Girl Hunted (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3) Read online

  G I R L,

  H U N T E D

  (An Ella Dark FBI 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 LanaG, 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)

  ONCE LO
ST (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

  PROLOGUE

  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

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Amanda Huber swayed into the middle lane as she fiddled with the dials on her car stereo. She quickly jerked the car back straight and refocused. Finding a good driving song wasn’t nearly as important as staying alive.

  It was nearing midnight on a brisk March evening, and around thirty miles away, Amanda’s young daughter was waiting for her mother to get home. Amanda’s work had taken her to some shithole town just outside San Diego, meaning travel had taken up most of her day and all of her evening.

  Even more concerning was the babysitter fee which was piling up by the hour – a fee that a single mother with a growing toddler could scarcely afford. Every time the clock ticked two zeros was another thirty-five dollars to the bill. Amanda turned up the music, opened the window and put her foot down on the gas. She was on a long stretch of country road and welcomed the freedom to drive above the speed limit. If she kept things at a steady 80 MPH, she could be home in twenty minutes. The chances were that Chloe was still awake, probably collapsed on the sofa with that grumpy-but-tired face. She never went into a deep sleep when someone other than her mother put her to bed.

  The wind felt sharp on her face but it kept her alert. Amanda decided to stop clock-watching. It was 11:43. The chances of her being home before the hour were slim, so it was best to forget about it. Instead, she let her thoughts drift, falling into autopilot. What would she get Chloe for her birthday in a few weeks? When would that gym guy text her back? If she showed up late to work tomorrow, could she blame the exhausting journey and get away with it?

  Clunk.

  A sudden scraping sound jolted Amanda from her thoughts. She instinctively pushed the brake. What the hell was that? It sounded like it came from underneath the car. She checked her rear view mirror but couldn’t see anything on the darkened road. The lack of streetlamps didn’t help.

  Slowing down to a moderate 50 MPH, something didn’t feel quite right. The power steering had seemingly been disabled. There was a scraping sound coming from the rear passenger side. Amanda slammed her palms on the wheel.

  “For God’s sake. Just what I need.”

  She pulled into a small dirt alcove on the roadside and stepped out. The problem was obvious right away. Her back wheel had a huge rip along it. A small plume of smoke bellowed out.

  Amanda didn’t know a whole lot about cars, but she knew she couldn’t get back on the road with that.

  What were people supposed to do in situations like this? Call a breakdown company? Did she even have breakdown insurance? Was it going to be another chunk of cash she couldn’t afford? Whatever, she had no choice. Amanda grabbed her phone from the dashboard and opened up her Internet browser.

  The screen loaded. Then loaded some more. A minute later, Amanda was still staring at a white screen.

  “Oh, you gotta be kidding me,” she said. “No signal. Great.”

  She collapsed against the car and surveyed the street in both directions. Since getting on this country lane, she’d only seen one other car pass by. It wasn’t exactly teeming with life. Her thoughts jumped to the extremes. What if Chloe had been tantrum-ing all night? What if she was confused that her mom wasn’t there? Amanda locked her car up, and almost by instinct, began to walk down the country road, keeping herself perched on the small strip of grass that stretched parallel with it. Worst case scenario, she’d just have to walk home and pick up her piece of junk car another day. She didn’t care anymore. Besides, it gave her an excuse to blow off work tomorrow and enjoy some rest.

  Amanda kept her eye on her phone. Surely the signal must come back soon? She cursed into the air, damning anyone who chose to live in such secluded areas. As a lifelong city girl, the idea of living anywhere other than a major urban area was alien to her. In the city, you had everything you needed. If you broke down in Los Angeles, someone would be there to help you within seconds.

  The cold began to seep in. Amanda pulled up the hood on her jacket. She looked back, her car having now vanished from sight. Maybe when she returned another day, the car fairy might have fixed it, she laughed. If only. Such luck would never rain down on someone like her.

  Then a car horn made her jump back in fright. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard any car approach behind her. She turned around, startled to see a pair of headlights coming towards her.

  Amanda stepped back onto the grass and waved her arms around. She pulled down her head to appear less threatening to a potential savior. A silver Volkswagen pulled up in front of her. An old model, more ancient than hers. She couldn’t make out the driver in the darkness.

  His window rolled down and a head peered out.

  “You okay, miss?” a voice asked. “Don’t see many people wandering alone out here.”

  The man seemed nice, pleasant enough. Probably in his thirties. He was wearing a brown jacket with a red baseball cap. An odd choice, she thought, but she was in no position to be critique the man’s fashion sense. He might just save her an arduous journey.

  “Car broke down,” she said. “I just decided to walk the rest of the way.”

  The man laughed. “You’re gonna be walking a long way, sweetheart. Is that your Ford Focus back there?”

  “Yep, that’s mine,” Amanda said, not wanting to ask the inevitable question just yet.

  “I saw it. That’s what’s called a tire blowout. When did you last pump those wheels up?
”

  Amanda thought. “The last time I blew those tires up was… never,” she laughed. Unfortunately, the newcomer didn’t see the funny side. He shook his head.

  “You gotta throw some compressed air in there every couple o’ months. Or else, well, that happens.” He jerked his head in the direction of Amanda’s broken vehicle. “You made the right choice. Driving that would be a death sentence.”

  Amanda nodded and stuffed her hands into her pockets. She wasn’t in the mood for a vehicle education.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked.

  “La Mesa. What about you?”

  “I’m going a little bit further than that myself, but I can drop you off closer to home if you like. As long as you promise me you’ll get AAA out to fix that wreck behind us,” he smiled.

  “Would you? That would be fantastic, thank you.”

  The man leaned over to his passenger side and pushed the door open. He revved the engine. “No problem at all. Jump in.”

  Amanda sauntered towards the passenger side, and while the prospect of a free ride was attractive, she quickly felt the crushing weight of reality upon her. It was midnight, and she was getting into a stranger’s car. Wasn’t this how those horror stories began, with a naïve young woman desperate for help? She pulled open the car door, hoping that once she was in here, she’d find some relief among the commonplace nature of two people sharing a car ride. Perhaps they’d have something in common, she thought.

  The man’s car was unexpectedly filthy. Amanda had to contort herself in the passenger seat to avoid stepping in litter. She tried to steal a few glances at the man to get an idea of his character but didn’t want him to catch her staring. She caught a glimpse of her Ford in the wing mirror, disappearing like a sinking ship. Now, they were alone, and she struggled to contain her mounting heart rate. She breathed slowly and thought of Chloe.

  A mile down the road, the man turned his radio down. “So, what brings a young lady like you out here at this time of night?”

  “I’ve been on a training semester for work. Total waste of time.”

  “Sounds fancy.”