Bennett Mafia
Chapter 27 - BENNETT MAFIA

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Tanner and Jonah kept me company for the day. No Kai.

They didn't talk about him, and I didn't ask. We acted like we were friends having a movie marathon. They ordered pizza-or had someone make it. It just showed up, carried in on trays with anything I wanted to drink.

Tanner had a beer, and Jonah was drinking a green probiotic drink. I'd had one earlier as well. I kept to my tea for the rest of the evening. All day long, no matter what we did, I felt unbalanced. My hands weren't steady, and I knew it was because I'd given Brooke up.

I had broken my oath as a 411 operative. Would I be able to continue working with the Network? They would've understood. Hell, Brooke wasn't even an official client, but she was my client. She had been my person to help, and I'd given her up. It didn't matter that I hadn't told Kai where to find her. I'd assisted him in getting closer to her.

After the fourth movie, Tanner grabbed the remote and turned it off. "No more." He dropped it on the coffee table and sat back, his arms hugging a pillow over his chest. He burrowed into the couch, his ass toward me and his head in the corner.

"I'm fucking tired, and no more superheroes," he said, his voice muffled. "I'm superheroed out."

Jonah yawned, stretching his arms on the other side of me. The couch was ridiculously big, with thick, plump cushions, so I barely registered he was there.

Jonah groaned, standing up. "What time is it? I feel like I could sleep for a week."

Tanner snorted, still in that corner. "So says the real-life superhero. Give it up, little bro. You're going to be bouncing off the walls by tomorrow, wanting to go off and rescue people." He rolled over to sneer at his brother. "Save lives and shit." Jonah frowned, another idle yawn coming over his face. "You sound pissed about that. Why you pissed?" His eyebrow went up. "I've saved your ass a few times." He had?

I looked over Tanner, trying to see any scars.

Tanner rolled his eyes, sitting upright and rubbing a hand through his hair. "I'm giving you shit because Brooke ain't here to do it for me. That's what she does. She looks out for you, checks in with you, and gives you enough shit so your head don't get all swollen up from being the saint in this family."

Tanner sounded irritated.

Jonah grunted, grinning. "Yeah, right. She doesn't give me shit. I'm the brother she adores. She gives you shit so your head doesn't pop off and float away." Laughing to himself, he grabbed the beer bottles on the coffee table and the paper plates with leftover crusts.

He took them into my kitchenette area. I had a small sink, a mini fridge, a small microwave, and a coffee machine. All I really needed was a kettle for some tea, but I was growing a taste for coffee since being with the Bennett family. As Jonah put the trash into the garbage can, a pillow whipped past my head and hit him square in the back.

Tanner growled, "Stop being perfect. We have staff to do that shit."

Jonah's mouth opened, his frown deepening. He finished putting the trash away. "You drunk, Tanner? You can be a dick at times, sober or not."

Tanner laughed, rolling over to stretch out on the sectional. His face smashed into the cushions once again. "Damn straight I'm a dick. And you know what? I would be more of a dick if Kai weren't so, so, whatever he is." Jonah came over to pick up more of the trash.

I stood to help him.

י

"No, no. Sit." He waved me back down. "We came in here and made a mess." "See!" Tanner barked. He flung a hand up. "He's being perfect. It's annoying." "You're annoying." Jonah put down the paper plates and went over to his brother. Tanner didn't know he was there until Jonah grabbed one of his legs and yanked.

Tanner's entire body came off the couch. Jonah kept pulling, sweeping him clear over the coffee table. All the garbage went with him, and Jonah finished with a yank so Tanner went sailing, almost to the wall. "What the fuck?!" Tanner was up, charging his brother.

Jonah braced himself.

Tanner hit him in the chest. His arms wrapped around Jonah's waist, and planting his feet, he body-slammed him to the floor.

Jonah twisted out from under him, tucking a leg around Tanner's and flipping them over.

Tanner wasn't to be outdone. The two of them wrestled all the way to the main door, and after a bit, I started to hear their laughter.

"Check!" Tanner slammed Jonah back into the wall.

Both were panting and sweaty now, their faces red, but their smiles relaxed me.

"Ah!" Jonah laughed. "Get off me. You win."

Tanner relaxed, and Jonah shoved his arms off, kicking him the rest of way.

Tanner laughed too, falling back to collapse on the floor, his arms spread out. "Fuck." He was breathing hard. "That was fun. We haven't done that forever."

Jonah scooted up, his back resting against the door and a lopsided grin on his face.

"Yeah." He was still panting. "I work out, but forgot how damn heavy you are."

Tanner rolled over and whacked him on the leg with the back of his hand. "Shut it, little brother, or I'll kick your ass all over again."

"Yeah, right." Jonah shoved at Tanner's leg. "You used up all your juice in that match. I'd take round two."

"Fuck that."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you!" Tanner bolted to a sitting position, pointing at Jonah.

Both paused, staring at each other, then began laughing again.

"We're fucked up," Jonah said, shaking his head.

Tanner grunted, falling back down. "Speak for yourself. I'm a stud. I'm not fucked up. I do the fucking up.

I coughed where I'd been sitting on the couch, watching. I'd loved it. I knew I had a stupid grin on my face. This was something I hadn't had growing up. Blade, Carol, and I weren't like this.

I'd once thought of them as family, but seeing Jonah and Tanner-no, Carol and Blade were friends. Co-workers. Not family. I didn't have this with them. If Brooke had been here, she would've been in the middle of it or laughing and shouting from the sides. Hell, she might've been coaching Jonah.

Another cough ripped up through my chest, and both of them snapped to attention. They got to their feet, coming over.

