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  C I T Y O F V I C E

  (An Ava Gold Mystery—Book Six)

  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 JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising twenty-four 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 sixteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising fourteen books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MAY MOORE mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the CORA SHIELDS mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the NICKY LYONS mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).

  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 © 2022 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 Bruce Rolff used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  CORA SHIELDS MYSTERY SERIES

  UNDONE (Book #1)

  UNWANTED (Book #2)

  UNHINGED (Book #3)

  MAY MOORE SUSPENSE THRILLER

  NEVER RUN (Book #1)

  NEVER TELL (Book #2)

  NEVER LIVE (Book #3)

  NEVER HIDE (Book #4)

  NEVER FORGIVE (Book #5)

  NEVER AGAIN (Book #6)

  PAIGE KING MYSTERY SERIES

  THE GIRL HE PINED (Book #1)

  THE GIRL HE CHOSE (Book #2)

  THE GIRL HE TOOK (Book #3)

  THE GIRL HE WISHED (Book #4)

  THE GIRL HE CROWNED (Book #5)

  THE GIRL HE WATCHED (Book #6)

  VALERIE LAW MYSTERY SERIES

  NO MERCY (Book #1)

  NO PITY (Book #2)

  NO FEAR (Book #3)

  NO SLEEP (Book #4)

  NO QUARTER (Book #5)

  NO CHANCE (Book #6)

  NO REFUGE (Book #7)

  NO GRACE (Book #8)

  NO ESCAPE (Book #9)

  RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES

  HER LAST WISH (Book #1)

  HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

  HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)

  HER LAST FEAR (Book #4)

  HER LAST CHOICE (Book #5)

  HER LAST BREATH (Book #6)

  HER LAST MISTAKE (Book #7)

  HER LAST DESIRE (Book #8)

  AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES

  CITY OF PREY (Book #1)

  CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)

  CITY OF BONES (Book #3)

  CITY OF GHOSTS (Book #4)

  CITY OF DEATH (Book #5)

  CITY OF VICE (Book #6)

  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)

  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)

  GIRL, FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  GIRL, TRAPPED (Book #8)

  GIRL, EXPENDABLE (Book #9)

  GIRL, ESCAPED (Book #10)

  GIRL, HIS (Book #11)

  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)

  ALREADY TAKEN (Book #6)

  ALREADY CHOSEN (Book #7)

  ALREADY LOST (Book #8)

  ALREADY HIS (Book #9)

  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)

  LEFT TO LOATHE (Book #14)

  LEFT TO HARM (Book #15)

  LEFT TO RUIN (Book #16)

  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)
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  THE PERFECT COUPLE (Book #20)

  THE PERFECT MURDER (Book #21)

  THE PERFECT HUSBAND (Book #22)

  THE PERFECT SCANDAL (Book #23)

  THE PERFECT MASK (Book #24)

  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)

  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 MURDER (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 ONE

  Bobby Wayne was really worried that within two months’ time, his family would be starving. Even though he had a job, it gave him no security. He’d been working for a cab company in Midtown Manhattan for about a year now and, for a while, things had been going great. Automobiles seemed to be an accepted part of life now, so the hesitancy to rely on them was quickly fading away. People had been generous in their tips and his stellar performance behind the wheel had even nudged his supervisors into increasing his wages a bit.

  But then the market crashed. There had been rumors of it for a while but when it had actually hit, it was almost as if things had changed overnight. Many people no longer had the finances to be able to afford the services of a cab. And those that did were certainly not as generous with their tips anymore. In fact, the company he worked for had already released three drivers because of cutbacks and he was all but certain he would be next. He’d only had nine fares in the past two days, a time period in which he’d averaged about twenty-five previously.

  Bobby knew if he lost his job, the savings he’d accumulated would get them through a few weeks. But if things didn’t turn around soon, he was going to have to start planning for his family in a totally different way. He already knew that there were people starving on the streets—most of them immigrants, but people were people as far as he was concerned—and the thought of his family soon being among them broke his heart. He had three kids and a saint of a wife; the idea of not being able to provide for them and keep them comfortable gnawed at his heart.

