by Blake Pierce
L E F T
T O
P R E Y
(An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Eleven)
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 nineteen 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 thirteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine 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); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting).
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1), MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 1), LEFT TO DIE (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book One), and A MURDER IN PARIS (A Year in Europe—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!
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.
Copyright © 2021 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 CloudOnePhoto, used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 (Boo
k #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 TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER ONE
Rosa stood on the side of the road, her back to Santa Domingo de Silos, the site of the revered medieval abbey. Northern Spain could be warm this time of year, so she stood beneath sparse tree cover, with the faint hint of thick air rising on the wind. Now, below the Burgos Province, she was running out of options.
Her thumb jutted beneath the summer sky, one hand on her hip as another vehicle pulled past, ignoring her.
She frowned at the fleeing sedan, the angry red taillights meeting a glare of her own.
“Mierda,” she muttered beneath her breath. She’d thought by coming to one of the more popular pilgrimage sites she’d have ample opportunity for transportation. She needed to reach Madrid. Her sister had offered her a room for the next two weeks.
This could be it… a chance to reconcile.
Her shoulders stiffened slightly and she reached into her pocket with her free hand. The other maintained the wavering thumb over the dusty road. The sound of birds chirped from the sparse trees, flitting against a backdrop of some postcard, the stone-structured, medieval abbey visible over the curve of the switchback.
Her scrambling fingers withdrew her emaciated wallet. She flipped it open, if only to confirm what she already knew.
Empty.
Not even enough for bus fare or a bribe.
She felt a familiar sense of anxiety welling up inside her, filling her with horror. But she didn’t scream. She didn’t shout. Rosa stood straight-postured, proud. She had to make it to Madrid.
Then her luck would change.
She took a step into the roadway. More out of insistence than any attempt to blockade traffic.
This time, a passing car leaned on its horn as it swerved around her in a cloud of dust. A man flashed a middle finger out the driver’s side window, which she was more than happy to return. “Bastardo!” she called after him, switching the digit of her upraised hand. “St. James spits on you!” she yelled after the car.
This time, the red brake lights went on and didn’t flick off. The car was coming to a halt. The front door began to open and she heard a stream of cursing in Spanish.
With a yelp, Rosa turned, hastening in the opposite direction, down the small incline, beneath the twittering birds in the trees, tracing along the metal barrier protecting cars from tipping over the drop-off.
Once she was out of sight, around the bend and confident the man wasn’t chasing after her, she jutted her thumb up again, her other hand on her waist, tilting her hips to accentuate them. She needed to get to Madrid. Nothing else mattered now.
She never considered herself particularly religious but many sorts who came through this way were following the path of St. James. The revered apostle. A little prayer couldn’t hurt.
“Please,” she murmured beneath her breath. “Help me, uh… James? And Mary. Yes. Help…” She nodded her head as if in farewell and flashed her thumbs up at the clouds. She wasn’t sure the etiquette of ending a prayer properly.
As she did, tilting her face to the sky, she heard the snarl of another approaching engine.
Rosa turned, sighing and not daring to even smile. So many cars had already passed by; what would be the point of getting her hopes up again? Still, she kept her arm extended. She needed to get to Madrid. One way or another. Her life would have a second chance. Her sister would give her a place to stay. She might even find an honest job. She was tired of living like this, broke all the time, moving from one bad boyfriend to the next, following promises that were never fulfilled. She’d wanted to start a family by now. She sighed, feeling a lump in her throat, wondering how things had gotten off track so quickly. Still, she was young; she had her whole life ahead of her.
This new car moving up the road was a dilapidated rust bucket. The front was streaked with weathered portions of stripped paint. The windows were low, and one of the mirrors had been replaced with the wrong color. It would have been wrong to say the car was green. More like, it attempted to be green but failed halfway through the effort. The sun, over the course of what looked like a century, had worn the rust bucket out. Surprisingly, though, the windows were pristine. Not a visible smudge as the car slowed, drawing near. To her astonishment, the passenger side window of the old jalopy began to roll down. She peered into the window, toward the person sitting within. Her eyebrows went up. “Hello,” she said, trying not to sound too eager.
“Hello,” the voice from within replied. A crisp, clear tone. She had an ear for that sort of thing, given how many boyfriends she’d gone through. She could pick out a drunk a mile away. Could pick out a drug user. Could pick out someone in the throes of depression. All these things she’d experienced. This person, though, was straight-edged. She could tell instantly. The crisp, clear voice, eyes alert, posture straight. The interior of the vehicle immaculate, despite the worn exterior. The person’s hair was neatly combed, not a single strand out of place.
Perhaps her prayers had been heard after all. “Are you going to Madrid?” she said, flashing as charming a smile as she could manage and jutting her hip out just a bit more. She didn’t have any money, but she’d often been told she was charming.
The man seemed impervious to this, though. His tone was calm. “I can,” he said. “What are you offering?”
She blinked, staring through the open window. “I’m,” she said, hesitantly, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money.”
; “I see. Is that why you do this? For money?”
She hesitated, wrinkling her nose. Straight-edged, perhaps, but something was off. Something in his eyes. He didn’t blink. His voice was calm, soothing, but his posture was rigid, as if someone had installed a rod of iron in his spine. “Money? No, I’m not trying to get paid. I just need a ride. When I get there, I can probably help with some gas.”
Inwardly she kicked herself, hoping her sister wouldn’t rip her apart for the promise.
“It’s a sin to sell your flesh,” the man said, still softly. He shook his head, his dark eyes fixated on her now. “Do you know where we are?”
“I—yes.”
“This is a gathering for pilgrims. It is not the right place to do what you’re doing.”
Now she felt a flash of irritation. “What do you think I’m doing?”
He waved a hand toward her hip, toward her thumb. “Offering what the good Lord gave you for free. Offering what isn’t right to share with anyone. It isn’t right. It is a sin.”
Her mouth felt suddenly dry. “I’m…” She hesitated, studying the man, and then cursed. “I’m not a prostitute. What? No. I need a ride. I’m not—not doing that.”
She would have been lying if she said she’d never considered it. She wasn’t bad looking, as her slew of boyfriends could attest, but she wasn’t sure she could face her sister or her nephews if she’d gone down that route. Her irritation was now turning to discomfort. The man was still watching her, not in a lewd sort of way. Another expression she was all too familiar with. Rather, he seemed to be weighing something. As if passing judgment. Not an emotional, insulting sort, though. The man carried himself in a way that suggested he was weighing actual outcomes. Wondering how he ought to act next. A slow breeze came over the trees, and the birds above seemed quieter all of a sudden.
Her heart strained in her chest, and she took a step away from the car. “You know what, thanks, but I think I’m good. I’ll walk.”
“You’re lying.” His voice was still calm, not at all matching the way his hands furiously gripped the steering wheel.