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

by Kristine Mason

  After another kiss, he handed Olivia back to her aunt, then met Celeste at the doorway.

  “Sorry, but don’t take too long,” Dante said, pulling a sandwich from a container. “We need to contact Ryan and Lola, and you have a jet to catch.”

  He nodded, met Celeste’s worried gaze, then took her by the hand and led her to the office. Once they were alone, he quickly embraced her. “I’m so sorry. But at least now we know who’s doing this, and why. We’ll find Ian and Cami.”

  With a heavy sigh, she stepped away. “I’ve been trying all day to get a reading on my dad. I even tried using a few different items Cami gave to me and Olivia.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand why I’m blocked.”

  She hadn’t been able to use her psychic abilities since she’d moved to Chicago. Which had been fine by him. He didn’t understand how her gift worked, and after the trances she’d gone into during the murder investigation they’d worked together in her hometown of Wissota Falls, Wisconsin, he’d been glad they and the visions had come to an end. Only, he’d love for her to be able to—just this one last time—tell them exactly where to find Ian and Cami. Once the two had been rescued, he and Hudson could take care of what needed to be done next.

  Find Steven Weir and give him the justice he deserved.

  He stepped forward and tucked an errant blond curl behind her ear. “I told you before. I think you’re just too close to your dad and Cami. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Take Olivia home and get some rest.” He ran his thumb along her cheek, hating the dark circles under her eyes. “I’ll call you once we land.”

  “How can I rest knowing that not only my dad and Cami are in danger, but now my husband is—” Tears filled her eyes and she drew in a breath. “I thought I wanted you to go after them. I even packed you a bag of clothes. But now that it’s really happening…I’m scared. If anything happened to you—”

  “Nothing is going to happen.” He hugged her tight and inhaled her familiar vanilla scent. “I’ll have Hudson with me. We’ll hook up with Lola and Ryan, and probably Vlad and Harrison.”

  She leaned back and met his gaze. “I don’t know who Ryan and Vlad are. And, no offense, but Harrison is a computer geek and Lola shouldn’t be working for CORE.”

  “I agree she lacks the skill set to be part of the search, but she’s proven herself qualified enough. And she stepped in when none of us could.”

  He saw the guilt in her eyes before she looked away. “You’re right.” She took a deep breath, then motioned toward the duffle bag on the floor. “I hope I packed everything you need. We better get back to the others.”

  He snagged her arm. “It’s all going to be okay.” He pushed a hand through her soft curls. “Nothing could keep me away from you,” he said, then captured her lips. As he deepened the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her curvy body against him.

  A rap at the door had him reluctantly tearing his mouth away. “Don’t cook that turkey without me,” he said, then gave her a kiss.

  “I won’t. You carve better than I do.”

  He let go of her, then picked up the duffle bag. She held his hand as they walked back to the evidence and evaluation room, but didn’t let go of him once they were inside. Neither of them were into public displays of affection, but she was scared. Hell, he was, too. Although Celeste was used to him traveling and sometimes encountering dangerous situations, this trip was different. Unlike Steven, most of the criminals he’d been assigned to find hadn’t known about him or CORE. But Steven knew and he wanted them all dead.

  Elaine Weir and Raymond Anderson’s corpses filled his mind.

  He quickly looked to his daughter again, who now sat on the floor with Hannah, attempting to pull off her cousin’s sock. That was the image he needed to hang on to, along with Celeste’s kiss.

  Dante cleared his throat. “Celeste, Eden, thanks again for bringing us food, and for packing your husband’s bags.”

  Celeste looked to her sister. “I think we’re about to be dismissed.”

  “It does sound that way.” Eden stood, then picked up Hannah and her sock. “Before we go, let’s be clear. If you don’t keep us in the loop, we will camp out in this office.”

  “That’s right,” Celeste said, taking their chubby drool-baby off the floor. “I’ll bring my pack n’ play for the girls. They can sleep in one of the offices. Or we can move the furniture around in here and make some room.”

  Hudson laughed, then squeezed Eden to his side. “You two are ruthless,” he said, then looked to Dante. “I’m sure Dante, Rachel or Owen will keep you both up to date. Isn’t that right?”

