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Vanna was vulnerable, and she needed both a protector and a friend right now.
“Checkmate,” I informed her as I finally made my move.
Her brow wrinkled as she viewed the board. “Dammit, Chase! I thought I had you. Why didn’t I see that one coming?”
Well, let’s see…maybe because she had nearly died a short time ago and was still recovering?
Nah…Vanna would never cut herself a break for that.
“That’s the whole idea, right?” I teased. “You’re not supposed to see it coming.”
“I suppose,” she said, sounding disgruntled as she leaned back against the headboard.
I fought off the urge to laugh.
Oh yeah, that was another thing. Shereallydidn’t like to lose. I couldn’t call her a sore loser. She just expected perfection from herself at all times.
“You look tired,” I told her as I put the chess set away. “That’s enough chess games for now.”
“I’m tired all the time,” she said mournfully. “And before you suggest it, I don’t need a nap. All I’ve done is sleep. I think it’s time you explained exactly why and how you and Wyatt came to my rescue. You told me you’d explain later. I’m better. Tell me.”
She wasn’t exactlybettersince she was just discharged from the hospital.
Vanna had asked me the same questions several times over the last few days because she was more oriented, and I’d brushed them off. All I’d wanted her to concentrate on was healing. Now that she was perfectly coherent, those inquiries were coming more and more often.
Judging by the stubborn look on her face, I wasn’t going to get away with not explaining any longer.
Besides, she was a Last Hope rescue. She’d have to know sooner or later.
“Like I said, it’s kind of a long story,” I warned her as I dropped the box with the chess set onto the side table.
She folded her arms across her chest. “Well, you’re in luck because it seems I have nothing but time right now. It’s a long flight and I’m not taking a nap right now, so spill it.”
I grinned because I loved her sassiness. It was a sure sign that she was feeling better.
I completely understood now what Torie had said about Vanna’s rhino hide exterior. Even when she was vulnerable, she tried to hide those emotions. Sometimes she’d succeeded. Sometimes…not, especially in the early days of her rehabilitation, but holy fuck the woman was resilient. I couldn’t help but marvel over the way she’d handled her recovery.
I scooted my body back against the headboard so we were sitting side by side before I started to explain. “Before I tell you exactly what happened, I have to emphasize how important it is that none of this information ever gets to anyone on the outside.”
She hesitated before she asked, “What information?”
I let out a heavy breath. I hadn’t needed to describe Last Hope to anyone who didn’t know about it for a long time. “You were freed by a civilian volunteer rescue organization known as Last Hope. Not keeping that information to yourself could be detrimental to our volunteers and contacts all over the globe.”
“I’m not sure I completely understand,” she said, sounding confused.
I wasn’t surprised since I wasn’t exactly clarifying things all that well. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m listening,” she said calmly.
“Last Hope is a nongovernment organization that’s successfully been rescuing kidnapped victims for years now. Marshall, the leader of the group, was former special operations. He retired after an injury that forced him into that retirement way earlier than he wanted. If the government doesn’t want to touch a hostage situation, Last Hope is usually willing to step up to the plate. Every volunteer who actually carries out our missions is previous special forces.”
I turned my head to look at her face. I could see the wheels turning as she tried to process what I was telling her.
“Exactly how large is this organization?” she asked.
“Worldwide,” I informed her. “It didn’t start out that way, but it’s grown in size over the years.”
“You and Wyatt are both involved?” she queried.
