Ultimate Prey (Book 3 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) (7 page)

“This is quite a ride,” he said, impressed with the way the Range Rover handled the fallen limbs and deep ruts along the road. “What’s something like this cost? Never mind. No need to answer. Since you always have to have the best of everything, I’m sure you told the rental company to just give you the most expensive ride they had.” He shook his head. “Meanwhile, I’m driving around in a shitty Mazda from 1980. You know what I used to drive? Probably not, since you only care about yourself and your precious company. Well, I used to have a really sweet Lexus…had a sunroof, leather seats with an ass warmer. If I recall, Owen used to drive a Lexus, too. He was the one who turned me on to the car. My wife loved it so much, I bought her one.” His ex-wife’s gaping mouth and mutilated face filled his head, and he smiled. “But she doesn’t drive anymore.”

When the headlights touched on one of the old logging trails known as trams, he slowed, inched the Range Rover forward as far as he could into a thicket of trees, then stopped. “Almost there,” he said, shifting the SUV into PARK. After he’d come across the tram two days ago, he’d been forced to abandon his shitty Mazda and hoof it to the next one, which was about a half mile away and deep within the woods.

As he climbed out of the Rover, his stomach tightened. Soon enough he’d be one with nature, battling the wildlife, the bugs, the unforgiving landscape and…hunting.

Damn, he couldn’t wait to put a bullet in Ian’s head. Too bad he couldn’t fake the man’s death for a while just so Ian could watch his company crumble. That was okay, though. He opened the Rover’s trunk, then pulled out the gear he’d stowed there, along with a camouflage tarp.
He
could watch CORE tank knowing that
he
was the reason for its demise.

After pulling the hunting pack, equipped with a hydration system, a rifle and pistol, along with his laptop and cellphone, he strapped it over his shoulders, then opened the rear driver’s side door and met Cami’s gaze. “How’s that finger?” he asked, then released a sigh when she started screaming again. If she kept up all the frickin’ racket, he’d find them in no time. “Must hurt like a bitch. Come on, time to go.”

He untied the cord connecting her to Ian, then forced them both to scoot across the floorboard and out of the SUV. Once he shoved them to their knees, he tossed the tarp over the Rover. Unfortunately the material wasn’t large enough, and exposed the SUV’s tires. At this point, there wasn’t anything he could do about that. Plus, based on how little this area was traveled by hikers and sightseers, he doubted he’d have to worry about discoverability. After he adjusted the tarp, he moved toward the couple, cut the tape wrapped around their ankles, then quickly stepped back and aimed the flashlight and knife at them.

Ian and Cami both winced, but seconds later, Ian’s eyes narrowed with hatred.

Ian was about to find out how much the feeling was mutual. He slid his knife into his back pocket and exchanged it for his Browning 9mm Luger. “It’s a beautiful night for a stroll,” he said with a grin. “Let’s take a walk.”

Chapter 3

Ian and Cami’s Rental House, Everglade City, Florida

Thursday, 2:19 a.m. Eastern Standard Time

RYAN EDGED AROUND the side of the Key West style home. An eastern screech owl hooted in the distance, while a cricket frog chirped from somewhere nearby. A sliver of the moon peeked from beneath the clouds, making it difficult to see anything. Since he’d already circled the house once and had found no evidence anyone was inside, he neared the back door leading into the kitchen again. The door stood slightly ajar, the lingering odor of sulfur and smoke emanating from inside. Dim light glowed from within, revealing the door’s smashed window and the glass shards littering the stoop.

When Dante had called him, he would have never guessed the reason. Not in a million years. Hunting another man out of revenge had made no sense to him. Simply putting a bullet in an enemy’s head had, though. Clean and quick. From the way Dante had explained it, the jackass could have killed Ian and his woman, then left. Since Dante had said his boss had been looking forward to heading off the grid, no one would have probably even discovered their bodies for days. The jackass behind this could be sipping margaritas in the Keys by tomorrow morning, rather than trudging through the Glades.

His stomach tightened with nervous energy as he withdrew his gun. It had been a long time since he’d had to engage in combat or use his weapon for anything other than hunting. And although he suspected no one was inside, he could be wrong.

