Green to him. He needed to know what there was about her that had Drake Warren coming back for more. He would diligently find out and have fun with her for a while, and then he would save Warren the trouble of finding her when Cross shipped her body to him in a box. He grinned. At least he would ship only parts of her to Warren; the parts he hadn't fed to the sharks.
The thought of ruining Warren's life for a second time sent a burst of pleasure through him. He couldn't wait for the arrival of his houseguest.
Stinson Beach, California
Tori took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm after reading the article that had appeared in this morning's paper. It was about Rico Santiago's rebels and how the South American government had been successful in defeating them. What the paper hadn't told and what most Americans didn't know was that the CIA had been behind the scenes in helping South America keep the rebels under control. There had been an unspoken agreement between the two countries that the U.S. would assist them in their fight with the rebels if they kept our country abreast of any drug shipments headed our way.
Tori reread the section that said the only casualties had come from the rebels and although she knew it would never be put in print if there had been a CIA casualty, a part of her felt that Drake was alive and safe. For some reason she was almost certain of it.
She tenderly rubbed her stomach, smiled and whispered softly, "Your daddy is safe, little one."
She had found out last month that she was pregnant, and had cried so hard in the doctor's office, the staff hadn't been sure if she was shedding tears of happiness or sorrow. She had been quick to tell them they were definitely tears of joy. More than anything she wanted this baby; her and Drake's baby.
Her heart started to pound just thinking about it and she stood up from the chair on her porch. The home she had purchased over a year ago faced the beach and instead of having a green, landscaped lawn, she had sugar-white sand that led to the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
She loved it here and was glad for the wise investments she had made over the years. She had fallen in love with the West Coast after Hawk had given her a week's vacation as a gift two Christmases ago. Even during the winter months she had found Stinson Beach to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and during her travels she had seen plenty. It was more than just the sugar-white sands, it was also the beautiful blue-green hue of the waters that seemed to have calming and healing powers.
She threw up her hands in a wave when one of her neighbors jogged by and acknowledged her with a greeting. Because she had been away from home most of the time while an agent, her neighbors believed the story she had fabricated for their benefit. She'd told them that she was a teacher who worked for the federal government and that her job was to travel to different countries to teach the children of U.S. soldiers who lived abroad on military bases.
She knew Amanda Guyton, her closest neighbor who lived half a mile down the beach, believed her story. The older woman of seventy-four had always enjoyed the trinkets Tori would bring back for her from whatever country she had been to in exchange for keeping an eye on the house.
Her other neighbor, the one she had just seen jogging by a few minutes ago, Sarah Nelson, had moved into the beach house a few miles down the road three weeks ago. Sarah was single, friendly enough and pretty much kept to herself. Tori didn't have a problem with that since she was also a private person, too, and she wasn't quick to strike up friendships with anyone. However, she and Sarah often ran into each other while out shopping and once or twice they had enjoyed lunch together. Sarah was pretty tight-lipped about herself, but then so was she. As far as Tori was concerned, everyone had secrets and she appreciated a person's rights to keep those secrets.
Her
The thought of ruining Warren's life for a second time sent a burst of pleasure through him. He couldn't wait for the arrival of his houseguest.
Stinson Beach, California
Tori took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm after reading the article that had appeared in this morning's paper. It was about Rico Santiago's rebels and how the South American government had been successful in defeating them. What the paper hadn't told and what most Americans didn't know was that the CIA had been behind the scenes in helping South America keep the rebels under control. There had been an unspoken agreement between the two countries that the U.S. would assist them in their fight with the rebels if they kept our country abreast of any drug shipments headed our way.
Tori reread the section that said the only casualties had come from the rebels and although she knew it would never be put in print if there had been a CIA casualty, a part of her felt that Drake was alive and safe. For some reason she was almost certain of it.
She tenderly rubbed her stomach, smiled and whispered softly, "Your daddy is safe, little one."
She had found out last month that she was pregnant, and had cried so hard in the doctor's office, the staff hadn't been sure if she was shedding tears of happiness or sorrow. She had been quick to tell them they were definitely tears of joy. More than anything she wanted this baby; her and Drake's baby.
Her heart started to pound just thinking about it and she stood up from the chair on her porch. The home she had purchased over a year ago faced the beach and instead of having a green, landscaped lawn, she had sugar-white sand that led to the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
She loved it here and was glad for the wise investments she had made over the years. She had fallen in love with the West Coast after Hawk had given her a week's vacation as a gift two Christmases ago. Even during the winter months she had found Stinson Beach to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and during her travels she had seen plenty. It was more than just the sugar-white sands, it was also the beautiful blue-green hue of the waters that seemed to have calming and healing powers.
She threw up her hands in a wave when one of her neighbors jogged by and acknowledged her with a greeting. Because she had been away from home most of the time while an agent, her neighbors believed the story she had fabricated for their benefit. She'd told them that she was a teacher who worked for the federal government and that her job was to travel to different countries to teach the children of U.S. soldiers who lived abroad on military bases.
She knew Amanda Guyton, her closest neighbor who lived half a mile down the beach, believed her story. The older woman of seventy-four had always enjoyed the trinkets Tori would bring back for her from whatever country she had been to in exchange for keeping an eye on the house.
Her other neighbor, the one she had just seen jogging by a few minutes ago, Sarah Nelson, had moved into the beach house a few miles down the road three weeks ago. Sarah was single, friendly enough and pretty much kept to herself. Tori didn't have a problem with that since she was also a private person, too, and she wasn't quick to strike up friendships with anyone. However, she and Sarah often ran into each other while out shopping and once or twice they had enjoyed lunch together. Sarah was pretty tight-lipped about herself, but then so was she. As far as Tori was concerned, everyone had secrets and she appreciated a person's rights to keep those secrets.
Her
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