A Twisted Arrangement (Twisted Vows, #2)

by Jessa Wilder

Dedicated to the readers who would go with their kidnapper willingly if they said they had books.

You might say my obsession has become a compulsion in the way I need to know everything about Scarlet Laurent.

“If you stare any harder, she’s going to burst into flames,” Damon says, keeping his voice low enough for only me to hear.

“You’re one to talk.” I follow his gaze to where it’s trained on his own wife, Misty.

😂😂

“What’s wrong with you? You look like you’re about to kill someone.” Damon hands me a crystal tumbler filled with amber liquid, and I toss it back, savoring how the alcohol burns my throat as I finish it. He’s not far off from what I’d been thinking.

I’d never told Damon the way Scarlet took care of my wounds, kept me fed, or how she held me together, fierce arms wrapped

the sound of my brothers’ screams pierced my ears. She repeated over and over again that they were fake, that her family was trying to get me to break. She checked on Bash and Xander, and they were safe. She’s the only reason I didn’t shatter that night.

“You’re insane.” A dangerous smirk curls the corner of my lips. “I’m glad you’re finally catching on.”

it lucky to have my entire family killed if it meant escaping them? A sane person would say no. That nothing could justify the cruel bloodshed that happened all those years ago. But I never claimed to be sane.

“Relax.” I grin at him. “It’s either drink or commit murder. You decide.” Oliver hands me another glass, taking my empty one. “That’s what I thought.”

looms over me, several inches above six feet, his broad shoulders double my width. Matthias. I jolt back, but his arm bands around my back, holding me in place. My heart ricochets against my ribs, fluttering in my stomach. How can being held by a man I haven’t been close to in a decade feel so good?

He dips his head to my ear so only I can hear him, and I can’t stop my shiver when he says, “I’ve caught you, Little Sparrow.”

I watch from my car as Oliver checks Scarlet’s place exactly how I trained him while she waits patiently by the door.

Over the years, I’ve sent dresses perfectly tailored to her dimensions, shoes the rich would be jealous of, and purses worth more than cars. Dressing her has been one of the small indulgences I’ve allowed myself. Spoiling my girl even before she’s mine.

After years of being starved of her touch, I nearly came undone when she fell into my arms tonight. I shouldn’t have been there, but I can’t bring myself to regret it. Everything I’ve done since she’d been the reason we’d survived her family has been for her. I will do whatever it takes to make her happy, even at the cost of my own sanity. She’d looked up at me with wide doe eyes, bottom lip caught between her teeth, when I wrapped my arm around her. If we’d been anywhere else, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from taking her mouth. Resisting her has become excruciating, but she’s not ready for me. Yet.

Scarlet steps into view of the picture window that takes up the majority of the front of her brownstone. She’s struggling with the back of her dress, and my fingers itch to go in there and be the one to snap the clasps and slowly slide the zipper down, running my knuckles along her sensitive skin as they move along her spine. I’m getting hard just thinking about it.

He raises his hands to her upper back, and my entire body stiffens. You’ve got to be kidding me.

“You touched my girl,” I growl, low in my throat. He flinches. “It’s not like I wanted to. I’d look like an asshole for turning down her request. She probably thinks I’m some kind of perv that can’t get close to women.” “Why would that matter?” That startles him, his gaze snapping to mine. “What?”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ve been working for me since she was eighteen. She’ll understand soon enough why you can’t get close to her.”

“She has an early appointment.” I pull up her schedule on my phone and see it’s for waxing and lift one brow at him. “Hey, now. I don’t book them. I just bring her.”

You looked like you were going to kill Scarlet’s fiancé earlier. I’m just checking if you need me to get a body bag.” There’s a teasing tone to my brother’s voice, but I know he means it. “He’s still alive. For now.” “Fuck…you sound so ominous.”

“Your wife looked happy tonight.”

There’s not much I wouldn’t do to get to my Little Sparrow.

