Her Last Mercy (A Rachel Gift FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 16) by Pierce Blake

Author:Pierce, Blake
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2025-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Rachel eased herself out of bed, her eyes straining in the darkness as she slipped into her sneakers. The old farmhouse seemed to breathe around her, its wooden bones settling with soft groans that made her freeze mid-step. She had to admit that the rooms had a cozy charm, even in the darkness. But she had no time to appreciate such things right now.

She held her breath, listening for any sign that the other occupants had stirred. Nothing. Just the maddening tick of an unseen clock and the whisper of wind through the eaves.

Inching towards the bedroom door, she listened for any sounds at all out in the hallway. Nothing. She winced as she opened the door, the knob and catch creating the slightest little metallic click. She hesitated a moment and then pushed it open.

The hallway stretched before her like a gaping maw. Rachel step hugged the wall as she made her way to the stairs. Each step was a calculated risk, a delicate balance between speed and stealth. Of course, if anyone happened to wake up and find her out in the upstairs hallway, she could always simply state that she was going to the bathroom. And if she was caught downstairs, she could say she was going to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Halfway down the stairway, a stair groaned loudly under her weight. Rachel froze, her pulse thrumming in her ears. She counted to ten, listening for any sign of movement above, and moved on, willing the house to stay quiet.

After an eternity, she reached the bottom of the stairs. The front door loomed ahead. She thought of Novak out there in the forest, waiting for her. In the silence of the moment, the house felt like an eerie prop from a horror movie. And as she made her way to the front door, there was a moment where she thought she heard a floorboard creak upstairs. She whirled, heart pounding.

Silence.

She exhaled, turned back to the door. The lock clicked softly as she turned it. She eased the door open, wincing at every tiny squeak of the hinges. As she did all of this, she half-expected Sara’s dead-tone cheer to cut through the silence, asking where she was going..

But no voice came. With a soft click, the door swung open, and Rachel slipped out into the night.

The cool air embraced her gently as she passed across the front porch. She darted across the moonlit yard, her eyes fixed on the tree line ahead. The forest swallowed her moments later, branches clawing at her clothes as she pushed deeper into the undergrowth.

Twigs snapped beneath her feet, each sound amplified in the eerie stillness. An owl hooted nearby, making Rachel jump. She pressed on, following the line of the driveway north, where Novak waited with his tent.

The darkness pressed in around her, seemingly alive. Crickets and tree frogs joined in with the owl. It was actually rather peaceful…like everything else about Moon’s property. She thought of Jack and Paige, safe at home, unaware of what she was up to at the moment.

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