Once Hunted

Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which include the mystery suspense thrillers ONCE GONE (book #1), ONCE TAKEN (book #2), ONCE CRAVED (#3) and ONCE LURED (#4). ONCE HUNTED (#5), and ONCE PINED (#6). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series and AVERY BLACK mystery series.

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.comwww.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2016 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright GongTo, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

PROLOGUE

Special Agent Riley Paige’s speeding car shattered the silence of Fredericksburg’s dark streets. Her fifteen-year-old daughter was missing, but Riley was more furious than frightened. She had a good idea where April was – with her new boyfriend, seventeen-year-old high school dropout Joel Lambert. Riley had tried her best to put a stop to the relationship, but she hadn’t been successful.

Tonight that’s going to change, she thought with determination.

She parked in front of Joel’s home, a rundown little house in an unsavory neighborhood. She’d been here once before and had given Joel an ultimatum to stay away from her daughter. He’d obviously ignored it.

There wasn’t a single light on in the house. Maybe nobody was even inside. Or maybe what Riley would find in there would be more than she could handle. She didn’t care. She banged on the door.

“Joel Lambert! Open up!” she yelled.

There were a few moments of silence. Riley banged on the door again. This time she heard muttered curses inside. The porch light came on. Still chained, the door opened a few inches. In the light from the porch, Riley could make out an unfamiliar face. It was a bearded, strung-out-looking man of about nineteen or twenty.

“What do you want?” the man asked groggily.

“I’m here for my daughter,” Riley said.

The man looked puzzled.

“You’ve got the wrong place, lady,” he said.

He tried to shut the door, but Riley kicked it so hard that the safety chain broke loose and the door flew open.

“Hey!” the man yelled.

Riley stormed inside. The house looked much as it had the last time she’d been here – a horrible mess filled with suspicious odors. The young man was tall and wiry. Riley detected a family resemblance between him and Joel. But he wasn’t old enough to be Joel’s father.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m Guy Lambert,” he replied.

“Joel’s brother?” Riley guessed.

“Yeah. Who the hell are you?”

Riley whipped out her badge.

“Special Agent Riley Paige, FBI,” she said.

The man’s eyes got wide with alarm.

“FBI? Hey, there’s got to be some kind of mistake here.”

“Are your parents here?” Riley said.

Guy Lambert shrugged.

“Parents? What parents? Joel and I are on our own here.”

Riley was hardly surprised. The last time she’d been here, she’d suspected that Joel’s parents were out of the picture. What had become of them she couldn’t possibly guess.

“Where’s my daughter?” Riley said.

“Lady, I don’t even know your daughter.”

Riley took a step toward the nearest doorway. Guy Lambert tried to block her way.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to have a search warrant?” he asked.

Riley thrust him aside.

“I’m making the rules right now,” she snarled.

Riley went through the door into a disheveled bedroom. No one was there. She continued through another door into a filthy bathroom, and another door that connected to a second bedroom. Still no one.

She heard a voice call out from the living room.

“Hold it right there!”

She hurried back into the living room.

Now she saw that her partner, Agent Bill Jeffreys, was standing in the front doorway. She had called for his help before she’d left home. Guy Lambert was slumped on the sofa, looking despondent.

“This guy seemed to be heading out,” Bill said. “I just made it clear that he should wait here for you.”

“Where are they?” Riley demanded of Lambert. “Where are your brother and my daughter?”

“I’ve got no idea.”

Riley seized him by the T-shirt and hauled him to his feet.

“Where are your brother and my daughter?” she repeated.

When he said, “I don’t know,” she slammed him against the wall. She heard Bill let out a groan of disapproval. Doubtless he was worried that Riley might get out of control. She didn’t care.

Completely panicked now, Guy Lambert spit out an answer.

“They’re just down on the next block on this street. Thirteen thirty-four.”

Riley released him. Without another word, she stormed out the front door as Bill followed after her.

Riley had her flashlight out and was checking the house numbers. “It’s this way,” she said.

“We’ve got to call for some help,” Bill said.

“We don’t need backup,” Riley called as she ran along the sidewalk.

“That’s not what worries me.” Bill followed her.

In a few moments, Riley stood in the yard of a two-story house. It was broken-down and obviously condemned, with empty lots on either side – a typical “shooting gallery” for heroin users. It reminded her of the house where a sadistic psychopath named Peterson had held her captive. He’d kept her in a cage and tormented her with a propane torch until she’d escaped and blown the place up with his own supply of propane.

For a second, she hesitated, shaken by the memory. But then she reminded herself:

April’s in there.

“Get ready,” she told Bill.

Bill took out his own flashlight and his gun, and they moved together toward the house.

When Riley arrived at the porch, she saw that the windows were boarded up. She had no intention of knocking this time. She didn’t want to give Joel or anyone else who was in there any warning.

