Without Reason (A Dakota Steele FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 6)

By Ava Strong

When victims of a new serial killer are found bald, MMA champ-turned-FBI Special Agent Dakota Steele is summoned to crack the mysterious case. As the trail brings Dakota deep into the world of notorious criminals, she will have to rely on her fighting skills to keep her alive—and to enable her to save the next victim before it’s too late.

“The plot has many twists and turns, but it is the ending, which I did not see coming at all, that totally defines this book as one of the most riveting that I have read in years.”
—Reader review for Not Like Us

WITHOUT REASON is book #6 in a new series by critically-acclaimed and #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Ava Strong, whose bestseller NOT LIKE US (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star ratings and reviews.

A complex psychological crime thriller full of twists and turns and packed with heart-pounding suspense, the DAKOTA STEELE mystery series will make you fall in love with a brilliant new female protagonist and keep you turning pages late into the night.

Future books in the series will be available soon.

“This is a chilling, suspenseful page turner that just might leave you scared at night!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us

“Very intriguing, kept me turning page after page… Lots of twists and turns and a very unexpected ending. Cannot wait for the next in this series!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us

“A roller coaster ride of events… Can’t put down until you finish it!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us

“Excellent read with very realistic characters that you become emotionally invested in… Couldn't put it down!”
—Reader review for The Death Code

“An excellent read, lots of twists and turns, with a surprising ending, leaving you wanting to read the next book in the series! Well done!”
—Reader review for The Death Code

“Well worth the read. Cannot wait to see what happens in the next book!”
—Reader review for The Death Code

“Quickly became a story I couldn’t put down! I highly recommend this book!”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

“I really enjoyed the fast-paced action, plot design and characterization... I didn't want to put the book down and the ending was a total surprise.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

“The characters are extremely well developed… There are twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing. An extremely well written story.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

“One of the best books I have ever read… The ending was perfect and surprising. Ava Strong is an amazing writer.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

“Holy cow, what a rollercoaster… Many times I absolutely KNEW who the killer was—only to be proven wrong each time. I was completely surprised by the ending. I have to say, I am thrilled that this is the first in a series. My only complaint is that the next one isn't out yet. I need it!”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

“An incredible, intense, spellbinding, enjoyable story. It will keep you captivated until the end.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ava Strong
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094330273

Book preview

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w i t h o u t   r e a s o n

(a dakota steele fbi suspense thriller—book 6)

a v a   s t r o n g

Ava Strong

Ava Strong is author of the REMI LAURENT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the ILSE BECK mystery series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the STELLA FALL psychological suspense thriller series, comprising six books (and counting); of the DAKOTA STEELE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books (and counting); of the LILY DAWN suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the MEGAN YORK suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).

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

Copyright © 2023 by Ava Strong. 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 Kseniya Ivashkevich used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY AVA STRONG

MEGAN YORK SUSPENSE THRILLER

YOU’LL BE SORRY (Book #1)

YOU’LL BE NEXT (Book #2)

YOU’LL BE MINE (Book #3)

YOU’LL BE FIRST (Book #4)

YOU’LL BE GONE (Book #5)

LILY DAWN FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

STILL ALIVE (Book #1)

STILL HOPE (Book #2)

STILL AWAKE (Book #3)

STILL HERE (Book #4)

STILL MAD (Book #5)

REMI LAURENT FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE DEATH CODE (Book #1)

THE MURDER CODE (Book #2)

THE MALICE CODE (Book #3)

THE VENGEANCE CODE (Book #4)

THE DECEPTION CODE (Book #5)

THE SEDUCTION CODE (Book #6)

ILSE BECK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT LIKE US (Book #1)

NOT LIKE HE SEEMED (Book #2)

NOT LIKE YESTERDAY (Book #3)

NOT LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOT LIKE SHE THOUGHT (Book #5)

NOT LIKE BEFORE (Book #6)

NOT LIKE NORMAL (Book #7)

STELLA FALL PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER

HIS OTHER WIFE (Book #1)

HIS OTHER LIE (Book #2)

HIS OTHER SECRET (Book #3)

HIS OTHER MISTRESS (Book #4)

HIS OTHER LIFE (Book #5)

HIS OTHER TRUTH (Book #6)

DAKOTA STEELE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

WITHOUT MERCY (Book #1)

WITHOUT REMORSE (Book #2)

WITHOUT A PAST (Book #3)

WITHOUT PITY (Book #4)

WITHOUT HOPE (Book #5)

WITHOUT REASON (Book #6)

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

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

PROLOGUE

Alexandra Price sat, unable to move but straining against the ties that were holding her to the chair. Her arms and legs were pinned, immobile, firmly trussed to the sturdy wood. But the whole chair was moving, shuddering, and that was because she was shaking.

