“That was before some bastards decided to fuck with somebody we know and care about,” I answered angrily, still trying to get my emotions in check.

  “I get that,” Hudson commented. “I’ve been through that myself. I’m not about to object.”

  I nodded my head, grateful that Hudson understood my position.

  I was also glad that Wyatt had volunteered. I needed his steadiness and skills on this particular operation.

  “Do I need to ask if you two need any backup?” Marshall questioned drily.

  “I’m in if they do,” Cooper said firmly.

  “Me, too,” Hudson grumbled.

  “And me,” Jax volunteered.

  Wyatt and I shook our heads at the same time. While I appreciated the fact that they were all willing to put their asses on the line, Wyatt and I could be more covert if we were alone. I’d briefly considered Jax’s help because he had more medical training than the rest of us, but I knew Wyatt could handle just about anything that came up until we could get Vanna to a hospital.

  “Probably better that way,” Marshall agreed. “This operation needs to be as quiet as possible since neither government is ready to admit that she was even taken.”

  “Even though she’s my best friend, I’ve never told Vanna about Last Hope since we operate in absolute secrecy,” Torie said quietly from her seat beside me. “She won’t exactly be expecting you two to show up. I want you to go because I trust you both to bring Vanna back safely. But I also don’t want you to get hurt.”

  A lump formed in my throat as I saw the torn look in Torie’s eyes.

  Hell, I was glad she trusted Wyatt and I to bring Savannah back home. I just wished I had the same faith that we could bring her back unharmed. Considering who the enemy was this time, I wasn’t sure what kind of shape Vanna would be in when she was rescued.

  I also had to at least consider the fact that she could be dead in the jungle by now. Especially if she became more trouble than she was worth to these assholes. Their goal had been a quick sale and on to the next.

  My gut wrenched at the thought of anyone hurting Savannah, but I couldn’t give in to those thoughts right now. I wouldn’t be able to focus.

  I grinned at my little sister to reassure her as I said, “Haven’t died yet, and plenty of people have wanted to kill me.”

  Torie slugged me in the arm as she answered, “Stop that cocky bullshit. You and Wyatt might be tough, but you’re not completely untouchable. You’re human, too.”

  Didn’t I know that? I’d come closer to dying and death than I wanted to admit to my little sister.

  “We’ll be fine, Torie,” Wyatt said firmly before he looked at Marshall. “What else do we know?”

  Marshall frowned. “I spoke with Savannah’s producer, Jennifer, earlier. She said that she raised the alarm almost immediately after Savannah failed to return from an outdoor shower area before it got dark. When the film crew started to look for her, all they found was Savannah’s dirty clothes scattered on the ground at the base of the steps outside. Sounds like she dropped them when she was taken.”

  “Why is the government so damn set on believing she wandered off?” Jax asked. “Like you said, Savannah is no newbie when it comes to surviving in dangerous locations. I’ve met her. She’s extremely intelligent. It’s not really feasible that she just wandered away into the jungle and left her clothing on the ground.”

  Marshall shrugged. “Probably because kidnappings don’t normally happen in that area. It’s the only possibility they want to accept right now.”

  “She’s savvier than that,” Torie said, her voice quivering with emotion. “Vanna is pragmatic and rational. I knew from the very beginning that she’d never do something to put herself in that kind of position. We have to find her. I know what she’s probably going through right now.”

  I watched as Cooper scooted his chair closer to Torie and wrapped a protective arm around her. “We’ll find her, sweetheart,” he reassured my little sister.

  Watching Torie’s distress made me want to tear the head off every one of Savannah’s kidnappers. Not only was my sibling concerned for her best friend, but the circumstances were bound to bring back horrific memories for Torie of her own kidnapping.

  I was also pissed off because Savannah had always been like a second sister to me.

  Well, until recently. Until the day Cooper and Torie had gotten married. For me, something had changed that day.

