The photos were brutal. Laila gasped aloud. Logan hadn’t been kidding. There wasn’t much left of the mutilated bodies to identify. She wanted to turn away, but she didn’t have that luxury.
“I recognize some of the tattoos. Their names are Pedro, Miguel, and Juan. I do not know last names. They were all loyal to my brother-in-law. After his death, they probably served Emilo’s nexts in command, Victor and Hector Ramos.”
Hunter slanted a glance up at Trees. “Didn’t you kill Hector yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“And I have warned him that Victor will retaliate,” Laila added.
Trees scowled. “He’ll have to find me first.”
Before she could argue that Victor was not merely persistent but vengeful, Logan cut in. “We’ll get back to that. What else can you tell me about these bodies?”
Laila knew almost nothing else of the men, their backgrounds, or lives. It no longer mattered that Pedro had enjoyed watching one of the Ramos brothers forcing her to perform acts against her will, often masturbating to the sight. Or that Juan and Miguel had peeked in on her showers under the guise of “watching over her” all the time.
“Very little except the reason they may have been left in your parking lot. Geraldo Montilla surely knows you protect Valeria, Jorge, and me. He was telling both you and the Ramos brothers with one vicious act what will befall you and your loved ones if you do not comply.”
Joaquin swore in Spanish, proving he grasped at least the dirty parts of the language.
Logan took the tablet back and tapped out a message. “We suspected that.”
“He has your sister, does he not?”
“We’re almost positive.”
She sent him a sympathetic expression but didn’t give voice to all the terrible atrocities Kimber was probably enduring right now. No good could come of it. Besides, they probably knew, too.
“Do you know Geraldo Montilla’s hideouts?”
“No. I was beneath his notice. My sister visited at least one of his homes when Emilo was alive. Ask her where it was.”
“We did. And we investigated it. Empty.”
That did not surprise Laila. Men like Geraldo were shrewd enough to stay one step ahead of those eager to take them down.
“I know nothing more.”
“All right. We’d like to talk to you a bit more about what comes next, but first we brought you something we thought might cheer you up. Trees, would you open the door?”
He glared. “What the fuck are you up to now?”
“Reminding Laila of the most important things in her life.”
After a faint knock, Trees opened the door with a grumble and a glare over his shoulder at his bosses that promised violence. Then he stepped aside.
To her shock, her sister stood on the porch with her son anchored on her hip. Kane backed her up, wielding a gun and hovering over them with a watchful demeanor.
“Valeria! Jorge!” Laila leapt from her chair and went running.
“Lalita!” A smile broke across her sister’s face.
“Tía!” Jorge lunged for her, arms outstretched.
She reached them both and wrapped her arms around them, eyes closed, breathing in her sister’s petite strength and her nephew’s baby smells. It felt so good to be with them, to be holding her family close once more.
“Are you well?” she asked Valeria, then turned to the precious boy beside her, tears streaming down her face. “And are you feeling better?”
“We are. Jorge started improving yesterday. He is sleeping and eating well again. We seem safe where we are, at least for now. What about you?” Valeria eyed Trees’s stark, utilitarian home.
“Fine.” What else could she say? Her feelings for her protector were a huge tangle she couldn’t put into words. “It is very quiet here.”
“Laila, I’m sure you and your sister want to have a little privacy so you can visit. Why don’t y’all chat in your room?” Hunter gave her a benign smile.
She didn’t believe it for a minute. Trees’s bosses had brought her family here as a reminder of all she stood to lose. Those men wanted the women and children out of the room so they could talk—or threaten—Trees into relinquishing her to help them rescue Kimber. The fact they allowed Valeria and Jorge out of hiding to visit her said a lot about their desperation. Laila had no illusions why they had chosen her for this mission over Valeria. She was no one’s widow or mother. She meant nothing to anyone.
Except her family…and maybe Trees.
“Of course.” She led Valeria to the bedroom she hadn’t used last night and shut the door.
Her sister raised a brow at the crisply made bed, then looked her up and down. “Do you know what you are doing with that man? He is big and dangerous. He can overpower you—”
“You do not need to be concerned.” Laila frowned.
Valeria didn’t look comforted. “The last time I saw you, you were terrified of that man. You have spoken very little about him since, except to say that he has not hurt you. And now you look… How can I say it?”
“Since you have never been one to hold back, I am sure you will tell me.”
“You look like you spent all night having sex with him.”
Laila’s cheeks flared with heat. “If I had, why would it matter?”
“Caring about you and your welfare is not something I can simply stop, like a bad habit. Unless… Did you enjoy it?”
“If I did, will you judge me?”
Jorge got fussy, so Valeria set him down to roam and sighed. “I do not know everything that happened to you in my husband’s compound, except that much of it was bad. For that, I am more sorry than you know. But you do not have to pay that man—or any other—with your body for safety again.”
“I know. Trees made that very clear.”
“You do not need to be his victim, either. He—”
“He is the best man I have ever known,” she admitted. “So you can stop worrying. You do not know him, but I assure you he has done nothing that would make me feel violated or afraid. How are you doing with Kane Preston?”
Valeria accepted the subject change with a tight smile. “Fine. He is professional. I appreciate that he speaks Spanish. Unfortunately, he knows almost nothing about babies.”
Jorge chose that moment to tug on one of the dresser drawers behind her. Laila raced to his side and distracted him with a quick game of peekaboo.
As her nephew giggled, she swept him into her arms and blew a raspberry on his cheek. “Well, if there is one man worth loving, it is Jorge. Isn’t that right?”
“It is,” her sister confirmed like a proud mother.
Laila kissed his forehead again, then settled her solemn gaze on her sister. “You know why they brought you here, yes?”
Valeria’s eyes darkened. “Of course. I know their plan. We should discuss it.”
“You cannot talk me out of helping them. If they need bait, I will volunteer. Victor Ramos is a problem for later, but he is alone now. He is weaker.” At least Laila hoped so. “But we will never have peace until Emilo’s father is dead or behind bars.”
To her shock, her sister nodded. “I came to the same conclusion. I have spoken to Kane about this at length. I also had conversations with Joaquin. If we want a life beyond hiding, we all agree that something must be done. We can bear this now, while Jorge is very young. But someday, he must go to school. He will want friends. You and I will need to seek work. We have lives to live, and we cannot do that if we are constantly looking over our shoulder.”