The Midnight Hour (23 page)

Cross tried to hold back his temper. This man was a fool if he thought he could use Warren and the woman with him like dangling carrots. He was already getting paid well enough and Cross didn't intend to give him another cent. But now was not the time to let him know that. He would let him deliver Warren and the woman at the agreed drop-off point and then he would make sure Red Hunter got what was coming to him.

"Yes, maybe you're right. If you pull this off then you'd be most deserving of a little extra. Just keep in touch."

After hanging up the phone, Cross knew he would teach the Red Hunter a lesson in trying to pull one over on him.

Tori noticed when Drake pulled off the interstate and glanced over at him. He deciphered the question in her gaze and said, "We made better time than I thought we would. This road will take us to die cabin, but first I want to circle around a bit just to make sure we weren't followed."

She nodded, knowing they needed to take every precaution. A little more than a couple of hours later Drake turned off the highway and onto a dirt road where a sign was posted indicating Private Property.

It took them almost thirty minutes before they came to a small clearing where a huge cabin sat on a lake. Her breath caught when she saw a black truck parked out front, and standing beside it were two men whom she immediately recognized, Trevor Grant and Ashton Sinclair. When Drake brought the car to a stop she caught Ashton's astute gaze and knew he had recognized her-not as Sandy Carroll but as the woman who had pretended to be a doctor and entered Drake's hospital room that night.

She swallowed deeply. Hawk was right. Time had run out.

Ashton narrowed his eyes as he watched Drake and the woman get out of the car. He glanced at Drake and then back at Tori Green, and at that moment he knew Drake didn't have a clue that the woman he was putting his life on the line to protect was the same woman who had visited him in his hospital room.

Drake's angel. The same woman who had miraculously given Drake the will to live.

Ashton leaned against the door of his truck. His trained gaze was focused on the woman. He picked up on her nervousness when she met his gaze. His inner intuition, that same sixth sense that had kept him alive over the past thirty plus years, alerted him that she was definitely hiding something, and he intended to find out what.

"Tori, I'd like you to meet my two closest friends, Trevor Grant and Ashton Sinclair. I've mentioned them to you before," Drake said.

Tori knew that now was not the time to tell Drake the truth, not with an audience. She decided she would stick to her plan and tell him later when they were alone, which meant she would pretend just a little while longer. After making that decision she extended her hand first to Trevor and then to Ashton, who was drilling her with a piercing look. There was no doubt in her mind that he remembered her from when she'd visited Drake at the hospital.

"It's nice meeting the both of you."

"Same here," Trevor said, smiling.

Ashton, however, continued to stare at her. "Have we met before, Tori?" he asked, knowing damn well that they had.

With a shake of her head, she pulled her hand from his. His features were hard, unreadable. "I don't think so."

"Umm, that's funny. For some reason I thought that perhaps we had."

Drake, who hadn't picked up on the tension between Tori and Ashton, said, 'Tori used to be in the marines before going to work for die Agency. Perhaps you ran into her somewhere." He smiled as he glanced over at Tori. "She's not a woman a man can see one time and easily forget."

Ashton nodded as both his hands slipped into the pockets of his jeans. "Yeah, I can definitely agree with that."

Drake turned to Trevor. "Thanks for letting me use this place."

Trevor smiled. "Don't mention it. Come on and let me show you a few things before we leave. And we stopped by a restaurant and got take-out dinners so you two won't have to do any cooking tonight."

"Thanks," Tori said, appreciating his thoughtfulness.

"I'll stay here and help Ms. Green unload the car," Ashton volunteered.

Drake nodded. "Thanks, Ash."

Tori swallowed. She knew no matter what Ashton had told Drake, the main reason he was hanging back was because he had questions and intended to get answers.

pulled her luggage behind her while following Ashton ¦ carried the rest of their things into the cabin. It was a spacious one-story dwelling that had two bedrooms with their own private baths, a huge living room with a pool table and an eat-in kitchen.

"Who the hell are you? What were you doing in Drake's hospital room that night? And what the hell are you doing with him now?"

Tori had just completed a quick tour of the cabin and had retuned to the living room the exact moment that Ashton had walked into the cabin with the last of their stuff. She shook her head and inwardly smiled. Ashton wasn't wasting any time. This was the Ashton she knew and loved as a friend. When it came to finding out something he wanted to know, he didn't believe in beating around the bush and he was worse than a dog with a bone.

'The answers you want are complicated, Ashton."

"Who gives a damn? I want them anyway."

She could feel his anger and knew that because of the unknowns, he didn't trust her. "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it," she said softly. Inhaling deeply, she crossed the room and sat down on the sofa. "You always were a pain in the ass when you wanted to know something."

He lifted a brow and stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that time in the Philippines when you were determined to find out the reason behind our mission instead of just following orders and doing what we'd been sent to do."

Ashton's gaze hardened, his nostrils flared and his jaw tightened. He slowly crossed the room and stood over her, staring, looking at Tori for a long moment, studying every feature on her face, giving her his full attention, his total concentration.

He opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again. "Who the hell are you?" he asked incredulously, with tightly-held restraint.

Tori sat very still. Then she looked up at him. After five years she was about to share her secret with someone she knew was a friend. Someone she trusted.

She leaned back against the sofa. "It's me, Ash. Sandy." Her mouth curved into a tight smile. "And before you ask the answer is no. Super no. Hell no. Damn no. I still don't like okra."

"Sandy?"

Ashton's voice trembled and Tori knew it wasn't from fear but emotion. He wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, however, when it came to those he cared about, he felt deep.

"Yes, Ash, it's me with a new face, nice dental work, and better skin in some places-all compliments of my country. I asked for a boob job, but they turned me down claiming it wasn't medically necessary."

