As they drove to the hospital, her mind raced with possibilities. If Henry had any kind of addiction: gambling, drugs, or women, that could be a potential goldmine. Or maybe Brooke would know who Henry was sleeping with, and they could create havoc in his personal life. It would also be interesting to see if they could pit Henry against his father, Graham, not just the other people his age. There was a good chance Henry was either the mastermind behind everything or very high up in the chain.
"Have you come up with a plan yet?" Matt asked with a knowing smile as he turned into the hospital lot.
"Working on several," she said, grinning back at him. "You're not the only one with a devious mind. We might have that in common."
"Just remember, we can only go so far. I'm still an FBI agent. There are some lines I can't cross."
Despite his clever mind, he had a strong moral compass, and she liked that about him. But then, she was starting to like everything about him. It was more difficult to find things she didn't like. The closer she got to him, the closer she wanted to be. She just had no idea what was going to happen when all this was over, when they weren't living in each other's pocket, but that was a worry for another day.
After Matt showed his badge to the guard outside of Brooke's room, they were allowed inside. Brooke was sitting up in bed, her phone in her hand, looking pale and weary, but better than the last time she'd seen her.
Her gaze grew wary as they approached. "Do you know who attacked me?" she asked.
Matt shook his head. "Not yet, but we're working on it."
"I'm afraid of what's going to happen when I get discharged. How can I go home? How can I be safe anywhere?"
"You won't be safe until we find out why someone wanted you dead," Matt said. "And we need your help to do that, Brooke."
"I told the other guy everything I knew. I'm not as much on the inside of things as you might believe. And since I almost died, I've had a lot of time to consider the fact that this attack was probably directed by someone I know, maybe someone I think is a friend. I don't know who to trust anymore."
"We believe the same thing," she said. "You told us that Henry blackmailed you into stealing Landon's notebooks. That's right, isn't it?"
Brooke gave her a guilty look. "Yes. Henry was behind my entire relationship with Landon. I couldn't get kicked out of school. I had to do what he asked. But I never imagined Landon would end up dead."
While she still held enormous anger toward Brooke, she pushed those feelings aside so she could get her help. "Let's not talk about Landon right now. Let's talk about Henry."
"Henry is not a nice guy. He uses people."
"Which is why you're going to help us use him," she said.
Brooke’s gaze flickered with curiosity. "How so?"
"We need you to tell us anything about Henry that shows his darker side. Is he into gambling, drugs, porn? Does he sleep with married women or hookers? Does he cheat at golf, steal from his friends, or his company?"
"I want to help, but I'm afraid."
"Brooke," Matt said. "When you're discharged, we're going to set you up in a safehouse with two guards watching over you. No one will be able to hurt you again. But the faster we shut down whatever they're doing, the faster your life returns to normal. Until then, you won't be able to go home, go to work, see your fiancé…nothing."
"Okay," she said. "Let's see. Henry likes strippers. But he doesn't go to ordinary strip clubs. He goes to a private club for rich guys where discretion is everything. It's called Sterling's. It's in downtown LA. He also likes cocaine and uses it regularly. Does that help?"
"Yes. Now, are you aware of anyone else Henry blackmailed besides you and Professor Harrington?" Matt asked.
Her eyes widened with surprise. "He blackmailed Professor Harrington? I did not know that. As for others, I don't know, but Henry has never wanted to put in real work. He's always looking for a shortcut."
"Okay," Matt said. "Talk to us about Kyle."
"What do you want to know?" she asked, her expression turning wary again.
"He works for Drew Sanderson, right? What does he do there?"
"He's a financial analyst."
"What's his relationship to Viktor Danilovich?"
"I'm not sure," Brooke said. "Kyle met Viktor through Drew. Viktor is the older brother of
someone we went to school with, Alexei Danilovich. I liked Alexei, but his brother seems shady, and he gives me the creeps. Kyle told me that Viktor is doing some work with Drew's company but didn't say what."
