Kill Without Mercy
ARES Security #1
By: Alexandra Ivy
Released December
29, 2015
Zebra
Zebra
Blurb
From the hellhole of a Taliban prison to
sweet freedom, five brave military heroes have made it home—and they’re ready
to take on the civilian missions no one else can. Individually they’re
intimidating. Together they’re invincible. They’re the men of ARES Security.
Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to
clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for
ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he
crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet,
he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…
There’s a mysterious serial killer on the
loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper
Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill,
Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now
it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a
history of deadly lies that won’t be buried.
“A
fantastic blend of romance and suspense…thrilling to the end.” --Mary Burton,
USA Today bestselling author
My Thoughts:
HOLY MOLY what did I get myself into. Let me first stated that I wanted to read this story, because of I got a glimpse of this group in All He Wants for Christmas box set. In Alexandra story she basically introduces her new series by using the FBI agents friendship. Anyway, I got a taste and had to add this to my TBR list. I'm so glad about that decision. I would like to say best decision. Kill Without Mercy utterly amazing. There is no other words to truly to describe this story. I was capture by the first chapter. You have these five guys who form this friendship after being POW come back to the states to start a security company where they can use their special skills might come in handy. So, we meet Rafe Vargas, Max Grayson, Hauk Laurensen, Teagan Moore, and Lucas St. Clair.
Basically, Rafe needs to go to Iowa to get closure on his grandfather's property when he stumbles upon Annie White. Now Annie is the daughter of the alleged Newton Slayer. However, as the story progresses you start to wonder if her father actually was the murderer. Oh the twist and turns that allay in this book. Oh my goodness such a page turner. Then the murders start again. There is some twisted stuff going on in this story.
Love Rafe. He's definitely a hero worth swooning. Plus, he wants to protect Annie from what is haunting her. Annie is pretty awesome too, because she would love to find closure to her past. However, that's not possible until the Newton Slayer is caught.
Shocked by the turn of events in Kill Without Mercy. I mean the twist and turns in this story will keep your attention. Plus, it had me guessing who the bad guy was until he was reveal. Even then I couldn't believe it. I totally get why he did in someways, but he's one messed up mother f-er. AWESOME! Talk about a book high. I love how these friends are more like brothers and will help one another. Plus, we have a stalker issue in the background and I wonder how that is going to play out in the series. Overall, fantastic start to this series. I CAN'T WAIT for the book. So, you need something that will have you guessing until you get closer to the end, you might want to give Kill Without Mercy a go.
Copy provided by Zebra via NetGalley
Excerpt:
Rafe forced himself to
wait ten minutes before he left the restaurant and returned to Newton so he
could drive by the motel and make sure the yellow Jeep was safely parked in
the gravel lot.
The last thing he wanted was for Annie to think he was
some psycho stalker, but he had to make sure she’d made it back to her room
safely.
He told himself it was his natural protective instincts.
Any man would be worried about a young female out at night when there was a
potential killer on the loose. Especially if the killer was connected to her father.
But in his gut he knew that his driving compulsion was
something more.
He just didn’t know what that more
was.
Refusing to give in to the impulse to park across the
street and keep an eye on her like some creeper, he turned the truck around and
headed back to LaClede to pick up a few groceries.
It was a chore that could easily have waited until the
next day, but he wasn’t anxious to return to his grandfather’s house.
He’d managed to clear the boxes out of the living room,
bathroom, and one bedroom, but it still felt cramped. Claustrophobic. As if his
grandfather’s ghost was standing at his shoulder, urging him to leave.
The bastard.
At last he returned to Newton, pulling to a halt in front
of the small house built on the very edge of town.
He grimaced at the sagging
roof and the wraparound porch that listed to the side. The white paint had
peeled away
and the hedges grown to
overtake the small front yard. Long ago his grandfather had kept the property
in pristine condition, but it’d been years since his health had been good
enough to do the work, and he’d been too damned proud to ask for help.
Behind the house the yard stretched to the edge of an
empty field, with two large sheds overfilled with boxes. So far he hadn’t done
more than glance inside and slam the doors shut.
