Already Trapped (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3) Read online

  A L R E A D Y

  T R A P P E D

  (A Laura Frost Suspense Thriller —Book Three)

  B L A K E P I E R C E

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSIE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising nineteen books; of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising thirteen books; of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising five books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1), and MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

  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.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  Copyright © 2021 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 Shacil, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES

  HER LAST WISH (Book #1)

  HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

  HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)

  AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES

  CITY OF PREY (Book #1)

  CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)

  CITY OF BONES (Book #3)

  A YEAR IN EUROPE

  A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1)

  DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2)

  VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3)

  A FATALITY IN SPAIN (Book #4)

  SCANDAL IN LONDON (Book #5)

  AN IMPOSTOR IN DUBLIN (Book #6)

  SEDUCTION IN BORDEAUX (Book #7)

  JEALOUSY IN SWITZERLAND (Book #8)

  A DEBACLE IN PRAGUE (Book #9)

  ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

  GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)

  GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)

  GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)

  GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4)

  GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5)

  GIRL ERASED (Book #6)

  LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

  ALREADY GONE (Book #1)

  ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)

  ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)

  ALREADY MISSING (Book #4)

  ALREADY DEAD (Book #5)

  EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)

  DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)

  CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)

  MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)

  CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)

  MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)

  ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES

  LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)

  LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)

  LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)

  LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)

  LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)

  LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)

  LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)

  LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8)

  LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9)

  LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10)

  LEFT TO PREY (Book #11)

  LEFT TO LURE (Book #12)

  LEFT TO CRAVE (Book #13)

  THE AU PAIR SERIES

  ALMOST GONE (Book#1)

  ALMOST LOST (Book #2)

  ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)

  ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES

  FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)

  FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)

  FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)

  FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)

  FACE OF FURY (Book #5)

  FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)

  THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)

  THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)

  THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)

  THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)

  THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)

  THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)

  THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)

  THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)

  THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)

  THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)

  THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)

  THE PERFECT IMAGE (Book #16)

  THE PERFECT VEIL (Book #17)

  THE PERFECT INDISCRETION (Book #18)

  THE PERFECT RUMOR (Book #19)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  HOMECOMING (Book #5)

  TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  IF SHE RAN (Book #3)

  IF SHE HID (Book #4)

  IF SHE FLED (Book #5)

  IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)

  IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  STALKING (Book #5)

  KILLING (Book #6)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)
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  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  ONCE MISSED (Book #16)

  ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)

  BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)

  BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)

  BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ruby Patrickson had been looking for love for a while, and it wasn’t going so great. That last date had been awful. But there were plenty more fish in the sea. Besides, she had time. She was only twenty-five. Prince Charming was out there somewhere, and in the meantime, she could kiss a lot of frogs to see what they might turn into.

  Ruby sighed to herself as she looked at the stack of dishes by the sink. It had been a long day at work, and she didn’t even want to think about cleaning up. It was going to have to wait. She turned to her favorite dating app instead, where she saw she had a message from a new connection. Opening it, she saw a flirty conversation opener that made her bite her lip and smile. He wasn’t shy, whoever he was. She giggled quietly to herself as she typed out a response, leaning over the kitchen counter on her elbows, adding in a couple of winking faces at the end of her message. He was cute, at least assuming his profile image was accurate. She was more than interested.

  A sound outside made her frown a little. The condo was normally quiet at this time of night. Half the residents in this sleepy little Wisconsin town were retired and the other half, so it seemed to Ruby, were young families. Everywhere she looked, it was either proud parents with fat toddlers or old couples leaning on each other to walk.

  Maybe that was a little something to do with her current lack of a romantic life, but Ruby wasn’t going to analyze it too hard.

  Still, it was odd for someone to be out in the hall this late, after Ruby had finished her shift. She often felt like a criminal sneaking into her own home, trying not to wake anyone as she fumbled her keys in the lock. Now, someone was out there making enough noise that she could hear it through to the kitchen.

  She straightened up and wandered back out toward the front door, idly. She paused just beside it, glancing through the peephole. The hall lights were on, triggered by the motion sensors as she had walked in. Probably triggered again by whoever was out there a moment ago. There was no one there now.

  The lights went off while she looked through, leaving Ruby in darkness. She frowned. That was odd. If someone else had only just retriggered the motion sensor, why would the lights turn off? It wasn’t a power cut. Her own lights were still on.

