My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 530

Chapter 530

Denise smiled softly, “Better?”

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I looked down, not wanting to admit it. The warmth from the food settled painfully into my empty stomach.

For a while neither of us spoke. Cars passed in the distance, the wind moved through the trees, a sirer echoed somewhere far away.

Finally Denise leaned back against the bench, “You know… It’s not safe out here.”

I looked away. She wasn’t wrong. I had already noticed the men, a few sitting across the street. One pacing near the park entrance, another watching people walk by. None of them had done anything but they still made me nervous, especially alone and at night.

Especially now.

Denise followed my gaze. Her face darkened slightly, “Exactly.”

My stomach tightened. Denise stood, then offered her hand, “Come with me.”

I stared at her, immediately suspicious again.

She seemed to notice, “Little girl I have got fresh food, a warm bed, and a hot shower. And it’s just me and my girls.”

Girls.

Not men.

Girls.

Something inside me loosened slightly.

Denise nodded toward the street, “You don’t have to decide right now.”

I looked around again. The park suddenly felt different, less safe, colder. One of the strange men glanced in our direction. I immediately looked away.

Finally I stood slowly, still clutching my backpack.

Denise’s smile widened, “Good girl, you can trust me.”

I didn’t know if I should but I followed her anyway.

The drive took almost twenty minutes. I spent the entire ride tense, watching every street, every turn, every building, trying to memorize everything, just in case.

The city slowly changed around us, the roads became quieter, the houses became larger, trees appeared.

Then Denise turned into a beautiful neighborhood and finally stopped in front of the largest house I had seen since leaving New York.

The house looked beautiful, white walls, large windows, wide front porch and flowers. So many flowers. Roses covered almost everything, red, pink and white.

Even climbing roses wrapping around parts of the fence. The entire property smelled sweet.

Denise smiled at my reaction, “Welcome to Rose Garden.”

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Rose Garden.

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The name fit perfectly. For a second I forgot to be afraid then the fear returned because beautiful places could still be dangerous. My father had taught me that.

Denise opened the front door, warmth immediately spilled outside, along with laughter, female laughter.

My shoulders relaxed slightly then I stepped inside.

The house felt so alive, there were soft lamps, blankets, books, pictures and music playing somewhere upstairs. The smell of food drifted through the hall.

And every single person I could see was female.

A girl appeared first, she was around thirteen. She looked at me curiously, then smiled, “New girl?”

Denise smiled, “I found her alone in a park, but I think she might be mute.”

The girl immediately walked over, “Hi,” she said as she stuck out her hand, “I’m Morgan.”

Morgan couldn’t have been much younger than me but somehow her presence immediately made me feel safer like maybe I wasn’t walking into something dangerous after all.

Before I could answer, more girls appeared, one from the kitchen, one from the staircase and another from the living room.

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