Girl, Escaped (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 10)

By Blake Pierce

FBI Agent Ella Dark has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own sister, and has gained an encyclopedic knowledge of murderers. But when a new killer taunts Ella, chaining up victims and leaving them to die, Ella must solve the riddles and beat him at his twisted game. Can Ella piece together the answers before time runs out?

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

GIRL, ESCAPED (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller) is book #10 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.

FBI Agent Ella Dark, 29, is given her big chance to achieve her life’s dream: to join the Behavioral Crimes Unit. Ella’s hidden obsession of gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of serial killers has led to her being singled out for her brilliant mind, and invited to join the big leagues.

With this new killer, though, Ella is personally taunted, and the stakes have never been higher.

Can she solve the puzzle in time to free this twisted killer’s next victim?

And can she anticipate the shocking final twist before she is caught by surprise?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the ELLA DARK series is a riveting mystery, packed with suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

Book 11—GIRL, HIS—is also available.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blake Pierce
• Release date: Jan 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094375465

Book preview

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G I R L,

E S C A P E D

(An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller —Book Ten)

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 JESSIE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising twenty six 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 LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising eleven books; of the 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; 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); of the NICKY LYONS mystery series, comprising seven books (and counting), of the CAMI LARK mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), of the AMBER YOUNG mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the new DAISY FORTUNE 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 © 2023 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 zef art used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

DAISY FORTUNE MYSTERY SERIES

NEED YOU (Book #1)

CLAIM YOU (Book #2)

CRAVE YOU (Book #3)

CHOOSE YOU (Book #4)

CHASE YOU (Book #5)

AMBER YOUNG MYSTERY SERIES

ABSENT PITY (Book #1)

ABSENT REMORSE (Book #2)

ABSENT FEELING (Book #3)

ABSENT MERCY (Book #4)

ABSENT REASON (Book #5)

CAMI LARK MYSTERY SERIES

JUST ME (Book #1)

JUST OUTSIDE (Book #2)

JUST RIGHT (Book #3)

JUST FORGET (Book #4)

JUST ONCE (Book #5)

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)

ALL HE TAKES (Book #6)

ALL FOR ME (Book #7)

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)

ALREADY LURED (Book #10)

ALREADY COLD (Book #11)

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)

LEFT TO RUIN (Book #16)

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)

THE PERFECT RUSE (Book #25)

THE PERFECT VENEER (Book #26)

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

PROLOGUE

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

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

Officer Steve Marshall clicked his radio to life as he stepped out of his patrol car.

Car ninety-two at the scene, he said. Will report back shortly.

Marshall looked the lifeless building up and down and cast his mind back to the days of old; Traditional Pepperell, back when this place had been a manufacturing plant. What had it been, steel? Copper? Wood? It didn’t matter. This building was an example of the New Pepperell, the Dying Pepperell that seemed more like a war zone than one of America’s quant and pleasant towns that typified the country. Every day brought new horror, modern horror that he’d never seen in his twenty-eight years on the force. These ghouls found unique ways to break the human body, mind, and spirit, and Marshall wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take.

The brief had been to run a quick check on this place because someone had complained about a smell coming from inside. Marshall moved his nose to the crack in the steel door and took a long whiff, but no foul odors tinged his senses. It just smelt like your everyday abandoned mill—musty and barren.

The caller of this vague report had been anonymous, and that was always a cause for concern. Usually, honest citizens loved being the hero who reported a wrongdoing. There was something alluring about the idea. But when a call came in anonymously, it meant either the caller had caused the problem or there was something more ominous at play. Anonymity in any form raised Marshall’s suspicions, and that was why he was going to treat this like a suspect chase—flashlight in his left, Glock in his right. Marshall ripped open the shabby, old door and stepped into the shadows.

Marshall remembered seeing the inside of this place once as a kid, and even by flashlight, those lost memories slowly burned to life. A vast open space, a few old machines lined along the walls, a couple of offices with glass partitions. Marshall moved to the offices and peered inside, spotting a supermodel calendar open to December 2003. Looks like this place hadn’t been in use for a while.

State PD. Anyone in here? Marshall called. 

His call echoed around the vast and empty space, bouncing off the metal rails and flying back at him. He did a quick check of the row of the offices by flashlight, then stepped further into the darkness, playing the possible scenarios out in his head. A deserted place like this would be a haven for squatters and junkies. The smell might have been heroin, crystal, LSD—anything with an acidic element. That sort of stuff clung to the walls like graffiti, and any passerby would easily bag a noseful if they were close enough to the entrance of this place. 

Marshall navigated the chamber with ease since the layout concealed no twists or turns. It was a vast square of old ground and equipment, nothing that gave him cause for concern. Other than the office section, there really wasn’t any place for a perp to hide in here.

