I’d seen the agonized looks on both of the Durand brothers’ faces when Torie was critically injured and fighting for her life after her kidnapping. I couldn’t blame them for feeling somewhat protective, really. I felt that way myself sometimes.

  There had always been so much love between the Durand siblings that it was almost palpable.

  Sure, the three of them razzed each other constantly, but what close siblings didn’t tease each other?

  Wyatt and Chase had always been Torie’s protectors for as long as I could remember. If they felt even more protective after what had happened to her, who was I to criticize?

  My guess was that Chase had become even more protective of his sister after her near-death experience in the Amazon.

  While I had no blood siblings myself, I completely understood Wyatt and Chase’s fear right after and beyond Torie’s kidnapping. I’d been completely out of my mind with worry about her, too. She was more like a sister to me than a best friend.

  “She’s happy now,” I reminded him softly as I viewed the concerned look on his face.

  Chase released a long breath and ran a hand over his face like he was trying to make those horrific memories disappear. “She is,” he agreed. “I think I was so damn upset by what those bastards had done to her that it’s hard to remember it’s over sometimes and that she is a grown woman who is perfectly capable of running her own life.”

  I knew that. I also knew he and Wyatt blamed themselves for not watching out for their younger sister now that both of their parents were gone, which was completely absurd. Torie was my age and a thoroughly independent female. There was no possible way Chase and Wyatt could have predicted what had happened to Torie in the Amazon. She was supposed to be on a vacation, and unless Chase and Wyatt were psychics, there had been absolutely no reason for concern.

  “She looked so beautiful and so incredibly happy today, Chase. It’s over,” I said firmly, hating the way he still seemed to blame himself for the freak incident. “Let the past be the past. Torie’s definitely not wallowing in anything except her present bliss.”

  It was past time for the Durand brothers to stop blaming themselves for Torie’s nightmare experience.

  She was well, healthy, and ecstatic with her new husband.

  The tension slowly faded from his expression as he answered, “You’re right. It is over. It’s just not so easy to forget, I guess.”

  I nodded. “I know. But she’s fine and starting a whole new exciting chapter of her life, Chase.”

  A shiver ran down my spine as he eyed me from head to toe. “What about you, Vanna?” he asked. “Where are you headed next? Are you coming home for a while?”

  I laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. “Since I’m currently homeless after selling my mom’s house, I’m going to spend a few days here in Vegas before I move on to my next assignment. I’ll buy myself a condo or rent something in San Diego, eventually. I haven’t had enough time there yet to seriously look.”

  It had been ten years since my mother had died in a bush plane accident while collecting samples for scientific research in Alaska. It had always been just the two of us, and I’d been devastated when I’d lost her so unexpectedly. We’d been really close, so it had taken me an entire decade to let go of the home I’d grown up in after Mom had died. Even though the place had never really worked for my globetrotting lifestyle.

  “It’s not like you have a lack of places to stay in San Diego,” Chase answered. “Cooper has a ridiculously huge place on the water in La Jolla.”

  I snorted. “Do you really think I’d play the third wheel with my best friend when she just got married?”

  His expression was earnest as he told me, “I have a pretty large place myself, not far from Cooper and Torie. Certainly you know you’re always welcome there, Vanna.”

  I licked my lips and swallowed hard, trying not to release the nervous cough that was caught in my throat.

  Seriously? Does he honestly think I’d stay with…him?

  As I thought about his offer, I realized he probably did think the suggestion was no big deal because he was supposed to be like a brother to me, right?

  Oh, God, that is never going to happen.

  If I accidentally saw this man naked, I’d never be able to walk away like an embarrassed houseguest and promptly forget it had ever happened.

  Just being alone with him and within touching distance was way too much of a temptation right now.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked casually. “I could easily extend my stay for a day or two. Maybe we could spend the day together. We could do a show or dinner tomorrow night, too.”

  I shook my head reflexively. I probably couldn’t spend more time in Chase’s company without revealing the way my feelings had changed over the years. “Can’t,” I said nervously. “I have a spa appointment and a spot with my name on it at the pool.”

  I didn’t. I was totally lying. But spending a day and an evening with a man I was attracted to who saw me as a second little sister would be absolutely tortuous.

  Chase shrugged as he studied me carefully. “Dinner after that?” he insisted.

  I shook my head harder. “I have other plans. I’m sorry.”

  The room was completely silent as he looked at me like he was trying to figure out if I was telling him the truth.

  And truly, I really felt guilty because I wasn’t being honest with him.

  Chase and I had known each other since I was a kid. Long before I’d developed this stupid infatuation with him, he had been like the big brother I’d never had.

  My heart skipped several beats and I took a deep, anxious breath before I said, “I better get going, Chase. It was nice seeing you again, but I’ve taken up enough of your time. You’re a busy billionaire CEO. I’m sure you have better things to do than sitting here talking to your sister’s best friend.”

  I sounded nervous and I knew it, but there was nothing I could do about the stupid attraction I had to Chase Durand every time I saw him again. It just got worse every single year.

