And I was the best.
I’d been working at it for a very long time. I didn’t have parents. I’d been abandoned on the Father’s doorstep when I was a baby and he’d taken me under his wing. I’d gone to the best schools. I’d been trained by the best acting coaches in the world. I knew several different languages and my ability to take on an accent was unmatched.
When I got older, the Father placed me in a home with a couple who taught me everything there was to know about romance. They’d studied it. The year I turned eighteen, they tutored me in the art of seduction, and I became someone to be feared.
I could be whoever I wanted to be.
The perfect con.
The perfect bride.
The perfect everything.
I turned thirty this year and I’d bested more than a dozen men in the marriage game. I’d made the Father a great deal of money. I was one of his greatest assets.
My phone rang in my pocket and I answered it. No one but Tim had this number. It was a burner phone that would get tossed in the sewer the second I cleared his accounts.
“Sophia,” a voice purred. My blood ran cold.
It wasn’t Tim.
“Who is this?”
“I’ve found you,” he growled.
“Dean?” I asked fearfully.
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone for a long time. I swallowed heavily. The blood was roaring in my ears. My heart pounded in my chest and my stomach churned with nausea.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
I had to get out of the city.
I dialed Tim’s number.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” he answered. Good ole dependable Tim.
“I want to get out of the city,” I said in a rush.
“What’s up? Missing the big sky country?” he asked.
I sighed. I had to get a hold of myself and hide the panic in my voice.
“Yeah. I feel trapped by all these buildings all around me. I just really need a break from it, you know?” I replied.
“You okay, Tina? You know you can talk to me, right?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I just want to get away for a few days,” I said softly. “New York makes me think of Maddie.”
Maddie was my fake sister who just died of fake breast cancer.
“Why don’t I send a car for you? I’ll take you to my ranch for the weekend,” he offered.
“God, that sounds perfect,” I said quickly.
“Then it’s a date. Pack a bag. I’ll be there within the hour,” he exclaimed.