Page 2 of Hard Limits

ERIC

I stared at the picture of the young girl. She was absolutely stunning, and too young for the likes of the man sitting behind me. Maybe twenty years too young. Disgusting. Her pretty eyes stared back at me and they shone with sorrow, it was as if they begged me for help. It was an odd feeling. When Red had told me, he had a job for me, I didn’t expect it to be one of his friends. As soon as I walked into this shithole I didn’t even think this guy had the means to pay me. But he’d forked out the down payment within seconds.

I took odd jobs from Red once in a while because they were usually pretty easy. Guys wanting they’re money back or having to find someone who was supposedly lost. But this case had been different from the beginning. I wasn’t used to being conned, and I was definitely being duped by this pair of assholes.

“How old did you say she was?”

“Twenty-one.”

Taking out the picture from the frame I lifted it up for him. “Do you think I could have this?”

He eyed me warily. “What for?”

“So that I can put a face to who I’m looking for.”

He nodded. “Yeah, take whatever you want.”

I stared past him down the hallway and into the kitchen. There was food thrown everywhere, chairs toppled, signs of a struggle. A clear sign that I was walking into a case of domestic violence and there was no missing woman.

“Are you sure she didn’t just runaway?”

The man stood up, he was big, six-foot four, burly and built like a lumberjack. But I held my own at six two, and I had a lot more fighting experience than this barely sober loser.

“I called you in here because Red told me I could trust you, and that you were good at finding people. I’m paying you good money for you to find my woman, not for an interrogation.”

I held up my hands and smirked. “I just need some info, what she likes, who she knows, where do you think she’d go? I need something to go on here, man.”

“She knows no one. I made sure of that,” he muttered under his breath as he sat back down.

I narrowed my eyes on him and instantly knew Shane Wyatt was bad news. This girl, as young as she was, had probably been manipulated and abused. If I did find her, there was no way in hell I was giving her back. Not to this fucking monster.

I’ve seen enough shit in my life to know this guy was a piece of shit. I may be paid to find her, doesn’t mean I’m paid to give her back.

In my line of work, ethics were sometimes required. Being a bounty hunter had it’s good and bad sides. The best part about it was that it was exclusively my decision to take a job or not, and it was in my discretion to go through with it.

In this case, something told me I needed to take this job. It was either that or let this maniac find her and hurt her some more. From her picture she’d looked so innocent, happy even. But I had the feeling that wasn’t the case anymore. I couldn’t get her face out of my mind. Those heart shaped lips, long golden hair, and the prettiest green eyes. I wondered what she looked like now that she was hiding. Did she cut off that pretty hair, dye it?

“She owes me twenty-thousand dollars. I don’t care if you bring her back dead or alive, I want her back with my money.”

I turned my head, so he wouldn’t catch the death glare that had surged through me. “I can’t guarantee you’ll get your money back. Fuck, I don’t guarantee anything.”

“They said you were the best!”

“Yeah,” I turned to him, meeting his glare. “I am. Doesn’t mean I guarantee shit. Down payment is three grand. I get the other three grand when I find her.”

“And bring her to me.”

I smirked. “Yeah, I don’t do that. I’ll tell you where she is, but I don’t do the dirty work man.”

I was lying to him. The dirty work was my life. I captured shit guys, bigger than him, for a living. I didn’t know why I was doing this, maybe to make up for all the sins I’d committed, or maybe I wanted her for myself. Either way, there was no way I was going to let him lay one finger on her again.

“I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I find something.”

“I need your number!” He stood in my way as I went to get out.

I smirked. “That’s not how this works, Billy, Jeb, whatever the fuck your name is.”

I waved my hand and pushed past him. “I contact you.”

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