I waved them off, covering my mouth, and turned away from them. "No, no. I'm fine." Cough. "Really." Another cough. "I'm done." Two more coughs. "Now, I am. Really."

Nope. Lying.

I couldn't stop until Tanner had left the room, and Jonah went for his bag. He brought it over along with a glass of water. I took a sip, and it helped ease the coughs. He pulled out a cough drop and gave it to me. I eased back against the couch, my chest feeling weak.

"That sucks. I'm sorry." I waved toward where they'd been. "I didn't want to interrupt that."

Jonah shook his head, pulling out his stethoscope and kneeling beside me.

I leaned forward, knowing what he wanted.

He lifted my shirt enough to put it against my back. "It's fine. I think we both forgot you were here, actually. We haven't wrestled like that forever."

A pause.

"Deep breath."

I breathed deep.

"Exhale. Slowly."

I exhaled. Slowly.

"And another."

We repeated the process another three times before he moved to my front, his face looking away as he listened.

He was moving back, his stethoscope hanging around his neck when the door opened again.

Kai came in first, with Tanner behind him.

I felt zapped by his presence, and I sat up straight.

"You okay?" Kai's concerned eyes looked me over, lingering where my shirt was pulled down an inch before frowning and sliding his gaze to his brother. "Is she okay?"

"You said she was outside in the rain the other night?"

Kai nodded, standing against the couch, right behind me.

I tried to ignore him.

My heartbeat skyrocketed.

Being around Kai was stressful.

"She was. You think she got sick from that?"

Jonah gazed at me, frowning. "Yeah, maybe. She's got some wheezing in her lungs. Plus, she's been under a lot of stress."

See?

"It might've worn down her immune system." A hard look entered his eyes, and in that moment, he looked almost exactly like Kai. He scowled at his brother. "Lay off her. Whatever you have planned, just stop. She needs rest and relaxation, and being here, being around you isn't doing it. You're wearing her down. Literally."

"Hey..." Tanner moved to stand between the two.

But Kai nodded, pulling away from the couch. "Okay."

"Okay?" Tanner and Jonah parroted him together, their eyebrows raising.

"You shitting me?" Tanner added.

Jonah only said, "Good."

"I have to fly stateside anyway."

That got all our attention.

"Why?" asked Tanner.

"Did something happen?" Jonah said.

"Did you find her?" I chimed in.

Tanner and Jonah turned to look at me.

"What?" came a gargled sound from Tanner. Jonah got quiet, stepping back.

Kai ignored them. "Maybe," he said to me.

My heart sank and leaped all at the same time. Maybe Jonah was right. Maybe I needed to stay away from Kai...and then I remembered it wasn't my decision!

I was being held there, against my wishes, because of someone I used to love. And if he'd found her, it was because of me.

And I still didn't know who to trust: Brooke or Kai.

Suddenly, I felt lower than low.

"Can I have a minute with Riley?" Kai asked.

"Yeah." Jonah nodded.

"Sure."

The last was Tanner, a gruff edge in his voice, but he followed Jonah. Jonah left his bag on the kitchenette counter, and I heard them moving for the door.

It shut quietly, and I could feel the emptiness left behind. The air felt more open, but also stifling.

Kai came around to sit on the edge of the couch, diagonal from where I was.

I didn't look at him. I didn't need to. I could feel every movement he made, every look he sent my way, every time he started to say something and didn't. Which he did, three times, while I sat waiting.

I swallowed over a knot. "You found her, didn't you?"

I'd done that.

"We found him. I told them not to move, in case she's there. I need to be the one she sees first. She has to see I'm not going to do anything to harm her or her boyfriend."

My heart squeezed.

He sounded so genuine.

"Are you lying to me?" I still didn't trust myself to look at him.

"No."

Another squeeze.

"I did that." Those words wrung out of me. Fuck it. "I gave her up. If you hurt her, I swear..." I glared at him, flinching when I saw concern in his eyes, the bags under them. "I will kill you," I finished. There was no heat to my words, just promise.

He waited a beat, then nodded. "I believe you will." A trace of amusement lingered in his tone. "I told you I'd murder you if you told anyone what I said before. I mean that too."

I still glared at him, but I remembered.

He would murder me. I would kill him.

Fuck, we were almost perfect for each other-NO! No. No. NO. I would not think like that.

I forced myself to look away, feeling like I had to break cement to do it. "What will you do if it's her and she's fine?" What will happen to me?

He seemed to know what I was really asking because he replied, "You can go back to your life. Like normal."

Except nothing would be normal now.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

I pulled a blanket over my lap. "I'll be fine. I'll sleep and get better." I gestured to Jonah's bag. "There's a doctor here. That helps."

"Yeah."

I knew without looking that he was rubbing a hand over his mouth. He was deep in thought; he was going to change something, I was about to be put through the wringer again.

"I was going to bring Jonah with me," he said.

"What?"

I looked at him, and I was caught. His eyes captured mine.

"In case Brooke needs medical attention."

"Oh." Guilt flared in my chest, warming me. "That's a good idea, actually."

He shook his head. "No. He can stay here. I'll bring someone else."

Of course. Again. What was one doctor to the head of a mafia family? He probably had a whole slew of them to call-EMTs, nurses, nurse assistants even.

And what was I doing here?

I was envisioning a gorgeous Grey's Anatomy-like female doctor-street and academically smart, gorgeous, who could save lives with nothing more than a straw. That's who he'd call to travel with him. Nope. No jealousy here.

"Just be careful," I heard myself say when Kai stood up.

He stopped in surprise, but I pushed up from the couch and went to the bedroom, shutting the door with way more oomph than it required.