“The office. My brothers and I will meet you there.”
“Who will be watching Laila while we’re meeting? Just Matt? He’s great, but alone he won’t be enough to defend her.”
Hunter hesitated, his pause uncharacteristically long. “We’ve been in talks to have a long-term working relationship with Oracle. They’re professional, well trained and managed, and fucking good at what they do. They feel the same about us. EM Security has gone well beyond the original scope of our business—bodyguarding, corporate security, and the like. We never anticipated taking on a motherfucking cartel. But my brothers and I agree with Jack and Deke that there’s safety in numbers. Intermingling teams on an as-needed basis makes sense.”
Trees concurred. “So you’re saying some of theirs will help watch over Laila, too?”
It wasn’t his first choice, but until he could protect her himself, this would be safest for her.
“Yeah. I’ll call over there as soon as we hang up. He’ll give me guys besides Ghost. Trevor would be a good choice since he’s up to speed with the situation and a hell of an all-round good operator. Jack Cole also grew up around these parts, so I suspect he’ll have a good safe house in mind.”
“Fine,” Trees grumbled. “I’ll pack up. You call with details.”
They ended the call, and he checked in with both Matt and Ghost. Apparently, all was quiet.
Too quiet?
Trees couldn’t explain the nagging feeling. He didn’t like it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to dissect it.
Vaulting out of his seat, he took ground-eating steps to his bedroom and crouched beside a slumbering Laila. “Little one?”
Her eyes fluttered open. She looked disoriented for a second. Then she blinked again and her wide hazel eyes looked alert. She sat up, holding the sheet to her breasts. “Trees?”
“We have to go.” He grabbed his bug-out bag, double-checking its contents as he explained everything.
She scowled. “We will be separated?”
So she’d latched onto that first, too? That reassured him on one level, scared the hell out of him on another.
“Temporarily,” he promised, cupping her face. “I’ll make my way back to you as soon as it’s safe.”
But until he and the rest of EM Security managed to take down all their adversaries, how would that even be possible?
Trees shoved the thought away and helped her from the bed, doing his goddamn best to ignore the lush curves of her naked body. He ached to lay her down and escape inside her again. Instead, he retrieved the duffel he’d shoved her stuff in when he’d packed up her Mexican bungalow and set it on the mattress beside her. “Do you need anything else?”
She glanced inside, then shook her head. “No. I do not require much. I will be all right.”
He swore under his breath. She didn’t require much, but he’d saved nearly every penny he’d ever made. He’d invested wisely. He had money. Someday, he’d shower her with everything he could so she would have a better life. She more than deserved it.
After they finished packing, Trees set plenty of food and water out back so Barney would be fed for the next few days. Zy would check in on him, too. Then he ensured the house was secure, grabbed his keys, and took Laila’s hands. Standing by the back door, he peered at her through the shadows. “I don’t know how long this will take.”
“I am scared.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’ll be fine. I would put my own life in Hunter Edgington’s hands. He’ll make sure you’re well protected.”
She shook her head. “I am not afraid for me. I am afraid for you. What Victor is suggesting…”
Trading Trees for his own freedom? “Are you really surprised?”
“No. But I am angry.” She dropped his hands and curled herself against his body. “And I do not have a good feeling about this.”
He didn’t either, but staying here wasn’t wise.
“It will be fine.” Trees hoped she believed him as much as he hoped it was true. Then he lifted her face to his for a lingering kiss before reluctantly backing away. “Time to go.”
When he reached for the knob, she stayed him. “I am sorry. For everything since we met. I have been difficult. I have run from you. I refused to trust you…”
Coming from Laila, that was huge. He knew how difficult it was for her to trust. It was even harder for her to admit that she should have all along. “Water under the bridge, honey. Just know that I love you and I’m coming back for you.”
“But should you?” Tears welled in her eyes. “Because of me, you made enemies you never would have—Victor, Montilla, the whole Tierra Caliente cartel and their hitmen… Simply because you swore to protect me. If you let me go—”
“Ditch you for my safety? Never. Do you love me?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Until you, I never wanted a man. I never wanted entanglements of the heart. But then you touched me and took care of me and tried to heal me. How could I not fall for you?”
He wiped her tears from her cheeks. “You make my life worth living, my future worth looking forward to. You’ve given my empty world meaning. I’ll be back for you, come hell or high water. Wait for me. And whatever Hunter or EM Security tells you to do to stay safe, do it. Promise me.”
Her chin trembled as she held back more tears. “I promise.”
As he kissed her one last time, someone knocked on the back door. He shoved aside the back drape and looked out the little square window. Matt and Ghost. Trees wanted to bash their faces in for taking Laila from him, but they were just doing their jobs. He should be grateful.
He wasn’t.
“You got the phone you left here last time?” he asked her.
“Yes.” She squeezed him again. “You will call me?”