Bad Business (The Winston Brothers #5)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

WILLOW

If there was ever a moment I’d wished for a time machine, it’s now. I stare at the two men standing before me, one I’ve known my entire life, hearing but not computing the words coming out of their mouths. A thousand questions sit on the tip of my tongue, but none of them escape my lips. Time seems to freeze, each second stretching into an eternity as I struggle to grasp the reality of the situation. The weight of their words bears down on me, and the room feels suddenly suffocating as if the very air was conspiring against me. My mind races, searching for any semblance of clarity amid the chaos, but all I find is a void of incomprehension and shock.

“Willow, did you hear what I said? Do you need to sit down?”

Blinking back at the absurdity of his words, I shake my head. “I don’t need to sit down.” I snap my words, knowing full well it isn’t either of their fault they are here, delivering news I’ve not yet come to accept. “Are you sure it was Lark?”

Brian exchanges a sorrowful gaze with the one in uniform, who introduced himself as Officer Davis.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re sure. Is there someone we can call for you?”

“She was the only person I had left.” I finally let the blow hit its mark and let out a sob. How was I going to bury the last person in my family? Our parents died in a car crash a year ago.

“Wait.” I inhale in a sharp breath at the realization that they haven’t mentioned my niece. “Where is Juniper?” My chest tightens as panic begins to settle inside my bones.

“Willow, take a breath.” Brian steps forward and places his hand against my shoulder.

Shrugging off his hold, I jerk away from his touch. “My niece. Where is my niece?”

“She wasn’t with your sister. She’s at preschool, Willow.” Brian steps forward like he’s going to hug me, but I move back out of his reach.

“No…” I glance at my watch. “I need to go to her.” I shove around the wall of men and start toward my office door.

“Willow, we need you to come with us. The coroner will need you to make an identification.”

“Later. That can wait for later. I need to get to my niece.”

“Willow?” My receptionist takes in my frantic state. “Is everything all right?” She glances at the two police officers coming out of my office behind me.

“No… it’s not. Can you cancel all my appointments, Cassie? Tell my clients I’m sorry, but there’s been a family emergency.”

“Should I reschedule them for later this week?”

I freeze and hang my head. The tears I’ve been fighting back began snaking down my cheeks.

“No. I don’t know when I can see them. Lark’s dead. I need to get Juniper.”

Her sudden gasp is like a bullet to my heart. “Oh, my God. What can I do?”

Turning toward Cassie, I shrug, “Nothing. … I’ll call you, okay?”

“Of course.” She starts around the counter and stops. “Whatever you need, Willow.”

I step out into the midday sun and tilt my head to the sky. How has my morning gone from routine to an epic disaster? I try to think back to the last conversation I had with my sister. Had I told her I loved her? Shaking away the forlorn train of thought, I hurry to my car.

“Willow,” Brian approaches my car and pulls open the door. “Are you okay to drive? I can take you to Juniper. You shouldn’t be driving upset.”

Suddenly, I take in the pain etched in his expression. He’s the one who had to deliver the devastating blow, a job no one should have to do, and he knows Lark, too. She isn’t just a victim to him, and I’m not just an unknown family member. Even without my expertise in psychology, I know he’s likely feeling guilty over being the harbinger of devastation to me. Deep down, he has to know this will change things between us.

“I’ll be fine. Once I get her, I’ll come and make the identification. I-I need to hold my niece.”

“Of course.” He steps back and lets me slide in behind the wheel. “When you’re ready, call me, and I’ll meet you there.”

“Thank you… I’m sorry, Brian, but I need to go.” I buckle my seat belt and turn on the car. “I’ll call you.”

Brian shuts my door and moves back. He stands watching as I ease my car from its spot and navigate onto the roadway. My life, my niece's life, is about to change in a way I’m completely unprepared for. As I drive, every second feels like an eternity. Thoughts of Lark flood my mind—memories of our childhood, the bond we shared, and the promise I made to protect her and Juniper ache inside my chest. Tears blur my vision, but I blink them away, determined to stay focused.

Arriving at the preschool, I park haphazardly and rush inside. Maggie, the school director, looks up in surprise.

“I’m here to pick up Juniper,” I say breathlessly.

“Is everything okay, Miss Rivers?” she asks, concern etched on her face as she glances at me and then at the officer who’s taken up residence in the chair near the entrance. “He wouldn’t tell us anything… only that he was here as a precaution due to an incident involving Juniper’s mother.”

“No, everything is not alright,” I reply, my voice breaking. “Her mother… my sister… Lark… she’s gone.” I fight the tears and push down the grief threatening to pull me under. “I need to see Juniper.”

The school director’s eyes widen in shock, but she quickly composes herself. “Of course, I’ll get her right away.”

