Act of Passion Read online

  Pain radiated throughout her as she began to put the pieces together. Malik was a shifter? Everything began to make sense then.

  Someone touched her shoulder lightly, and she gasped as pain went through her again.

  “How hurt are you?” asked a familiar voice. One she’d heard at the club and knew belonged to the man called Auberi. “You require medical attention. First, I have to try to cage the lion before he goes on a killing spree that extends beyond these assholes. Do me a favor and try not to die. I’ll never get him settled down if you die. Plus, I really hate doing reports.”

  Brooke lay there and closed her eyes a moment as her body began doing what it did—healing. Her arm and leg began to burn and she knew the bullets were starting to dislodge as her body expelled them. The act always hurt as much as getting shot. And she’d know, she’d been shot enough over the years. Hissing, Brooke managed to turn over onto her back as the bullets pushed all the way out of her.

  Her gaze went up and she saw that the men from the roof were nearly to the base of the fire escape. The men aimed their weapons past her, onto Malik.

  A burst of adrenaline moved through her and she thrust up and off the ground, snatching a discarded weapon on her way up. She stood, swayed, and began firing. She was no stranger to guns anymore. Gone was the naïve girl of five years ago. The Corporation had killed her, leaving the new Brooke in her place.

  She hit four of the men in suits before stumbling to the right and nearly falling.

  Auberi grabbed her around the waist with one arm before taking the weapon from her and firing at the remaining men. They fell like flies onto the ground. “That won’t keep them down long. We need to get you out of here. Of course, we need to get Malik to calm down enough not to attack us first.”

  She leaned against him as her upper leg began trying to heal the damage from the bullet wound fully. It burned as if someone was pouring acid on her. She cried out and clung to Auberi, who held her, rocking her in place.

  “Tut, she lives and she’s in great pain. Cage the lion or you will really lose her,” said Auberi, his French accent going from slight to intense.

  Malik kept cutting through the men in suits as if he’d never even heard Auberi speak to him.

  “Brooke, the bloodlust has taken him. Soon he’ll fully shift and could possibly be stuck in that form for good.”

  She shook. “He’s really a shifter?”

  Auberi nodded.

  “W-what are you?” she asked. “A shifter too?”

  “Hardly!” he shouted, clearly offended at the suggestion. “Don’t be afraid, but I’m a vampire.”

  She calmed slightly, her attention going back to Malik. He looked feral. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “It’s the bloodlust I mentioned. It means his beast has too strong a hold on him. Talk to him,” he said, still holding her. “He’ll listen to you.”

  She doubted Malik would listen to anything in the state he was in. He looked like a one-man killing machine. As he took down the last of the men near them, he stared around, his amber gaze rimmed with red.

  “Malik, stop. Please,” she said softly. “Think with your head, not your fists.”

  He tipped his head in an unnatural way that screamed animal, not human. Blood dripped from his clawed hands. He looked savage. Nothing like the man she remembered. The Malik before her was lethal. That should have terrified her. It didn’t.

  She pushed out of Auberi’s embrace and tried to take a step in Malik’s direction. Her leg gave out on her and she started going down.

  Strong arms caught her, lifting and holding her close. At first, she thought it was Auberi—until she glanced over to see him standing there, grinning. Brooke sucked in a big breath as she realized Malik was the one who had her.

  He stared down at her, and she saw the red and amber receding from his eyes. The fur on his arms vanished as well. He looked confused. “I saw you fall off the side of the building. I thought you were dead.”

  “I thought you were dead too,” she said, barely able to get the words out.

  “She’s not dead?” asked Malik, his gaze moving to Auberi.

  The vampire snorted. “No, though if you squeeze her any tighter you might be the death of her.”

  Malik eased his ironclad grip and she wiggled to get down. He set her on her feet but kept her close. “Brooke? How? When? You’re not human?”

  Tears broke free from her as she stared up at him. With a tentative hand, she reached out and touched his cheek. “They told me they killed you.”