She tried the doorknob. It turned. But the door was locked by a deadbolt. She pulled out her gun and fired, blasting the deadbolt away. She turned the knob again and the door fell open.

Even after the darkness outside, her eyes had to adjust as she and Bill stepped into the living room. The only light came from scattered candles. They illuminated a ghastly scene of trash and debris that included empty heroin bags, hypodermics, and other drug paraphernalia. About seven people were visible – two or three of them getting sluggishly to their feet after the racket Riley had made, the rest still lying on the floor or curled up in chairs in a drug-induced stupor. They all looked wasted and ill, and their clothes were filthy and tattered.

Riley holstered her weapon. She clearly didn’t need it – not yet.

“Where’s April?” she yelled. “Where’s Joel Lambert?”

A man who had just stood up said in a foggy voice, “Upstairs.”

With Bill behind her, Riley made her way up the dark stairway, shining the flashlight ahead of her. She could feel the rotting steps giving under her weight. She and Bill stepped into the hallway at the top of the stairs. Three doorways, one of them leading into a vile-smelling bathroom, had been stripped of their doors and were visibly empty. The fourth doorway still had a door, and it was shut.

Riley stepped toward the door. Bill held out his hand to stop her.

“Let me go in first,” he said.

Ignoring him, Riley pushed past him, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Riley’s legs almost gave out from under her at what she saw. April was lying on a bare mattress, murmuring “No, no, no” over and over again. She writhed feebly as Joel Lambert struggled to pull off her clothes. An overweight, homely man stood nearby, waiting for Joel to finish his task. A needle and a spoon lay on the candlelit bed stand.

Riley understood in an instant. Joel had drugged April almost into unconsciousness and was offering her as a sexual favor to this repulsive man – whether for money or some other purpose, Riley didn’t know.

She drew her weapon again and pointed it at Joel. It was all she could do to restrain herself from shooting him right away.

“Back away from her,” she said.

Joel clearly understood her state of mind. He raised his hands and stepped away from the bed.

Indicating the other man, Riley said to Bill, “Cuff this bastard. Take him back to your car. Now you can call for help.”

“Riley, listen to me …” Bill’s voice trailed off.

Riley knew what Bill was leaving unsaid. He understood perfectly well that all Riley wanted was a few minutes alone with Joel. He was understandably reluctant to allow that.

Still keeping her gun pointed at Joel, Riley looked at Bill with an imploring expression. Bill slowly nodded, then went over to the man, read him his rights, cuffed him, and led him outside.

Riley shut the door behind them. Then she stood silently facing Joel Lambert, her gun still raised. This was the boy that April had fallen in love with. But this was no ordinary teenager. He was deeply involved with the drug trade. He had used those drugs on her own daughter and had obviously intended to sell April’s body. This was not a person capable of loving anyone.

“What do you think you’re going to do, cop lady?” he said. “I’ve got rights, you know.” He flashed her the same slightly smirking smile he’d displayed the last time she’d seen him.

The gun trembled slightly in Riley’s hand. She was itching to pull the trigger and blow this lowlife away. But she couldn’t let herself do that.

She noticed that Joel was edging toward the end table. He was sturdily built, and he was a bit taller than Riley. He was moving toward a baseball bat, obviously kept for self-defense purposes, that was leaning against the table. Riley suppressed a grim smile. It looked like he was going to do exactly what she wanted him to do.

“You’re under arrest,” she said.

She holstered her weapon and reached for the cuffs on the back of her belt. Exactly as she’d hoped, Joel lunged for the baseball bat, picked it up, and swung it wildly at Riley. She deftly avoided the blow and braced herself for the next swing.

This time Joel raised the bat high, meaning to smash her head with it. But as his arm came down, Riley ducked and reached for the small end of the bat. She grabbed it, then yanked it away from him. She enjoyed the surprised look on his face as he lost his balance.

Joel reached for the end table to stop himself from falling. When his hand was fast against the table, Riley brought the bat crashing down on it. She could hear the bones breaking.

Joel let out a pathetic scream and fell to the floor.

“You crazy bitch!” he yelled. “You broke my hand.”

Panting for breath, Riley cuffed him to a bedpost.

“Couldn’t help it,” she said. “You resisted, and I accidentally slammed your hand in the door. Sorry about that.”

Riley cuffed his undamaged hand to the bottom of a bedpost. Then she stepped on his broken hand and shifted her weight onto it.

Joel screamed and writhed. His feet thrashed around helplessly.

“No, no, no!” he shouted.

Still keeping her foot in place, Riley crouched down close to his face.

Mockingly, she said, “‘No, no, no!’ Where did I hear those words before? Just in the last few minutes?”

Joel was blubbering with pain and terror.

Riley pushed down with her foot.

