G I R L,

  T A K E N

  (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller —Book Two)

  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 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 four 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); of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT 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 © 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 spacedrone808, 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)

  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 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

  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 TH
REE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Nothing but open fields, and that was how she liked it.

  It was 7am, on the cusp of winter daybreak. Claire entered the park to the tapping of her running shoes. Not a soul in any direction. Just rows of trees on either side of her, and behind them a stretch of greenery which extended beyond her vision. There was nothing quite like exercise in the morning, despite the chilly weather. She had no idea how people could just up-and-go about their day without stretching their joints, pumping their blood, enlivening the endorphins. Without it, she thought, there was no enjoyment to life. Lethargy was the silent killer, and she’d make sure that it would never creep up on her like it did for so many.

  Green Valley Park was so vast that one could run for two hours and not see the same area twice. Claire usually followed the same route whenever she found herself here, but today she decided to mix things up for the sake of variety.

  It’s Friday, she thought. Let’s celebrate.

  She jogged up the path and took a hard right past a children’s play area. Like always, she kept her vision pointed straight ahead. She couldn’t bear the sight of anything to do with children, not since the operation. It brought up too many alien emotions that she struggled to control. Even worse was when she saw a discarded pushchair, or a child’s shoe lying in the road. There was something about these visuals that filled her with dread, heartache. A longing for something she wanted but couldn’t have.

  Claire thought that perhaps this new fitness kick was a result of her discovery that children were not in her future. In the three months since her finding, she’d come around to the idea. Accepted it for the truth that it was, and no amount of well-timed lovemaking or medical marvels would ever change. That was life. You could only control so much of it.

  But once the energy kicked in and she felt that rush, all thoughts of work and stress and circumstances disappeared. It was just her and the open wild, and no one could take that away.

  A curtain of mist hung above the nearby duck pond. The cold weather had banished any wildlife elsewhere. It was mid-February and winter was in full sway, but there was a hint of springtime lingering beyond the veil. A brief flash of sunshine or freshly sprung daffodil. The idea that brighter mornings and warmer weather might ease the pain of her recent troubles jumped into her mind, but she pushed them to one side to concentrate on the now. Live in the now, not in the what-might-be, she told herself.

  These pathways had been familiar. A stray from her usual route, but not completely untouched by her pink Nike running shoes in recent weeks. She came to a cross-section with three different directions, and for the first time she continued onward along the same pathway, choosing not to veer left or right. The concrete gave way to a long strip of muddy grass, leading downward and round across a small bridge. Beneath her, a river gushed with surprising force. She briefly stopped to admire its crystal waters, then continued on until she reached the flat ground again.

  Claire had never seen this part of Green Valley before. She turned back to remind herself where she’d come from but couldn’t make out much since sunrise was still around thirty minutes away. A little brightness was present on this morning, but darkness had a majority seat. She still had two hours before work began, so there was time to indulge in some adventure. Besides, she was hoping that there’d be an exit back on to the road down here. Green Valley had so many ins and outs, she doubted even the rangers knew them all.

  Things turned darker down here. The Ironwood trees reached higher, the shrubbery denser. Veering from the pathway onto a stretch of grass, a sense of claustrophobia began to creep in. The grass made less impact on her feet, so she was glad of the respite, but she decided that if she couldn’t find an exit in this section, she’d make a return journey to familiar territory.

  Something made her stop. Right there amidst a copse of trees. She stopped and listened to her own breathing for a second, then took a drink from her flask. She surveyed her surroundings, spotting some outdoor gym equipment, rusted to the point of collapse. The unfamiliar terrain jolted a sudden fight or flight response. Something told her to get the hell out of there.

  It was pure intuition, the same thing that told her what the doctors were going to say before they said it. The same thing that told her that her husband still loved her despite her limitations.

  The trees rustled. Not from the wind shaking their crests, but down below near the ground. Right next to her.

  Then there was movement. A shadow passed beside her, rustling through leaves and stomping through the plant life at their feet. She saw a human outline, face concealed with a grey hood and no workout clothing to speak of. Whoever it was, they weren’t here for the same reason as everyone else in a public park at 7am.

  The figure rushed past, keeping their face down towards the ground. Claire watched them disappear down the route she came from, then quickly turned around and continued on her way. Something made her feel uneasy here. Maybe it was the unfamiliar tracks, or the way this part of the valley felt lower, more unobserved. She always trusted her gut, so she began to scout around for an exit.

  But Claire caught something in her peripheral vision. Among the green and brown blurs up above, there was an unnatural sight. She stopped dead in her tracks, rubbed the sweat from her eyes and made sure that she wasn’t hallucinating.

  She edged closer, convincing herself that the visual in front of her was a construct of her imagination. A cluster of leaves, a few broken branches, a disturbed bird’s nest – all combined to resemble the image of an outstretched human.

  No. She saw the arms, legs, shoes, clothes. She saw the face, the widened eyes and the dropped jaw.

  Claire dropped her flask. Her hand sprung to her mouth to conceal a scream.

  There was a dead body hanging from the tree.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been staring in fright, but the rising sun cast new light on her discovery.

  This corpse had not only been strung up but displayed. Arms and legs were extended, attached to different tree branches. The mid-section had been tied to the main trunk. Claire was sure that the dead woman’s longish brown hair had been combed.

  She composed herself, and as she backtracked to get a clearer view, something made her jump back in fright.

  “Jesus Christ,” a voice shouted.

  Two people appeared beside her. Young men. They stared with the same combination of fascination and horror as Claire had. She tried to say something in response, but no words would form.

  Claire scrambled for the phone in her pocket, pulled it out and dialled 911. Someone answered on the first ring.

  “Nine-one-one, what department please?”

  “P-p-police,” she said, trying to catch her breath. She was patched through instantly. A man’s voice now.

  “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

  Like vultures around prey, another couple appeared beside her and stared with open jaws.

  “Dead body. Green Valley Park,” she stuttered. “South area.”

  “Stay on the line please, ma’am and we’ll trace your exact location. What else can you tell me about the body?”

  Claire ran over the words in her head, realizing she’d never put such a sentence together in her life. “The body has been tied to the tree.”

  She looked beside her and saw a man with a young child now staring up at the monstrosity too. Not surprising. Anyone passing by would surely see this.

  Then she thought back to the man in the grey hoodie.

  Why hadn’t he stopped and gawked like everyone else?

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ella Dark lifted opened the steel door and walked inside the storage unit. This wasn’t her ideal way of spending a Saturday morning, but it needed to be done. God knows she’d put it off long enough already.

  It had been a long time since she’d last been here, and only now did she realize how much she’d missed the familiar scent of her father’s old possessions. There was a part of him still attached to them, somehow. His face shone clearer when she held them. She could see the creases under his eyes and the grey patches in his hair. She could even hear that deep voice of his, full of bass, but still eloquent enough to portray worldliness. It had been 23 years since she last saw him, but she could still envision him as plain as day; the chiselled jaw, the black work-shirt, the hair that was beginning to thin but was still yet to recede. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that it had been over two decades since he’d passed away. It all felt so fresh and so recent, like her memories were carved from impenetrable stone. It was a small comfort to think that if she hadn’t forgotten his face by now, she never would.