“Gulfport had a really bad gang problem in the nineties,” he said. “Hell, like most cities in this country, they still have a gang problem. But back in the midnineties, the crack cocaine epidemic was in full swing in Gulfport, with gangs selling it on nearly every corner of the project housing where I lived. Lots of kids in the apartment building hung out on the corner with the gangbangers just so they could act cool. My parents, especially my dad, didn’t put up with that kind of crap, and when he found out that one of my friends had gone down to the corner, he went to go bring him home. I went with him.”
Brooks thought back to that night, remembering how his whole world had changed. “It happened so fast. I remember my dad being pissed and telling the gangbangers to get away from our apartment building. But then one of them pulled out a gun. He didn’t even bother to threaten my dad. He just shot him in the heart, right there in front of all of us. And just like that, I didn’t have a dad anymore.” He swallowed hard. “My father died in my arms.”
Selena’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry, Jayden.”
He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything.
“How old were you when it happened?” she asked.
He took a deep breath. “Fourteen.”
The silence stretched out again, and they both turned their attention to the meal. He knew Selena wasn’t going to ask any more questions, but he felt like he needed to finish the story anyway. Somehow, it seemed like she would understand.
“The cops showed up, and it was obvious that most of them could care less that there was one more poor person from the projects lying dead on the sidewalk,” he said. “They asked a few questions about what happened, but they were only going through the motions, and everyone there knew it. Of course, no one saw a thing. But then Jack Walker showed up, and everything changed.”
Brooks pushed what was left of the casserole on his plate around with his fork.
“He was just a county deputy at the time, but the moment he arrived, it was obvious he was different. When he talked to the other cops, they listened. And when he talked to the people who lived in the apartment building, they listened, too.”
Brooks thought back to that night and how amazed he’d been to see a cop like that. He remembered how Jack had sat down beside him on the curb and asked him in a serious, matter-of-fact voice whether he wanted his father’s life to matter.
His father’s death had been a turning point in his life. Meeting Jack Walker had been another.
“He wanted me to tell him exactly what happened and who killed my father,” Brooks continued. “I didn’t want to, because in my experience, few gangbangers ever went to prison. Even when they did, there was another gangbanger right there to take their place. It never ended, and I didn’t want anyone coming after my mom.”
“What did Jack say?” Selena asked.
“He told me that my father died because doing the right thing had been important to him. It was now up to me to decide who I was going to be—the kind of man who looked the other way, or the kind who stood up and tried to make the world a better place. Like my father.”
“That’s a pretty heavy load to drop on the shoulders of a fourteen-year-old kid.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it was. But sometimes events happen, and people have to grow up a lot faster than anyone wants to. In the end, I led Jack straight to the man who shot my father, then I pointed him out at the trial and sent him to jail for twenty years.”
Selena’s lips curved. “I probably shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like you woke up yesterday morning and decided to be brave and fearless. You’ve been that way your whole life.” When Brooks opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off with a glance. “We already talked about the whole humble thing, remember?”
Before he could agree to disagree—or even wonder how this tiny slip of a woman could shut him down with a single glance—she continued as if she hadn’t even noticed the interruption. “I’m guessing Jack is the reason you became a cop?”
Brooks nodded. It felt like he was talking to a woman who’d known him for years instead of hours. “Yeah. He helped my mom find a better job, got us out of the projects, and got me into a better school. He’s even the one who talked me into playing football and helped me get that scholarship to LSU.”
“He sounds more like a saint than a cop.”
“Pretty much,” Brooks agreed. “He became like a second father to me. He even got me a job with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department in Gulfport after I graduated. Ultimately, he’s the reason I ended up on the Dallas SWAT team, too.”
Selena’s smiled broadened. “So, I guess I have someone else to thank for your appearance in my life. Besides a group of clumsy linemen, I mean.”
He silently agreed, but now wasn’t the time to talk about the other events that had led him from Gulfport to Dallas. Instead, he cleaned his plate, then reached for another helping only to discover they’d eaten every scrap of food on the table. Time had obviously gotten away from them while they’d talked about his journey from the projects of Gulfport to the dark-blue uniform of a DPD cop.
That was when he realized that he and Selena hadn’t talked about her at all. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d skillfully manipulated the conversation to keep everything focused firmly on him. He wondered why she’d do something like that. Not that it mattered, since they now had the rest of the night to talk about someone much more interesting than he was.
He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table beside his plate. “Dinner was incredible.”
Selena smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.” She picked up her wineglass. “Why don’t we move into the living room and talk about dessert? If you’re still hungry, I mean.”
Brooks followed her over to the couch, gaze fixed on her perfect ass.
Oh yeah. He was definitely still hungry.
Chapter 7
