Already Gone (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by Blake Pierce (e book reader TXT) 📕

for her,didn’t you?” Nate said, his head still tilted back. His hands were resting onhis own legs. Very still. As if he was making a study out of not moving.

“I just guessed,” Laura said, shakingher head. Fear tasted bitter in her mouth. It was a familiar feeling by now,but still an unwelcome one. The thought that someone would guess—and the factthat it was someone close enough to really blow up her life—only made it worse.Silently, she begged him to just trust her like he always did. “If I’d haveknown exactly where she was, there’s no way I would have left her for thatlong. I’d have gone right to her, believe me.”

“No, I get that,” Nate said. “It’s just,you knew she was underground. You said that to me.”

Laura shrugged. “Did I? It was just afeeling. I thought I saw dirt on his hands and the knees of his jeans when hewas walking over to me. I thought he looked like he’d been digging.”

“That’s it?” Nate asked. “The special agentin charge thought you’d gotten some kind of tip from him. Like he’d told you aclue before everyone else caught up.”

Laura glanced up at him sharply. “Youknow I wouldn’t hold that back,” she said. “I don’t want glory.”

“Right, no, I know,” Nate said slowly.

Laura cursed herself internally. Sheshould have owned up to it. Told him that, yes, she’d heard something thekidnapper said. Hadn’t been able to interpret it right away, but on reflection,she’d realized he was talking about the girl. If she had passed it off likethat, there wouldn’t have been any further questions. At least, not any thatshe couldn’t answer.

“It’s just,” Nate continued, clearly notletting it go, “I mean, we’ve worked together—what? Three years now?”

“A little over that,” Laura conceded.

“And you’re always lucky. I mean, I don’tknow if it’s luck, or you just got a real strong intuition, or what.” Natehesitated. From the corner of her eye, Laura caught him turning his faceslightly toward her. His sharply chiseled black goatee framed a mouth that washesitant, a straight line that kept opening and closing without a word. “It’sjust—that was some kind of luck. I mean, impossible, really.”

Laura shrugged again. “I don’t know.Call it divine inspiration. Whatever it was, we got seriously lucky. Part ofthat probably has something to do with the fact we were the only damn agentswho thought to give the house a second look, like I said.”

“They would have gotten to it,” Natesaid fairly.

“She would have been dead.”

At those words, they both drifted intosilence.

“Well,” Nate said, finally. “If that’sall it was.”

“It was,” Laura confirmed, flicking to anew page in the magazine even though she hadn’t read a word on the previousone. She felt tension rising up the back of her neck. If he asked again, shewasn’t sure she had anything to convince him. What would she say?

Wouldn’t it be so much easier just totell him? Just to let it all out? Like the relief that came with no longerresisting a drink: just stop fighting, let it pour down your throat and easeeverything away. Wouldn’t it be better if she just stopped fighting?

But it wouldn’t end there. She’d have totell him everything. Her father. His death. Nate’s own death, hanging over himlike a shroud even now. And she didn’t want to tell him that—not when she hadn’teven come to terms with it herself.

If he pushed again, she didn’t know whatshe could possibly say to make him stop.

But after that, Nate tucked his headback against the seat again and settled more comfortably, falling into a lightsleep. Laura was free to sit in silence and stop pretending to be interested inother things, relief washing over her. She stared out the foggy window, seeingthe scratches on the glass more than the view beyond it.

The relief was short-lived. She couldonly think of one thing: Nate was going to die. She couldn’t stop thinking it,over and over again. He was going to die.

She could only hope that whatever theywere about to walk into wouldn’t be the thing to trigger it.

CHAPTER TEN

Laura spotted the sheriff easily: atall, older man in a tan uniform, awkwardly holding a sign with FROST/LAVOIEprinted on it in block capitals. He stood out from the crowd, both because ofhis appearance and because of the way he was nervously checking his watch—likehe couldn’t spare a single moment more before they got started on the case.

“I’m glad you folks are here,” he said,walking them toward the exit after the necessary introductions. He swept hisformal uniform cap off his head to reveal a bushy crop of gray hair. He’dcalled himself Sheriff Lonsdale—no first name. Of course, he’d already knownboth of theirs. “We’re a little on edge, as you might imagine. Seems a highpossibility that we’ll see another one tonight. We’re much in need of the help.”

“We’ll do whatever we can,” Nate assuredhim, keeping up easily with his long strides as the sheriff rushed them out tothe parking lot. Still feeling a little dazed and distracted, Laura forcedherself to walk faster to catch up with them.

“You’ve had two bodies in two nights, isthat right?” Laura asked. It was always good to check the information providedin the briefing. Everything could have already changed while they were in theair.

“That’s right.” The sheriff gestured to aparking space not far away, where a black vehicle marked with a gold flash andthe word “SHERIFF” across the side waited.

“Then let’s try and prevent another fromhappening,” Laura said grimly. “I don’t think we should waste any time, giventhat it’s getting to be late in the afternoon already. Can we head straight tothe latest crime scene?”

“Absolutely,” the sheriff said,unlocking the car and opening the trunk. “We can put your bags in here; I’llhave someone come and take them to a motel for you.”

Laura climbed into the back while Natejoined the sheriff in the front. It was less a comment on who was superior towho, and more about space; Nate being a good seven inches taller than her meanthe needed the leg room. She didn’t begrudge him it, either. It was better tostay back and avoid the