The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [102]
He wasn't stupid. He knew that no matter what they'd shared before, and no matter how many times they managed to occasionally fall into the same bed now, in a way they were virtual strangers. So much had happened for both of them over the past five years; now with the Cross situation, they hadn't had the opportunity to really get to know each other again. He knew he still loved her but he wasn't absolutely sure just how she felt about him. He wasn't the same man she had fallen in love with years ago. Now he saw more bad in people than good, and he no longer trusted easily. He no longer took things at face value. Yes, he wasn't the same man and the big question was whether or not she could accept that.
He inhaled deeply. Once this situation with Cross was behind them, he intended to find out.
Tori turned to find Drake watching her intently. She cleared her throat. "What do you want to drink? I can fix up some tea or something," she said, after seeing the jar of tea bags on the counter.
"Thanks, tea will be fine."
Moments later when they sat down at the table together, she couldn't help but remember what had happened after the last time they had eaten together. He had been driven to prove that although she felt differently about some things now, there were other things she still felt the same about. He'd also wanted to prove to her that he considered her "his" woman.
After saying the grace for the both of them she asked, "What did Hawk have to say?"
Drake glanced up after pouring gravy on his chicken.
"He wanted to let me know that Cross is trying desperately to find us. Like with most operatives, where I live is a closely guarded secret. However, Hawk feels it won't take long for him to find out about this place."
Tori nodded. "Anything else?"
He gazed at her for a moment then said, "Yes. It seems that Cross has checked out my story and although Hawk didn't make it easy for him, Cross got confirmation from whatever resources he's using that Sandy Carroll is still alive and the two of you are one and the same."
Tori went rigid. She knew it was bound to happen, that it was part of the plan, but still it felt eerie that a secret she had worked five years to protect was now out in the open. "So how much time does Hawk think we have?"
"No more than three days, possibly four at the max. There are no signs that Cross has entered the country yet. Hawk also said that getting men together to help him do his dirty work isn't as easy as Cross thought it would be. After what went down with Horton, a lot of the corrupt agents are keeping a low profile, hoping that no one finds out about their extracurricular activities; and tiiose slimeballs connected to the drug scene aren't absolutely sure of Cross's claim that he'll eventually be the head of the ASI and are cautious about doing anything to piss off the present leaders of the organization."
Tori was silent for a moment, then she asked, "So what's our game plan?"
Drake met her gaze. "Get prepared and be ready. As soon as we finish up here, I want to take you downstairs and show you the security system I have in place and how it works."
She nodded. He had told her earlier that he'd converted his basement into a state-of-the-art security room.
"I have hidden video cameras located in various areas on my land," he added. "One of the features of my security system is a huge monitoring screen where I can just sit back and watch all the creatures that are roaming around. How would you like to do that with me later?"
Tori lifted a brow. "Don't you ever feel like you're spying on them?" she asked, forcing a smile. She thought about sitting in a closed room with Drake and watching anything and knew it wouldn't be a good idea.
He chuckled. "They're on my property so that gives me the right. So what about it? After showing you