by Tijan
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, i
t’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.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I had three ways to leave.
Find Brooke. Escape. Or put them in a situation where they needed to let me go.
As I drank my orange juice, ate my toast, had a second glass of juice and then finally a cup of coffee, I savored every taste, because if worst came to worst, a hunger strike was a last resort. But even then… I ran through the scenarios. They could put a feeding tube in me.
I winced at the thought.
I hoped it didn’t come to that. I really didn’t. Another seizure, maybe? Jonah said it was rare and didn’t think I’d suffer one again, but I could fake it? Could I do something else where they’d be forced to take me to a hospital? Maybe. That was another last resort, so escape first.
I’d have to try. They kept telling me it was pointless, but I needed to find out for myself.
And that meant I had to be in my best health, so I asked for a third piece of toast as I ate all of the fruit Tanner had given me.
I wasn’t thinking about the Hider male they’d killed. I couldn’t. I couldn’t even focus on Brooke. Escape was it for me. If I could just get out of their estate, I knew Blade would be waiting for me. He would’ve traced all the phones to this location. His tech skills were nearly unmatched. He was the best, and he was an asset the 411 Network utilized often. We’d been placed near Calgary for a reason. It was smack in the middle of the distribution line between Canada and the States.
I sat in the kitchen with Tanner and Jonah, who seemed content to sit in silence, for another hour before I started getting tired. Jonah noticed first.
“You need more rest to heal. You should sleep.”
They called the guards, who took me back to the other part of the compound. I thought they’d take me to “my” room, even though I’d only been in it for a short time, but they didn’t. They took me to Kai’s apartment.
They left me alone, taking up their spots outside the door, and this time I did a more thorough search of the place.
The vents were too small to fit in.
The main window in the living room looked out over the same cliff the deck did. If I wanted to escape from this room, I would have to fall to my death. So that meant I needed to be able to move around the house more freely. There had to be another option elsewhere.
I really was tired. Jonah was right. I needed rest, so I crawled into Kai’s bed and tried to not notice how good the sheets felt until I faded off.
• • •
I woke to darkness.
The curtains were pulled back from the glass doors, so moonlight filtered in, but it wasn’t much. Then I sensed what must’ve woken me. A figure moved in the closet, and I heard rustling sounds. Clothes. Clothes being removed. A hanger clanging against another.
I didn’t say anything, and after a moment he moved out to the main room.
Light flooded in from the bathroom before it faded, and I heard water come on. The light shone again when the door opened before it was flicked off.
The clock beside me said it was three in the morning. I had slept all afternoon and through the evening into nighttime.
My bladder was uncomfortable—that could also have been what woke me.
I didn’t hear Kai come back, but I sensed him again. He paused at the end of the bed. “Should I turn the light on for you? Do you need the bathroom?”
I croaked, sitting up, “Yes. Thank you.”
He flicked the light on, and it was blinding. I closed my eyes, keeping my head down as I got out of bed and hurried around him. I felt his gaze the entire time. The air electrified as I moved past him. I felt like I could breathe easier the farther away I got from him, and once I shut the door, I felt better.
Maybe just his presence had woken me?
I was pretty sure he intended to sleep with me. Was that why I was in his room? He hadn’t pushed it before, and I hadn’t considered it. Tanner had made no moves. Jonah either. The guards were all respectful. There’d been no lewd comments, no suggestion of anything sexual. But was that all done after tonight?
My body was calm. I wasn’t reacting the way I should be in a kidnapping situation. It seemed as if old friends were keeping me away from home, but I could choose to leave if I wanted. That’s how it felt to me, but that wasn’t the truth.
I needed to wake up to this situation.
Had there been something in that juice earlier? I’d watched as Tanner poured the first glass. He hadn’t put anything in it, and he’d poured himself a glass later. He drank from the same pitcher. I saw him pour the coffee. Had he put something in my mug before putting the coffee in? But Jonah hadn’t wanted me to drink it. That didn’t add up with them drugging me.
