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Prologue

He was the man who had everything he ever wished for, but the only thing he never knew was purpose. Some say the reason he disappeared without a trace is because he wished for something he shouldn't, and he has those who are now hunting him down. Others say he left in search of adventure; to find meaning in his extraordinary life.

The truth is it was both.

No one knew where Willder Gordon went, not even the men hunting him down. Even if they did know, they couldn't take him in; the public would fear the government forever.

The search for the political figure was very low-key. The press exposed his lack of presence and congress had to cover up the scene. The public was aware of his disappearance - no matter how hard our government officials tried to hide it - but no one talked about it. They feared the government would make them pay for it if they made a fuss over the matter.

The government couldn't let him leave the public's eye, so they sent out a search party in two days time looking for Willder. Nothing came of his whereabouts. They looked across all of the United States, all of North America, South America, and some of the secret search party traveled to Europe. Willder was an excellent hider, and no one seemed to be able to seek him.

It was rumoured that perhaps Willder was kidnapped. After all, he had no family who could give them any insight as to where he might be. They were flying blind, scouring every inch of the globe. It was time to call in an expert, someone who was trained for this mission: Orlon Kane. It was a high price to pay to get Orlon to do the job. The government had one more secret to keep by hiring him. Pardoning him from federal prison would cause an uproar from the seemingly quiet public if they ever found out.

Orlon was a spunky, narcissistic 21-year-old who had been in and out of jail since he was 15. He was a strong man. His curly, dark brown hair fell over his forehead like he hadn't had a haircut in months. Orlon had a tan complexion, and his face and hands had too many scars to count.

His parents were also government officials who practically disowned him for his delinquent behavior. He was the kid who was forced to stay at home during parties, but would sneak out and did what he pleased when his parents left in their million dollar cars.

On the day Orlon was assigned the mission, he was irritable with the fact he was taken out of prison for a wild goose chase. His crimes were intended to hurt the government's reputation, not help them.

When he walked into the Oval Office, the president allowed a few awkward moments of silence to pass before addressing Orlon. Orlon sat in the plush leather chair and refrained from messing with the handcuffs he was still required to wear.

"Willder Gordon is the topic at hand. Have you been informed of his absence?" President Rushwood inquired. He was a man in his late 40s, but had graying hair that made him look ten years older. His build was stocky, but he wore dark framed glasses that helped him have a professional demeanor instead of a burly old man. Still, he didn't look like a weak president, and America was fond of that persona.

"Of course." Orlon replied dryly. Just sitting in the president's office made him uncomfortable. He had always loathed Rushwood. In fact, Rushwood was the man who was responsible for Orlon being placed in federal prison. Orlon's hatred grew stronger by the second.

The president folded his hands across the desk, "We released you from prison to carry out the task of locating Mr. Gordon. We have been told you have completed a similar mission before. We are willing to pardon you of your sentence if you will follow our instructions."

Orlon raised up his right hand, and he sighed as his left hand raised up too, "No, I don't follow instructions. You let me do this my way, or there's no deal." Rushwood didn't have much to say. He knew he was dealing with a criminal.

"You can not go about this in a reckless manner, Mr. Kane. This has to be kept as private as possible."

Orlon smirked, "That won't be a problem, sir. My days of recklessness are behind me." They shook hands on the agreement. Orlon didn't have any assignment other than finding Willder Gordon at any cost, as long as it didn't draw attention to the public eye.

Little did Orlon know this would be his toughest assignment yet.