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

by Kristine Mason

  Ryan leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You tell that story way better than me.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, but at least my version isn’t as gory as yours. And the vet was allowed to keep his arms.”

  “This is true,” he said, steering the airboat through the channel. “Looks like Barney’s going to be docking right after us.”

  She looked starboard as Barney cruised in from the opposite direction. “If Mel needs help in the ice cream shop, I can stay behind while you take out the next tour. I should anyway. I need to pay a few bills and look over the revised quote for the kitchen renovation.”

  “What kind of timeline did the contractor give you? I’m tired of listening to Vlad and Harrison complain about living in a construction zone.”

  While she had returned to Chicago for a couple of weeks to pack her things and put her condo on the market—which sold immediately—Harrison and Vlad had remained in Everglade City to begin gutting the rental house. Ian had purchased the rental on Lola’s behalf and had put the house in her name. On paper, she was now a landlord, renting to her tenants, Harrison and Vlad. In reality, the house would serve as their headquarters.

  “He estimated four weeks for the kitchen and a week to turn the carport into an actual garage. Did Barney tell you the new dock is finished?”

  “Yeah, wanna go over there after work and check out the boat he bought for it?”

  The small canal beyond the mangrove forest at the edge of the backyard worked well as a way for them, if need be, to travel by water. Under Barney’s supervision, they’d had a dock constructed, along with a path leading from the canal to the backyard. All of which had been equipped with concealed high-tech security devices.

  “Sure, we can’t stay long. Don’t forget, your brother is coming over to help with our renovations,” she said, as Ryan edged them closer to the dock. Shane had been released from prison three weeks ago, and had moved back to Everglade City. Fortunately, one of Ryan’s two rental properties had opened up and Shane had been able to move into the cute single story home right away—taking his ball python snake with him.

  “I didn’t forget. How could I when we’re living in our own construction zone.”

  “It’s not that bad.” Six weeks ago, when she’d moved into Ryan’s, she’d done so with the mindset that the transition was temporary—just in case she and Ryan’s relationship took a nosedive. She’d even kept her things stored in a portable storage container that had been dropped on Ryan’s driveway. But within a week, she knew in her heart there was no place she’d rather be than with Ryan. Instead of using the money from the sale of her condo for a down payment on a new home, she’d invested a portion of it into Ryan’s house instead. So far they’d remodeled the master bedroom and bath, and were also currently working on the kitchen.

  He sent her a look of disbelief, then docked and began assisting the family onto the pier. After he let them know about their ice cream and sandwich shop, he helped her take Sadie off the boat.

  “You’re right, it’s not that bad,” he said, picking back up on their conversation. “Especially when I get to make love to my fiancée in my new bedroom.” He leaned close and kissed her neck. “Be ready to christen the kitchen when it’s done. I have plans for the new kitchen island.”

  “I’m intrigued. Does this christening have anything to do with food?”

  “Nope. Just you and me.” He nipped her ear. “Naked.” With a sigh, he drew away. “I wish I didn’t have another tour to do. I could take you to the room above the shop and show you what I had in mind.”

  “Maybe Shane can go for you.”

  He led her off the dock, then up the stairs toward the front porch surrounding the souvenir and ice cream shop. “Thanks to you, he’s also booked all day.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. The new website, the advertising in Florida travel magazines, the new billboard,” he finished, pointing to the sign above the shops. “If I haven’t said so, thank you for what you’ve done here.”

  She grinned. “You have thanked me. Repeatedly. But it’s not just what I’ve done. Adding the extra boat has helped tremendously.”

  Ryan had used his sign-on bonus to invest in another airboat to help expand the business and give his brother extra work. Shane, she’d learned, had been a pilot before his unfortunate incarceration, and used to fly tourists in and out of the area. Since she’d bought out Shane’s portion of Ryan’s business with her sign-on bonus, he’d been able to use the money to make repairs to his neglected single-engine propeller plane and rebuild the tourist business he’d had before prison. But it had been slow going, and Shane still needed the hours Ryan had been giving him.

  “Bringing in the baby gator has helped, too,” Ryan said, and grinned when he glanced to Vlad, who stood in front of the porch holding a small two-year-old alligator. The family who had just finished the airboat tour with her and Ryan stood around Vlad, the kids running their hands along the gator’s skin.

  “What’s its name? Can I hold him?” the eight-year-old boy asked, bouncing on the soles of his sneakers. “Please?”

  Vlad kissed the little gator’s head. “Polina is name.”

  “Polina? What kinda name is that for an alligator?” the kid asked.

  “Vlad mother have same name,” he said, before he set the alligator into the boy’s outstretched arms. “Be full of care.”

  “Wait,” the boy’s mom said. “Will it bite?”

  “If Vlad no put rubber band around mouth.”

  “Then what should he be worried about?”

  The Russian narrowed his eyes. “Boy hurt Vlad baby gator, Vlad hurt—”

  “Hey, there.” Harrison hopped off the porch, and thankfully stopped the Russian from threatening the little boy. He grinned at the family. “Did you folks enjoy the tour? When you’re finished holding the newest member of our family, be sure to stop by for a soda, sandwich or ice cream. We also have one of a kind souvenirs in our store.”

