She did so silently, but all hint of caution was gone. She scarfed down the protein bar even faster than she guzzled the water.
“Want more?”
She shook her head. “I want to talk to my sister.”
He handed her the device.
With greedy hands, she grabbed it. “I need privacy.”
Why? She and Valeria mostly spoke Spanish. He couldn’t understand ninety-five percent of what she said, but after tonight, he wasn’t ready to trust Laila. “Talk here or not at all.”
Laila muttered something under her breath he’d bet was less than polite, but she settled back against the seat and dialed her sister.
Trees fired up the RV and glanced at the clock. “Ten minutes.”
Then she needed to rest. Tomorrow, she and her sister could talk more. Laila wouldn’t like the restriction, but she would learn he was a man of his word.
As Valeria answered the call, he headed the fuck out of Orlando, trying not to listen to the sisters’ murmured conversation. Until tears began to spill down Laila’s cheeks. Oh, her voice sounded upbeat, but she was fucking crying. He didn’t know what the two of them were saying, but if Valeria was upsetting her, that was a big hell no for him.
He was shutting that shit down. “Two minutes.”
She scowled at him, her golden-hazel eyes like a rainstorm. Then she continued talking as if he hadn’t spoken at all.
And the tears kept flowing.
“Thirty seconds,” he reminded a minute and a half later.
She sniffled. “I am talking to my sister, not someone dangerous.”
Dangerous, no. Upsetting, obviously. “You’re wasting time talking to me. Say goodbye.”
She muttered what was probably another curse, then said good night to her sister and ended the call. Fury tightened her profile, but she merely set the phone aside, then folded her hands in her lap and stared out the windshield, patently refusing to look at him.
Something was going on in her head. He wished like hell she would confide in him. But that took trust, and trust took time.
Good thing he was patient.
“Why were you crying?”
“I miss my family.”
Trees wasn’t sure whether to believe her. “Did Valeria say something to upset you?”
“No.”
Maybe that was true, but even if it wasn’t, she would defend her sister. So he tried another tactic. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I am not tired.”
This again? “You’re exhausted, especially after your adrenaline crash.”
She shook her head. “I am fine.”
“And I am tired of your lies,” he parroted. “We’re on the same side, you know? I’m here for you.”
She raised a brow at him. “Of course. Because you are paid.”
“And because you need help. Let me help you.”
Laila brushed aside his assurances as he veered onto a two-lane highway outside the city. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t want to tell her he wasn’t headed anywhere yet and might not be for weeks. Hearing the news they would be traveling together indefinitely would only freak her out again. “Off the beaten path. Victor and his goon will be after us again within the hour.”
She looked alarmed. “The hotel will not call the police?”
Trees shook his head. “Based on security footage, they did nothing wrong. So as soon as they’re conscious and free, the assholes will be on the road, looking for us. They’ve seen me with the RV twice. The vehicle and I are both hard to miss.”
“True.”
“And Victor knows now that we’re traveling together, so we have to stay off the interstate and away from places where we might be spotted.” Because if Ramos flashed cash, anyone who’d seen them would start talking.
“I understand.” But she didn’t look happy about it.
“So I need you to work with me here. The more you try to get away, the more time I spend chasing you. The less time we have to put distance between us and Victor.”
She slanted him a glance. “Or you could just tell me where to find my sister. I can make my own way there.”
“Nope. Valeria wants you protected. And after what I saw tonight, there’s no way I’m letting you fend for yourself.”
“But—”
“No, Laila.”
He hadn’t dropped his voice on purpose, but it had the desired effect. She lowered her gaze to her hands folded in her lap and pressed her lips together mutely.
Shoving aside the ramifications of her response—because if he didn’t, he’d sport another erection that would freak her out—Trees focused on the road.
“Take a shower, brush your teeth, and go to bed.” He knew from experience that washing away combat would help clear her head and relax her body. “Towels are in the cabinet, next to the sheets.”
“No.” Her refusal was instant but trembling.
She was afraid.
He tried not to take it personally. He didn’t know what she’d endured, but her years with the cartel had damaged her. Tonight, he’d only scratched the surface of her mental scars. “You think I’m going to hurt you while you’re vulnerable.”
“What would stop you?”
The fact I’m not a dirtbag?
But she didn’t know him. “I’ll be driving. I can’t touch you while I’m steering this thing, and there’s no shoulder for me to pull over and do my worst to you. You’re perfectly safe, I promise.”
She seemed to consider his words, then she licked her lips and glanced over her shoulder, to the back of the motorhome. “Fine. I will sleep if I can lock the bedroom door.”
He weighed her desire for solitude against the need for safety, but the back window was an exit. “Sorry. If you want more privacy, there’s an extra sheet in the cabinet above the dining table. String it across the RV.”
He would still hear if she tried to escape.
“I will not run again tonight.”
Trees noticed she said nothing about tomorrow. “The door stays open.”
Laila did not reply, simply pursed her lips together and turned toward the back.
He grabbed her wrist. “Just so we’re clear, if you jump out the door while the RV is moving, either the fall or the area wildlife will kill you.”
She yanked free, then tugged a string across the cabin meant to act as a temporary clothesline before she tossed a spare sheet over it, blocking his view.
Trees heard the bathroom door shut and the water running. He turned on the radio and stopped at the first station with decent reception so he didn’t think about Laila naked. She didn’t need to know that he hadn’t felt an attraction to any woman like this in years—maybe ever.
The music sounded like it belonged at a dance party, all electronica and shit. He tried to get into it, but music these days just sucked, and his mind wasn’t on tunes.
Finally, the shower cut off and he heard her rummaging around the back.
“If you need a T-shirt to sleep in, I have a spare,” he called.
“I am fine.”
Which meant she would either don her dirty clothes or the only clean change she had. Stubborn woman.
In the very back of the RV, the light flipped on. After some rustling, she climbed into the bed. He wished holding Laila would make her feel safer. She needed comfort and security. It sucked that, at least for now, staying away from her was more likely to put her at ease.