Hunt and Prey (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 8) by Kaylie Hunter (novels to read for beginners txt) 📕

“You take the front,” I told Bones. “I’ll take the back. Quick and quiet.”

“Do you know the layout of the house?” Wild Card asked.

“No. But most of these houses are the same. Combo kitchen and dining room toward the front with the living room on the other side. One or two bedrooms off the back of the house.”

“Pause after entering,” Bones said as studied the house. “Wait for us to regroup before anyone enters the bedrooms.”

“Agreed.” I glanced around the quiet neighborhood again. “If this turns south, though, everyone aborts and hightails it out of here. Don’t wait for me.”

“I got no problem with that plan. You have a badge. You’d have a better chance of talking your way out of handcuffs than the rest of us.” Bones turned to the others to dole out orders. Jackson was assigned as lookout. Two other men would breach the front door with Bones.

Wild Card was assigned to breach the backdoor with me. He grabbed my hand and led me between the houses. Midway past the house, we stopped, hearing a clattering to our right. Our feet froze in place as our heads swiveled toward the neighboring house. The partial moon cast enough light for us to see a woman in the house next door standing in front of the kitchen window. She stood motionless with big eyes, staring right at us.

Wild Card raised a finger to his lips, signaling for her to keep quiet. She shook her head.

“Shit,” I whispered, starting to retreat.

Wild Card grabbed my hand to stop me. “Wait. She seems weirdly calm.”

We waited as the woman slid the small kitchen window to the side. She leaned close to the screen to whisper across the twenty-foot gap between us. “Do what you want with that bastard Danny, but you harm one hair on Cassie’s head and I’ll hunt you down.” She held up a steak knife.

Wild Card lifted a hand and gave her a thumbs up.

“Their bedroom is the one on this side of the house. He was drinking earlier, so likely he’s out cold.”

 I giggled as Wild Card tugged me toward the backyard. On the back porch, we found the door already unlocked and stepped inside. The back door led into a hallway, lit by a nearby nightlight. Bones stood in the hall, just outside the closed bedroom door. On the other side of the door, we could hear obnoxious snoring. Glancing past Bones, enough moonlight glimmered through the front house windows for me to see the other two men stationed near the front door.

I stepped beside Bones, nodding toward the bedroom to let Bones know I was ready. But before we’d moved, the bedroom door swung open. Cassie Rickers stood directly in front of us, staring at us as if she’d expected us. She slowly raised her hand which held a phone. The text message on the display read: Stay quiet. People coming after Danny. They don’t want you. Just get out of their way. Come to my place.

I stepped aside so she could pass. Without a sound, she slipped out the back door and disappeared.

Bones narrowed his eyes at me, disapproving. I looked at Wild Card. He flashed his smile as he strolled into the bedroom.

Bones rushed to the bed and pinned Danny down. Waking abruptly, he tried to jerk away, but he was no match for Bones’ strength. By the time Danny’s brain was alert enough to yell for help, Wild Card forced a pillow over his nose and mouth. Rickers’ eyes danced in the semi-darkness as he screamed into the pillow.

I turned on the light. The pillow was low enough that I could see him look to Wild Card, then Bones, then settle on me.

“Your choice, asshole,” Wild Card said to him. “Either I cut off your oxygen supply and end this here and now, or you stop yelling like a little girl.”

Danny settled and kept his focus at Wild Card.

Wild Card lifted the pillow but kept it close to Danny’s face. Bones glanced at me, letting me know it was my show. Thankful that I’d worn gloves, I picked up a sock from the floor. Reaching past Bones, I wadded the sock into Danny’s mouth before passing a large zip tie from my fanny pack to Bones. He zipped the tie tight around Danny’s head, holding the sock in place and ensuring silence.

“Kitchen,” was all I said before turning from the room and walking down the hall.

Bones and Wild Card dragged a reluctant and wide-eyed Danny after me, stopping in the center of the kitchen. I looked around, and on the shelf next to the stove I found a cutting board stacked with a pile of cookie sheets. I moved the cutting board to the counter before rummaging through the drawers. Locating the knives, I selected the largest one. The large curved-blade knife was the style chefs used on TV to chop vegetables. Perfect for what I needed.

I grabbed his hand and forced it on top of the cutting board. He shook his head vigorously back and forth. I didn’t feel sorry for him.

“You used these hands to beat your wife. More than once, from what I hear. Now it’s my turn. Tonight, you pack your bags, get in your truck, and leave. Tomorrow, you will file for divorce. You’re going to forfeit the house, the car, and anything else of value.” I watched fear shift to anger as he listened to me. “You will not contact her. If you see her on the street or at your favorite restaurant, you leave. Understood?”

His temper was getting the best of him. He glared, challenging my authority.

I slammed the knife down, chopping off the ends of his two longest fingers. One of the fingertips flew to the right,