party if asked, and refuse to disclose anything else. Medical professionals and counselors are bound by their own code of ethics not to reveal anything you tell them except things they’re mandated to report. Over the years, we’ve learned who takes those obligations seriously.”
“Okay, so you have your own doctors, and your own professionals?” she asked, and then immediately put up a hand. “Wait! You don’t have to answer that.”
“No, but I will, because it’s something you’re going to know anyway,” I assured her. “None of those professionals are part of Last Hope, and we can’t force you to see the professionals we know are safe. A few do know the basics about Last Hope, and are…sympathizers, if you want to call it that. Others are just damn loyal to their profession and ethics, and when you ask them not to share your information, they don’t. If we’ve dealt with them before, we know that. If you choose somebody we don’t know, it’s basically a crapshoot, but it’s your right to do whatever you think is best for yourself.”
She tilted her head in an adorable way that I was starting to think only happened when she was turning things over in her head. “So really, you’re always vulnerable? Especially you and your brothers since at least some people would recognize your faces.”
I shrugged. “We have been since the beginning, and we knew that when we signed on. My brothers and I have been backing away from doing the actual missions over the last few years because we could be recognized. So we mostly do the strategic planning and provide resources. We’ve just gotten lucky so far, but if Last Hope takes on a rescue, we see it through. It’s not like we just get you away from the bad guys and dump you in a hospital. You won’t see the last of this organization until you’re completely healed, emotionally and physically.”
“That’s actually a benefit for you, right?” Taylor mused. “If somebody is always there to guide a victim through the rough patches, and they always have somebody to talk to about it, then they’re way less likely to talk to somebody on the outside. They already have people who completely get what they’re going through.”
Jesus! This woman was bright, and her reasoning ability had to be off the charts if she could pick up on that immediately, even though her brain wasn’t fully functional yet. That was exactly why we took our aftercare duties so seriously. It’s not that we didn’t give a damn what happened after a victim was rescued, but most of the benefit was on our side. “Pretty much,” I answered simply.
“So if you and your brothers don’t take on rescues yourself anymore, why are you doing it this time?” she pondered.
“Jax and I knew that every moment was going to count, and we didn’t have time to pull another team together. Plus, this one was personal for me because every one of you were my employees.” It was the most honest answer I could give her. Had I taken the time needed to get another team together, she would have been completely screwed.
She met my gaze with those big green eyes of hers, and the sincerity in that look made my gut ache as she said softly, “Babysitter or not, I’d never do anything that I knew would put you at risk, Hudson.”
For some reason, I felt it in my bones that she’d die before she’d reveal any information about us. I wasn’t sure why my instinct was to trust her this early on, but generally, my inklings were never wrong. “So ask me whatever else you want to know, and I’ll tell you what I can,” I grumbled, irritated with myself because those forest-colored eyes could get to me so damn easily.
I watched as she tilted her head again, and looked at me like she had a thousand burning questions, but was trying to narrow that number down.
“I think my biggest question is…why?” she mused. “I don’t need to know how you operate and where, or who carries out the rescues. None of those details really matter to me. But you’re Hudson Montgomery, billionaire, genius, and the head of one of the most successful companies in the world. Why the military in the first place, and why are you part of Last Hope now? It didn’t make sense to me before, and I guess it still doesn’t. Not completely. Weren’t you groomed to take over