My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 541

Chapter 541

Everything.

Vincenzo stared out the window toward the city lights, “What else?”

I exhaled slowly, “More problems,” I said as I crushed the cigarette into the ashtray, “But I have a solution. We find a way to get Leone Caruso alone. Away from his people. Away from Philadelphia. Away from anyone who can immediately connect him back to Torricelli then he disappears.”

Adriano frowned, “We don’t know how that guy operates. That’s fucking risky.”

“Not if it’s done right,” I replied. “I can build an anonymous channel. Layers between us and the operation. Dead ends. False trails. Nobody ties it back to Chicago. We take Leone alive. We use him to make the trade. Ciro comes home. Leone Caruso stops being useful and dies.”

Vincenzo’s expression remained hard, “And Torricelli?”

“While the exchange is happening, we find out what he’s building. What he’s planning. Who he’s working with. Once we have the answers, we make it clear that whatever game he’s playing ends now. We threaten him into silence. And if he’s smart, he will keep his mouth shut and will stay in Philadelphia. And if he isn’t smart, we’ll deal with that problem too.”

The engine died beneath me as I rolled the motorcycle into the garage.

For a moment, I remained seated, helmet still on, hands resting on the handlebars. The meeting replayed itself inside my head. Leone. Torricelli. New York. Problems stacked on top of problems.

Eventually, I removed my helmet and climbed off the bike.

Most nights, I would’ve headed straight toward my wing, took a shower, work and sleep. Instead, I pulled out my phone. The security system opened immediately, just making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be.

My eyes landed on one of the interior cameras, the hallway outside Gianna’s bedroom, the tension between my shoulder blades loosened slightly. I didn’t know when that had started.

My feet carried me through the corridors of the mansion, past my own wing, past the turn that would’ve taken me to my room, toward my father’s wing.

When I reached her bedroom door, I opened it carefully. There was no sound, no movement, just the faint glow of a bedside lamp.

Gianna lay curled beneath the blankets, facing away from me, headphones covered her ears.

A playlist, probably.

Or one of the ballet performances she watched over and over again.

The sight stopped me for a second, not because she was doing anything remarkable because she wasn’t.

She was simply there, safe, warm and home.

Most people described emotions easily. I couldn’t. My brain didn’t work that way, it never had. The feelings existed. I knew they existed.

I couldn’t always identify the emotion itself, but I was beginning to recognize its shape by what it did to my body…

112

just like the realization that seeing one person could make the entire day feel less exhausting.

+15 Bars

I stared at her for another moment, then quietly crossed the room. The mattress shifted slightly beneath my weight as I climbed onto the bed behind her carefully, she was too engrossed in whatever she was doing on her tablet.

For a few seconds, I simply watched her, the rise and fall of her breathing, the loose strands of hair spilling across the pillow, the peaceful expression she only wore.

My hand brushed her waist then I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against the side of her neck.

Gianna jumped, the reaction was immediate. She ripped one side of the headphones away and spun around, wide eyes and startled.

For half a second she looked ready to fight whoever had invaded her room, then she saw me.

And the panic vanished.

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my mouth. Halfway lying beside her now, I reached up and pushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. Her beautiful green eyes searched mine.

I lowered my voice, “Hey, ballerina.”

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