“Don’t bullshit me, Vanna. We’ve been like sisters for way too long. You’re thinking about that, no matter what the doctors said.”

  I nodded. “I can’t help it. Even though I know the chances are small that I was sexually assaulted, there’s also the needle situation because I was drugged so much. I know that seems crazy—”

  “It doesn’t,” Torie assured me. “It’s normal after what happened. I know you remember me whining about it.”

  I did, but her situation had been different. She’d known that she had been raped more than once.

  She’d also been much worse off than me with her physical injuries.

  It had taken her a long time to heal both emotionally and physically.

  “Your injuries were so horrible,” I said in a tone full of remorse for all that Torie had suffered.

  “That doesn’t make what happened to you any less frightening or horrible. It also doesn’t mean you don’t need time to heal,” she scolded. “I recognize post-traumatic stress when I see it, and you nearly jump out of your skin every time I enter a room behind you.”

  I closed my eyes and released a breath. I should have known that Torie would notice anything that was different about my behavior. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to share with her. She was my best friend. I just didn’t want my experience to trigger memories of her own kidnapping.

  She was so happy now.

  I wanted her to stay that way.

  “I was attacked from behind,” I admitted as I opened my eyes again. “My therapist said it will take a while for those knee-jerk reactions to go away.”

  “Please don’t be afraid to talk to me, Vanna,” Torie said softly. “It took a long time, but I’m finally over my own experience. Helping you, listening to you isn’t going to cause me to have flashbacks. You were there for me. I want to be here for you. Everyone processes trauma differently, but for women especially, a lot of our experiences are the same. I jumped at every little sound I didn’t recognize, or every male voice that didn’t belong to my brothers. Has everything been okay here with Chase? I know you’ve known him forever, but staying with him could be a little different.”

  I knew she was asking if the fact that I was staying with a man actually bothered me.

  I shook my head. “He’s been amazing, Torie. I don’t think I could ever be afraid of him. Recognizing his voice in the darkness when he rescued me was the best thing I’d ever heard. I just feel more than a little guilty that I’m taking up space in his house. We were never exactly…friends. We were more like…friendly adversaries who loved to debate everything.”

  “And now?” she asked quietly.

  “He’s very generously offered his friendship and more,” I said honestly. “It took a while for me to realize what a big commitment it was for him to offer himself up as my advisor.”

  “Oh, it is huge,” Torie said with a sly smile. “Jax Montgomery was Harlow’s advisor, and look where they are now.”

  I snorted. “They’re married. That is definitely not going to happen. But being a Last Hope advisor is a responsibility that not every person would want to take on. Either that, or your brother takes the job very seriously. He makes sure I’m okay, no matter what I’m doing. He checks in with me emotionally about a gazillion times a day right now. You know me. I’m not exactly used to something like that, but I have to admit that it’s comforting. And he worries about every single injury I have. He arranged for me to have everything I needed here. He even made sure that I got my suitcases and other things from my producer. He’s even slugged through my storage space. The man cooks like a professional chef just so he can tempt me to eat. All that, and in his spare time, he runs one of the most profitable corporations on the planet and volunteers his time to a private rescue organization. He’s disgustingly perfect.”

  Torie lifted a brow. “He’s my brother, so I know he isn’t a saint. He can be a bossy pest when he wants to be. So can Wyatt for that matter.”

  I laughed. “I know that side of him a little, but you know it a lot better since you’re his little sister.”

  “But I also know that he’s an amazing guy,” she confessed. “I wish he could find a woman who could appreciate that.”

  My eyes scrutinized Torie’s plaintive expression. “He said he’s not seeing anyone. It sounds like it’s been a while.”

  She shrugged. “No interest on his side. Something happened to Chase right before he got out of the military. I know he was injured, but that’s about all I know. I was unreachable when it happened because I was doing a remote hiking trip without cell service. It took a while for me to even find out that he was injured, and he doesn’t talk about it. Either that, or he can’t talk about it because it was something top secret. He seems fine physically. He had a few casual dates after he joined Wyatt at Durand Industries, but it’s like he just…gave up. I have no idea why because he’s always loved women. All women of any age. One of his college girlfriends used to say he could charm the meanest woman in any room. I think she was right, but I haven’t really seen that playful part of him in a long time.”

  I frowned, not liking the thought of Chase getting hurt. “Maybe he got dumped or some woman played him?” I suggested.

  Even as I said those words, I couldn’t imagine any female dropping Chase Durand for another guy. She’d have to be blind, a complete idiot, or both.

  “I suppose it could happen,” Torie agreed. “But I find it hard to believe a woman could find a better catch. He’s filthy rich, well-educated, he used to know how to have fun, and I suppose some women would think he’s hot. Ew…it’s hard for me to think of my brother that way.”

  I snickered. “Take my word for it, as a woman who isn’t his sister, he’s ridiculously hot.” I let out a small cough once I realized what I’d just said. “Well, he would be to other women. Aesthetically speaking, I mean.”

  Torie zoomed in on my mistake immediately. “You think he’s attractive?”

