Once Hunted. Blake Pierce

to look inside the bin. Others who might ordinarily have checked the book truck closely as it left had been paid off too.

      Not that he was worried or nervous. He hadn’t felt such emotions for some three decades now. A man who had nothing to lose in life had no cause for anxiety or unease. The only thing that could arouse his interest was the promise of the unknown.

      He lay underneath the blanket, listening closely. He heard the wall clock tick the minute.

      Five more minutes, he thought.

      That was the plan. Those five minutes would give Freddy deniability. He could honestly say that he hadn’t seen Hatcher climb into the bin. He could say he’d thought Hatcher had actually left the library earlier. When five minutes were up, Freddy and the driver would return, and Hatcher would be carted out of the library and then driven out of the prison.

      Meanwhile, Hatcher allowed his thoughts to stray to what he was going to do with his freedom. He had recently heard some news that made the risk worthwhile – even interesting.

      Hatcher smiled when he thought about another person who would take keen interest in his escape. He wished he could see Riley Paige’s face when she found out he was at large.

      He chuckled ever so softly.

      It was going to be nice to see her again.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      Riley watched as April opened the box containing the Christmas present that Ryan had bought for her. She wondered just how in tune Ryan was with his daughter’s taste these days.

      April smiled as she took out a bangle bracelet.

      “It’s beautiful, Daddy!” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

      “I hear it’s quite the style these days,” Ryan said.

      “It is!” April said. “Thanks!”

      Then she gave Riley a barely noticeable wink. Riley suppressed a chuckle. Just a few days ago, April had told Riley how much she hated these silly bracelets that all the girls were wearing. In spite of that, April was doing a great job of acting enthusiastic.

      Of course, Riley knew that it wasn’t entirely an act. She could see that April was pleased that her father had at least made an effort to buy a Christmas present that she would like.

      Riley felt much the same way about the expensive handbag Ryan had bought for her. It wasn’t her style at all, and she’d never use it – except when she knew Ryan would be around. And for all she knew, Ryan felt exactly the same way about the wallet she and April had bought for him.

      We’re trying to be a family again, Riley thought.

      And for the moment, they seemed to be succeeding.

      It was Christmas morning, and Ryan had just come over to spend the day with them. Riley, April, Ryan, and Gabriela were all sitting near the roaring fireplace sipping on hot chocolate. The delicious smell of Gabriela’s grand Christmas dinner wafted in from the kitchen.

      Riley, April, and Ryan were all wearing the scarves that Gabriela had made for them, and Gabriela was wearing fluffy slippers that April and Riley had bought for her.

      The doorbell rang, and Riley went over to answer it. Her neighbor, Blaine, and his teenage daughter, Crystal, were standing outside.

      Riley was at once delighted and uneasy to see them. In the past, Ryan had shown more than a little jealousy toward Blaine – and not without reason, Riley had to admit. The truth was, she found him quite attractive.

      Riley couldn’t help mentally comparing him to both Bill and Ryan. Blaine was a couple of years younger than she was, lean and fit, and she liked the fact that he wasn’t vain enough to disguise his receding hairline.

      “Come on in!” Riley said.

      “Sorry, I can’t,” Blaine said. “I’ve got to get over to the restaurant. I brought Crystal by, though.”

      Blaine owned a popular restaurant downtown. Riley realized that she shouldn’t be surprised that it was open on Christmas day. Today’s holiday dinner at Blaine’s Grill must be delicious.

      Crystal hurried inside and joined the group at the fireplace. Giggling, she and April immediately tore into presents they had bought for each other.

      Riley and Blaine discreetly exchanged their Christmas cards, then Blaine left. When Riley rejoined the group, Ryan was looking rather sour. Riley tucked the card away without opening it. She’d wait until after Ryan was gone.

      My life certainly is complicated, she thought. But it was beginning to feel like an almost normal life, a version of life that she could enjoy.

*

      Riley’s footsteps echoed through a large dark room. Suddenly, there came the noisy crack of breaker switches. Lights came on, blinding her for a few seconds.

      Riley found herself in the corridor of what seemed to be a wax museum filled with grisly exhibits. To her right was a naked woman’s corpse, splayed doll-like against a tree. To her left was a dead woman wrapped in chains and hanging from a lamppost. An exhibit farther on displayed several women’s corpses with their arms bound behind their backs. Beyond that were starved dead bodies with their limbs grotesquely arranged.

      Riley recognized every scene. They were all cases she had worked on in the past. She had entered her own personal chamber of horrors.

      But what was she doing here?

      Suddenly she heard a young voice call out with terror.

      “Riley, help me!”

      She looked straight ahead and saw the silhouette of a young girl holding out her arms in desperate appeal.

      It looked like Jilly. She was in trouble again.

      Riley broke into a run toward her. But then another light came on and showed that the silhouette wasn’t Jilly at all.

      It was a grizzled old man wearing the full dress uniform of a Marine colonel.

      It was Riley’s own father. And he was laughing at Riley’s mistake.

      “You didn’t expect to find anybody alive, did you?” he said. “You’re no good to anybody unless they’re dead. How many times do I have to tell you?”

      Riley was puzzled. Her father had died months ago. She didn’t miss him. She did her best never to think about him. He’d always been a hard man who had never given her anything but pain.

      “What are you doing here?” Riley asked.

       “Just passing through.” He chuckled. “Checking in to see how you’re botching your life. Same as always, I see.”

      Riley wanted to lunge at him. She wanted hit him as hard as she could. But she found herself frozen where she stood.

      Then came a loud buzzing sound.

      “Wish we could chat,” he said. “But you’ve got other business.”

      The buzzing became louder and louder. Her father turned and walked away.

      “You never did anybody a lick of good,” he said. “Not even yourself.”

      Riley’s eyes snapped open. She realized that her phone was ringing. The clock showed that it was 6:00 a.m.

      She saw that the call was from Quantico. A call at this hour had to mean something dire.

      She answered the phone and heard the stern voice of her team chief, Special Agent in Charge Brent Meredith.

      “Agent Paige, I need you in my office right now,” he said. “That’s an order.”

      Riley rubbed her eyes.

      “What’s it about?” she asked.

      There was a short pause.

      “We’ll have to discuss it in person,” he said.

      He ended the call.