Page 2 of Sins and Secrets

She grabs my shoulders. “Sweetie, are you ok?”

I nod. “I thought I had something, but I guess I never did.” I slam my lids shut and will the tears back into their ducts. I need to get out of this house. This room only holds lies.

ChapterOne

PRESENT DAY

Waverly

Four of my male cousins sit around a tiny screen, whispering to each other, shaking their heads and bickering. Each of them are vital parts of our families’ organization, they’re the future our grandmothers planned for. And they’ve been in this bitter argument for twenty minutes.

Uri throws his hands in the air and says, “I don’t even fucking care anymore. Pick!” He’s the youngest of the boys but has the best grasp of the family business.

Thiago is the default leader of the cousins since he was the first to learn how to ride a bike and, later, how to drive. And it’s his cell phone they’re all looking at. The others agree it’s the right move… but in all fairness, they’re distracted because Izzy is finally home and on her way here.

My oldest cousin pushes his rook and it slides on my board. I tap my queen. The screen fills with confetti and a dancing frog yells, “Checkmate, suckers!”

“Oh, fuck you, Waverly,” Uri snaps but gives me a quick wink. “Twenty-five moves… unfuckingbelievable.”

Thiago tosses his phone on the coffee table and huffs, “Do my programmers need to fix the code?”

I shake my head. “The gameplay is awesome and I like the player interface. No, it’s user error more than anything else.”

The boys don’t laugh at my joke, grumbling and pouting until one of them says, “Let’s go get food.”

Afterall, it is a Four Families dinner party.

I’m on the way to the kitchen when my phone buzzes.

Adam: Working late tonight.

My boyfriend’s text isn’t surprising. At least twice a week, he gets a text to come into work at all hours.

Me: Okay, I’ll wait for you to watch “TKOTN.”

TKOTN is short for my favorite show,The Knights of the Night.Do I listen to fan- podcasts and avoid the internet for all spoilers? Yes. Yes I do.

Three dots bounce on the screen.

Adam: Watched it already, Prince Adtrona dies.”

SON OF A BITCH! He just broke two of the cardinal rules of fandom in one text message: Thou shall not spoil, and thou shall not jump ahead of your partner.

I’m pissed but not surprised. Lately I’ve been living in a state of constant annoyance with Adam. But I hate confrontation.

The doorbell rings and the energy in the house changes. Izzy is here.

Ten years ago, she ran away from home because she was pregnant and scared of her father. But now she has a sexy new bodyguard to keep her safe—from the family and her son’s dickhead baby daddy who showed up and beat the shit out of her.

That night I had a bad feeling in my gut and called her on a whim. It was the first time in years I’d heard her sound hurt and afraid. I sprung into action, called the family and they dragged her home. Now she’s back and I finally have someone to talk to.

She walks in, her long brown hair in a ponytail, and the panic in her eyes tells me we need to find a quiet place to talk. I squeal and wrap my arms around her. After Izzy gets her food, we discuss the important things: hot guys and entertainment. We sit on the couch, and I ask her about the latest Amanda Chase release. I’m horrified when she states she hasn’t listened to it.

“How is that possible? It’s amazing. So danceable, but has so much depth in the lyrics. It’s a borderline masterpiece.”

“Yeah, because she has that guy writing all her music,” she says between bites of her pasta.

Oh, Izzy didnotjust defame my idol. I present my case in all the ways she’s wrong because Grae is not only my celebrity crush, but he’s a unicorn—smart, sweet, and was beaten by the sexy stick. “First of all, they co-write the songs. Second, he also wrote most of Lena’s biggest hits. And third, he’s so hot it’s basically a sin. There are three guys I use to get myself off when Adam is fucking me. He’s one of them”

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