Maximum Risk (13 page)

Quinn simply held her. Truth be told, he was in no hurry to leave. She felt damn good in his arms. Soft and feminine.

For tonight he would stay.

Tomorrow, he would do the right thing.

****

Dani bolted upright in bed, her chest heaving. She looked around the guest room, lit by the lamp she had left on before going to bed. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep in the master bedroom.

Thunder rattled the windows, making her jump and clamp a hand over her mouth so Evan wouldn’t hear her. She hated storms. They were loud and violent. Unpredictable. Everything she wasn’t.

Another round of rumbling and lightning flashes had her out of bed and heading for the bathroom. Trying to do it without noise was a task because even the slightest sound would bring Evan charging to her rescue. She loved the Wolff brothers like they were her own, but their over-protectiveness was stifling. They hadn’t allowed her a moment’s peace since…well, since. Not that she wanted to be alone. The thought terrified her, but she couldn’t really deal with one of the brothers always hovering.

A sob built in her throat. Deal. Yeah. How was she supposed to deal with the death of her fiancé two weeks before they were supposed to be married? Two weeks before he would give her a surprise trip to Ireland. She wasn’t supposed to know, but Cedar Falls was a small town and even though he had booked the trip three counties away, people talked. Especially with a best friend as a travel agent. Not the agent Ryan used, but a friend of the woman he’d booked through.

Wasn’t it so like Ryan to secretly plan a trip to the one place she had always wanted to go? In high school she’d traced her family tree back to the boat that brought her ancestors over from Ireland in the late 1800’s. It started out a school project and turned into a journey of discovery. Ryan helped her find websites on the internet and even made a few calls for her when she was too shy to do it.

That was who he was. Always charming, always willing to help.

The sob escaped her lips just as she crossed the hall and swung the door closed. The ache in her heart brought her to her knees in the middle of the guest bathroom. Tears flowed down her cheeks as Ryan’s handsome face filled her head. How she loved his smile. So friendly and comforting. He always seemed to know what she needed, even when she didn’t.

Dani stuffed a fist in her mouth to stifle her sobs. God, how she wished Ryan was here to wrap his arms around her and make everything better. He could always make her troubles and worries go away with a simple hug.

“Ryan,” she whispered brokenly, bending over and wrapping her arms around her waist. In her mind she heard him whisper to her that it was going to be okay. That she would make it through this.

Something scraped outside the door and she froze. A light knock.

“Dani? You okay?”

Evan. She couldn’t let him see her like this. He would try and make it better and right now she didn’t want someone to fix her. She rose to her feet and cleared her throat. “Um, just getting a drink. Go back to bed, I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” His gentle, compassionate voice came through the door and made her want to throw something. It wasn’t his fault. Evan was the most patient, kindest man she ever met outside of Ryan, but he wasn’t Ryan and it made her angry.

“I’m going right back to bed. You don’t have to worry.” She wanted to scream at him to go away and leave her alone, but she had never spoken a mean word to anyone in her life. It wasn’t how her parents raised her.

A pause. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

His shadow crossed in front of the door and she knew he had gone even though she didn’t hear his footsteps. None of the Wolff brothers made any noise when they moved and they all stood over six feet tall. If she hadn’t grown up with them she imagined she would be intimidated by the skill. How many times had Ryan scared the life out of her by sneaking up on her? He’d only laughed when she jumped a foot off the ground.

More tears threatened.

Dani stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Dark circles ringed her eyes, her skin pale and drawn. She looked like she hadn’t slept in months.

Her hand went to the mirror. If she didn’t get some sleep she would get sick. And she needed to be strong for Ellen right now. Ryan would want her to be strong for his mom.

She opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a prescription bottle.

“Just tonight,” she murmured and popped the cap.

****

The crack of dawn brought blessedly cooler temps and drier air. Ellen Wolff poured a second cup of coffee and wandered onto the back porch. The tall oak and maple trees shadowing the house dripped with morning dew and remnants of last night’s storm. Her bare feet splashed lightly in the puddles of water left on the deck.