“Who said it?” she demanded.

“Your daughter … she said it.”

“Said what?”

“‘No, no, no …’”

Riley let up on the pressure a little.

“And why did my daughter say that?” she asked.

Joel could barely speak through his violent sobs.

“Because … she was helpless … and hurting. I get it. I understand.”

Riley removed her foot. She figured he got the message – at least for now, although probably not for good. But this was the best – or worst – she could do for now. He deserved death, or far worse. But she couldn’t bring herself to give it to him. At least he would never use that hand properly again.

Riley left Joel, cuffed and cringing, and rushed to her daughter’s side. April’s eyes were dilated, and Riley knew that she was having trouble seeing her.

“Mom?” April said in a low whimper.

The sound of that word unleashed a world of anguish in Riley. She burst into tears as she started to help April get back into her clothes.

“I’m getting you out of here,” she said through her sobs. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

Yet even as she spoke the words, Riley prayed that they were true.

CHAPTER ONE

Riley was crawling through the dirt in a damp crawlspace under a house. Total darkness surrounded her. She wondered why she hadn’t brought a flashlight. After all, she had been in this awful place before.

Again, she heard April’s voice call out in the darkness.

“Mom, where are you?”

Despair tugged at Riley’s heart. She knew that April was caged somewhere in this evil darkness. She was being tortured by a heartless monster.

“I’m here,” Riley called out in reply. “I’m coming. Keep talking so I can find you.”

“I’m over here,” April called.

Riley crept in that direction, but a moment later she heard her daughter’s voice speak from another direction.

“I’m over here.”

Then the voice echoed through the darkness.

“I’m over here … I’m over here … I’m over here …”

It wasn’t just one voice, and it wasn’t just one girl. Many girls were calling for her help. And she had no idea how to reach any of them.

Riley was awakened from her nightmare by a squeeze of her hand. She had fallen asleep holding onto April’s hand, and now April was starting to wake up. Riley sat up straighter and looked at her daughter lying in the bed.

April’s face was still somewhat pasty and pale, but her hand was stronger and not cold anymore. She looked much better than she had yesterday. Her night in the clinic had done her a lot of good.

April managed to focus her eyes on Riley. Then the tears came, just as Riley knew they would.

“Mom, what if you hadn’t come?” April said in a choked voice.

Riley felt her own eyes sting. April had asked the same question countless times now. Riley couldn’t bear to even imagine the answer, much less say it aloud.

Riley’s cell phone rang. She saw that it was Mike Nevins, a forensic psychiatrist who was also her good friend. He had gotten Riley through a lot of personal crises, and had been glad to help with this one.

“Just checking in,” Mike said. “I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”

Riley was happy to hear Mike’s friendly voice.

“Not at all, Mike. Thanks for calling.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Better, I think.”

Riley didn’t know what she would have done without Mike’s help. After Riley had gotten April away from Joel, yesterday had been a bedlam of emergency services, medical treatments, and police reports. Yesterday evening Mike had arranged for April to be admitted here to the Corcoran Hill Health and Rehab Center.

It was much nicer than the hospital. Even with all the necessary equipment, the room was attractive and comfortable. Through the window Riley could see trees on well-manicured grounds.

Just then, April’s doctor came into the room. They ended the call as Dr. Ellis Spears entered, a kindly-looking man with a youthful face but a few telltale gray hairs.

He touched April’s hand and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Not great,” she said.

“Well, give yourself some time,” he said. “You’re going to be fine. Ms. Paige, could I have a word with you?”

Riley nodded and followed him out into the hall. Dr. Spears looked over some information on his clipboard.

“The heroin is almost cleared out of her system now,” he said. “The boy gave her a dangerous dose. Fortunately, it leaves the bloodstream quickly. She’s not likely to have any more physical withdrawal symptoms. The distress she’s going through right now is more emotional than physical.”

“Is she going to …?” Riley couldn’t bring herself to finish the question.

Fortunately, the doctor understood what she wanted to know.

“Relapse or have cravings? It’s hard to say. First-time heroin use can feel wonderful – like nothing else in the world. She’s not an addict at this point, but she’s not likely to forget that feeling. There’s always a danger that she’ll be drawn back to the glow it gave her.”

Riley grasped what the doctor was getting at. From now on, it was going to be vitally important to keep April away from any possibility of drug use. It was a terrifying prospect. April now admitted to smoking pot and taking pills – some were apparently prescription painkillers, very dangerous opioids.

“Dr. Spears, I – ”

For a moment, Riley had trouble forming the question that was on her mind.

“I don’t understand what happened,” she said. “Why would she do something like this?”

The doctor smiled at her sympathetically. Riley guessed that he heard this question quite often.

