Already His (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 9)

By Blake Pierce

FBI Special Agent Laura Frost is summoned to a mysterious crime scene: a victim has been left tied to a carved, wooden figurehead from an old ship—the second such victim in two weeks. What is the symbolism behind this killer’s signature? And can her psychic gift lead her to the answer?

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery.”
—Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALREADY HIS (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller) is book #9 in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. The Laura Frost series begins with ALREADY GONE (Book #1).

FBI Special Agent and single mom Laura Frost, 35, is haunted by her talent: a psychic ability which she refuses to face and which she keeps secret from her colleagues. While Laura gets obscured glimpses of what the killer may do next, she must decide whether to trust her confusing gift—or her investigative work.

The figurehead is rife with ancient myth and symbolism, and any of the lore might be the driving motive behind this killer’s warped M.O.

But entering his mind is the only way to find out—and that is the one thing Laura does not want to do.

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the LAURA FROST series is a startlingly fresh mystery, rife with suspense, twists and turns, shocking revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

Future books in the series will be available soon.

“An edge of your seat thriller in a new series that keeps you turning pages! ...So many twists, turns and red herrings… I can't wait to see what happens next.”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A strong, complex story about two FBI agents trying to stop a serial killer. If you want an author to capture your attention and have you guessing, yet trying to put the pieces together, Pierce is your author!”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A typical Blake Pierce twisting, turning, roller coaster ride suspense thriller. Will have you turning the pages to the last sentence of the last chapter!!!”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Right from the start we have an unusual protagonist that I haven't seen done in this genre before. The action is nonstop… A very atmospheric novel that will keep you turning pages well into the wee hours.”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Everything that I look for in a book… a great plot, interesting characters, and grabs your interest right away. The book moves along at a breakneck pace and stays that way until the end. Now on go I to book two!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Exciting, heart pounding, edge of your seat book… a must read for mystery and suspense readers!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blake Pierce
• Release date: Nov 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094376226

Book preview

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A L R E A D Y

H I S

(A Laura Frost Suspense Thriller—Book Nine)

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 twenty four 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 sixteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising fourteen books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the MAY MOORE mystery series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the CORA SHIELDS mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the NICKY LYONS mystery series, comprising five 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.

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Copyright © 2022 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 fran_kie, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

NICKY LYONS MYSTERY SERIES

ALL MINE (Book #1)

ALL HIS (Book #2)

ALL HE SEES (Book #3)

ALL ALONE (Book #4)

ALL FOR ONE (Book #5)

CORA SHIELDS MYSTERY SERIES

UNDONE (Book #1)

UNWANTED (Book #2)

UNHINGED (Book #3)

UNSAID (Book #4)

UNGLUED (Book #5)

MAY MOORE SUSPENSE THRILLER

NEVER RUN (Book #1)

NEVER TELL (Book #2)

NEVER LIVE (Book #3)

NEVER HIDE (Book #4)

NEVER FORGIVE (Book #5)

NEVER AGAIN (Book #6)

NEVER LOOK BACK (Book #7)

NEVER FORGET (Book #8)

NEVER LET GO (Book #9)

NEVER PRETEND (Book #10)

NEVER HESITATE (Book #11)

PAIGE KING MYSTERY SERIES

THE GIRL HE PINED (Book #1)

THE GIRL HE CHOSE (Book #2)

THE GIRL HE TOOK (Book #3)

THE GIRL HE WISHED (Book #4)

THE GIRL HE CROWNED (Book #5)

THE GIRL HE WATCHED (Book #6)

THE GIRL HE WANTED (Book #7)

THE GIRL HE CLAIMED (Book #8)

VALERIE LAW MYSTERY SERIES

NO MERCY (Book #1)

NO PITY (Book #2)

NO FEAR (Book #3)

NO SLEEP (Book #4)

NO QUARTER (Book #5)

NO CHANCE (Book #6)

NO REFUGE (Book #7)

NO GRACE (Book #8)

NO ESCAPE (Book #9)

RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES

HER LAST WISH (Book #1)

HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)

HER LAST FEAR (Book #4)

HER LAST CHOICE (Book #5)

HER LAST BREATH (Book #6)

HER LAST MISTAKE (Book #7)

HER LAST DESIRE (Book #8)

HER LAST REGRET (Book #9)

HER LAST HOUR (Book #10)

AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES

CITY OF PREY (Book #1)

CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)

CITY OF BONES (Book #3)

CITY OF GHOSTS (Book #4)

CITY OF DEATH (Book #5)

CITY OF VICE (Book #6)

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)

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)

GIRL, FORSAKEN (Book #7)

GIRL, TRAPPED (Book #8)

GIRL, EXPENDABLE (Book #9)

GIRL, ESCAPED (Book #10)

GIRL, HIS (Book #11)

GIRL, LURED (Book #12)

GIRL, MISSING (Book #13)

GIRL, UNKNOWN (Book #14)

LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ALREADY GONE (Book #1)

ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)

ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)

ALREADY MISSING (Book #4)

ALREADY DEAD (Book #5)

ALREADY TAKEN (Book #6)

ALREADY CHOSEN (Book #7)

ALREADY LOST (Book #8)

ALREADY HIS (Book #9)

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)

LEFT TO LOATHE (Book #14)

LEFT TO HARM (Book #15)

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)

THE PERFECT COUPLE (Book #20)

THE PERFECT MURDER (Book #21)

THE PERFECT HUSBAND (Book #22)

THE PERFECT SCANDAL (Book #23)

THE PERFECT MASK (Book #24)

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 MURDER (Book #2)

A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

CONTENTS

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 ONE

Charlie scratched the back of his neck and yawned. These early-morning shifts were a killer, and they always seemed to be even worse after the weekend. You’d think a couple of days off would give him time to recuperate and rest, but come Monday morning, Charlie always felt even worse than he had on Friday.

Well, the work wasn’t going to do itself.

Charlie got out of his car and ambled toward his workplace in the docks of Jones Harbor, his bones slow and stiff with the cold. December was never a great time to work on the docks, just as Monday morning wasn’t. It was cold, threatening more and more snow each day, and with the rest of the town giving fully into the Christmas spirit, work felt less and less inviting. He was just hanging on for those few days off. It wasn’t like he could stop working now, anyway, with all the presents to buy.

Dawn was breaking over the top of the ship that he needed to work on first. The old ship was still in service for harbor tours. Charlie patted the wood of the hull affectionately as he passed it creaking on the rope, just close enough that he could reach out and touch it without falling in the water.

It needed a clean before going out today. It always needed a clean. Too many tourists dropping their trash wherever they liked, sticking gum under the seats, and smearing sticky fingerprints on the thick plastic screens that shielded them from the worst of the spray. Charlie sighed and rolled his shoulders. He needed to check that she was seaworthy too. Regulation. Needed to be done regularly, especially in an old-style ship like this one. She wasn’t as old as she looked, having been built as a replica of historic designs, but she still had a few decades under her hull.

Charlie walked up the gangway and onto the vessel, moving toward the forecastle to get a good view of the sun rising over the sea to the east. It was beautiful this time of day. Quiet but for the birds and the waves.

There’s an unusual number of birds sitting on the railings at the bow, he thought as he came closer. He dropped his bag down on the deck of the forecastle with a heavy thunk, causing the birds to startle and flap their wings, several of them flying off.

Then circling back, dipping their wings and their noses, clearly far more interested in the end of the ship than fearful of him.

Charlie frowned, squinting. Something was off. They weren’t usually clustered in such large numbers. Was there something down there? A basket that had floated off full of dead fish, maybe? He moved to the edge of the bridge but couldn’t see anything.

Well, he had to do an inspection anyway.

Charlie walked back down off the bridge, down off the gangway, and around to the front of the ship. There were a lot of birds gathered on the dock, too, huddled along the wooden planks near to the ship. He hadn’t noticed them from this angle on the way up, but there they were. They took flight at his footsteps, too, obscuring his view of the front of the ship for a moment.

