The Midnight Hour (29 page)

"You lie, Warren!"

Drake would swear he could feel the heat of Cross's fury all the way through the phone line. "If you don't believe me, find put the truth for yourself. I have my woman back and I plan on spending the rest of my life making up for lost time."

"I will find you and kill you both."

"No, you won't. You'll be too busy hiding out to save your own ass. Face it, Cross, your eye-for-an-eye bullshit has become an 'everybody plays the fool sometime. '’You've been played."

The line then went dead.

Cross's knuckles turned almost white as he stood there and continued to hold the phone. Moments later, letting out a loud animalistic howl, he threw it against the wall.

"Miguel!"

The man came immediately. "Yes, sir."

"I need you to make calls to my contacts in the United States. I need information quickly."

"Yes, sir!" He watched as Miguel quickly left. He didn't have time to worry about the cartel's displeasure with him at the moment. He could hold them off for a while, especially when they discovered they no longer had the power they thought they had. One call to a number of rebel groups he had under his thumb would scare off the cartel. Right now he had more important issues to deal with.

Nobody played him for a fool.

Excitement suddenly replaced the anger that was ramming through him. Warren's days were numbered. Sandy Carroll may not have died five years ago but he would make sure she was enjoying her last days of life now. He would take pride in having her blood on his hands; and he would take pride in having Warren's blood on his hands as well.

An eye for an eye.

Cross inhaled deeply. He intended to personally see that Maria's death was avenged.

Drake inhaled deeply and forced himself to breathe out slowly as he hung up the phone. The gauntlet had been thrown down and the battle lines were officially drawn. No, it wouldn't be a battle, it would be a damn massacre, at least that would be Cross's way of thinking.

Drake's gaze slowly moved across the room to the two people who were watching him, Hawk and Tori; but mainly Tori. It was their battle and they were determined to see it to the finish. "Cross will come," he said quietly with absolute certainty. "He's desperate, obsessed, determined, and he strongly believes he'll get his 'eye-for-an-eye' bull."

Drake inhaled deeply again. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew the feeling. He'd felt that way after Sandy had died-or when he'd thought she had died. Especially when Cross had come forward and claimed responsibility. He had wanted to become a one-man hit squad, go after the SOB and blow his brains out; and for a time he had contemplated doing just that.

But Ashton and Trevor wouldn't let him wallow in self-pity or hatred. They had refused to let him sink to Cross's level by becoming a cold-blooded killer, dead set on revenge. But he had thought about it. He had planned and plotted to waste everyone he thought had been responsible for Sandy's death; the entire damn cartel. Dying had not been something he'd worried about. In fact, he'd figured when it happened it would be a blessing. He had gone through those months feeling that he'd rather be dead than alive without Sandy.

His chest went tight as he remembered those times. That was the past and this was the present, and he wished he could consider it as water under the bridge but Cross was still around muddying those waters.

"So what do you think will be his next move, Drake?" He looked Tori directly in the eye when he answered her question. "First he'll verify my claim that you're alive.

Once he's satisfied it's true and it's not a setup, he'll plan our downfall and use every arsenal at his disposal to do so. And because of his position within the cartel, he won't wait to make a hit."

He stepped from behind the pool table and glanced out the window. Trevor, Ashton, Jake, and the others had gone outside to give them privacy. He slowly turned back to Hawk and Tori.

"Horton was a wealth of information and one of the things he told us was that Cross's position with the cartel is better than we think. In fact, it's better than the cartel thinks. While keeping a low profile Cross has been busy gaining support from several leftist rebel forces; rebels who have agreed to protect him. He in turn agreed to provide them the financing they need to fight their bloody wars. They see it as a 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' situation because Cross is willing to aid their fight against the government; something the present cartel has refused to do."

Hawk grimaced. "Heaven help us all if Cross becomes head of the ASI."

"He won't live long enough to take the throne. I'm going to see to it."