Tense, ready for battle, and careful of the glass on the stoop, he stepped into the kitchen. A battery-powered lantern sat on the stovetop. Remnants of duct tape clung to two chairs that had been pushed side by side in front of the refrigerator. In the center of the room, grayish-white residue surrounded the remnants of a road flare.

He turned his attention to the back door. If this had been a home invasion, and the perpetrator had broken in through the kitchen, then why were the shards of glass on the stoop outside rather than on the inside kitchen tile? He looked closer at the doorknob, and shook his head. Holy shit. A key had been broken off in the lock on the inside, which would make it impossible to open the door unless another key was used from the outside. Could Ian have accidentally done this? His gut told him no. To break a key off in a lock would require a tool of some sort and it made no sense why Ian would lock himself and his girlfriend inside unless—

He gripped his weapon. As he walked through the kitchen, he stopped, then crouched and held his hand over the extinguished flare. Still warm.

Unease worked through him. They hadn’t left too long ago. Hell, if he’d arrived a few minutes earlier, he might have run into them. Keeping his weapon readied, he stood. He moved across the dining room into the living room where he found another extinguished flare, then toward the front door. After turning on the flashlight, he inspected the lock.

Another broken key?

Jackass had locked them in from the
inside
.

He rushed from the foyer and up the stairs to the second level. After making sure those rooms were also empty, he headed back down the stairs, and turned left. He stopped when he came across a bulletproof vest lying on the floor. “Shit,” he mumbled, holstering his gun in exchange for his cell phone.

Dante picked up on the first ring. “Did you find anything?”

Ryan squatted. “The house is empty. Looks like your kidnapper sealed them in the house by breaking keys in both the front and back door locks. I found a door on the second level that was left unlocked. I’m thinking he used that to get out of the house—maybe after he spoke with you.”

“How is that possible? Ian would’ve had to have heard—”

“Maybe he did hear something, came downstairs and met up with the kidnapper.” Ryan flashed the light along the tiled floor. “I also found used flares in the kitchen and living room. I’m thinking this guy might’ve used the flares to screw with them. Threw one in a room, scared the shit out of them as they tried to escape, then tossed another.”

He blew out a breath. Based on the way the bed had looked upstairs, Ian and his girlfriend had probably been sleeping when all of this went down. He couldn’t imagine the fear they must have felt when they’d realized they weren’t alone. Pushing that thought aside, he said, “I’m assuming Ian carries a gun.”

“Always. Why?”

“I’ve got a bulletproof vest with a bunch of holes in it, along with bullet casings. I’m guessing the vest belongs to the kidnapper, unless your boss carries one with him when he vacations.”

“Doubtful. Any blood?”

“None that I can see.” Ryan stood and walked toward a door dangling from a hinge. “I’m in the laundry room. From the way it looks, Ian and the woman hid in here, and the guy busted down the door.” He moved in front of the washing machine and aimed the flashlight into the hall. “Looks like Ian got off a bunch of shots when the guy took down the door. What happened from there, I don’t know.”

“And Ian’s car?”

“Nothing in the carport.”

“Okay,” Dante began, “I’ll have one of our people look into where Ian rented his car and get the make and model. Knowing Ian, he probably didn’t skimp on the rental. If it has OnStar or something similar, we might be able to track its location. In the meantime, our team is still scheduled to land at Everglades Airport around five-thirty or six your time. Can you pull together gear for them to use? If this takes a couple of days, they’ll need the proper equipment.”

“I’ll take care of it and ready my boat. You better hope you can get a read on Ian’s car. There are hundreds of places the kidnapper could have taken them to begin his hunt. If you want, I could check out a few that are nearby.”

“Let’s see if we can track the car first,” Dante said. “I think your time would be better spent on getting geared up and catching a couple hours of sleep.”

He was hoping Dante would say that. Sure, he could drive to a handful of remote places, great spots for what the kidnapper had in mind, but the jackass could’ve driven Ian and his girlfriend an hour or so along U.S. Route 41, and dropped them off in the heart of the Glades. Or he might have taken State Road 29, or driven to a boat dock and traveled by water to one of the many uninhabited islands that made up The Ten Thousand Islands.

