Ultimate Kill (Book 1 Ultimate CORE Trilogy) (CORE Series) (11 page)

“It was,” he said and moved behind her, pointing toward the labyrinth. “See the center?” He rested one hand on her shoulder.

“Barely. All I can see is the top of a magnolia tree.”

“Yes, but that magnolia tree and the ground surrounding it taught me something that day.” It had taught him that the maze was a perfect place to keep secrets. “I can act like a mouse in a maze, darting from one path to another, hitting walls until I find a piece of cheese. Or, I could take a bulldozer to those same walls, knock every obstacle out of my way and reach the prize without breaking a sweat.”

“But there wasn’t a prize at the center. You said—”

“The prize was knowledge. I didn’t find a treasure chest, but I accomplished what I’d set out to do. What I learned was that I can do
anything
I want.”
 

Her shoulder tensed beneath his palm. “No one can do anything they want.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

He inhaled her youth and light, flowery scent. “Have you run into any obstacles in your life?” he asked, not caring but proving a point. “A proverbial maze that had you running into walls and keeping you from the prize?”

“Yes. Money has always been tight. I wanted to go to college, but couldn’t afford it. My mom was a housekeeper and I swore I wouldn’t do the same thing as her, only…I’m a single mom. I have a two-year-old and when there are bills to pay, you do what you have to do.”

She had a child? Well, at least the kid would be too young to remember its mother. Lust, the excitement of finding his lost possession and the bullshit he’d been forced to listen to from his pitiful wife had him craving more than sex. He required dominance. He needed to confirm his power and control.
 

“I understand,” he said to keep her at ease.

Scoffing, she looked at him. “Not to sound disrespectful, but you can’t possibly know what it’s like to live check to check, to worry about the lights being shut off or whether you’ll be able to feed your kid.” She glanced down. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. I should go. Your lunch will end up cold if I keep you any longer.”

He unzipped the back of her uniform. She quickly jerked away and spun, her hands gripping the window ledge. “Sir, this is inappropriate. Mrs. Burrows will be expecting—”

“Get on your knees,” he ordered. If the girl were smart, she’d do as she was told. He hadn’t been lying. He could do anything he wanted and get away with it. He had the money, the power, the name and over a dozen of dead men and women buried in the labyrinth to prove it.

When she didn’t move, didn’t look at him, he crowded her against the window. “Do it. Now.”

“No.” She glared at him. “I quit. This is one obstacle I don’t need,” she said, her voice shaking as she pushed passed him.

He hated when they fought him. What a pain in the ass. He grabbed her arm. Standing taller than the pyramidal cedars in the labyrinth and probably outweighing the maid by nearly one hundred pounds, he shoved her to the floor with ease. “I refuse to accept your resignation. Now do as you’re told. Trust me. It’s in your best interest.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks and hatred darkened her eyes. “You have everything in the world. Money, a beautiful house, cars, yachts, planes. I had so much respect for you,” she said with disgust and contorted her pretty face. “But you’re nothing but a piece-of-shit rapist.”

He thought about what she said for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’ve never forced myself on a woman.”

“Then what do you call this?”

“Coercion.”

“Same thing.”

He glanced at his watch. His lunch would indeed be ice cold by the time he finished with the maid. Plus he had a conference call in an hour. But he wanted the maid and now that he’d gone this far, he really had no choice but to finish what he’d started. So much for her being shy and timid like he’d thought. She apparently had the backbone his wife lacked and would have to be dealt with before she blabbed about this to anyone who would listen. Like the press. The police he could handle. He had enough cops on his payroll to make this go away. But the press? The fucking bloodsuckers would love to knock him off his pedestal.

“Actually, it’s not the same thing. Here’s the deal, Alison. I’m going to coerce you into doing what I want, not by force, but by threat. In my mind, there’s a difference. The two-year-old you mentioned. Do you love it? Would you do anything to make sure it had a happy life?”

Her eyes widened with fear as more tears streamed down her cheeks. Chin trembling, she unzipped the front of his Brioni suit pants. “My son is not an
it
. I’ll do what you want. But please leave him out of this.”

He sighed when she touch him, her silky soft hands bringing him so much pleasure. “You have my word. No harm will come to your son. Now suck.”

As she obeyed, he stared out the window, at the labyrinth that had taught him to embrace disappointment and, as the saying went, make lemonade out of lemons. When he’d discovered the human bones in the maze, he’d initially been pissed for having wasted his entire summer searching for treasure. But then he’d realized he’d stumbled upon something. Something rare and true.
 

He’d never told his father or grandfather or anyone else for that matter about the bones, but had barraged them with questions about his great-grandfather. He’d also done quite a bit of his own research. In the end, he had learned that his namesake wasn’t necessarily a crazy son of a bitch, but Machiavellian. He’d been a deceitful opportunist who’d schemed and connived. He’d rid himself of those who had threatened his ways. And while his father and grandfather had been convinced his great-grandfather had squandered the company’s money, they’d been wrong. He’d found that money. He’d found the buried treasure—millions of dollars in cash and jewelry—hidden throughout the estate. He’d also found information. Enough evidence to extort and destroy his family’s enemies. By the time he’d made his discoveries, his grandfather had already been six feet under for several years. But his father had remained in his way. The treasure he’d discovered had allowed him to usurp the man who had fathered him, take his life and take control of the company.
 

He looked away from the maze and stared at Allison. “Suck harder,” he told the maid and gripped her head. His cell phone rang. He released a frustrated groan and withdrew the phone from his pants pocket.
 

“Don’t stop,” he said to the girl, then answered the call. “What is it?”

“I just heard from Santiago,” Ric replied. “They’re getting ready to head to Columbus now.”

He gritted his teeth as his orgasm approached. “Good. Anything else. I’m in the middle of something.”

