Girl Without a Chance

G I R L W I T H O U T A C H A N C E (A Tara Strong Mystery—Book 1) 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); of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting). ONLY MURDER (a Sadie Price FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), NO WAY OUT (a Carly See FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), SEE HER RUN (a Mia North FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), and TOO LATE (a Morgan Stark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1) are available as free downloads on Kobo! 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 © 2023 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 Christopher Kane, used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK TARA STRONG MYSTERY GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1) GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2) GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3) GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4) GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5) HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER BEHIND YOU (Book #1) BESIDE YOU (Book #2) AFTER YOU (Book #3) WATCHING YOU (Book #4) JUDGING YOU (Book #5) 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) TOO LOST (Book #4) TOO BROKEN (Book #5) 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 ONE “You know, that sun is looking pretty low,” Adriana said, shivering lightly. She couldn’t help but worry as she hugged her arms against herself. Krystin looked and checked the reflection in the lake. “We’ll set up the tent quickly,” she said. “How hard can it be, right? We’ll be tucked up safely in our sleeping bags before the monsters come out.” Adriana shuddered, getting out of the car. She wondered for the hundredth time if it had been a good idea to come with Krystin on this camping trip. She loved her friend, but all her ideas usually led to trouble. Adriana followed Krystin as she walked around to the back of the car and opened the trunk. The heavy bag containing the tent was there, waiting for them. “My brother said not to damage it. If we manage to lose any stakes or unravel any guy ropes, he said he’ll go into my room and break one thing at random for each bit of damage to the tent.” Adriana reached for the straps of the bag and hefted it, managing to lift it down to the ground and drop it with a heavy clunk. There was a metallic rattling of poles and stakes as it landed. They heaved it with a joint effort, throwing the whole kit onto the ground with a thud and rattle and stopping to catch their breaths. Adriana put her hands on her hips and turned her head in all directions from their car. “This is the best spot ever,” Krystin said. They had found a secluded camping area just out of sight of the lake, back in the trees. There was only one other camper in this part of the park, far enough away that their lights were just a dim glow. “I love this side of the lake,” she went on. “The mountain kind of starts not far from here and the trees are thicker. It feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere. Like a real camping trip.” “This is a real camping trip,” Adriana said, annoyed. “We’re sleeping in a tent.” “You know what I mean,” Krystin said, rolling her eyes. “Like, s’mores and campfires and talking to boys under the light of the moon.” Adriana looked