  “Absolutely,” Dante replied. “One of us will call you every hour or if anything new develops.”

  Celeste finished bundling up Olivia, then handed her to John. “I know you will,” she said, as she put on her heavy winter coat. “I already called Jessica and—”

  Dante held up a hand. “Yes, I know. My wife has informed me that she will make me eat her cooking for a week if I don’t keep you in the loop.”

  “What’s the matter with Jessica’s cooking?” Owen asked, then took a bite of his sandwich.

  “Everything, and she knows it.” Dante stood, then walked to Celeste. “You know that Ian is more than a boss to me.”

  “I do.” Her face softened as she touched Dante’s arm. “And I appreciate how all of you are working hard to bring him and Cami home.”

  John gave Olivia a kiss, then handed her to Celeste. He kissed and hugged his wife. “I love you,” he whispered against her ear.

  Tears filled her eyes. “Love you, too. Call me when you land.” She turned to Hudson, who had also just finished saying his good-byes to Eden and Hannah. “Be careful,” she said, and embraced her brother-in-law.

  Once Celeste, Eden and the girls were gone, John grabbed a sandwich from one of the containers, then took a seat where he’d left his coat. “Are Harrison and Vlad on their way back to Everglade City?”

  “Dante called them right after you two left Steven’s dad’s house,” Rachel said. “If they’re not there yet, they should be soon.”

  “Where are the notes Steven left behind?” Dante asked.

  He set the sandwich down, then reached behind him and pulled the notes and firing range paper from his coat pocket, along with the earring. “We filled you all in on what we found at Elaine Weir’s house, but there’s something else Hudson and I discussed.”

  Dante looked up from the notes. “And that would be?”

  “What do you want us to do once we find Steven?”

  Dante glanced between him and Hudson, then pushed a hand through his hair. “We can do one of three things. Let Ian make the call, cuff him and take him to the authorities, or kill him.” He shifted his gaze to Owen and Rachel. “I might be in charge while Ian’s away, but this is a decision we need to make together, and we need to be united on it. Agreed?”

  “I think I know what Ian would want,” Rachel said.

  Owen pushed his half-eaten sandwich aside. “Let’s be realistic. Ian might not be around to make that call.” He shook his head. “This is what I was worried about.”

  “Please don’t start on this again,” Rachel said. “Every decision Dante has made—”

  “Wasn’t voted on, and now we’re either going to face criminal charges and lose our licenses or, if discovered, we’ll go to jail for murdering a murderer.” Owen shoved his chair back, then stood. “Sound familiar?”

  John dropped his sandwich. “Too familiar. Hudson and I talked about this on the ride back here.”

  “Yeah,” Hudson began, “we think Steven set this whole thing up. And if that’s the case, we’re going to have to be careful he hasn’t planted any other evidence that’ll lead back to us. If I lose my license, I’ll find another job. But I’m not about to do time for that piece of shit.”

  “So, are you voting we don’t kill Steven?” Rachel asked.

  “No. He needs to go, but we need to make
sure he’s never found.”

  “Hudson’s right,” John said, taking a logical approach to this fucked-up, illogical discussion. “We know Steven’s been to his dad’s, his ex’s and Jordan Marquette’s. We’ve taken any indication that he’s targeting CORE from those residences. Ryan found the earring in the car outside Ian’s rental house. We’re going to have to get rid of the Mazda, too.”

  “Ryan also found a bulletproof vest there,” Owen reminded him.

  John turned to Hudson. “I know what we’ll be doing after we land.”

  “Good idea,” Dante said, then looked to Owen. “We’ve worked together for a long time. I trust you and your judgment. I make no apology for the decisions I’ve made and will take full responsibility if CORE comes under fire. In hindsight, if I’d known about Jordan and the ex-wife and fiancé, I would have contacted the FBI before Steven’s Skype call.”

  Owen sat back down next to his wife. “If Steven hadn’t left a trail of dead bodies and the Feds found and arrested him, he’d go to prison, but not for life.” He took Rachel’s hand in his. “In another five to ten years, we could be back in the same situation. Maybe worse.” He kissed Rachel’s knuckle. “He needs to go. Which means I need to be on that jet, too. It’s the only way I can justify my vote.”