  His hand moved over hers. “They lied.”

  She cried harder.

  He hugged her to him. “My sweet. No tears please. I don’t think I can handle them.”

  She shook as she cried harder, pressing herself to him. A small laugh came from her as she eased back. “You’re not human either.”

  “No, I’m not.” He stared down at her with desire in his eyes. “It’s part of what I couldn’t tell you. Why didn’t you tell me that you’re Fae?”

  She wiped her cheeks and stepped back more. “Because I didn’t know then.”

  He grabbed her and yanked her to him again before pressing his lips to her forehead, his body shaking slightly as he kept a tight hold on her. “I couldn’t find you. I looked for so long.”

  He’d looked for her?

  “Why?”

  A long breath came from him. “For reasons you still aren’t ready to hear.”

  She held onto his forearms. “Malik, we have to get out of here. What I did won’t keep Elm and his men down for long.”

  “What exactly did you do to them?” asked Auberi. “And how do you even know them?

  “It’s a really long story. Malik, I have to get to Edee. If they find her first…I can’t even think about it. They’ll take them both.”

  “Take both of who, my sweet?” he asked, tilting her chin up, his dark gaze raking over her.

  “Och, we missed all the fun,” said a familiar Scottish voice from the other end of the alley. “Did you leave any of them for us to kill, Tut?”

  Brooke spotted Striker stepping over dead bodies. He had a full, long beard now.

  Boomer was next around the corner. He looked at Brooke and closed his eyes slightly. “You’re okay? What about Edee and the child?”

  “Child?” asked Malik.

  Brooke stared at Boomer. “How do you know about her?”

  Boomer kept walking towards them. “Information found its way to us tonight.”

  “Are you all supernaturals?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, his jaw tense.

  She sank against Malik again, the weight of the last five years hitting her hard. “We have to get to them both before Elm or the rest of them do. Please! Help me.”

  Malik nodded. “Of course. We’ll help Edee and her child.”

  She was about to tell him everything when Garth came around the corner, with Rurik close to him.

  She jerked back from Malik. “You’re with them? Ohmygod, all this time I thought they killed you, and you were in league with them? Were you a warm-up for things to come in Egypt? Why help me tonight if you’re part of The Corporation? Why stand against them?”

  “W-what?” Malik asked, looking confused. “Part of The Corporation? Brooke?”

  Striker tilted his head, his long red hair falling over one shoulder. “Lass, we’re nae with that place. When information came up that included photos of you and Edee, Boomer called us all in to aide in finding you both. We came in this direction and Corbin and Duke followed another possible lead.”

  “Photos?” asked Malik, looking at his friends.

  Boomer sighed. “The thing James wanted us to look into was this—Brooke and Edee. I saw their pictures and saw the order The Corporation had put down for them, retrieve at any cost. I knew you couldn’t be brought in. Not with how badly you lost your shit over Brooke in Egypt. I didn’t want you walking onto the scene to find she was dead.”

  “You
sent me away from the office with Auberi, knowing I’ve been hunting for Brooke for years?” asked Malik, hurt in his voice.

  Boomer sighed. “Don’t forget, Duke, Corbin, James, and I are mated. We know what it’s like to realize your woman is in danger. We’ve each felt it. We’ve each nearly lost ourselves to our beast side because of it. We didn’t want that to happen to you. We hoped we could intervene and protect Brooke, Edee, and the child before The Corporation got to them.”

  Malik twisted away from Brooke and grabbed Auberi by his shirt, snarling. “You fucking took me to party when my mate needed me?”

  The men all sucked in big breaths.

  “Did he just call the American girl his mate?” asked Rurik.

  “Aye,” said Striker, eyeing Boomer. “You were right.”

  Boomer put his hands up. “Malik, stop. Auberi didn’t know. We kept him out of this because we know how close you two are. We know you can read each other’s tells really well. If he knew what we were doing, you’d figure it out, and if we were too late and Brooke was already taken or dead, we would have never gotten you back from your lion form.”

