Only Spite (A Sadie Price FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 5)

O N L Y   S P I T E

(A Sadie Price FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 5)

R y l i e   D a r k

Rylie Dark

Bestselling author Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising six books (and counting); and the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising three books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2022 by Rylie Dark. 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 Derek Robbins, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK

SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ONLY MURDER (Book #1)

ONLY RAGE (Book #2)

ONLY HIS (Book #3)

ONLY ONCE (Book #4)

ONLY SPITE (Book #5)

ONLY MADNESS (Book #6)

MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SEE HER RUN (Book #1)

SEE HER HIDE (Book #2)

SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3)

SEE HER VANISH (Book #4)

SEE HER GONE (Book #5)

SEE HER DEAD (Book #6)

CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NO WAY OUT (Book #1)

NO WAY BACK (Book #2)

NO WAY HOME (Book #3)

NO WAY LEFT (Book #4)

NO WAY UP (Book #5)

NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6)

MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

TOO LATE (Book #1)

TOO CLOSE (Book #2)

TOO FAR GONE (Book #3)

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

Neon orange spray paint would show up even in the morning gloom. Cole grinned to himself as they approached the abandoned warehouse at the end of the wharf.

Apart from the creepy feeling of being watched that he was trying to ignore, it was perfect.

Especially at this time of year. With only six hours of daylight at the beginning of February in Anchorage, the mornings were late, and the evenings came in early, giving them the cover of darkness for longer. With the streetlights at this unused end of the wharf giving out barely more than a flicker, the chances of being seen—and therefore caught—were slim.

Which was just as well, because if Cole’s mother found out what he was up to instead of being on his way to school for the day, he would be in big trouble. The last time he had been caught doing this, there had been hell to pay.

It was worth it, though. Cole grinned at the other two boys and shook the can that he was gripping in his hand. He had perfected his tag now and he was proud of it. He had spent hours designing it until he was happy with the curve and shape of the letters, ensuring a distinctive style that would be recognized as his.

This was what his parents and teachers didn’t understand. Graffiti was an art. He had dreams of being a serious graf artist one day, even bigger than that English guy Banksy, adorning walls and buildings with art that actually meant something.

His mates didn’t really understand either. They just thought it was a bit of fun, a chance to stick two fingers up at the cops and the authorities, and at all the rules they were expected to obey by parents, teachers, society…everyone. Being a teenager was stifling. There were worse things they could be doing than tagging a few abandoned buildings.

But for Cole, this was serious. A way to make his mark on the world, to contribute to a subversive art form that transcended cultural norms of what and where art should be.

He never voiced those thoughts to his friends though. They would just laugh at him and ask if he had been getting high again.

Cole. Come on, these rafters will be perfect to tag, look. Billy pointed to the large wooden beams overhead at the back of the warehouse. Realizing he had stopped following them and gotten lost in his thoughts, Cole jogged over to his mates, holding up his phone to see properly. They should have brought better lights, he thought, because they could barely see anything just by using their phones. It didn’t really matter though; he could do his tag without looking now. With his eyes closed, even.

He reached Billy and the other boy, Jerry, and they shook their cans, ready to start spraying. Jerry started dragging some wooden crates over so they could climb up to the rafters in question. It was a bit dangerous, but they had done worse, climbing over rooftops and even over the school gates during the summer holidays. That had been stupid though; that had been the time Cole had gotten caught.

But this warehouse was perfect. All these bare walls meant Cole could come back on his own and practice the new designs he had been working on in his sketch book.

Hey, what’s that? Billy said suddenly, pointing upwards. Cole shone the light from his phone in the right direction.

It looks like a bunch of plastic has been hung there, Billy said, sounding confused. Like there’s something wrapped in it.

Jerry stopped dragging crates and came over, sounding excited. Maybe it’s been hidden here on purpose.

What, like treasure? Billy scoffed as Jerry started piling crates on top of each other and then using the wall to climb up. We’re not playing pirates anymore. It’s not second grade.

But Jerry wasn’t listening. He started jumping around on the crates trying to reach the plastic, nearly tumbling off but not caring.