Marshall reporting, he said into his radio, no sign of—

He clicked his radio again. Once more. He inspected it by flashlight and clicked it a few more times. Damn thing.

It wasn’t working. The radio wasn’t buzzing to life. Marshall wasn’t going to pretend he was an expert in electronics and radio waves, but this only happened when he was out in the sticks. Something to do with antennas, masts, signals, whatever. Marshall felt a pang of dread as he realized his only contact with the outside had been cut off, but everything suddenly made sense when a small piece of metal clanged at his feet. He reached down and picked up a thin, flimsy brown strip.

This place had been a copper mill, he remembered. Copper blocked radio waves. At least that’s what an old memory told him, and Marshall always trusted his memory. Dammit. Copper must be lining the walls in here, he thought. He retreated towards the door because instinct told him to get out of here quickly. The place was empty, and there were no odd smells as far as he could tell, so there was really nothing left here for him. Worst case scenario, this place was a drugs den or an unofficial homeless shelter, and really, so what? Pepperell was a town in crisis, so a couple of junkies shooting up in an abandoned building wasn’t exactly going to make the top ten. It would be an easy arrest, an easy victory, but cops weren’t supposed to land easy victories. Steve Marshall got in this biz to save lives and crack skulls of the city’s worst scum, so hell, let the junkies have their fun. They weren’t hurting anyone but themselves, and that was absolutely fine.

Marshall reached the door, fingered the handle, then froze in sudden fright. He rarely got scared, only excited, but something in the sudden twist iced his spine.

A noise. Like something crashing into a wall. Or footsteps. A sign of human activity. 

Marshall aimed his gun at the darkness and called out again. Police! Hands up.

He didn’t expect a response, and that was exactly what came. But Marshall spotted something he’d missed. Something up in the heavens. Something bright and orange and at odds with the encroaching darkness.

There was a small light on in an upstairs room.

Marshall hadn’t even noticed there was an upstairs section, but training his light along the upper tier, he noticed a small walkway flanked by a column of steps. It looked like another row of offices similar to the ones below, and there certainly hadn’t been a light on up there when he’d first invaded this place. He’d have seen it a mile off.

Then as suddenly as it turned on, the orange light flicked back to darkness.

He wasn’t alone.

Someone else was in this derelict building, and Marshall intended to find out who they were and what they were doing. Rationale told him it was squatters, but gut instinct told him something foul was at play, and a cop’s intuition was his greatest ally. Something about this rank, old setting invited suspicion in his heart, and assuming the worst was always a safer play than naivety.

Marshall edged along the wall, ducked past a rusty CNC machine, and found himself at the foot of the stairs. He trained his pistol on the darkness up ahead, then ascended slowly, step by step, clanging metal breaking up the beat of his pounding heart. He reached the top of the walkway and shone his flashlight into the first room.

Another office, identical in size and shape to the one downstairs. He saw a rectangular table overthrown against the wall and some piles of paperwork scattered around. The corners were bare, lifeless.

Marshall waited for the initial adrenaline rush to subside before taking another step. Adrenaline was great for the physical stuff, but it weakened decision-making abilities, and in times like this, good decisions were the difference between life, death, and a misconduct report. Every cop had a story about firing too soon, making a mistake, or not briefing a perp before arresting them—and thus ended up sitting across from the chief the next morning. Marshall had been there, done that, and was too old for that crap now. Time to play things by the book.

But as Marshall tapped off the rush, his senses attuned themselves to his surroundings a little more. The adrenaline had numbed them for a moment, and it wasn’t until now that a sudden onslaught stung his nose and eyes.

Rot, decay, the unmistakable scent of putrefaction.

Jesus Christ, Marshall cried, wrapping his flashlight-wielding arm around his face. But despite this flesh scarf, it did nothing to keep away the scent of decomposition. It was like he’d been dumped in the middle of a slaughterhouse; foul odors invaded from every direction, impossible to shield short of not breathing.

Then an explosion of light. The same light as before and again, accompanied by a sudden crash. Marshall aimed his pistol at the source, clutching the trigger, daring someone to show themselves.

Something moved. Something small and fluttery and airborne.

Marshall breathed a sigh of relief. The deepest breath he’d taken since he got here. He lowered his gun and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

It was a pigeon.

Damn bird, he said. Scared the soul out of me.

The creature had flown in and out of the end office, struggling to find its footing in the darkness. Marshall guessed there was a nest here or something, and nests usually meant there were a lot of dead birds nearby. That must have been the smell.

The light had come on because it was a motion-detector light. Big in the early nineties, Marshall remembered. Biggest waste of energy since the pyramids were built, he thought. No wonder those things didn’t last long.

Marshall headed towards the last office, still hesitant but a