The Midnight Hour (14 page)

And she seemed to be just his kind of woman.

As Drake began stripping off his clothes, hope sprang within him. Sandy would always hold a special place in his heart and he still intended to make sure Solomon Cross paid for what he did, but for the first time in a long time something other than revenge consumed him.

Over the past five years he had learned plenty about emotional pain and the benefit of hard work-being out in the field had helped. But nothing had prepared him for his response to Tori, both physically and emotionally. Just in the short time they had spent together, she had made him feel things he hadn't felt in years.

He still had to admit there were times when he had been with her that he had been reminded of Sandy, and he had accepted that he would always think of Sandy at some point in future days. But he also realized that his interest in Tori was because of who she was, her own unique vitality, and not because he was looking for a Sandy clone. Ashton and Trevor had asked him about that and now he was sure. It was Tori he wanted. And for the first time in five years, he felt the stirrings of anticipation, heated desire and longing flow through him.

And it was for that very reason that he knew he had to see Tori again to understand why.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Tori? You need to leave right away."

Breathing raggedly, Tori tried to do all she could not to scream out in anger. Hawk had called to let her know that someone had broken into the CIA employee database and she was one of the agents whose confidential information had been retrieved.

After telling Hawk about the attempted breakin the night before, he had become insistent about her leaving Stinson Beach until he made sure the two incidents weren't connected.

She inhaled deeply. Why would anyone break into the database to find out where she had gone after leaving the Agency? She had tried covering her tracks but it seemed that someone had uncovered them anyway. "Do you know who may have done it?" she asked, not liking what she was hearing. Suddenly, everything started meshing together; that mysterious phone call and the attempted breakin.

"No. You've been involved in a lot of missions and it could be linked to any of them."

Tori nodded. "Do you think Drake would have done it? You said he contacted you and seemed obsessed with finding me."

"Yes, but Drake wouldn't operate that way. He would have no reason to try to terrorize you. He would have appeared on your doorstep like it would have been his damn right to be there. Besides, no matter how much Drake might have wanted to find you, he would never have violated Agency policy by deliberately breaking the code and going into confidential information. I think we have a mole within the organization."

Tori sighed. It wouldn't be the first time nor would it be the last. She had worked for the Agency long enough to know that there were moles; crooked agents who worked as informants for the other side, and who would sell their souls if the price was right. It was sad that for some people, corruption was a way of life and it wasn't safe to trust a fellow agent without question.

Another name came into her mind, a person she didn't want to think about but someone who'd had her looking over her shoulders for the past five years. "What about Solomon Cross, Hawk? Do you think any of this is connected to what happened in Haiti?" she asked quietly, feeling her muscles tightening and her nostrils quivering in anger. "Do you think there's a chance that he knows that Sandy Carroll didn't die in that explosion?" she asked, hating to do so but knowing she had to. She didn't want to think that her visit to Drake's hospital room could have alerted Solomon Cross that Sandy Carroll was still alive. There was no way he could have put two and two together and come up with that.

She heard Hawk's deep sigh. "Heaven help us all if he has, but I doubt very seriously that any of this is connected to Cross. I'm no longer with the Agency so I'm relying on the information I'm getting through my contacts and appreciate them letting me know what's going on. It seems Casey has his hands full explaining to the top brass how this happened. Your information wasn't the only data the person retrieved. Whether it was intentional or done to mislead I'm not sure. The one good thing is that your medical history was not on that file. It's somewhere else on a top-secret database that can't be decoded."

"Anything can be decoded, Hawk," Tori said bitterly. "A trained hacker could penetrate any system, even highly sensitive information."

"Yes, but we treated your medical history differently. Because of the secrecy surrounding your case, I decided not to store that information in the Agency's databank. It's somewhere in a vault and the disk will disintegrate the moment someone tries to decode it. But still, until we find out what's going on, and rule out Solomon Cross, I want you to leave Stinson Beach as discreetly as you can and make sure you aren't followed."

Tori opened her mouth then shut it after realizing that no matter what she said, Hawk would not change his mind if he felt she was in some kind of danger. If she had only herself to worry about then she would be stubborn and refuse to run away from trouble, but she had more to think about than herself. She had her baby-a baby she still hadn't told Hawk about. "All right, Hawk. I'll leave as soon as possible."

"Only pack what's necessary, Tori."

She tried to smile. Hawk used to get on her case about not being able to travel light. "Okay." After hanging up the phone, Tori proceeded to follow his instructions.

Hawk hung up the phone and immediately began pacing around in his living room. He didn't like coincidences, which was why he had told Tori to get lost for a while until he could determine if there was a connection to the decoding of the records at CIA headquarters and the attempted breakin at her place. Although he hadn't said as much to Tori, there was a chance Cross had found out Sandy Carroll was still alive.

Tori had made a mistake going to the hospital to see Drake. If news of that visit had gotten into the wrong hands and someone interested enough had started doing some in-depth digging, a person's curiosity could have gotten piqued. And if they had been able to get the list of all the female agents who either knew Drake or had worked with him, Tori would be the least likely candidate. However, being the least likely could also make her the most suspicious, considering the circumstances. But still, to think that someone had connected Tori's hospital visit to Sandy Carroll was too big of a leap in logic and he wasn't buying it. Something else was going on and he intended to find out what.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the phone ring. He picked it up immediately. "Yes?"

"Hawk, this is Kent."

Hawk nodded. Kent Malloy had served with him in the Marine Corps, and like him had ventured into service with the CIA. Also, for a while Kent had been head of special operations for the FBI where he still maintained close contact.

Over the years they had shared vital information when necessary. Now retired, Kent was still considered computer-savvy, ultra-intelligent and could find out any information a person wanted within or not within reason. "Did you find out anything?"