Hawk went rigid when he saw the intent in Drake's eyes. "You can't do this alone, Drake. You can't become a one-man hit squad."

Drake smiled slowly. "Believe it or not, that's exactly what I'd thought of doing five years ago, but, no, that's not what I plan to do now. I sort of like to compare myself to the Terminator better."

Hawk's gaze narrowed. "This isn't funny, Drake."

"And you don't see me laughing, Hawk. Cross is coming after me and I plan to use whatever means I can to keep me and Tori alive."

"And you will get help," Hawk said, coming to his feet. "I'll guarantee it."

Drake shook his head, chuckling. "Forgive me for not wanting to fully trust the CIA, FBI or DEA about now. What went on here with Horton has somewhat sullied my opinion of the agencies. The only good thing I have to say about the CIA is that you're back, and I know you'll clean house. But you're only one man, Hawk. You have to take your orders like everyone else and at the moment I refuse to believe that the Agency is going to support everything you want to do."

Hawk sighed deeply, knowing Drake was right. Because of Casey and Chisholm, the Justice Department would be initiating a full-fledged investigation; and in the meantime every department within the agency would have to be on their P's and Q's and play strictly by the rules. "So what do you plan to do?" he asked Drake.

The smile that had appeared on Drake's face a moment earlier faded. Now there was intensity in the depths of his eyes, the firmness of his jaw and the flaring of his nostrils that made Hawk glad that he wasn't the enemy. "I plan to do nothing, but sit and wait. I'm sure with all his contacts, Cross will eventually find me."

Hawk took a deep breath. "And when he does?"

"I'll deal with him."

"Then we'll deal with him," Tori spoke up and said, glancing from Drake to Hawk.

Hawk studied them both for long moments. They were more than operatives who had worked for him, marines who'd served under him. They were two people he genuinely cared about, and he knew he had to make them see reason. "The two of you are making a mistake. Besides, what you want to do is out of the question. You will be breaking the law and-"

"The only law on Warren Mountain is my law."

Hawk stiffened. His heart skipped a beat. "What the hell do you mean?"

Drake smiled. "Just what I said. Pull the documentation that goes all the way back to when the land was deeded to my ancestors. Warren Mountain is as protected as any Indian reservation is. It has its own law and until that changes no federal, state or local governmental agency can trespass its boundaries unless I give permission, and I'm not giving it."

Hawk stared at him. Cold chills crept up his spine. "You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

"Yes. I'm going home, Hawk, and when Cross finds me, that's where I'll be."

Hawk blew out a long breath, raked his fingers through his hair, thinking he needed a haircut, but more important, he needed another thirty years to deal with the likes of Drake Warren. And just to think he had agreed to come out of retirement. Had he taken leave of his senses or what? "Think about what you'd be doing, son," Hawk said, altering their positions from business to personal. "Without backup forces from the government, your mountain will become a war zone-a slaughter territory. Do you honestly think Cross will come by himself? He'll bring men with him, trained killers of the most ruthless and cunning kind. He'll intend for it to be a showdown, one he doesn't plan losing."

"Then it should be interesting because I don't plan on losing either," Drake said quietly. He shifted his eyes and caught Tori's gaze. He drew in a deep breath and tried to rid himself of the anger he was feeling. "But I would like to ask that you do me a favor, Hawk."

Hawk lifted a brow. During the years he'd known Drake, he had only asked for one favor and that had been a few months ago when he was trying to find Tori. It was the first favor Drake had ever asked of him and it had hurt like hell to turn him down. He wondered if he would also have to turn down this second request. "What's this favor?"

"No matter what you have to do, keep Tori safe. She's not a part of this. I'll be operating alone."

Tori whirled on him. 'The hell you will. This isn't your fight alone, Drake! I thought we agreed on that. This is also my fight and I'm definitely in." She was so mad, her voice was shaking.