  Rachel drew in a deep breath. She blinked several times, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I can’t ask any of you to kill a man.”

  “So you want him sent to prison?” Owen asked.

  “God, no. He needs to go.”

  Owen looked around the room. “That’s two votes.”

  “You know where I stand,” Dante said. “Like Owen, I think I should be on that jet, too.”

  John shook his head. “No way. You’re needed here, especially if we discover Steven’s done some other damage in Illinois.”

  Dante shrugged. “Then Owen stays, and I’ll take his place.”

  Rachel used a tissue to wipe her cheek. “I like that idea.”

  “I don’t,” Owen said, staring at his wife.

  “Owen, sweetie, Dante’s a former SEAL. No offense, but his background—”

  “Great. My wife thinks I’m a pussy.”

  “I never said that. I know you can go to Florida and kick some ass.” She sighed. “Sorry I threw the SEAL card out there. That was wrong. But I don’t want you to go, and I don’t want to deal with your parents questioning the crap out of me about where you’ve gone.”

  “Rachel has a point,” Hudson said. “Dante should go. You and Rachel handle things here.”

  “Fantastic. Now you think I’m a pussy, too.”

  Chuckling, John stood. He’d witnessed Owen on the job and had seen the man in action. Strong, capable and known for a wicked punch and quick work with a knife, CORE wouldn’t be the same without him. “No one is calling you anything. When you see Ian, ask him how many times I requested to partner with you over Dante.”

  “Fuck you,” Dante said, with a half-smile.

  “What the hell is with the language in this room?” Rachel also stood, then threw her paper plate in the garbage. “The jet was scheduled to leave at four, but that’s not going to happen now. Dante, you need to stop at your house, kiss your wife and pack a bag. If I tell the pilot four-fifteen, will that give you enough time?”

  “Make it four-thirty.”

  “Okay, that’ll put you guys in Florida around eight, their time.”

  John shrugged into this coat. “So, we’re set and all agree what we’re going to do with Steven?”

  “I’m probably going to burn in hell for worse things…yeah, Steven needs to go,” Hudson said. “We need to give Ryan and Lola a call and let them in on this. If they encounter Steven, I’d hate for them to risk their lives trying to capture him.”

  Dante stood, then grabbed his coat off the rack in the corner. “I’ll call them once we’re in the car.”

  “Is Ryan going to be cool with this?” Owen asked.

  “If he’s not, I’ll have Ryan detain him and we’ll deal with taking care of business once we get there.”

  Rachel cleared her throat. “What about Lola?”

  “Not an option. Ian wouldn’t like it.” Dante moved across the room, then offered Owen his hand. “We’re good?”

  “Yeah, man.” Owen shook his hand. “We’re good.”

  “Is this the point where we do a group hug or catch a jet?” Hudson asked, heading for the door.

  “I don’t know how Eden puts up with you,” Rachel said, then grew somber. “Seriously, you guys take care down there. Steven’s not just bat shit crazy, he’s smart, too. After what he did to his wife and her fiancé, I hope to God you find him before he finds Ian and Cami.”

  After John said good-bye to Rachel and Owen, he waited in the main office foyer with Hudson, while Dante retrieved his weapons. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing?” He’d killed before, but that had been in the line of duty. What they’d planned was an execution. Plain and simple. It was murder.

  “I don’t know,” Hudson said on a sigh. “What I do know is that I don’t want Steven coming after my wife and daughter, or any of our families. If we don’t stop him, that’s exactly what he’ll do.”

  The sickening memory of the eyeballs and tongue he’d found in Elaine’s kitchen sink taunted him. What if Steven did escape and came after Celeste and Olivia? Would he cut out Celeste’s eyes or sever his daughter’s—

  He blocked the image. Needing fresh air, he opened the door. “I’ll meet you at my car,” he said, skipping the elevator and taking the stairs.

