I don’t believe in love. At least not the love Hollywood tries to sell us. That kind of love is just one of those stories people tell each other in the dark to get us through to the next day. And even if I did believe in love, it’s not something that I deserve.

I ruin everything I touch.

Leo is right; I want Rose. I might even be in love with her. But that’s exactly the reason I have to let her go. This is so much bigger than want or love. Leo is trying to build a family. Rose is trying to find a normal. I’m only in the way. I thought leaving would help. But instead, I hurt both of them.

See, I don’t deserve either of them.

But I swear to God, I’ll tear this town apart brick by brick to find her. I just hope I can get to her before she leaves town.

I pick up my cell and dial the head of the security on his personal line. Red has been working with us for a number of years, and I know he’ll help with no questions asked. Because I’m pretty sure what I’m about to ask him to do will break a few laws.

“I need a favor,” I say.

“A favor? You never ask for favors,” Red says, warily.

“It’s important,” I say. “I need—”

“Before you ask, let me tell you upfront, I don’t do bodies,” he says. “If this is that kind of call, I know a guy. And the less you tell me, the better.”

“Damn it Red, I’m being serious,” I say. “I need you to find someone for me. Her name is Primrose Morningstar.”

“Primrose Morningstar? That sounds like a stripper's name.”

“Fuck off. Can you do it or not?” I ask, growing increasingly impatient. “I need to find her as soon as possible, and if you can’t do it, I’ll call someone else.”

“Okay, so it’s like that. Color me intrigued,” Red says, and I hear the steady click of typing on the other end of the line. “I’ll find her for you. I’ll handle this myself. Send over the details, and I’ll have a report by tomorrow.”

“That’s not fast enough,” I say. “She said she’s leaving town and I can’t let that happen. Can’t you track her cell phone or something?”

“This isn’t a TV cop show, man. You can’t just give a name and a few sketchy details and expect me to tell you where the girl is,” he says, still typing away. “These things take time, but I’ll make it a priority.”

“Fuck.” I kick the end of the sofa, feeling impotent.  “Do everything you can to find her. I don’t care how much it costs or who you have to pay off to get it done.”

I hang up the phone and shove it back in my pocket, feeling no closer to an answer than before. I send as much information as I have on Rose to Red, which doesn’t amount to much. And for the next hour, I pace the apartment feeling like a caged animal. But the only thing I can do is wait.

I pull up her employment file, trying to search for clues as to where she might have gone. The only family listed in the file is her mother. It’s possible she sought out her mother on the road, but unlikely. After what Rose told me, I can’t imagine her ever returning to that life, even temporarily. There’s the old boyfriend, but again, there wasn’t much of a connection there. I send the details to Red.

“Where the fuck are you, Rose?” I say, bringing up her photo and realize that this crappy photo is the only one I have of her. It’s possible that I might never see her again, and this fucking ID photo is the only thing I have to show for our time together. That and the ache in my chest.

Feeling the need to do something productive, I jump in the shower and wash away the last of last night’s bender. I’m not sure what I’ll do if we can’t find her. Leo will never forgive me. And outside of the obvious implications to our company, I’d also be losing the only person I’ve ever felt close to in my life. In short, my life is a giant, stinking dumpster fire and the only thing I can do is sit back and watch it burn.

Just as my desperation hits a manic level, my cell rings. Relief floods through me as I see Rose’s number on the screen.

I rush to the phone, anxious to hear her voice. “Don’t hang up. You were right. I’m in love with you, and it scares the hell out of me,” I say, pleading my case. “I was wrong about everything. Please come home, and we can work this out. I promise. I’m sorry I made you cry. I’m sorry I… Fuck, I’m just sorry. ”

“No you’re not,” a strange man’s voice says on the other end, “but you will be.”

A cold chill runs down my spine as I check the number again. “Who the hell is this? And where’s Rose?”

“Don’t worry, I have your girlfriend right here. Or is it Leo’s girlfriend? The papers don’t seem to know.” the man says. “Are you both bedding this whore?”

I get to my feet, clutching the phone so hard my hand starts to ache. “If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Destroy me?” The man dissolves into a hollow laugh that hits me like a kick to the gut. “Oh, that’s funny. Like you can do any more damage.”

“Who are you? What do you want? If it’s money—”

“We’re far beyond that, Asher Knight,” he says, cutting in. “You’ve taken everything I’ve ever cared about away from me, and I’m not going to stop until I take everything away from both of you. Starting with your woman.”

This psychopath has Rose. My stomach sours with the thought, and I have to swallow the bile that’s rising in my throat. If something happens to her, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

“Let me talk to Rose,” I demand, but the phone goes dead. I call the number back, but it goes straight to voicemail.

I dial Red, trying to get a grip on my panic. “I need to know where she is right now.”

“I have some leads, but you need to give me time,” Red says with a sigh.

“We don’t have time. Someone has her.”

“Has her? Like kidnapped? Why the fuck didn’t you say that in the first place,” Red says, typing frantically. “Do you know who took her?”

“I haven’t a clue. I think it has something to do with our company,” I say. “He said Leo and I ruined his life.”

“If I had a name, it would make this go a lot faster. Does Leo have any ideas?”

“He doesn’t know yet. Fuck. Maybe I should call the police. They can—”

“Don’t,” Red says, interrupting me. “I can work a lot faster. And once we get them involved, you’ll be stuck answering questions all day. I’ll pull some of my guys and go through the last threat analysis we did on your company and see if anything pops. In the meantime, find Leo and see if he has any ideas.”

I call Leo, but he’s not picking up, so I leave a message. The silence in the penthouse is crushing. I move to the window overlooking the city and pound the glass. Rose needs me, and there’s not a fucking thing I can do about it.