Almost Lost. Блейк Пирс

Pierce

      Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes sixteen books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising thirteen books (and counting); 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 five books (and counting); of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising five books (and counting); of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising two books (and counting); and of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising two 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 © 2019 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 Suzanne Tucker, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

      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)

      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)

      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)

      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 MURDER (Book #2)

      A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

      A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

      A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

AUTHOR NOTE:

      You may have noticed that this book was first published with the author name “Ophelia Night.” Occasionally I like to experiment and try new genres, and when doing so, I might use a pen name to keep it separate and prevent confusion for my fans. I initially published this book with the Ophelia Night pen name. Soon after publishing it, I was happily surprised by the reception and reader feedback, and I realized that this book and series would indeed be a good fit for all Blake Pierce fans. So I’ve changed the author name back to Blake Pierce. If this is your first time reading one of my books, welcome to the Blake Pierce universe! Feel free to discover my other series. I have made the first books—and audiobooks-in most of my series free to enjoy!

      CHAPTER ONE

      Cassandra Vale stood in the long, slow-moving queue for the London Eye. After half an hour’s wait, she was close enough to see the giant wheel looming above her, its steel span arching into the overcast sky. The aerial view of London was a major attraction even on this gloomy November day.

      She was on her own, although it seemed everyone else was here with friends or family. In front of her was a nervous blonde woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, about Cassie’s age. She was in charge of three unruly, dark-haired boys. Bored with the wait, they had started shouting and squabbling, jostling each other and breaking away from the line. They were causing such a disruption