The Midnight Hour (21 page)

He glanced back over to the bed where Tori was sleeping. This was the first time he'd ever seen her sleep. She had token catnaps while he'd been driving and on their last mission together they had taken turns keeping watch. But this was the first time he could actually study her for a long period of time while she was at rest. She had let her guard down and put her trust in him to keep her safe… and he would. He'd lost one woman to the cruelty and craziness of Solomon Cross, but didn't intend to lose another.

He tried to refocus his attention back on the computer map and found it straying back to Tori time and time again. He couldn't help but wonder what deep, dark secret she had that only Hawk knew about, and how was it connected to what was going on? He was trying to be patient but patience wouldn't keep them alive.

He glanced at his watch. It was just past midnight and he needed to get some rest himself. Standing, he rechecked the door and, deciding he wouldn't undress but would sleep on top of the covers, he kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed closest to the door, with his pistol within close reach.

"Just what kind of animal you plan to bring down with this?"

The Red Hunter ignored the old man's question as he continued to count out the money he was paying for the tranquilizer gun. It was a high-powered cartridge-fired rifle; a special type of weapon that had a unique side lever where darts could be loaded and unloaded from the chamber with ease. By adjusting the power on the control valve, close shots could be taken without injury to the animal… or in this case, the humans.

Cross wanted Drake and the woman alive and he intended to give the man what he asked for. Like he'd told Cross, overtaking two seasoned, highly skilled agents without fuss wouldn't easy, and he would have to find them first But he hadn't earned the name the Red Hunter for nothing. And he preferred working alone although he had reinforcements in the way of contacts if he needed them. He enjoyed tracking people down. Before joining the CIA he had worked for over ten years as a bail enforcement agent.

He glanced up into the rugged face of the old man who was waiting for an answer. It was dark and the meeting was in a rural area of town on a deserted back road. The sale of tins rifle was regulated by federal law, and shipment was restricted to military institutions, sheriff's and police departments or holders of federal firearm licenses. Just the mere fact that the gun was being sold to him warranted a lot of questions, so in his book the geezer had best tend to his own business while he tended to his.

"That about does it," the Red Hunter finally said after counting out every single dollar the old man had charged him. "Are you sure I have enough darts?"

The old man licked his lips when he stuffed the money into his back pocket. "Yeah, I gave you plenty. Just remember that the serum in the darts is more potent than most. With just a single shot, in a range of up to one hundred and fifty yards, it has the ability to immobilize an animal as large as a bear rather quickly and lasts a little longer."

The Red Hunter nodded. "But it won't cause injury?"

"No, just renders them unconscious just long enough for you to do whatever you want to do with diem."

The Red Hunter nodded again. He knew what Cross's plans were once he notified him mat Warren and me woman had been captured. But what Cross didn't know was mat he had plans of his own, and if Warren and the woman were such a valued prize, then Cross would do things his way. With Rangel dead things might start unfolding and he needed enough for a fresh start someplace.

After he was sure the old man had gotten into his car and driven off, die Red Hunter got into his truck and, using a flashlight, he pulled out me map he had studied earlier. From "e information he'd been able to gather, Warren and me Woman were traveling by car, headed east. After checking with the airlines it seemed mat Warren had flown to Oakland from Houston so chances were he was returning there.

Red Hunter also found out that Warren had friends in Houston, old military buddies who would probably assist in keeping him well-hidden for a while.

Red Hunter smiled. He had friends in Houston, too, and he would call on those friends for information, and assistance if he needed it.

Houston, Texas

Ashton Sinclair woke up abruptly. He'd had another vision. Thanks to his African-American heritage, which included ancestors who had been fierce tribal medicine men with mystical powers, and his Cherokee Indian heritage, which included a great-great-grandfather who'd been a shaman, he had been born with the gift of visions. He looked down at his wife, Nettie, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. He'd had a vision that she would one day be his wife. Of course, she hadn't thought so. And on top of that, he'd also had a vision that she would give him three sons, triplets. Again, she hadn't believed that either, mainly because doctors had told her she could never have children. Now with his sons sound asleep in the other room, it was a testament to the power of his visions. He sat up. That's why he was concerned about the one he'd just had. It hadn't made much sense.