  “I might not be interested, but I’m not blind,” I said hastily.

  “What if I said that he thinks you’re attractive, too,” she fished, sounding slightly hesitant.

  My eyes widened. “I’d say you were completely out of your mind. Chase wants to be my friend and advisor. That’s all. God, what kind of crazy man would take a look at me right now and be anything except repulsed? I look like something the cat dragged in after playing with it for days.”

  “Attraction is more than just physical,” Torie pointed out.

  I held a hand up. “Stop! Chase and I are friends. We are not attracted to each other that way, Torie.”

  Okay, maybe I did secretly lust after Chase Durand, but it wasn’t something I was about to share with Torie. She’d hound me with hints about a possible relationship with her brother forever.

  She made no bones about the fact that she wanted Chase and Wyatt to find a good woman.

  Her trying to hook the two of us up would be embarrassing considering that Chase Durand would never look at me that way.

  He was protective, caring, and considerate about getting me everything I needed right now. Chase listened to me with the concern of a friend who didn’t want to see me in pain.

  He did not, however, look at me like he wanted to get me naked. Not now, or any time previously, for as long as I’d known him.

  “Okay,” she agreed amiably. “I’ll try not to say that I told you so someday.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I muttered, dismissing her warning.

  “You do enjoy his company though, right?” she persisted.

  Really, how could I not like Chase Durand? Especially after everything he was doing for me. “Every minute we spend together,” I said honestly. “There’s something about Chase that makes me feel…safe. As an advisor, he’s made me feel so comfortable that I can tell him almost anything about my kidnapping and know that he won’t judge. You know that’s big for me. I’m usually not all that trusting.”

  Torie nodded. “Feeling safe is good after what you’ve been through. Nobody involved in Last Hope would ever judge you, Vanna. We volunteer for a reason. Everyone wants to help.”

  I shook my head as I answered, “It’s still hard to believe that such an organization even exists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that Last Hope was started and continued to grow. But I have to admit the things they’re capable of doing and the thought they put into every rescue is a little overwhelming.”

  “We have some pretty amazing volunteers all over the world,” Torie informed me. “And Marshall runs Last Hope like his life depends on it. I discover something new that I didn’t know about Last Hope almost every single day. It’s definitely unique and pretty awesome.”

  “You like being a volunteer?” I questioned.

  “I do,” Torie replied immediately. “I think volunteering gives me a chance to turn a negative thing into a positive.”

  I sighed. “I wish I had a special skill I could volunteer.”

  Torie groaned, “Please. You have a million special skills, but this is your time to just be a rescue and recover. Let us take care of you right now.”

  To my horror, I felt tears filling my eyes. “Thank you. God, I hate feeling this helpless, useless, and afraid of everything. You know me, Torie. I had every minute of my day planned with work issues. I didn’t have time to be idle.”

  “Which wasn’t necessarily a good thing,” she pointed out as she wrapped her arms around me. “Everything will be okay, Vanna. I promise. Getting your head back together is the hardest part.”

  I wrapped my arms around my best friend and hugged her hard.

  “I’m not even sure if I’m the same person anymore,” I muttered.

  “You are the same intelligent, brave, talented woman you were before,” Torie argued. “I think going through this kind of nightmare changes everyone to some extent, but you’re still the Vanna I know and love. You said those same words to me when I was still recovering. I made it, Vanna. Granted, I’m a little different and slightly more wary, but even stronger than I was before. This won’t change the core of who you are.”

  As I continued to cry, I wondered what I would have done without Torie and Chase.

  I’d spent most of my adult life running around the world chasing stories, and I had no close family left.

  “Do you know how lucky I feel to have you as a best friend?” I asked her tearfully.

  She chuckled a little as she continued to hug me tight. “That’s because I haven’t really been a pain in your ass yet. You’ve never been around long enough for that to happen,” she cautioned. “I’ve missed you so much, Vanna. I’m glad you’re home.”

  I’d missed her, too. More than she’d probably ever know because she was really all I had other than my co-workers, and I really wasn’t personally that close to any of them.

  “I missed you, and I’m glad to be home, too,” I said earnestly.

  Strangely enough, I truly meant those words.

  After a decade of traveling continuously, and a horrific experience that had nearly taken my life, there wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be.

  Chase

  “I thought I heard Vanna crying when I went upstairs earlier,” I said to Torie as she walked into my home office.

  I’d known that my sister was with Vanna, and I hadn’t wanted to interrupt, but I was concerned.

  “She was,” my sister said vaguely as she sat down in a chair in front of my desk. “I doubt that’s something you haven’t seen before. You spent a lot of time with her while she was recovering in Panama, and now here.”

  I shook my head, my chest tightening at the thought of Vanna being in so much pain that she was actually…crying. “Honestly, I haven’t seen her shed a tear since she’s been here. It was even rare during her recovery in the hospital.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or offended that Vanna couldn’t share that sorrow with me. After all, I was her advisor.

  “She’s fine,” Torie said lightly. “She’s in the gym doing her physical therapy.”

  I frowned. “Are you sure she’s okay?”

