Chapter 211

How had he known she was there? “I am fine.”

He skewered her with a frown over his shoulder. “You’re not. You haven’t eaten in over twelve hours. And you’re still wearing goddamn dirty clothes meant for Florida weather. Why, Laila? I’ll take care of you if you let me.”

“Nothing in life is free. Not the food you eat, not the clothes on your back, not the bed you sleep in. You have paid for all of those, yes?”

“Yes, but—”

“You did not expect anyone to give them to you for free. Because taking from others is wrong, and you are proud. So am I. Since I am without money, I only have one currency with which I could pay you. And when I left Mexico, I swore I would never whore myself out for my survival again.”

He dropped the spoon in the pan, its clatter a loud clang in the kitchen. “You think I would make you fuck me for a meal? Or a shirt? Or a comfortable night’s sleep?”

Laila hated to admit how she’d given herself to scum for years to survive, but she