The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [47]
"A couple of things that you might find interesting," Kent responded.
Hawk lifted a brow. "What?"
"First of all, over the past few weeks there have been a number of inquiries made in databases on Victoria Green, and it seems they aren't coming from any one source. I haven't been able to pinpoint where the majority of the inquiries are coming from but the person or persons definitely have the expertise to work the system so they aren't traced."
Senses on alert, Hawk sat on the edge of the desk that he had tucked in the corner of the room. "I'm sure Drake Warren is connected to a few of those inquiries since he wanted to locate Tori. He probably hired someone to find her, which would account for some… but not all of them."
"Drake Warren?" Kent asked, surprised. "Why would Drake Warren want to find Victoria Green?"
Hawk rubbed a hand across his unshaven chin. He had never shared information with Kent about Tori's past and wouldn't do so now unless it became extremely necessary. The less people knew the better. "He claims they have personal business to resolve."
"Oh," Kent said, chuckling. "One of those situations, huh?"
Hawk shook his head. Kent didn't know the half of it. "Evidently." He paused and then said, "I suggested to Tori that she go into hiding for a while until we find out something concrete."
Kent sighed deeply. "I hope she does what you've asked her to do."
"I hope so, too. Tori can be pretty damn stubborn at times." Which might be the reason she is presently in this mess, Hawk decided not to add. He had a gnawing feeling in his gut that he didn't like.
"I'll try to find out as much as I can. This is like a damn puzzle and I intend to put all the pieces in place," Kent said. "If we have a mole within the Agency, I intend to find out who he or she is. You know how I feel about informants, Hawk."
Yes, Hawk knew. Ken had blasted a few away in his day-literally. No one had wanted to squander time investigating who'd wasted a couple of corrupt agents. After ending the conversation with Kent, Hawk thought for a moment, then made a decision, one he had hoped he'd never have to make. He picked up the phone to call Drake Warren.
Drake jerked awake, his breathing ragged, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He glanced around the darkened hotel room, suddenly remembering where he was and why he was there.
He got out of bed as sweat clung to his body, needing a drink of cold water. It had been the nightmare again, but some things had been different this time.
He remembered how he, Trevor, Sandy, and Ashton had been crawling low on the ground, away from the warehouse when suddenly they had heard the sound of an infant crying. He had ordered everyone to stay down and not move, but when the sound of the infant grew louder, Sandy had been the one to defy his order by taking a chance and going back into the warehouse to save the child. The moment she had gone in, the warehouse had exploded into a ball of fire. It was only later that they discovered it had been a setup and the sound they'd heard hadn't been an actual baby but a recording to lure Sandy inside. Cross had known that Sandy would give in to maternal instincts before military orders.
Drake would always remember the sound of her screams right before a second explosion had erupted. But in tonight's nightmare, what had been different was the face he'd envisioned within the smoke, fire, and the flying debris; the face that went with the screams had been Tori's and not Sandy's.
Cursing softly, he poured himself a glass of cold water and took a long drink. Small ice particles eased down his throat, cooling his body but not his mind. Why had images
of Tori and not Sandy formed in his mind when he'd relived the explosion?
After finishing off the last of the water, he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand at the same time a funny feeling settled deep in his gut. Something had triggered anxiety inside of him and he wasn't sure just what it was.
At that moment his cell phone rang and he quickly padded barefoot across the carpeted floor to answer it. He