  I’d seen Vanna troubled.

  I’d seen her frightened.

  I’d seen every sign of her PTSD that still seemed to be bothering her.

  I’d realized shortly after she’d arrived back home that I couldn’t approach her from behind because it would sometimes cause a flashback.

  She talked to me as her advisor about her kidnapping. I couldn’t complain about her lack of candidness. But I couldn’t help but think that she might be leaving out some things that didn’t involve her kidnapping. Of course, I really hadn’t gone there with her, either.

  Torie nodded. “She will be okay, and Vanna rarely cries. You know it takes a while to work through what happened. I think she’s scared.”

  “Of what?” I asked. “I’m doing everything I can to protect her.”

  She shook her head slowly. “It’s not just that. You have to understand that Vanna dedicated her entire life to her career. She was starting to burn out, even before she was kidnapped. She never really talked about it before the kidnapping, but I could tell. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. Constantly being thrown into the worst things that can happen to people over and over is soul sucking, and Vanna never gave herself a chance to pause. She never experienced fun or relaxing things in her life. God, she’s never even taken a real vacation since she became an adult. The only time off she ever took was to take care of me.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I told her remorsefully.

  Torie’s information made me wonder whether Vanna really took a few days in Vegas to sit by the pool or to go to the spa. Knowing her like I did now, I was pretty sure she probably worked in her hotel room until it was time to move to her next assignment.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said reassuringly. “She never even admitted that to me until just now. She was sucked dry by her career, I think. Add her kidnapping on top of that, and I doubt she feels like she has anything left in the tank.”

  Fuck! I realized that her current situation had to be hard for a woman like Vanna. She’d spent her life in complete control of her destiny. She never faltered. She never flinched at any kind of challenge, regardless of the fact that she was completely wiped out. To suddenly realize that she didn’t have the strength left to fight because her life had spun out of control had to be heartbreaking for her.

  Didn’t she realize that everyone had a breaking point?

  “Then we’ll just have to fill her up again,” I told my sister.

  “It might not be that simple,” Torie said thoughtfully. “She’s not just tired, Chase. I think her spirit is crushed.”

  “Fuck that!” I grumbled. “A woman as strong as Vanna will definitely recover. She just needs some time.”

  “What she needs is some happiness in her life,” Torie said adamantly. “Once she’s well enough physically and emotionally, she’s going to want to go right back to work again. God, she’s still working on her story for the Darien Gap, even though she’s not completely recovered. Can you imagine how much that only adds to her depression right now? I’m going to do everything I can to make her remember what it’s like to just have some fun before she completely loses herself to her work again.”

  “She doesn’t have any time to relax? Not at all?” I questioned, suddenly realizing how little I knew about Vanna’s life after childhood.

  The woman had an incredibly stressful job. How was it possible to go from one assignment to the other without a break? Nobody was that superhuman.

  “Never,” Torie responded. “Bradley was a total jerk, and I don’t think he ever cared about making Vanna happy. The other few guys she’s dated seriously were in the same business as Vanna and were probably workaholics just like her. Vanna has always had zero work/life balance. And no one who really cared about her mental well-being except me. That’s always bothered me. Underneath that tough exterior, she’s a woman who feels enormous empathy for people who are suffering. I was afraid the way she was working would take a toll on her psyche someday.”

  “What else can I do to help her?” I queried huskily.

  Hell, I was her advisor, but truthfully, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for Vanna, advisor or not.

  “I think she’ll figure everything out,” Torie pondered. “I think she’s reached her breaking point because of the kidnapping. At least she can admit that she’s totally burned out now.”

  “Tell me,” I said through clenched teeth.

  If Torie knew how to fix things, I wanted to know, too.

  “She needs something in her life other than work,” Torie considered thoughtfully. “Vanna has no idea how to do something for pure enjoyment anymore, and she’s really beating herself up. That needs to stop. Right now, she feels ugly because of her scars. She got a new haircut today. We ended up cutting most of her hair off because nothing we did fixed the permanent damage.”

  “Her scars aren’t bad,” I said firmly. “She’ll always be beautiful. And who gives a shit about her haircut?”

  Torie shot me a dubious look. “Try telling that to a woman who’s been through hell and is just recovering from that nightmare. Believe me, she doesn’t feel beautiful, and I totally get that.”

  I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “Maybe I’ve been going about my advisor duties all wrong.”

  “No, Chase,” Torie said softly. “This isn’t about you. You’ve been really good to her. You’ve been there whenever she needed to talk about the kidnapping. This is about Vanna and what she’s going through. I’m just telling you most of what I know so you can understand her situation better.”

  “Most of what you know?” I questioned. “What are you leaving out?”

  “Only the parts that have nothing to do with her recovery,” she hedged. “There are some things best friends don’t share with anyone else.”

  “I need to know what to do to fix this, Torie,” I said huskily.

  Hell, I wanted Vanna to be happy, too.

  “Take her outside with a glass of wine to watch the sunset,” Torie replied. “Let her know that even if her scars never completely disappear, that she’s still beautiful.”