The Midnight Hour

DON'T MISS THESE OTHER HOT NOVELS BY BRENDA JACKSON

A FAMILY REUNION

TIES THAT BIND

THE SAVVY SISTAHS

AVAILABLE FROM ST MARTIN'S GRIFFIN

PRAISE FOR AND THE MADARIS SERIES

"A super-hot hero, a kick-butt heroine and non-stop action! writes romance that sizzles and characters you fall in love with."

- Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author "The Midnight Hour is a roller-coaster read of passion, intrigue and deceit."

- Sharon Sala, New York Times bestselling author SURRENDER

"The Madaris family is one that fans will never tire of! First-time readers will also feel right at home-this is a self-contained story as well as a sequel!" -Romantic Times TRUE LOVE

"In True Love, writes with a smooth pen and a very distinctive voice. Prepare yourself for twists, turns, and family secrets that only add wonder to an already enjoyable story." -Romantic Times FIRE AND DESIRE

"With her inimitable style, Ms. Jackson has created another rip-roaring, seductively sensual love story that is sure to take the romance-reading community by storm. As always, her standard of excellence is evident in every scintillating page of Fire and Desire? -Romantic Times SECRET LOVE

"Jackson has done it again. Fantastic." -Romantic Times ALSO BY Brenda Jackson A Family Reunion Ties That Bind

The Savvy Sistahs

St. Martin's Paperbacks NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."

Copyright © 2004 by Brenda Jackson.

Excerpt from untitled Madaris novel copyright © 2004 by Brenda Jackson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

ISBN: 0-312-98997-

Printed in the United States of America St. Martin's Paperbacks edition
Aprildiv>

St. Martin's Paperbacks are published by St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

This book is dedicated to all the faithful readers of my Madaris and Friends Series who waited patiently for Sir Drake's story. I appreciate all of you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To my hero, husband and best friend, Gerald Jackson, Sr.

To my good friends, Pat and Cleve Warren. Sir Drake's story is especially for you.

To my editor, Monique Patterson. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue the Madaris and Friends Series.

And to my Heavenly Father who makes all things possible.

Maurice and Stella Grant

Angelique Hamilton Chenault

Trevor

(Corinthians)

Rio

Regina

(Mitch)

Cameron

Sterling Hamilton

(Colby)

Chandler

Nicholas Chenault

(Shayla)

Paladin

Kyle and Kimara Stafford Garwood

Kyle, VI; Kareen and

Keisha (twins); Kamry;

Keenan and Kellum

(twins); Kenya

Ashton Sinclair

Netherland Brooms

Hunter, Wolf, Brody

Trent Jordache and Brenna St. Johns Jordache

I Zane

James and Helen Wingate

James

(Cynthia)

Colby

(Sterling)

James III

Chandler

Paul Dunlap and Callie Foster

Shayla Kirkland

(Nicholas)

Paladin Drake Warren

Howard Reeves Rainey Gilford

Jolene Maxwell Thomas

Trask

(Felicia)

Austin

Alex

Ernest and Nadine Kalloren

Paris, Belgium, Netherland Brooms, Rome (Jada), Dakota

Reverend Nathan and Maudlin Avery

Joshua, Corinthians (Trevor)

Senator Nedwyn Lansing

Syntel Remington and Janeda Walters

Syneda

(Clayton)

Remington

For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground; but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.

- job 5:6-

It was when a lone figure emerged out of the shadows and materialized into the halls of the Bethesda Naval Hospital. All was quiet and the few staff members on duty didn't pay any attention to the individual who was clutching a patient's medical chart, giving the appearance of a doctor making rounds, checking on patients.

The lone figure turned down a semi-darkened hall. Holding the medical chart firmly in hand and inhaling deep, determined breaths, the individual dressed in a doctor's white coat quickly continued toward their destination.

Marine Colonel Ashton Sinclair drew in a ragged breath as he stood by the side of the hospital bed and gazed down at his friend, Drake Warren, a man barely recognizable amidst all the tubes connected to his body. Lying there lifeless, Drake looked a lot older than his thirty-five years. He looked like a man who'd had a rough life and was making a smooth entry into the arms of death.

According to the doctor Ashton had spoken with when he'd first arrived that day, all five bullets had been removed, but due to extensive blood loss, there was a slim chance that

Drake would survive another night. The doctor was surprised he was still holding on for this long.

Ashton was also surprised.

It was well known among those who really knew Sir Drake, as he was fondly called, that for the past five years he'd been walking a fine line between life and death, usually tottering on the edge of the latter. Although he had existed, Sir Drake's life had basically ended in Haiti five years ago when the woman he loved, Marine Captain Sandy Carroll, had gotten killed. Since then Drake had been a walking time bomb, taking unnecessary risks; a man who constantly played Russian roulette with his life. A man who had a death wish.