  Auberi offered Malik a soft look. “Had I known, old friend, I would have insisted you be brought in. I may not understand why anyone in their right mind would want to tie themselves to one woman for eternity, but I’m not a total dick.”

  Malik released the man and reached for Brooke, who backed up more, staring around at the men, confused. “Brooke?”

  She narrowed her gaze on the men. “I don’t understand. Why are you all helping me yet working with a guy who is really well connected in The Corporation? Elm’s best friend?”

  Striker scratched the back of his head. “She thinks we’re in cahoots with a tree’s best friend? I do nae understand women in the least.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Malik. “Who is Elm’s best friend?”

  She pointed to Garth. “He’s one of the men who tortured Edee.”

  “Wait, you were actually taken by The Corporation?” asked Boomer, his gaze hardening. “Our intel only said you were recently targeted by them. We knew you went missing in Egypt but we didn’t know who was responsible.”

  “Och, lass, you must be mistaken about Garth. He’s nae working with them. He hates them as much as we do,” said Striker. “And I do nae think he’s friends with a tree, but Vikings are nae the smartest lot so anything is possible.”

  She shook her head and then paused, really looking at Garth. “Where’s the scar? The one above your right eye?”

  Garth gasped. “She’s talking about Grid.”

  Malik tipped his head. “Grid, the brother you haven’t seen in centuries?”

  “Yes,” said Garth, his expression hardening. “Rumors reached me that he was running with unsavory people, but I didn’t want to believe it.” He looked to her. “I’m sorry he hurt you. Please know I had nothing to do with it. No one here did. We dedicate our lives to protecting innocents.”

  Boomer touched his earpiece and then spoke. “We’re with Brooke now, so are Malik and Auberi. From the number of dead bodies littering the area, I’d say one hell of a retrieval team was sent for her.”

  Brooke’s pulse raced as she realized Boomer was right. They had sent a large team after her and this wasn’t even all of them. The ones from the club would be coming soon as well.

  Boomer locked gazes with Brooke, his expression grim. “Corbin says they’re at your house. There are signs of a big-time struggle and blood all over the place. They haven’t found any bodies. Is there somewhere else Edee might go? Somewhere she’d take the child?”

  His words sank in and she felt her knees getting weak. “They found them?”

  Boomer touched his earpiece. “She’s in shock. I’ll try to get the information from her.” He paused a second. “Yeah. I know.”

  “What?” demanded Striker. “Did they find Edee and her babe?”

  “No. But they did find two bags that looked to have been packed for a woman and child. The bags were on the street.”

  Brooke’s legs went out from under her. She fell to the ground.

  Malik was to her in an instant. He went to his knees next to her and hugged her from the side, rocking her gently as she cried. “Shhh, my sweet, we’ll find Edee and her child.”

  Boomer made his way to her and bent. “Brooke, I saw the pictures of the little girl. She’s not Edee’s, is she?”

  “No,” whispered Brooke. “She’s my daughter. She’s so tiny…and they have her.”

  “Daughter?” asked Malik, shock in his voice. He released his hold on her and stood fast. “You had a child with another man?”

  “Take a calm breath, Tut,” said Auberi. “It’s been years since you last saw her. You explained to me that suppression drugs were in play then. Your wires probably got crossed. It would explain how she could have a child with another. Clearly, she found her mate.”

  Malik stormed away from her. He punched the side of the brick building and roared. Garth, Rurik, and Striker all went at him, pulling him back from the building.

  Boomer stayed close to her. “Brooke, how old is she?”

  “Just over four,” replied Brooke through her tears. “She has to be terrified. I have to find her. I have to find them both!”

  “Calm down, Tut,” said Striker.

  Malik shoved Striker. “Don’t tell me to calm down! My mate found a way to have a child with another man! I claimed her. I thought she was human and I claimed her! She’s anything but human. She shouldn’t have been able to have children with anyone but me. I’m going to find the guy who touched her and kill him!”