Moments later, my two-year-old niece, Juniper, comes down the hallway, her small face lighting up when she sees me.

“Aunt Wiwwo!” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around my legs.

I kneel, hugging her tightly, tears streaming down my face. “Hi, sweetheart. We need to go, okay?”

“Otay,” she says. Sensing the seriousness in my tone, she glances at my face. “Why you crying, Aunt Wiwwo?” Hearing her say my name and the way she says her l’s brings a smile to my face.

“I’m just glad to see you. You ready for our adventure?”

As we walk out of the preschool, I know that the hardest part is yet to come—explaining to Juniper that her mother is never coming back and being strong for both of us. But for now, all that matters is that she’s not alone. We have each other, and somehow, we will find a way through this.

* * *

Watching them lower my sister’s coffin into the ground beside my parents’ graves earlier today has left me filled with conflicting emotions. One part of me is relieved she’s getting to be with them again. The other is pissed as hell that she’s been taken from me and would never see her beautiful daughter grow up and become a woman.

Juniper clings to me, her nearly three-year-old mind unable to fully comprehend what’s happening. “Is Mommy at heaven now?”

Clutching her against my side, I whisper, “Yes, baby, she is in heaven with Grandma and Grandpa.”

She grips my hand in hers and shrugs. “Can we go to Donald’s? My bewy’s hungy.”

Glancing down at her, I force a smile. “Not today, baby, but there’s lots to eat.”

“Is dis a pawty?”

“Kind of.” I watch as people start to filter out of the house, leaving us to the emptiness I feel now that Lark is gone. Even though she’s gone on overnight trips for work, this feels different. “You wanna go find a snack?”

She tilts her head, her dark ringlets falling into her face. “Am I gonna to wive with da man now?”

I stiffen at her question. Juniper’s father has never been in the picture—he hasn’t been since Lark found out she was pregnant. As it turned out, he was married and didn’t want his wife to learn of his affair. Lark had been ashamed but insisted she had no idea. The bastard had been living a double life. When she refused to get an abortion, he immediately agreed to sign away his rights and pretend the baby didn’t exist. Lark had been devastated, but once Juniper was born, she knew she’d made the right choice.

Hearing Juniper ask about a man leaves me feeling perplexed. “What man, sweetie?” I ask gently, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Da man at Mommy’s house. He said he was gonna to take me if she didn’t do summin, but Mommy yewwed and then tooked me to school.”

“Did he say his name?” I probe, confused at what my niece is sharing with me.

She bites down on her lip in concentration, then shakes her head no. “Can I get some cookies and go pway?”

“Sure, baby.” I watch as she takes off down the hallway, her young mind oblivious to the turmoil around her.

“She doesn’t understand, does she?”

Brian’s voice startles me out of my thoughts.

“No, but her grief will come when Lark isn’t here, and she realizes her disappearance is permanent. Right now, she thinks her momma is gone on a trip and will be home later.” I hang my head, pressing the palms of my hands against my eyes. “I see this every day in my practice… I didn’t think I’d be dealing with it personally.”

“And you? How are you doing?” He props himself against the counter, searching my face. Brian and I have dated on and off for the last few months. He wants more, but now, a relationship with him seems unfair. Juniper is going to need all of me.

“I’m fine… I have to be for her. What can you tell me about what happened?” My hands clench open and close as I hold his gaze. “I know there’s more, and Juniper said something that confused me.”

Brian stands straighter, his expression filled with confusion. It’s the first time I’ve asked him about the case.

“It was made to look as if it was a home invasion, but we suspect otherwise.” He pauses. “What did she say, Willow?”

“She mentioned a man being at the house and that he told Lark that he was going to take Juniper. Apparently, they argued, but Juniper’s three, Brian. I don’t know if what she’s saying happened that morning or another day.”

“Shit.” He runs his hands through his hair and paces in front of me. “Did you know what Lark was doing for work, Willow?”

“She was working for a marketing firm. She traveled for them when they needed it. It’s the reason they came to live with me. Lark needed me to watch Juniper when she was gone overnight. What does that have to do with her death?”

“No, Willow, she wasn’t.” His next words rock my world to the core. “Lark was an escort. She was paid to be a companion to men. And we think… no, we know that her death is related to that. Fuck.” He pulls out his phone. “And based on what you’re saying, I think you might be in danger.”

I glance around the empty house, searching for my niece, “Juniper!” I call out, pushing past Brian and heading down the hall to her room. When I push open the door and find her playing as if her mother isn’t dead, I nearly collapse. Brian wraps his arms around me and holds me up.

“It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” He rubs his hand down my back. “I promise I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you two.”

His words do little to soothe the storm inside me. My sister’s secret life has just turned our world upside down, and I’m terrified of what that means for Juniper and me.