Page 74 of King of Malice

I was no different, a shy girl who lived her life in books, eager to find the one man who’d be my knight in shining armor. And my love life had been no different than any other girl’s, often faced with one letdown after another.

The ugliness of uncertainly had pushed me into the possibility my special someone didn’t exist, loneliness my future.

Then a brutal man had disrupted my world, pretending to be something he wasn’t.

Or so I’d thought.

Through the murky waters of who he was, a criminal with a sordid background, he was also a family man, someone who believed in honor above all. Some might call me crazy. Too soon. Too ridiculous. Too terrifying. My heart knew what it wanted.

A man who’d protected me against all odds, fighting with his personal demons to allow me into his heart. And for once, I was happier than I ever anticipated or believed I deserved.

“Yes. A million times yes.”

There was no understanding of the future or what it would entail, the only expectation honesty in our relationship, but I wanted all of him.

As he captured my mouth, I ground my hips against him, vibrations dancing through every cell, every muscle. Being with him was incredible, electrifying, and he’d allowed me to be the woman I thought didn’t exist.

Life was precious. For him, perhaps it was just beginning.

* * *

Phoenix

“We need evidence that Theodore Canfield stole from your sister’s company,” Gregory said as an opening to the meeting.

Elena sat quietly in the chair in our father’s office, her face pensive. While the repairs had been made to the vineyard, new grapes planted where necessary, the charges against my sister were still pending.

That was enough to keep me on edge. It was as if the Napa police were waiting for the right time to drop a sledgehammer into our world.

“Meaning what?” I barked, tired of playing games.

“Meaning the prosecutor has already called for a grand jury.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I snarled, as if I had a say in the matter.

Gregory shook his head as he looked at me then to our father. “The way it looks, Theodore laid tracks that Elena took the money slowly over time, depositing them into an offshore account.”

“That’s bullshit!” Elena exclaimed. “I don’t have an offshore account. I just can’t believe he betrayed me. That wasn’t Theodore.”

Our attorney slid a piece of paper across Pops’ desk. “According to your signature, you do.”

Elena jumped up from her seat, yanking it from the surface. “That’s not my signature.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. It is. How?” She looked toward Pops then to me, her eyes pleading. “I didn’t do this, Daddy. I love the winery. I’d never do anything to try and destroy it. You know that. Right?”

I tugged it from her hand, hissing under my breath. My sister had a special curlicue she used with the ‘A’ in her name. It would be next to impossible to fake. However, I knew better than to believe she’d done anything so self-destructive. “There are easy methods of duplicating something like this.”

“He’s right,” Elena added.

“That won’t stop the prosecutor from moving forward. It may help in the trial, but by then, the winery’s reputation will be ruined.” Gregory’s statement was harsh but factual.

Elena turned to face me. “Then what do we do?”

“Get the evidence no matter what you need to do.” Pops’ voice and message was very clear.

I’d already put in a call to Maxim to see if his men had been successful finding anything. If not, I’d need to take a trip to Miami.

And not alone.

“You need to do so quickly. They’re trying to make an example out of Elena.”

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