Page 27 of Unforgivable

“Okay, but what does that mean then? Last I heard, you had been texting him for whatever fucking reason, and then…nothing. Are you or are you not getting that shit handled?” Griffin inquired.

“I've been rattling his cage a bit. Seeing what makes him squirm and what pushes his buttons. The best way to do that is to get to know him, so yeah I've been texting him. Call it lulling him into a false sense of security,” I admitted, smirking at the thought. “I've also screwed with him a couple of times, and that was pretty damn satisfying.”

“Wait, screwed with him? How?” Griffin asked. His brows were furrowed in what seemed like worry and a tinge of anger.

“Let's just say it was surprising to find he has a hidden kinky side that I…dragged into the light. Then I made him beg for it a bit,” I confessed, finally looking up to meet Griffin's gaze.

His face had flushed with color, and he seemed to be having difficulty swallowing his food.

“Griff? You alright?” I cautiously asked, not sure I really wanted to hear it if he was gonna throw judgment my way about how I was handling the Rhys problem.

“Hawk, what the hell? You fucked him?” Griffin's face ran the gamut of emotions, finally settling somewhere around shock.

“What? No, I didn't fuck him. I'm notthathard up,” I scoffed. “I only…messed with him to get inside his head. He wants to hate me so much, but he can't resist what I've been showing him about himself. He's so confused about what's happening between us, but he doesn’t want to stop it. He’s right where I want him. Eventually I'll have him drowning in shame and regret for ever allowing me in.”And maybe he’ll learn to hate what he sees in the mirror as much as I do.

I watched as Griffin processed what I told him and then shook his head. “Man, I don't get it. I thought you'd go all macho captain on his ass and scare the shit out of him so he'd drop the complaint just to get rid of you. I didn't think you'd play phone tag with the freak and wank him off, or whatever you did to him,” he griped, pushing his food around.

His grumpy attitude was confusing since Griff was usually laid back and actually liked my fucked up side. It even turned him on sometimes. I honestly didn't care what he thought about it. It was what I needed to satisfy the demons in my head. After starting this twisted journey with Rhys, there was no way I was stopping until I had him on his knees for me, in more ways than one.

“Don't worry, G. I'm just getting started. Trust me, that Ned Flanders prototype will get what's coming to him soon enough.”

He grunted a noise that betrayed his disbelief in my plan, but it didn't matter. I was nothing if not a stubborn asshole and I was fixed on showing Rhys just how badly he screwed up when he screwed me over.

My phone vibrated again on the table, but this time it flashed my uncle's name as he called me. My temper spiked, knowing this wasabout my aunt. My uncle hardly ever acknowledged me unless it was for a random check-in every couple months or so. Uncle Jack traveled so much for business that I only remember him being around a handful of times each year I lived with him and Aunt Blair. When my mom was alive, he was around a lot more and we'd been close at one point.

Then she died. Our relationship changed, as did a lot of things that weren't worth brooding over anymore.

I let out a frustrated breath and answered my phone, stepping away from the dining room for a little privacy. “What is it, Uncle Jack?” I asked curtly.

“Callum, have you heard from your aunt lately?” His deep brogue came across the line.

Whomp, there it is. I love being right, but in this case I wish I fucking weren't.

“Yeah. What about her?” I said, feigning boredom even as my stomach pitched at the thought of her.

“What has she been saying? Has she been…bothering you about anything?” Uncle Jack asked carefully.

“Uhh, I'd say roughly thirty texts in the last twenty-four hours constitutes bothering me,” I growled. “And she's still asking for what she has been since last year. Only now she's more persistent.”And entirely un-fucking-welcome.

His heavy sigh reached me through the phone and I could sense how exhausted he was. He always worked himself to death, and Aunt Blair never made things easy on him either.

“I'll talk to her about that. You haven't sent her any money, have you?” he asked.

I scoffed and took a deep breath, tilting my head back to stare at the ceiling, wondering why I couldn't escape this goddamn family already. “Nope. I told her last year that I barely have enough to live off of since my scholarship only covers school expenses. I'm not giving her a dime. She seems to think mom's life insurance was a hell of a lot more than it was, and she won't believe me otherwise.”

I thought I heard a faint curse in my ear. “Look, I'll take care of it. I just got back from a business trip and caught her texting you. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said gruffly.

“Like you care,” I bit out quietly, but pressed on before he could respond. “Why does she keep asking me for money? You make more than enough for the both of you, so why bother me? I'm getting fucking sick of it. I don't want to hear from her, ever.”

“It's my fault,” he admitted softly. “She was drinking more and putting dents in our accounts, so I cut off her spending right about the time she started badgering you. I'll see to it she doesn't bother you further. I'm sorry she's been a nuisance. I know you two have a rocky relationship?—”

“Rocky?” I chuckled dryly. “Yeah, we’ll go with that.”

If rocky was defined as malicious, hateful, and abusive. But hey, what the fuck do I know? According to everyone, including my uncle, I was just mistaking discipline for abuse. It's all good apparently.

“Callum…”

“You know, as lovely as this chat's been, I've got shit to do. Just promise me that you'll get her to leave me alone. At least do that much for me,” I said caustically.

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