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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
Wickedly Twisted 30
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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CaraI'm standing on the balcony looking out at the lake when Eros comes home. The sun's setting over the water and the colors sparkle with the waves, and I force myself to turn away and meet his gaze."Always beautiful," he says, staring at me and not at the water.I feel myself blush. "How was your day?""Uneventful." He joins me at the railing. "The Italians are making noise, but nothing I didn't expect.""Really? Are you okay?""We're fine. You worry more about yourself." He glances at me. "I haven't spoken to you much since dinner. Are you holding up okay?"I grimace slightly and stare down at my hands. I'm not sure how I'm feeling—it's really hard to piece it all together. He tried to warn me that things would be difficult, but I didn't really believe him, not until Anissa was standing there calling me a piece of trash to my face at least."Your sister visited me today at work."His eyebrows raise. "Really? She set foot in that little diner? Amazing."I give him a look. "Why do
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CaraI'm a nervous wreck all the next day at the diner. I keep thinking about Eros, the paperwork, becoming the Greek crime lord's wife, everything that goes along with my new position in the world—and it scares me half to death.But it's better than being out on the street with nothing but a pair of expensive vintage sneakers to my name and a violent, angry ex-husband trying to hunt me down.I keep catching looks from the made guys hanging around. I'm not sure if they know what's happening tonight, but I keep wondering if they're going to come up to congratulate me. Instead, they remain silent, keep their distance like always, and I'm left alone with my anxiety."You okay, girl?" Phel asks midway through the afternoon, once the lunch rush is over. "You've been jittery all day.""It's nothing, I'm fine." I give her my best smile. It feels completely false.Phel leans against the counter, eyebrows raised. "Ooookay, right, so what's up? You look like you're about to vibrate out of your
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Wickedly Twisted Epilogue
ScarI sit at the bar in the Oak Club and sip a fine whiskey. It's peaty, warm, almost sweet. I hold it up to the light and watch the gold glow."You guys ever think we'd end up like this?" I ask, not looking at my brothers, but knowing they're beside me.Eros says, "Not once. But here we are.""I kind of figured I'd get hitched," Ford admits. "But I never thought I'd actually like her.""Same," Carmine says and laughs. "I figured I'd get stuck with some mafia princess brat.""Strange, how it goes," I say, grinning at them. "Here's to family.""Here's to that," Eros echoes.We toast each other. Four of the five men in the Atlas Organization. "I wish Lanzo were here," Ford says with a sigh."He'll be back," Eros says, then hesitates and shrugs. "Or maybe not. You never know with that guy.""He's going to be really surprised to hear that all four of his friends are married." I turn to look at the nearby table where are wives are sitting. Kat and Brice. Cara and Rita. All four of them be
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ScarOrin Callahan does not sound happy.I'm back in my Dallas office. The new secretary is outside my door—a young man named Brian. Janine said he came highly recommended. We'll see about that."I'll be straight with you, Scarfoni," he says, and I note that I'm not Scar anymore. "I thought we had an understanding. You come to Boston, you work for my family, you get access to power you never dreamed about before. Do I really have to spell it out?""No, sir, you don't," I say, looking at the window. Thinking about my wife at her office right now. My real wife. "Unfortunately, Rita got a job here in Dallas, a job that I can't ask her to leave. I either stay here with her, or we do the long-distance thing, like I mentioned. I decided long distance won't work. I won't be leaving Dallas after all."Orin grunts, his annoyance obvious. "That's not acceptable.""It's the way things are. I wish it worked out differently.""You're making a mistake, Scarfoni. I'll give you another chance—""With
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RitaI'm exhausted when I get back to the apartment.I was right, the first day wasn't too hard. A girl named Easter ("Mom was a hippie, Dad was a Catholic, they compromised.") showed me around, introduced me to the team, and started with my training once I filled out a ton of paperwork for HR. She's small and extremely sweet, but talked really fast, and I found myself struggling to keep up as she threw a ton of information at me all at once.Now I'm feeling like I ran a marathon. I toss my bag down near the door, kick my beautiful shoes off near the entryway, ignore the fact that they gave me blisters, and hurry into the main room.It smells incredible. "What is that?" I ask as Scar welcomes me from the kitchen."Dinner," he says, holding up a bottle. "And champagne." He pops off the cork.I laugh as he pours two glasses. "What's all this for?""A celebration. To your first day.""Oh, yeah? You cooked and cracked open a bottle of bubbly for me?""I didn't cook, I bought some good Ita
Wickedly Twisted 55