  From the moment they’d learned Ian and Cami had been kidnapped, he’d wanted to fly to Florida, find them and the hunter. He’d been given what he’d wanted, only now the scope of their mission had changed. If he ended up being the one to kill Steven, when he returned home, would he still be able to look into his daughter’s innocent blue eyes without shame tearing him in half? Murder went against his moral fiber, but he’d rather live with the guilt than grief. Because if they didn’t make Steven go away, the twisted bastard would do his damnedest to make them all grieve.

  Elaine Weir’s disfigured face pushed into his mind.

  And suffer.

  Somewhere in the Everglades, Florida

  Thursday, 4:48 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

  Ian stumbled and fell. Dragging in deep breaths, he pressed his head against the cool dirt and prayed the dizziness would subside. When he’d awoken and realized the bastard had taken Cami, he’d quickly scrambled to his feet to search for her. The moment he had stood, he’d fallen right back onto his ass. Blood from the head wound he’d received, courtesy of the butt of Steven’s rifle, had coated the right side of his forehead and had dried along his eye and cheek. He had no idea how long he’d been out, but based on where the sun now hung in the sky, it had to have been hours.

  He forced his aching limbs to move, then pushed himself to his feet. He swayed as another wave of dizziness assaulted him. Chances were, he had a concussion. Based on the constant cramping throughout his body, he was also dehydrated. But he couldn’t stop moving until he found Cami. Only then would he allow his body the break it needed.

  With his head somewhat clear, he took a few steps, then stopped. Damn it, where did Steven’s boot prints go? Keeping his gaze on the ground, he moved backward, then to the left. Nothing. He moved to the right, stubbed his toe on a tree root. “Son of a—” He bent and ran a finger along the bark where it had been cut, then looked at the dirt and found a partial boot print. “Steven,” he murmured. Why would he mark the tree? To find his way back to the road, or back to where the bastard had left him lying half in the dirt?

  He crawled along the dirt, pursuing the prints like a hound dog. When he came across a large stick, he grabbed it, then raised himself from the ground. Lightheaded, he used the stick to steady himself and continued following the prints, periodically checking his surroundings. If Steven had planned to return this way, he needed to be ready. He was in no shape to fight the
man. Even if he had a gun on him, he couldn’t be sure his aim would be steady enough to put a bullet in the bastard’s head. Right now, his main objective and only plan was to find Cami. After that?

  He swore and rubbed his left side where a rash had begun to develop. God, he was starting to hate the Everglades. Once he had Cami out of here, he’d definitely take her on a vacation of her choice. The cost and destination wouldn’t matter. Right now, his money meant nothing to him. His personal net worth was over two hundred and fifty million dollars, and that didn’t include the value of CORE. Thanks to his great-grandfather, a shrewd businessman, who’d made his wealth in the steel industry during the early 1900s, and his grandfather and father’s smart business choices, he had more money than he knew what to do with, except that money meant nothing here. He couldn’t buy his way out of the Glades. And he most definitely couldn’t bribe Steven Weir into letting him and Cami go.

  Steven fucking Weir.

  Why in the hell hadn’t he been notified of his release? When he returned to Illinois, he would pay a personal visit to Dennis Keplinger, the warden of Stateville Correctional Center. They’d had an agreement, one that had been solidified with a chunk of change large enough to pay for Keplinger’s son’s private school tuition. Keplinger was to call him if Steven had a parole hearing, or if plans had been made for his release. If Ian had known Steven was free, he could have been prepared. He could have prevented any of this from happening. He would have warned his agents, Cami and his daughter. He would have increased security and put a tail on Steven.

  But would he have really done all that?

  The moment he’d had Steven sentenced, he’d washed his hands of the man. Other than paying off the warden, he hadn’t give Steven a thought. Not once in six years had he wondered about the man and how he was surviving his prison sentence. He’d been too busy building his business and watching it shine to care. Deep down, he still didn’t care. He couldn’t give a shit what the man had endured while incarcerated. Whatever had happened to him wouldn’t have been bad enough. After Steven had been arrested, Ian had learned the truth behind his discharge from the Marines. As he’d suspected, Steven had killed women and children, but Ian hadn’t realized how many or how brutally. If he’d known, he never would have hired him. Yes, he’d wanted a hunter, a skilled marksman who took risks and showed no fear. But unsanctioned kills that involved innocents hadn’t been something he looked for on a resume.