Bennett Mafia
Chapter 12 - BENNETT MAFIA

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Pssst, Ray ray! Pssst!"

I opened an eye and saw Brooke kneeling beside my bed, her eyes lit up and an excited smile on her face. Her cheeks were red.

I groaned, burrowing my head under my pillow. "Go away. You're too awake for me."

She giggled, then shoved my shoulder. "Come on. Get up. I want to show you something." "What?"

She was so annoying, so awake at a time I knew was ungodly and wrong. So wrong. It was irritating how much of a morning person she was. Five am wasn't the time to get up and dance, but that was one of her favorite pastimes.

Thank God I bargained hard. I'd gotten her to do her dancing routine in the community room down at the end of the hall. It was a nice bonus that two girls we hated had their room directly underneath, and they hadn't figured out who the dancer was. Not yet. The time was coming, though. We were only two weeks into school.

"Come on. I mean it. I really want to show you something."

She was so persistent.

"What is it?" I grumbled, but I sat up, rubbing my eyes. This was not right. I glared at her, dropping my hands to my lap. "You're not human."

She laughed again, ducking her head behind her hands. "Come on. Come on. Quick."

"Fine, fine." I crawled out of bed and reached for my slippers.

I was pulling on my robe, following her out of the room, when it hit me that I wasn't cold. I should've been cold. It was always cold this early in the morning. "Wait." I stopped, five feet from the door. "Where are we going?"

She poked her head around and waved me forward. "You're going to miss it. Come ON!"

She was too annoying for this to be a dream. "Fine, fine, fine." I rubbed a hand over my face. I just wanted to go back to sleep. "But where are we going?"

She disappeared back into the hallway as I reached for the door.

Then I heard her words, and an eerie laugh echoing from down the hallway. "My execution, silly."

My eyes snapped open.

I was awake, and not back in Hillcrest, not following Brooke.

To her execution.

My heart pounded in my chest. I was in Kai's room, in his bed. Fear paralyzed me for a second, as I remembered the last time I'd woken here, remembered everything. Then I scrambled out of bed, hit the floor running, and dashed into the main room.

I skidded to a halt.

I was alone. Completely. There weren't even guards inside.

I slumped down in a chair at the table and took everything in. So much had happened, and my mind was swimming. I felt like I was drowning, and Hider operatives didn't do that.

I'd been playing defense this whole time, just trying to catch up. I had to stop. I had to formulate a plan.

They knew everything. Blade. The Network. The Hider operatives who came to help me I felt sick again just thinking of them. If I hadn't made that call, that guy would still be alive. His death was on me.

I had to make it right somehow.

Brooke.

She was another piece of the puzzle.

Kai didn't believe me. He was desperate to find her.

The possibilities were endless, and none of it would get figured out unless I got out of here.

I had to get out. Somehow.

Getting out of this room would be a good first step. After showering, I grabbed some clothes and runners from the closet.

With clammy hands, and a pulse that didn't seem it would ever slow down, I started for the door.

It swung open before I could get there.

I opened my mouth, thinking that had happened fast, but then Tanner strolled in. Hands in his pockets, head down, he walked like he was out for a stroll he didn't want to be on.

Noticing my shoes first, he paused and lifted his head.

"Oh, hey. You're awake. Good." He turned around and called back over his shoulder, "Follow me."

I wasn't going anywhere.

Well, shit.

I had to. I had to see if I could escape or find the other Hiders.

Tanner hadn't waited for me, but there were two guards outside the door. Sighing, I headed out, but I kept my head up. I tried to memorize the way to wherever I was going, which was ridiculous because I was just guessing at where Tanner had gone. I must've been correct for the most part, but after I made a turn down a hallway, the guard behind me cleared his throat and said, "Other way."

"Thank you." I glanced at him and veered to the left hallway instead.

After that they had to direct me down three flights of stairs and through so many hallways I lost count. I'd felt like I was going back to the main door where they'd first brought me in, but I wasn't certain. I was getting a headache trying to track where I was and look for escape routes at the same time.

I should give up. Or wait for an opening.

This was the fewest guards I'd had, but there were still two of them. I had no doubt that whenever I got to where I was supposed to be, there'd be more.

Then I rounded a last corner and saw I was on the main floor. I could see the front door, but Tanner hollered from the other direction, "In here!"

He was in the kitchen, an entire grand room with a long dining table taking up one side, and an open kitchen on the other.

Tanner stood at the marble countertop, frowning at a coffee pot. "You drink coffee, Ray ra-Riley?"

He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. With a big yawn stretching over his face, he glanced to me. "Hmmm?"

I normally didn't, but I shrugged. "Sure." Maybe it'd help me stay alert.

My stomach rumbled, hurting. My throat was painful too.

He finished getting the coffee ready to brew, smiling as he punched the last button. "There. Ready." He patted the top of the machine, a look of pride flashing over his face. "I just got this new sucker. About time to see if its espresso really does remind me of Paris." He winked. "I doubt it will."

"Tanner?" Someone called from behind me.

A guy was coming in. His head down, a bag like an EMT's over his shoulder, he frowned at his phone on the way toward us.

"You in there?"

He lifted his head when we were about five inches from impact.

"Oh!" He skidded to a halt, and his dark eyes widened.