“Will do. What do you want me to do about the rental house?”

“Leave it as is. We might need to process it as a crime scene.”

Might?
“What happened to no police?” he asked, moving through the kitchen toward the back door.

“Nothing. We’re not ready for them to take part in this. What we do with the house will depend on how this plays out.”

Ryan wasn’t a cop or an investigator, but knew guys who were. Plus, he’d watched plenty of crime shows. This house would
definitely
be a crime scene. Which made him wonder… “And if we find this guy, then what?” Silence stretched. “You still there?”

“Yeah,” Dante said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure your name stays out of it. Just be ready to go once that plane lands. And keep tabs on your supplies. CORE will compensate you for everything, including your time.”

“I’m not doing this for the money,” he said, as he turned on the flashlight and made his way down the long, gravel driveway. “But I won’t turn it down.”

“Then I’m honored you’re letting me call in a favor.”

“I’m not doing this for you, either.”

“Then why?”

The beam from the flashlight touched on a dark object. “Hang tight and stay on the line.” He slipped the phone in his pocket, withdrew his gun and crept toward a dense cluster of foliage located about twenty feet from the tail of his Suburban. The closer he drew, the quicker he moved, until he hid behind a couple of palms a few feet away from an abandoned car. He stowed his gun, then shined the light on it. After retrieving the phone, he said, “Got a car.” He swept the flashlight over the back end. “Dark orange Mazda GLC. Florida license plate reads SBT-703.” With the hem of his t-shirt, he opened the driver’s side door. “It’s unlocked.” Using the flashlight, he peered inside. “And incredibly clean.”

“Check the glove box and trunk.”

“It’s a hatchback. There’s nothing in the back end.” He looked to the car’s dashboard. “Are you worried about me getting my fingerprints on the glove box?”

“That’s the least of my concerns. See what’s inside.”

“Nothing. Lemme check under the seats.” After bending and flashing the light under the seats, he climbed out of the car. “Still nothing. Could be this isn’t the kidnapper’s car.”

“Do you believe that?”

After reaching into the car, he popped the hatchback, then made his way to the back end. The flashlight reflected off a shiny object. He picked it up and let it rest in his palm. “Nope. And he wasn’t as clean as I thought.”

“What’d you find?” Dante asked, his tone anxious.

Ryan stared at the yellow-gold, oval ruby stud earring surrounded by small diamonds. “An earring. Maybe it belongs to Ian’s girlfriend?”

“Don’t know. Hang on to the earring and send me a picture of it when you have a chance. Also show it to Lola when she gets there.”

He slipped the earring into his pocket and took one last look for its match. When he found nothing else, he closed the hatchback. “Who’s Lola?” he asked, heading back to his truck.

“She’s part of the team I’m sending. She’s also the daughter of the woman who’s been kidnapped.”

Shit. “This’ll be personal for her,” Ryan said, climbing into the truck. “Will she be able to turn off her emotions? This could get ugly.”

“Don’t know.”

“How long has she been with CORE?”

“A little over six months. But she can handle whatever comes your way.”

“And you know this how?”

Dante released another breath. “Look, I don’t know if she’ll be an asset or a hindrance. All I know is she, and the two men traveling with her, are the only members of CORE this guy doesn’t know about.”

“I could go alone.” Which might be better. He wouldn’t have to worry about the others being hurt or slowing him down if they ended up unable to handle the Glades.

“They go with you. But if you’re not comfortable taking them, I’ll have Lola hire another guide. No hard feelings.”

“That’s okay,” Ryan said. He knew the guides in the area, and while most of them were avid hunters adept at tracking, the rest were too absorbed with tourism and their airboat tour businesses. There were one or two who would be willing to involve themselves with what Dante had in mind, but once those guides discovered the scope of the hunt and that it might not follow legal protocol, they’d back out or call the sheriff. Time they couldn’t afford would be wasted. Plus, he wanted to be the one to bring the jackass down. The soldier in him demanded justice for those people, while the hunter in him grew anxious for the chase. Hell, for the first time in years, excitement warmed his belly and he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed living on the edge, braving the unknown and…playing the hero.