The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [94]
When Drake had heard the code name, he'd searched his memory and could not make a connection. It wasn't until he got a glimpse of the man sneaking around the side of the house that he'd known who the traitor was. He was none other than the man who had teamed up with Tori on a couple of missions, Daniel Horton. Drake had even approached Horton upon his return from South America about Tori's whereabouts. Drake knew that Horton was good at what he did and that had Drake worried. Not for himself but for Tori.
Drake decided he needed to take Horton out before he found Tori. Knowing he was taking a chance, he eased up from his position to move around to the other side of the cabin when he felt it, a sudden, piercing pain in his shoulder. He looked down and immediately knew he had been hit with a tranquilizer dart. He pulled it out, and then the world began to tilt. He staggered and the last thing he remembered before his body crumpled to the ground was Daniel Horton's smiling face, floating above him.
Tori was getting worried when she saw no signs of Alex or Drake. She started to crawl toward the cabin when suddenly, a heavy weight dropped on her, almost knocking the breath out of her and knocking the rifle from her hand. She tried to recover and pull the pistol from her holster but she suddenly found herself flipped to her back, and a huge male body straddling her, pinning her down.
He leaned in and whispered into her ears. "Just where I've always wanted you," a deep male voice said close to her ear. "On your back beneath me."
Tori flinched, recognizing the voice of Daniel Horton. She didn't want to believe that a man she once liked well enough to let her guard down and date, could deceive her this way. "Get off me, you bastard!" she screamed.
He laughed. "Not until I'm good and ready. And I might as well tell you that I had to put a bullet in your friend's head."
She went still. "Drake…"
He chuckled. "No, not Warren. I'm talking about Tom Crowley. He found out about my extracurricular activities and was about to turn me in, and I couldn't let him do that."
Anger consumed Tori. With lightning speed she rolled over, taking Horton with her. The surprise move momentarily gave her an advantage but before she could jump to her feet and give him a good roundhouse kick to the groin like she wanted, he grabbed her ankle and yanked her back down. She landed in a bed of grass and leaves instead of the hard, solid earth.
Horton pinned her with his body again. "Hey, don't fight, enjoy it," he said, running his hand along her thigh, trying to work his way toward the zipper of her jeans. "I promise it will be a hell of a lot better than what Cross has planned for you. And don't worry about your lover interrupting us. He's out cold. There was enough serum in that dart to bring down an elephant so he'll be out for a while."
He grabbed the front of her blouse and was about to rip it off of her when a loud animalistic growl rent the air, seconds before Horton was abruptly snatched off Tori.
It was Drake.
And he was mad. Fighting mad. She scrambled to her feet as the two men squared off. Horton had drawn a bowie blade knife from his boot but it didn't faze Drake. The fury in his eyes was so potent Tori knew that the knife in Hor-ton's hand wouldn't do the man any good.
"Cross told me to bring you alive but I'm sure he'll understand if I have no choice but to kill you," Horton said smiling, as the two men continued to circle each other.
"You touched my woman, and you shouldn't have done that, Horton."
Horton shrugged as if Drake's words meant nothing. "Hey, she's a looker, you should expect that kind of attention.