Let me escape, p.1
Let Me Escape, page 1
L E T M E E S C A P E
(An Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book 6)
K a t e B o l d
Kate Bold
Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and the EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting)
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
Copyright © 2023 by Kate Bold. 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 andreiuc88, used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY KATE BOLD
ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER
THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)
THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)
THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)
THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)
THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)
THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)
ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER
LET ME GO (Book #1)
LET ME OUT (Book #2)
LET ME LIVE (Book #3)
LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)
LET ME FORGET (Book #5)
LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)
CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
NOT ME (Book #1)
NOT NOW (Book #2)
NOT WELL (Book #3)
NOT HER (Book #4)
NOT NORMAL (Book #5)
NOT AGAIN (Book #6)
NOT SAFE (Book #7)
NOT TODAY (Book #8)
HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)
NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)
NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)
NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)
NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)
NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)
NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)
KAYLIE BROOKS PYSCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER
LAST BREATH (Book #1)
LAST CHANCE (Book #2)
LAST WISH (Book #3)
LAST SHOT (Book #4)
LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)
EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)
IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)
IN HIS REACH (Book #3)
IN HIS MIND (Book #4)
IN HIS WAY (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
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY SIX
PROLOGUE
The frigid morning air burned Skylar Woodruff’s lungs, her breath clouding her face as she jogged along the footpath winding through Dysart Park. The temperature had dipped to twenty-seven degrees, unusual for late December in middle Tennessee. But she didn’t mind the cold. The breeze buffeting her cheeks invigorated her. Made her feel alive.
The sun hung just above the horizon, painting the sky a brilliant orange hue. Skylar was alone in the park, as she was most winter mornings. The other joggers in the county preferred to wait until the day warmed. An empty trail stretched in front of her, which was exactly the way she liked it. Her solitary runs gave her time to sort through the clutter in her mind and find answers to her problems.
But some problems – like the one she now faced – seemed to have no solution.
Sorrow flooded her chest as she reflected on her latest heartbreak. The news had hit her hard.
More than anything, Skylar dreamed of having a baby. A child who shared her husband’s big puppy-dog eyes and dark brown hair. Or maybe a child who inherited her own auburn locks. It didn’t matter whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl. She just wanted a baby of her own. To love and nurture and raise to have a positive impact on the world.
As it stood, it looked as though her dream would never materialize. She and Conner had braved the two-hour and fifteen-minute trip to Nashville many times, visiting four different doctors. Conner had received a perfect bill of health in the sperm department. And Skylar had been poked and prodded and subjected to every test imaginable. Her inability to conceive had baffled all the specialists. So she’d suffered through arduous fertility treatments and had undergone in vitro fertilization three separate times.
Last week – the day before Christmas Eve – the doctor had crushed her heart. The latest procedure had also failed. He’d suggested that they might want to rethink their options. Which she thought meant that the doctor believed her situation was hopeless.
Maybe it was Skylar’s own fault that she couldn’t get pregnant. If she hadn’t spent so many years focused on her education and then on building her dental practice, she might already be a mother. Now, at thirty-five, maybe her body had decided it was just too old to produce and sustain an additional human being for nine months.
“Honey, it’ll be okay,” Conner had said. “We have a full life already.”
The sentiment might be true for him. Conner seemed as though he would be content to live out his days without ever becoming a father, needing only his marriage, friends, and work to be happy. But an empty spot existed deep in Skylar’s heart. A void only a child could fill.
And last night, things had gone from bad to worse.
Skylar had brought up the possibility of adoption again. This time, Conner’s rejection had been firm. He was still opposed to the idea and made it clear he didn’t want to discuss the option any further.
The rebuff had felt like a knife to her already bruised soul. She couldn’t understand the reason he refused to open his heart to a child not born of his own genes. He’d been a wonderful husband during their five-year marriage. Caring, thoughtful, and loving. But regarding this one issue, he appeared stone cold. Like a totally different person.
