Already Gone (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by Blake Pierce (notion reading list .txt) 📗

She had to take the chance.

She moved her finger, preparing tosqueeze—

The pain came out of nowhere, almostknocking her sideways, so instantaneous she had no time to prepare—

Laura pulled the trigger, and the bulletflew from the gun toward its target. Like in slow motion, she watched ithappen. It moved through the air like it was water, slow, leaving ripples ofmovement behind. As it moved closer to Ed, he moved, too. He pulled his handforward and across. It wasn’t a precise move, but it was vicious. Even as thebullet struck home in his forehead, the knife slid away from Thomas Lacey’sflesh, leaving a fountain of blood pouring out in its wake. Red splashed downLacey’s chest, soaking the upholstery of the chair, spilling down onto thefloor…

Laura drew in a breath, her eyes wideopen. Her head felt like it was splitting open. It took everything she had notto drop the gun and clutch her head. She couldn’t shoot. That much was clear toher now.

So then what?

“You’ve got me, Agent Frost,” EdBronston said. His voice was a dry croak, like he hadn’t had a drop of water inthe whole time since she’d seen him last. It was sepulchral, eerie, like hewasn’t of this earth any longer. “But I’ve got him. What are you going to do?”

Laura clenched her jaw for a moment,trying to think. She couldn’t shoot.

“Drop the knife,” she said. It was wortha try.

“You drop the gun,” he replied.

As she had expected.

The easy route wasn’t going to be anoption here.

She couldn’t shoot. She couldn’t juststand here without breaking the status quo; Thomas Lacey needed medicalattention.

There was only one thing she could do.

Laura slowly lowered her gun until itwas pointing at the floor.

“What are you doing?” Bronston asked, amoment of panic in his voice. It was almost funny. The fact that he wasn’tabout to get shot was worrying him.

“Ed, you don’t need to keep the mask on.I know who you are.” Laura’s tone was weary. She wanted to try to capture somekind of rapport with him, build it up like they had a special relationship. Heclearly thought they did.

There was a moment of silence. Then,keeping the knife where it was, Ed reached up and pulled the mask off his facein one smooth movement. His skin was red, imprinted with patterns from theinside of the mask all the way from his high forehead to his square chin. Hisdark eyes didn’t move from her.

“So, you figured it out.”

“I knew it was you as soon as I saw you’dbeen released.” Laura gave him a wry, lopsided smile. “Listen, Ed, it’s over,you know? I’m not the only one who figured it out. Even if you get away fromhere, the FBI is going to be after you. It’s time to stop.”

“I don’t think so,” Ed said, a sneerbreaking across his face. “Not when I have you right where I want you.”

Laura felt a bead of sweat drip down herspine, even as she tried to stay outwardly calm. It was one thing to know thathe was targeting her. But hearing him admit it made it all the more real.

There was a gasp; Ed and Laura bothlooked down to see Thomas Lacey’s eyes flying open. He was breathing, takingragged and rapid inhales through a rough throat.

“Don’t move,” Ed snapped immediately,pressing the blade against Thomas’s throat until the man stiffened and stoppedmoving. He continued to gasp for breath, his wide eyes fixed right on Ed.

“Let him go,” Laura said. “You’ll stillget what you want. We’ll make a deal.”

Ed’s narrowed eyes shot back toward her.“What deal?”

“If you cut his throat, I’ll shoot tokill. You’ve been watching me. You know I’m a good shot.” Laura paused, lettingthat sink in. “If you let him go, I’ll put the gun down. It’ll just be you andme. That’s what you want, isn’t it? Revenge? This isn’t about him at all.”

“Pl-please,” Thomas wheezed, his voicebarely understandable, but Ed hissed and pressed the knife against his throathard enough that a drop of scarlet ran from the tip of the blade.

“I’m not stupid,” Ed snapped. “If I lethim go, you’ll shoot me anyway. You put the gun down first.”

Laura opened her mouth to tell him thatshe couldn’t, that it wasn’t smart, but a stab of pain ricocheted through herhead and—

Ed’s face changed before she had achance to react. He sliced through Thomas’s throat and ducked at the same time,and when Laura fired, she missed. He sprang up again before she had a chance torecover from the recoil, whirling around, pointing it at him—but it was toolate—he was close enough to knock her hand upward and bury the shot in theceiling—the knife was at her chest—

Laura blinked, sweat running freely downher back now and beading on her forehead. The visions were coming so fast shebarely had time to prepare. If she didn’t get this right, she was going to dieanyway. She and Thomas both.

“All right,” she said, cautiously,moving slow. She didn’t want to startle Ed, and she didn’t want to miss thewarning of another vision. But as she slowly crouched to the floor and let goof her gun, nothing happened.

When she stood again, her hands raisedby her sides to show that she wasn’t holding anything else, Ed’s grip on Thomasloosened. He moved the knife away slowly, leaving Thomas free, whimpering inhis chair.

“Now kick the gun over to me,” Ed said.

Laura didn’t need a vision to tell herthat Ed was still close enough to stab Thomas if she didn’t comply. She drewback her foot, making eye contact with the young man. “Run,” she told him, asshe gently scooted the gun across the ground toward Ed.

He planted one boot on top of it,watching with the knife outstretched as Thomas struggled to his feet and thendarted past Laura, down the hall. Though he was still fighting to get enoughbreath, it must have been adrenaline powering him. He was gone in a moment,leaving them alone together.

“Well, well,” Ed said, grinning. Heleaned down to pick up the gun with his spare hand. “Isn’t this—”

Laura didn’t wait for him