“Yeah, Santiago wants to know if there’s any way they can charter a plane from Columbus to Knoxville and avoid the five and a half hour drive.”

He slid his eyes closed at the pleasure the maid gave him. “No. I don’t want them drawing any attention to themselves. They need to stay on the road.”

“Understood. I’ll let him know.”

“How long will that take?”

“Ah, minutes. I just need to call him back.”

“Good. Come to my office when you’re done,” he said, then disconnected the call. Once the maid finished servicing him, he’d turn her over to Ric. For once, he’d let his right hand man have more fun than usual.
 

He looked down at the girl. He’d had high hopes for her. Had pictured tormenting his wife, forcing the pathetic, scrawny bitch to watch as he had his way with the maid.
 

Such a shame. Ric would eventually kill her, once the fun was over.

And she’d end up with the others…buried in the labyrinth.
 

*

Santiago pocketed his cell phone and climbed into the SUV’s driver’s seat. Based on the scowl the Columbian wore, Harrison assumed the news wasn’t good.

“Well?” Vlad asked. He’d been sitting next to Harrison in the back seat.

Shifting gears, Santiago hit the gas. “We drive. Honey Badger wants us to stay on the road. It’s less conspicuous.”

Vlad looked to him. “Define conspicuous, nerd Harry. Vlad know not this word.”

“Noticeable,” Harrison responded. “Your Honey Badger wants us to maintain a low profile.”

The Russian nodded as if he understood the reasons behind the inconspicuous use of the SUV versus the plane, then leaned his head against the headrest. “Good. Planes scare Vlad. Especially small ones.”

Honey badger scared Harrison. Especially because he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure what the man was up to. When Santiago turned on the satellite radio to a Latin station, Harrison turned to Vlad. “Is Honey Badger your boss?”

“Yes.” Vlad rolled his head to the side. “Do not ask real name,” he said in a hushed tone.

Harrison shook his head. “I won’t, but…”

“Go ahead, Harry. Trust Vlad.”

“Why do you call him Honey Badger?”

The Russian glanced toward Santiago, then back to him. “Because Honey Badger don’t give a shit, he do what he want and get what he want. If you go after him, he attack. Keep Vlad words in mind when Harry meet him,” Vlad said quietly. “I work seven years for Honey Badger. Trust Vlad. Harry no want to mess with Honey Badger.”

He do what he want and get what he want.

And he’d kill a lot of people in the process.

Stomach nauseated with guilt, head aching with regret and anger, Harrison leaned into the seat and closed his eyes. His program
had
to work. If this Honey Badger was up to what Harrison believed, the man needed to be stopped. Unless he found another opportunity to be alone with the computer and add the virus he’d created before going to prison, his program was all he had to combat his employer. He couldn’t talk to Mickey about any of this. Hell, he couldn’t find a moment alone with his brother. As much as Vlad kept telling him to trust him, Harrison wasn’t convinced. Vlad had worked for Honey Badger for seven years. His loyalties would be to his boss, not him.

Damn it, Mickey. What the hell did you get us into?

The better question… How in the hell could he disable the devices before it was too late?

Chapter 5

JAKE WIPED SWEAT from his brow and finished hanging the fishing poles and nets in the garage. He turned, then rushed back to his rented SUV. “I’ve got that.” He took the cooler from Naomi.
 

“It’s not heavy,” she said, her toned biceps shaking from the strain.
 

He understood her independence and need to take care of herself. In this instance, hell, from the moment she’d told him about her identity change and stalker, she no longer needed to prove her strength or rely on only herself.
 

Now that he knew the truth, he wanted her to unburden the weight she’d been carrying and lean on him. His boss might piss him off, but Ian ran a private investigation agency that had a nearly impeccable track record for solving cases. CORE could give him what he needed to solve the mystery behind Naomi’s stalker. As they’d sat on the floating dock at Harriett’s Bluff, fishing and shrimping, he’d been tempted to discuss this with her several times throughout the day. Try to turn her on to the idea of allowing him to investigate and ultimately stop her stalker from ever threatening her again.

Yet each time he’d prepared himself to bring up the topic, she would flash him a smile and make him forget about everything but her. Or, she’d start talking and joking around like they used to do, as if being apart hadn’t mattered. Only it did matter. The hatred he harbored for the man who had caused their separation consumed him with resentment and the need for revenge. He wanted to rip the son of a bitch’s beating heart from his chest. Of course, he’d beat the piece of shit to a bloody pulp first and that would be after he’d destroyed—

“Where are you?”

Holding the cooler filled with their leftover lunch, along with a big bag of ice and the fish and shrimp they’d caught, he looked at her. “Sorry,” he said, tamping down his plans of vengeance and sending her a reassuring smile. “Where do you want the cooler? Back patio or kitchen?”

She reached into the back end of the SUV and pulled out the wet towel that had been beneath the cooler. “Patio. That thing leaks,” she said, nodding to the cooler.
 

Using the garage entrance, he followed her inside, wound his way through the house, then out onto the patio. Sweat trickled down his back and he swore he could still taste the salt that had been in the air around the tidal marsh.
 

He turned when Naomi stepped onto the patio, then grinned when he noticed the beer bottles she carried. “Thanks,” he said when she offered him one. “I can’t believe how hot it is here.”

She pressed the beer bottle against the skin exposed above her tight tank top, drawing his attention to her breasts. “In April it’s normally in the mid-seventies, but the temperatures have been crazy hot the past week. Be prepared, it’ll drop into the fifties tonight.”
 

She took a drink of her beer. He did the same, his focus still on her breasts. Hell, throughout the day, he’d been looking at them and her ass whenever he had the chance. He loved her body, had loved feeling her against him last night and ached to strip her naked and have a proper reunion.