Once Taken. Blake Pierce

you are.”

      “Mom, you’re scaring me,” April said, her voice trembling.

      That was just fine as far as Riley was concerned. She was plenty scared herself, and her daughter had every reason to be as scared as she was. She went to April’s closet, shined her flashlight around inside, and saw that no one was there. No one was under April’s bed either.

      What should she do next? She had to check every nook and corner in the rest of the house.

      Riley knew what her one-time partner Bill Jeffreys would say.

      Damn it, Riley, call for help.

      Her longstanding tendency to go things alone had always infuriated Bill. But this time, she was going to heed his advice. With April in the house, Riley wasn’t going to take any chances.

      “Put on a bathrobe and some shoes,” she said to her daughter. “But don’t leave this room – not yet.”

      Riley went back into her bedroom and picked up her phone from the side table. She punched autodial for the Behavioral Analysis Unit. As soon as she heard a voice on the line, she hissed, “This is Special Agent Riley Paige. There’s been an intruder in my home. He might still be here. I need someone here fast.” She thought for a second, then added, “And send an evidence team.”

      “We’ll get right on it,” came the reply.

      Riley ended the phone call and stepped out into the hall again. Except for the two bedrooms and the hallway, the house was still dark. He could be anywhere, lurking, waiting to attack. This man had caught her off guard once before, and she had nearly died at his hands.

      Switching lights on as she went and keeping her gun at the ready, Riley moved efficiently through the house. She aimed her flashlight into every closet and unlit corner.

      Finally, she glanced up at the hallway ceiling. The door above her led to the attic, with a pull-down ladder tucked away inside. Did she dare climb up there for a look?

      At that moment Riley heard police sirens. She breathed a huge sigh of relief at the sound. She realized that the agency had called in the local police, because BAU headquarters was more than half an hour away.

      She went to her bedroom and pulled on a pair of shoes and her bathrobe, then returned to April’s room.

      “Come with me,” she said. “Stay close.”

      Still holding her gun, Riley wrapped her left arm around April’s shoulders. The poor girl was trembling with fear. Riley led April to the front door and opened it just as several uniformed police officers came dashing up the sidewalk.

      The male officer in charge came into the house, his gun drawn.

      “What’s the problem?” he asked.

      “Someone was in the house,” Riley said. “He might still be here.”

      The officer eyed the gun in her hand uneasily.

      “I’m FBI,” Riley said. “BAU agents will be here soon. I’ve already searched the house, except the attic.” She pointed. “There’s a door in the ceiling over in the hall.”

      The officer called out, “Bowers, Wright, get in here and check the attic. The rest of you search outside, back and front.”

      Bowers and Wright went straight to the hallway and pulled down the ladder. Both drew their weapons. One waited at the bottom of the ladder while the other climbed upward and flashed a light around. In a few moments, the man disappeared into the attic.

      Soon a voice called out, “No one here.”

      Riley wanted to feel relieved. But the truth was, she more than half wished that Peterson had been up there. He could be arrested right here and now – or better yet, shot. She was all but sure that he wasn’t going to turn up in the front yard or the back.

      “Have you got a basement?” the lead officer asked.

      “No, just a crawl space,” Riley said.

      The officer called outside, “Benson, Pratt, check under the house.”

      April was still holding onto her mother for dear life.

      “What’s going on, Mom?” she asked.

      Riley hesitated. For years she’d avoided telling April much of the ugly truth about her work. But she had recently realized that she’d been overly protective. So she’d told April about her traumatic captivity at Peterson’s hands – or at least as much as she thought she could handle. She’d also confided her doubts that the man was really dead.

      But what should she tell April now? She wasn’t sure.

      Before Riley could make up her mind, April said, “It’s Peterson, isn’t it?”

      Riley hugged her daughter tightly. She nodded back, trying to hide the shiver that ran through her whole body.

      “He’s still alive.”

      Chapter 2

      An hour later, Riley’s house was swarming with people wearing uniforms or FBI labels. Heavily armed Federal agents and an evidence team were working with the police.

      “Bag those pebbles on the bed,” Craig Huang called out. “They’ll need to be examined for prints or DNA.”

      At first, Riley hadn’t been pleased to see that Huang was in charge. He was very young, and her previous experience working with him hadn’t gone well. But now she saw that he was giving solid orders and organizing the scene effectively. Huang was growing into his job.

      The evidence team was already at work combing every inch of the house and dusting for fingerprints. Other agents had disappeared into the darkness behind the house, trying to find vehicle tracks or some hint of a trail through the woods. Now that things seemed to be running smoothly, Huang led Riley away from the others into the kitchen. He and Riley sat down at the table. April joined them there, still badly shaken.

      “So what do you think?” Huang asked Riley. “Is there any chance that we’ll still find him?”

      Riley sighed with discouragement.

      “No, I’m afraid he’s long gone. He must have been here earlier this evening, before my daughter and I got home.”

      Just then a Kevlar-clad female agent came in from the back of the house. She had dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion, and she looked even younger than Huang.

      “Agent Huang, I found something,” the woman said. “Scratches on the back door lock. It looks like someone picked it open.”

      “Good work, Vargas,” Huang said. “Now we know how he got in. Could you stay with Riley and her daughter for a little while?”

      The young woman’s face lit up with delight.

      “I’ll be glad to,” she said.

      She sat at the table, and Huang left the kitchen to rejoin the others.

      “Agent Paige, I’m Agent María de la Luz Vargas Ramírez.” Then she grinned. “I know, it’s a mouthful. It’s a Mexican thing. People call me Lucy Vargas.”

      “I’m glad you’re here, Agent Vargas,” Riley said.

      “Just Lucy, please.”

      The young woman fell silent for a moment and just kept gazing at Riley. Finally she said, “Agent Paige, I hope I’m not out of line in saying this, but … it’s a real honor to meet you. I’ve been following your work ever since I went into training. Your whole record is just so amazing.”

      “Thank you,” Riley said.

      Lucy smiled with admiration. “I mean, the way you wrapped up the Peterson case – the whole story just amazes me.”

      Riley shook her head.

      “I wish things were that simple,” she said. “He’s not dead. He was the intruder here today.”

      Lucy stared back, stunned.

      “But