Cole wanted to tell him to stop. There was something about the bundle of plastic that was making him uncomfortable. It looked vaguely humanoid, like some kind of giant alien chrysalis from a science fiction movie. It reminded him, too, of the art installations at the fancy gallery his mother had taken him to for his birthday, where there had been sculptures made out of plastic and metal.

Jerry gave up jumping and threw his spray paint can at the plastic, hard. It wobbled precariously, and a piece of plastic fell down. Grinning in triumph, Jerry grabbed the now hanging end of the plastic and pulled, and it began to slowly unwind, releasing whatever was in it slowly down toward them.

Hey, something’s dripping on me! Billy complained, wiping his face. As he spoke, a fat drop of liquid landed on Cole’s hand and he squinted at it, then recoiled in shock.

It was blood.

He raised his face to the thing lowering toward them with a dawning horror, and as the plastic slowly unraveled, he saw the pale face of a woman staring back at him.

In spite of the waxy appearance of her skin, Cole knew this was no sculpture.

The three boys screamed in unison as the corpse landed with a thump on the floor and the plastic burst, spraying them with blood.

CHAPTER TWO

Fifteen years she had been waiting for the clue that would solve her sister’s murder. She felt as though she couldn’t stand another minute.

Sadie clambered to the top of the rock that overlooked the river’s headwaters, feeling frustration welling up within her.

There’s nothing here to see, she yelled down to Sheriff Cooper, who was exploring around the bottom of the rocky outcrop. She could hear the bitter disappointment in her own voice. She could also hear Cooper splashing about in the river below and hoped he didn’t alert any nearby bears to their presence. This was one of their main feeding grounds.

It had been that knowledge that had led them here. The crude map that had been drawn by her dying father’s shaky hand hadn’t given them much to go on other than a few vague squiggles of trees and mountains, which could have been anywhere in the wilderness around Anchorage. It was only when she had managed to decipher a cluster of smudges as being, in fact, a bear paw, that they had been able to decipher the location of the X next to it.

Or at least, she thought they had. With the bear paw indicating the headwaters, they had both assumed from the rest of the drawing that the X indicated the large outcrop that overlooked the feeding grounds. There was nothing else here but the river, pine trees, and mountains. Nothing else that stood out.

But there was nothing here on the outcrop either, and Sadie wondered if they had misread her father’s map completely. If that was the case, then they were back at square one.

And then she would never find out who had killed her sister.

"Sadie! Cooper’s voice cut through her dark thoughts of the past. Come back down, I think I’ve found something!"

Feeling renewed hope, Sadie clambered back down the rock and splashed through the river to join Cooper, who was wedged behind a rocky ledge.

What are you doing? Sadie asked, bemused.

There’s an opening here, Cooper called to her, and she could hear the echo from his voice. It’s a squeeze to get to so it’s easily missed, but it looks as though it opens out into a cave of some kind.

Sadie felt a rush of excitement at his words. This had to be it. It had to be the X.

But why? What was in there? Sadie hesitated for a moment, torn between needing to know what her father was trying to show her, and wondering what fresh horrors could await.

Another body?

But how would her father know about it, if so? Unless…

The possibility that it had been her father all along who had killed her sister, a possibility that she had barely dared to entertain until this moment, bloomed in her mind. Her father had been a mean bastard, especially after her mother’s death, and as his drinking had progressed, he had grown meaner still.

Yet Jessica had been his favorite, hadn’t she? It was always Sadie rather than her older sister who bore the brunt of her father’s fists. But then, it had always been Sadie rather than her older sister who had stood up to him. Jessica had been the peacemaker, and the one who soothed Sadie’s bumps and bruises after another beating. She was the one who behaved at school and caused no trouble. Why can’t you be more like your sister? had been her father’s favorite refrain.

Sensing her hesitation, Cooper wriggled out from behind the ledge and turned to her, his hand outstretched. Are you okay? I’m sorry, I know this is a big moment for you. We can take a breather before we go on. Maybe even come back another day?

