Chapter 209

“Fuck me…” With a sigh, he marched back to the front of the RV, flipped on every light, dragged out his tools, and in a handful of minutes installed the lock he’d bought to secure the door from the inside. “There. No cuffs. But you’re not going anywhere.”

“I will not try.”

“Trust is a two-way street, honey. So excuse me if I don’t believe you. Go to sleep.”

Trees turned away, utterly ignoring her as he doffed his boots, shirt, and jeans, then settled into the bed, turned out the lights, and rolled away.

Laila stayed awake, listening to his even, raspy breaths, drowning in regret and guilt. Sleep was a long time coming.

Trees couldn’t remember a shittier night of sleep. Or a more tense day as he drove a circuitous route through parts of Alabama and Mississippi, avoiding highways and cities, before finally approaching Lafayette. When he had stopped for gas earlier, he’d called Zy and asked if there was anywhere besides his place to drop Laila off.