Bennett Mafia(21)

“Yeah. Well.” Jonah bent down to pick up his bag, putting the strap over his shoulder. He looked back to me, one of his hands sliding into his pocket. “Drink the juice and have some toast. Tanner will get it for you. Wait with the coffee. You should be fine now, but you’re dehydrated. You need to be replenished before drinking that stuff.”

He gave Tanner one more lingering look. Then he went back out the door and turned down the hallway, not going to the front entrance, leaving me alone with Tanner. Well, Tanner and the guards—two by the door and more I knew were just outside.

Tanner picked up the glass of juice he’d poured for me and stepped away from the counter. He paused, seeing where I was looking.

Motioning to the guards, he said, “Hey, Marco?”

One of the guards inclined his head.

“Take off. She won’t leave, and Jonah will be back. We’re good.”

The guard didn’t move. He didn’t say anything either.

Tanner’s eyes flicked upward. A soft curse slipped out under his breath. “Fuck’s sake, guys. She can’t take me. You all are outside every exit, and there’s no way she can leave the grounds. The girl is helpless, and she won’t attack me either.” His eyes shifted to me. “Or I don’t think she will.”

The guards’ response was to cross their arms in front of their chests and roll their shoulders back, raising themselves to their full heights.

Tanner growled, “Kai is the boss, but you’re forgetting this is my place too. I can make your lives hell if I want to. Get gone. I mean it.”

The two now shared a look, and Marco relented. “We’ll be right outside the front door.”

“Yeah.” Tanner waved at their backs as they turned to leave. “You go stand there.” He moved toward me as they left, closing the door behind them. He placed the juice in front of me. “Drink.”

He stepped back to the counter as two pieces of toast popped up.

“Kai is scary, but so is Jonah if his orders aren’t met.”

I picked up my glass, taking a sip. The juice felt refreshing, and my stomach growled, as if remembering it was beyond the empty mark.

Tanner began to butter the toast.

“Jonah’s a doctor?” I asked.

“Mmm-hmmm.”

How did one brother become a doctor when another killed people for a living? I eyed Tanner. He was pulling fruit from the fridge. What did he do? How did he fit into this family?

“Did he kill the others last night?” I asked instead.

Tanner paused, straightening a little, his eyes growing more alert. “They’re alive.”

He picked up the plate of toast and bowl of fruit he’d put together. He walked them over to me.

“And they aren’t here, if you’re hoping to go look for them,” he added. “They were moved to a different facility.”

My mouth watered at the smell of the toast and the sight of the strawberries in front of me now. I hated that. I wanted to go through all levels of resistance, even a hunger strike if it came to it, but I couldn’t. My stomach growled like a volcano ready to blow.

Tanner softened his tone. “Look.” He sat across from me. “We took you because you’re our best shot at finding our sister. That’s all. If you help us, you get to go back to your life. It’s as easy as that.”

I glared. “You kidnapped me. It’s not that simple.”

He snorted. “Please. You can tell the prime minister we took you and nothing would happen. You’re on the up and up with your job. You know our family can’t be touched.”

I scoffed.

He lifted an eyebrow, his smirk knowing. “Don’t underestimate my brother. That’s a fatal mistake if you do.”

I straightened, holding the glass of juice in front of me. Its coolness calmed me for some reason. “I don’t know where Brooke is. But even if I did, why would I help you find her? If Brooke went missing on her own, I’m sure she did it for a good reason.”

Like she was scared of her brothers, or one of them?

Like she didn’t want to be murdered the way her oldest brother had been, or their father?

“Brooke wasn’t in the right frame of mind when she took off,” Tanner countered. “Trust me on that.” He leaned forward, his eyes boring into mine. “You know how close I was to her. I know you do. She told me how much she talked about me to you, so remember how much I loved her back then? It’s more now.”

He leaned back just as Jonah returned. “We all love her. A lot. We’re looking out for her, for her safety.”

Jonah slowed, hearing the last of his brother’s words.

Tanner was right. I did remember how close she was to him, and how she adored Jonah, who was all grown up now.

“You were ten when Brooke left Hillcrest,” I said to Jonah. “That’d make you twenty-three now?”

“My birthday was last week. I’m twenty-four.” His answer was stiff, and he went into the kitchen.

He was a doctor at that age? That wasn’t possible.

As if reading my thoughts, Tanner grinned. “Little Jonah’s a genius. So take heed, Ray ray.” A smile spread over his face. He was taunting me. “Whatever escape plan you’re thinking of, it’s already been thought out for you and taken care of. Between Kai and Jonah, every detail has been handled. Your best bet for getting out of here is to help us find Brooke.”