My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 14

I didn't want to take a Capone car, but I didn't want to say no to her, either.

I let out a quiet breath and gave a small nod, dropping my bag to the floor and sliding into the chair. “Okay,” I murmured, “I’ll go with you.”

“Yay!” Madeleine chirped, her face lighting up like the sun had just popped into the room. She turned to the rest of the table, flashing a bright, winning smile, “See? Problem solved. We’ll head out as soon as we finish breakfast.”

Before I could say I wasn't hungry, she slid my coffee back in front of me. Then, she started piling food onto my plate, a stack of fluffy pancakes, a scoop of scrambled eggs, and a few strips of crispy bacon.

Salvatore turned his head toward to where Jules was sitting, "Jules, did you wake up early enough to see the birds this morning?"

Jules’s face lit up instantly. She dropped her fork, her eyes wide and bright, "Yes! I saw them right outside my window!" she leaned forward, her hands moving excitedly as she talked, "There were so many! I saw green ones, and little blue ones, and all kinds of birds I’ve never seen before. It was like a movie. I love parrots. I love it here. It’s way better than our old house. It’s like living in a big park."

Salvatore let out a laugh, "I’m glad you like it, little one. There are even more in the gardens behind the pool. Perhaps you can see them later."

I watched my sister, feeling a sharp pang in my chest. She was so young, so innocent. She didn't see the guards at the gate or the coldness in the men's eyes.

To her, this place was a fairytale.

I poked at the eggs Madeleine had given me, the appetite I didn't have disappearing completely. I just wanted to get to campus, where things were normal and away from here.

"If you like the parrots so much, Jules," Silvio said. He was the youngest brother and supposed to be the nice one according to my mother, but he had a dark spark in his eyes as he leaned back, "You should ask Dante to show you his collection. He has a special way of making birds stay very, very still."

Dante let out a laugh, "They weren't parrots, Silvio. They were pigeons. I was just practicing my aim."

"Practice makes perfect," Adriano chimed in, snatching a piece of bacon off Silvio’s plate, "Though, last time you practiced, the gardener spent three hours cleaning feathers off the fountain."

Jules giggled, not catching the hidden meaning of their words, "Were the feathers pretty?"

"Bright red," Raphael said. He finally set his iPad down on the table. He looked at my little sister with a look that made my blood run cold, "Everything looks better in red, doesn't it, Jewel?"

"Don't scare her," Madeleine said.

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