My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 9

Gianna

━⊰ ❦ ⊱━

The sun was barely up, but I was already dressed and ready to go. I had on my favorite pair of baggy cargo pants and a simple gray crop top. My light brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and my heavy backpack was slumped over one shoulder.

I looked like every other girl on the UIC campus, which was exactly what I wanted.

I checked my phone one last time. Between the disability aid I received and the extra cash I made from my side projects, I was barely keeping my head above water without taking out more loans.

I didn't want to owe anyone anything, especially not the men in this house like my mother wanted for me.

My head hurt from staring at my laptop screen. Because of my dyslexia, the letters liked to dance around when I was tired, and my machine learning project was a mess of blurry lines. I just needed to get to the computer lab where I could use my special software to get some real work done.

I moved quietly down the hallway, hoping I could find the front door without getting lost in this maze of a house or worse, running into someone.

Especially that stronzo from last night.

I had just reached the bottom of the stairs when a voice stopped me.

"Gianna! You’re leaving already?"

I turned around. Claire was standing near the arched doorway that led to another part of this stupidly big house. She looked glowing and happy, her hand resting on her stomach.

"I have a long day," I said, "I have to get to the lab before my first lecture."

"You can't go to school on an empty stomach," Claire said, walking over to me with a kind smile, "Come inside. We’re all having breakfast. It’s a beautiful morning, and I’d really love for you to sit with us for a bit."

I looked in the direction of the living room. Freedom was around there somewhere. I could practically taste the cheap campus coffee. But Claire was looking at me with so much hope in her eyes that I felt my walls start to crack.

"Just for a few minutes?" she asked softly, "Your mom is already at the table, and she’d love to see you before you go. She was worried about you yesterday."

I let out a slow breath, "Okay. Just a few minutes, Claire. I really can't be late."

"Perfect!" she chirped.

Claire didn't give me a chance to change my mind. She linked her arm in mine, leading me toward the large, sun-drenched dining room.

The room was already full. The entire Capone family was there, gathered around a long table that looked like it belonged in a museum. My mother was sitting near Salvatore, looking more relaxed than I’d seen her in years, and my little sister, Jules, was next to her, happily munching on a piece of toast.

Seeing them there, looking so comfortable, made my chest tighten. They looked like they belonged.

While I felt like an alien who had just crashed into their perfect world.

"Look who I found!" Claire announced, her voice bright and cheerful.

Everyone looked up as she dragged me into the room.

She pulled out the chair beside her. “Sit here, Gianna. I saved you the best seat in the house.” She winked. “Mostly because it’s between me and Maddie, and we’re obviously the best people at this table.”

I sat down, the weight of my backpack pulling at my shoulders as I dropped it by my feet. When I looked up to settle in, my heart skipped a beat.

Raphael Capone was sitting directly across from me.

He sat there in a perfectly tailored navy suit, broad shoulders straight, the expensive fabric fitting him perfectly. His dark hair was flawless, not a strand out of place, reading glasses resting on his nose as he studied the iPad in his hand.

He looked like the definition of wealth and power.

Nothing like the monster I’d seen in the dark last night.

He didn’t even look up, calmly sipping his espresso, yet the corner of his mouth curved into a slow, cruel smirk.

He knew I was staring.

I could tell.

And he was savoring every second of my discomfort.

"Coffee, Gianna?" Madeleine asked, reaching for the pot, "Or are you strictly a tea person?"

"Coffee is fine," I managed to say, my voice sounding flat even to my own ears.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to drink their coffee or sit at their table. I’d thought I had time to figure something out before my mother moved in with the Capones. Now that time was gone and I had no idea what to do next.

Salvatore looked at me, "Would you like some breakfast, Gianna? I can ask the chef to make you anything you want."

"No, thank you," I said, standing up and reaching for my bag, "I’m not hungry. If I don't leave right now, I’m going to miss my bus."

Then Don Vincenzo set his fork down, and looked directly at me, "You don't need to take the bus. We have a dozen cars and drivers standing by. One of them will take you wherever you need to go. It’s safer and faster."

"I'm fine with the bus," I said, as I gripped the strap of my backpack until my knuckles turned white.

"Gianna, don't be difficult," my mother pleaded, giving me a look that told me I was embarrassing her, "It’s a long walk to the stop from here. Just let them drive you."

"I’ve been taking the bus for three years, Mom. I think I can handle one more day," I replied. I looked at Vincenzo and Salvatore, my chin lifted, "I don't need a driver. I don't need a car. I like my routine, and I like taking care of myself. I’m not changing how I live just because the scenery changed."

I wasn't going to let them buy my comfort. I wasn't going to become another person in this house who relied on the Capones for every little thing.

I was self-sufficient, and I intended to stay that way.

"The bus is public, slow, and full of people we don't know," Adriano Capone said, his voice dropping an octave. He leaned forward, his large hands intertwined on the table, "The second you step out of this house, you’re a target. If anyone tied to this family stands alone on a street corner... they end up in the trunk of a car or at the bottom of the river. We have enemies who have been waiting years for a weak spot. Last night you were a stranger. This morning, your face is on every hit list in Chicago."

Vincenzo nodded, "We don't ask you to take a driver because we want to be nice. We do it because we don’t feel like cleaning your blood off the sidewalk this afternoon. I’m pretty sure your mother would hate to see you in a body bag."

I looked at my mother, but she just looked away, staring at her coffee. They weren't just trying to control us, they were trying to scare me in a way that felt like a chokehold.

"I'm actually leaving for school too," Madeleine said, her voice soft, her fingers grazed my arm, "You don't have to go alone. You can come with me."

I looked at her, surprised. I hadn't realized she was a student. Based on how the men in this house acted, I assumed they kept their women locked up like trophies.

"I finished my vet tech diploma last year," she explained with a kind, shy smile. "But I wanted to go all the way. I'm in my first year of vet school now."

She looked at me with the kindest eyes I had ever seen in this house. She didn't look like a Capone, but she definitely looked like someone who spent her days saving puppies and kittens.

"Which university are you at?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I go to UIC," I answered, "University of Illinois Chicago. I'm a senior."

Madeleine’s smile brightened, "Oh, that's wonderful! It’s a great school. I’m actually just a short drive away at Midwestern University."

I knew that school. It was the most elite, most expensive private vet school in the area. Only the best of the best got in there.

"Since we’re both headed to class, why don't we just go together?" Madeleine suggested. She looked at my mother with a hopeful expression, then back at me, "It would make me feel so much better to have some company."

She leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice so the men couldn't hear.

"Please? For me? It’s my first big exam week, and I’m a little nervous. I could use a friend in the car."

I looked at her for a long second. I could see what she was doing. She wasn't really that scared of an exam, she was just being sweet. She was making up a reason to help me so I wouldn't feel like I was giving in to the men.

I didn't want to take a Capone car, but I didn't want to say no to her, either.

I let out a quiet breath and gave a small nod, dropping my bag to the floor and sliding into the chair. “Okay,” I murmured, “I’ll go with you.”

“Yay!” Madeleine chirped, her face lighting up like the sun had just popped into the room. She turned to the rest of the table, flashing a bright, winning smile, “See? Problem solved. We’ll head out as soon as we finish breakfast.”

Before I could say I wasn't hungry, she slid my coffee back in front of me. Then, she started piling food onto my plate, a stack of fluffy pancakes, a scoop of scrambled eggs, and a few strips of crispy bacon.

Salvatore turned his head toward to where Jules was sitting, "Jules, did you wake up early enough to see the birds this morning?"

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