2. Dylan
2
DYLAN
10 Days Later
I t didn’t take much detective work to find Elle at her sister’s home. I’d watched the police come and go a couple of times—both times empty-handed. On the surface, you wouldn’t think Elle was in there, there wasn’t a hint of Elle. Not a shadow of a second person in the house crossing the closed window. Nothing out of the ordinary. From the intel I’d uncovered, the sisters had a falling out several years ago and her sister cut Elle from her life. Zero contact. Not even a call or text message during holidays. No doubt, the arrest and drug trafficking charges only added to Sophie’s animosity toward her sister.
But they were sisters. Blood. The only family either of them had. Their parents had died several years ago, which put even more distance between them rather than bringing them together. When the chips were down, I doubted she’d turn Elle away.
From the shadows of the massive oak tree across the road from the tiny house, I chuckled to myself. Considering what Elle was used to, I doubted she was pleased with her current accommodations.
She was going to hate her new home. Skipping bail was a very, very bad choice. She might have avoided prison, being a first-time offender, depending on what information she planned on giving up. But now—now she was in some serious shit.
And it was not my problem.
My only problem was going to be getting her little ass out of the house, in cuffs, and into the SUV.
If I went to the door, I’d be turned away just like the cops had been.
So, I was going to do things a little differently.
Some would say a little less legally.
Technically, what I was doing wasn’t legal. But there was no way I was getting her out of that house unless I skirted the law a little bit.
She was a wanted felon. At worst, I’d get a slap on the wrist. The reward for bringing her in would be worth the potential consequences.
Night had fallen and it was well past midnight when I parked the black SUV down the street and out of sight of the people in the house.
I looked back at the house. All the lights were out and the property was quiet.
There was a little dog in the house. One of those little yappy things that women liked to put in dolls’ clothes, stuff in their purses, and call their babies. I hoped that the dog was sound asleep with its owner—her sister.
From what I could tell from lurking around the house the past several nights there were two bedrooms. One on each side of the house. During the day the curtains would be wide open allowing the sunshine to beam into the room of her sister.
But the other room.
The other room’s curtains were shut tight and had been over the days I’d watched the house. Periodically, I’d see a faint glow from inside illuminating the room, just slightly. If you didn’t have a sharp eye you’d never notice the difference. That was Elle’s room.
If I was wrong and it wasn’t Elle’s when I broke into the house to snatch her, then I’d be in some serious shit. If they caught me that is. At 6’2 and 220 pounds, I was hardly a small guy, but I was capable of being stealthy when necessary.
Taking another look around me, I was satisfied to see that the road was empty. Proceeding out from the shadowy cover of the tree, I quickly made my way down the road and toward the back of the house, avoiding the side where her sister and the devil dog slept. I headed directly for the bedroom window I presumed to be Elle’s.
Testing the window, I wasn’t surprised to discover it locked. Slipping my backpack from my back, I rummaged through until I found the glass cutter. Securing the suction onto the window, I made a circular hole in the glass just big enough to slide my hand and arm inside.
The older style window made my job easier as the lock was at the bottom center of the sill. Flicking it to the unlocked position, I grabbed the ledge of the window and slowly lifted it.
There was a slight squeak from the window, making me wince, but I proceeded. To my relief, as I lifted the window, the sound of soft snores seemed to overshadow the squeak of the window being lifted.
Leaving my bag outside, I slithered through the window head first, concentrating on lowering my torso onto the floor on the other side as quietly as possible. If I was wrong and Elle wasn’t in this room, I’d need to make a hasty escape.
I was concentrating so hard on ensuring that I was entering soundlessly, that I didn’t notice that the snores had come to a halt. Hunched down, I looked up and scanned the room for the bed. The bed was there, the blankets pulled back. What wasn’t there was Elle.
Where th?—
I didn’t even have a chance to put my thoughts together when a blow which I was sure was meant for my head struck my shoulder sending a jolt of pain that vibrated my entire body.
