It seemed like a full ten minutes passed before Cross came to the phone. "I hope you have good news for me, Red Hunter."
"I do. I'll be making the hit tonight."
"Remember, I want them alive! I have my own brand of punishment for them."
Red Hunter couldn't help the icy chill mat shivered down his spine. Solomon Cross was one of the most heartless, ruthless, and cunning men that he knew. His reputation had been well-earned. The man was a sadistic killer. The sooner he was through doing business with Cross the better.
"You'll get them alive. Go ahead and make the necessary flight arrangements. I can transport them so far in my car, then I'll need a plane to get them out of the country."
"And you'll have one."
"And my money?"
Cross smiled. "One of my men will be at the airport. He will pay you off then."
Red Hunter frowned. "That was not our original plan. I was supposed to accompany Warren and Green to South America. I was to be there for the exchange."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. "Very well, then. I was trying to save you an unnecessary trip."
The frown slowly eased from Red Hunter's face. "I don't mind the inconvenience," he said, relaxing again. He had worked too hard for anyone to discover he was a double agent. Casey and Chisholm had promised him a lot of money if he led them straight to Cross and he intended to do just that. Cross, on the other hand, was paying him a lot of cash to deliver Warren and Green to him alive, and he intended to collect on that as well.
"Call me when you have them," Cross said. "I'll give you further instructions at that time."
"Good," Red Hunter said, then hung up the phone.
Cross handed the phone back to Miguel. A smile touched his lips. "Tell Dominic he is to kill Red Hunter as soon as he turns my houseguests over to him. I much prefer him loosing his life in his own country rather than in mine."
CHAPTER 14
"Would you like another piece of pie?"
Shaking her head, Tori took another sip of her milk. "No, but thank you for asking." She knew her response sounded stilted, way too formal for two people who'd spent the better part of the night mating like rabbits. But here they sat, she and Drake, trying to ease the tension between them. She was still upset about his decision to take the antidote.
"I'm surprised we haven't heard from Hawk any more today," she said, putting down her glass. Earlier Hawk had been advised of Drake's decision. In fact, Drake had already been injected. Once Jake Madaris had been certain Drake knew what he was doing, he'd had one of his ranch hands bring over the medication, and once it had been delivered, everyone had waited while Drake had gone into the bathroom to inject himself.
According to Jake, the drug needed to be in the system for at least twelve hours, which meant Drake had a couple of hours to go. The only drawback to that was the uncertainty that this was the night Cross's men would make their move. Jake Madaris had posted a couple of his men in strategic locations to serve as watchmen and they had a remote alarm to send him a signal if they spotted anything unusual. For some reason, Drake thought the strike would come tonight and wanted to be prepared. Tori didn't want to think what would happen if nothing happened within the next three days. Did that mean he would give himself another injection?
"I did hear from Hawk again," Drake said after taking a sip of his coffee.
She met his gaze, surprised. "You did? When?"
"While you were taking a bath."
Tori's eyes narrowed. "And why didn't you tell me?" she asked coolly, upset that he hadn't mentioned the call to her.
Drake leaned back in her chair and looked at her. "There was nothing to tell. He's still checking out a few leads. However, he did mention that an agent is missing."
Tori lifted a brow.
"He found out from Lucille that Tom Crowley didn't report for his assignment a week ago."
"Tom? Umm, that's interesting," Tori said, leaning back in her own chair. And from the way Drake was looking at her she knew he was remembering that she and Tom had dated once.
"Yes, I think it's interesting, too," Drake finally said, getting up and breaking into her thoughts. "Hawk also said the Agency is looking into his disappearance." He looked at her empty plate. "Are you sure you don't want any more pie?"
"Yes, I'm positive and I'll help with the dishes. It's the least I can do since you did all the cooking."
He glanced back over his shoulder at her on his way to the sink. "That's not necessary. Besides, I want to stay busy."
Tori studied him. "How are you feeling?"
