Ultimate Prey (Book 3 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) (54 page)

“Good. I like Barney.” She shifted her gaze back to the bay. “So…you’re good with me being in Everglade City, permanently?”

“You asked me to be honest, and I was, but I noticed you changed the subject.”

Her heart beat hard, and her stomach filled with a gazillion butterflies. She looked to him. “No, I said we could take it slow and get to know each other better.”

“You did, but now I want to know how you feel about living here?”

“I told you. I love it and—”

“It’s peaceful and beautiful,” he said, repeating her earlier words. “I’m not talking about—” He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair. “It’s okay. You’re right. We’ll take it slow and get to know each other.”

They sat there for a while, but how long she didn’t know. Both of them looking out at the water and letting the sun bake them. She’d thought fishing would be boring, and it truly was, except just being near Ryan, the soothing sounds of waves lapping against the boat, the sun, the breeze, Sadie’s occasional groan as she shifted positions…she could become used to this.

She could fall in love with Ryan.

“Can I have my sunglasses back?” he asked.

“No.”

“No?”

She faced him. “I’m happy, worried and scared, too.”

The muscles along his jaw hardened. “Because?”

“I can’t believe Ian has put his trust and faith in me, but I’m thrilled he did.” She rose from the chair, then climbed onto his lap.

He immediately ran his hands along her back and held her close. “And?”

“And I’m worried how we’ll work together if things between us—don’t.”

He nuzzled his lips against her cleavage. “And?”

“I’m scared I’m going to fall in love with you.”

He froze.

“Too soon?” she asked, cupping his face.

He shoved his hands through her hair and brought their mouths close together. “Stay with me, at my house, and let’s find out.”

She sucked in a breath. What he suggested sounded…permanent. Which didn’t scare her, but still. Between his business and this new CORE venture, they’d be together all the time. “You don’t think I should find my own place to rent or buy?”

“Maybe. But I think it’ll end up being a waste of money,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth.

She let out a sigh when he shifted his hands beneath her tank top and cupped her breasts. “Why’s that?”

He stilled. “Because I have a feeling one of us will always have an empty house.”

Epilogue

Two months later…

“THE GIANT MUTANT albino alligator still roams the Everglades.” Lola leaned forward and, knowing she had a captivated audience, decided to add a little theatrics to the story. “Legend has it that if you see her and stare into her pink eyes, she’ll hypnotize you right before…she eats you,” she shouted with dramatic flair, causing the three kids, and even their parents, to flinch and gasp. The mom and dad chuckled, while their children, whose ages ranged from eight to twelve, looked around the channel, likely searching for the fictitious alligator.

“You’re totally lying,” the twelve-year-old boy said, but kept his gaze on the mangroves surrounding the no-wake zone.

She winked. “Maybe, maybe not.”

While the family she and Ryan had taken out on the airboat tour chattered away about mutant alligators, along with the real one they’d seen, she leaned back in the chair next to Ryan’s and stroked Sadie’s head.

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 headquarters, 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.”