My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 75

I pulled him even closer, until our foreheads were touching. I wanted him to see the death waiting for him in my stare.

"I didn't drug her!" Ciro screamed, he looked over my shoulder at Gianna, his eyes wide with genuine panic, "I swear to God, Boss! I just brought her to the party. I thought she’d like the music and everything, it wasn't my intention to—"

I didn't give him a chance to breathe another word as I threw him. Ciro flew across the room, his body hit the glass coffee table in the center of the lounge.

The thick glass shattered into a thousand diamonds that flew into the air. Ciro let out a choked sound as he landed in the middle of the mess. He groaned, rolling onto his side, his hands instantly coming up to cover his bloody face.

I grabbed him by the collar and hit him, again and again until my knuckles were split and raw, but I didn't feel it.

All I felt was the image of that pink ribbon and the way her skin felt under my hands.

"She’s my family!" I roared, throwing a wild hook that sent him spinning to the floor, "She’s off-limits!"

Ciro scrambled backward on his hands and knees, his breath coming in wet gasps. He spat a thick glob of blood onto my white rug, the red stain spreading.

"Check the footage!" he yelled, his voice cracking with pure terror. "Boss, listen to me! I’d never betray you! Check the security cameras!"

I stared down at him. I looked at the way his lip was torn, the way his eyes were filled with real, honest fear. He looked pathetic. But more than that, he looked like a man telling the truth.

I looked back at Gianna. She was tracing the pattern of the velvet again, her fingers moving in circles.

If it wasn't Ciro, then someone else was still at the party. Someone else had put that pill in her mouth. Someone else had tied that ribbon around her neck while she was high and helpless.

The thought made my vision go dark again.

"Get up," I whispered, "You're not dead yet, but I’m going to check every second of that security feed. If those tapes show me even a hint of a lie, I’ll make sure you stay awake for every second of what comes next."