Trying not to disturb Nettie, he slipped out of bed and; walked over to the window. It was a beautiful night, he thought, as he stared up at the full moon. He didn't have visions often, but usually when they occurred there was also a full moon. The last one he'd had over eight months ago had involved Sir Drake. This one had involved Drake, too.

When he heard a stirring behind him, he turned and watched as Nettie reached for him and when she found the spot beside her empty, she sat up and drowsily searched the

room. When she saw him she pushed her hair back from her face and smiled.

He returned her smile thinking that he was definitely a blessed man. Nettie and his sons meant everything to him and he loved them dearly. Friendships meant a lot to him as well and he immediately thought of his two closest friends, Trevor and Sir Drake. He was 100 percent certain that Trevor was home in bed with his own wife Corinthians. Drake, however, was a different story. Usually, there was no telling where he was or what he was doing at any given moment. Trevor had talked to Sir Drake earlier tonight and had passed on the message that Drake wanted him to know. He was on the run with the woman he'd been looking for, Victoria Green. Knowing Drake, Ashton felt his friend had things pretty much under control, but still, there was something that hadn't set well with Ashton since hearing the news about Drake; and his vision tonight had proved him right.

"Something wrong, Ashton?"

He saw that the smile on Nettie's face had turned into a concerned frown. He quickly walked back over to the bed, sat on the edge and pulled her into his arms. "I had a vision about Drake tonight, Netherland."

She pulled back and looked at him. He knew how much his rough and gruff friend had come to mean to his wife as well as to Corinthians. Sir Drake had managed to wiggle his way into both women's hearts.

"Do you think he's hurt again?" Nettie asked with deep concern in her voice.

He gently caressed her cheek. "No, not physically, but something is going on that I can't figure out and the vision wasn't exactly clear. All it revealed was turmoil in Drake's life and for some reason I'm seeing flashes of that woman."

Nettie raised a brow. "What woman?"

"That woman who lied to me about being a doctor, so she could be left alone in Drake's hospital room."

Nettie nodded. "But you said her visit probably saved Drake's life. Whatever she said to him made him want to fight to live, right?"

"Yes, but I still would like to know who she was. I refuse to accept Drake's theory that she was an angel. I saw the woman. She was not a figment of my imagination."

He sighed deeply. "I'm also curious about who's tins other woman, this female agent. She's the same woman who accompanied him on his last assignment and I've never seen him react so strongly to a woman since Sandy was alive. It's seems so coincidental that he arrives in California just in time to save her life; the same woman he'd been trying to find for die past few weeks. All of a sudden, Sir Drake, who'd avoided women is now suddenly obsessed with one."

Nettie cuddled deeper into her husband's arms. "Maybe after five years he's finally let go of Sandy's memory and moved on with his life, Ashton. Even you and Trevor have said numerous times that he should put that mission in Haiti behind him."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure he's doing that. I think one of the main reasons he's attracted to this woman is because there's a lot about her that reminds him of Sandy. He even admitted that."

Nettie sighed as she stared into her husband's eyes. "If that's true then he's not being fair to her. No woman wants to think she's another woman's replacement." An intense look appeared in her face. 'Tell me about the vision you had tonight."

"All right," he said, placing her in bed then stretching out beside her, holding her in his arms. "It was kind of sketchy and involves Drake and two women, Sandy and the woman I saw at the hospital that was masquerading as a doctor. The three of them were together in a deeply wooded area and the two women were surrounding him, trying to protect him."

Nettie raised a brow. "Protect him from what?"

Ashton shook his head. "I don't know."

"What about the woman he's with now? The one he's protecting?"

