Page 1 of Sinister Engagement

Prologue

Angel

13 years old…

Everything was numb. My eyes were sore and raw from the amount of tears I’d cried. They felt swollen, and whenever I reached up to touch them, it only hurt more. Now, as I sat on my bed, staring at the floor, I felt all cried out. I was so drained of tears I wondered if I’d ever be able to cry again. The dark, itchy dress I wore was a stark contrast to my fair skin, the shiny dress shoes looking damp and dirty from the rain and mud at the cemetery.

Mama had been buried today—in the mud and rain and cold wintry air. Hearing the splash of raindrops on my window pane only made the sadness I carried weigh heavier. It felt as though my heart had cracked a little more with each passing moment. Even now, if I closed my eyes, I could picture the graveyard workers lowering her shiny mahogany casket into the earth.

“What are you doing?” My sister’s sharp voice startled me, disrupting the silence of my bedroom. I looked up see her leaning against my doorframe. Jaquelina was six years older than me and other than being related, there were no other similarities. Brash and full of sass, both prevalent as she half glared at me with a single brow raise.

“Sitting,” I muttered, my voice cracking. Her makeup was completely untouched, no tears or mascara smeared down her cheeks, as if it was just a normal day.

But it wasn’t.

“Is there a reason you aren’t getting changed? I’m sure you don’t want to keep wearing that outfit, dear sister.” The sneer in her words affected me even more than normal, stabbing at my already wounded heart.

Swallowing the lump that formed, I tried not to flinch at her tone.That’s just who Jackie is, I reminded myself before giving her a half-hearted shrug and shoving off the bed. Instead of leaving me to wallow in my emotions, Jackie continued to wait, eyeing me with a curious look. There was something in her gaze that I couldn’t put my finger on, but I ignored it, choosing to change like she suggested.

“There,” I whispered when I finally finished, tossing the dress into the laundry hamper. I didn’t want to look at it, but I knew if I threw it into the fireplace, I would no doubt get yelled at. So, into the laundry—and all the memories associated—it went.

“Little Angel,” she said, stepping forward into the room and closing the door behind her. “Do you know what killed Mom?”

“She was sick,” I ground out, pushing past a fresh wave of tears that filled my eyes.I guess I can still cry,I thought ruefully, swiping angrily at the wet streaks.

“Ah, so that’s what he told you.”

My hand slowed, pausing against one cheek as I processed her words.

“Hmm, I guess youarestill pretty young,” she commented. “Young enough to be kept in the dark…” She trailed off, turning to leave. Confusion swirled within me.What did she mean?I jolted forward.

“Wait!” I called, grabbing hold of her arm to keep her from leaving. “What do you mean ‘kept in the dark’?”Dad wouldn’t lie to me,I thought.He just wouldn’t, but Jackie sounded so sure.I had to hope this was just one of her mean tricks. Jackie angled back to look at me, pity blatant in her expression and I bit back the urge to plead that she tell me.

“Mother wasn’t sick,” she said. I couldn’t understand what her expression meant, but after a moment she turned back to face me and tilted her head to the side. “Haven’t you ever wondered what our father does? How we have all of this wealth?”

Wasn’t sick? That wasn’t true. “I met her doctor, though…” I countered before her questions sank in. “What does it matter what Dad does? How does that affect Mama getting sick?”

“Wake up,Angel,” she snapped. Her tone was irritated and angry. I released her and backed up a step as a flicker of hatred lit her eyes. She moved forward and shoved me in the chest as she spoke.

“We are not a normal family. We’re criminals, and criminals don’t get happily ever afters. We won’t get into heaven, no matter how many times you get told you’re daddy’s little angel. Father’s a powerful man and he has enemies, enemies that got too close and Mother paid the price. She was never sick.” Her tirade made no sense. My head started to throb.

“I don’t understand—”

“Of course you don’t, because you’ve been kept in your sheltered little ivory tower. Mother wasmurdered, and it was all Father’s fault.”

“No…” I shook my head. Somehow, even though I thought I’d been all cried out, fresh tears began to well up once more. “You’re wrong!”

“I’m not,” she sneered. “It’s because of who he is. Whoweare—the Price crime family.”

“Crime … family… Like the mob?” The words sounded foreign on my tongue, and I shook my head in disbelief. Even for my sister, this was too cruel of a trick to play, but I refused to believe her.

“What? You think armed bodyguards and late-night meetings arenormal?” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t believe me? Go ask Father yourself.”

“I will,” I snapped, pushing past her and into the hall. I hurried through the estate, my stomach sinking. She wasn’t right. She couldn’t be. People could be rich without doing horrible things and rich people needed bodyguards, right? What if someone tried to rob our house? Even as I tried to reason away Jackie’s accusations, though, a kernel of darkness blossomed in my chest. If what Jackie said was true, then did that really mean Mama was murdered?

No, she can’t be right. I shook my head and tried to push away those thoughts. Bile crept up my throat.Mama died of an infection. Jackie was wrong. She was just being mean.The very thought of Dad being a criminal sounded ridiculous. A criminal wouldn’t tuck me into bed at night and tell me how much he loved me. Criminals were bad people. They were mean. The door to his office came into view. I didn’t bother to knock. I would probably be yelled at later, but I had to know.

“Angel!” my father shouted in surprise as I burst in. The three guards sprinkled throughout the room all reached for their weapons at the intrusion but froze when I skidded to a stop in the center of the room. Mama’s doctor was there, except this time he didn’t look anything like a doctor. The polite smile and white lab coat he’d worn when he’d told me about Mama’s infection were gone, and in their place was a shoulder holster and a scowl. The nice man who’d gently informed Jackie and me all about Mama’s sudden illness and resulting infection was no more. All that was left was cold, stony eyes and a harsh frown.

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