“Thanks.” I appreciated her acceptance of me. “I’ll put my thoughts together and perhaps we could compare notes?”

“Perfect.”

I returned my focus to work, and so did she. For thirty minutes, I sank my teeth into information about programs and personnel. It wasn’t the most thrilling reading, but any intel was good intel.

Gradually, I became aware of someone standing in front of me. I jolted to attention and clicked out of the screen, hoping he hadn’t seen what I’d been looking at. My eyes widened as they settled on the man waiting for my attention. He had messy black hair, a short beard, and a piercing through his eyebrow, another in his earlobe. The darkest eyes I’d ever seen were set in a face too harsh to be considered handsome but striking all the same. My gaze tracked down his shoulders, which were clad in a leather jacket. Tattoos covered the backs of his hands and disappeared into his sleeves. Several chunky metal rings adorned his fingers. He cleared his throat, and my eyes flew up to meet his. I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment at getting caught staring.

“How’s it going, princess?” he asked, his hands remaining at his sides. “Finding everything you need?”

I broke into a cold sweat. Had he seen me snooping? I glanced at Imani, hoping she hadn’t heard the comment. Fortunately, she was entranced by something on her screen.

“Yes, I’m managing.” I forced myself to smile and play dumb. “I don’t think we’ve met?”

“We haven’t.” A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. “I’m Zeke. Don’t pay attention to what anyone says about me. I’m a big teddy bear.”

Somehow, I doubted that. Everything about this man screamed danger. Even though I knew it was stupid, I wondered whether his skin would be cold to the touch. It seemed like it ought to be.

“Good to know.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

His lips twitched. “Behave yourself, Willow. Not all of us are as trusting as King.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “And remember that blood isn’t always thicker than water.”

With that last cryptic comment, he straightened and left. I watched him go, unsure how to react.

“Was that Zeke?” Imani asked, finally glancing up from her computer.

“Yes.”

“What did he want?”

I forced myself to shrug. “I’m not sure.” My guess would be that he was suspicious of me and he’d been warning me not to betray Ronan.

She raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Fine. Have your secrets.” She stood, holding her purse. “Come on, I’ll show you the best place to get coffee.”

We took the elevator to the ground floor and exited onto the street.

“It’s only a short walk.”

A couple of buildings down from the King’s Security office, she turned into a cafe. I followed, but just as the door swung closed, I caught a glimpse of a figure behind me. Watching us. When I turned, they were gone.