Maximum Risk by Jennifer Lowery Page A

nothing wrong.” His voice dropped to barely a whisper.
    “What do you mean ‘sent him’ to his death?”
    “Nothing.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Let it go.”
    “No. You tell me what you meant.”
    The desperation in her voice hit him full in his chest. He understood her need to know. The plea for closure.
    “Quinn.”
    He lifted a hard gaze to hers. Bailey hated being left in the dark. She insisted they treat her as an equal and not as that ten-year-old girl who couldn’t defend herself. Her need to overcome that sense of powerlessness drove her to Evan so he could teach her self-defense and Jiu-Jitsu and the rest of them to share their combat skills. How could they deny her need to take back what she lost? As much as they’d wanted to shield her from this life, they eventually came to terms with it and gave their sister what she needed instead of what they needed.
    “I gave the order to send Ryan and Avery to the chopper. My decision got Ryan shot because it was there they ran into trouble. I made the call and our brother is gone because of it. End of story.” He choked on the last few words and rose abruptly from his chair, almost toppling it.
    Tears shone in Bailey’s eyes. “Ryan took a bullet meant for her?”
    This was the minefield he navigated and he’d just stepped on an AP. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you know I did this. Not Avery.” It would be easy to put the blame on Avery. Hell, he had done it. But, when he could think more clearly he’d accepted his fate. Not hers.
    “What did she do? Who is this woman? What was worth our brother’s life?” The torment in Bailey’s voice echoed through his head.
    The words cut through him. He understood her anger and pain, her need to blame someone. He wouldn’t let Avery suffer for it. She suffered enough.
    “Was it worth it, Quinn?”
    For Avery, yes. He nodded his answer and watched Bailey withdraw, physically and emotionally.
    “Explain that to Dani.” She walked out of the room.
    Quinn let out a weary breath. Maybe he should go. Tackle this tomorrow. He turned to leave and stopped short when he saw his parents, Chris, and Nate standing there. Silent tears ran down his mother’s cheeks. Behind her, his dad stood tall and strong, the rock that held the family together. Anger flashed in Chris’s eyes, his hands fisted at his sides. Nate’s expression was masked.
    Damn it. He hadn’t wanted his mom to hear any of that. “Mom.” The apology stuck in his throat. When he took a step toward her she held up a hand to stop him.
    “Please, just go.”
    Throat closed, Quinn nodded and did as asked. He was in his truck before Nate caught him and slapped a hand on the window frame.
    “Mom didn’t mean anything by it,” Nate said. “Dani heard from the hallway.”
    Quinn put the truck in reverse. “I know she didn’t.” And he did. Ellen Wolff was like a mama bear with cubs when it came to her family. Right now Dani was the cub. He hadn’t known Dani was there or else he would have stopped the conversation with Bailey before she dragged the truth out of him. He came here to clear Avery’s name, not tell all. They didn’t need to know the details. Now they knew exactly what he hadn’t wanted them to learn.
    Thunder rumbled across the dark sky. The storm had stalled, which only made it more humid and uncomfortable. A swim in the lake would clear his head. Maybe after Avery went to bed he would go for a dip. The deep, dark waters had served as a healing balm for many things over the years. He only hoped it would work its magic this time, because he sure as hell needed it.
    “I’ll call you later.” Nate clapped a hand on the doorframe and stepped back so Quinn could back up.
    The short drive to his house didn’t lessen the pressure in his chest. When he walked in, he found Kell sprawled on the sofa watching the Discovery channel.
    Quinn looked around the room. “Where’s Avery?”
    Kell nudged a chin toward the