Pretty Little Threats (Princes of NYC #1)

Prologue

prologue

ROSE

Trembling in bed, I clutch the blankets to my body, the remainders of my nightmare still slithering through my mind like that snake in the grass at my seventh birthday party two weeks ago. “Daddy, help!”

Joseph Miller, my dad and knight in shining corporate armor, bursts into my bedroom and flips on the light switch. I wince at the sudden flash of brightness as he scans the room. His dark brown hair is messy, but he’s still dressed for work, tie hanging loose around his neck. “What is it, Rosalynn?”

Sniffing, I blink back tears and say, “There was a monster in my dreams.”

He releases a heavy sigh, his tired eyes landing on me. “I told you, monsters aren’t real.”

“A monster got Mommy,” I protest.

Pressing his lips together, he walks to the bed and sits beside me. Daddy stares at me for a moment. He uses the look he gives me when I get in trouble. Worry creeps into my stomach. I shouldn’t have mentioned Mommy.

“You had a nightmare, that’s all.”

I grab his arm and sniff as fat tears track down my cheeks. “You won’t let the monster get me, will you?”

Daddy sighs. “No, Rose, I won’t let them get you.”

“Promise?”

He nods. “I promise. No one will hurt you if I’m here.”

I don’t know if I believe him. The monster came for Mommy last year when she went out on a late-night walk. Daddy said they were criminals, but I think they were demons. I don’t tell him that.

Releasing his arm, I relax back against my pillow and chew on my cheek. My eyelids are heavy, but I’m afraid to sleep, afraid to dream about the shadowy demons that might find me again. Like they found Mommy.

“Will you tell me a story about a princess who finds true love?” Mommy always used to tell me bedtime stories.

“Fairy tales aren’t real, Rosalynn,” he scolds, narrowing his eyes on me.

I frown. If they’re not real, why are there so many books about them? “Well, you and Mommy were like a king and queen. Tell me how you fell in love,” I say, desperate for anything that will keep the demons at bay.

Something flashes across his face. “No.”

“Please? I can’t fall asleep without a bedtime story. If you won’t tell me one about a princess, tell me how you and Mommy fell in love.”

“It’s not a magical story, Rosalynn.”

“That’s okay,” I whisper, surprised he’s even considering telling me.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he blows out a breath. “I didn’t know your mother until my father and hers arranged our marriage. It’s how JD Miller & Co came to be.”

I suck in a breath. JD Miller & Co is the most important thing to our family. Daddy always says that. “What’s an arranged marriage?”

“It’s where two powerful families come together for the greater good.”

“Like a king and a queen?” I ask.

He shrugs and gives me a hard look. “I guess you could say that. Kings and queens don’t marry for love, Rosalynn. They marry because it’s their duty.”

I scowl. “I don’t think I want an arranged marriage.”

“Not even if it means you’re a princess?” he asks, carefully studying me.

I shake my head. “I won’t have to have one, will I?” Tears spring to my eyes again at the thought of marrying a stranger.

Strangers are dangerous.

“No, baby, you won’t have to have one.”

And I know it’s true. My daddy always keeps his promises.

Always.

“I love you,” I tell him around a yawn.

“Time for you to go back to bed. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to conquer that fear.”

My eyes grow heavy. I sleepily watch him walk to the door, smiling at him as he reaches for the light. “Thanks for protecting me.”