  It wasn’t like I’d never realized how attractive Savannah Anderson was, but it wasn’t just my dick prompting me that day to stay longer in Vegas to spend some time with her. Whatever had encouraged me to act so out of character that day had been strong enough to make me override my common sense.

  Had I really thought that she’d ever see me as anything other than her best friend’s brother?

  Hell, I had no idea why I’d been so damn disappointed when she’d blown me off like I was a pain in her ass. But I hadn’t stopped thinking about that swift rejection since the day it had happened.

  Fuck! I really needed to stop trying to figure out why Savannah had left that day like her gorgeous ass was on fire.

  Obviously, she hadn’t wanted to spend another minute in my company.

  Did it really matter why she felt that way?

  I’d definitely gotten the message. Unfortunately, her lack of enthusiasm to hang out with me hadn’t changed my desire to be with her.

  I’d still thought about her since Cooper and Torie’s wedding.

  Every. Single. Fucking. Day.

  I stood up, so agitated that I couldn’t sit on my ass any longer. “Can you line up a small helicopter for us in Panama?” I asked Marshall. “I’ll need something I can put down in a tight space. Wyatt and I need to get moving.”

  It was a long plane flight to Central America, and I didn’t want to wait any longer to get started.

  Every moment we wasted put Savannah more at risk, and the urge to get to her was killing me.

  Whether she wanted to see my face or not, I was going to rescue Savannah Anderson.

  After I knew she was safe, I’d keep myself so occupied that I wouldn’t have time to think about the fact that she was the first woman I’d wanted to spend time with for a very long time.

  Chase

  “Are you sure you don’t need a translator?” Torie asked anxiously as she watched me assemble two backpacks for me and Wyatt in the equipment room. “I know you speak French like a native, but I doubt you can hold a conversation in Spanish.”

  I shot her a no-way-in-hell-are-you-going-with-us look before I went back to packing. I was not taking my little sister into a hellhole, even if Savannah was like a sister to her.

  And it wasn’t just Wyatt and me who would object this time.

  “Not happening,” I said firmly. “Cooper would cut my balls off.”

  She shot me a sad smile. “I know I’d never be able to keep up with you two, but the waiting is going to make me crazy. Vanna is tough as nails. I know that. But I’m terrified that she won’t come back, Chase.”

  A chill shot down my spine after Torie mentioned the possibility I couldn’t allow myself to think about right now. “She’s coming back,” I rumbled, not sure if I was trying to convince Torie or myself that my statement was the truth.

  Failure wasn’t an option.

  Savannah Anderson was alive, and we were bringing her home. Period. There was no other possible outcome.

  “You’re worried, too,” she said softly. “I can tell.”

  “I’m…concerned,” I mumbled. “Savannah was like a little sister to me when we were younger.”

  “And now?” she asked.

  Fuck! How did I answer that question, and when exactly had Savannah stopped being an honorary sibling to me?

  Honestly, I’d been thinking about that a lot lately. It had probably happened before she’d blown me off at Torie and Cooper’s wedding, but I’d had enough sense to ignore that possibly before then.

  There was something about the injured look in Savannah’s beautiful eyes when she talked about her failed relationship that had sent me reeling that day.

  The fact that some bastard had cheated on her was more than I could take, evidently.

  Knowing that Savannah was alone and vulnerable had kicked in a whole different kind of protective instinct for me.

  At some point, I’d decided that she definitely deserved better, and I’d ridiculously come to the conclusion that she’d be much better off dating a guy who would never hurt her. Someone like…me.

  She’d been out the door before I’d finally wised up and realized what a dumb idea that had been.

  So yeah, maybe that irresistible attraction had been there before Torie’s wedding, but I’d just been smart enough to disregard it before that day.

  I’d watched every story she’d done for Deadline America with a mixture of horror and admiration over the years.

  I’d always wanted to protect Savannah, even when she was a kid, so it was hard to decipher exactly when the concern about her safety had become less… brotherly.