He turned around and smiled. "You've asked me that five times already and my answer is still the same, Tori. I feel fine. If I didn' t know that I injected myself with that drug, I'd believe I imagined the whole thing."
"No side effects then?"
"No." He crossed the room to her and took her hand in his. "Hey, don't worry, I'll be fine."
A corner of Tori's lips flexed upward, annoyed, and she eased her hand from his. "This is nothing but a game to you, isn't it, Drake?"
He lifted a brow. "I don't think that being hunted down like an animal is a game for either of us, Tori."
She stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "But you enjoy the danger."
It was a statement more than a question so Drake decided to treat it as such. He shrugged. "I would enjoy it better if you weren't involved."
She glared at him. "It's okay for you to be at risk, but not for me. Is that it?"
"If I had my way, yes."
"Well, I don't like it. In fact the main reason I left the Agency is because I didn't want to take risks any longer. I decided I preferred living a safer life."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, it's been real safe, hasn't it?"
When she just glared at him, he rubbed his chin as he studied her. "Is that why you didn't want me to know where you were after you left the Agency? You wanted a safer life and saw me as a threat to your tranquil existence?"
She met his gaze. No, actually she had seen him as a threat to her and her baby's tranquil existences. "Yes, that's the reason."
She watched his frown slowly form into a smile. She was surprised when he laughed. It was a deliciously rich sound that filled the room. She placed her hands on her hips. "What's so damn funny?"
"I found you anyway, Tori, and you were lucky that I did."
She took her hands off her hips, knowing he had a point. "Yes, well, just because you found me doesn't mean anything."
His dark face lit with a grin. "Oh, it means a lot. After last night I thought I made things pretty clear. You're mine now."
Her hands went back on her hips. "What do you mean, I'm yours?"
Drake shrugged. "Just what I said. Last night I claimed you in the best way a man can claim a woman he wants. Heart, body, and soul."
Tori glared at him again. "Oh, but weren't you a tad confused as to just who you were claiming?"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "No. Whether you're Sandy or Tori, no big deal."
Her anger reached boiling point. "What if I think it's a big deal?"
"Why?"
She lifted a brow. Confused. "Why what?"
"Why would you think it's a big deal when I don't?"
She frowned, wondering if he was as dense as he was handsome. "Because Sandy, the woman you fell in love with, doesn't exist anymore," she snapped, wondering if he was deliberately getting her pissed off. "I'm Tori, and I feel differently about things now. In fact, when all this is over, I think we should go our separate ways and continue to live our lives the way we have for the past five years. No matter what, in everyone's mind Sandy will still be dead, you'll still be with the Agency and I plan to move someplace quiet and try to live a normal and peaceful life."
Drake resisted the urge to pull her into his arms to show her how mistaken she was about things. Instead, he said, "I hate to disappoint you, but that's not the way things are going to happen. Like I said, you're mine, and whatever problems there are between us we'll work through them."
Tori shook her head. "How can we work through the fact that no matter what we felt about each other five years ago, we are totally different people now? We don't think or act the same way. And like I said, I feel differently about things now than I did then."
He lifted his hand to gently caress her cheek and although she wished otherwise, she felt her insides melting and that funny sensation that settled deep in her stomach. Her baby was taking sides. Drake's.
You 're nothing but a softy for your daddy, she wanted to rub her stomach and say. Instead she met Drake's gaze as her breathing started coming out slow with his touch.
"Then we will get to know each other all over again, Tori. Whatever it takes, we will do it."
When moments passed and she didn't say anything, he said, "So you think you feel differently about filings? About me? Then tell me if you feel differently about this." Deciding he no longer wanted to resist the urge, he leaned down and captured her mouth and when his tongue flicked over her sultry, pouty lips, she released a sigh that matched his own. He entered her mouth, reclaiming, restating. She needed to understand that whether she was Sandy or Tori, she was his. Undoubtedly. Unquestionably.
