Page 53 of Act of Passion

She stiffened. “Does anyoneelsehave a phone I canuse?”

“Aye,” said Striker, handing her hisphone.

She started to dial a number she’d memorized, only to find it pulling up on its own in Striker’s phone. Brooke blinked. “Why do you have Gram Campbell’s number in yourphone?”

Striker twisted around in the seat. “The better question would be, how is ityouknowGram?”

She could feel Malik’s heated gaze on her but didn’t bother looking athim.

“Please tell me why you have his number in yourphone.”

Striker nodded. “He works for the same place wedo.”

“Wait, you’re all with PSI?” sheasked.

“Aye,” saidStriker.

Boomer glanced in the mirror again. “Did Gram tell you aboutPSI?”

“Yes,” shereplied.

“Brooke, how do you know him?” asked Boomerevenly.

“He saved my life,” she confessed. “At first I thought he was a guard at the facility I was being held at. A new one they’d only just hired. But it was quickly apparent he wasn’t like the rest. He wasn’t evil. He and another man who started there about the same time got Edee, Cody, and me out ofthere.”

“Cody?” askedBoomer.

“The guy who was held in the cell next to mine. The one who told me I was pregnant. And the one who tried so hard to protect me and the baby from harm.” Her hands continued toshake.

“Lass, you still have contact with Gram and this Cody?” askedStriker.

She nodded. “It’s been months since I’ve seen either of them. The last time Gram and I saw each other, it endedpoorly.”

Striker narrowed his eyes on her. “He hurtyou?”

“Oh gods, no,” said Brooke. “Gram would never hurt me. We had a falling-out because I told him I wouldn’t marryhim.”

Boomer cleared his throat, glancing nervously in the mirror at Malik. “So, you and Gram were a couplethen?”

“Yes. For three years. He’s listed on the birth certificate as Bethany’s father. He insisted. He loves her like she was his. It was hard to refuse his offer, but I didn’t want him hurt again because ofme.”

“Again?” asked Striker, also watching Malikclosely.

“Johnson and a team of men found us. Gram took me and Bethany on a mission with him. He said it wasn’t a dangerous one, but that he didn’t want to be gone that long from us. Edee thought it was a great idea so she pushed me to go too. Everything was really good for the first two months. It felt right. Like a real family. And then one night we were asleep in bed and suddenly there was so much noise that it stunned me. Gram responded faster than me. He already knew the sound was people breaking into the house, heavily armed. He shouted for me to get in the closet but I couldn’t. Not without mybaby.”

Brooke rubbed the palms of her hands on her pant legs. “I didn’t listen to him. I ran for Bethany’s room. She was screaming and scared. I didn’t realize Gram intended to get to her and get her to safety. I ran out into the hall without thinking and Gram shouted my name a second before men opened fire on me. He put himself in the path of the bullets. Had his handler not been close, Bethany and I would have been taken and Gram would have died. They filled him with so many silver bullets that it nearly killedhim.”

Striker’s jaw tightened. “Aye, I remember a report coming in about Gram being hurt in the line of duty, but it dinnae say how seriously or what mission he wason.”

“It was bad. Really bad. I thought I was going to lose him too,” she said. “That he’d be dead just like I thought Malikwas.”

“He dinnae die,” said Striker. “Sounds like he dinnae blame you in the least for what happened. Am Iright?”

She nodded. “The first thing he said when he opened his eyes at the special hospital they had him at was, ‘will you marry menow?’’ I almost said yes. I should have said yes.” She looked up, blinking back her emotions. “He was so hurt when I told him we were going. That I refused to put him in danger by staying with him. And he was extra angry when he found out what I was doing to make aliving.”

Striker eyed her. “And what wasthat?”

“I work at a strip club, for lack of a betterword.”

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