“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.
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.