“Escape,” he said. “But I’m not talking about a complete escape from life. She’s not that kind of user. In fact, I don’t think she’s really a user by nature at all. Like all teenagers, she runs really short on impulse control. That’s simply a matter of an immature brain. She really liked the short-term high those drugs gave her. Fortunately, she hasn’t used enough to do herself any lasting harm.”

Dr. Spears thought silently for a moment.

“Her experience was unusually traumatic,” he said. “I’m talking about how that boy was trying to exploit her sexually. That memory alone might be enough to keep her away from drugs for good. But it’s also possible that emotional distress could be a dangerous trigger.”

Riley’s heart sank. Emotional distress seemed an unavoidable fact of family life these days.

“We need to watch her for a few days,” Dr. Spears said. “After that, she’ll need lots of care, rest, and help with self-analysis.”

The doctor excused himself and continued on his rounds. Riley stood in the hall, feeling alone and troubled.

Is this what happened to Jilly? she wondered. Could April have ended up like that desperate child?

Two months ago in Phoenix, Arizona, Riley had rescued a girl even younger than April from prostitution. An odd emotional bond had formed between them, and Riley had tried to stay in touch with her after placing her in a shelter for teenagers. But a couple of days ago, Riley had been notified that Jilly had run away. Unable to return to Phoenix, Riley called an FBI agent there for help. She knew the man felt indebted to her, and she expected to hear from him today.

Meanwhile, at least Riley was where she needed to be for April.

She was headed back toward her daughter’s room when she heard a voice call her name from down the hallway. She turned and saw the worried face of her ex-husband, Ryan, coming toward her. When she’d called him yesterday to tell him what had happened, he’d been in Minneapolis working on a court case.

Riley was surprised to see him. Ryan’s daughter tended to be low on his list of priorities – lower than his job as a lawyer, and much lower than the freedom he was now enjoying as a bachelor. She’d doubted that he would even show up.

But now he rushed toward Riley and hugged her, his face full of concern.

“How is she? How is she?”

Ryan kept repeating the question, making it difficult for Riley to reply.

“She’s going to be all right,” Riley finally managed to say.

Ryan pulled out of the embrace and looked at Riley with an anguished expression.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so, so sorry. You told me that April was having problems, but I didn’t listen. I should have been here for both of you.”

Riley didn’t know what to say. Apologies weren’t Ryan’s style. In fact, she’d expected him to heap all sorts of blame on her for what had happened. That had always been his normal way of dealing with family crises. Apparently, what had just happened to April was terrible enough to affect him. He had surely already talked with the doctor and learned the whole awful story.

He nodded toward the door.

“Can I see her?” he asked.

“Of course,” Riley said.

Riley stood in the doorway and watched as Ryan rushed to April’s bed and took her in his arms. He held his daughter tight for a few moments. Riley thought she saw his back heave with a single sob. Then he sat down beside April and held her hand.

April was crying again.

“Oh, Daddy, I messed up so bad,” she said. “You see, I was going through this thing with this guy – ”

Ryan touched her on the lips to quiet her.

“Shh. You don’t need to tell me. It’s all right.”

Riley felt a lump form in her throat. Suddenly, for the first time in a very long time, she felt as if the three of them were a family. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Was it a sign of better times to come, or yet another build-up to disappointment and heartbreak? She had no idea.

Riley watched from the doorway as Ryan gently stroked his daughter’s hair, and April closed her eyes and relaxed. It was a touching sight.

When did things go so wrong? she wondered.

She found herself wishing she could turn back time to some crucial moment when she’d made some terrible mistake, and do everything differently so that all this would never have happened. She felt pretty sure that Ryan was thinking much the same thing.

It was an ironic thought, and she knew it. The killer she had taken down the day before yesterday had been obsessed with clocks, posing and arranging his victims like hands on a clock face. And now here she was, with her own yearnings about time.

If only I could have kept Peterson away from her, she thought with a shudder.

Like Riley, April had been caged and tormented by that sadistic monster and his propane torch. The poor girl had been struggling with PTSD ever since.

But the truth was, Riley knew that the problem went back further than that.

Maybe if Ryan and I had never gotten divorced, she mused.

But how could that have been avoided? Ryan had been distant and disengaged both as a husband and a father, aside from being a philanderer. Not that she held him solely to blame. She’d made her own share of mistakes. She’d never struck the right balance between her FBI work and being a mother. And she’d not seen a lot of the warning signs that April was headed for trouble.

Her sadness deepened. No, she couldn’t think of one particular moment when she could have changed everything. Her life had been too full of mistakes and missed opportunities. Besides, she knew perfectly well that she couldn’t turn back time. There was no point in yearning for the impossible.

Her phone rang, and she stepped out into the hallway again. Her heart beat faster when she saw that the call was from Garrett Holbrook, the FBI agent who had taken on the search for Jilly.