Never in her whole life had she been so terrified. Never had she regretted her life choices so badly.

If only she hadn’t decided to go across to the neighbor’s house after dark. Their dog had been barking and she’d stormed across the road in a temper to tell them to shut it up, but they hadn’t been home. So after yelling at the dog angrily for a few minutes (which had only made the barking worse), she’d turned back toward home and a hand had grabbed her from behind; that was the last thing she remembered.

If only, if only… Other, earlier life choices had also led her to this moment. She saw that, too late.

She felt sick now, with a weird smell in her sinuses and a throbbing headache that told her she’d been doped with something. Chloroform? Was that even a real thing?

She would have screamed if she could, but there was a gag in her mouth, some sort of sour tasting dishtowel wadded up and tied just as tightly around the back of her head as the ropes were around her limbs.

She had no idea where she was. There was a window in this small room, but there was a blind closed over it.

And he was staring down at her, watching her, with a strange expression on his face. An expression of wry satisfaction, as if seeing her here, terrified, and helpless, was vaguely pleasing to him.

He was taking in every detail of her, she could see. Noting the hazel green of her eyes, the mascara she'd applied earlier in the morning, thinking it would be a normal day. Her rich brown hair, curling over the collar of her cream, lacy blouse which was pulled askew because of the ties.

Everything had been normal. It had been a typical day, going to work, coming home again to the small upstairs flat that was her free accommodation. She was supposed to pay her folks rent but they all knew socializing came first, and she needed a budget for clothing since she worked in a corporate environment, albeit on the bottom rung.

Yup, it had been an ordinary day. Work, come home, put the kettle on, and get mad at the damned dog. All routine, until it had veered off course and become deadly. She even remembered, with a sense of crazed unreality, that she'd felt a little bored with her life, thinking that her existence in the small town of Gracemont, a few miles south of Fredericksburg, Virginia, had become too dull and dreary. She had wished for something interesting to happen. But not this. Never had she wished for this.

Was she still in town? Or had he taken her somewhere else? Memories were hazy, and she didn’t even know how much time had passed.

The man was still scrutinizing her. He looked at her hair very carefully. She could see he was paying it a lot of attention. That made her want to struggle free from her ties even more.

Mm-mm! she tried from behind the gag. If only he'd take it off her so that she could speak and beg. Although she wouldn't, of course. She'd scream the place down, scream with the hope that somebody would help her.

Alexandra felt a sharp pain across her cheek, and her head snapped to the side. The man had slapped her, hard, and she could feel the sting of his hand on her skin. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

No screaming, he said sternly. Don't even try.

She blinked at him, wide-eyed, hoping that through her stare alone she could convey the desperate plea for him to save her and let her go.

He walked over to her, his footsteps sounding surprisingly loud in the small room. He leaned in close, his breath hot on her face. Don't worry, he whispered, his voice low and husky. I won't hurt you... much. He leaned over her again. Bizarrely, he didn't seem to be tense at all. He wasn't shaking. His hand was steady as he took a lock of her hair in his hands, rubbing it through his fingers.

We do have an end to reach, a conclusion if you like. But I’m going to show you kindness. I’m going to put you out, before that final conclusion. The same way I did when I brought you here, he said, in a voice that had an edge to it. An edge… of excitement, she thought.

She could feel her heart racing in her chest, could feel the blood pounding in her ears. She had never been so scared in her life.

However, he continued, for the first part of our time together, I want you awake. Wide awake and watching. I even have a mirror to show you afterward. I think you’ll enjoy looking into it.

The man straightened up and walked over to a table that was set up in the corner of the room.

She could hear the chair rattling as she trembled.

He picked up a cutthroat razor and turned to her, holding, and twisting it so that the blade gleamed dully in the dim light.

Now, panic surged inside her, threatening to suffocate her. Her heart felt like it was jumping into her throat. Her breathing came fast and rapid, snuffling through her nose.

Don't worry, he said in a mock soothing tone. You know why I'm doing this, of course?

She started to shake her head automatically, defensively, but stopped when he moved to her and clamped his hand around the back of her neck. Seeing that razor up close silenced her and stilled her. She didn't dare to move.

