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Wickedly Twisted 12
Gregory"Did you seriously grow up here?" Allison asks, staring out the window as we roll down the private driveway toward the mansion.It's an enormous house. Ostentatious, obscene. "My great-grandfather built this place to project the family's power," I tell her as the sedan parks near the side entrance. The private doorway is for close members of the organization only. "But yes, I grew up here.""I can't even imagine," she says, a strange laugh in the back of her throat. "And it's not like I came from nothing. But this..." She trails off, at a loss for words.It's hard to see this house through her eyes. This building and the accompanying power dynamics are woven into my very existence. The columns, the tiles on the roof, the multiple wings, manicured landscaping, multiple cars, the armed guards, they're all a part of my life, etched deeply into my childhood. The dim rooms, the twisting passages, the secret staircases, libraries, music halls, and billiards rooms, they're the veins
Wickedly Twisted 13
GregoryThe meeting with my mother goes surprisingly well. Allison's intimidated and quiet at first, but Mother draws her out, and they end up chatting for a couple of hours. When it's over, as a condition of her acceptance and blessing, Mother makes me promise to do one horrible thing: have dinner with my brothers and their wives.Which is how I end up sitting at the bar of a Callahan-owned restaurant in the center of Boston's historic Beacon Hill, flanked by Finn and Nolan."Going to be honest with you, Gregory. I never imagined you'd get married." Finn salutes me with his glass of whiskey. "Out of the four of us, I assumed you'd be a bachelor for life.""He's right about that," Nolan agrees.It's only the three of us. Carson claimed he was too busy, which I assume really means he's pissed at me for getting the family involved in a war on the other side of the continent. Oh, well."My relationship with Allison is only a business expedience," I say, not ashamed of that fact.Finn and
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GregoryI can't keep my eyes off Allison. I wish it weren't like this, but I can't help myself. Finn's already noticed, and the others will soon enough. Not that it matters—finding my wife attractive should be a good thing.But I know it's only a problem if what we have really is only for the short-term.All the others, they understand that my marriage to Allison came about for expediency reasons. It's an arrangement, nothing more. But I haven't told anyone that Allison plans on divorcing me the moment our fight against Paul is over and she gets her revenge. For all my family knows, we're in this for the long haul, even if there's no love between us. It wouldn't be the first Callahan marriage like that, and it won't be the last."I have an important question to ask." Keely leans forward, grinning slightly as she catches Allison's eye. "Now that you're a Callahan, when's the first baby coming?""Uh," Allison says, panicking. She looks over at me."There won't be any babies," I say flat
Wickedly Twisted 15
AllisonGregory is relentless on the flight back to Portland.He drills me, over and over, from every conceivable angle, until my head's aching and I'm exhausted."Tell me again the suppliers your father prefers," he says, flipping through a notebook filled with his tight, neat handwriting. "Start from the top.""I can't do it anymore," I complain, spreading my legs out and leaning back. "We've been talking for three hours straight. Please, I need a break.""You'll have a break when Paul's dead and I own the marijuana business on the West Coast.""Maybe I'd be better off dead then. I think I married the wrong guy.""We're very high up in the sky, you know." His face is utterly deadpan as he speaks. "If you'd rather get off the plane, we can arrange that."I wave him away. "Don't tempt me.""Tell me the suppliers.""Doctor Seuss. Donald Duck. Magic Johnson.""Wife." He says the word like a growl in his throat.I laugh sharply at him. "Oh, now you're going to play the marriage card? I t
Wickedly Twisted 16
AllisonI keep jostling my knee on the car ride to the cafe.Gregory notices, but doesn't say anything. If he cares that I'm nervous and afraid, he makes no outward sign of it. Not that I expected anything—the man's about as emotionally in-tune as a ripe potato.Still, this is my husband, at least for a while. I don't know how long this thing with Paul's going to last—it would be a few days, or it could be a few years. Either way, I'm stuck with Gregory, and it'd be nice if he could at least acknowledge my discomfort.It's probably better this way. He'd make some comment, some cocky innuendo, and it would only make things worse.I rub my forehead, trying to get it under control. I shouldn't start getting annoyed with Gregory for something he hasn't even done yet—I'm just on edge.I don't know what's going to happen. Last I heard, my father wants me to return to Paul—and if I don't, he's going to kill me with his own bare hands.Maybe he said that in the heat of the moment, maybe he's
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Allison"I don't know," Papa murmurs at last, shaking his head. "It's a good offer. I just don't know.""Paul's going to kill you. I have no real reason to. That should be all the logic you need to make the right choice.""It isn't that simple." Papa sounds miserable. "I'm already entangled with Paul.""Then detangle yourself. I won't make this offer again."Papa nods, looking miserable. "I understand." Then he glances at me. "Allison, darling, you can see how dangerous things are for me right now, but if you were to go back to Paul and apologize—"Gregory cuts him off. "If you speak to my wife like that one more time, I will kill you." He makes his threat as if he's ordering steak at a restaurant. There's only hard truth in his voice. "She is not going anywhere.""Yes, very well." He takes a deep breath and slowly blows it out. "I'll have to think.""In the meantime, send Paul a message for me. I'm open to working out a negotiated settlement to our current predicament, assuming he's
Wickedly Twisted 18
AllisonGregory disappears after dropping me back at the house with only a cryptic I have more work as an explanation before driving off. I mutter to myself as I head back into the beautiful but empty house, and I'm about to give myself another tour when I find a young man standing in the kitchen, idly humming to himself and wiping down the refrigerator.I let out a little surprised yelp. He grimaces and looks over, holding up the sponge like a shield."Sorry," he says quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't aware you'd be back so soon. Gregory told me—""Wait, hold on. Who are you?" I put a hand on my rapidly beating hard. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here."The young man straightens. He's got dirty-blond hair, tan skin, surprisingly white teeth, and a slender frame, and he's wearing a business-casual outfit of a button-down tucked into slim khaki pants. He reminds me of a fashionable tech-bro. "My name's Orin and I'm Gregory's assistant."It takes a second to process
Wickedly Twisted 19
AllisonI screech, laughing, as I careen into our bedroom. He stops at the doorway, breathing hard, and stares around him.I gesture, catching my breath. "Well?"He groans, closing his eyes. "You've got to be fucking be kidding me.""You don't like it?"The place is draped in purple.Absolutely drenched in a dozen shades of purple like a Teletubby got murdered.Rugs, paintings, even the lampshade, all purple. Purple star-covered tulle hangs around the four-poster bed, which is done up in purple silk."You're worse than I am. You're deranged.""It's royal," I say defensively. "Purple's a great color.""Come here." He chases after me. I'm laughing hard, too hard to put up much of a fight, and he catches me by the ankle as I try to get away over the bed."You can't really spank me!" I protest as he drags me over. I squirm, trying to get away, but his grip's like iron and his face is twisted into a mask of determination."Damn right I can.""Gregory!" He unbuttons my pants and starts to p
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