Shadows danced across the path as the sun continued to climb. A patch of silvery blue peeked out between the trunks of the dormant hardwoods to her right. Dysart Lake. She was nearing the park benches, picnic tables, and the monument dedicated to William Pent, whose family had once owned the land, and in whose honor the town of Pentland had been named. It also marked the end of her five-mile circular trek.
Rounding a white pine, Skylar caught site of a figure up ahead. A man. He wasn’t jogging. Instead, he stood beside the trail, his eyes glued on her. On instinct, her fingers flew to the small canister of mace clipped to the strap of her fanny pack, just to make sure it was still there.
As she closed the distance between them, the man stepped onto the path.
“Did you see a yellow Lab on the trail?” he asked her.
Skylar now noticed he held a blue dog leash in his hand. She slowed to a walk.
“No, I didn’t.”
The man sighed. He was quite attractive, reminding her of a movie actor whose name she couldn’t remember.
“I never should have let him run free,” he said, shaking his head. “But most of the time Buddy stays right with me. He must have heard something in the woods. He took off.”
“Yeah, that can happen.”
Which was one reason Sky lar never let her Yorkie off its leash.
“Do you know the trails here well?”
She assumed he wanted her to look for his dog, but she didn’t have much time. She needed to drive home, shower, and get to the office. Her first appointment was scheduled for eight forty-five.
“Some of them, I guess.”
A look of hope lit up his face. “Do you think you could spare a few minutes to help me? I’m going to be late for work if I don’t hurry and find him. I’m already on shaky ground with my boss, but there’s no way I’d ever leave Buddy out here.”
The pleading expression in the man’s eyes tugged at her heart. Maybe she could search for just a few minutes.
“Okay.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice full of relief.
The man pulled his backpack from his shoulder. “Let me give you a handful of his favorite treats. He can be a little shy, and he might not come to you unless you have something to offer him.”
Skylar scanned the forest as she waited for the dog treats. There was something about the man that made her feel at ease. Made her want to help him. Maybe it was because he seemed so genuine. Vulnerable. Or possibly it was just his movie-star good looks that urged her to take the time to search, but she hoped she wasn’t that shallow.
The man fished in his backpack, stepping closer to her.
And then his arms flew around her torso, clamping tight like a vice.
“No!” Skylar screamed.
Fear sliced through her heart as she fought to break free from his grasp. She struggled to reach her mace. She screamed again and again, although she knew no one else was likely to hear her. The parking lot had been deserted when she arrived. And she hadn’t seen another soul on the trails. Not until the man.
He had dropped the leash. Now, he held something else in his hand.
Pain pricked her thigh.
He stabbed me with a needle!
Skylar screamed so loud it hurt her throat. Did the man plan to rape her out here in the woods? Would he kill her and leave her body for the coyotes to rip apart?
Her fingers tingled.
Panic hit her as the numbness spread up her arms. Her legs felt weak.
She realized her voice no longer worked right, her screams diminishing into squeaks. The forested landscape faded as Skylar’s vision blurred.
And then darkness overtook her.
CHAPTER ONE
TBI Special Agent Ashley Hope forced her heavy eyelids open. She blinked, the glow of soft lights stinging her eyes. A faint beeping noise drifted toward her along with the antiseptic odor of disinfectant. She struggled to focus her vision. Her throat felt parched, as though her mouth had been stuffed with cotton. And a dull ache radiated through her head.
Where am I?
Am I dreaming?
As she shook off the haze clouding her mind, she realized her father was sitting on the right side of her bed, his face masked with worry. Why was he in her bedroom? With her surroundings still blurry, she couldn’t be certain she was in her apartment in the Nashville suburb of Briarwood. Was she back in her hometown, nestled in the mountains of Laurel County?
“Baby girl, can you hear me?” Spencer Hope asked, his voice choked with emotion.
He rose from the chair and leaned across her bed.
Ashley attempted to speak, but her voice came out like a dry croak. She tried again, directing all her strength into forming the words.
“Yes, Daddy,” she finally squeaked out.
