My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 575

Chapter 575

I couldn’t help smiling. Raphael had apologized at least ten times today, then he’d replaced every apology by asking if I needed another ice pack.

At the very end was the red lever. I grabbed it, pulled and a loud metallic click echoed around me. The panel above shifted open. I climbed through and landed on top of several plastic-covered suits inside the dry cleaner’s storage room.

I brushed my jeans off before slipping out through the back door into the alley. I started walking toward the nearest bus stop. A few minutes later, an old city bus hissed to a stop beside the curb.

The doors folded open. I climbed aboard, paid my fare, and chose a seat beside the window.

As the bus rolled farther from the wealthy neighborhoods and deeper into the south side, the city slowly changed around me.

The old bus hissed to a stop three streets away. I stepped off into the cold night. The neighborhood looked exactly the same as always, broken streetlights, cracked sidewalks. Small houses squeezed shoulder to shoulder. Some windows glowed with warm yellow light while others stayed completely dark.

I checked the time.

11:38 p.m.

I still had enough time. I hurried down the familiar street, my sneakers slapping quietly against the pavement. Every few seconds I looked over my shoulder out of habit, making sure nobody had followed me from the estate.

The tiny brick house appeared at the end of the block. The porch light was on, I almost laughed with relief. I climbed the steps two at a time and knocked.

“Mama D?” I called through the door with a grin. “It’s me. I’m here!”

A few seconds passed before locks clicked from the other side, the door opened and Morgan stood there.

The second she saw me, her eyes widened, “Gianna.”

A relieved laugh escaped me, “There you are.”

Before she could say another word, I threw my arms around her. She froze for half a heartbeat before hugging me back.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, “I missed you. I have so much to tell you.”

She squeezed me once, but it felt… different, too stiff, too quick. I pulled away without thinking much of it and stepped inside. I kicked the door shut behind me.

I quietly opened my bedroom door. The hallway stretched in both directions, lit only by small wall lamps. I closed the door without making a sound.

My heart began beating faster with every step, not because I was scared because getting caught would be impossible to explain after I had already promised my mother that I would never see those “women” again.

I moved down the back staircase instead of the main one, careful to avoid the areas where the night staff usually worked. Outside one of the windows, I could see two guards walking slowly across the gardens. I waited until they disappeared around the corner before slipping through the rear corridor.

I got to the service entrance, pulled the heavy metal rack aside. I crouched down and lifted it. I switched on the flashlight on my phone, the narrow tunnel looked just as miserable as it had the first time.

I smiled to myself.

Silvio’s voice echoed perfectly inside my head, “Don’t take the left turn unless you’re interested in negotiating with raccoons.”

“Right turn,” I whispered.

I lowered myself inside and pulled the hatch shut above me. I crawled forward on my hands and knees. My muscles complained immediately. Every movement reminded me of last night. My thighs, my hips and especially my lower back.