The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [59]
An understanding grin touched his lips. "Hey, I don't have a problem with it."
"Thanks."
After she said grace for the both of them they began eating. Either the food was terribly good or she'd been extremely hungry because the food tasted like ambrosia. Probably both, she thought, taking sips of her milk shake. So far she'd been lucky with her pregnancy. She hadn't suffered morning sickness and her energy level had remained high. She woke up every morning feeling on top of the world and she seemed to have more energy than ever. During her initial visit to the doctor he had given her a prescription for prenatal vitamins that she took each day.
She glanced over at Drake. Like her he seemed to have a healthy appetite, but then he'd always had one. "I feel there's something we should be doing instead of running away and hiding. I packed my laptop. As soon as we get settled into a hotel I plan to use it and see what information I can find out."
Drake nodded. He knew how she felt. He was getting antsy as well. At one time the ASI had become one of the most feared drug cartels in the world and seemed unstoppable until several major countries had joined forces to shut them down. The United States had been their biggest consumer so it stood to reason that to keep being a major drug supplier, the ASI paid off just about anyone to keep their operations moving-including DEA and CIA agents who were willing to become corrupt for the right price.
Drake wanted to believe that most of his fellow operatives were clean, but he wasn't stupid enough not to believe there were some who weren't. He hated to admit it but even honest men could be bought if enough money was thrown their way. And September 11 had shifted a lot of people's attention off drug trafficking and onto terrorism. The shift in focus had helped the cartel's cause, and the illegal organization was more profitable than ever.
Drake had also known that keeping a low profile for the past five years hadn't been Cross's choice. The mess he'd made by putting those United States dignitaries' lives on the line in Haiti, as well as the casualties that had resulted… his actions had caused immediate international repercussions. Because of Cross's need for personal revenge, he had put his fellow drug lords' businesses at risk and ASI hadn't been too happy about it. However, instead of taking him out and eliminating him altogether, since Cross's fraction had always been a very profitable one for the cartel, they decided to spare his life but had ordered that he hang low and stay out of trouble. Now it seemed that their bad boy was trying to cause problems again, which meant he either had the ASI's backing or he was operating without ASI knowledge. Drake rubbed his chin. Now that was an interesting theory; one he planned to check out when they got to the hotel and Tori booted up her laptop.
A half hour later they walked back to the car, Drake's eyes scanning the parking lot. "Do you want me to drive?" she asked, feeling a lot better now that she had a full stomach.
"No, I don't mind driving. In fact, I prefer it. You can continue being the lookout."
"All right." He wasn't going to get any argument from her since she detested driving for long periods of time. She glanced around the parking lot and didn't see anything unusual. A part of her hoped that she and Drake had gotten a clean getaway but she knew that probably wasn't the case. If Cross was the person looking for her then he wouldn't stop until he found her. And they could show up at any place, at any time. That alone was enough to drive her crazy.
"What do you think their next move will be?" she asked Drake once they