All Chapters of My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

SALVATOREI sat on the couch with Emily sprawled beside me, her laughter grating on my nerves. The room smelled of her cheap perfume clinging to everything like damp rot. Irritation rolled through me like a slow wave I couldn’t shake. She shifted closer and threw herself onto my lap. Her arms looped around my neck, pulling me in. “Fuck me, Salvatore,” she slurred, her breath hot with gin, her lips brushing my jaw. “I want you now.”I stiffened and caught her shoulders before her lips met my neck. She pressed harder, her fingers tugging at my shirt, but I stopped her cold. “No, Emily. We are not fucking.” My voice came out firmer than I wanted, and I could only hope she didn’t read the irritation in my voice. I eased her back, stylish as I could, and stood up. “But I can tease you with my fingers if you want.”Her eyes lit up, intrigued, and she leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs. “Oh, I like that. Go on then.” I smirked and stepped away, adjusting my jacket with a cough

SALVATOREI shouldn’t be here. Hell, I should have rejected the invitation to grace this damn meeting with my presence. But this was about money, and I didn’t joke with my cash. Especially when it seemed people were already trying to sabotage my business.The evening sun bled red through the warehouse blinds, slicing the room with sharp, uneven light. I sat at the head of the table, my chair creaking as I shifted uncomfortably. They kept talking about more and more shipments, but nobody was saluting anything beneficial to the missing ones from weeks back, and even months before that.My suit was crisp as usual, the fabric cool against my skin despite the thick, sticky heat. I should have just told John to represent me here.Six men sat around me, my partners. Their faces were carved with hard lines and stubble. Cigarette smoke drifted up, thick and grey, curling around their heads like a haze. We were neck-deep in plans for the next shipment of guns and cash. It was a haul worth mill

SALVATOREI knelt by the couch with my hands resting on Emily’s feet. She slept hard, really hard, snoring like a man working in the mines. You’d think she had a strenuous job that kept her up all day and night. Well, selling pussy was strenuous, I’d give her that. I heard footsteps and looked up just as Miguel bounded down the stairs, his coat slung over his shoulder. He darted out the front door, banging it shut behind him. I didn’t chase him. I just watched him go before turning my attention back to Emily. Her mouth hung open as her chest rose and fell. The urge to strangle her hit me fast, and my fingers twitched as I watched her twitch in her sleep. She’d trapped him, bled him dry, and I hated her for it. With her gone, it will be easier for Miguel. I hated to even think about it but Miguel had nothing close to a family without her, but he was going to be okay with me. I stood up, resisting the urge to make her stop breathing and cook a story for those who cared to listen. No

MIGUEL“I fucking kept it here!” I jerked awake to Emily’s voice tearing through the house. This couldn’t be happening right now.My eyes cracked open. The room was still dim and the clock blinked at 7:42. It was too early for her shit, and too early for me to be up.Over the years, I’d learned to enjoy the chaos at night, hiding when necessary, and running to work even when I didn’t have a shift. The mornings were always quieter because Emily would be too drunk to get out of bed. But lately, the mornings were no longer peaceful.She was downstairs, shouting curses that bounced off the walls. I groaned and rolled out of bed then pulled on a shirt. My head throbbed, my body heavy from the late shift, but I trudged to the door anyway. Her yelling didn’t stop. Instead, as I got out of the room, it got worse. It was like a storm I couldn’t dodge.I stepped into the hall, rubbed my face, and started down the stairs. After a long night of doing dishes and preparing the materials needed fo

MIGUEL“Back off.” My voice was low like I didn’t even sound convincing to myself. I stood there, rooted to a spot, as Salvatore’s bare frame moved closer in the dim living room. His heat rolled off him, pressing against me, suffocating me. I took a step back but he moved faster. His hands shot out and pinned me there, his palms flat on either side of my head. I froze. His breath was warm on my face.“Go away,” I said in a tone that wasn’t convincing. “Just leave me alone.”He tilted his head, his eyes glinting. “You’re pushing it away, Miguel. True happiness, right here, and you’re too stubborn to take it.”“I don’t need your version of happiness.”“Are you sure?” His voice dropped, taunting me. “You are drowning in her mess. I’m offering you a way out, and you keep running.”“Get off me,” I said, my hands flexing at my sides. He leaned in closer, his chest brushing mine, and I shot my hand up, pressing it to his ribs. His heartbeat thumped under my palm, steady, alive, beating ev