"A couple of things that you might find interesting," Kent responded.

Hawk lifted a brow. "What?"

"First of all, over the past few weeks there have been a number of inquiries made in databases on Victoria Green, and it seems they aren't coming from any one source. I haven't been able to pinpoint where the majority of the inquiries are coming from but the person or persons definitely have the expertise to work the system so they aren't traced."

Senses on alert, Hawk sat on the edge of the desk that he had tucked in the corner of the room. "I'm sure Drake Warren is connected to a few of those inquiries since he wanted to locate Tori. He probably hired someone to find her, which would account for some… but not all of them."

"Drake Warren?" Kent asked, surprised. "Why would Drake Warren want to find Victoria Green?"

Hawk rubbed a hand across his unshaven chin. He had never shared information with Kent about Tori's past and wouldn't do so now unless it became extremely necessary. The less people knew the better. "He claims they have personal business to resolve."

"Oh," Kent said, chuckling. "One of those situations, huh?"

Hawk shook his head. Kent didn't know the half of it. "Evidently." He paused and then said, "I suggested to Tori that she go into hiding for a while until we find out something concrete."

Kent sighed deeply. "I hope she does what you've asked her to do."

"I hope so, too. Tori can be pretty damn stubborn at times." Which might be the reason she is presently in this mess, Hawk decided not to add. He had a gnawing feeling in his gut that he didn't like.

"I'll try to find out as much as I can. This is like a damn puzzle and I intend to put all the pieces in place," Kent said. "If we have a mole within the Agency, I intend to find out who he or she is. You know how I feel about informants, Hawk."

Yes, Hawk knew. Ken had blasted a few away in his day-literally. No one had wanted to squander time investigating who'd wasted a couple of corrupt agents. After ending the conversation with Kent, Hawk thought for a moment, then made a decision, one he had hoped he'd never have to make. He picked up the phone to call Drake Warren.

Drake jerked awake, his breathing ragged, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He glanced around the darkened hotel room, suddenly remembering where he was and why he was there.

He got out of bed as sweat clung to his body, needing a drink of cold water. It had been the nightmare again, but some things had been different this time.

He remembered how he, Trevor, Sandy, and Ashton had been crawling low on the ground, away from the warehouse when suddenly they had heard the sound of an infant crying. He had ordered everyone to stay down and not move, but when the sound of the infant grew louder, Sandy had been the one to defy his order by taking a chance and going back into the warehouse to save the child. The moment she had gone in, the warehouse had exploded into a ball of fire. It was only later that they discovered it had been a setup and the sound they'd heard hadn't been an actual baby but a recording to lure Sandy inside. Cross had known that Sandy would give in to maternal instincts before military orders.

Drake would always remember the sound of her screams right before a second explosion had erupted. But in tonight's nightmare, what had been different was the face he'd envisioned within the smoke, fire, and the flying debris; the face that went with the screams had been Tori's and not Sandy's.

Cursing softly, he poured himself a glass of cold water and took a long drink. Small ice particles eased down his throat, cooling his body but not his mind. Why had images

of Tori and not Sandy formed in his mind when he'd relived the explosion?

After finishing off the last of the water, he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand at the same time a funny feeling settled deep in his gut. Something had triggered anxiety inside of him and he wasn't sure just what it was.

At that moment his cell phone rang and he quickly padded barefoot across the carpeted floor to answer it. He figured it was either Trevor or Ashton calling to make sure he'd made it to California okay. "Yes."

"Drake, this is Hawk."

Drake raised a brow, surprised. The funny feeling deep in his gut flared to life again. "Hawk?"

He had spoken to the man a few weeks ago after returning from South America. When Casey had refused to give him any information on Tori, he had contacted Hawk to see if he knew her whereabouts. Hawk never said whether he'd known Tori's address or not. What he had said was basically the same thing Casey had said. Due to Agency policy, he was unable to give out any information on a former agent.

"Drake, I don't have time to explain and I need to make this quick. How far are you from San Francisco, California?"

Drake smiled faintly. "It just so happens that I'm right across the Bay. Why?"

Hawk sighed deeply. He didn't need to ask Drake why he was in California. Evidently like he'd told Kent, Drake had taken matters into his own hands and tracked Tori down himself. That thought didn't sit well with Hawk. If Drake could find her, so could someone else.

"Hawk?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you ask how close I was to Frisco? What's going on?"

There was a slight pause before Hawk said, "Tori Green might be in trouble."

Drake frowned, his attention alert and focused. "What kind of trouble?"

"I think someone has put a hit out on her. I can't go into a lot of details with you, Drake, but I need your help in keeping her alive until we find out who's behind it."

For the first time since moving to Stinson Beach, Tori was aware of how dark the two-lane road leading from the beach was at night, especially around two in the morning. So far her Maxima was the only vehicle on the road and a part of her felt good about that. Once she crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Frisco she planned to avoid less traveled roads like this one. She had no idea where she was going but decided to just head east.

She replayed back in her mind pieces of Hawk's conversation. She had worked with him long enough to know he wasn't one to make rash decisions and relied on his gut instincts about things. She hadn't felt easy since the attempted breakin into her home and even before Hawk's phone call she had planned to sleep with her pistol beside her in bed.

She suddenly felt her body tense when a car pulled out of a side road and began following her. Glancing back in her rearview mirror she saw it was traveling a safe distance behind. She sighed deeply, her gut clenched with anxiety, although she was trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. She wanted to believe that whoever was in the vehicle was someone who enjoyed the nightlife and nothing more. A few minutes later she knew that was not the case when the vehicle picked up speed at the same time the driver suddenly killed the lights.