Page 41 of Act of Passion

She grabbed the running shoes from the bag and put them on, knowing she couldn’t run in the heels she worked in. “Get out of here, Stacey! These guys don’t screwaround.”

The blond’s eyes widened. “What’s going on? Who are you talkingabout?”

“The men in the outer area of the VIP section. They have Glen and are demanding he tell them if I’m here.” Brooke glanced in the direction of the door. “We don’t have muchtime.”

“Wait, are you saying you can hear what is happening in the other room?” asked Stacey, disbelief resonating in her voice. “No way. What the hell are you doing? I could really use the extra tips tonight. It’s not the night to flipout.”

“Listen, stay if you want, but theywillkill you. They won’t believe that you don’t know how to find me,” stated Brooke clearly. “I don’t much like you but I don’t want you deadeither.”

“Ouch, fuck, man, let me go,” cried Glen from just outside of the room. “She’s in the VIP room giving a lap dance to a rich guy. You broke myarm!”

“Tut, relax,” said Auberi. “Let us see how this playsout.”

Brooke reached into her bag again and yanked out several throwing knives. She tucked them into the back of her waistband and put the cami overthem.

“Shit!” shouted Stacey. “You have weapons in here? What’s happening? Do you know how to usethose?”

“Get the hell out of here!” yelled Joe a second before a shot wentoff.

Stacey began to scream as a group of men in suits flooded into the room, all armed, and none seeming too worried about getting caught. The front one locked gazes with Brooke and his lips curved upwards. She knew him well, though only by his last name, which was what everyone calledhim.

Johnson.

“You’re a hard bitch to track down,” Johnson said, pointing a gun at her. “Come quietly or I splatter the brains of everyone in this room. Want that on your conscience,53?”

She tensed at the shorted version of the label she’d worn for nearly eight months. TestSubject53B.

Brooke didn’t want anyone hurt because of her. Not again. She needed to get the high rollers and Stacey tosafety.

She put her hands upslowly.

Johnson’s grin widened, looking even more sinister. “Good girl. Now, walk slowly overhere.”

A low growl sounded from behind her, but she didn’t dare take her gaze from the men who had entered the room. She did, however, throw her power at the high-rollers, keeping them in place and coated in protectiveenergy.

Johnson looked towards the high rollers. “Playing the hero will get you a bullet between the eyes. The bitch is coming withus.”

“Don’t hurt anyone,” said Brooke as she took a step in Johnson’sdirection.

He glanced at a big guy to his left that Brooke didn’t remember from her time being held. “Grab the girl. Be careful, she’s a wilyone.”

The guy didn’t look convinced. “She’s smoking hot. Doesn’t look like she could put up much of a fightthough.”

“Do not touchher.”

Brooke tensed, her entire body tingling at the sound of a voice that matched Malik’s. She knew it was the man she’d been giving a lap dance to, but that didn’t mean she could shake the thought of Malik from herhead.

Johnson looked past her. “Willing to die for awhore?”

The sound that came from Tut was identical to the noise Malik had made when Haneez, whom she’d used to think of as Mr. Rings, had called her a whore at the resort five yearsback.

Brooke couldn’t stop herself as she turned to face the high rollers fully. There were simply too many similarities for her to ignore or rationalize away. As she locked gazes with Tut, who was still in his mask, hegasped.

She looked back atJohnson.

“Please don’t do anything,” she said, tearing up. “I don’t want anyone else’s blood on my hands. I have enough as it is. Let them all go and I’ll let you take me without afight.”

“No!” yelled the man in themask.

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