Page 42 of Act of Passion

Johnson laughed. “I’ll consider letting them live. And we know all about the blood on your hands. They tell me they had a lot of fun torturing your boyfriend before granting himdeath.”

Brooke flinched. “He wasn’t myboyfriend.”

“Right. I forgot,” said Johnson snidely. “The guy you gave it to right before they took you. They tell me he cried like a little bitch before they slit histhroat.”

Unable to stop the tears from falling, Brooke surrendered to them. She closed her eyes and kept her hands up. “Stop. Please. I don’t need to be told about it again. Haneez told me about it in detailenough.”

Johnson snorted. “Haneez has it bad for you. So does the boss. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gives us fat bonus checks and then takes you away somewhere private and keeps you all for himself. Tell me, how many times have you handed it out tohim?”

Tut growled louder thistime.

Brooke stared at him and Auberi. “Please. Stop. They’ll killyou.”

Someone grabbed hold of her by the back of the neck, jerking her hard, making Tut growlmore.

Auberi spoke. “Patience,Tut.”

The man holding Brooke laughed, sounding young. He pressed his face to her neck, inhaling deeply. “Have you smelled her, Johnson? She smells good enough toeat.”

Johnson snorted. “Yeah. They did something to her that has that effect on a lot of us. Careful, she’s more than just a prettyface.”

The guy pushed his face into her neck. “What areyou?”

Growling, Johnson looked at the man next to her. “Bring her and kill thewitnesses.”

The very idea that the man in the mask would be hurt left Brooke reacting. She threw her elbow into the man near her, kneed him, and then grabbed for his sidearm. She yanked him in front of her to use as a shield as Johnson fired at her, hitting the guyinstead.

Stacey wailed like abanshee.

Johnson and the men with him came at her in force. Brooke blocked out everything, including the man in the mask as he yelled. She dropped the man they’d shot and turned quickly, kicking one of the men before pointing the weapon at him and pulling the trigger as she aimed at hisheart.

She sensed something coming at her from the side and ducked, just as a clawed hand went past her head. She came up fast, shooting the man who had just tried to take her head clean off. She scored a direct hit between his eyes. She shot another just as the gun was knocked from her hand, skating across the floor next to the man in themask.

Two men tackled her and one did a partial shift. He lifted his clawed hand and rammed it through her shoulder. Brooke didn’t make a sound, but she did thrust magik at them, knocking them off her. She hissed as pain radiated through her shoulder. She ran and slid across the floor, nearly running into the wall of power holding the man in the mask and his friend. She snatched the weapon with her good arm and turned onto her back, firing at more of themen.

The pain grew to unbearable levels. She thumped her head on the floor and dropped the weapon to rub the area that was hurt. A fair amount of blood was running free from her. “I am really fucking sick to death of gettingclawed.”

She hissed again and knew her eyes were going from olive green to a bright, vibrant emerald green. In an instant, her shoulder healed overfully.

Gasps sounded behind her, and she looked at the high rollers, who were within touching distance of her. The men looked stunned. She grinned even though the situation wasn’t amusing. “So, my day blows.Yours?”

“Behind you!” shouted the Frenchone.

Brooke spun, kicking out wide. She grabbed the man’s head and twisted fast, snapping his neck, grabbing his weapon and lifting it straight out. She shot at Johnson, who dodged the head shot but ended up taking the bullet in hisstomach.

The remaining four men watched hercarefully.

“Kill her!” Johnsonyelled.

The other mengulped.

Brooke grinned and kept aiming at them. “Willing to die for thatasshole?”

“What is she?” one asked. “She smells like a mix. Did they make herthat?”

Johnson made a move to come at her and she shot him in the upper thigh, causing him to fall to one knee. She shot his other upper thigh, making him cry out. “I am going to enjoy ending you,bitch!”

She blinked, her eyes returning to normal. “Yeah, I’m shaking here.Really.”

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