by Blake Pierce
“There was another girl,” Riley said. “I took her from a truck stop to a shelter. Her name’s Jilly, and she never had a decent break in her life up until now. Thank goodness, she’s getting the best help anyone could give her. Both Jilly and Sandy will need some time, but they’ll have a chance now. They’ll have a choice.”
She could hear Shane Hatcher’s words again.
“It’s all about choice.”
Her own choice, she decided, was to never call on Hatcher’s help again. There was no denying that he had helped her find her way through puzzling crimes, but his advice sprang from a darker place than she had ever encountered. She didn’t want to go there ever again.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. She heard Gabriela answer the door and tell somebody, “They’re out back.”
April stood up to see who had come in.
She then looked back at Riley, looking deflated.
“It’s Dad,” she said in a flat, emotionless voice.
Riley felt like fleeing the scene, but she didn’t move. How dare he show up now, after ignoring April when she’d needed him so badly?
When Ryan came out onto the deck, she stared coldly up at him and said, “What the hell do you want?”
Ryan put one arm around April and said, “I’m so glad you’re OK, honey.”
He turned to Riley and added, “I’m sorry, Riley. I know I was being rotten when you called me.”
When Riley made no reply, he added, “It seems like you never want to talk to me unless you need something.”
Riley replied, “Your daughter needed something.”
“I know. I hope you both can forgive me.”
April ducked out from under his arm and went back down to the yard to join Crystal.
Without being invited, Ryan turned the empty chair and sat down facing Riley. Riley was studiously ignoring him.
“You’ve got a nice place here,” he said. “I’m glad you got out of that little dump in the country where you lived before.”
Riley knew that he was reminding her that she had him to thank. And it was true. She had been able to buy this townhouse that she and April and Gabriela all loved because Ryan was being generous with child support. Her ex-husband wasn’t stingy with his money—just with himself.
“Yes,” she said reluctantly. “We’re all happy here. Now I have an easy drive to Quantico and April has no problem getting to school.”
Riley finally looked directly at him. She realized that Ryan looked good. He was as handsome as ever.
He leaned forward and spoke earnestly. “I miss you both. I think we should see more of each other. After all, we were together for a long time. We’re still a family.”
Riley could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“What happened to …” Riley couldn’t remember the name of the woman Ryan had been seeing.
“It wasn’t the same with her.”
Riley’s jaw dropped a little.
He wants me back, she realized.
Didn’t he have any idea how through with him she was?
“Well,” she said, “I’m sure you’ll find the right woman someday.”
Now Ryan looked hurt. But Riley was determined not to show him any sympathy.
She said, “You say we’re still a family. But we were never a family—at least not all three of us. You were never there.”
“I can change,” Ryan said.
“Face facts, Ryan. You’re never going to change. April and I both gave you every chance, for years and years. It’s not going to happen.”
She sensed that her bitterness showed in her face.
Ryan looked out over the backyard.
“I guess you’re probably enjoying your freedom,” he said.
Riley groaned. That was him all over, reducing her motives to his own level. She had a world of reasons not to get back together with him, but he had to believe that this was the most important one. Still, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
She said, “As a matter of fact, I am enjoying my freedom. And you’re not going to be part of it.”
Before Ryan could reply, the doorbell rang again. In a few moments, Gabriela appeared, joined by their next-door neighbor, Blaine Hildreth—Crystal’s father.
Gabriela’s eyes were gleaming. Unable to suppress a giggle, she turned and hurried away.
Blaine took one look at Ryan and Riley and stopped in his tracks.
“Oh,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Actually, you are,” Ryan said gruffly.
Oh Jesus, Riley thought. Is this going to turn into a testosterone-fueled pissing contest?
Ryan was the taller of the two, and the better dressed in his expensive, casual clothes. But Riley didn’t find him the least bit attractive at the moment. Blaine was younger, and he seemed livelier, more engaged with the world. And at the moment, he was showing much better manners.
“Actually, you’re not,” Riley told Blaine. “Ryan was just leaving.”
Ryan glared at her, looking completely defeated, and a smoldering rage forming behind those eyes. A look meant to intimidate.
Riley, though, was through being intimidated. She remembered how she’d blocked her father’s punch and had finally stood up to him. The memory stuck with her, and it was oddly empowering. After all these years, Ryan still had no idea who he was dealing with, what she was capable of.
She held his gaze and glared back.
She repeated in a commanding voice, “Weren’t you, Ryan?”
From the look on his face, Riley was pretty sure he’d gotten the message. Without a word, he stood up and stalked back through the house. She heard the front door close behind him.
“Well, I guess I’ve just met your ex,” Blaine said.
Riley laughed a little. “That was him.”
Blaine chuckled as well. “How did things go in Arizona? Any new stories to tell?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of processing to do before I can talk about it.”
“I understand.”
The sounds of giggling girls’ voices were coming up from the yard. Riley was sure the giggling was all about what had been going on among the adults.
Blaine got up and walked to the deck rail and called down to Crystal.
“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Crystal rolled her eyes, grinning from ear to ear.
“Come on, Dad. That’s so lame. We all know who you really came over to see.”
Blaine flushed, thoroughly embarrassed.
Riley was amused. Crystal had called the situation perfectly.
For a second, she was reminded of her father’s words.
“Never trust a man whose kids don’t hate him.”
She smiled inwardly. She guessed that this made Blaine trustworthy.
Blaine turned to her and still clearly embarrassed, took a deep breath and said, “Now that you’re back, I was wondering if you wanted to all have dinner together at the Grill. The four of us.”
Riley smiled, outwardly this time. It had been a long time since she’d been asked out on a formal date. It felt good. And being with Blaine, even though she barely knew him, felt good, too.
“I’d like that,” she said. “I’d like that very much.”
COMING SOON!
Book #4 in the Riley Paige mystery series!
In the meantime, please enjoy BEFORE HE KILLS, book #1 in the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series!
BEFORE HE KILLS
(a Mackenzie White Mystery--Book #1)
From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a heart-pounding new mystery series.
In the cornfields of Nebraska a woman is found murdered, strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn’t take long for the police to realize a serial killer is on the loose—and that his spree has just begun.
Detective Mackenzie White, young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force, finds hersel
f called in grudgingly to help solve it. As much as the other officers hate to admit it, they need her young, brilliant mind, which has already helped crack cold cases that had left them stumped. Yet even for Mackenzie this new case proves an impossible riddle, something the likes of which she—and the local force—have ever seen.
With the FBI called in, together, an intense manhunt ensues. Mackenzie, reeling from her own dark past, her failed relationships, and her undeniable attraction to the new FBI agent, finds herself battling her own demons as her hunt for the killer takes her to the darkest places of her mind. As she delves into the killer’s mind, obsessing over his twisted psychology, she finds that evil truly does exist. She only hopes it will not be too late to extricate herself from it, as her entire life collapses around her.
As more bodies turn up dead and a frantic race against time ensues, there is no way out but to find him before he kills again.
A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, BEFORE HE KILLS marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
Book #2 in the Mackenzie White Mystery series will be available soon.
BEFORE HE KILLS
(a Mackenzie White Mystery--Book #1)
Blake Pierce
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) and ONCE CRAVED (#3). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series.
ONCE GONE (book #1), which has over 100 five star reviews, is 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.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