  Bobby was taking his cab around his assigned area for the sixth time, winding his shift down as he passed along the night-shrouded streets. There were people coming and going, a small hustle-and-bustle that New York City was coming to adapt as part of its charm, but there was a bit less joy and enthusiasm to it these days. Bobby thought even the rich and supposedly unbreakable were starting to feel the pinch of the market crash but were unable to admit it to themselves just yet.

  But when they had to face it head on in several weeks or months, this city might look very different indeed.

  The sad truth of the matter was that desperation was starting to sink in for a lot of people. Bobby could see that on the streets. The night crowds were getting thinner and, during the day, there seemed to be an invisible sort of weight pressing down on everyone. Here they were, in a city that kept creating buildings that seemed to want to burst the sky open, but now that very same sky was pretty much collapsing on their heads.

  Bobby came to a stop at an intersection. He looked ahead and saw a street with just a few milling people, most of the lights already out at just ten o’clock at night. A month ago, it would have been a very different picture indeed. He just couldn’t get over how quickly things had changed, how fast the city had brought so many people to a sudden halt.

  He was so saddened by the sight of the streets ahead that he had no warning at all when the terrible, deafening sound erupted beside his cab.

  He heard a slamming noise, something like metal being torn apart, and then glass breaking. It was so loud and sudden that Bobby let out a little shriek, jumping in his seat. He looked to his right and though he clearly knew what he was looking at, it took his mind a moment to process it.

  There was a body stretched out on the hood of a car. Judging from the sound that had startled him, the wrecked condition of the hood and the shattered windshield, Bobby knew exactly what had happened.

  This poor man had just jumped to his death. It was nothing new, not really. Bobby had read plenty of stories in the papers about people—particularly banker and investment types that had lost tons of money as a result of the crash-- jumping to their deaths or putting bullets in their own heads.

  Bobby got out of his cab on shaky feet and started walking toward the tragic sight. But he made it no farther than the hood of his own car. It was just too awful. The man’s neck had snapped, his left leg was bent at an impossible angle, and his entire body was twisted in a way that defied explanation. Bobby was grateful that the dead man’s head wasn’t turned in his direction.

  And then there was all the blood. It was everywhere, visible even in the darkness and somehow sparkling in
the shattered glass.

  It was too much for Bobby. It wasn’t just the brutal death of this man but, as he stood there on the darkened street, Bobby saw this man as the state of the city. And if things didn’t change soon, he feared there would be no hope for his family—or the millions of others that called New York home.

  CHAPTER TWO

  When Ava had first started working under Captain Minard’s watchful eye, she’d found herself nervous and on edge whenever she spoke with him. It had been even worse whenever she’d had to enter his office. The uneasy feeling had lightened up a bit when she’d become a detective, but she still felt a little out of place.

  She felt that again as she looked at his office door. It was 12:56, and she had a meeting scheduled for 1:00. When she’d discovered Frank had also been called to join the meeting, she felt a bit better, but not much.

  They sat together at Frank’s desk, looking in that direction and waiting for the next four minutes to pass. Sitting in her anxiousness, Ava thought back over their last few months together—particularly how they’d quickly evolved from head-butting partners to something much more romantic. They were not lovers, because they’d not yet slept together, but the physical act was the only thing missing from the label. As such, she could usually read Frank fairly well but, right now, she couldn’t tell if he was nervous or not; the man wore his expressions like a cheap, gray suit. It was impossible to read him most of the time.

  “Do you have any idea what this might be about?” Ava asked.

  “No. No more than you do. It could be about maybe dividing a few detectives up to create some sort of task force regarding the crimes and deaths related to this market crash. It’s getting out of hand. There were two more last night. Did you hear about them?”

  “Yeah.” She had heard about them, but she tried not to obsess over them. She hated the idea that power and money had so much sway over how people viewed their lives. Money could be earned back, after all. A wasted life ended too early could not.

  She also didn’t think this would be the reason behind the meeting. She knew that Minard valued Frank’s position as detective on his force. She highly doubted Minard would use Frank on some sort of side project to look into crashed market-based crimes.