Hero (Wolves of Royal Paynes #1) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,1

enough money for me to have a good night out, and then some.

"I don't see him," she said. "But I think I see a few others watching you. A man with a dog."

I sighed with relief even as she spotted more men on my tail. These guys were rough, clever, and kept me on my toes, but if Knox was here, I needed to be worried.

Knox.

Only an asshole would dare to have a gorgeous name while walking around like every good boy's wet dream. I wasn't a good boy, but I could pretend for Knox.

Stop it, Jazz. You're going to get caught. He doesn't care about you; he just wants to catch you.

I was Stockholm-Syndroming myself. How pathetic.

Knox wasn't some guardian angel sent to make me feel not so alone. I was pretty sure he and the rest of his team were some kind of ex-military, mercenaries. They were too smart to not be.

I had to remember Knox had been hired to find me. The moment he did, he'd turn me over and move on to the next job. "I'll take the plug." I reached for my wallet where I kept my real money.

I wasn't above stealing, but not from little old ladies trying to earn a little extra cash. I stole from my father or companies nested under the umbrella of his huge conglomerate. Clubs, restaurants, hotels chains, spas—there was an endless list that stretched across the country.

"Seems odd a young man learns he is being followed and immediately buys a sex toy."

I winked as she handed me the plug wrapped in brown paper. "Odd, that sounds like me." I threw a quick look over my shoulder.

The mountain moved in. They'd spotted me, I'd spotted them, we both knew we saw the other. My plan came together as I mapped a route out of the large outdoor bazaar. I knew my weaknesses as well as my strengths. I wasn't a fighter. Any one of those men could snap me in two like a twig while I tried my hardest just to leave a mark.

But I could be slippery. I could find cracks and crawl through them. And I had a certain lovable knack for chaos. I'd been running for most of my life and had learned early on: always plan your exit, and never double back the way you came. I wouldn't be caught in a room with only one door, not unless there was a window to jump out of.

I straightened and tensed to move. "On second thought, can I get one of those lip balms too?" I asked.

The woman blinked several times but recovered. "Which flavor?"

"Pina colada, please." I'd imagine I was relaxing on a tropical beach instead of running away from men hell bent on ruining my casual Saturday fun.

I handed her the money, giving her extra for being so nice, and then slipped through the gap between her booth and the booth next to hers. One of the men said something, probably some mission code word that meant, hurry up, he's getting away.

I ran by a man walking several dogs of all shapes and sizes. Digging the plug from the small bag, I unwrapped it and cupped it between my hands before dropping the plug and letting it roll away on the ground behind me.

The dogs howled and barked, snapping to get at what looked like a large tabby cat sauntering by them without a care in the world. The dog walker lost control of the leashes as the dogs tugged him to the middle of the sidewalk, piling on top of their new furry friend.

By the time the dogs had calmed down and the walker got them pulled back, the cat would be gone and nothing more than a truly adorable plug, but by then, so would I.

Though I was sure of the plan, I still ran, hazarding a brief glance back where the mountain glared. His mouth moved in rapid shapes that were likely a string of curse words as he tried, and failed to get through the throng of chaos in front of him.

The one with the dog had his hands full as well. My illusions didn't just look like other things; they smelled like them as well. If I made a turd look like a pie and put it in a person's hand, they'd believe it was a pie until they put it in their mouth. Cujo was as distracted as the others.

But these guys never attacked alone. That was part