The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [57]
There were a few moments of silence, and then Drake ^d, "If Rangel was on the take and is connected to Solomon Cross, then there's a chance that you're in this mess because, of me."
"Why would you think that?" Tori asked, startled.
"Like I said, Cross hates my guts and strongly believes in this principle of 'an eye for an eye'. Evidently Cross assumes we're serious about each other," Drake replied.
Tori frowned as she cast him a quizzical look. "Why would he assume that? We've only slept together that one time and we've never dated or anything."
"Yes, but I asked a lot of questions about you when I returned from South America and discovered you had quit the Agency. Due to company policy, no one would tell me anything as to your whereabouts, so I began doing a little digging on my own although it got me nowhere. It's possible my interest in you may have gotten back to Cross and he intends to make good on his threat again." He slammed his fist into the steering wheel. "It never ends!"
Tori shook her head, feeling bad that he was blaming himself when he was probably all wrong in his thinking. "Are you saying that you believe the reason someone is after me is because you asked a couple of questions about me and wanted to find me?"
"Yes."
She studied him for a few moments. "But haven't there been other women in your life since Sandy? Does Cross makes a habit of getting rid of every woman you seem interested in?"
There was a guarded look in the gaze that met hers. She watched as he took a deep breath. "You're the only woman that I've shown any interest in beyond that one night I spend with them. This time was different and somehow he found out about it."
Tori's eyes widened and she wanted to ask how the situation with her was different? They had gone on a three-day mission together and had ended up sleeping together. Until he had shown up last night, they'd had no contact with each other, so how in the world was their situation different from any others he'd had? What they'd shared sounded pretty much like a one-night stand to her, although it had meant more than that to her. Could it have meant more to him as well?
He evidently read the questions, the doubt in her gaze. He reached over and took her hand in his. "It was different, Tori. That one night that we made love, I connected with you in a way I've never connected with another woman."
Drake's words touched her deeply. Her heart pounded in her chest as all the love she had for him rippled through her. But a part of her knew she had to let go and reject what she was feeling. Being with him was hard enough without adding complications. He thought Cross was after her because Drake was interested in her. She wondered what he would say if he knew that there was a even stronger possibility that Cross was after her because he knew she was Sandy and hadn't died in the explosion. Someone deranged and cold-blooded like Cross would go into an absolute rage at the thought that she had cheated death; especially the one he had meticulously planned for her.
Tori knew that no matter what, there could never be a future for her and Drake. More than ever, they needed to go their separate ways. She slowly pulled her hand from his and said, "Since Sandy."
Unknown to him, he had just given her the perfect excuse to put distance between them and she intended to use it. Being so close to him was bad enough, she didn't need either of them thinking there could or would be a repeat performance of what they had shared. His instincts were good and his perception was excellent. Sooner or later he would figure things out and she couldn't let that happen. When she walked away from him the next time, it would be for good. She needed a clean break and an involvement with him wouldn't give her that.