Incriminating Evidence Read Online Free Page B

compound. Then…nothing.” He met her gaze. His one eye was clearer and the other opened slightly. She realized she’d never given him the promised cold cloth for his eye. “When and where did you find me?” he asked.
    She inched forward. “If I give you a cold compress for your eye, do you promise not to hurt me?”
    He held her gaze for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “I don’t know what I believe—if you’re innocent, or if you somehow abducted me—but I know I need you to survive. Even if I escaped here—from you—I don’t know where I am. I could step outside and walk for five days in the wrong direction. So yes, I promise I won’t hurt you.”
    His words were honest. Those of a soldier used to assessing threats and making the logical decision. Vin had been like that. She remembered it well, Vin’s inner determination to do the smart thing, even if it didn’t seem like the right thing.
    Hell, that type of decision making was what led Vin to join the Army in the first place. And later, it was why he took the job with Raptor.
    She swiped at her eye. Now was not the time to get caught up in messy emotions over her big brother. Right now, she needed to deal with Vin’s former boss, who had just admitted that no matter what his suspicions were, not hurting Isabel was the smart thing.
    She could live with that.
    She grabbed the pack towel, which she’d doused in stream water, and her compass, and approached him, slowly, as she would a feral cat.
    It was a good analogy. Alec Ravissant reminded her of a tiger, all sleek muscle and coiled energy. He was power and ferociousness in one beautiful package. Best to approach with caution.
    He reminded her of Richard Parker, the tiger on the boat in Life of Pi . Alec needed her to survive. Lashing out, as he’d done earlier, had been instinctive. His nature. But now that he understood the situation, he’d scare her to bend her to his will, but he wouldn’t rip open her throat. Not yet, anyway.
    He was a Ranger. He knew how to bide his time.
    And she’d better not forget it.
    She stopped just out of his reach and dropped the damp towel on the floor. “For your eye.” She lowered the compass more carefully, dangling the long lanyard from her fingers. “There is a mirror there, if you want to check out your cuts. Be careful with the compass—it’s our only one, our only hope to find our way out of these woods.”
    She retreated quickly, resuming her seat with her back braced against the log wall. He took the towel first and pressed it to his eye, then took up the compass. He studied his reflection in the small mirror. “It’s too dark in here to see much.”
    “If I build a fire, whoever assaulted you might see the smoke.”
    He shrugged. “I’m cold. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
    As if to prove his point, the wind whistled through the broken window. It was cold, and would only get colder as the night wore on. But still, his request was shortsighted and proved he still believed she was his only threat. The risk involved in proving him wrong was too much. “Yeah, well, I’m not. I found you and dragged you here because, for some stupid reason, I couldn’t let you die, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk more for you.”
    He shrugged and studied his reflection in the mirror, making her wonder if she’d passed or failed some sort of test. “Butterfly bandages?” he asked.
    She nodded. “You were bleeding pretty badly.”
    “Probably why my head hurts like hell, but the ibuprofen is helping.”
    Would it kill him to say thank you? She’d not only bandaged him and given him the painkiller; she’d also dragged all two hundred pounds of him a mile through the forest. Every muscle in her body ached from the effort, and his first greeting was his hands on her throat.
    Ungrateful bastard.
    She pulled a trail mix energy bar from her backpack and broke it in two. She paused before tossing him half. “You’ll get this after I get my