“We were like brothers.” He removed the gun from her chin and dropped his arm. “I consider you family more than my own fucking blood.”

“Then why are you going along with this?” I asked, watching him carefully. His gaze kept straying to the wall behind me. I cranked my neck and studied the photos on display. I hadn’t paid them much attention before, as I’d been too focused on finding a way through the door that led to escape, but now the crude nature of the poses stormed through my veins.

“She was my mother,” Jax said quietly, face pinching in remembered sorrow. “My sister looked just like her.” He raised the gun toward the photos, hand trembling. “She was the old man’s favorite.”

Was.

Memory or not, I doubted I’d known any of this.

“Jax…” I drew in a deep, calming breath because despite the pain in his expression, what I really wanted to do was yank that fucking gun from his fingers and turn it on him. Talking was my only option though. “Why are we here?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Why don’t you uncomplicate it for me?”

“Wish I could, man.” He swerved the gun in my direction. “There’s no way out of this, so why don’t I take you guys back before someone a lot meaner than me finds out you’re gone?”

“How about you punch in that code and let us go?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Can’t do that. If you escape, they’ll know it was me, and I can’t afford to get kicked out now.” Jax pressed his fingers into Alex’s arm and shuffled toward the door leading to the tunnel.

“Someone got something on you? Is that why you’re going along with this?”

“Something like that. Let’s go.” He gestured toward the guy at my feet. “I still have to deal with him, not to mention the stupid idiot that let you out in the first place.” He pressed the barrel of the gun to Alex’s head again. “So get the door. I’m right behind you.”

Alex and I traded an ominous glance. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and hide her from all of this, but we both knew she’d end up paying the price for our botched escape attempt.

I kept failing her. I’d dropped the ball when I’d left her in that damn hospital after she’d broken free of her brother, and I’d ignored the fact that we’d been sitting ducks on that island. We’d thought Zach was our biggest threat, but an evil more potent than her brother had lurked from the shore, just waiting for the perfect unguarded moment to strike. Jax had known they were going to attack. Was that why he’d gotten me the gun?