Locked & Loaded (Ricochet 1)

“Let me help you up.” Rick extended an arm, taking two steps towards her.

Her subconscious was now shrieking loudly, urging her to move.

Danger! Run! Hurry!

Quinn scurried back, scrambling crab-like on her hands and feet to put more space between her and Rick. The intense fear gripping her felt like a noose around her neck, tightening with every step Rick took.

“Don’t come any closer!” She climbed to her feet, holding a hand out to stop Rick’s movement. Her pulse was flying through her veins, pumping adrenaline to every cell in her body. Quinn felt as if she was on the edge of a razor-thin precipice, one nudge in the wrong direction and she’d go tumbling head first into a full-blown panic attack. He neede

d to leave, now.

HOLY SHIT.

“Okay, okay, I won’t move.” Rick tucked his hands into his pockets and took a step back, showing the frightened girl that he wasn’t going to come any closer. He had no idea how their conversation turned from playful and sexually charged to Quinn freaking out, but it was alarming.

Rick studied Quinn as she cowered against the half-wall that divided the kitchen from the small living area. Her cheeks were flushed crimson, her eyes wide and darting around the room wildly, the hand she held up to keep Rick away was trembling… this was a girl who had seen some terrible things.

If there was one thing Rick knew, it was recognizing someone who lived through something truly horrifying— seen human beings at their worst— only to come out wrecked on the other side. He knew because he was one of those people. The things he saw and did in the Marines would give anyone nightmares. Hell, they gave him nightmares.

His hackles rose at the thought of anyone laying a hand on this tiny, vulnerable woman. Rick clenched his jaw to tamp down the urge to demand the name of whoever had hurt her.

“Listen,” Rick said calmly, breathing steadily to control his anger, “I’m not here to hurt you or bother you. Yes, Mack has cameras around the perimeter of the building.” Rick didn’t feel the need to let her know why they needed the high-powered cameras that were equipped with the latest night vision and facial recognition software to protect a “gym”. “They’re for security. Tucker mentioned seeing you go up the back staircase, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

Rick studied Quinn as her shoulders released some of their tension. Her outstretched hand dropped to her side and she started to look less like a person about to run for their life and more like a regular young woman. No, not regular— gorgeous and special and intriguing was more like it. But also damaged. Rick could see it in her eyes and her obvious actions. The pain she held inside was significant. Something that horrific could never be completely hidden, no matter what mask you put on in public. Some masks were just more convincing than others. He thought of his own horrors then quickly shoved the images away.

“So, my offer still stands. Do you want to go to the store with me? Or would you rather give me a list and I’ll bring you back some food?”

Rick waited for Quinn to kick him out of her apartment.

Miraculously, he caught a hint of a smile on her face. Her head was tipped down and she glanced up through thick, black lashes. The turnaround in her behavior from scared to pleased hit Rick like a punch to the gut. Her smile, it lit up her entire face changing her from gorgeous to fucking stunning. Those large amber eyes glowed with delight, small crinkles forming in the corners, making her that much more beautiful. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as striking as a relaxed and happy Quinn Wallace.

“Really?” Her voice made it sound as if he were offering to jet her off to Europe at a moment’s notice. “You’d do that for me?”

It made Rick sad to think that someone offering to grocery shop for her was probably the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a while. That, he could fix. He might not know what happened in her past or be able to change it, but he certainly could make her feel cared for in the here and now.

Being the cause of Quinn smiles became his new fix. One he didn’t think he could go long without. Like an addict, he knew he would crave it, do anything to make it happen. Rick wondered if this would be an addiction that would bring him up high, only to leave him to crash and burn.

QUINN CRINGED INTERNALLY for letting Rick see how surprised she was that people, specifically men, could actually be nice. She didn’t want Rick to know about Travis or that she was hiding from an abusive husband. In her new life, Quinn didn’t want anyone to think she was weak. That way they wouldn’t try to take advantage of her like Travis did after her father died.

When she asked if he really meant it, he seemed surprised. Maybe it was normal for people to go out of their way for strangers. What the heck did she know? Her view of the world was tainted by Travis and his cowboy boots. “Sure. I have to go to the store myself. I didn’t see a car outside, so I figured you could use a lift.”

Quinn finally let her guard down completely. Mack wouldn’t have hired Rick if he weren’t a good guy. Eventually, she’d have to take the first step in starting to trust men again if she ever wanted to live a normal life. That’s what the female counselors at the women’s shelters said time and time again. One of Mack’s trusted employees seemed like a good place to test that theory.

Quinn took a deep breath. “Okay. Just let me get some shoes on first.”

“Sure thing, doll. I’ll wait here.”

Quinn frowned at the pet name but decided maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, it was kind of growing on her. Grinning, she hurried to the bedroom without comment, slipping on a tattered pair of flip-flops. She left most of her belongings behind in Texas, taking only the essentials. That left her with about two pairs of shoes and five different outfits. Most of those came from a women’s shelter she stayed in the first month after fleeing, others came from the second one.

Quinn didn’t want to keep anything that reminded her of Travis, including her clothes, so it wasn’t much of a loss. The only thing she kept was her extensive collection of lingerie. On the darkest days, shopping online for pretty, frilly underthings was sometimes the only thing keeping her from plunging headfirst into a suicidal depression. No way was she leaving behind the one thing that gave her happiness.

When they reached the parking lot, Rick held open the door to his sleek black sedan, a gesture she hadn’t experienced in years. Chivalry was most definitely not Travis’ thing. The small gesture floored her. Was it possible that Rick wasn’t the self-centered douchebag she initially assumed him to be?

“Thank you.” Quinn settled into the passenger seat with her hands on her lap, waiting for Rick to circle the car to the driver’s side.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The interior smelled like Rick. A delicious combination of his woodsy aftershave and his own decidedly masculine scent mixed with the soft leather of the seats.