“That’s all you’ll do?” Frustration and fear welled inside me. Mom and Dad could be hurt and unable to call for help, and no one would even start to look for them for another day and a half.
He tapped a finger impatiently on the desk. “That’s all I can do. We have rules I have to follow. Go home, and let us take care of things here. This is no place for a young girl like you.”
My anger flared again. “I’m eighteen, old enough to be a bounty hunter.”
“That may be, but you’re not one, which means you have no business here.”
I stalked to the door and threw it open. “As long as my parents are missing, this is my business. I’ll be back in thirty-six hours, Mr. Solomon.”
He grumbled something that turned into a hacking smoker’s cough. I’d be lucky if the guy didn’t keel over before he had a chance to send someone to look for Mom and Dad.
In the elevator, I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the car to reach the first floor. I couldn’t believe I had wasted half my afternoon on coming to see a man who couldn’t care less about my parents. I should have known better after he’d hung up on me. The jerk.
The elevator doors slid open, and I hurried out, almost running into the two sandy-haired men waiting to get on. I jumped back and let out a silent breath of relief when I recognized Bruce Fowler. He and Dad had gone to high school together, and like most of my parents’ friends, he was a bounty hunter. He was a nice man, and his family lived only two streets over from us.
“Jesse!” exclaimed the younger man with Bruce.
I suppressed a groan when my eyes met the brown ones of Bruce’s son, Trey. You might think that with our parents being friends, Trey and I would be good friends, too. You would be wrong.
Two years older than me, Trey had been one of those cocky, good-looking boys who loved being the center of attention and having a cute girl on his arm. That would have been fine if he hadn’t spent his time between hookups trying to get into my pants. Like that would ever happen. I knew he’d only wanted me because I had been one of the few girls from school he couldn’t have.
He’d only gotten more full of himself since he’d started bounty hunting with his father last year. You’d think he was some kind of superhero with the way he bragged about his job. I knew better.
“Hi,” I said tightly, although the smile I gave Bruce was genuine.
Bruce’s brows drew together in concern. “Jesse, what are you doing here? Are you with your parents?”
I shook my head and swallowed past the lump that suddenly formed in my throat. “I don’t know where Mom and Dad are. They went out last night and never came home.” I told him about the weird call from my mother and that Levi had refused to help me find them.
Trey puffed out his chest. “It’s an Agency policy to wait two days. There are a lot of rules we bounty hunters have to live by.”
If I hadn’t been so worried about my parents, I would have rolled my eyes. Trey was harmless, but he could be a pompous idiot at times.
“I’ll talk to Levi and see what I can do. But the Plaza is no place for you. Go on home, and I’ll call you if I hear anything.” Bruce laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure your parents will be home soon.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t want to go home and sit around waiting to hear something, but I wasn’t going to learn anything else here. And if Bruce said he’d try to help, I knew he would. I just hoped he had more luck getting information out of Levi than I had.
I said goodbye and exited the building, having to step to one side at the door to allow three hunters to enter, carrying a shackled, thrashing female between them. The woman’s black hair was wild and matted, and her dress was little more than rags. A muzzle covering the lower half of her face did not completely mute her screeching, and my ears ached from the sound. It was my first time seeing a banshee up close, and I hoped I never ran into one that wasn’t gagged.
Outside the building, I descended the steps to the street and paused while I checked the subway schedule on my phone. I silently cursed my stupidity when I saw Trey had followed me.
“Come on. I’ll give you a lift home,” he said with a saccharine smile. “You don’t need to be riding the subway alone.”
My hackles went up at his insinuation that I couldn’t take care of myself. “I’ve taken the subway plenty of times. I think I can handle it.”
He was a little taken aback by my tone but quickly recovered and tried another tactic. “Your father would want to know someone was watching out for you while he’s gone. Dad agrees with me that you shouldn’t be all alone in the apartment either. I’d be happy to sleep on your couch until your parents come home.”
I bet you would. “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.”
“I’m serious, Jesse,” he pressed. “This city can be a dangerous place for a girl on her –”
“Do not finish that sentence, Trey Fowler, if you value your life.” I planted a hand against his chest and shoved him backward. “This girl is more than capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much. And if you don’t mind, I’ll be leaving now to catch my train.”
I spun away and stomped off down the street toward the subway station. The gall of him to suggest I was helpless because I was a female. I should go back there and kick his ass, just to show him how well I could defend myself. I wasn’t as good a fighter as either of my parents, but thanks to Dad’s rigorous self-defense training, I could hold my own.
My temper had cooled by the time I reached the station. I paid my fare, thinking I should probably buy a MetroCard if I was going to be taking the subway a lot. My old job had been within walking distance of home, so I hadn’t needed to take the subway to work.
I was waiting for my train when I got the eerie sensation of being watched. My gaze scanned the station and landed on a tall man in a long, dark coat leaning against one of the support columns about twenty feet away. A hood shadowed all but his lower face, so the only thing I could make out was that he was white. But I could feel his eyes on me. I stared back, hoping to make him look away, but his gaze stayed locked on me.
A cold tingle ran across the back of my neck as my creep alarm went off. I edged closer to the other people waiting for the train and out of his sight. When the train arrived, I got on with everyone else and made sure I sat with a group of passengers.
Daring a glance out the window as the train departed the station, I nearly sagged in relief when I saw the man standing in the same spot. He looked up when my car passed him, and all it took was one glimpse of his beautiful face to know he was a faerie. Our eyes met for the briefest moment, and the cold scrutiny on his face sent a shiver through me. It was a good ten minutes until I felt warm again.
By the time I got home, I had convinced myself that I’d overreacted to a stranger’s harmless stare. I was under a lot of stress today, and it was making me imagine things.
Finch was standing on the back of the couch waiting for me when I opened the door. The relief on his small face made guilt prick me. They were his parents, too, and he’d been here alone for hours with no idea of when I’d come home.
“Hey.” I tossed my coat over the back of a chair and faced him with my hands on my hips. “What? No dinner?”