Ashton shrugged. "She wasn't in my vision. Perhaps because I don't have a face to go along with Victoria Green." For a few minutes he didn't say anything, then he added, "Or another reason is that perhaps she is what Sandy and the mystery woman are protecting him from."

Ashton felt the sudden tension in Nettie's body. "Are you saying that this woman Sir Drake is protecting is someone he can't trust? That she might be a double agent or something?"

Ashton took another deep breath. Nettie had put his very thoughts into words. "I don't know. I plan to talk to Trevor in the morning and run everything by him to see what he thinks."

"Good. Drake is a part of our family and I don't want anything to happen to him, Ashton."

Ashton was touched by the love and devotion she felt for his friend and was suddenly filled with a need to kiss his wife. He felt her quiver the moment their lips met and within seconds he was lost in the welcome and warmth of her arms and her body.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Abram Hawk paced the confines of his living room, waiting °n an important call. He needed information from the Agency, information he no longer had access to, but hoped to obtain. No one worked as many years within the CIA as he had without building trust and confidence in certain people. He still had one person he could depend on: the woman who had been his assistant for over eight years, Lucille Mitchell. Although he'd never seen reason to divulge any information to her regarding Victoria Green's history, Lucille was someone he trusted implicitly. She'd always been his accomplice in making sure the agents in his operations were well cared for and that their personal well-being came first. She had always been his eyes and ears when he'd not been around and had kept him in the loop on what was going on in the lower ranks.

As a favor to him, Lucille had agreed to check out a few things. Until he was certain of his theory involving Solomon Cross, he wouldn't go to Casey. He'd known from first meeting Ronald Casey that the man intended to do things his way, which wasn't always the best way, and that was the main reason he hadn't told him Tori's history. A part of him knew he couldn't trust the man to look after Tori's welfare if she had stayed on as an agent. It was obvious that Casey had his mind set on a higher goal and his present position was just a step in that direction. The agents who worked under him were supposed to make him look good by doing what they were told and not give him any trouble.

Hawk smiled. He wondered if Casey had been ready for the likes of Drake Warren. Since he had once been Drake's commander when Drake had been a marine, he'd understood Drake. Casey wouldn't take the time to do so, which was a big mistake.

So lost in bis thoughts, Hawk jerked when he heard the phone ring. Crossing the room he quickly picked it up. "Yes?"

"Hawk, this is Lucille. Sorry it took so long to get back with you, but Casey called an unscheduled meeting with Robert Chisholm."

Hawk raised a brow. Chisholm was the man at the Agency in charge of the entire South American investigation; a man determined to bring Cross to justice after that Haiti incident. His son had been one of the marines who had been killed in the explosion. "What was the meeting about?" he asked, definitely interested.

"The informant the Agency has on Solomon Cross reported in. It seems that Cross found out that Drake has a love interest and has ordered that the two of them be found. According to the informant, Cross has been bragging to his men that they are about to have special houseguests and just what he intends to do with them when they arrive."

Hawk frowned. "Arrive?"

"Yes. Whomever he's sent to hunt them down will deliver them to him alive at a drop-off point, somewhere in South America in the hills near some rebel camp. Cross is supposed to be waiting there for them. The Agency plans to have their men in place when that happens and hopes to finally apprehend Cross."

Lucille sighed deeply before she continued. "Chisholm is excited at the thought of finally capturing Cross and it seems that he and Casey are willing to use Tori and Drake to do it."

Anger gripped Hawk's entire body. He didn't want to believe that Chisholm and Casey would go as far as to willingly place two agents' lives in danger. But then, a part of him knew they would. In their minds Drake and Tori were nothing more than sacrificial lambs for the cause of justice, as well as their own individual personal causes. After all those years of working hard to forge a bond of trust between the agents and the men they worked for, men like Casey and Chisholm were willing to destroy mat trust for their own personal gains and he refused to let that happen.