The mere thought of having to dig through all the crap
was enough to make Rafe wish he could toss a match and be done with the
problem.
Easy peasy.
Stepping on the porch, he froze as he heard the creak of
a floorboard.
Shit. Someone was inside.
Cautiously, Rafe set the bag of groceries on the porch
swing and pulled out the gun holstered beneath his sweatshirt. Then, with the
silence that came from years of rigid training, he was moving to press himself
flat against the front door he hadn’t bothered to lock. Why would he? Not only
was the small town the sort of place you left your door open, but he’d be happy
as hell if someone wanted to come in and haul off the shit inside.
Now he cursed his lax security.
The last thing he wanted was to have to shoot some yokel
who decided to snoop around.
Easing the door open, he had the gun pointed toward the
center of the room when a familiar male voice echoed through the darkness.
“You shoot me and I’m going to be pissed,” Teagan drawled.
“And my mother will kick your ass.”
“What the hell?”
Shoving the gun back in its holster, Rafe closed the door
and flipped the switch on the wall. Instantly the room was filled with a dull
yellow glow from the overhead light, revealing the large man dressed in camo
pants and a black T-shirt that was stretched across the impressive width of his
chest.
Rafe frowned. The last person he expected to be leaning
against the crumbling fireplace was Teagan.
“How did you get here?” he
demanded.
The computer genius shrugged. “Hauk flew me to Des Moines
and I rented a car.”
Rafe glanced out the nearby window. He’d been
distracted when he’d pulled up to the
house, but there was no way he’d missed a car. “Where is it?”
“I parked at the gas station on the corner.” Teagan gave
a dramatic shudder. The man was a freak when it came to cars, devoting his
spare time to refurbishing old automobiles and selling them at an enormous
profit. “I didn’t want anyone to see me driving the POS.”
Rafe arched a brow. “And you just decided to break into
my house?”
“I didn’t want to wander around town terrifying the
natives.”
Rafe gave a short laugh at the thought of the large male
with his buzz cut and tattoos strolling down the streets of Newton.
He definitely would have caused a panic.
“Good choice,” he said dryly, planting his fists on his
hips. “But you wouldn’t have to worry about the natives if you’d stayed in
Houston.”
“You asked me to get you info, didn’t you?”
The faux reasonable tone did nothing to ease the spike in
Rafe’s temper.
He loved his partners like brothers. He truly did. But
sometimes they could be worse than mother hens.
“I didn’t say you had to personally deliver it,” he
pointed out. “This might be the boonies, but I do have Internet access.”
The golden eyes narrowed. “You know I always go above and
beyond the call of duty.”
“Yeah, and you’re as nosy as an old woman.”
Teagan smiled, smart enough not to try and deny his
reason for traveling to Newton. “You can’t blame me for being curious why
you’re suddenly interested in a serial killer.”
True. If the positions were reversed, he wouldn’t be able
to stay away. Not until he was certain his friend hadn’t lost his mind.
“Where are the files?” he asked. Teagan nodded toward the
low, arched doorway across the room. “In the kitchen. Along with a few bottles
from your favorite microbrewery.”
“Damn.” The mention of the beer had Rafe instantly on the
move. He’d been enduring cheap on-tap beer for the past week. “If you weren’t
so ugly I’d kiss you,” he said.
Teagan strolled behind him. “You’re so not my type.”
“Thank God.” Rafe opened the fridge to pull out two
beers, using the edge of the counter to pop off the caps. “I’ve seen your
type,” he told his friend, handing him one of the bottles.
“Harsh,” Teagan muttered with a smile. They both knew he
always chose drop-dead gorgeous females. Then, moving to the center of the
cramped room, he tapped the files stacked on the dining table. “Here’s the info
on Don White.”
Rafe pulled out a seat, flipping open the top folder and
spreading the contents across the table.
“It’s kind of sketchy,” he muttered.
There was a black-and-white mug shot, a dozen newspaper
clippings that screamed the headline NEWTON SLAYER, a copy of White’s driver’s
license, the mortgage on his farm, and the insurance policy on a silver Taurus.
“Sketchy is the right word,” Teagan growled, gingerly
taking a seat across the table.
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