The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [37]
Her thoughts again drifted to Drake. The memory of their lovemaking, which had resulted in this tiny life now inside her, still sent a flow of warmth through her. Having a baby would add such meaning to her life. Over the past five years even Hawk hadn't known about the turmoil or anguish she had endured. No one knew about the many nights she went to bed aching to be held in Drake's arms, desperately needing the physical contact with the man she loved. In the jungles of Costa Rica, her past had caught up with her, and she had been more afraid of Drake discovering who she was than she ever had been of the revolutionaries.
She had seen the world she had established for herself over the past five years unravel and she knew another chance assignment with Drake would have destroyed all Hawk's carefully laid plans. For Drake to find out her true identity would mean they would go into the protection program, or else Cross, the sick psycho that he was known to be, would hunt them down for the rest of their lives until he was satisfied he had gotten his revenge.
She stared out at the ocean and her thoughts switched to Hawk. He had gotten news of her retirement and had called to give her words of encouragement. He was the only person who knew how to contact her and he called her from time to time to see how she was doing. Whenever he would call, she would assure him she was doing fine enjoying her life of retirement, just like she knew he was doing. Again she appreciated her wise investments and because of them she didn't have to work, but would do so anyway after the baby was born to assure her child's future.
She hadn't told Hawk that she was pregnant. It was her secret and hers alone. Her grandfather's death had left her with no living relatives, at least none she'd known about. Eventually the people in the community where she lived would find out she was about to become a single parent, but that was fine with her. She would not be the first and definitely not the last. She would give her baby all the love any one child could ever receive.
Tori had turned to go into the house when she heard the phone ring. She raised a brow. There weren't many who knew her phone number. She had spoken with Hawk last week and chances were he wouldn't be calling her again until next month.
When she walked back inside she took a quick glance around, appreciating the coziness of her home. Her furnishings were simple but nice and she had enjoyed decorating the place. In the corner of her room sat her Motown collection that included all her favorite Marvin Gaye tunes as well as those of the Temptations. A lump formed in her throat when she remembered that was the one thing she and Drake had immediately discovered they had in common, their love for soul music and many of the same rhythm and blues artists.
She reached the phone and glanced at the caller ID. The fact that the caller's phone number was blocked was the first thing she noticed when she picked it up. "Hello."
After a few seconds she frowned when the person on the other end didn't answer. All she heard was dead air. Then there was a click in her ear when the person finally released the line.
She hung up the phone and tried to force the knot forming in her stomach to ease, and her heart from thumping so hard in her chest. She shook herself and took a deep breath. She was an ex-marine and an ex-CIA agent. She would probably be looking over her shoulder and viewing strange phone calls with suspicion for a while yet. Such things were to be expected. You couldn't live the life of an ex-agent without feeling paranoid every once in a while.
Slipping out of her sandals, she padded through her carpeted house, liking the way it felt beneath her bare feet. She had toyed with the idea of carpeting her