Wicked as Sin (Wicked & Devoted 1)

When he’d been taken, Trees had driven away as quickly as possible—as he should have. But he hadn’t fired a shot or come back with reinforcements. Zy was too busy chasing Tessa’s skirt to care about much else these days. And Josiah…who knew where the guy fell? They didn’t talk much.

One thing One-Mile did know? No one was coming to his rescue. He was going to have to work with Laila.

She allowed him a few minutes alone in the toilet, then started the shower while he washed his hands and brushed his teeth with the toothbrush she had helpfully provided.

When he’d finished, he pivoted to face her, assuming she’d step out while he washed himself.

Instead, she began disrobing.

He watched with a frown. This must be the “whatever he desired” portion of the evening.

No thanks.

One-Mile stayed her with a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to get naked for me.”

Relief stamped itself all over her face—but she kept stripping. “Yes, I do…”

Silently, he studied her as she peeled her dress from her body and draped it over a nearby counter. She’d worn nothing underneath. Shadows shrouded the feminine hollows of her body. Light clung to her curves. She was a beautiful woman…and she didn’t do a damn thing for him.

Her breasts bobbed gently as she approached and helped him pull his shirt over his head. The movement hurt his back like a bitch. The wounds had finally scabbed over, but they’d likely leave scars—if he lived long enough for them to heal.

Then she reached for the button of his jeans.

One-Mile gripped her wrists to stop her. “Laila…”

“Shh.” She pushed his hands away and continued on. “Let me. Please.”

Her eyes begged. Since he didn’t have much choice, he relented with a nod.

One-Mile stood motionless while Laila shoved his dirty, blood-stained jeans down his legs. He braced against the wall as he stepped out, now as naked as she was.

Then she took his hand and led him under the hot spray. He hissed and grimaced as the water pelted his healing skin. She merely pressed her body against his with a whisper. “The shower is the only place they cannot hear us.”

So the girl wanted to escape. She had a plan and something to say to him. He was on board for that. It was a long shot…but any shot was more than he’d had ten minutes ago.

Smiling, he pulled her close, then bent to murmur in her ear. “Now what?”

“I want to be gone from here. I convinced Emilo that, if they let me see to you, I could seduce information from you.”

One-Mile pretended to caress his way down her arm before he planted his hand on her hip. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“I did not expect you to. I-I have begun sleeping with one of my brother-in-law’s thugs, and I have been able to use his phone while he sleeps to sneak coded messages to my sister through a message board. I told her where we are and that Emilo is keeping you hostage. She said she would pass the information to the men who rescued her. Last night, she wrote back to say that a rescue mission is in place.”

His heart started revving. He wanted to grill her. Hell, he was even half tempted to shake her by the shoulders and demand to know if she was telling the truth. But she glanced at the camera in the corner, then brushed her lips up his chest. Yeah, they were watching. So he caressed his way down her ass and nuzzled her neck. “When?”

She sent him a come-hither smile and sidled closer. “Tonight. About an hour.”

That damn organ in his chest started chugging even harder. “Got a plan?”

There had to be a few dozen gunmen here, not to mention Emilo himself, who was fucking evil with the whip. Unless the Edgingtons and Muñoz were dropping in with some of Uncle Sam’s boys, they were going to be incredibly outnumbered.

Her flirtation suddenly looked far more like a grimace. “You should pretend to attack me. I will scream. Emilo’s men will come to my rescue…I think.”

“You don’t sound too sure.”

“I am worth nothing to them. But Emilo wants Valeria back.”

“Because he loves his wife?”

Laila scoffed. “No. He does not want her back as a lover. Why should he when he has so many whores willing to take his cock and his money? He flaunted them in my sister’s face while she lived with him. He is a pig.”

One-Mile didn’t disagree. In fact, Laila had phrased things much nicer than he was inclined to.

“But he suspected Valeria was pregnant when she escaped, and he refuses to let his child go.”

“What will he do if he manages to find her and the kid?”

“Punish her, make an example of her. He will kill her. She knows too much about his operations, and he fears she is already telling your government.”