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Wickedly Twisted 25
CaraI follow Eros back into the house, up the central staircase, and into his wing of the mansion. Lycus remains behind with the car and obnoxiously reminds Eros about their upcoming meeting."What's so important he keeps talking about it?" I ask as Eros pauses outside of his office door."We're in the middle of replacing the business we lost when you threw money in the face of the dockworkers' union reps," he says mildly.I clear my throat and try not to turn red. "Right. Sorry about that.""No, you're not. Come." He walks into his office and I follow.On the desk is a cardboard box. It's out of place in the otherwise pristine room. Big bookshelves with leather bound volumes flank either wall, and a huge window overlooks the grounds and the city beyond. A full bar covers the back wall with a wide selection of brown liquor."You pulled me from work just to look at a box?" I ask."Among other things." He hands me a phone, the newest Apple model, and I arch an eyebrow at it. "I had one
Wickedly Twisted 26
ErosThe meeting with the freight company goes well. I head back into the house, feeling decent for the first time in days. I'm solving my shipping problem, I found the damn shoes, and Cara didn't fight me about wearing the ring.I feel good as I step into my room and spot her standing out on the balcony.She's wearing a black, lace cocktail dress with a modest neckline and a fitted waist that shows off her lovely curves. I stand and stare at her, heart racing with surprise as she holds the ring up to the dying evening light and watches it glitter. That's my fiancée, and my guts twist with excitement, and my heart flutters in my chest, and I'm having a reaction I've never felt before—It's desire, but it's also joy, pure and unbridled excitement. Cara looks incredible, absolutely fucking stunning, with understated makeup and her hair in a simple twist, and she's wearing my ring.Myring.She turns and catches my eye—and grins at me.That's when I look down and notice the shoes.The fuc
Wickedly Twisted 27
Eros"Well, with her gone, let's eat, shall we?" Anissa gestures for everyone to sit.I take the head of the table with Cara on my left. Helen sits on my right, with Lycus next to Cara, and Sophia and Anissa next to Helen. The tension is so thick and horrifying that all I can do is drink wine and glare at my cousin and my aunt as they whisper to each other, grinning and looking at Cara, acting like two catty high school cheerleaders.Which isn't so bad, all things considered.At least they're not trying to kill anyone.Lycus talks to Cara about the diner and Helen gets involved. "I like Demetrios," Helen says. "Very respectful man. Makes a great lamb gyro too.""They're nice people," Cara says, smiling. "They really welcomed me into their business and they've been good to me.""Old school Greek hospitality," Lycus says nodding. "Helps that you're attached to the lord here.""Easy," I grumble."Demetrios is basically Eros's biggest fan," Cara says with a massive grin. "You should've se
Wickedly Twisted 28
ErosGareth lights his cigar and takes a few puffs. My close friend and lawyer grins at me through the smoke and sighs as he leans back in his chair. We're hidden away in a private room at an upscale club in the heart of Chicago, a location loyal to my family.Though I wonder how long. News about Cara is spreading, and there's already a lot of grumbling."I'll be honest, Eros, when I got the call about setting up marriage paperwork, I thought it was a joke." Gareth peers at me over the glowing end of his cigar.He laughs quietly to himself. Gareth's tall and handsome for a lawyer, with broad shoulders and sparkling blue eyes, but I don't let his boyish looks fool me for one second. The man has the heart of a lion and the morals of a killer, though I'd trust him with my life if it came to that. I've known him since college where we were a part of a club called the Atlas Group, and our little organization has remained tight ever since. We're spread out across the United States, though m
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Eros"Sorry to tell you, but it'll have to be." Gareth's smile is apologetic as he puffs on his cigar. "For now, at least. If you want to marry her sooner, you could always kill her ex-husband." He grins at me like he's joking, but I stare back at him, not smiling."I will gladly end that fucker's life. Murder is certainly not off the table."He sighs and shakes his head. "Well, if you get caught, give me a call.""Find a loophole, Gareth. Find a way for me to make her my wife tomorrow. Find me something."He ashes his cigar and considers me for a moment. "Eros, if this is just about making sure your family will accept her, do you really need to make it legal? Go through with the ceremony. Sign the papers. Do everything except, you know, actually file with the state. The moment her divorce goes through, you can get the legalities squared away, but what does a guy like you give a shit about the law? Besides, by the time she's officially back on the market, I bet your little problem wil
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CaraWork the day after dinner is surprisingly calm. There are still a dozen made men sitting around and eating through Demetrios's stock of lamb. I notice a few of them staring at me, and when I look back, they don't turn away like they used to. There's an intensity to the way the guys are looking at me. I assume it's because I'm the lord's fiancée, but I get a weird vibe and I'm not sure what to do with it, so I just ignore them.But otherwise it's quiet, no angry Greek lords or ladies bothering me while I'm trying to do my job.Except Phel, of course. "My dad was basically glowing after Eros spoke to him yesterday," she says with a massive grin. "You should've seen him at home. He was like a schoolgirl with a crush.""I can get him Eros's autograph if he'd like.""Girl, don't joke, he'd freak out if you did that."I laugh despite myself. Demetrios is a good man and he's been more than kind to me, so I don't want to get involved in his daughter's good-natured teasing, but it does fe
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We laugh together and some of my nervous energy clears up, but that doesn't last long, because another small crowd of made men enter in a rush, followed by a tall Greek girl in a white blouse with dark wide-legged pants and perilously high heels. She stands looking around like a goddess straight from Mt. Olympus until she spots me and smiles.Helen walks over and waves hello. Eros's sister looks like him, but not as big, and her features are softer and much more feminine. "Hello, Cara," she says and glances at Ophelia. "You're the owner's daughter, correct?""Uh, yeah, hi," Phel says. "You're Helen Khazan."Helen laughs lightly. "The one and only. Mind if I steal Cara here for a second?""Please do." Phel gives me a look that means I'll be talking about this with her later."Tell your dad I'll be back soon," I say even though I'm sure Demetrios would gladly let me close the entire diner down if I asked him to.I follow Helen toward the back where her security entourage cleared some ro
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ErosI step over broken glass and the smell of burned wood and scorched plastic fills my nostrils. Lycus moves behind me, and several of my most trusted soldiers are spread throughout the building."When did this happen?" I ask quietly.Lycus grunts as he picks up an expensive bottle of whiskey, the bottom cracked and the insides already leeched out and likely burned. "Last night," he says. "Fire company got here but by then it was too late."I clench my jaw and nod. The club is blackened and ruined, the central bar a pile of charred and destroyed wood. I can barely make out the shape of the place—the dance floor, the tables, the decorations on the walls and the lights in the ceiling—but the scatter of bullet holes near what's left of the DJ booth are unmistakable."I assume the proper bribes were dealt," I say and Lycus nods. "Do we know who it was?""Pavone," he says with gravity in his voice."No doubt about it. Witnesses claim it was four Italian guys.""Only four?" My eyebrows ra
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