Drake stared at her. He had expected her anger and was prepared to deal with it. He would never forget how he'd felt when he'd gone down from that tranquilizer dart. Luckily, the injection he had taken had kicked in. But what would have happened to Tori if it hadn't? "No, you're not in" he said. "The only reason Cross tried killing you in the first place was because of me. This is not your battle, it's "tine, and I'll come and get you when it's over."

Tori's lips tightened as she tried to bring her anger under control. What had she expected? Drake Warren thrived on taking risks, but he was too bullheaded to see that what he was contemplating wasn't taking a risk but setting himself up on a suicide mission. There was no way one man could stand against Cross's ruthlessness.

"You might as well let me go with you, Drake, because there's no way I'll stay behind. Even if I'm locked up somewhere, I'll escape and then what? What do you think Cross will do when he finds out that I'm not on that mountain with you? He'll either finish you off and come after me or vice versa. There'll be no place for me to hide, not that I intend to hide anyway."

Her spine went ramrod straight as she continued to glare at him. "We either deal with Cross together or we deal with him separately, Drake. What's it going to be?"

Drake gazed at her thoughtfully for a long moment and she stared back at him defiantly, haughtily, full of anger and fire. And she was so deep-in-the-gut beautiful. He wished there was some way he could lock her up and throw away the key, but damn her hide, she would probably find a way to escape, and then he'd be too busy worrying about her safety to take care of Cross. At least if she was with him then he could keep an eye on her. And if things got too heavy, he had that room in the basement that had a steel door and no windows. If he had to, he would use it. He'd like to see her get out of that.

"Fine," he snapped. "Just be ready to move out at midnight." He then turned to leave.

Tori didn't stop holding her breath until the door had slammed shut behind Drake.

"This place is just as I remembered, beautiful," Tori said as she glanced at the vast land and the high, rough mountains surrounding her. Although this wasn't her first time to Warren Mountains, the view still left her utterly breathless. As far as her eyes could see the blue sky dipped rhythmically around mountains, plains, and valleys that seemed to have no end.

"Thanks," Drake said, pulling her one piece of luggage out of the car. "I want to get you settled then I'll put the security system in place."

Tori turned and looked at him. "You have a security system here?" she asked in surprise. That was one thing she didn't recall him having before.

"Yes. It became necessary when I discovered people were trespassing on my property. They were camping out and hunting down the animals that consider this home," he said, anger lacing his voice. "I set up security cameras in strategic locations to put a stop to it and to make sure violators are dealt with to the full extent of the law," he continued. "I have no control over what happens while I'm 8°ne, but whenever I'm here I make sure it's kept under control."

Tori nodded. Drake's love of nature hadn't changed. He would spend hours telling her about all the wild animals that roamed Warren Mountains and found refuge in the five thousand acres that he owned. He had also once told her that since he was the last of the Warrens, he would deed Warren Mountains to the Tennessee Wildlife Preservation Society to assure that his land remained in its natural state after his death.

She glanced around again, as she climbed the steps to the huge shady porch that wrapped around the ranch-style structure, a mixture of stone and wood that provided an overwhelming view of Warren Mountains in all directions. She remembered standing on the porch one night and seeing a deer and before dusk had claimed the evening, she had seen a fox, rabbits, and what looked like a huge wolf as well.

Drake had told her what she'd seen was not a full-blooded wolf, but a half-wolf he called Tender Two. The dog's mother had been a full-blood wolf and the father had been the Warren's family dog, Tender. After the pup's mother had been killed by a trespasser's bullet, Tender had roamed the mountains to claim his son and had returned with him to the ranch. However, Tender Two never fully appreciated the tight reins of domestic life and after Tender's death, he spent more time out in the wilds than he did in Drake's home. But Drake said they understood each other since they both were loners. Before she'd left, she and Tender Two had become good friends.

She looked up at Drake. "Tender Two? Is he still alive?"

Drake smiled, surprised she had remembered his dog. "Yes. The last few times I was home he stayed here, close by my side, as if he knew I needed the company. He might show up while you're here, but don't be shocked when you see him. Now he looks more like a wolf than a dog."