My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 536

Chapter 536

Gianna

+15 Borns

My eyes stayed locked on Leone and everything else faded. The smile on his face didn’t move. It stayed exactly where it was, like he had all the time in the world.

A cold feeling slid down my spine, then I noticed movement, not from Leone, from every corner of the restaurant

Men in dark suits stepped out from every direction. My stomach dropped as the first one walked directly toward our table. The conversations around us continued normally.

The man stopped beside Salvatore and leaned down slightly, “Sir…”

Salvatore’s expression changed immediately, not enough for most people to notice but I noticed. The amusement disappeared from his eyes, a hard stillness settled over him.

The soldier spoke quietly. I couldn’t hear every word but I could hear a few.

“…need to leave…”

“…immediately…”

“…Don Capone’s orders…”

Silence fell around our table. Mom’s smile faded, Claire stopped laughing, Maddie slowly lowered her fork.

I watched Salvatore stand and every soldier in the room reacted instantly like a switch had been flipped.

Suddenly men were everywhere, everywhere. They appeared from hallways, from elevators, from corners I hadn’t even noticed. Within seconds our table disappeared behind a wall of bodies.

One soldier stepped beside Mom’s wheelchair another moved behind her. Two positioned themselves beside Jules. Seven more surrounded Claire and Madeleine.

People in nearby tables stared openly now. I couldn’t blame them, half the restaurant seemed filled with Capone soldiers.

Salvatore glanced at us, “Stay close.”

I looked toward Leone again, or tried to. I couldn’t see him anymore. A wall of broad shoulders blocked everything. One of the soldiers shifted slightly, another moved into place. Every angle disappeared, every sightline vanished like they were erasing everyone else from existence.

Mom looked up at Salvatore, “What happened?”

“We are leaving.”

Jules looked confused, “But dessert just came.”

Claire pointed at the growing army surrounding us, “Honey, I think we’re past dessert.”

The soldiers were already moving, one opened a path, another checked the hallway, two more stepped ahead. The formation shifted smoothly like they had practiced it a thousand times.

Salvatore bent down beside Mom. His hand rested briefly on her shoulder, “We need to go.”

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She nodded, the soldiers began guiding us forward. I walked beside Mom’s wheelchair. The security detail surrounded us so tightly that I kept brushing against dark suit jackets.

Every few seconds another soldier appeared until I lost count.

One hand their hands resting near their jackets, another speaking quietly into an earpiece. The elevator doors opened before we reached them.

They placed us inside and the soldiers filled every available space. The elevator suddenly felt tiny, crowded and claustrophobic.

When the doors closed, I tried to catch one last glimpse of the restaurant, of Leone but the doors slid shut.

When the doors opened again, more soldiers were waiting. The hotel lobby looked completely locked down. Men stood near every entrance. The revolving doors spun once, then stopped. A soldier checked outside first, and another nodded.

Only then did we move.

Black SUVs lined the curb. So many that they stretched halfway down the street. Engines already running, doors already open.

I turned my head instinctively, trying to find Leone, trying to see if he had followed us, trying to see if he was still there but it was impossible. There were too many soldiers.

A soldier opened an SUV door. Mom’s wheelchair was already being loaded into another vehicle. Salvatore stood beside her calmly.

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