Ultimate Prey (Book 3 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) by Kristine Mason Page B
Authors: Kristine Mason
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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
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
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