His eyes were kind, full of genuine concern for her, and Sadie felt a rush of affection for him in spite of the situation. Less than an hour before, they had shared their first kiss in Cooper’s snowcat after weeks of tiptoeing around each other, neither daring to voice their feelings for another. It was a complication that Sadie didn’t need, but once it had happened it had felt inevitable.

She shook her head. I’ve spent fifteen years waiting to find out what the hell happened to Jessica. I can’t keep waiting. Let’s go in.

But just as she finished speaking, her cell phone rang. Her work phone. It wasn’t Cooper, which meant the call could only be coming from the Anchorage FBI Field Office, and therefore her boss, ASAC Paul Golightly. Turning away from Cooper, Sadie answered her phone impatiently.

Agent Price, she snapped.

As anticipated, Golightly’s gruff tones answered her, dispensing with niceties as usual.

I need you in Anchorage. Up at the wharf. There’s a body been found. Agent O’Hara will meet you there.

Sadie suppressed a sigh. Can’t O’Hara tackle this one on his own? she asked. She had partnered with O’Hara just a fortnight before on a case up in Prudhoe Bay, and although he was a newly qualified agent, he was sharp.

I need you, Golightly said, and Sadie felt her stomach sink as she picked up on his tone. This wasn’t an average murder—if there could ever be such a thing—but something that required her particular expertise. As a Behavioral Analysis Unit special agent, Sadie was called out to anything that looked as though it might require a knowledge of the darkest impulses of human nature.

Serial killers were her usual specialty.

Go on, Sadie said, waiting for him to explain.

The body of a young woman was found wrapped in plastic and hanging from the rafters of one of the old industrial warehouses, the ASAC told her.

Wrapped in plastic? And then just dumped? That was odd, Sadie thought, her mind already whirling through various scenarios.

There was another body like this found last year, before you transferred up here, Golightly went on, and Sadie understood why he was calling her. Exactly the same. But we couldn’t get a lead on the case.

I’m on my way, Sadie said, ending the call. She turned to Cooper, who looked as disappointed as she was, although part of her was also now gearing up to investigate the body in the warehouse, her adrenaline fizzing. She looked from Cooper to the cave, feeling torn.

Trouble?

Sadie nodded. You might want to keep your radio on, she said. There’s a potential serial killer on the loose in Anchorage.

Cooper’s eyebrows flew up his forehead and his face drained of color at the thought. After all, it hadn’t been so long since the last one. But he simply nodded, as practical as ever.

Come on. I’ll get you back to the saloon so you can pick up your truck.

Sadie took a last, lingering look at the cave, which almost seemed to be beckoning her now. The key to her family’s secrets and the murder of her beloved sister, which had haunted her for years, could be just feet away. She was so close…

She could feel Cooper staring at her, and she sighed as she turned away from the cave.

As soon as you can, I’ll bring you back, he promised.

Sadie nodded, reaching out a hand to touch the cool rock as though bidding it farewell. Whatever secrets it held, they could keep for now.

She swallowed her frustration.

She had a crime scene to get to.

CHAPTER THREE

Getting used to often horribly mutilated bodies was one of the hardest things for a new agent. As Agent O’Hara met her on the wharf, she could see he was fighting to hide his revulsion at the crime scene. She had seen that look on too many agents’ faces not to recognize it when she saw it.

She also knew not to mention it.

Are local police at the scene? Sadie asked as he led her along the wharf.

O’Hara nodded. The police chief is there, and a detective, who I think will be working alongside us. He doesn’t seem over-friendly.

Sadie grimaced. Working with local law enforcement could always be tricky when you were FBI, as in her experience they often resented the intrusion on what they saw as their turf. When Sadie had arrived back in Alaska and been assigned a case up at the Lynx Lakes, Sheriff Cooper had been much the same toward her, as had his sister, Jane, the deputy.

Obviously, things had changed.

But a serial killer, if that’s what this turned out to be, targeting the center of Anchorage could cause plenty of jurisdiction problems, as not only would she cross paths with the local detectives but also Cooper himself, since as county sheriff, he could well end up involved too, especially if bodies started turning up outside the city center.

There was no time to worry about potential conflicts now, though. Right now, she needed to get a look at the body.

The smell of death hit her as soon