I knew I was dehydrated from the night before. I’d vomited everything out of me and cried away the rest.
My body really was exhausted from the shock.
Now I was in Kai’s bed, sleeping, and he’d offered to turn the light on for me? He was being kind, when I knew he was cold and ruthless.
My head began to ache, and after relieving myself and washing up, I was nervous to go back into the room. I was nervous about dealing with Kai Bennett.
Where had he been today?
I knew the storm from last night was coming again. Kai was back. Kai was the one who would demand my assistance.
I sensed him on the other side of the door. Again there’d been no sound. I didn’t see his shadow, but I knew he was there before he spoke.
“We’re going to sleep. That’s all, Riley.”
A lump formed in my throat.
Again with him being kind. Patient. Calm.
My body leaned toward him, as if he were the shelter for me in this storm.
I gritted my teeth.
I needed to remember he’d killed that man. I needed to remember Cord and their father. Brooke had been scared of him.
But.
Even as I tried to remember all of those things, my body was still drawn forward. I sagged toward the door, wanting to open it and step out. He was seductive without trying to be seductive.
My hand shook as I opened the door, and there he was. My stomach jumped to my sternum. My heart picked up its pace.
He wore only sweatpants, the waistband hanging low. I couldn’t help myself. I took in every single muscle of his chest and stomach. Even his hips were defined. He straightened from where he’d been leaning against the doorframe and his eyes darkened, turning completely black as he looked me over too.
I became self-conscious in only a T-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs I’d found in his closet. I’d changed before crawling in bed after breakfast.
I was wearing his clothes, with no bra.
His gaze settled on my chest. I felt my breasts hardening.
“Tanner told me you didn’t kill the others,” I blurted, needing to think of something else, to change the mood. “Is that true?”
It worked.
Kai’s eyes whipped to mine, and though he didn’t move, I felt him pulling away. A wall slid between us.
His face hardened. “Yes. Your friends are alive. Your Network was notified of their capture, along with yours.”
They already knew. I had notified them, but I held my tongue.
His eyes began to smolder, and a taunting glint showed as he said, “But then again, you already knew that si
nce you’re the one who called them.”
Now I snapped to attention.
How had he known? Had the Hiders told him?
He chided softly, “You think one of my men left that phone by accident?”
Everything in me fell to the floor. Hope. Rebellion. Strength. It was gone now, and I knew what he said was correct. Everything had been thought out, even the bait for me to take.
It was then I realized the real reason they’d taken me. It all clicked in place.
I’d been a fool.
Despair washed over me. “You didn’t take me because you thought Brooke notified me, did you?” It was true. I felt it now, and I saw an arrogant look flare over his face. “You took me because of the 411 Network.”
He’d kidnapped me, knowing I would call them if I had a chance. And I did—exactly what he wanted.
His tone was soft, but it sent chills down my back. “Your friend Blade isn’t the only tech specialist at the top of his game. We have one of our own.” He leaned toward me, his breath an irritating caress on my face as I closed my eyes. I couldn’t move away, but I wouldn’t lean toward him.
He moved closer until I could feel the heat from his body. He was an inch away. I could hear him breathing.
“Your friend does not know where you are, and your cooperation is no longer needed. Your network is looking for Brooke for us, to get you back.”
His hand touched my arm, zapping me with the contact. His arm curled around me, tugging me against him. Sensations seared through my insides. He bent down, his breath now on my neck.
“With or without your help, I will get my sister back, and then you will be released. Until then…” He ducked, swinging me up into his arms.
I gasped, my arms grabbing his neck in panic. But I didn’t need to. He cradled me against his chest as he returned to his bedroom. He moved to the side of the bed I’d been lying on, closest to the balcony, and laid me down.
He stared at me before pulling back, and I couldn’t move.
“I didn’t intend this, if it matters to you. You were supposed to be taken and put in a nice, comfortable room. You were supposed to be given anything you wanted, except your freedom, and your Network would hand-deliver my sister to me for your safety. I wasn’t even planning on talking to you, except to ask about Brooke, but here you are.”
