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He stomped back to the kitchen and plucked a bottle of beer from the fridge. “Thank you for picking these up for me. I need one.”
Before he could open the bottle, Zy stopped him. “They’re not cold.”
Yeah, his pal probably hadn’t been here long enough to fridge them.
“I don’t even fucking care. That woman…” She was driving him to drink—literally.
“You can’t imbibe on the job.”
Why the hell did Zy have to be right?
“Fuck.” Trees shoved the beer back in the fridge.
“Is she mouthy and difficult?”
“No.” Well, not mouthy, anyway. “She barely speaks, and I swear sometimes I’d do just about anything to know what’s running through her head. The problem is, I want to fuck her.” And hold her while he promised to keep her safe and right her world. But she would have to trust him, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
“Sorry,” Zy said. If anyone understood wanting a woman he couldn’t have, it was his buddy. Zy had lived through nearly a year of look-but-don’t-touch torture with Tessa.
Trees shrugged. “I’ll deal. What do you want to tell me?”
“Some friend of Walker’s has temporarily joined the team to help with Kimber’s recovery. Name’s Matt. You probably won’t see much of him. I met him. He seems okay.”
“Even though he’s a friend of Walker’s?”
Zy nodded. “Trust me. I was as shocked as you.”
“Why wouldn’t I like that news? It’s fine by me. Hell, whatever the bosses need to do to bring Kimber back…”
“Keep that in mind because what I say next might make you blow a gasket.” Zy’s apologetic glance told Trees this was going to suck. “They’re thinking about using Laila as bait to help get Kimber back. Pretend to set up a hostage swap and—”
“No. Fuck no!” Were they crazy? Did they not grasp what Laila had been through? “Over my dead body. Absolutely not. End of conversation.”
“It’s not my favorite plan, either, but I think they’re running out of options and getting desperate. Maybe they’re thinking that Kimber is a wife and a mother with two small children who need her, and Laila is—”
“Expendable? That’s fucking bullshit! She’s a human being and she’s”—he clenched his fists—“fragile.”
“I know.” Zy sounded sincerely sorry.
Trees was too pissed off to care. “You don’t know! She’s been bullied, abused, and raped since she was fourteen by the very people who want their hands on her now.” At least he deeply suspected that’s what had happened. “You’ll have to kill me before I let anyone dangle her in front of a bunch of cutthroats. I’m dead fucking serious.”
“Is there any chance such a plan will allow for the capture of those who wish to hurt my sister?”
Trees spun to the sound of Laila’s voice and found her at the far end of the kitchen. When the hell had she sneaked up on them?
He cursed, doing his best to glare her into taking those words back. Her stubborn expression said she wasn’t budging. Son of a bitch. Then he zipped around to Zy. His buddy understood that plan was a no-go for him and would bury that shit, right? Laila was his responsibility.
No, she was his.
But Zy gave him a regretful shrug since he was merely the acting boss and lacked real authority. “It’s possible, but it’s risky.”
She scoffed. “Breathing around these people is risky—and certainly not a guarantee. My sister has endured too much, and she has her son to consider. I will do it.”
Trees whirled, towering over her possessively with bared teeth. “You will not.”
She stood unblinking and undaunted. “You cannot stop me. You brought me here safely, and for that I thank you. But I owe you nothing beyond my appreciation.”
“I didn’t ask you for anything. But I would consider it a personal fucking favor if you would please give a shit about your safety.”
She cocked her head, and the sadness there nearly took him out at the knees. “Unfortunately, Emilo never gave us that choice. And I am certain his father, Geraldo, who is probably running his organization now that he is gone, will be even less interested in such things.”
Unfortunately, from what Trees had heard, she wasn’t wrong. “Fuck.”
“If the Edgingtons or Muñoz ask me to help set a trap for Geraldo and his goons, I will say yes. My mind is made up.”
Trees gripped her shoulders. “Laila, you’ll be bait. Chum. Something my bosses will skewer on a hook and use to reel these bastards in. And if they lose you?” He shrugged. “Oh, well. Not their problem. Do you understand that?”
“Yes. But do you understand I will have no future if I refuse? No one in my family will.”
With that, Laila turned away, then looked back at Zy. “I cannot pay you for the clothes on my bed. Please return them.”
“It’s not a problem,” his buddy assured. “You left your house in a hurry and you weren’t dressed for our winter.”