She stopped at the railing to sip her coffee and stare out across the quiet lake. Not so much as a ripple across the glassy surface. The turbulence had gone, leaving serenity in its wake. This was her favorite time of the day. That moment between night and day before the world woke up.

But today she didn’t feel the promise of a new day. For tomorrow she would bury her youngest son.

Bitterness rose up in her throat. A mother shouldn’t have to bury her son. She certainly wasn’t supposed to outlive any of her children. But, she didn’t live in a bubble. Wolff Securities took her boys to dangerous places to do dangerous things. She knew that. Accepted it, because she loved them and wanted them to be happy. Their job was risky, but her boys had been taking risks before they were out of diapers. Most weeks one of them came home with a broken this, sprained that. She had learned years ago not to panic at the sight of blood. With six boys she had no choice. It was that or spend every waking moment worrying.

Ryan had been the clumsiest of all of them. Always tripping over his own two feet in a rush to keep up with his older brothers. Most times they let him tag along. Quinn was the one who nudged her aside when the boys were too old for Band-Aids and a kiss to make it better. As the oldest, he always took care of his siblings, watching over them like a mother hen, even when he got into trouble right alongside them. It really was no surprise he became an EMT and then a pararescueman. His need to rescue others had developed at an early age.

She still remembered the time Nate—no, Kell, jumped from a tree limb into the lake on a dare and broke his ankle. Lucky it wasn’t his neck. Quinn carried him all the way home with four brothers and Bailey, only six at the time, trailing behind. Like little soldiers they marched up the driveway to face her and Frank. A smile touched her lips. Ryan had been the first to fess up to the truth that they’d disobeyed. He never could keep a secret. Quinn had stood in front of them, chin raised, accepting the blame for all of them. As he had two nights ago.

Ellen sat down on the porch swing with a sigh. She owed her oldest son an apology. Frank had gently pointed that out in bed last night. Not that he needed to. She knew what she had to do. It wasn’t Quinn’s fault her youngest son was gone. They all knew the risks. Even Dani, who couldn’t see reason right now. The poor girl was supposed to be married in two weeks. Nothing in the world could take away that pain. Right now Dani needed their love and support.

A weight settled on her shoulders as she sipped her coffee and watched the sunrise over the lake. The moment would pass soon enough and then she would be at the funeral home accepting condolences.

It was going to be a long, dreadful two days.

****

Quinn woke to the
bleep
of his cell phone. He reached for it on the bedside table and realized he wasn’t in his bedroom, but in the guest room. With Avery, who slept beside him, her arm around his waist, her head tucked into his shoulder. Her copper hair tickled his chest as she shifted and draped one shapely leg over his.

He stifled a groan and carefully disengaged her body from his so he could climb out of bed. She let out a soft sound of discord before settling on his pillow. Satisfied he hadn’t woken her, Quinn strode into the living room and snatched his phone off the coffee table.

“Are these all the photos Avery took?”

Shea.

“Yes.”

In this case he told the truth. He’d had Chris go through them before he sent them to Shea to make sure none of them were of use to her. They didn’t have the resources Shea did, but their database searches came up with zilch. As far as Quinn was concerned they were simply grunts in Diakameli’s army.

“Damn. There’s not much here I can use.”

“Then our business is done.”

“I was so sure—what? Oh, yeah, I won’t call again. Goodbye, Quinn. Oh, and, thank you.”

The line went dead.

He disconnected and strode into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. As it brewed he leaned against the counter, deep in thought.

He’d slept in the guest room with Avery the past two nights. A bad fucking idea. It put him dangerously close to breaking Rule Number One. He didn’t cross that line. Ever. The temptation had never been there until now. Avery provided enticement like no women ever had. Despite her stubborn, unpredictable nature, she stirred his blood.

And if that didn’t make him the world’s biggest fool he didn’t know what did.
Except kissing her, you fool.
He already had one foot over the line. Hell, half his damned body. The wrong half. And if he wasn’t careful he was going to blow this and get her killed.

