Page 1 of King of Deception

CHAPTER ONE

Arabella

I step awayfrom the circle of light surrounding the beachside bar and draw a deep breath of ocean air as the darkness surrounds me.

Finally, I can breathe.

I’d normally find an oceanside resort on the island of Maui fun, or at least relaxing. But not this time.

“Bella, come back!” Cici yells from her stool on the bar. “We’re just getting started!”

“You go ahead,” I call back to Cici and Maggie, who already have several men vying for their attention. They’ll honestly have more fun without me. “Put your drinks on Mason’s tab.”

My champagne flute is still in my hand. I’m not much of a drinker, and I think this might be my third.

My friends kept ordering them for me. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the last thing I feel like doing is celebrating.

The diamond on my finger catches a bit of light from the nearby beachside bungalows, making the stone sparkle, further mocking me and my mood.

What would happen if I twisted the three-carat monstrosity off my finger and tossed it into the ocean?

My fiancé would likely just buy me another. The ring is, for sure, insured. He’s not letting me slip away from this match that easily.

Preston Wingate III is the kind of old money that only highlights the fact that my family is a bunch of hustlers.

My father was a gangster. My brothers try to hide the truth from me about what he did for a living, but I still know. Our father worked for the Italian Mafia until it killed him.

And I actually mean killed him. Not like he had a heart attack from work stress. He was murdered by mob boss Toni Carcetti.

My brothers are still mucking around with illegal dealings, though they try to share as little as possible about that side of the business with me too. My oldest brother, Mason, has a whole legal real estate development front that is growing stronger. He owns several casinos on the Las Vegas strip, clubs, and apartment buildings. Recently, he built a tunnel that connects them all, funneling the foot traffic to our companies, keeping them within our businesses. It’s brilliant.

But the costs have left him vulnerable. Enter Preston Wingate. Mason swears that with my fiancé’s help, he can shed the last of our illegal dealings, and place us so far above our competition, we become untouchable, making our family safe.

Preston’s connections will infuse us with enough money and friends in high places that my brothers can finally stop being gangsters.

Which would be wonderful because the danger has always been a breath away.

As if that isn’t enough, five men all with alpha-type personalities running one company can get… complicated.

They haven’t told me what happened a few months ago. But I know it was something big. Because my cousin, who is really like my brother, wants out. Luke is selling his shares.

Mason’s buying them, of course. He never misses a business trick. But in a twist I didn’t see coming, he’s putting them in my name. Something about needing to diversify shares for the board. I don’t know.

They sent me to New York to go to school. It was for my protection. But now, I’ve been drawn right back into the web that is our family’s business.

I’m willing to help. I am. I want Mason to go legit. I want Luke to be happy. But the price, the plan to make all this happen is for me to marry Preston.

Which seemed easy at first. Handsome. Charming. He’s everything I should want. And best of all, he’s old money, the kind with names and connections.

We met at a gallery opening. There was an instant connection, or so I thought. But it burned out quick. He’s so stuffy, and I’m not sure I’m enough for him…

I stumble as I cross the lawn. Each beachside bungalow has sweeping water views, each cute and posh, but they all look exactly alike. I pause for a moment. Which one was mine? Third over? Or was it the fourth?

Drawing in a deep breath, I start forward again. I’m not worried. I left my French doors open, no one in a place like this steals from an unlocked room.

But it also means everyone has left their doors open too.

Stopping, I scrunch my brows and search the cute little buildings with their front porches and steps right into the sand.

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