The man's grip on Alexandra's neck tightened, causing her to gasp for breath. She could feel the sharp edges of the razor against her skin, and she knew that any movement on her part could result in a fatal injury. She closed her eyes and prayed silently for a miracle to save her from this nightmare.

But the man seemed to be in no hurry to harm her. He continued to stroke her hair with the razor, as if he were admiring the texture and feel of it. 

And then he began stroking the razor over her scalp and she closed her eyes, unable to watch as the locks of hair began falling.

You know why I'm doing this. Don't you? His voice was strangely intimate and teasing. Don't you? he asked again.

Tears streamed from her closed eyes.

She knew why he was doing this.

And she knew what would happen next when he was done.

CHAPTER ONE

FBI agent Dakota Steele stared down at the envelope she’d stolen from the home of retired schoolteacher Cameron Ortiz. Now, three days later, she couldn't help feeling just the way she had in her old life, fighting in the cage.

It seemed like blow after blow had landed, shocking and unexpected, just like it had in the fights, forcing her to ride out the twists and turns while still pushing through with that raw aggression that enabled a desire to win.

Was she ready for this? She narrowed her sea gray eyes, blinking unwelcome tears away, because she hated showing emotion. Even when there was nobody else around and she was alone in her apartment.

Her hands shook as she studied the envelope, handling it with caution, as if it was a poisonous snake. And in a way, it was. After leaving that weird, creepy house, with its odd painting on the wall, its darkness, that savage dog in the kennel – it had taken her days to touch it. Every time she’d looked at it, she’d been reminded of how she’d broken into Ortiz’s house, feverishly searching for some evidence that would prove his guilt, and tell her what had happened to Carolina. Eventually, too late to get away without him seeing her, she’d smashed open the locked nightstand drawer, and there she’d found this envelope, hidden inside.

She’d torn the top of it as she’d left the house, riding a wave of adrenaline that had made her feel recklessly ready for the consequences. She’d ripped the flap away, and then, with gut wrenching suddenness, she’d changed her mind and stopped. She’d stuffed it back in her pocket, feeling sick with dread. Had it been fear preventing her from going any further? She thought so. Because the only thing this envelope could bring to her was sadness.

It might contain nothing relevant, and in that case her search would be over forever because there were no more teachers left. Despite the new window of time that she’d discovered when Mr. Garter, the bus driver, had finally told her the truth, the fact remained that Cameron Ortiz was the only one who could have taken her sister. He was the only teacher who’d had the opportunity to do so, during the fifteen-minute timeframe when Dakota now realized he’d been alone with Carolina.

And if this envelope contained proof of what he’d done, what then? That was even more traumatic to consider.

She didn’t want to know the worst. She didn’t want to know the truth behind that bloody backpack and her six-year-old sister’s disappearance, or what had really been the fate of innocent, cherubic Carolina.

Carolina, what did he do to you? And why? And will I ever find out?

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down at it, frowning as she saw it was the same number again. In the confrontation with Ortiz, during that long moment when she’d stared at him while straddling the sill of the window she’d smashed, he must have recognized her, and now, he’d obviously found out her number from somewhere and he’d been calling.

She hadn’t picked up. Obviously. Why would she do that? It would be like an admission of guilt, and she wasn’t ready for it.

Or maybe, a declaration of war. That, she felt as if she might be ready for.

Now, though, she was wondering if the creepy schoolteacher had something to tell her. Was he just calling to say he’d recognized her and would be calling the cops? Well, she was the cops, but in any case, he could make trouble for her. Everyone in the Quantico FBI department knew about her past, the mistakes she’d made, knew that she’d had trouble on her doorstep before.

She ran her fingers through her dirty blonde hair, twining them around the white streak, then patting it down again so that it blended in with the rest of her hair, covering her cauliflower ear, neat and shiny, as she pushed it back and reached for her coffee cup.

Maybe she should take the call, handle things, and if he was threatening her with the cops, then maybe she should take a look inside the damned envelope and see if there was anything she could use to threaten him right back. It wasn’t like her to be so shy about a confrontation. It was just that this felt like finality. And she wasn’t ready for it.

This time, though, she saw he’d left a message. First time he’d done that. Every other time he’d hung up without leaving a voicemail. Did that mean something had changed? Should she even listen to it? Or would this lead her down a rabbit hole of more lies, more uncertainty, and no clear answers, ever?

She sighed, wishing that she had more clarity on this, that there was more to be