Page 31 of Broken Princess

“What sort of problem?”

“It’s about Willow.”

His upper lip curled with contempt. “What on earth makes you think I’d want to help you with Willow?”

My brows furrowed. “I thought the fact that you’ve loved her since we were kids might get my foot in the door.”

He bristled. “Willow is like a sister to me. That’s all.”

“Whatever. It’s not relevant. I just need your help with her. Please.”

Rowan let out a short, frustrated sigh and scrubbed a hand across his face. “Look, Logan, I want to be clear about this. I know I follow Willow around at parties and stick to her like glue, but that doesn’t mean I want her. She’s just one of the only people who’s ever listened to me and treated me like I’m actually a human being. I can’t say the same for you, though, so I’m sorry, but I’m not particularly interested in getting involved in whatever relationship drama you’re having with her.”

I held up a palm. “Look, I get it. I’m an asshole, and you hate me. But you care about Willow, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, this is serious. It’s not just some dumb relationship drama. She’s gone missing.”

He raised one eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’d rather not discuss the details out here in the hall,” I said, lowering my voice. “But I haven’t seen her in three days. She’s gone.”

Rowan folded his arms. “Maybe she doesn’t want you to find her. I can’t say I’d blame her.”

“It’s not like that. Trust me.”

“Well, you work for a private intel firm. Why don’t you find her yourself? Or doesn’t Caldwell cover lover’s spats?”

“For fuck’s sake, Rowan, this is serious!” I said, narrowing my eyes. “She didn’t just run off because we had a fight. She’s been kidnapped, and they might kill her.”

His face paled slightly. “Wait… kidnapped? Are you serious?”

“Yes. So are you going to help me or not?”

He stepped aside to let me into his office. Then he shut and locked the door behind me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I honestly thought you were being a dick and trying to go through Willow’s friends to find her after a stupid fight, or something like that.”

“It’s fine. I get it,” I muttered.

“So what happened? How do you know she’s been kidnapped?”

“Long story. You might want to sit down.”

He nodded slowly and sank into his computer chair. “Why haven’t I heard anything about this?” he asked. “Shouldn’t the Secret Service and police be all over it?”

“They don’t know she’s missing yet.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

I lifted my gaze to the ceiling, eyeing it for any surveillance devices. “We’re safe to talk in here, right?”

Rowan nodded. “Yes. I don’t trust the usual security measures, so I’ve installed my own.”

“Of course you have,” I said with a ghost of a smile. I sat down on a chair opposite him. “I need to tell you some things. They’re pretty shocking, and you might be tempted to tell someone else, but you can’t.”

“Okay.”

I leaned closer. “I can trust you, right?”