Nick had better deal with the rebels, or I’d come back and kill the bastards myself.
Taylor’s bruises weren’t as bad as they’d been in the proof of life video, but they were still there, and the big lacerations on her cheek and the one over her brow looked infected. The doc had done some hasty sutures, but they were probably going to leave a mark.
I let out a long, pissed off breath. Everything that had happened to Taylor, Harlow and Mark was just so damn wrong on so many levels.
They’d gone to Lania to do their job, and all three of them had gotten shafted.
They were geologists, not warriors. They were in Lania to check out a possible new site for Montgomery Mining.
I leaned closer, and took Taylor’s hand in mine. “You’re going home, Taylor. We’re out of Lania,” I said next to her ear, hoping she could hear me, even if she didn’t respond. “And I’ll make damn sure that you’re okay after we get home, too.”
For some reason, this whole mission had been different for me, and I wasn’t able to distance myself from the victim like I usually did.
It felt personal.
It was personal.
Fuck! I knew I was throwing the rulebook out the window, and taking a mission way too personally.
Taylor Delaney was going to make everything complicated because she was my intern, but for once in my life, I didn’t give a damn if I didn’t follow the rules.
Taylor
When I came out of the darkness, I came out swinging.
Well, at least I tried to throw punches, but they were pretty ineffective.
It was pitch black, and I fought against whatever was wrapped around me, which, as it turned out, was simply a blanket.
But I didn’t know that at first, so I tried to fight my way out of the cocoon I was in.
“Hey, Taylor,” a deep voice said in the darkness, right before strong hands pinned my wrists gently to the bed. “Stop. You’ll pull out your IV. You’re okay. You’re safe. You aren’t in Lania anymore. You’re on your way home.”
Just that short burst of energy caused me to totally deflate, and I stopped trying to fight…because it was him. The same voice that had given me hope when I’d had none left. “Hudson?”
My voice was hoarse, and my throat was dry, but at least I could talk.
“Yeah, it’s me. Everything is okay, Taylor. I’m glad you’re awake, even if you did try to deck me,” he said as he released me.
I panted for a moment, exhausted just from trying to move my arms. “Why is it so dark? Where am I? And who are you?”
“Hold on,” he told me. “Don’t get crazy. You have an IV in your arm.”
I blinked as the room became bathed with a soft glow from a bedside lamp.
Logically, I knew it wasn’t a bright light, but it was way more than I was used to, so I squinted as I tried to get my bearings.
“Right now,” Hudson drawled. “You’re on my private jet and on your way back to the U.S. We’re only a few hours into the flight, so we have a long ways to go. And it was dark because we were sleeping. As to your question about me, my brothers and I all belong to a volunteer hostage rescue organization. My full name is Hudson Montgomery. My brothers and I own Montgomery Mining.”
Oh, God. It’s the big boss. What in the hell is he doing here?
I gaped at him as my vision cleared, and I could see exactly who I was talking to at the moment.
Sweet Jesus!
I got my first good look at the man who had hauled my ass for miles to rescue me.
Hudson Montgomery was breathtakingly gorgeous. His coal black hair was short, but slightly tousled from sleep, and his jawline and chin were covered with a dark, short beard. He was dressed in a pair of dark sweatpants, but his upper body was bare, every inch of tawny skin that covered all those tight muscles of his on display. Hudson was completely ripped, but not in a bodybuilder sort of way. He looked more like the type of guy who did physical labor all damn day, but I already knew he didn’t.
I knew exactly who he was, and what he did all day.
When I finally tore my gaze away from his powerful chest and six pack abdomen, I met a pair of gray eyes that sucked all the air out of my lungs.
I shook my head as I took a deep breath in. “Am I hallucinating, or are you really Hudson Montgomery who owns Montgomery Mining? Why in the world would a billionaire be rescuing people from Lania? It doesn’t make sense.”
I wanted to tell myself that it was just another crazy dream, but I didn’t feel like I was hallucinating anymore, and the man claiming to be Hudson Montgomery seemed much too…real.
I was a peon at Montgomery Mining, a summer intern. I’d never met any of the big bosses, but never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that any of them looked like this.
Or that they spent their spare time rescuing hostages. According to Harlow, the Montgomery brothers were in the local papers, and the sensational gossip publications a lot. But I’d been in northern California for years, and I’d definitely never had the time or inclination to paw through the gossip rags.
“You recognize me?” he asked.
“Not really. I mean, I didn’t recognize your face, but I am an intern with your company. I know who you are.”
“I’m so damn sorry about what happened,” Hudson informed me.
“So, do you go rescue people as a hobby?” I asked, wondering if Hudson had all of his marbles.
Or maybe it was me who wasn’t all there. At the moment, it was hard to tell which one of us was delusional.
He shrugged. “I guess you could say that. My brothers and I got involved with Last Hope because we were Special Forces in the military before we took our places at Montgomery Mining, and we still wanted to help where we could.”
My brain tried to take in exactly what he was saying, but it was no use. My mind was too scrambled. “Last Hope? That’s pretty appropriate in my case, I guess. Where is Harlow?” I muttered.
“She’s being taken care of back in the States. She’s safe, Taylor.”
Had he already told me that? I seemed to remember him telling me that before. “And Mark? Did you find him? Is he on his way back home, too?”
The pleasant look on his face crumbled, and was replaced with a far grimmer expression.
He stood, walked to a little mini fridge, and brought me back a bottle of water. Hudson handed it to me after he unscrewed the cap. “I think we should wait to discuss all the details,” he said huskily. “You’re being hydrated by IV, but it will help if you drink that.” He nodded at the bottle.
I took a small sip of the water, my eyes trained on his face.
My mouth was still parched, and drinking the chilly liquid was one of the best sensations I’d ever experienced. I took a bigger sip, and let it go down slower this time, before I questioned, “He’s dead, isn’t he? I still might be a little bit out of it, but no answer is worse than a bad answer, and since you haven’t said anything, I have to assume it’s even worse than bad. You don’t have to sugarcoat anything, Mr. Montgomery. I’d rather know the truth.”
His intense gray eyes searched my face before he slowly nodded. “His body was recovered, and it’s being sent by the Lanian government back to the U.S. And please just call me Hudson. I think we’re way beyond formalities, Taylor.”