behind her.
Braced for a tirade, Quinn squared his shoulders. His sister wasn’t one to hide her feelings. Or her temper.
She stared at him a moment before throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. “You big, stupid oaf.”
With a frown, he returned the hug. Where was his ass chewing?
Bailey leaned away and squeezed his forearm. “Heard you took a bullet in the arm. You all right?”
“Only a scratch. What—”
She pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. “Stop right there. What you did was really stupid, big brother. I won’t let you carry this on your shoulders like you did when we were kids. What happened wasn’t your fault.” Her voice hitched on the last sentence but she refused the tears shining in her smoky gray-green eyes.
Quinn shook his head, unable to say the words. She was wrong. He’d broken his promise.
Bailey smacked his arm. “God, you’re stubborn.” She grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen. “Sit.”
He dropped onto one of the stools at the island bar while she opened the cupboard and pulled out a glass pitcher. She set it on a colorful striped plastic serving tray and reached into the cupboard for glasses. “I wanted to talk to you alone before you do anything crazy like blame yourself for the destruction of the ozone layer or something.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Bailey turned with a stack of plastic cups sporting the same stripe pattern as the serving tray. “Yes, it is,” she said pointedly and set the glasses next to the pitcher.
He knew what she was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. Ryan’s death was his fault. Too late to change that.
“Tell me how it happened.” The request, spoken softly, hung between them.
“Sis, no.”
Her gaze met his. “I want to know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She slapped a palm on the counter. “Damn it, Quinn, stop treating me like a child. I deserve to know.”
Quinn stared back at her. Behind her bravado, pain lingered. She hurt like the rest of them, but did she need to know this?
“You’re going to tell the others.”
He couldn’t argue with that. By ‘others’ she meant their brothers. They protected her from what they did. She didn’t need to know the danger they lived every day. Par for the course and every one of them accepted that.
When he met his sister’s gaze he saw the scared little girl who had gone missing for three days instead of a strong, independent woman. All he wanted to do was protect her now like he hadn’t when she was ten.
“How was he shot?” Bailey asked quietly.
“How do you know he was shot?”
“I didn’t.”
Quinn scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn her. She was too smart for her own good. “That was low,” he muttered.
Unrepentant, she filled the pitcher with water and reached for the tea bags on the counter behind her. “You wouldn’t tell me otherwise.” She unwrapped a tea bag and dropped it in. “Did he suffer?”
A knife lanced his chest. The kill shot had been instant. “No.” The word came out on a ragged breath.
“And you—you tried to save him?”
“I used every tool in my arsenal.” He choked on the words and cleared his throat. All his specialized medical training and he couldn’t save his brother from a single gunshot wound.
“I know you did. I just…needed to hear it.” Her gaze remained focused on her task. “Is that woman really to blame?”
“No.”
A pause. “Who is she?”
Time to walk the minefield. “Avery Marks. My charge.”
Bailey’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, Quinn. It’s her fault.”
“She didn’t fire the bullet, Bailey.”
Anger flashed across her face. “Not directly. It’s her fault Ryan was in Azbakastan in the first place.”
“That’s not fair and you know it. It’s the nature of the job. The risk is always there.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending her.” Her voice trembled with fury.
“I made the call. I’m the one who sent Ryan to his death. It’s on me, Bailey. Avery did
Braced for a tirade, Quinn squared his shoulders. His sister wasn’t one to hide her feelings. Or her temper.
She stared at him a moment before throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. “You big, stupid oaf.”
With a frown, he returned the hug. Where was his ass chewing?
Bailey leaned away and squeezed his forearm. “Heard you took a bullet in the arm. You all right?”
“Only a scratch. What—”
She pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. “Stop right there. What you did was really stupid, big brother. I won’t let you carry this on your shoulders like you did when we were kids. What happened wasn’t your fault.” Her voice hitched on the last sentence but she refused the tears shining in her smoky gray-green eyes.
Quinn shook his head, unable to say the words. She was wrong. He’d broken his promise.
Bailey smacked his arm. “God, you’re stubborn.” She grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen. “Sit.”
He dropped onto one of the stools at the island bar while she opened the cupboard and pulled out a glass pitcher. She set it on a colorful striped plastic serving tray and reached into the cupboard for glasses. “I wanted to talk to you alone before you do anything crazy like blame yourself for the destruction of the ozone layer or something.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Bailey turned with a stack of plastic cups sporting the same stripe pattern as the serving tray. “Yes, it is,” she said pointedly and set the glasses next to the pitcher.
He knew what she was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. Ryan’s death was his fault. Too late to change that.
“Tell me how it happened.” The request, spoken softly, hung between them.
“Sis, no.”
Her gaze met his. “I want to know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She slapped a palm on the counter. “Damn it, Quinn, stop treating me like a child. I deserve to know.”
Quinn stared back at her. Behind her bravado, pain lingered. She hurt like the rest of them, but did she need to know this?
“You’re going to tell the others.”
He couldn’t argue with that. By ‘others’ she meant their brothers. They protected her from what they did. She didn’t need to know the danger they lived every day. Par for the course and every one of them accepted that.
When he met his sister’s gaze he saw the scared little girl who had gone missing for three days instead of a strong, independent woman. All he wanted to do was protect her now like he hadn’t when she was ten.
“How was he shot?” Bailey asked quietly.
“How do you know he was shot?”
“I didn’t.”
Quinn scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn her. She was too smart for her own good. “That was low,” he muttered.
Unrepentant, she filled the pitcher with water and reached for the tea bags on the counter behind her. “You wouldn’t tell me otherwise.” She unwrapped a tea bag and dropped it in. “Did he suffer?”
A knife lanced his chest. The kill shot had been instant. “No.” The word came out on a ragged breath.
“And you—you tried to save him?”
“I used every tool in my arsenal.” He choked on the words and cleared his throat. All his specialized medical training and he couldn’t save his brother from a single gunshot wound.
“I know you did. I just…needed to hear it.” Her gaze remained focused on her task. “Is that woman really to blame?”
“No.”
A pause. “Who is she?”
Time to walk the minefield. “Avery Marks. My charge.”
Bailey’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, Quinn. It’s her fault.”
“She didn’t fire the bullet, Bailey.”
Anger flashed across her face. “Not directly. It’s her fault Ryan was in Azbakastan in the first place.”
“That’s not fair and you know it. It’s the nature of the job. The risk is always there.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending her.” Her voice trembled with fury.
“I made the call. I’m the one who sent Ryan to his death. It’s on me, Bailey. Avery did
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