  Not that I’d ever mentioned my concerns to her, or anyone else for that matter.

  She was, after all, a grown ass woman, and going into dangerous situations was part of her job.

  As I watched her specials on television, I’d also known she could take care of herself, and that she had more common sense than the average person.

  But that didn’t stop me from wishing she wouldn’t put herself in harm’s way so damn often.

  “I still care about her well-being, Torie,” I finally answered as I added some first aid items to our backpacks.

  Torie frowned. “I think you care about more than that. I saw the way you looked at her at my wedding, Chase. Maybe I was a little slow to notice, but I think you’re attracted to her.”

  Fuck! Had I really been that obvious? “I’m not,” I lied without hesitation. “And even if I was, Vanna doesn’t feel that way about me. We’re friends, Torie. She’s brilliant and I enjoy a lively debate every time we meet up. That’s all we are.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Torie mused. “It seemed to me that she was looking at you the same way you were looking at her.”

  “She wasn’t,” I said flatly as I crammed more supplies into the bags. Hell, I might as well nip this in the bud. I knew my little sister, and she’d hound me to death if she thought her best friend really liked me. “Savannah and I stayed after all the guests were gone. I told her I’d like to hang out with her the next day. She turned me down flat.”

  “She did?” Torie asked in a confused tone. “That’s weird. Maybe she’s just hesitant after what Bradley did to her.”

  Torie’s comment immediately sparked my interest. “What did that bastard do?”

  From my sister’s tone, I could tell the situation wasn’t as straightforward as Vanna had portrayed.

  She let out an exasperated breath. “Don’t you ever watch the entertainment news? Videos of him and another woman—when he was still supposed to be with Vanna—were everywhere, and he made it very clear that it was sexual. He very publicly humiliated the crap out of Vanna. The paparazzi hounded her for months to get her to comment on how she felt when the asshole dumped her. She was really hurt, even though she tried to act like it was no big deal. Vanna hasn’t dated anyone since then, and it happened almost two years ago.”

  Shit! Where had I been when that had happened? Then again, I wasn’t big on following the entertainment news, and Wyatt and I had spent a lot of time in France the last several years. “I didn’t know,” I confessed. “You told me that she was dating an A-lister. I didn’t realize it had ended that long ago. She told me that he cheated, but she acted like it was no big deal to her. I kind of suspected that wasn’t true.”

  I’d probably avoided hearing anything about her relationship. Even then, it had nagged at me that she might be serious about another guy. I probably just hadn’t wanted to admit it. Even to myself.

  Knowing what I knew now, I should have paid attention. Just the thought of some bastard hurting and humiliating Vanna made my gut roll.

  “When has Vanna ever admitted that she was anything other than fine?” Torie asked with a sigh. “I can see through that rhinoceros hide she wears to protect herself, but I doubt many people do.”

  “She has to be tough to do what she does,” I reminded Torie.

  “I know,” she answered. “But I think we both know that’s not the real Vanna. She has a soft heart underneath all that thick skin. I’m scared for her, Chase. I know what it’s like to be held hostage with very little hope of living through that situation. She must be terrified.”

  “Torie,” I said carefully, worried that she might not be prepared to see the Vanna we might end up bringing back to her. I knew I sure as hell wasn’t, and I’d seen a lot of things I hoped my little sister would never even have to know about. “You do realize that Vanna might not be the same when she comes back, right?”

  I’d dealt with way too many hostages. People were rarely the same after being held prisoner.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she answered stubbornly. “She took care of me even though my experience changed me pretty profoundly. I was always the same Torie to her. Vanna helped me keep my sanity. I’ll do the same for her.”

  “Your situations might be different,” I cautioned.

  “Or they could be extremely similar,” she countered. “I was held captive by a criminal gang who had no respect for life, too, Chase.”