She didn't resist when, without breaking their kiss, he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Leaning over he began removing her clothes. Off came the little skimpy terry jumper she'd changed into after her shower. He easily peeled it off her body, seeing she wasn't wearing a bra or panties underneath. She'd definitely made things easy for him.
Once he had her completely naked, he stepped back to remove his own clothes. Their gazes held and he felt a connection and he knew at that moment what he'd said was true. She was his. He also knew that she was fighting that fact.
He returned to the bed and took her into his arms and kissed her again, needing the taste of her. Driven by a sexual need that seemed more overpowering than the night before, he wrapped her legs around him at the same moment he reached and touched her, verifying her readiness. She was hot, wet, and he spread her legs wider and the moan that was released from her throat touched him all the way to his bones.
"How differently do you feel about this, Tori?" he asked, placing kisses all over her body. "And this," he murmured silkily as he captured a nipple between his teeth and lavished it with the tip of his tongue.
"Drake…"
He loved the sound of his name from her lips; the voice was different, possibly even parts of the throat, but deep inside, whatever she possessed that had made him fall in love with her from the very beginning, was the same and was still there. He had fallen in love with her as Sandy and then again as Tori. He doubted there were many men who could boast of falling in love with different women who were actually one and the same.
"Love me, Drake," she whispered from her lips.
"I do," he said as he kissed her again, letting his tongue stroke every part of her mouth. And then moments later, he pulled back, gripped her hips firmly in his hand and gave her what they both wanted as he entered her, thrusting as deep as he could go and wishing there were a way to go deeper. His voice was rough, guttural as he began moving aside of her, intending to let her know she was his.
"You're mine, Tori," he whispered as his body continued to surge repeatedly into hers. He threw his head back when ne felt her body shuddering and he let out a hard growl w«en he followed her lead with an orgasm that pulled everything out of him. And just as he knew she would do once she felt him coming, she clenched him and milked him for all he had, holding his shaft hostage inside her womb until she got her fill.
"Tori!"
It was her name that was wrenched from deep within his throat and he knew that no matter how differently she felt about some things now, this soul-deep connection they'd always shared would constantly remain the same.
Drake slipped out of the bed when he heard the alarm go off. Careful not to wake Tori, he grabbed the transmitter from the pocket of his jeans and eased out of the room to go into the kitchen. Everything was dark and he intended for it to stay that way.
"This is Drake."
"There are six men. Get ready."
Drake frowned, recognizing the voice. "Alex? What the hell are you doing here? I thought Jake had two of his men on watch."
"I sent them home. They have families and I don't. Which is also the reason I'm not calling Jake, Ashton, and Trevor like I told them I would. I did a lot of research on Solomon Cross and he's a sick bastard with a long memory. He also likes holding grudges. I wouldn't want anyone I know on his payback list."
Drake nodded. He fully understood. "Thanks. I appreciate the help. Just let me handle things and keep an eye on Tori. She means everything to me."
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I couldn't help but notice that fact."
Then the line went dead.
Drake quickly returned to the bedroom to wake up Tori. "We have company."
She was scrambling out of the bed like a flash. "How many?"
"Six," he said as he grabbed both of their pistols off the nightstand. He then told her of his conversation with Alex. He gazed down at her. "How about if you stay inside and let me and Alex handle things, Tori?"
She glared at him. "How about if you don't piss me off, Drake Warren? This is my fight, too."
He sighed deeply. He'd known she wouldn't cooperate. Needing to kiss her this one last time, he captured her mouth in his. "That's to keep you for a while," he said after releasing her. "Come on and be careful."
Tori crawled on the ground, slowly, cautiously, firmly holding a rifle in her hand. Her pistol was in the holster for backup. She and Drake had split up. He was circling around the cabin to find a nice spot to lie and wait. According to him, Alex had counted six men but there was a chance there were more. He'd also told her that Alex had contacted Hawk who knew just who to call for their backup. They still wanted things kept quiet until he could work with the powers that be to remove Casey and Chisholm from their positions with the CIA. Until that was done, they were literally on their own.