“Don’t try to distract me.” Damon’s sigh comes out clear through the speakers.

“Why? It’s working.” “Tell me what’s up with you…I thought you wanted nothing to do with her, but you watch her like s...

“We don’t keep secrets from e...

“I’ve always wanted her.”

When I’d thought I was about to die and none of it mattered. She’d kissed me hard, saying she didn’t want it to be anyone else. I wanted to believe I’d be the one to marry her anyway. Even if it was just a delusion. “Fuck, Matthias.” Damon whistles low.

“How long do you think you could’ve stayed away from Misty once she was within arm’s reach?” “So, what are you saying? You’ve been waiting for her?” “Ten fucking years, Damon. Her time’s almost up.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “That my Little Sparrow is about to be mine.”

“How did you get that?” “You’re not the only one with connections.”

“What do you want?” “It’s simple. Marry me and this little video stays between us.” That’s the type of power a man like this will hold over me for the rest of my life. “Let it leak.” He jolts back in shock. “What?” I take a slow slip of my coffee. “I said go ahead and share it.” “Do you think your lawyer buddies will let you work if you’re a felon?”

She marches right up to me, hands on her hips. To anyone watching, they’d see the adoration written across my face, but she’s blind to it. She’s sexy as fuck, standing inches away, chest heaving with her breaths. It’s clear she came here for a reason, and I’m dying to find out what my Scarlet needs.

“How can I help you, Little Sparrow.”

she studies me, weighing whether it’s worth the cost of asking. “The guy who proposed…” A muscle ticks in my jaw. I definitely thought she’d have gotten rid of him by now. I’m fully aware that they’d only gone on a few dates. He just so happened to propose the day I planned to dispose of him.

“What about him?” “He has a security camera video of me killing my father, and he’s trying to blackmail me with it.”

“Oh shit,” Xander and Bash sa...

“Is that all the help you need, Scarlet?”

“Y…yes,” she says barely over a whisper, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Consider it done.” “That’s it? You’ll just take care of it?” “Of course not.” I chuckle. “You’ll owe me.” “What?” Her mouth curves in an adorable frown.

“Fine, just make this go away. Try not to kill him.” I smirk, having no intention of fulfilling that request. “We’ll take care of it.”

“We’re not really going to let him go with a warning, are we?” Xander asks as he follows after his brother. “What do you think?” “I think he’s going to regret this for the short amount of time he has left.”

“Please stop.” I let go, and he drops to the sticky floor at my feet. “Why would I stop when I haven’t gotten what I came for yet.” He crab walks back on his hands, tears in his eyes. “Why…what do you want?”

“Leave Scarlet Laurent alone. Make a public announcement stating that you are a cheating bastard who doesn’t deserve her and that she called off the engagement because of it.”

wants to marry me.” “Does she though? Because a little birdie came to visit me earlier and said that you’re trying to coerce her. That couldn’t be true, right? You wouldn’t stoop so low.” “Of course not. I don’t have to manipulate some bitch to marry me.”

“Wrong fucking answer. Try again.”

“I found your files, Liam. I’ll admit you did an okay job encrypting them, but in the end, they were easy enough to hack into.”

“The only thing left is a physical copy, and I’ll be honest, I think you’re just cocky enough to keep it on your person. So I’ll make you a deal. You can either hand it over, or I can waterboard you in the urinal until you give it up. Your choice, really.”

spin the object around and open the lid, revealing the USB. “Now…now that you have it, please just go. I promise I won’t go near her.” I tuck the object into my pocket. “Apologize.” “I’m sorry. I’m sorry…” “Not to me. To her.” “What?” “Take out your phone and tell Scarlet just how much of a sorry bastard you are.”

“It just showed up in my email. I swear. I don’t know who sent it.” “I believe you.”

“Can I go?” The hope in his eyes is pathetic. “Don’t be stupid.” I chuckle before landing a punch into his temple, hard enough to make him see stars. “You’re not going anywhere.”