Once Taken Read Online Free PDF Page A

Reedsport, Meredith’s jaw set the entire time.
    After a long silence, Meredith finally sighed.
    “I’ll allow it,” he said reluctantly.
    Riley breathed a sigh of relief.
    “Thank you, sir,” she said.
    “Don’t thank me,” he growled. “I’m doing this against my better judgment. I’m only going along with it because you’ve got the special skills to deal with this case. Your experience with this kind of killer is unique. I’ll assign you a partner.”
    Riley felt a jolt of discouragement. She knew that working with Bill wasn’t an option right now, but she wondered if Meredith knew why there was tension between the long-time partners. She thought it more likely that Bill had simply told Meredith that he wanted to stay close to home for now.
    “But sir—” she began.
    “No buts,” Meredith said. “And no more of your lone wolf shenanigans. It’s not smart, and it’s against policy. You’ve nearly gotten yourself killed more than once. Rules are rules. And I’m breaking enough of them right now as it is, not putting you on leave after your recent incidents.”
    “Yes, sir,” Riley said quietly.
    Meredith rubbed his chin, obviously considering all the options. He said, “Agent Vargas will go with you.”
    “Lucy Vargas?” Riley asked.
    Meredith just nodded. Riley didn’t much like the idea.
    “She was on the team that showed up at my house last night,” Riley said. “She seems very impressive, and I liked her—but she’s a rookie. I’m used to working with someone more experienced.”
    Meredith smiled broadly. “Her marks at the academy were off the charts. And she’s young, all right. It’s rare that students right out of the academy get accepted to BAU. But she really is that good. She’s ready for experience in the field.”
    Riley knew she had no choice.
    Meredith continued, “How soon can you be ready to go?”
    Riley ran the necessary preparations through her mind. Talking to her daughter was at the top of her list. And what else? Her travel kit wasn’t here in her office. She’d have to drive to Fredericksburg, stop at home, then make sure that April would stay at her father’s and drive back to Quantico.
    “Give me three hours,” she said.
    “I’ll call for a plane,” Meredith said. “I’ll notify the police chief in Reedsport that we have a team on the way. Be at the airstrip in exactly three hours. If you’re late, there’ll be hell to pay.”
    Riley rose nervously from her chair.
    “I understand, sir,” she said. She almost thanked him again, but hastily remembered his command not to. She left his office without another word.
    *
    Riley made it to her house in half an hour, parked outside, and made a beeline for the front door. She had to grab her travel kit, a small suitcase she always kept packed with toiletries, a robe, and a change of clothes. She had to get them super fast and then go into town, where she’d explain things to April and Ryan. She wasn’t looking forward to that part at all, but she needed to be sure that April was safe.
    When she turned the key in the front door, she found that it was already unlocked. She knew she had locked it when she left. She always did, without fail. All of Riley’s senses snapped into alertness. She pulled out her gun and stepped inside.
    As she moved stealthily into the house, peering around at every nook and corner, she became aware of a long, continuous noise. It seemed to be coming from outside the house, in back. It was music—very loud music.
    What the hell?
    Still on the lookout for any intruder, she went through the kitchen. The back door was partly open and a pop song was blaring outside. She smelled a familiar aroma.
    “Oh, Jesus, not this again,” she said to herself.
    She put her gun back into its holster and walked outside. Sure enough, there was April, sitting at the picnic table with a skinny boy about her age. The music was coming from a pair of little speakers sitting on the picnic table.
    Upon