Just as he said the words, another ding sounded. Trees flipped to that window, read a few lines of some long string of code, and the smile that stretched across his face was terrifying. “Gotcha, too. Should have known you assholes would stick together.”
“What do you mean?” Tessa demanded.
“Hector and your ex? They’re at the same address.”
“Fuck,” Zy cursed. “They’re in this together.”
To Laila, that made terrible sense.
“Cash helped take his own daughter from me?” Tessa sounded stunned to the core, and why wouldn’t she?
“Let’s go save Hallie and get the bastard,” Zy suggested.
“Both of them,” Trees growled. “I’m coming with you.”
Zy scowled and sent a head bob her way. “You’re supposed to stay here.”
“One-Mile can come protect Laila for a few hours.”
“You’d leave her with that crazy SOB?” Zy sounded horrified.
Which made no sense to Laila. Walker wasn’t crazy at all.
“He didn’t hurt her in Mexico when he had the chance,” Trees pointed out.
Zy just shook his head. “Then I’ll call him and tell him to get his ass out here.”
“Tell him to hurry. We need him,” Tessa implored.
But Walker wasn’t available.
Trees cursed a blue streak. “I can’t leave her here alone.”
“I will not run,” Laila promised. As much as she wanted to see her sister, knowing that Hector was nearby terrified her.
“I can’t leave you unprotected,” Trees corrected. “I’m not taking any chances.”
Zy nodded grimly, and poor Tessa looked impatient. Of course she was; the terrified woman wanted her daughter back.
Suddenly, Trees took her hand. “Come with me.”
Laila didn’t have time to reply before he led her to his bedroom again, this time shutting the door.
“What are you doing?”
Trees’s face tightened. “Promise me you won’t freak out.”
That set her on edge. “Those words scare me.”
“You’ll be fine, I promise. I’m not shutting you in the dark.”
But he was shutting her up somewhere?
“I’m a man of my word, Laila. You should know that by now.”
She did. It was her fears that made her belly flip and her breath feel short. But out there was a baby in Hector’s brutal hands. She needed to get a hold of herself. “All right.”
Laila watched, heart racing, as he opened his closet, shoved clothes aside, and punched in a four-digit code. She heard a click, then saw a rectangular section of the wall in the shadowy space separate, forming a door. Her eyes widened as Trees pushed it open.
“I built this as a panic room, a place to hole up if my place was ever invaded or there was large-scale civil disturbance. There’s about a year’s worth of preserved food and water here, along with meds, weapons and ammo, and some other necessities. Everything is packaged and stored along one wall.”
Being prepared didn’t sound wrong, so why did he look nervous? “Okay.”
He reached in to flip on a light, illuminating a set of stairs. “The rest of the space… I fucking didn’t want to have this conversation in a rush. I’m a Dominant. Do you know what that means?”
She’d heard of such things, but… “I do not understand.”
“I was afraid of that. Look, this space doubles as a playroom. I’m in the process of moving equipment in here for… That’s not important right now. It might look intimidating. It might scare or worry you. Just ignore it. We’ll talk about it later.” He nudged her toward the stairs.
Then she realized what he intended. “Are you leaving me here alone?”
He nodded. “I have to help Zy and Tessa. The clock is ticking for Hallie.”
Of course it was. And it seemed the underground space had more than adequate lighting. That didn’t alleviate her worry. “How will I get out if you are hurt or…”
Laila couldn’t bring herself to finish that question. The only way Trees wouldn’t come back for her was if he couldn’t.
“I’ll give you a way to communicate. Hang on.” He rushed into his bedroom, then returned with a sleek silver tablet. As he handed it to her, he told her the passcode. “There are games, movies, TV shows, puzzles… The whole internet. If you get panicked or need help, you can call the police or Walker. Or me.”
He was trying too hard to make sure she was okay when he had a bigger responsibility. She needed to swallow back her own fear. “Thank you. I will be fine.”
But the thought of never seeing him again distressed her far more than she would have fathomed even days ago. More than she could process.
“So you’re okay?”
“Yes. I am strong and resourceful. Rescue the baby, but be careful. Hector, like his brother, Victor, is more dangerous than you know.”
“Yeah? So am I.” Trees searched her face, then pulled her against him. He took her mouth in a rushed, passionate press of lips. It felt like a promise. Then he was gone, shutting the door behind him and leaving her alone in his most private space.
Trees cursed as he locked the house behind him and headed for his Hummer. Zy was right behind him, Tessa gripping his hand, as they headed for her nondescript sedan.
Once he helped her into the car, Trees grabbed Zy’s arm. “Have you thought about the implications of Cash and Hector being together?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Tessa.”
“Same. But if the intel from Laila is as solid as I think it is, then we’ve just narrowed some shit down.”
“Exactly. If Hector and Cash have Hallie, it means they don’t have Kimber.”
“Right. Geraldo probably does.” And he hated to say she likely wasn’t even in the country, but that was reality.
“If that’s true…the bosses are going to lose their shit.”
Trees nodded. “If that was someone you loved, wouldn’t you?”
“One hundred percent. But we shouldn’t tell the bosses anything until we know we’re right about Hector having Hallie.”
“Agreed.”
Zy looked reluctant to say what was on his mind. “Look, if Geraldo Montilla is holding Kimber hostage, the Edgingtons will be even more insistent about using Laila as bait.”
Trees had already thought about that—and was also considering murdering the first one of them who suggested it again. “We’ll deal with that later. Right now, Tessa looks ready to come out of her skin.”
Zy glanced back at the receptionist. She was his woman, whether he still wanted to admit that or not. He was in deep. He was risking his life and his livelihood for her.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
They pulled out, and Trees focused on the morning ahead. Rescuing Hallie had to come first, and if he had to leave Hector alive long enough to get the baby’s whereabouts from the asshole, he would. After that… Game on. If he could do anything to help end Laila’s suffering, damn straight he would do it.
Mental violence filled the thirty minutes into town. Closer to the target, Trees dialed Zy’s digits so they could solidify their plan.