He looked up.

There was a long second where it didn’t make sense to him. He knew there was something off about the view of the ship—something that didn’t mesh with the usual order of things. But for a long moment, all he could see was the birds and nothing else, the picture somehow just not making sense.

And then he realized.

The figurehead.

It was normally a wooden carving of a woman, a mermaid, reaching out along the carved railings under the bow strip, as if about to dive into the water ahead of the ship.

There was a figure there now. But it wasn’t a mermaid. And it wasn’t a wooden carving.

It was a dead body.

Charlie fell to his knees on the walkway and threw up into the water before fumbling in his pocket for his cell phone—almost dropping it in the same spot as his vomit. He dialed 911 with shaking fingers, shoved his cell phone against his ear, and braced himself against the wood. He looked up again, and his gaze traveled without his permission, unable to stop looking back at the horrible sight.

What’s your emergency?

Send the police, he said. And an ambulance. Send everyone to the docks. They’ve killed him and lashed him to the boat.

And he looked away, unable to bear looking at the thing that would no doubt be in his nightmares for the rest of his life.

CHAPTER TWO

Laura paced back and forth in the waiting area, clasping her hands tightly. She didn’t want to look like she was losing her mind in front of the others who were sitting around and waiting, but she couldn’t sit still. Not with what had happened. Not with the way she had screwed up. It had been hours, and she hadn’t heard anything from Chris or Zach. She’d just been stuck in this waiting room, alone, with only her thoughts for company.

She had to try and think of what she could say to excuse all of this away, but no matter how she tried, she just couldn’t seem to work it out.

How could you come up with an excuse for the fact that you almost shot the man you loved because a psychic vision led you to mistakenly believe that he could be a violent killer?

How did you even begin to explain that in a way that sounded rational and sane?

Laura.

Laura’s head shot up. Chris was standing there, over in the hall that led into the waiting area, in the spot where doctors would stand to call through their next patient. Laura had seen them getting up and going over there one by one. She knew what was expected of her, although she desperately fought for a moment for some kind of excuse for not going to talk with him.

But that was why she was here, wasn’t it? She had to talk to him eventually. She couldn’t avoid it. Here was as good as anywhere, and now was as good as later. She had the awful feeling that even if she had a hundred years, her head was so scrambled with worry that she would never be able to come up with a way to solve all of this and wrap it up with a neat bow.

Part of her, after all, was sick of lying to him already.

She walked over to him, feeling like every step was a drag, her feet heavy on the floor. He looked so professional standing there: his brown hair neatly combed back, and his suit covered by a white doctor’s coat. Sometimes it was possible to forget that he was a doctor, but seeing him here, there was no forgetting it.

Are you alright? he asked as soon as she got close enough to him for their conversation to be private. A pang of pain hit her heart. Trust Chris to be more concerned about her than angry. How could she ever have let her trust in him fade to the point that she had pointed a gun in his face?

I’m fine, she said, brushing off his concerns. There were more important things going on right now, after all. How is Zach?

Chris motioned for her to follow him, making her heart sink. Laura had witnessed Zach, the only other psychic she had ever met, suffer a heart attack right in front of her eyes. Chris had managed to stab a needle of adrenaline right into his heart and revive him, but…

Was it going to be bad news, after all?

Chris led her to a private room a couple of doors down and closed it after she entered, making her heart sink even further. It was bad. It had to be bad.

Zach is going to be fine, he said, and Laura let out a breath of such heavy relief that it was almost a sob. She covered her face for a moment, sinking down into one of the plastic stiff-backed chairs.

I thought… she said, cutting herself off. She couldn’t even say it. The last day had been such a heavy one, and with the pressure still on her, she thought for a moment that she would throw up. But Zach was alright. He was alright!

She hadn’t exactly bonded right away with the old man. He was the only other psychic she had ever met, yes, but from the beginning she hadn’t known if she could trust him. Maybe her life had gotten to a point where it was hard for her to trust anyone new. From the ex-husband who had put her through a nasty divorce and tried to take her child, to the killers and liars they interviewed in