call you with the first piece of information you need. Every few days, I will deliver more until—”
“You negotiated your terms. Now I will negotiate mine. I have only one.” The way he smiled told Laila she would hate it. “You come with me.”
Horror gripped her until she couldn’t breathe. “No. Impossible. This man—”
“Forest Scott?” She must have looked surprised because he slanted her a superior glance. “Did you think I wouldn’t learn about my adversary before I came to kill him?”
Of course he would. Victor wasn’t lazy, just half-witted. “He is very dangerous. He will come for me.”
“Because you mean something to him?” Victor sauntered closer, his stare speculative.
I love you, Laila.
The memory of Trees’s sweet words made her heart ache. Would she ever hear them again?
Probably not, and she couldn’t let her anguish about that make her decision. Survival didn’t care about her feelings. Or his. Saving her family, Kimber Trenton, and Trees was more important. Someday, Trees would move on. Since he was a good man, he would find someone worthy of his love. Her heart would be a casualty, but for his safety and his future, that was a small sacrifice.
“Pay attention. I told you he is merely paid to keep me here, but he values his job. He is a professional. He will not admit defeat.”
“So we’ll make him.”
“Are you listening? He will be a thorn in your side you do not need while you must concentrate on taking down Montilla.”
“If Mr. Scott is a problem, I will dispatch him quickly.” Victor shot her a speculative glance. “Unless you can think of some other way to keep him at bay? As you pointed out, it would be better for my focus. I know it would be better for his health.”
A chill shot through Laila. How could she prevent Trees from doing what he would inevitably do and rescuing her?
“Another reason you should leave me here, so no one is wise to our plan. I can continue to extract more information from him you can use to your benefit and—”
“You coming with me is a nonnegotiable term. It is the only way I can hold you accountable if your information is, shall we say, ineffectual. If you refuse, I will set this house on fire with you inside, turn all my attention to killing your sister while holding your nephew hostage. After I’ve dispatched with Mr. Scott, of course.”
With her thoughts racing and her panic climbing, Laila tried to think of a way around Victor’s demand. But there wasn’t one. As much as she wanted to cry about that, it would do her no good. She would rather protect Trees than herself. “You understand that if I come with you, I will not be able to overhear any more valuable information.”
It was a last-ditch effort. She prayed it would succeed.
Once again, the world was against her.
“You are resourceful, Laila. Much smarter than your sister. If I need more information, you will find a way—spreading your legs again for Mr. Scott, perhaps—to procure it. But for now, you will come with me.”
Laila held back the insane and detrimental urge to sob. She would probably never see Trees again, much less have the chance to tell him she had feelings for him, too. Maybe that was for the best.
She swallowed everything back but her determination. “All right. I will go with you.”
* * *