Last Breath (A Kaylie Brooks Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book 1)

By Kate Bold

“An excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

A modest, Midwestern girl, Kaylie Brooks falls in love with a wealthy man who sweeps her off her feet and transplants her to a mansion in Palm Beach. But ominous signs abound, and Kaylie, out of place, realizes she is with a husband she barely knows. When a woman is murdered, Kaylie realizes she must dig deeper and uncover the secrets of this wealthy community, and of her husband’s past. But is she ready to face what she discovers?

LAST BREATH is book #1 in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller Kate Bold, whose bestseller NOT NOW (a free download) has received over 600 five star ratings and reviews.

A page-turning and harrowing psychological suspense thriller, the KAYLIE BROOKS series is a riveting crime mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Gillian Flynn, Rachel Caine and Teresa Driscoll are sure to fall in love.

Books #2-#5 in the series—LAST CHANCE, LAST WISH, LAST SHOT, and LAST MISTAKE—are also available.

“This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Hard to put down. It has an excellent plot and has the right amount of suspense. I really enjoyed this book.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

“Extremely well written, and well worth buying and reading. I can't wait to read book two!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Bold
• Release date: Nov 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094395746

Book preview

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L A S T   B R E A T H

(A Kaylie Brooks Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book 1)

K a t e   B o l d

Kate Bold

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2022 by Kate Bold. 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 E.Va, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

KAYLIE BROOKS PYSCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (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 TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

Kaylie Brooks stood in the empty bedroom, staring around in a panic.

The icy wind blew through the half-open window, making the curtain billow and surge. The wind fluttered the edges of the note on the bedside table. The page torn from the schoolbook had been folded and placed under her sister Jess's most treasured possession, the shell necklace she'd received for her eighteenth birthday last year.

Rushing over, fear filling her, sixteen-year-old Kaylie opened the note.

I'm going. I'm not living here anymore. I'm done with you all, with this family. Don’t try to find me, I’m not coming back.

Kaylie’s breath caught in her throat as she read the note. Tears sprang to her eyes, an immediate, instinctive reaction of grief because her older sister had gone.

She'd left, walked out of the home, abandoned her life in this small Midwest town in southern Nebraska. She'd abandoned Kaylie.

This couldn't be Jess's message. It all felt as if it had been written by a stranger, as if it hadn't been her sister's note, left in her empty bedroom that was now cold and drafty, with the wind wailing through the open window.

Emotions raced through her mind. Confusion and shock that this had happened, guilt for not having been a good enough sister, and feeling that she was somehow to blame.

And then, the doubts began rushing in.

Why would Jess have left now, in the middle of winter? Yesterday she'd been saying it was too cold to go out walking, and also that it was scary around here as it got dark. In fact, Jess thought someone had been following her. She'd told Kaylie so.

Would she really have done such a thing? Left, without saying goodbye? Especially last night, when they’d both been home alone as her parents were away at an agricultural fair? Would she have left her favorite necklace behind?

The note wasn't even in her writing. She didn't write so neatly. Jess's handwriting was an impatient scrawl.

And then, she heard a sound behind her that caused her to whirl around, staring at the darkened doorway.

A low, evil laugh.

She wasn’t alone here. Someone was in the house. Someone was coming to the bedroom.

She heard the footsteps. A heavy, implacable tread as this man paced along the corridor, heading for Jess's bedroom where Kaylie was now standing, frozen.

There was no way of stopping him. No way of fighting him. She knew this, deep in her bones. Her parents weren't here. Would anyone hear her if she screamed?

Goosebumps chilled her, sending their shivering fingers up her spine. She was all alone, apart from him. Everyone had gone. Left her.

Jess? she whispered. Jess? she shouted louder. Help me, Jess!

But still the footsteps came and Kaylie realized with a clench of terror she'd done the wrong thing. She should have hidden away quietly, crept under the bed. She should never have screamed for help, because now he knew where she was.

And he was approaching faster. The footsteps were closing in at a run now, and she recoiled back from the door, staring around the room, looking for something to fight him with, something to defend herself with. But the room was empty.

There was only her, standing pressed up against the back wall, her breathing coming rough in her throat as she waited for this man to burst in through the open door.

She was going to attack him. She was going to try her best to get past him, to get out, to get help.

And as he turned the corner, Kaylie sprang, jumping forward, knowing that trying to fight her way past this monster was the only thing that could save her now.

Go! Go away! You’re not getting me, too!

And she found herself sitting bolt upright in bed, the screams of her nightmare only a faint, gasping cry as she erupted from sleep.

Brett was beside her. Her new husband was holding her tightly, his hands grasping hers, his voice anxious, soothing.

Hey, Kaylie. Hey, gorgeous. Wake up. It’s just a dream. Whatever it is, it’s just a dream.

Kaylie blinked as he switched on the light, seeing the concern in his hazel eyes, his handsome face still creased from sleep. He lifted a hand and pushed back a lock of her chestnut-blonde hair, still shiny and curled from its wedding style the day before yesterday.

Her husband’s presence helped to ground her back in reality.

It was that nightmare again, she said, still trying to convince herself that she was twenty-eight, and not a scared sixteen-year-old.

The one you kept having after Jess disappeared?

Yes. She felt a flash of gratitude that he remembered and sympathized. That one.

What do you think brought it on?

I guess just the stress of everything. She was sure that all the change and disruption surrounding her whirlwind romance and wedding, though exciting, had caused this bad dream to recur.

Let me get you some water. Brett scrambled out of bed and walked across the living room area of the five-star lodge where they were staying, heading for the minibar.

