Page 89 of Corrupt Princess

Stepping out of the flat could be a risk on any day, let alone when we’re at war with the Italians.

Anyone connected to us, let alone ones we truly care about, are always in danger. They just need to decide whether being with us is worth the risk.

Stella and Emmie embraced it early on. Cirillo blood runs through their veins. Calli has always been desperate to break free of the restraints our mother insisted on; Dad and I just followed her demands because why fucking not? She’s my little sister—she deserved to be protected from the ugliness of our lives. Jodie might have taken a little longer to jump on the bandwagon. But much like Stella and Emmie, she’s a Cirillo girl. Even if none of us want to mention the man who had a hand in creating her ever again. She’s one of us. Willing to go to war with us, for us.

But Brianna…

She’s not like them. Well, not from the background report Theo pulled on her.

There was a part of me that had hoped we’d find out that she was connected somehow. I mean, she still could be. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch of the imagination to believe that while Joanne was having it off with Jonas, her little sister was also involved with the same crowd. After all, someone knocked her up at fourteen. Whoever her father is might not even know he’s got a hot-as-fuck daughter flaunting herself around town.

“She’s mine,” I growl at Jodie, remembering that she said something.

“She doesn’t agree with that statement.”

“She will.”

With that said, I take off, leaving both Jodie and the woman hiding behind the curtain behind.

“Absolutely fucking not,” I snap, ripping the sheer lace lingerie from my cousin’s sticky fingers.

“What? It’s hot,” she argues, trying to grab it back.

“When you’re twenty-one, go for it. Right now, you should be wearing cotton ones with Peppa Pig on the front.”

Her face turns purple with my comment.

“Fuck you, Nico. I’m not a child.”

Spinning on her heels, she storms out of the shop, leaving me standing there as if I’m the child who just got scolded and abandoned.

Movement to my right catches my eye, and when I look up, I find Jodie still glaring at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

She looks fucking savage. Toby would be hard as fuck for her right now if he were here and dragging her into one of those fitting rooms, I have no doubt.

I roll my eyes at her and take off, reluctantly leaving Brianna behind in favour of searching for my defiant cousin.

Why did I think allowing her to tag along would be a good idea?

“Rhea, wait,” I demand, wrapping my fingers around her upper arm and pulling her to a stop.

“What?” she spits, her face still tight with anger. “Going to try and book me into the soft play?”

I can’t help the snort of laughter that escapes me.

“Come on, I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

Throwing my arm around her shoulder, I steer her in the other direction.

“Ice cream won’t make up for it,” she sulks.

In only a few seconds, we’re standing in line.

I can’t lie, there was a slight ulterior motive to offering her ice cream. From here, I’ll be able to see the second Brianna and Jodie emerge; hopefully, Brianna will be swinging a bag full of sexy lingerie from her fingers, and then I’ll get to see where they go next.

An afternoon stalking the woman, who refuses to be mine, around while she shops is a totally sane thing to do, right?

“I know what you’re doing,” Rhea murmurs once she’s content with a salted caramel ice cream in the guy’s fanciest cone. “You’re so transparent.”

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