Page 53 of Broken Princess
11
Logan
I wasn’tsure how long I waited in that little side room, the sound of my heartbeat thrashing in my ears as I pictured Willow being shoved onto that plane like cattle onto a truck. The Kesharis were known for their poor human rights record, especially when it came to their treatment of women, so out of every single possible buyer in the world, Prince Darius was probably the worst Willow could have hoped for.
Not that she should have been hoping for anything other than freedom.
“Fuck.” I gritted my teeth and slammed my fist into the wall again and again. This was my fault. If I just got here sooner… did something different… tried harder…
She could be free.
I wouldn’t even care if she wanted to leave me afterwards and live alone in the middle of a jungle, just to escape the cruel reality of the world she’d lived in until now. All I cared about was her safety and freedom.
Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. I would care if she left me, but at the same time, I knew she had every right to, and I would respect that.
Now I might never get the chance to respect her the way she deserved, and it was all my fucking fault.
I finally slipped out of the room and headed back down the twisted mansion’s ground floor hall. When I reached the guarded entrance to the tunnels, the white-clad guards left me alone, knowing better than to bother the son of their employer.
As I passed them, I wondered if they were even her employees. They could be slaves for all I knew, raised from the stock of trafficked babies my mother and her cronies traded in.
Jesus, there was so much shit to unpack at this place.
First things first, though. I needed to find a way to get Willow home before I could rest or worry about anyone else. She was my number one priority and always would be.
I headed into the dank tunnel, keeping my mask on in case I ran into any other shadow council members on my way back over to the main estate. With every step I took, another crack appeared in my heart.
I couldn’t get Willow off my mind. The thought of the defeat and terror she must be feeling right now chilled me to the bone, and the thought of that fucking man putting his hands on her sent rage tearing through my veins like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path. Even the thought of him looking at her made bile rose in my throat.
By the time I reached the main tunnel, I was so fired up that I couldn’t even feel the cold anymore. I was wrong when I thought it was too late. I wasn’t going to give up on this rescue mission. I couldn’t. As long as Willow was somewhere on this planet, I would find her. Save her. Worship her.
The Kingdom of Keshar wasn’t exactly a tourist destination, but they still accepted foreign visitors, especially those with money. It wouldn’t be too hard for me to make my way there. The hard part would be figuring out a plan to get Willow the fuck out of the prince’s insanely fortified palace.
I’d get it done, though. Failure simply wasn’t an option. Even if I had to kill a hundred men around the palace, I’d do it for Willow. I’d do anything for her.
I finally reached the main tunnel exit and ditched the mask before striding back up to the resort. When I arrived at my suite, I was surprised to find the white barn doors which separated the room into two sections wide open. My father was wide awake and sitting on the couch in my section, forehead wrinkled as he stared down at his cell phone.
“Look who’s back,” he said, glancing up as I stepped inside. “Where the hell have you been?”
I rubbed my jaw. “Uh…”
He snorted. “I knew it. You were fucking around with that girl from earlier, weren’t you?”
“What girl?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. The one from the tasting room.”
I nodded slowly. “Right. Yeah. Gemma.”
He got up and approached me. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Willow.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“You know, I always thought you took after your mother,” he said, cocking his chin to one side. There was a distinct twinkle in his eyes. “But now I see that you’re actually your father’s son after all.”
I flattened my lips. “Hmph. Yeah.”
He clapped a hand over my shoulder. “This trip has been good. I’m glad you had the idea,” he said, lips curling up in a genuine smile. It faded when he caught sight of my hands. “What the hell happened there?”
