Page 1 of No Escape
PROLOGUE
DYLAN
“Your new assignment is on your desk,” my assistant, Sarah Wallace, called to me the moment I stepped into my small office. “Came in from the Hunters’ Guild and it’s a doozy.” She shrugged, giving me a guilty grin. “I took a peek before putting it on your desk.”
“Perfect. I was saying to myself this morning when I was trying to convince myself to get out of bed that today might be the day they send me a doozy and I didn’t want to miss out on that by sleeping the day away.”
The entirety of my office included a waiting room with six black plastic chairs and her desk. There were rarely more than two people in the waiting room, let alone six, but I liked to be an optimist. To the left of her desk was my personal office. A ten by twelve-foot room. Nothing spectacular, but it suited my purposes. Being a bounty hunter meant I was on the road more often than not. I wasn’t a flashy person, never had been. Paying rent for something I rarely used just to appear important didn’t make sense to me.
“I think this is your lucky day.”
Looking back at Sarah, I rolled my eyes. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement in response. She was way too cheery for a Monday morning.
Her upbeat attitude only made me growl under my breath. We were a textbook example of a yin/yang pairing. Maybe that’s why she was such a good assistant for me. We balanced each other out. Some days—days like today when I was battling the effects of too much alcohol from the previous evening—I wished I had her demeanor. Instead, I was a jaded, lonely, grumpy fuck and had no intention of changing that anytime soon.
“You really don’t want to miss out on this assignment. Trust me.”
“Yeah, I kinda caught that drift. Thanks.” Crossing the room, I stopped with my hand on my office door and looked back at her, a brow lifted. “You’re acting weird.”
She was most definitely more over the top this morning, like a child waiting to open a present on Christmas Day. My gaze lowered to her ring finger, wondering if her partner had finally popped the question after five years together.
No ring.
“I just can’t wait to see your reaction.”
Now she had my curiosity piqued. Was there a prank set up on the other side of the door? Some asshat in a clown costume poised with pie, prepared to slam it into my face the moment I opened the door?
No, she wouldn’t. She knew I wasn’t one for practical jokes.
“My reaction to what?” My brow creased as I looked at her with increased suspicion.
“The case.”
“Okay, weirdo.” Chuckling for the first time today, I opened the door and stepped inside, cautiously looking around—just in case.
The coast was clear, but as promised sitting on top of my desk in a beige envelope was a stack of papers.
Now I was really curious. Shrugging off my jacket, I tossed it onto the chair across from the desk and rounded it, plunking myself down. Grabbing the folder, I opened it up and after the surprise wore off, I chuckled.
“Well, I’ll be. This is a shocker.” A smile spread across my lips. This was going to be either the most enjoyable case I’d ever gotten, or the most annoying. One thing was for sure, it would be a piece of cake to track her down. Two days tops.
“Elle Beck…” Placing my feet up on the desk, crossing one ankle over the other, I leaned back in the black, leather chair with the folder in hand. Everything I needed to know about my newest bounty was in these pages.
Gazing down at the first page, I was confronted by the stunning face of my newest target. The first thing I was surprised over was her sheer beauty, despite the desperate lighting and photography that came with mug shots. Her straight, long, light-blond hair was pushed back over her shoulders as her scared sky-blue eyes stared into the camera.
What did you do…
Twenty-three. 5’9. Occupation listed as model and actress.
She skipped court and disappeared several days ago.
Bingo… There it was.
Possession of cocaine in an amount that would constitute trafficking.
Naughty, naughty girl.
I looked back to the picture. Her eyes were bright and clear. She was thin, it was hardly a secret that women in her circles used narcotics to remain thin. Not that I knew a hell of a lot about the lifestyles of the rich and infamous.