  I could have sat here all evening shooting the breeze with Wyatt. He still felt like an honorary brother to me.

  Just the thought of doing the same with Chase made me…panicky.

  I walked to the table to get my purse, feeling Chase’s stare drilling into me as he said in a low, mesmerizing tone, “I’m not so sure there is anything else I’d rather be doing than spending some time with you, Savannah. It’s been way too long since we’ve had a chance to catch up.”

  Holy shit!

  I knew he didn’t mean for that smooth baritone of his to be seductive, but it tempted me in a way nothing else possibly could.

  Get it together, Savannah! He’s not into you that way!

  I let out an agitated breath and turned to face him with my purse in hand.

  Forcing myself not to flee like an idiot, I smiled at him. “You say that in such a charming way that I almost believe you,” I teased as I moved forward and forced myself to give him a sisterly hug.

  I tried not to breathe in his unique, enticingly masculine scent, but failed miserably.

  I closed my eyes, fighting the instinct to bury my entire face into his neck.

  Crap! He felt so damn good, smelled so incredibly amazing that I could barely keep myself from moaning with pleasure.

  I sunk my teeth into my lower lip as he wrapped a strong arm around my waist to return the embrace.

  When I finally realized I was lingering just a little bit too long, my eyes popped open again, and I hastily ripped myself away from his gloriously muscular body.

  The action was almost painful, but I either had to separate myself from Chase or embarrass myself with my best friend’s older brother.

  “Take care, Chase,” I said, forcing my voice to be casual as I headed toward the exit to the suite.

  “Savannah?” he questioned hoarsely as I started to leave the kitchen.

  I turned because I couldn’t stop myself from getting one more look at the one man I wanted but could never have. “Yes?”

  I held my breath as I saw the intensity and conflict in his eyes.

  Chase looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to express.

  Our eyes locked and my heart leapt as his irises shifted to a dark gray, almost like he might be…attracted to me.

  He wasn’t. I knew that. It was simply a trick of the light in the room, but a woman could have a few seconds of fantasy, right?

  In that moment, I wanted to tell him how I really felt.

  I wanted to tell him that I’d love to spend the day with him tomorrow—and all night, too, if that’s what he wanted.

  Anything to assuage the nagging ache this man left inside me.

  He took a deep breath, and my brief period of insanity left me as he finally said in a husky voice, “Be careful out there, Vanna.”

  Disappointment flooded my being.

  But really, what had I expected him to say? While I considered myself attractive enough, I wasn’t exactly the gorgeous supermodel type Chase usually dated when he was younger.

  I had curves, dirty blonde hair rather than platinum, and my eyes were a nondescript hazel. There was nothing about my appearance that would inspire lust or even mild interest from a guy like Chase Durand.

  I spent most of my time trudging around the planet in some wildly undesirable places, which was far from glamorous.

  He’s not attracted to you, Savannah. Get real.

  “I will,” I muttered as I turned my back and fled toward the door as fast as I could go without looking entirely eager to escape.

  As I left the beautiful hotel suite, I vowed to myself I’d never come that mortifyingly close to revealing how I felt about Chase Durand ever again.

  My friendship with Torie meant everything to me, and I wasn’t about to let some ridiculous leftover crush come between me and my best friend.

  I’d avoided being alone with Chase for years.

  I could easily do it for as long as necessary in the future.

  Chase

  The Present…

  “What in the fuck do you mean?” I asked Marshall as he briefed us on a possible rescue situation in the large mission room at Last Hope headquarters. “How in the hell can Savannah Anderson be missing?”

  Seven sets of eyes were trained on the leader of Last Hope as we waited for Marshall to explain.

  It nearly killed me to see the anguish on my little sister Torie’s face. Savannah had been Torie’s best friend since childhood, and the two of them were still incredibly close.

  I looked at my older brother, Wyatt, who was sitting next to me, and I recognized his troubled expression, which probably mirrored my own.

  Hudson Montgomery was also present, along with his brothers, Jax and Cooper.

  Jax’s wife, Harlow, who was a volunteer weather specialist at Last Hope, was looking at Marshall expectantly as well.

  Marshall had sent out an emergency rescue code to get our asses gathered here at Last Hope headquarters as soon as possible, so I knew whatever he had to say couldn’t be good.

  “I meant exactly what I just said,” Marshall said irritably from his position at the head of the large meeting table. “She went missing a week ago while she was on an assignment in Bajo Chiquito. No one is calling it a kidnapping. The authorities in Panama say it’s likely she wandered away and got lost. The village is surrounded by jungle. However, all attempts to search for her have come up empty.”

  I watched as Marshall slid a large envelope to each one of us. I grabbed mine with very little interest, already knowing what was inside. It would contain a detailed background check on Savannah and any intel Marshall had on the case. It was normal procedure when our volunteer rescue operation was considering some kind of rescue.

  At the moment, I had more pressing things to consider than information on paper, especially since I’d known Savannah since she was a child. I didn’t need her fucking bio. I had to know what was really going on.

  Christ! I knew by the way Marshall had carefully chosen his words that there was still a lot that he hadn’t told us.

