Maximum Risk Read Free Page B

want to remember the past three days. Not now, not ever.
    Three days.
    The words echoed in her head, made her tremble. To hide it from Quinn, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Didn’t help. Only made her hurt worse.
    She shifted when Quinn leaned closer, an open medical bag next to his combat boots. He handed her a canteen. “Drink slowly,” he cautioned.
    The only time they’d given her food or water was when she began to pass out. And then it was moldy or stale, only enough to sustain her. She’d forced it down because she needed to keep her strength up, but most times her stomach rejected it.
    She quickly took a drink to take her mind off it. Salt hit her tongue and she grimaced, thrusting the canteen back at him. “It’s got salt in it.”
    He pushed it back. “It will rehydrate you. Do you think you could eat something?”
    The thought of food made her stomach revolt. “Not right now.”
    His deep green eyes studied her closely. She took another sip of the disgusting saltwater to distract him. It worked. He reached into his bag and handed her a white pill.
    “What is it?” she asked warily.
    “Ranger candy.”
    At her look, he clarified. “Eight-hundred milligram Motrin. It’ll help with the pain.”
    And give her a stomachache if she took it on an empty stomach. The reason he offered her food first.
    “Maybe I could eat something.” She accepted the tablet. The sooner she got her strength back, the sooner she’d get back to her life. She’d choke it down if it meant getting those books delivered.
    He reached into his bag and pulled out a pouch that had a brief, sharp odor when he tore it open. A couple seconds later, he handed it to her.
    “What is this?”
    “MRE—Meal Ready to Eat. Chicken and rice, I think.”
    She took a bite, forcing the warm food down. All she could handle was two bites before she put it on the ground beside her. Then she squeezed her eyes closed and swallowed the pill with the saltwater. If it would help ease the pain in her body, she would take it no matter how bad it tasted.
    “I need to assess your injuries.”
    Unease skittered down her spine. She didn’t want him to see what they had done to her. Didn’t want that part of herself exposed. What she’d endured was hers and she didn’t want to share. Not with a stranger, not with anyone.
    “Are you a doctor?” she asked. No reason for her to reveal herself if he wasn’t qualified. She prayed he wasn’t qualified.
    “I’m a PJ—Pararescue Jumper, personnel recovery specialist. We are the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the military. My paramedic license is current, if you’d like to check my credentials.”
    Damn. Definitely qualified. “You introduced yourself as Wolff Securities.”
    He nodded. “I’m retired from the Air Force. Wolff Securities is a private security firm I started four years ago with my brothers.”
    “Bodyguards?”
    The corner of his mouth tilted in the sexiest half-smile she had ever seen. Attraction stirred in her belly, catching her completely off guard. She dropped her gaze from so he wouldn’t see.
    “Yeah, bodyguards,” he mused.
    And much, much more than that, his smile indicated, but she didn’t press.
    Avery’s lids began to droop. She pried them back open, more out of habit than necessity. They had come into her room at all hours of the day and night to keep her off guard. Only the window kept her balanced. Well, as much as she could be while they beat her to keep her from escaping.
    They’d only allowed her to try that once.
    The repercussions were too severe for her to think about.
    She shuddered.
    “Here, lie down.”
    Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Quinn’s deep voice.
    “Get some rest.” He took the canteen out of her hands.
    With a nod she lay down, too tired to care how hard the ground was or how her body ached. Quinn rolled a t-shirt and placed it under her head to use as a pillow, then covered