If I Live

I F I L I V E (A Ruby Hunter Mystery—Book 3) M o l l y B l a c k Molly Black Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the REESE LINK mystery series, comprising five books (and counting).An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch. Copyright © 2023 by Molly Black. 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 ivantdimov used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY MOLLY BLACK MAYA GRAY MYSTERY SERIESGIRL ONE: MURDER (Book #1)GIRL TWO: TAKEN (Book #2)GIRL THREE: TRAPPED (Book #3)GIRL FOUR: LURED (Book #4)GIRL FIVE: BOUND (Book #5)GIRL SIX: FORSAKEN (Book #6)GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED (Book #7)GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED (Book #8)GIRL NINE: GONE (Book #9) RYLIE WOLF FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERFOUND YOU (Book #1)CAUGHT YOU (Book #2)SEE YOU (Book #3)WANT YOU (Book #4)TAKE YOU (Book #5)DARE YOU (Book #6) TAYLOR SAGE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERDON’T LOOK (Book #1)DON’T BREATHE (Book #2)DON’T RUN (Book #3)DON’T FLINCH (Book #4)DON’T REMEMBER (Book #5)DON’T TELL (Book #6) KATIE WINTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERSAVE ME (Book #1)REACH ME (Book #2)HIDE ME (Book #3)BELIEVE ME (Book #4)HELP ME (Book #5)FORGET ME (Book #6)HOLD ME (Book #7)PROTECT ME (Book #8)REMEMBER ME (Book #9)CATCH ME (Book #10)WATCH ME (Book #11) RUBY HUNTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERIF I RUN (Book #1)IF I TELL (Book #2)IF I LIVE (Book #3)IF I FORGET (Book #4)IF I RETURN (Book #5) CAITLIN DARE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERCOME GET ME (Book #1)COME FIND ME (Book #2)COME TAKE ME (Book #3)COME CATCH ME (Book #4)COME SAVE ME (Book #5) REESE LINK MYSTERYBEYOND REASON (Book #1)BEYOND REACH (Book #2)BEYOND REPAIR (Book #3)BEYOND DOUBT (Book #4)BEYOND NORMAL (Book #5) CONTENTSPROLOGUECHAPTER ONECHAPTER TWOCHAPTER THREECHAPTER FOURCHAPTER FIVECHAPTER SIXCHAPTER SEVENCHAPTER EIGHTCHAPTER NINECHAPTER TENCHAPTER ELEVENCHAPTER TWELVECHAPTER THIRTEENCHAPTER FOURTEENCHAPTER FIFTEENCHAPTER SIXTEENCHAPTER SEVENTEENCHAPTER EIGHTEENCHAPTER NINETEENCHAPTER TWENTYCHAPTER TWENTY ONECHAPTER TWENTY TWOCHAPTER TWENTY THREECHAPTER TWENTY FOURCHAPTER TWENTY FIVECHAPTER TWENTY SIXCHAPTER TWENTY SEVENCHAPTER TWENTY EIGHTCHAPTER TWENTY NINECHAPTER THIRTYCHAPTER THIRTY ONECHAPTER THIRTY TWOCHAPTER THIRTY THREEEPILOGUE PROLOGUE Daisy Hauser swiped the Sky Guide app off her phone’s screen and checked her text messages again. Still nothing. She nervously nipped at the nail on her middle finger, wondering if Harrison had gotten tied up at work. She looked at her last text with Harrison and smiled. They had only been dating three weeks, but he already felt like home. Daisy wasn’t quick to call it love, but everything was different with Harrison. Maybe love is exactly what it was. A brisk wind whipped her chestnut hair off her neck for a moment before rolling through the trees behind her. She pulled her jacket tighter to ward off the chill. Daisy didn’t mind the cold, especially when she would have Harrison to keep her warm. Daisy looked up at the stars. Orion’s Lookout was the perfect spot for stargazing, something she and Harrison both loved. It was one of the many interests they had in common. She could see Orion’s Belt perfectly, along with so many others, from the rock she’d picked out. Normally, it was hard to see the stars with a full moon, but Orion’s Lookout was like a little nest surrounded by sky-reaching pine trees. The moon hadn’t reached its apex yet, which meant they still had time to see the stars. It was a clear night, one of the first they had had in a while. Harrison had told her about Orion’s Lookout on their third date. She’d always heard of it as a “lover’s lane” kind of place, so she’d never had much of a reason to go. Then he’d told her about all the amazing constellations and comets he’d seen. It seemed like the perfect spot for a late-night picnic.The wicker basket next to her was filled to the brim with all of their favorite finger foods and sweets. She’d made cucumber sandwiches, spinach artichoke dip, homemade pita bread, peanut butter fudge, and lemon blueberry scones. She’d thrown several ice packs in to keep everything fresh and topped off the basket with two mason jars of sweet tea. The trailhead was about fifty yards from the clearing, but the hike was slippery and steep in spots. The basket wasn’t heavy on flat ground, but she definitely struggled carrying it all the way from the car. A couple she passed on the way up had even offered to help even though they were leaving. She was glad Harrison hadn’t seen her trying to lug the basket, a blanket, and her purse all by herself. Daisy had no doubt it would have made him laugh, which made her chuckle