  Boomer helped Brooke to her feet. “Auberi, can you help her?”

  Auberi was suddenly there, holding Brooke to his powerful frame. She flinched as Malik shouted more. He stepped out of the circle of men and pointed at her. “I spent five years hunting for you, and you were what? Shacking up with some guy, popping out babies?”

  Stunned, she jerked and stepped back, out of Auberi’s embrace. It took her a moment to stop crying long enough to speak. When she did, she didn’t bother being nice. “Let’s recap, shall we? I spent a night with you almost five years ago, and you kicked me out of your room and your life. Remember that? That doesn’t give you the right to judge me, and you certainly don’t own me.”

  He snarled and the men all grabbed him, keeping him in place.

  Brooke narrowed her gaze on him. “And to answer your question about how I spent my five years, I spent the first eight months after you chased me away from your room being held in a secret facility owned and operated by The Corporation. Want to know when I found out I was pregnant? Day two of being there, Malik. The guy in the cell next to mine said he could smell the change in my body. He told me I was expecting.”

  Malik stilled.

  She kept glaring at him. “Since I’d only been with you, that really narrowed the field on who the baby’s father was. So, to answer your question, I spent the first eight months that I was pregnant with your daughter being tested on and tortured—mentally and physically. It was all I could do to keep her safe from them. When we were freed, the fight to protect her didn’t end.” She jabbed herself in the chest with her pointer finger. “I was hunted like a fox by a pack of wild dogs. Edee and I had to stay on the run. I delivered your daughter in a gas station bathroom. And when I held her for the first time, I knew she was worth every bit of the pain and torture I’d gone through. She was worth the heartache and grief I suffered when they told me they’d killed you. She was worth the testing they put me through.”

  The men all lowered their gazes and released their hold on Malik.

  He stared at her. “I…? We? You? She’s…?”

  Striker lifted his head. “Och, Tut, that may be the worst apology I’ve ever heard, and I’ve botched more than my fair share.”

  Boomer reached for Brooke. “We’ll help find her. We won’t let her or Edee be hurt. If Edee happened to get away, where would she go? We can che
ck there first.”

  Malik averted his gaze and Brooke snorted.

  “You know what, Tut,” she said, her tone mocking and full of rage. “I don’t want or need your help finding Edee and Bethany.”

  Boomer grabbed her shoulders. “Brooke, ignore him. He’s not a factor in this right now. You can trust me. I want to find them. Tell me where to look. Let me help you. Let us help.”

  “I’ll take you to the set meeting location. What if she’s not there? What if they have her and my daughter?”

  “Then we will move heaven and hell to get them back,” said Boomer.

  Garth stepped forward. “We won’t rest until they’re safe.”

  Rurik nodded.

  Striker lifted his chin. “And we’ll make the bastards pay for ever thinkin’ they could dare to take them.”

  Nodding, she lost her battle with tears again. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brooke stayed pressed against the door of the large SUV she’d been placed in. Boomer was driving, Striker was in the passenger seat, and Malik was in the second row with her. Auberi, Rurik, and Garth were behind them in another SUV. And Corbin and Duke were supposed to meet them at the safe house.

  Since they’d gotten in the vehicle, Malik hadn’t spoken a word. He’d not even looked at her.

  “We’ll find them, Brooke,” said Boomer, glancing up at the rearview mirror to look at her. “I promise you that.”

  “Aye,” said Striker. “No one hurts a child on my watch. No one.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Brooke said softly, her hands shaking. “Does anyone have a phone I can use?”

  Malik withdrew his phone and handed it to her, never saying a word.

  She stiffened. “Does anyone else have a phone I can use?”

  “Aye,” said Striker, handing her his phone.

  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 your phone?”

  Striker twisted around in the seat. “The better question would be, how is it you know Gram?”