I should've moved. I saw him coming, but this wasn't a normal situation. I was starting to feel like I had to do everything the opposite of normal just to see what would happen if an opening to run would occur or anything. At least that's what I told myself. The truth might've been that my reactions were slow, really slow, and as I'd tried to move aside for him, my body had begun to shake. A wave of light-headedness had come over me, and I swear I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head.

"Whoa."

A thud sounded, and two hands grabbed my arms, keeping me upright as I started to waver.

"She needs to sit down."

A chair scraped against the floor, and I sat on it. The hands grew gentle, soothing. They felt nice after the shock of everything. He knelt in front of me, and I felt his breath on my face. He lifted one of my eyelids open.

"Tanner," he said over his shoulder. "I told you to give her something to eat and drink before making her walk through the house."

The guy was right in front of me, and getting even closer. A light appeared, and he began inspecting my eyes, one after another. "Uh..."

I caught sight of Tanner's elbow in the air. He was raking a hand through his hair again. His hood slipped off.

"I did. I thought I did? What do you want her to have?"

"Any kind of juice you prefer?" the guy asked.

He paused.

I realized he was asking me. "What?"

"Juice." He put the light away and began feeling my neck. "What's your favorite?"

The fridge popped open. "We have orange juice, apple, prune? Why the fuck do we have prune? And grapefruit," Tanner said. "We have grapefruit juice too."

They waited for my answer.

"Oh! Uh, orange juice is fine."

The guy in front of me, his fingers now pressing over my carotid for my pulse, said, "Give her a piece of toast too. With some honey. She needs her blood sugar up. Are you diabetic, Riley?"

He said my name like he knew me.

He did look familiar...

His skin was a slightly darker tone, but he had the same black hair, dark eyes, and full lips that all of the Bennetts had. His hair had a little curl to it, and he seemed younger. Or maybe it was the gentleness I felt from him. He had a baby face too, with a softness to his skin.

"Jonah?" I asked.

He was the baby.

He nodded, grinning slightly, but with a flash of sadness in the depths of his eyes.

"Hi, Riley. I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances. And especially after last night. The shock of what Kai did, mixed with how much you were vomiting and the fact that you hadn't eaten or drank much the whole time they were driving you, gave you a seizure-induced by the drop in your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Are you diabetic?" he asked again, picking up a small machine and lifting one of my fingers. He squeezed just beneath the tip and poked the machine into my skin.

"Hey."

He put the machine away, setting it aside. "Your color is coming back, but you're dehydrated." When the coffee machine started whirring, Jonah scowled at Tanner. "That's not for her, is it?" Tanner had two mugs in front of him. "Uh...maybe?"

Unzipping his bag, he pulled out a stethoscope. "It better not be. She needs liquids. Juice and water are all she can drink, at least for a while. If everything turns out to be induced by shock and not something else medical, she can have the coffee later."

He moved aside my shirt, just an inch, and pressed the stethoscope to my chest.

"Are you the medic?" I asked, as he put the other end in his ears.

Kai had called for one last night.

Jonah held firm for a second before moving the stethoscope to the other side, and then behind me. He folded it back up and put it away in his bag a moment later. "No. I'm not."

Tanner smirked, watching us from the kitchen.

I took in Jonah's rigid shoulders as he moved in front of me again. "Did I upset you by asking that?"

"Not at all." But his tone had cooled. He motioned to my shirt. "I'd like to press on your stomach. Would that be okay?" His gaze found mine. "Are you pregnant?"

I blanched. "No!"

Shit. Was I? But no. That was a ridiculous question. There'd been a Tinder date six months ago, but that was the last time I'd needed to fulfill those types of needs. I wasn't a prude, but I enjoyed sex in a relationship. And because of my job, meaningful relationships were few and far between. Over the last five years, I'd dated two guys, and both relationships had ended after eight months.

I was a good liar. I didn't feel proud of that, but with the way I lived, I had to be in order to survive. But somehow the lying always put a wall between myself and anyone I might be involved with. I began to feel more and more empty the longer I was with someone, and that meant the only other option was Blade. But the romantic feelings weren't there with him.

"Okay.” Jonah pressed on my stomach. "Do you feel pain in any of these spots?" He moved and pressed on four areas on my stomach. I shook my head every time.

With a sigh, he sat back and reached for the pricking machine. "Your levels are fine. You're not diabetic, so I'd surmise your seizure was stress induced, mixed with the havoc your body experienced yesterday. It can happen. It's rare, very rare, but I've heard of it before." He frowned, hesitating, but reached into his bag again. He pulled out some papers, sliding them to me with a pen on top. "I'd like to request your file. Would you give me permission to do that?" He indicated the papers. "This more protects me, just so you know."

I got what he was saying. The file was probably already with him. Kai would've demanded it, with or without permission, and that was just a way to cover Jonah's back in case it was needed. With what this family could do, I was relieved to see one member followed the law.

I nodded and reached for the pen.

His mouth pressed in a firm line as I signed. "It wasn't supposed to be like that."

He stood, staring at Tanner. I couldn't see his face, but Tanner didn't seem fazed.

He shrugged and yawned. "Don't look at me, little brother. You and I both know we don't make the decisions."

"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."

I took in how assured he looked, how resigned Jonah seemed, and I remembered how they'd captured me, how they'd handled the gas station, and how everything had been calculated and planned out last night. My heart sank.

They were right.

I had to help them find Brooke.

Her image flashed in my mind her social media pictures from the news-and I remembered holding her after Kai and his father drove away. I remembered how she'd sobbed in my arms, and I hardened inside. Fuck. Them.