“Thank god.” He settled the pan on the burner again and dumped the can of vegetables into a bowl, then shoved it in the microwave. Three minutes later, they were eating at his kitchen table in silence. And even if the stew had come out of a can, it tasted like heaven.
“How did you wind up in Emilo’s compound? I know your sister married him, but…”
“Not by her own choice. My father married Valeria off to Emilo.”
“Why?”
“Papá was a farmer with fallow land. We were dirt poor, and he wanted to be rich. He wanted to be important. Emilo sought to use my father’s property to aid his growing drug empire. They came to an agreement, which included Emilo paying lots of cash to marry Valeria.”
“So he sold her to that scumbag on purpose?” Trees looked shocked.
Laila hadn’t been at all. “My father had been nothing his whole life, and now he could join his poor family to a wealthy one and gain influence. Others would look up to him. He could finally stop a life of toil and enjoy his days. Of course he did.”
Trees scowled. “Did he know how dangerous Emilo was?”
“Everyone did.”
“And he sold his daughter to that monster, anyway? How old was she?”
“Barely eighteen.”
“Jesus… Then what happened?”
“Papá suddenly had money and he got a mistress. My mother was stunned and heartbroken, so when Valeria pleaded with us to come spend the summer with her, Mamá quickly said yes. We had no idea…” How their lives would change. That they would never see home again. God, how naive they had been. “Emilo quickly realized he could use me to control his headstrong wife’s behavior. Mamá tried to protect me, so they separated us. As a last resort, I called my father to tell him I was afraid because I barely saw my mother and I did not like the way Emilo’s men treated me.” Her voice broke.
What had happened next had been nothing short of hell.
“What did he say?”
“That his life was much better without us. Mamá had grown old and unappealing. My sister and I were too spoiled.”
Trees dropped his spoon in his stew. “He left you there, knowing you were being raped?”
“I did not tell him that exactly. I did not know the words for it. But he must have been aware.” She had never been close to her father, but the sense of betrayal after he’d hung up had been absolute.
“So, for his own comfort, he left you to a bunch of drug thugs’ nonexistent mercy?” He sounded stunned, horrified, and furious. “I’m adding him to my list of assholes who need killing.”
“You are too late. When he got greedy a couple of years later, Emilo had him killed.” She hesitated. “I have mixed feelings about that. Some would say he got what he deserved…”
He reached for her hand. “In my opinion, he did. But he was your father—your blood—even though he didn’t fulfill the responsibility of a dad.”
It was foolish to accept solace from Trees. It probably made her weak. But she needed comfort, and she soaked his in. “Exactly.”
“What happened to your mother?”
“She got sick and developed pneumonia. Emilo refused her medical attention. I tried my best to help her, but…” Laila tried to swallow back tears—and failed miserably. “Then Valeria was rescued. I was happy for her, but…”
“You were alone.” Trees squeezed her hand. “You’ve never had anyone to help you, and everyone you’ve ever loved has been taken away.”
Finally, he understood. She didn’t want to weep in front of him, but trying to hold back made her cry harder. “Yes.”
Trees pulled her into his lap and gripped her chin until she met his gaze. “I’m here for you, little one. I know I’m not your sister. I know you want to see her, and I don’t blame you. But it’s not safe. Once it is, I’ll take you to her myself. But until that day comes, I’m here and I won’t let anything come between us. Do you hear me?”
She still didn’t trust him completely, but he was all she had in the world right now. And he seemed determined to take care of her in a way only her sister had ever tried to. “I do.”
He released her chin and kissed her forehead before he dragged her bowl across the table. “Good. Eat up.”
Then he fed her patiently, one heaping bite at a time. Taking food from his hand was so intimate and oddly comforting. She followed the stew with a bottle of water. Once her bowl was empty and her stomach sated, her lids felt heavy. It took all her will not to lean against his reassuring strength, cuddle into his warmth, and drift off.
“You’re tired. I’ll do the dishes.”
“No.” She leapt to her feet. “We made an agreement. I will uphold my end of the bargain.”
“You don’t have to. I won’t demand anything from you.”
She almost believed him. “I will still do them, as I promised.”
As she cleared the table and made her way to the sink, his phone dinged. He glanced at it with a curse, then shoved it in his pocket. “I have, um…a friend dropping by. Why don’t you rest in your room? I’ll finish this.”
“I told you. Because it is my responsibility—”
“I need to talk to her alone.”
Her. Laila’s heart stuttered. A girlfriend? A lover? Everything inside her balked, and that fact stunned her. She should be happy if he gave another woman his attention and desire. She didn’t want either.
Deep down, she feared that was a lie.
“Leave the dishes. I will finish them after she leaves.” But what if she didn’t tonight? The thought of this unnamed “friend” spending the night shot a hole in Laila’s chest. “Or tomorrow.”
“All right.”
It was a good time to put distance between them and figure out why what this man did with another woman mattered. Why was she having feelings for him?
But her feet didn’t want to move.
“Laila—” His phone beeped in warning, interrupting him. “Fuck.” He punched in a code, then hit the screen a few times. Headlights flashed through the living room windows, which overlooked the front of the house. Then a little sedan came to a stop and a stylish brunette with a fresh balayage stepped out, wearing a trendy blue sweater and jeans that respectably covered every inch of her legs. Slim leather boots with chunky heels and a designer purse completed the look.
She was pretty, put together, and refined. Of course Trees wanted someone like her.
“I…will go.”
Trees looked at her like he wanted to say something, but the woman knocked on the door, breaking the moment. “Thanks.”
Every footfall felt heavy as she headed to the bedroom Trees had provided her and shut the door—mostly. She should not want to eavesdrop. It was nosy. It was rude. It was wrong.
But she couldn’t help it.
Was this jealousy?
“Hi, Madison. Come in.”
“Hi, big guy,” the woman said with a sweet, soft Southern drawl.
Laila told herself not to, but she cracked her door a bit wider to peek at the two. Trees hugged the woman with familiarity, resting his chin on her head. She laid her cheek on his chest and closed her eyes with a smile.