  There was a soft sound somewhere behind her, making her freeze. If there was no one out in the hall, and the sound she’d heard was coming from inside her apartment, then…

  She looked around wildly, spinning so fast her auburn hair whipped around her shoulders. She half-expected to see some serial killer from a movie standing behind her, wearing a hockey mask or a sack over his face, wielding an axe. But there was no one there.

  She sighed, taking a breath. Come on, Ruby, get it together, she told herself. It’s probably just the building settling.

  Or that giant pile of dishes in the sink finally starting to give way.

  She passed a hand over her forehead, shaking herself mentally. What a stupid thing to get all nervous about. She’d been living alone for only a few months, since moving away from the home she shared with her sister. It was her first time. She was bound to be a bit skittish from time to time.

  Still, she was a grown woman, and this was just being ridiculous.

  Ruby heard a buzz from her pocket and reached for her phone, leaning against the door and grinning as she read a response from her new suitor. He was suggesting they meet up tonight. It was tempting, but she was tired. Better to string him along a bit, get him to take her out on the weekend for a drink or something. Ruby liked the flirting part. It would be over quickly once they’d actually been on a date—or stumbled into bed together. Then it would quickly dissolve—in her experience so far, into either a lack of contact altogether or an arrogant assumption that she would be there and ready the next time he wanted to see her.

  No, she’d drag the flirting out a bit first, get her fun out of it. She smiled to herself again as she typed out a reply, imagining him reading it.

  She stood from the door and pushed herself away from it, wandering around the corner into her bedroom. Just at the threshold, she froze again, then turned. Had she heard something else? Another creaking floorboard? Something shifting in the darkness?

  The kitchen light was still on, and nothing was casting any kind of unusual shadow. The room she could see was empty, just as she’d left it. Next door was the living room, still bathed in darkness. The door was only half-open. But there was no one in there. This was all absurd. Her heart racing—it was stupid. There was no one there.

  She looked into the darkness for what felt like a long time, straining to see something, not quite brave enough to go over and turn on the light and see it properly.

  The whole time she had been looking, the house had been silent. Ruby shook her head, tapping on the solid wooden doorframe for reassurance. There was nothing there. There never had been anything there. A settling floorboard. Maybe even just someone moving around upstairs. That’s all it was.

  She forced herself to turn again and reach for the light switch, heading into her bedroom. She slung her purse on the bed, reaching up to shrug a wool cardigan off her shoulders. She would get changed into something more comfortable, then make food and eat in front of the TV. And then, she thought, she’d be better off getting some sleep. She was obviously far too tired, her brain making up ghosts to scare her.

  Ruby reached for the bottom of her shirt, ready to pull it over her head—

  And a noise
, an unmistakable noise right behind her, made her spin around, bringing her face to face with terror.

  He was in her home—in her bedroom—reaching for her—reaching out something toward her—

  Ruby looked down, down at her own stomach, unable to understand for a moment. There was something in his hand. His hand was against her stomach. The thing in his hand was a knife.

  He had stabbed her.

  Realization brought pain. Ruby tried to scream and only managed a strangled gasp, trying to stumble backwards away from him. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t move. It was like her limbs were trapped in ice. There was pain, terrible pain, a feeling of wetness below her stomach. She backed away from him and then stumbled and fell.

  The knife was in his hands again. Ruby put her hand to her stomach, felt the warm liquid falling over her hands. She kicked back desperately, trying to find enough purchase to crawl away, to kick out at him. He leaned over her, his face a grim mask. She kicked out and he barely reacted. Ruby could only hear her own breathing, heavy in her ears. The pump of blood in her veins, improbably loud, like she was more aware of it now than she ever had been before only because it was spilling out of her.

  “No!” she said, her scream coming out as a strangled wheeze, as he drew back his hand. Then he plunged the knife down again, and Ruby’s attempt to push him away failed, and the last thing she knew was the bitter tear of the knife through her skin before she lost her grip on everything.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Laura Frost stood in her living room, holding the toy rabbit and wondering why it was in her hand. Why she’d pulled it up out of the bag she was holding. Why she’d even bought it at all.

  Laura sat down on her battered old couch, heavily, as she always seemed to lately. The whole living room seemed almost haunted since she’d come home and found black paint smeared across her wall as a warning. A warning to stay away from Amy Fallow, the six-year-old girl she had once managed to rescue from her father’s abusive clutches.

  But her father was Governor Fallow, and he had enough clout to pull enough strings to get his daughter back. It was a fact that had weighed heavily on Laura’s mind every day in the couple of weeks since. She’d been strictly forbidden to try to contact Amy in any way; her superior, Division Chief Rondelle, assured her that an investigation was underway and they were doing whatever they could.