  “But you weren’t—”

  “Sexually assaulted?” she interrupted breathlessly, sounding slightly panicked. “I was, Chase. I know this isn’t a good time to talk about this, but I have to. I never wanted you and Wyatt to know because you already ridiculously blamed yourselves for a kidnapping you never could have prevented. I know exactly what it’s like to feel that kind of hopelessness and helplessness. I never should have lied to you and Wyatt, but I wanted you to stop feeling guilty, and I wasn’t ready to discuss it, especially with my two older brothers. Now, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve gotten through all that, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I just want you to know that I would understand if that happened to Vanna.”

  My body tensed as I turned to look at her. I wanted to be angry, but I knew that I had no right to be. What happened to her were her secrets to share with whoever the fuck she wanted. I also realized that even when she’d been so damn broken, her thoughts were all about saving Wyatt and me some extra grief. “Does Coop know?” I asked huskily.

  She nodded. “Yes, of course. He and Vanna are the only ones who know that it happened.”

  I swallowed hard. “You know Wyatt and I would have understood.”

  “I know that, too,” she replied softly. “I just wasn’t ready to tell either one of you. I want you to know now because it just doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll tell Wyatt the truth, too, before the two of you leave. I need both of you to know that whatever happened to Vanna, I can deal with it because I’ve been through it. Those bastards who kidnapped me don’t deserve to linger in a single one of my thoughts anymore. I have Cooper now, and I’d much prefer to think about my amazing husband.”

  I opened my arms and Torie threw herself into them without hesitation.

  I held her so tightly that it probably wasn’t comfortable for her, but she didn’t complain. “Jesus! I’m so damn sorry, Torie,” I muttered against her hair.

  She hugged me hard as she said, “I’m okay, Chase. I swear. They can never touch me again, physically or emotionally. Please don’t blame Cooper or Vanna for not telling you. I asked them not to say anything.”

  “Hell, I can’t be pissed at either of them if that’s what you wanted. You have a right to your privacy. I definitely can’t be mad at Cooper for trying to protect the woman he loves,” I told her.

  Truthfully, I was glad that Coop was loyal as hell to Torie.

  I just hated the fact that she’d suffered even worse than we’d thought.

  Did I have a right to be mad because she didn’t tell her male siblings everything, especially something so personal?

  Hell, no. It wasn’t like I didn’t have things I didn’t want to talk about, either.

  “I’ve healed, Chase. I have an amazing life that I could have never even dreamed of a year ago. I’ve moved on. I hope you and Wyatt have, too.”

  I let Torie go as she wiggled out of my hold.

  Vanna had told me to put what happened to Torie in the past where it belonged, and she was right.

  “I guess we’ll have to,” I admitted, still not quite sure how to turn off my big brother protective instincts toward my little sister. Most likely, they’d never go away, but she had Cooper now, and I did trust him to watch Torie’s back.

  “You do have to,” she insisted. “Cooper worries about me enough for both you and Wyatt, unfortunately. The last thing I need is another person fussing over my well-being.”

  I grinned at her. Not so long ago, it would have been really hard for me to imagine Cooper Montgomery losing his shit over anything, especially a female. “His genius logic and reasoning ability do seem to go out the window when it comes to you,” I agreed.

  She folded her arms over her chest as she said, “It does. Completely. If I didn’t love him the same way, his drive to keep me protected might drive me totally insane. But I do and it doesn’t, even though I’m more than able to take care of myself.”

  “Then what can I do to be a better big brother now that you do have Cooper?” I asked hoarsely.

  She whacked my arm before she said, “You and Wyatt have always been the best brothers I could ever hope to have. I love you both so much. Just keep loving me and supporting me like you always have. I’ll never be too old or too grown up to need that.”

  Hell, Torie was one of the strongest women I’d ever known. She’d globetrotted around the world for years as a translator for the UN before her kidnapping. Maybe Wyatt and I had been a little overbearing since that kidnapping incident because our dad wasn’t around anymore. But it was obvious that she didn’t need us to act like a protective parent anymore. Maybe she never had.