Chapter 1
I’M AN EXPERIENCEDhunter of humans. It’s not hard, if you understand how they think. People have tunnel vision and are objective-driven. As long as you don’t interfere with their goal, and don’t make yourself known before you’re ready to pounce, you can close in on a relaxed target pretty easily. It doesn’t even require much stealth. Unlike animals, human beings don’t use their alarm system of senses. Though the wind was behind me, Ben Hammond didn’t smell me. He didn’t hear my breath over the clunk of his boots on the pavement.
Hammond’s objective was his late-model Honda Civic on the edge of the parking lot. So that’s all he could see—he didn’t notice me round the corner from the loading dock and fall into step behind him. He left the shopping center with hands full of groceries swinging at his sides and headed across the parking lot, already sliding into the driver’s seat in his mind, shutting the door on the moonless night.
I followed with my head down, my hoodie pulled up against the security cameras trained on the few remaining cars. I let him pull his keys out of his pocket, the jangling sound covering the soft fall of my boots for the last few steps between me and my prey.
I closed the distance and attacked.