RitaMonday morning. I'm awake way earlier than I need to be—four on the dot—but I can't get back to sleep.It's the first day of a new job.I'm nervous. I'd be crazy if I weren't at least a little bit nervous. The first day should be the easiest though—they won't expect me to do anything serious, not until I'm acclimated with the office, with the basic stuff like email and logging into the computer and all that crap.I'll meet my coworkers, my bosses. I'll smile, make small talk, try to fit in.And for some reason, I'm terrified.I take a shower to calm my nerves. I get out and spend the next half hour second-guessing my outfit choice, parading one work-appropriate blouse around toward different work-appropriate slacks and skirts, trying to get just the right shoes. After a solid hour, I'm too tired to keep messing around and end up on a simple navy-and-gray ensemble. I'll get a feel for what the rest of the office wears and match a little bit better next time, but this should be fin
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ScarGregory Callahan sits across from me in a barbecue restaurant he picked out. The place is almost garish, a gaudy mix of cowboy clichés: big hats, boots, spurs, ropes, steer, bison, more than one stuffed head, a bunch of bleached antlers, and a ton of rustic-looking wood completes the hideous decor."Never been here before," I say, glancing around, trying my best not to make a face."I hear the food's good," Gregory says without smiling. I genuinely can't tell if he's kidding or not. "But we're not here to eat.""We could order something," I say, craning my neck, looking for a waitress, suddenly curious."No, thank you." Gregory sits back in his booth. "This place is neutral ground. Somewhere you or your friends would never visit. It's also ugly enough that I want to spend as little time here as possible. So why don't we get to business?"I sit up straight, holding his gaze. "Whatever you want," I say, gesturing at him. "You called this meeting, Gregory. Why don't you tell me what
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ScarI can't stay in that apartment.Not after trying to kiss her like a fucking idiot.I knew it was wrong—and I tried to do it anyway.I'm glad she pushed me away, even if I wanted to keep going.Even if I wouldn't have stopped.I fly out of Dallas the following morning, early. I leave her a note: Heading to Chicago on business. Sorry about yesterday. Scar. Hopefully she doesn't hold my stupid decisions against me, but then again, what does it matter?I'm leaving. She's staying. It's over—whatever it was."I didn't push her into the job to get rid of her," I say, sitting at a fancy bar. The soft murmur of conversation swirls around us. The lighting's muted, sultry, lots of reds and leather. The sort of place where I'm comfortable.Eros Khazan, another one of my best friends, leans back in his seat, studying me. The big Greek man narrows his eyes, considering. He's massive—easily the biggest guy in the place, maybe the biggest guy in the whole city—and he wears his size like a shield
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RitaThat stupid asshole kisses me.We were having fun. A little harmless flirting, nothing more.But he takes it too far and kisses me.I can't believe it. He says the exact wrong thing, and he still has the nerve to kiss me. I put both hands on his chest and shove him back as hard as I can. I'm small, he's big, but I have the element of surprise—and a little leverage from the counter behind me.He takes a couple steps back, eyes wide."You idiot," I say, shaking my head. All the playfulness is gone now. "There's only right now? Are you insane?"His jaw works. "What do you want from me, Rita? I'm moving to Boston. You're staying here. What else can I do?""I don't know," I say, frustrating finally hitting its peak. I throw up my hands in disgust."You're the one flirting with me, you know.""I'm aware of that. It's frustrating, okay? I like flirting with you. It feels good."God, I'm so beyond confused.Because I want him to kiss me. I want him to want me. I love flirting with him, I
Wickedly Twisted 51
ScarI spend a few days in Boston getting a feel for the city. I meet with all the brothers except for Gregory—no shock there—and have dinner with Orin on the last night. He seems as stressed as he was back in the office, only drunker."Don't ever forget, they're out for blood," he says on the sidewalk outside of the expensive restaurant. He grabs my shoulder, stares into my eye. "They're all out for blood, Scar."I have no clue who he means, but I can imagine it's everyone. In his business, in his position, real paranoia must be the norm, and a shiver runs down my spine trying to picture myself working for this man.I can't stop thinking about the difference between Beach Orin and Office Orin on the flight back to Dallas. I keep seeing him standing there behind the desk surrounded by all the trappings of power—huge windows overlooking the city, oil paintings on the walls, expensive wooden furniture, priceless books and artifacts on the shelves—but looking absolutely diminished.Small
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RitaI'm lonely without Scar.It's pathetic. I know it's pathetic. I drift around the apartment, killing time until I start work. He left me a credit card, said I could get myself an entire professional wardrobe, so obviously I take him up on it.Shopping only numbs my feelings for a little while.Then I'm back home with half a dozen bags filled to the brim with designer outfits, empty all over again. I pop a bottle of champagne, pour a glass, and start at the window.Somewhere, hundreds of miles away, Scar's visiting the city we were both supposed to move to. I hope he's having a good time with the Callahan boys. I hope he's keeping out of trouble.A stab of jealousy pierces through me, and I have to shove it away.This isn't me. Moping around, feeling sorry for myself. Well, okay, it's a little me, but still, I don't let myself get all soppy and sad over some guy.Scar made his choice. I made mine.So why am I still feeling this way?As I pour myself a second glass, the doorbell rin
