Wicked Deceptions - Amy Cecil Page 0,64

that shone through like a bright star, and people were naturally drawn to her. Especially Brandon. He broke things off with me, and my sister never knew. She never knew Brandon was the love of my life until the day they got married and I confronted her.” Tears welled in Anna’s eyes, and for a brief second, Daniels felt for her. “You know, it’s hard to always be second best.”

And then his empathy was gone. The woman before him had no feelings except those she had for herself. She didn’t deserve his sympathy.

“Abby apologized repeatedly over and over, telling me she never knew how I felt about him. I begged her to cancel the wedding and never see him again, but she refused. She loved him too.”

“After the wedding, I was done with my sister, and I walked out of her life. I wanted nothing to do with her and concentrated all my time on my revenge. I changed my name and established a whole new identity. I made a name for myself in the criminal investigative world, knowing full well that when the time was right, I could use the resources available to me to destroy Abby just like she destroyed me.”

“So you’ve confessed to two murders. Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Daniels knew there was more, and at the rate she was going, he was going to know everything before she got locked into a cell.

“I killed Brandon, and it nearly destroyed her. Nearly. But it wasn’t enough for me.”

“And how did you kill Brandon?”

“The same way I killed his first wife. My initial intention was to kill him and frame Abby for the murder, but then I realized I could be implicated as well and didn’t want to take that chance. Do you want to know the best part of this story?”

“I’m sure your gonna tell me.”

She leaned in as if she were about to tell him a secret. “The whole time I was with Brandon, he thought he was with Abby. In the end, he truly believed that his beloved Abby killed him for his money. That was almost enough, but not quite. I knew then that my final gratification would come with Abby’s death.”

“And so your plan was to kill Abby and resume her identity, no one being the wiser ’cause nobody knew you existed?”

“Yes, at first. But then I met you. The thought of toying with you appealed to me more, and so my plan got diverted.”

“And why didn’t you just kill Abby the same way you killed the others?”

“Oh no, that would have been too easy. I removed her head for obvious reasons, and I can’t tell you how good it felt to hack away at her.” She took a deep breath. “I planted Melanie Stone’s fingerprints on the hatchet. It was all neat and tidy, but I obviously didn’t hide the head well enough. I used the bunnies as a diversion, just as you suspected. I did all this, and my revenge was sweet.”

“And the call into the station?”

“It was me. I used a burner phone to throw you off. I thought planting it on her body was a nice touch, don’t you?”

“Why didn’t you just leave her body and let someone find it?”

“Because, Lieutenant, like I said, toying with you was the best part. I saw you in Starbucks a few days earlier, and I was intrigued. You became my new obsession. I got my revenge on my sister, but I loved playing with you.”

He got back up and walked toward the door. He looked at Officer Smith. “Book her.” He paused in the doorway for a moment, took a deep breath, and walked out the door.

The End

Acknowledgements

As always, I would like to thank my friends and family. Without their support, I never would’ve had the courage and the vision to become a writer.

I would like to thank my husband, Kevin. You’ve never doubted me or my abilities. All that I am, you let me be. I promised you I would write that pirate book, and now there are two. This storyline was your idea, baby. You are the little voice in my head that is always encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone. I love you to the moon and back!

Also, I would like to thank the members of my street team, Amy's Amazing Street Girls. You ladies continue to rock my world, and I am so honored to have you all on my side.

I would also like to thank Alicia Freeman and Monica Diane. Your PR abilities are amazing, and I couldn’t ask for two better personal assistants. You ladies work so hard and are always ready to take care of anything I need. I could not be more grateful for all you do for me.

I would like to thank my BETA readers, Maureen Goodwin, Stephanie Nix, Ann Lopez, and Nancy George. You ladies are the first to see a finished manuscript, and your insight and suggestions are invaluable to me.

I would like to thank Rebecca Weeks Garcia for her absolutely fantastic cover designs and formatting. You are one talented lady, and I am so lucky and honored to have you as my designer.

And finally, I would like to thank Angie Wade of Novel Nurse Editing for her comprehensive editing of my manuscripts. Your comments, suggestions, and humor not only make me a better writer, you also make the editing process a pleasant experience.

I am blessed to have such a talented team of individuals behind me, and I realize that without any of you, I could not do what I do.

About the Author

Amy Cecil is a best-selling and award-winning indie author of both historical and contemporary romance. Her penchant for Austen fan fiction won her the title of Favorite Historical Romance Author (2016-2017), while her MC series has won several awards throughout the indie community. Recently, she has expanded her repertoire to the thriller and erotic genres.

For as long as she can remember, Amy always had a book (or two) that she was reading for the love of getting lost within its pages. Amy has been heard to have said, "I've never given much thought to becoming a writer myself until I realized that if I hadn't written my own version of Mr. Darcy, I might have run out of material to read." And thus, her first novel was born, A Royal Disposition. In the words of Miss Austen herself, "I wish as well as everybody else to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way." Mrs. Cecil writes to do just that.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Kevin, and their four dogs. When she isn't creating her next masterpiece or traveling the country for book signings, she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, and, of course, her fur babies.

"Face life as you find it—defiantly and unafraid." -Nietzsche

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A ROYAL DISPOSITION:

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