Maximum Risk Read Free

through it he strode back to where Avery sat, and held out his spare cammies and a pair of socks. “Change into these.”
    She looked at the camouflage pants and t-shirt. “I’m fine.”
    “Your shirt is torn. How about changing that?”
    She glanced down, her shoulders falling when she saw the bloody tear in the shirt. “All right. Where can I change?”
    He turned his back to her. “Right here.”
    Seconds later he heard clothing rustle.
    “Finished,” she said.
    Avery stood a few feet away, his shirt hanging on her slender frame. Damn if she didn’t look delicate and frail beneath the olive green fabric. Pretty. Feminine. Vulnerable.
    Protective instincts kicked in, along with a healthy surge of attraction he quickly tramped down. Not the time or place.
    His gaze dropped to her feet, covered in dirt and blood. Why the hell did she say she could run without shoes?
    “Sit.” He grabbed his canteen off his rucksack and returned to kneel in front of her. With her feet in his lap he tore off a strip of his shirt so he could wet it. With care, he cleansed the blood and dirt, aware of her eyes on him, and the way she bit her lip every time he touched her.
    “What happened to your shoes, Avery?” he asked quietly, hoping his suspicions were wrong. Bad guys usually took away your shoes upon capture so you couldn’t run away. Westerners didn't usually run around barefoot, so their feet were sensitive, making it an effective tool. He prayed she’d lost her shoes in the river, because the alternative was unthinkable.
    She pulled her feet away. “Nothing.”
    He returned them to his lap. “You didn’t lose them in the river, did you?” His gut told him the men who’d forced her off that ledge were responsible for her injured soles, and it made his stomach clench.
    Her lack of response was answer enough. Quinn let out a low curse and reached for his First Aid kit. Tenderly, he put salve on the wounds and wrapped both feet, while keeping his thoughts from straying to what had happened to Avery before he found her. Getting her out of here alive was first priority. Killing every last one of the bastards who might have hurt her wasn’t an option. At least not until she was safe. Then he’d make them pay for harming her, because his gut told him that’s exactly what they had done.
    “Hand me those socks.”
    She passed them to him and he slipped them over the bandages. They would keep her feet warm, dry and protected for now.
    “Stay here while I make a hidesite.”
    He disposed of the bloody rag and supplies before gathering sticks and fallen branches. Behind him he heard the snap of a branch.
    With a low curse, he lunged for Avery.

Chapter Two
    One minute Avery helped gather branches and the next she laid face down on the ground with Quinn on top of her. Stunned, she tried to turn her head.
    “Stay still.” Quinn’s lips brushed her earlobe, sending a ripple of sensation throughout her body.
    Every muscle in his body was taut, alert, and raised her awareness. Not only to the feel of his muscular frame, but to the danger.
    “What is it?” she whispered.
    “When I tell you to stay put, I mean it.”
    His voice was barely audible, but no less forceful. Avery bristled as he continued to speak.
    “That branch you broke may have given away our position.”
    Dread tightened her throat. She wanted to help, not be the cause of danger. Sitting idle wasn’t something she did well. Especially now, since her thoughts were apt to drift to places she didn’t want to go. Like the past three days.
    A shudder worked through her. Her room had a small window in it. Too tiny to escape, but it had allowed her to count the days and nights of her captivity. And, truth be told, it lent a slice of comfort. Something to remind her there was a world outside those four walls and that she wasn’t alone.
    Angry with herself, she nodded. How could she do something so stupid? Quinn hadn’t been breaking branches off trees; he’d been