The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [114]
Drake clenched his jaw tightly. "I'm not telling you a damn thing."
For one brief moment there was a flicker of some emotion in Cross's eyes, a dazed, crazed look. Then angrily, he raised the gun and aimed straight for Drake's head as a smile touched the man's lips. "Then you die first. Too bad you won't live to see what I'm going to do when I find her. It's going to be quite a show."
"You won't get away with it, Cross. We knew you were coming. Whether you realize it or not, by how all of your men are either dead or been captured. Both FBI and CIA agents will be swarming the place in a few minutes. If you're smart you would give up and turn yourself in."
"Never! I have to settle an old score. An eye for an eye."
His hand tightened on die gun he held. "First you, then her, and don't think I won't find her. She's somewhere hidden on this mountain and I plan to find her or burn down every inch of this place. This time she won't escape."
Drake knew that although Cross had die advantage, he didn't plan to just sit and let the man coldly blow him away. He heard the cock of Cross's gun and knew he was about to pull die trigger. He clamped his jaw together hoping his reflexes would be faster than the bullet when he made his move. It was still a possibility he would get hit, but he refused to get his damn head blown off.
Then, as impossible as it seemed, Tori stepped out from behind a cluster of pine trees holding a black 9mm automatic aimed at Solomon Cross's head. Drake's heart contracted and he was too taken aback to figure out how the hell she had managed to get out of the locked basement.
He just stared at her, trying not to let Cross read his face to give away her presence. She was mad; her eyes were narrowing, her chin was tilted upward and her lips had curled in contempt. Her degree of anger was evident and he thought she was the most beautiful sight he had seen in a long time.
"Drop it, Cross!" she barked. The man gasped and whirled around, which gave Drake the advantage he needed, even with Cross's size. But Drake's earlier assumption about die man was right. He was in good physical shape and he also had a score he intended to settle. Although Drake did a quick maneuver and tried knocking me gun from Cross's hand and overtaking him, Cross held the gun tightly, jerked his body out of Drake's reach and with amazing speed, shifted his aim of the gun from Drake to Tori.
"Back off, Warren, or she dies!" he screamed as he scuttled farther away from Drake. "At this point I have nothing to lose, so go over mere and join her or I'll blow her brains out now," he snarled. It was a standoff. Tori had her gun aimed for Cross and Cross had his gun aimed for her. "Don't do what he asks, Drake. Don't do it!" Drake stilled, his gaze on die scene before him. Deciding not to take any chances, refusing to put the woman he loved and die child she carried at risk, Drake slowly eased over to stand beside Tori.
"You bitch!" Cross screamed at Tori, almost beside himself in anger. "You were supposed to die in that explosion! I had planned it perfectly. You were supposed to die and now you will!"
He lifted his gun higher, aiming it straight for Tori's head. "Sandy Carroll, get ready to meet your maker."
Drake and Tori both noticed the movement in tile woods out of the corners of their eyes and then, just seconds before Cross was about to pull the trigger, a shot rang out, hitting the man, the impact jabbing him full force and knocking his body sideways-but not before he raised his gun and tried taking another aim at Tori. Drake pushed Tori out the way at the same time another shot rang out, and then another. Blood gushed from the wound in Cross's chest and he stared over at Drake and Tori, looking at them in dazed disbelief before finally closing his eyes and slumping backward.
Hawk, Ashton, and Trevor stepped from behind a group of trees. Hawk was the one holding the still-smoking gun and the expression on his face was one of sheer satisfaction.
After approaching Cross to make sure the man would never