My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 77

Raphael

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I sat at my desk. I pulled my laptop toward me, my fingers were shaking just a little as I typed in the code for the security feed.

It was my biggest fucking tell. My body did that whenever the rage got too hot, or whenever my nerves were pulled too tight. It was like a glitch in my head that I hated with every part of my soul.

The screen flickered to life, showing the grainy, blue-tinted hallways and the crowded hall of the mansion.

I found the camera for the VIP corner. There they were. Ciro was leading Gianna through the crowd. I watched as he pushed her gently into a corner. Even through the fuzzy video, I could see how out of place she looked. She was standing stiff, her head darting around.

Then, Ciro checked his watch and leaned in to say something to her before he walked away toward the back exit. He was going to make the drop for Dante.

The second he was out of sight, the shadows moved.

A pack of four girls slid into the frame. I recognized the way they walked before I even saw their faces. High-society trash. Heiresses I’d grown up with in the same wealthy circles. Girls who thought the world was a toy because no one had ever had the balls to tell them "no." They moved in a tight line, their dresses shimmering like snake scales under the strobe lights.

They cornered her. I watched as they stood over Gianna, their mouths moving fast, their faces twisted into sharp smiles. Gianna tried to step away but one of them pushed her.

"Don't touch her," I hissed at the screen, my grip on the laptop tightening until the plastic groaned.

They dragged her toward the bar. Gianna was shaking her head, her hands up as if she was begging them to stop. I watched as she forced Gianna’s head back and tied it around her neck. Gianna reached for the knot, but they slapped her hands away. They were laughing. I could see their shoulders shaking with it, their mouths wide and ugly. To them, she wasn't a person. She was just a toy they could play with because they were bored.

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