“Fuck!” Leaping to my feet, a second blow came, hitting me square in the stomach, leaving me winded and nearly toppling me to my knees.
The third blow of what I discovered to be a baseball bat I managed to intercept, grabbing the end and giving it a yank.
A female yelped and then released the other end of the bat as she made a run for the bedroom door.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Dropping the bat, I chased after her, grabbing her around the waist just as her hand grabbed the door handle.
She screamed again as I pulled her backward. Clasping my free hand over her mouth I hoped to prevent her sister from hearing and intervening.
Immediately she opened her mouth and clamped down on my gloved hand.
Grunting, I resisted the urge to push her away from me as I lifted her, spun her around, and then tossed her onto the bed, the weight of my body falling on top of her. The weight of our combined bodies proved too much for the bedframe as the antique piece of furniture broke apart causing the entire thing to crash to the floor.
She released my hand from her teeth as she attempted to scream under the glove.
“Keep it up and you’ll be driving back with me to California in the trunk of the fucking car, Elle,” I growled, my lips close to her ear.
She squirmed, attempting to buck my weight off her, but her hundred pounds was hardly a match, although I did commend her efforts. The squirming she was doing under me and the feel of her hard, round ass rubbing against my groin, was causing a problem in my pants as my dick began to swell.
Just great. I had enough problems right now, a hard-on was the last thing I needed.
“My name is Dayton Adams. I’m here because you skipped bail and failed to appear for your court date. I’m taking you back to California to stand trial.”
Her body stilled a moment before she began thrashing beneath me once more.
Keeping my forearm pressed against her back, just between the shoulder blades I kept her face buried into the cushion of the blankets. Reaching to my utility belt, I unhooked the handcuffs from the belt and began the aggravating process of securing her hands behind her back.
“You fighting me isn’t going to change anything,” I growled. Just then, she squirmed underneath me and threw her head back, crunching into my nose. Pain shot across my forehead and through my sinuses, as I heard a faint snap. Not again. My nose, already crooked from previous breaks, throbbed painfully.
It took over five minutes, with more effort than I anticipated, to get her handcuffed with her hands behind her back and able to push myself off her body.
“Causing a fuss won’t help you. You’re caught and you’re going back to California. Just make this easy on both of us and stop putting up a fight.”
“I’m not going back,” she snarled.
“I beg to differ.” Getting off her, I kept a hand fisted around the chain connecting the cuffs and pulled her up and off the bed with me.
As she steadied herself on her feet she turned to look at me. As she turned, I couldn’t resist taking an up-and-down glance at her stunning body. I’d seen her pictures on billboards and appearances in movies and television. The heavily made-up look she presented to the public was nothing compared to the natural beauty she was face-to-face.
The beam of moonlight coming in from the window I’d left open gave just enough light to illuminate her slight curves under a virtually sheer teddy that barely covered her naked pussy and ass. Her nipples were dark and tight, straining against the delicate lace of the gown’s bodice.
My jaw clenched as I gave my head a quick shake, and lifted my gaze to look up and into her alluring blue eyes. The faster I got her back to California and out of my hair the better.
“I have money,” she blurted.
“I have money. I don’t want your money.”
“A lot of it. Just let me go. Whatever they’re paying you to bring me in I’ll double it.” Her eyes went wide—wild—as the direness of her situation sank in. “Triple it even.”
“You’re not the first one to try and buy their way out of this and you won’t be the last. Never worked for them and it won’t work for you now.”
“But I have it. Here.” She pulled at the chains leading me across the room. Deciding to humor her, but also a little bit curious, I allowed myself to be pulled across the room and to the closet.
“In there.” She nodded to the closet. “There’s a bag in there. I’d get it myself, but—” She jiggled the cuffs behind her back.
“Don’t move a muscle.” Releasing the cuffs, I hesitated a moment before opening the closet.