Page 4 of Sinister Engagement

I could feel Raph watching me carefully and was thankful for the mastery I held over my own expression. Without batting an eyelash, I reached out and picked up the glossy photo of her. The more I looked at her oval-shaped face, the more I realized that she appeared far too young for a man such as myself. I cut my gaze toward Raph.

"You're not trying to sell me a child bride, are you?" I snapped.

Raphael laughed. "No, my Angel is eighteen. Will be nineteen in the fall."

Eighteen. Hardly a woman, but a woman was all I saw. Gorgeous. Voluptuous. Stunning. Her shy face and tempered smile made something cruel twist in my guts, a sinister craving that I hadn’t felt in far too long. I wanted to see what she would look like spread out upon my bed, her head thrown back in ecstasy as I drove my cock into her pussy. Would she scream or mark me with her delicate little nails? Would she cry and try to push me away? I knew it was wrong to think such a thing, to find both options appealing as I eyed her delicate figure, but I’d never been a knight in shining armor. Nor had I craved a woman as much as I did right then.Mine, my mind hissed, drawn to Evangeline like a sailor to a siren.

Raph nodded down to where I still held Evangeline’s photo in my grasp. “So, may I have your answer then? Will you give an old man peace of mind and honor my family by marrying one of my daughters?”

Had someone told me that morning that I would be offered one of the Price princesses as a bride, I would not only have laughed at the thought, but I might have even killed the bastard for attempting to toy with me. I was not laughing now.

Damn Raphael Price.I’d been perfectly accepting of my lot in life and content with my bachelorhood, but one look at this one—the softness of her angelic features—and I knew. There was only one answer.

“Yes,” I said, folding the image of Evangeline’s face in half and tucking it into my inner pocket. “I want Evangeline.”

2

Angel

She’s wrong. Insane. Absolutely certifiable.It was the only explanation. Confusion whipped through me as I strode out of the library and into the hallway of my family's country estate. While the world had moved on from extensive properties and manor houses, the rest of society choosing to settle into more appropriate apartments and suburban houses, the Price family had not. We could not. Not with all of the enemies my father had killed and made along the way—before my mother's death and since.

That all slipped from my mind though, the second Gertrude—our longtime maid—had congratulated me on my upcoming nuptials. Nuptials that I hadn't heard about until that very moment.

"It's not real," I told myself. "She's just going senile. She probably thought I was her granddaughter." God, it was horrible, but I prayed the old woman was losing her mind.

"Where are you heading?" I stopped at the sound of my sister's voice behind me.

I turned and faced her. There was a kernel of knowledge in her eyes—in the way she smiled at me, which was both amused and smug. I wasn’t sure, but perhaps…

“Did you know?” I blurted out the question, hoping against hope that my sister would laugh over this horrible misunderstanding.

Jackie’s smile widened, and my stomach dropped. “Who finally told you?” she asked, confirming that the maid had been right.

“Told me?” I repeated, shaking my head. My chest felt hollow and strangely sore, as if something had punched right through me. “Told me that Dad’s planning to auction one of us off?”

“One ofus?” Jackie laughed, the sound like a sharp piercing horn in my ear. So loud, it made me flinch away. “No, kiddo, not us—you. Congrats, you’re getting married before me. Gotta say, I'm a little bit jealous." She didn't sound jealous. Instead, she sounded almost pleased—amused. I loved my sister despite the differences between us, but she had a personality and ever-present tone that made it clear she was laughing at everything and everyone around her. As if the world was a comedy she couldn't help but chuckle at no matter the circumstances. And unfortunately, most of it had been centered around me, including today.

No, this can’t be happening.But even as that thought echoed through my head, I knew the truth. The fact that Jackie seemed so amused about knowing had made it painfully clear that this wasn’t the horrible joke that I hoped it would be.

“How did you find out before me?” I demanded. “If I’m the one getting married, then why wasn’t I even asked?”

Jackie shook her head at me. “Oh, sweetheart.” Though the term was an endearment, it sounded caustic and sarcastic coming from her lips.

I gritted my teeth as she approached. Jackie and I were related by blood, but that was where our relationship ended. Where I preferred to sink into the background, reading books and studying while secretly planning and hoping that one day I could leave the family behind and start a normal life—she was ambitious. For as long as I can remember … since she was a teen and I was old enough to know what our family did, Jackie had been preparing to take over the Price empire whenever our father finally stepped down. I loved my father—truly, I did—and I knew he loved me, and because of that, I had foolishly misled myself into thinking that one day he'd support me trying to have a future.

Is it purposeful?I wondered.Is he angry with me? Because I told him of my dream?The reminder of the acceptance papers sitting in my nightstand stung.Is this a punishment?Can I talk him out of it? Make him see reason?He wouldn't even have to pay for my tuition. Not that we couldn't afford it, but I'd worked my ass off to make sure that I got a scholarship that covered everything. He and Jackie might have felt perfectly fine living in the shadow of danger, but I wanted out.

“Why?” I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. “Why would he do this? Why wouldn’t he at least ask me?” I repeated.

“Little Angel.” Jackie’s heels clicked against the rich mahogany wood floor as she moved closer. “Daddydoesn’t need to ask your permission for anything.” Her tone was mocking. “You should’ve realized it by now. Men like him can do whatever they want.”

“No.” I knew the things he did for work weren’t exactly … legal, but he wasn’t like the other men I’d seen coming in and out of our home my entire life. He used to read us bedtime stories when we were children. He tucked us in. He may have been a criminal, but he wasn’t a cruel man, not to his family. “No,” I said again, shaking my head. "This is a mistake." My hope was a valiant little thing, blossoming in my chest even when I knew, deep down, I didn't believe in it.

“Well, I hope, for your sake, dear sister, that the man Father’s chosen isn’t some fat, bulbous old fucker,” Jackie said, making the light snack I’d had earlier curdle in my stomach. I felt light-headed, uneasy. I turned away from her, hating the image that popped into my head. Enjoying what she was doing to me, she continued. “Or maybe he’s bald and mean. Oh dear, what if he beats you? That would just beterrible.” Jackie’s slender arms came around me from behind, and she pressed herself against my back.

“What do I do?” I choked out. I sniffed hard, trying to fight back the tears as I reached up and hung onto her arms for support.

“You want my advice?” she asked.

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