Her father's face appeared pale. There seemed to be a few more flecks of gray running through his auburn hair than she’d noticed the last time she’d seen him. Lines of concern etched his forehead, and his blue eyes were glossy with unshed tears. He smiled at her and clasped her hand between both of his.
“You’re gonna be fine as frog’s hair,” he said. “Don’t you worry none.”
She didn’t feel fine. She felt like she’d been hit by a train. Was Spencer trying to assure her that she’d recover from whatever was wrong with her, or was he trying to convince himself?
“Where …”
Frustration surged in her chest as the sentence died on her lips. Her brain knew what she wanted to say, but her tongue refused to cooperate.
“You’re at Briarwood General Hospital.”
He paused, as though he wasn’t sure whether he should say anything more.
For the first time, she noticed the IV attached to her left hand and the metal rails lining her bed. Her fingertips brushed against her long blonde hair that draped over her shoulder. The strands felt dry, almost like straw.
“What … happened to me?”
She could tell by her father’s pained expression that he believed whatever predicament had befallen her was horrible. She braced herself for the worst. Had she lapsed into a coma? Did she have a brain tumor?
Spencer sighed. “You was attacked. In your apartment.”
A chill ran through her body as she fought to remember.
And then like a flood, the details of her Christmas Eve morning came rushing back. She’d visited Wheldon’s Food Market to purchase the ingredients she needed to prepare cornbread dressing for her family’s holiday dinner. Arriving back home, a strange feeling had hit her as she’d crossed the threshold. Suspecting the man who had been stalking her was in the apartment, she’d searched the rooms. The place had seemed empty.
But she’d forgotten to check the small pantry.
As she placed the milk in the refrigerator, she’d heard a noise behind her.
A man wearing a black ski mask had burst out of the pantry door. He’d grabbed her in a death grip.
“He drugged me,” she murmured, the pain of the needle prick flashing through her mind.
The fragments of memory felt like they’d originated from a dream. A nightmare.
“That’s right. But the doctor done said you’re gonna be okay now. You’re awake.”
Ashley trembled as she realized the physician must have thought there was a possibility she’d never wake up. And the stalker had obviously thought the same. He’d likely left her to die on her kitchen floor.
“Did they catch the man who did this to me?”
Spencer’s face clouded. “I’m sorry, baby girl. He got away.”
Tears sprang to Ashley’s eyes, but she blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. She didn’t want her father to see the fear in her heart. It wasn’t over. She knew the stalker would attempt to kill her again.
“Does the TBI, or the Briarwood police, know who he is?”
“Naw, not yet.”
Disappointment settled over her. She’d hoped to finally learn the identity of her attacker. She suspected the man was related to her ex-husband, Ethan Barrett. The serial killer had escaped from prison earlier in the year. He’d tried to murder Ashley. She still remembered the terror that had sliced through her soul as he’d knocked her to the ground. Could still feel his fingers clamped around her neck, choking the life from her body. But Ethan didn’t know she had a pistol.
Ashley had shot her ex in self-defense.
She’d never wanted to kill him. To this day, she wished things had ended differently. That he was still alive, locked behind bars. But Ethan had given her no choice.
Now, she suspected Ethan’s relatives sought revenge. And like many of the locals in Laurel County, the Barrett clan practiced their own method of law and order. A clandestine vigilante system they termed mountain justice. Which included the ancient tradition of an eye for an eye.
The Barretts wanted Ashley dead.
Spencer eased down into his chair, scooting it closer to the bed.
“Kyle and Shane just left here a little bit ago,” he told her. “They’ll be tickled to see your eyes open.”
Ashley knew her brothers well. They’d likely gone out to search for the man who’d put her in the hospital. And if they found him … She refused to allow her mind to finish the thought. She couldn’t bear it if Kyle and Shane were to commit an act that would send them to prison. Especially if it was carried out in attempt to protect her.
Her gaze flew past her father to the window. Sunshine streamed through the narrow gaps between the blinds. It was still daylight. She wondered how long she’d been unconscious. She’d returned to her apartment from the grocery store a little after ten a.m.