She watched as his features, which had been full of tension, slowly relax. He continued to stare at her, speechless. Then he smiled, a huge rich grin, and reached out and pulled her into his arms. He held her tight and all the emotions he felt poured straight through to her. He finally let go and gazed down at her. "But-but how? Why?"

She took his hand and together they sat down on the sofa. For the next fifteen minutes she told him what had happened after the explosion in Haiti. He listened attentively, not saying anything but she could tell by the intense look on his face that he was taking everything in. Deep understanding lined his eyes.

"Now I know why you were at the hospital that night to see Drake."

Tori inhaled deeply. "When I heard that he was… dying, I had to do something, Ash, even if it was against Hawk's orders. What I did may be the reason I'm in this mess now, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat to help Drake."

"And you think Cross has discovered your real identity?"

"I'm not sure. Hawk doesn't think so. He thinks if Cross knew that I was Sandy, he would be furious enough to come after me himself."

Ashton nodded. "Knowing how much he hates Drake and blames him for his wife's death, I have to agree with Hawk. Cross has gloated at the thought that he's been the cause of Drake's pain and suffering for the past five years. And if he found out that he'd been duped, I don't want to think about what method of revenge he would use on the both of you."

Ashton then looked at her and asked, "I take it that Drake doesn't know you're Sandy?"

Shutting her eyes, Tori felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She slowly opened them. "No, but I plan on telling him tonight. According to Hawk, the agency intends to use me and Drake as bait to get Cross." She then told him what Hawk had told her about Cross wanting them taken alive and how her abductors were supposed to deliver them to some drop-off point. It was the CIA's intention to monitor the exchange and be there to apprehend the elusive Cross.

"I can't believe they're willing to take a chance like that on your and Drake's lives. Anything can go wrong and I don't trust Cross to do things according to plan."

Tori nodded. "Neither do I, and knowing Drake, he'll have those same thoughts as well."

When they heard the sound of Trevor and Drake returning, Ashton stood and pulled her up. "Is it all right for me to tell Trevor you're Sandy?"

"Yes. I plan to tell Drake later anyway."

Ashton nodded. "Trevor and I will leave so you can talk to Drake. As soon as you tell him the truth the better."

Tori nodded. She knew that was true but she definitely wasn't looking forward to it.

Tori could barely drink her water with Drake standing across the room, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching her every move. They had eaten the food that Trevor and Ashton had left and now Drake stood waiting. She had told him during dinner that she wanted to talk to him after they'd finished eating.

He had asked to take a shower first and he had come back into the kitchen afterwards. He stood tall, powerfully built and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He possessed a commanding presence.

Over the rim of her glass her gaze roamed his body, centering in on his wide shoulders and muscular arms. Then there was the hair on his naked chest and how it tapered down his fiat stomach going past the waistband of his jeans. Although her vision stopped there, she was well aware of how things looked beyond that point, specifically how well endowed he was. Some men were blessed in that area but others like Drake had been more than just blessed. He had been awarded more than generously. The very first time she had seen him completely nude she had quickly reached the conclusion that he definitely broadened the definition of the word big, had redefined the word sexy, and had clearly escalated the term powerfully masculine to a whole other level.

When she placed the empty glass on the tiled counter, she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. Although it was way too early in her pregnancy to feel her baby move, she

believed in her heart that her child was letting her know that it felt its father's presence and felt safe.

"Ready, Tori?"

She nodded, although she doubted if she would ever be fully ready-for Drake Warren. Even as Sandy, she had thought he was overwhelming. There had always been something about him that preyed on her sensual side and always sparked her with potent desire whenever she was around him. The only time she'd been able to tone it down was when they were on a mission together. Then she would put business first. But then alone, with whatever privacy they could manage, they would tumble into each other's arms like mating was the most natural thing for them to do.

"Yes, I'm ready," she replied, unable to calm the rapid and intense thump of her heartbeat when he crossed the room to her.

"Then let's sit at the table and talk."

She swallowed deeply. "All right."

Before she could recover from his closeness, he took her hand in his. His touch immediately sent a sexual current radiating through her that she felt all the way to her toes. She glanced up at him and knew he had felt it, too. But he didn't say anything as he led her over to the table where they had eaten earlier.

He took the chair facing her. "Okay, what's going on, Tori? What do you have to tell me?"

Tori swallowed as she gazed at him. "It's about Sandy." She watched his reaction at the mention of his fiancee's name.

He raised his brow. "Sandy?" he asked in surprise. "What about her?"

She hesitated, swallowed again. Then said, or tried to say, "She didn't…"

Drake sat forward in the chair, attentive, waiting for her to finish what she was saying. When it appeared that she wouldn't, he leaned closer. "She didn't what?"

Tori glanced away from him, feeling the tension radiating in him. He was picking up on her nervousness and she could tell that it was making him uneasy, agitated, and edgy. When moments passed and she didn't say anything, he reached across the table, cupped her chin, turning her face back to his. "Answer me."

Tori met his gaze. The tension she had seen in his features had extended to his voice. It was shaky, strained. "Sandy, sh-she didn't die in that explosion, Drake. She survived."

Drake stared at her like she had gone stone crazy, absolutely foolish, seriously deranged. Then she added quietly, "She did survive, Drake. Sandy didn't die in Haiti."

Something in Tori's eyes told Drake that she believed what she was saying, no matter how far-fetched her words seemed. He continued looking at her and suddenly felt as if he'd gotten punched in the stomach and his breath was cut off, making breathing difficult. "You want me to believe that Sandy survived that explosion and I, of all people, didn't know about it?" he asked, his words forced, and his voice barely recognizable even to his own ears.