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7
Laila visited with Valeria and Jorge for far longer than an hour. Trees hadn’t minded. She’d needed the opportunity to connect with her sister and cuddle her nephew. And he’d used the time to ask Kane questions about Valeria’s habits, actions, and communications. His fellow operative didn’t think Valeria was up to anything, much less no good. That told Trees Laila had likely hatched her schemes alone.
Now he intended to find out what she had up her sleeve next and put a stop to it—before it killed her.
They left the apartment as twilight was falling. With his palm lingering on the small of her back, he reviewed his plans. While he’d waited, he’d sorted through possibilities, discarded ideas, and settled on a strategy. He knew exactly what to do when he hit his door.
The forty-five minutes between now and the minute he had her naked and tied down for his punishment were going to chafe.
He drove fast, heading straight toward the setting sun. Silence prevailed.
Laila surprised him by breaking it. “Thank you for taking me to see my family. I have missed them.”
She seemed quieter, more thoughtful than earlier. Softer. He liked it. But he didn’t expect it to last. As soon as she understood his intent, she would fight back. There would be fireworks.
“Of course. They’re important to you. I would never keep you from them.” Unlike Victor Ramos.
Trees didn’t say that aloud. The dig served no purpose now. He had to stay focused on his objectives. Still, he couldn’t stop wondering… When she’d left his place with Ramos, had she really become the thug’s whore again, eager to take his cock hard and raw? Did she miss Ramos after selling him out to Montilla for her family’s safety?
Laila sent him a faint curl of her lips. “Where are we going?”
“My house.”
“How long do you intend to keep me there? I know I cannot stay with my sister; it is too dangerous for her and Jorge. But Victor is still alive, and he knows where you live.”
Was she saying in a roundabout way that she was worried about him? Or just her own hide? “Oh, I hope he steps foot on my property again. I will blow his fucking head off.” Ghost and Matt had offered to watch his six tonight to ensure Ramos couldn’t creep up on him. “Does the possibility that I might kill him upset you, Laila? Or did you stop caring about him and the rough sex he gives you once you sold him out?”
She dodged his question. “You cannot keep me against my will.”
“With me is where Valeria wants you. Right now, it’s the safest place to be. So you’ll stay with me until you learn to stop running headlong into danger and the people hunting you are either dead or behind bars.”
She hesitated a long moment, and Trees wished like fuck he knew what she was thinking. “What will you do to me once we reach your house?”
“Take you to my dungeon.”
“But—”
“No.” He stopped at a red light and turned to her. “You can’t be surprised. I told you in Mexico to make a choice, easy or hard. You didn’t. The same way you wouldn’t admit you were wet. You were stubbornly mute again when you refused to tell me if your pussy is sore. You’ve run from me. You’ve lied to me. You’ve stabbed me in the back. You’ve put yourself in danger again and again. I gave you every chance to trust me. To open up to me. You didn’t. So I’m going to peel you back, layer by layer, until you fucking get honest.”
Once he’d stripped away her emotional defenses, she would have nothing and no one to rely on but him. Then he’d find out what she actually felt for him…if anything.
What if she doesn’t love you in return?
It would suck, but that wasn’t the point of this exercise. He couldn’t force her love any more than he could force her trust. What he could compel? Obedience. Honesty. Communication.
He hoped that, somehow, it would be enough.
Beside him, Laila pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Trees swore under his breath. Why did she insist on keeping so many fucking secrets? Why was she trying so hard to hide from him?
The drive passed. Tension vibrated between them. He could have cut it with small talk, but he wanted her to feel it. So he let her drown in the silence. Once he’d stripped away her defenses and had her emotionally naked, then he’d get her talking. At the very least, he would show her that he could both rebuild her and be worthy of her trust.
What she did with that knowledge was up to her.
As they ambled down the road to his place, darkness fell. He disabled his exterior security gate and rumbled down the dirt driveway, then reinstated the perimeter fencing behind him with the press of a button. Barney barked out his greeting, chasing his truck up the side of the fence.
Laila smiled. “He is always so happy to see you.”
“I’ve taught him to trust me.”
Her smile fell. “He is lucky. Trust is not a luxury everyone can afford.”
She didn’t think she could afford to trust him? What the fuck had he done to earn her doubt?
Nothing. He was fighting her past.
Finally, he parked in the garage out back, then repeated the command he’d given her before she’d visited her sister. “Sit there. I’ll come around for you.” He turned to pin her with a glare. “Do you understand?”
For once, she looked chastened. “Yes.”
“Good.” He climbed out, gave Barney a scratch between the ears and a few treats from the bin on the nearby shelf. Once the dog trotted away, munching happily, Trees rounded the vehicle.
He opened the door and held out his hand to Laila. As if she finally understood there was hell to pay, she looked from his outstretched palm up to his face. Their gazes connected. She shivered. He felt the answering ping, just like the first time he’d laid eyes on her.