  Ryan let out a sigh. “I know you want to give Vlad something to do until he gets an assignment, but he’s not cut out to be around tourists. And someone needs to break it to him that he can’t keep Polina. By the time she’s five, she could end up being six feet long.”

  To overcome his fear of alligators, Barney had made the mistake of taking Vlad to a local sanctuary where they raised alligators. Once Vlad had mustered the nerve to hold Polina, he’d claimed to have fallen in love with it and had demanded that the alligator be his. Barney knew the owner, who promptly sold the gator to Vlad. She’d thought it would be a good idea to have Vlad show off his pet to tourists, which usually helped keep them around long enough to buy an ice cream or something from the souvenir store.

  “I’ll talk to him about it again,” she said, then still holding Ryan’s hand, headed up the front porch.

  “Ryan,” Harrison called. “Your next group is ready to go. They’re in the store. Want me to get them?”

  She gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek. “You and Sadie go get ready for the tour. I’ll take care of sending out your passengers.”

  “You sure you don’t want to come? I’ll let you drive.”

  He’d been teaching her to drive the airboat, and while she was confident she had the basics down, she wasn’t ready to show off her skills with tourists onboard. “Next time.” She gave him another kiss. “Have fun. Love you.”

  When he reached the bottom step, he flashed her a sexy smile. “Love you, too,” he said, then, with Sadie at his side, he headed back toward the dock.

  After she went into the souvenir shop and informed the next tour group their boat was ready, she checked on Mel, who’d assured her she didn’t need any help scooping ice cream. Lola then headed into the office to pay bills and look over the kitchen quote for the rental house. They really needed to start calling the house something else. Harrison had suggested the same several weeks ago, saying that if the Super Friends had The Hall of Justice, their team should name their headqu
arters, too. Since they hadn’t even had their first assignment, naming the house wasn’t her top priority.

  She sat at the desk, and instead of looking at bills or the quote, she stared out the window, which gave her a perfect view of the channel and dock. Barney had already helped his passengers off the airboat and was ushering another group onboard. Shane was also gathering tourists together and leading them onto his boat. As for Ryan…

  He untied the airboat, then smiling, turned and spoke to his passengers, before taking a seat in the captain’s chair. As he patted Sadie’s head and started the boat, she couldn’t help considering her good fortune. Two months ago she would have never predicted she’d be in love, engaged and living with Ryan. She never would have given a thought to leading a new covert organization, either. Not that they’d done anything yet, but she had a feeling assignments would be coming in any day now. In the meantime, she enjoyed being with Ryan and helping with the business.

  Yes, life was good.

  When Ryan’s boat had moved out of view, she let out a breath and opened the manila envelope containing the kitchen quote. As she looked over the contractor’s plans, her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID, then quickly answered.

  “Lola,” Ian began, “I have a job for you.”

  Her stomach tightened with excitement. Finally. Although they still had to finish equipping the rental house for their operation, she’d been anxious to take on an assignment and prove to Ian he’d made a good decision in creating the new team.

  “Great. What do you have for us?”

  “How do you feel about snakes?”

  She drifted her gaze toward the window again, and stared at Shane, who was driving his boat away from the dock. “I could do without them. Why?”

  “Three female bodies have been found in Collier County, and each one either had snake skin shedding or snake eggs found sewn inside.”

  Gross. “Why would we be involved and not the Collier County Sheriff’s Office or the FBI?”

  “The FBI isn’t involved, but the sheriff’s office is and have arrested a funeral home director who allegedly removed dead bodies from their caskets before burial or cremation, and not only sewed the skin and eggs inside, but…sexually abused the corpses.”

  Oh, my God. “He’s a necrophiliac?”

  “I don’t believe so, but that’s for your team to prove or disprove.”

  “Do you know anything about the man they’ve arrested?” she asked, slightly disappointed with their first assignment. She’d been expecting exciting cases like bank heists, or going after drug dealers or maybe serial killers. Not a necrophiliac with an obsession with the dead and snakes.

  “He’s the son-in-law of an acquaintance of mine, who is quite prominent in the community.”

  She rolled her eyes and looked out the window again. “Ian, you’re going to have to be a little more specific. Chances are, we’re going to find out anyway.”

  He let out a breath. “He’s a state senator.”

  Ian’s list of acquaintances never ceased to amaze her. “How soon do you want us to start?”

  “Yesterday. Who do you have in mind for the job?”

  She looked away from the window, to the photograph of Ryan and Shane hanging on the wall, and stared at Shane’s picture. “Someone who has a thing for snakes.”

  THE END

  * * *

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  Look for Shane’s story April 2015…

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  Book One of CORE Above the Law

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  Innocent people are dying. With their deaths, Naomi’s secrets are revealed and the truth is thrust into the open. All but one. Naomi’s not sure if Jake can handle a truth that will change their lives. But she is certain of one thing—the only way to stop the killer before he takes more lives is to make herself his next victim.

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