My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 601

Chapter 601

“Because she’s street-level waste,” Vincenzo said, his voice flat, almost bored. “And she made a street-level decision.”

Dante released Cole, who crumpled to the floor, then swung the laptop around so we could see the screen, “I’ve got Mercer’s footage,” he said. “It lines up with his version. Cole bandaged Gianna’s head, went straight into the back alley, and called us.”

Gianna pushed herself off the mattress with unsteady legs. For a second, I thought she might collapse but instead, she walked toward me.

Each step was slow, as though her body had detached itself from her mind and was moving on instinct alone. I closed the distance before she had to take another.

The moment she reached me, I slipped an arm around her waist. She folded against my side without a word.

She wasn’t crying now, there were no desperate sobs, just an emptiness that made her feel frighteningly fragile in my arms.

She stared at the floor for several long seconds before speaking, “I…” her voice cracked so badly she had to swallow before trying again, “I want to go home.”

“Okay,” I said, tightening my hold on her just enough for her to know she didn’t have to keep herself standing anymore, “I’ll take you.”

She gave a faint nod, then slowly lifted her eyes to Vincenzo. The grief in them had burned itself into something colder.

“Vincenzo…” she whispered, “I don’t want anything to do with them anymore. I don’t want to hear another excuse. I don’t want another story,” she drew in a fractured breath, “They made their choice,” a tear escaped despite her efforts to stop it, “So they can live with it.”

She turned her face into my chest, as though looking at Denise for another second would hurt more than she could bear.

Adriano let out a quiet laugh, “Yeah,” he said. “We don’t do that here, Gianna.”

I felt her body go rigid against mine and the color drained from her face.

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head before looking at Vincenzo, “Please… Brianna, Emma… all the girls… they had nothing to do with this. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt. I just want to leave.”

I felt Gianna lunge forward on instinct. My arm tightened around her waist before she’d taken more than half step.

She looked up at me, disbelief flooded her face, “No…” she whispered.

Vincenzo lowered himself into a crouch until he was eye level with Denise. He studied the blood pouring from the wound in her thigh with detached curiosity before meeting her eyes again.

“You know, Denise…” A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m perfectly comfortable killing women who hurt my family. The last woman I killed… I was fifteen. She thought she could disrespect my mother and keep breathing. She was wrong.”

Denise’s breathing turned shallow.

“The difference is…” Vincenzo continued, “I usually believe in efficiency. One bullet. Quick. Clean. I don’t waste time making women suffer,” his smile widened, “I’ve always considered that beneath me.”

A long pause settled between them.

“But then there are women who sell innocent girls. Women who smile while putting a price on my sister’s life,” he leaned closer to her, “For those women… I make an exception.”