Ashton, Sir Drake, and another one of their close friends by the name of Trevor Grant, had been marine captains and part of the marines' elite Special Forces, the Force Recon Unit. Trained to survive in difficult situations, each had a specialty. Trevor was the man to have at your back when it came to surviving in the jungles or any other unusual or dangerous environment; Sir Drake was a whiz at weapons and explosives and Ashton was a pathfinder, a tracker. He had the ability to locate anyone or anything in thick woods, jungles, forest, and any type of uncivilized or impenetrable territory-including the deserts of Iraq. Ashton's skill was the reason Sir Drake was back in the United States. He had located him, left for dead, on the southern edge of Tikrit and had taken care of the critically wounded former marine who was now an undercover agent for the CIA.

Ashton's thoughts then shifted back to Sandy Carroll, the only woman he had known Drake to love. Sandy, known for her skills in martial arts and marksmanship, had been the only female marine who had come close to becoming a Recon. Ashton, Trevor, Sir Drake, and Sandy had often teamed up for various coveted missions and had become known among fellow Recons as the "Fearless Four."

The last time the four of them had been on a mission together was that time in Haiti. American dignitaries had gotten kidnapped and held for ransom by a drug cartel. No one had known the entire thing had been a setup, orchestrated by a drug lord and psychopath by the name of Solomon Cross. Cross's and Drake's paths had crossed two years earlier when the marines special force unit headed by Drake was sent to destroy Cross's laboratory compound. During the course of the fighting, Cross's wife Maria was killed. Solomon Cross blamed Drake for Maria's death and vowed to uphold his principle of "an eye for an eye" and destroy any woman whom Drake ever loved.

Cross kept good on his vow when he found out about Drake's love for Sandy and had made sure that she was killed on that mission in Haiti. Drake had never gotten over what had happened to Sandy and vowed to one day get the man who had been responsible. But now it seemed that Drake had given up the will to live, to fight, to survive. His love for Sandy had been strong, invincible and a part of Drake had died with her that day. The only thing that had kept him going was his need for revenge.

And now Drake was dying a slow, agonizing death. He had finally gotten his death wish, but Ashton refused to give up on his trusted friend, a man who had been there for him in some of the toughest times. A man who, on more than one occasion, had saved his life. He, Drake and Trevor were as close as any blood brothers could be.

Ashton checked his watch. Trevor had left to go take a shower and would return in about an hour or so. Both he and Trevor had decided that no matter what, they would remain with Sir Drake until the end. Knowing what doctors said about comatose patients retaining their ability to hear in some situations, Ashton sat down in the chair next to the bed and started off by talking in the only way he knew how to the rough and tough former marine-straightforward, blunt and to the point.

"Damn you, Sir Drake, you jaded ass, what the hell were you trying to prove in Tikrit? You should have waited for backup instead of doing your own thing. It's a wonder you didn't get your damn head blown off instead of just a few bullets in your hide. What if I hadn't had a vision and knew just where to find you?" he asked harshly, thanking God for the special gift he had inherited from his blend of Cherokee Indian and African-American heritages.

Ashton's voice then softened. "If I didn't know better I'd take things personal and believe you're trying to get out of being godfather to my sons-trying to pass the responsibility off on Trev."

Ashton smiled when he thought of his wife Nettie who was back in Houston and presently pregnant with triplets. It had been two months since he'd left her to go to Iraq to join the Special Forces. Instead of flying out of Baghdad to return to Texas, he had flown to D.C. to check on Drake.

"Nettie is doing fine with three more months before delivery time. You ought to see how beautiful and radiant she is, pregnant with my sons. And she'll expect you at the christening a couple of months after the babies are born, so you'd better get yourself together."

He shifted in his seat. "I guess I'll bring you up to date on all the babies that were born since we last spoke. Clayton and Syneda had a daughter who they named Remington. Jake and Diamond had a son who they named Granite. Kyle and Kimara had what everyone hopes is their final child, another son; and Dex and Caitlin had a son who they named Gregory Jonathan Halston Madaris, which I thought was a hell of a lot of names for one kid."

He smiled and shrugged. "Then I remembered Trev's son's-Rio Maurice Nathan Grant-is quite a mouthful. And speaking of Trev, he's also here. He went back to die hotel to shower, but will be back soon. Oh, and his sister Gina got back with her ex-husband Mitch, and they're expecting so Trev's parents are excited at the idea of becoming grandparents again. And I may as well hit you with this shocker," he said chuckling. "Corinthians's brother, yeah, Senator Joshua Avery, the pain in everybody's ass, finally did something right when he used his connections to have you flown immediately back to the States instead of being treated in an Iraqi hospital. So remember mat bit of redeeming quality the next time you see Avery and want to beat the crap out of him. But that act of kindness doesn't change anything with Trev. Joshua is still on his shit list."