 She'd forgotten how terrifying the dream felt, how powerless she was, the sense of dread as those footsteps came closer. They were the only part of the dream that wasn't based in reality.

The note had been real. On that terrible day, her sister really had left. Kaylie had awoken to find the window open and the bedroom empty.

Nobody knew where Jess had gone after she'd disappeared.

The pain never went away, but Kaylie had learned to ignore it, even though her obsession over what had happened to her sister always simmered inside her.

With the note, it was assumed she was a runaway. Nobody had believed Kaylie when she'd said the letter hadn't been in her sister’s writing. Her mother had thought it looked like her writing, and the police had believed her, not Kaylie.

The relationship between herself and her parents had crumbled after that. It was as if they'd lost both daughters, not just one. For years, she’d wanted to become a police detective, just so that she could find out the truth. Then, life had gotten in the way and she’d ended up completing a psychology degree.

Brett returned, carrying a glass of chilled water. Watching her husband padding across the thick carpet, his muscular arms holding the glass carefully, Kaylie felt distracted from the terror of her dream. Instead, she felt a surge of desire for the amazing man she’d married.

Not only was the thirty year old businessman physically gorgeous, but also a truly caring, empathetic person. She felt her heart melt with love.

Thanks, babe, she said, sipping the water before putting it down on the bedside table.

Pushing her hair back from her face, wishing she could push the painful memories away as easily, Kaylie got out of bed to start her final day in her home state of Nebraska. Tomorrow, they’d be catching a plane to Florida.

What’s in the cards for today? he asked.

A couple of visits to friends to say goodbye, and some final packing. That’s about it, she said.

I’ll take you out for a romantic dinner tonight, then, he smiled.

If we can find such a restaurant in this town, Kaylie quipped, making Brett laugh.

She’d be glad to leave here for good. Although she and Brett had chosen to have a small family wedding here, with Kaylie’s parents and a few of her school and college friends, this place no longer felt like home. Florida would be her new home, as of tomorrow. They’d move into Brett’s luxury rental apartment while they shopped for houses, and she could work on her master’s thesis and then, hopefully, start a job hunt.

As she was running the plans through her mind, Brett’s phone rang.

Hello? he answered. Hey, Mom?

Kaylie pricked up her ears. She hadn’t yet met Brett’s parents. They were supposed to attend the wedding, but a hurricane in the South Pacific island where they were vacationing had shut things down and they’d been stranded there for an extra day.

Really? Brett said, sounding excited. Whatever this conversation was about, it seemed to be positive. He spoke a while longer, and then cut the call.

My parents just got back home. And my mother called to tell me about a house for sale. It’s a fabulous place, in exactly the right neighborhood and close to the beach.

Oh, that’s amazing! We could go and view it tomorrow afternoon, even, Kaylie said.

But Brett shook his head, making a face.

They got advance notice of it from the estate agent. It’s going on the market officially tomorrow, and there’s likely to be a sale before our plane has landed, he said. There’s only one way for this to happen. We need to fly back now, view it, make an offer, and sign the deal.

She hesitated, thinking of everything she hadn’t yet done. She couldn’t leave things unpacked, and she didn’t want to let down the friends she was seeing today.

I can see you don’t want to go, Brett said. I understand that. You’ve got stuff you have to do today. But is it more important than the house?

That was an impossible question, and she felt briefly annoyed with him for giving her what felt like an ultimatum.

You go, Kaylie offered. You fly back now, see the house, and buy it if you think it’ll work for us. Then I’ll fly tomorrow as planned, and you can meet me there.

Great plan, babe, Brett grinned.

Within a minute, Brett was on the phone again, organizing the first available flight at top speed while Kaylie threw his things into a bag.

Wish me luck, he told her. This is the house of a lifetime. It’s in a dream location, and it’s just been renovated. We can move in tomorrow, literally. We’ll be so happy there. My parents have told them I’m on my way, but it’s still touch and go as they already have others interested.

Good luck, Kaylie said, handing him the bag. She’d been feeling expectant and nervous about the move to Florida, and felt that if he got this house, it would be a good omen for the start of their life together.

Giving her a giant hug and a loving kiss, he rushed out of the door.

CHAPTER TWO

Kaylie was glued to the window view as the plane made its descent to Palm Beach International Airport.

This was now her new home state, and she couldn’t be more excited. She'd been to Miami before – it was where she and Brett had met six months ago when she’d been on a week’s study exchange and he’d been in the city for work. But on her last flight, the view had been clouded over and it had been raining hard. Now, she was entranced by every vivid detail, taking in its scale, looking at the incredible blue of the sea, and the sparkling white shapes of the yachts moored in the marinas, and the glittering blue of swimming pools set in bright green lawns.

Brett had called her a few times yesterday to update her. In the evening, he’d called sounding amped. The house was theirs. His offer had been successful, and Kaylie felt excited that she’d be seeing this dream home today.

The plane landed, and as it was taxiing into the terminal, Kaylie’s phone beeped. The message was from Brett.

Some of the new furniture arrived. Whole house in chaos! On my way to airport now!

Kaylie felt briefly taken aback. Brett had ordered new furniture? Why hadn’t he waited to do that together with her? She guessed that since her flight had taken the whole morning, he’d had time to shop for a few things. And now she remembered from one of yesterday’s phone calls, he’d said the house was partly furnished.

She stood up, grabbed her carry-on from the overhead locker, and walked eagerly to the plane's exit door.

The warmth hit her, a soft, fresh humidity, flavored with the smell of the sea. She felt a tingling in her spine when she thought that, in