With a shake of his head he turned and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. He needed his head examined. If his brothers found out what he’d done—still wanted to do—they would kick his ass. Twice. Then bench him from another mission until he was thinking straight. And they’d be damned right to do it.

He slammed the cup on the counter. What the hell was it about Avery, anyway? She didn’t throw herself at him. Hell, she couldn’t even admit she needed a hand. The woman was proud and stubborn and in truth, damned irritating. And full of secrets she wouldn’t share. She did stupid things that scared the crap out of him. Like the stunt in the shower, and in the lake, and he couldn’t forget her trying to leave without telling him. Not to mention her fiancé she never talked about.

The coffee pot gurgled, signaling it had finished brewing. Quinn poured a cup and put the carafe back, staring out the window at the sun as it rose over the lake. The storm had passed, leaving a fine mist covering the dark waters.

Cup in hand, he walked through the house opening windows to let fresh morning air in. The earthy scent of the woods drifted past and he drew in a deep breath on his way up the stairs. It calmed his nerves, helped him focus as he opened up his loft bedroom. His gaze snagged on his duffle bag, still packed and sitting on the foot of his king size bed. A reminder that he was screwing up. Tonight, he would sleep in his own bed.

He took a sip of coffee, picked up the bag and tossed it in the closet. He rolled his shoulders to ward off the weight riding there.

His phone went off again and he punched the button for his sister’s call. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Nine

Avery opened her eyes to warm sunlight shining through the window and an empty bed. Well, empty except for a stack of neatly folded clothes sitting on the end.

Disappointment swept through her but she pushed it away and threw the covers off. Quinn shouldn’t have slept with her in the first place. Did she really expect him to be here this morning?

She reached for the clothes. Shorts, t-shirts, bras and panties with the tags still on and close enough to her size to fit, a pair of pajamas, jeans and socks. On the floor sat a pair of sandals. Not what she normally wore, but she’d take them over nothing.

Opting for the jeans and a white fitted t-shirt, she dressed quickly. The clothes fit like a glove, although the jeans were a little long and she had to cuff them. Not wanting to ruin the socks by getting blood on them, she walked barefoot into the kitchen.

A half-pot of coffee sat on the counter so she poured a cup, spying Quinn on the deck. She went out the sliding doors. The scent of the lake greeted her along with soothing silence. To her it was silence. To others it probably sounded simply like the outdoors. Either way, she liked it. Welcomed how it mollified her.

“Hey,” she said coming to stand beside Quinn at the railing. “Thanks for the clothes. Bailey?”

“She dropped them off this morning.”

“Thank her for me.”

He nodded and sipped his coffee.

“I need to use your computer and phone in your office. Get some work done. Call my assistant manager at Books for Change and let her know I’m all right. Start calling families.”

“That isn’t going to happen. As of right now, no one knows you’re alive and we have to keep it that way for your safety.”

“What do you mean?”

“The news reported six deceased humanitarian aid workers.”

Her knees went weak and she braced a hand on the railing for support. “So how did you now to come looking for me?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “A CIA agent named Shea Morrissey got a tip from her confidential informant that you had survived. She called us.”

“You mean if Shea Morrissey hadn’t gotten a tip about my whereabouts no one would have ever looked for me?”

When Quinn didn’t answer she looked over to see his jaw clenched tight. All the answer she needed.

Reality penetrated slowly and she set her cup on the railing before she dropped it. Despite the warmth of the morning, a chill surrounded her.

“Who is this woman to you?”

“Not me. My brother. And I’d rather not talk about it.”

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slow. “So despite how you feel about Shea Morrissey, you still came after me? On your own dime?”

He met her gaze. “It’s what we do.”

A knot formed in her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her cheek. “Shea’s history is with Kell. Not me. But I stand behind my brother.”

Relief surged through her. She hated that she’d been jealous and he needed to explain. “So what happens now?”