Prologue

Diana

“I’m sorry, Ms. Bacon, but there’s nothing we can do,” the officer said to me. I wanted to jump over the counter and choke the man, but it wasn’t who I am. I smoothed my pencil skirt in an attempt to calm myself down. I’d gone to our local police station because my sisters have disappeared into thin air. I wasn’t the kind of person who panicked. I was logical, calm, and focused. They knew that and yet, it was clear to me this was more than just them skipping away for the weekend.

“What!” I screeched. Getting ahold of my temper, I continued, “What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” I questioned. “They have been missing for two days and I can’t find them.”

“They are both adults. It’s not a crime for them to go missing.” That was true. They were old enough to make their own decisions, however, it wasn’t like them to avoid my calls. The last time I spoke to them they were at the new properties we had been gifted in a will. They had gone to add their touches. The next day, nothing.

There were three homes on the land that was owned by the Lopez Properties. How they came to us made no sense to me. However, the documentation said it was ours. The first was made of wood, the second brick. and the last of stone and steel. My sisters took the smaller two which were closer to each other than the third. I hadn’t been there yet, but I saw pictures and it was stunningly beautiful. It looked like a mini-castle in the middle of the woods and the library was to die for. If I had time off I would have gone, but I had to do two onsite meetings that had me out of town. It was rare, but everything managed to keep me away from my dream home. I guessed it was for the best because I probably would never want to leave.

“Very well. I’ll find them myself.” I whipped around to exit the station when I collided with a large wall of a man. I could feel an unnatural heat radiating off his skin. I slowly took in his body, moving up to his eyes. They were a honey color, sharp and piercing. His jaw was taut and covered in brown hair. It wasn’t perfectly trimmed and I found that surprising because his suit had been expertly tailored. I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth that leisurely began to turn up into a smile of sorts. One that said he caught my interest. His nostrils flared for a split second and I could have sworn he could smell the heat between my thighs.

“Um, excuse me,” I stammered. My body was shaking with a need I could not explain. I attempted to step away from him, but his arm reached out and he clasped his strong hand around my bicep. It wasn’t painful or even rough, but I was surprised.

“No.” I tilted my head, staring at him knowing damn well I must have misheard him. There was no way he said no to me. I didn’t know him from Adam, so who was he to tell me what to do.

“Did you just say no?” I asked indignantly, pulling my arm from his hold. Instantly, I missed the connection, but I already pulled away. There was no backtracking.

“That I did, mi amor.” His voice was deep, accent-laced, and sent a shiver of desire down through my body. I couldn’t make out where it was from. It was Latin, but I couldn’t say he was Mexican, maybe Spanish or even Argentinian. I could be wrong, but he only said a handful of words to me. Why did I even care about him at all? I’d never let a man talk to me like that or even touch me without my permission and here I was hoping to hear that accented voice to surround me again.

“Sir,” the police officer interrupted with a stern voice. I smirked to myself.

The man who held some power over me turned his attention to the officer and it was my moment to escape. I was out the door of the station and walking to my car. It was a chilly August day in Colorado Springs. The fall air felt like it was approaching fast, but even as a crisp cool breeze hit my face, I was burning up inside from just that minor encounter. He was on my mind as I pulled out of the lot. I actually had to turn my AC on because my body was heated so much that I had beads of sweat around my hairline. Unless I was working out, I didn’t sweat. This man could be nothing but trouble.

As I drove, my thoughts returned to my missing sisters. Where could they be? I dread thinking that something happened to them. They were all I had left. Our parents died when we were little girls. A bank robbery gone wrong. It was hard for us, but we moved in with our grandparents. Once I was out of high school, I attended the University of Colorado and graduated with a degree in Architecture four years later. The twins were six years younger than me and had turned eighteen two months ago. Since then they have been roaming wild.

The world was their oyster they said. My grandparents had indulged in their boisterous and flashy behavior. I had been the straight-laced girl that turned into an adult without my character changing. My humor was almost null and void. I don’t know why. My grandparents told me it was because my parents died and I took on the role of the girls’ protector, and as such, in my mind, it was my job to find them alive and well. Then choke them for giving me a damn heart attack.

I went to work at the design studio as one of the ten architects. Nobody special in the ranks and I was miserable. My designs were great, grand, but most of the time were brushed to the side for the contemporary models I made. My visions were based on the gothic Victorian designs. It had been something that intrigued me since I was a child watching classic movies that took place in dark mansions and castles. By the end of the day, my three average designs were added to a new subdivision project that allowed buyers to select the one of their choice and the house would be built as such.

When I got back into my car, I thought about a trip to the homes in the woods. That’s the last place I knew they were going. I packed a bag and decided to make the drive in the morning. With a three-hour drive, it would be dark by the time I got there, and that wasn’t beneficial for searching the woods.

The next morning, I sat straight up in bed. There was a message from my sister on my voicemail.

“Diana, it’s me,” Lara shouted on the phone. I could hear voices in the background and it made me angry. They must be out traveling again. I really needed to stop worrying about them. It wasn’t their fault I was a boring and overly protective sister.

“It’s me, too,” Tara added. They were giggling. I rolled my eyes because they were beyond silly for no reason.

“We’re fine, so stop tripping. We’re not missing and we love you!” They cheered with laughter. “Be safe and lighten up a bit! Life’s too short to be so uptight!” I was uptight, but I didn’t know how to have fun. It was insane that I found reading all alone to be more fun than socializing, but somehow, I didn’t care.

“Yes, find yourself a man. A big strong one…” Tara said. I could see her arching her brow and nodding her head suggestively like she always did when she told me that.

“Not that again,” I muttered to myself.

“Make sure you come out to your house on the twelfth. It’s important. Bye, see you in a couple weeks,” Lara said.

Fury and annoyance coursed through me while I stood in my shower thinking about the voicemail. How could they be such bitches? They gave no fucks about my worries. Fine, I needed to stop giving a shit what they did. Who was I kidding? I would always be worried about people and more than likely the reason why I didn’t let anyone else in. My life was full of stress and I didn’t have room for more heartache and fear. I hopped out, then dressed in sweats and sat on my couch with my hair in a messy bun. Since I didn’t need to look for them, I planned to enjoy a day of doing nothing. I could let loose. Assholes.