  “That area is pretty remote,” Hudson said in a thoughtful voice. “What was she doing there in that area of Panama?”

  The Darien Gap was a treacherous and highly dangerous route that connected North and South America. It was used mainly by migrants to escape intolerable circumstances in other countries. Not only did that area present extreme physical challenges when crossing, but the very real possibility of kidnappings and attacks from criminal gangs who made their home in the Darien jungle as well.

  “She was doing a special report for Deadline America on the humanitarian crisis there from the elevated number of people crossing through the Darien Gap right now. The amount of children coming through that hellish sixty mile stretch of the jungle is particularly alarming,” Marshall explained.

  “She was supposed to return to San Diego almost a week ago to look for a new place,” Torie said in a nervous tone. “After trying to reach her for days after she didn’t show, I finally asked Marshall to help me. It’s not like Vanna to just change her plans and not let me know. I knew something was wrong.”

  “I found it hard to believe that an experienced journalist like Savannah had just wandered into the jungle,” Marshall commented thoughtfully. “After checking with some of my sources and talking to her frantic producer, I know she didn’t.”

  Marshall’s sources were legendary. He had people who could provide some intel and resources in almost every nook and cranny on the planet—probably on both sides of the law. But none of us had ever doubted the accuracy of his information. The guy had a perfect track record.

  Hudson Montgomery folded his arms across his chest as he said, “Just tell us what happened, Marshall. It’s pretty clear that you know where she is. If she was kidnapped, where in the hell are the ransom demands?”

  “That’s the problem,” Marshall answered. “There haven’t been any. The government, both in Panama and the United States, is still treating this as a missing persons case.”

  “But you apparently have the truth,” Jax said wryly.

  “As close as I can get to it, anyway,” Marshall replied stoically. “My sources say that she was kidnapped by a rebel Colombian criminal gang. They initially thought she’d bring a good price in the human trafficking market because she’s an American television personality. The idiots didn’t realize they’d have a hard time trafficking her because her face is recognizable. Nobody wants to be caught with an American woman, much less one who has a higher profile.”

  Fuck! It wasn’t like I didn’t understand just how much drug and human trafficking went on in the remote Darien jungle, but… “I thought the Colombian gangs avoided crossing into Panama because they didn’t want to risk capture by the Senafront,” I said aloud, wondering why the criminals hadn’t been concerned about Panama’s border patrol police.

  Marshall nodded. “Normally, they don’t come very far into Panama for just that reason. Migrants going through the Darien Gap are generally safe once they get into Panama and reach Bajo Chiquito. This apparently isn’t a very organized crime ring. Just a few rogues who broke away from a larger group. They don’t really control any territory in Colombia, so they had to get a lot bolder and make a move in Panama to make money.”

  “It’s insane for them to move that far into Panama to kidnap someone. This shit usually only happens while immigrants are passing through the Darien Gap,” Jax pointed out.

  Marshall lifted a brow. “Exactly. I’m sure the crew of Deadline America rightly thought they were relatively safe filming from that area,” he agreed. “So that tells you what kind of lunatics we’ll be dealing with here.”

  Wyatt grunted his agreement before he asked, “You have a location?”

  “Yes, but it’s a remote area of Colombia in the Darien,” Marshall warned.

  I wasn’t about to question the need for us to go in.

  It could take both governments way too much time to abandon the missing person theory, and Savannah didn’t have that kind of time.

  We were already almost a week behind the kidnapping.

  Even though I didn’t doubt that Marshall had a good location now, that could change at any time if these assholes found a taker for Savannah.

  My gut ached with the thought of how much could have happened to her already. There had been days now that we hadn’t even been aware that she’d been kidnapped.

  I really liked Savannah. Always had. She’d just been starting high school when I’d left for college, but we’d bumped into each other occasionally over the years because she and Torie were close.

  I tried my damndest not to think about how much I’d noticed just how grown up she’d become very recently. When I’d last seen her at Cooper and Torie’s wedding several months ago, the woman she’d become had been almost impossible for me to ignore.

  “It’s not like we aren’t used to doing a rescue in harsh locations,” I reminded Marshall. “I’m in. We’re going to need a helicopter to get closer to that location. I’m your damn pilot.”

  As a previous 160th SOAR Night Stalker aviator, I was one of the few helicopter pilots involved in Last Hope. I also knew I was the best and the most capable of getting in and out of tight situations safely.

  Marshall shot me a dubious look. “You don’t have to do this personally, Chase. We could use—”

  “Not happening,” I interrupted hoarsely. “I’m going. I’ve known Savannah since she was a kid, Marshall. This is something I need to do personally.”

  I wasn’t going to let anyone else go after my sister’s best friend.

  Okay, so I wasn’t about to admit to anyone that something inside me was gnawing at my gut to go after Savannah myself, but those instincts were there. It wasn’t something I could just ignore.

  “I’m going, too,” Wyatt said in a tone that probably no one was going to argue with.

  Marshall rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of resignation. “What happened to all of you no longer running missions yourselves?”