Page 11 of Moretti Captive
9.Niccolò
“Seriously? That’s the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard.” Usually, my brother is smarter than this.
He rolls his eyes, “No. It’s perfect. Plus, it follows your plan. We start giving her freedoms and just monitor it. She’ll think we’re being nice, and then, bam, she’ll fall for us in no time.”
I look around the room like there’s someone else he’s speaking to before pointing at myself, “My plan? I don’t have a plan.”
His head tilts to the side, and he stares at me for an uncomfortably long time, “The whole Stockholm thing. It was a great idea to start with food. Then you topped it by fucking her for like an entire night. I never knew you could be so devious.”
I blink down at my shoes. I should tell him none of it was part of a plan, but my brother has never praised me for being a criminal mastermind before. “Umm… Yeah. She’s totally going to fall for it. My master plan is solid.”
He nods and pulls out her phone and laptop, “We’ll install some spyware to make sure she follows the rules and give it back to her.”
I nod my head, “What are the rules?”
“Don’t try to escape or tell people we’re criminals.”
It’s a little simple, but I guess that works. “Okay. You figure out the tech stuff, and I’m going to go start dinner.”
On Monday morning, Vin has Harper’s phone and computer all set up. He meets us in the kitchen before we leave for her classes. He slides them across the counter to her. Getting the laptop before class isn’t unusual, but the phone is. She furrows her brows at it and looks up at him.
“We decided that you can be trusted with it. However, we are monitoring it. The rules are: no trying to escape and keep our criminal activity a secret.” Vin explains firmly.
Harper picks them up slowly and puts them away in her bag. Looking back up, her eyes dart between us, “Thank you.”
Vin leans forward and taps his lips, “Now, come give me a kiss before you leave, to show your gratitude.”
Harper frowns, but surprises the hell out of me when she rounds the island and stands on her tip-toes for Vin to kiss her. I’m pretty sure she was expecting a peck, because she dropped to her feet once their lips met. But then Vin’s arms wrap around her back, and he presses his lips to hers once more. Her head tilts back as their kiss deepens.
My dick thinks this is a great time to try and convince me that we should join in. The kiss is already ending, though. Vin’s hand snakes down and squeezes Harper’s ass. She moans as he pulls his mouth away from hers. “Now, be a good little hostage, and go to school.”
Harper’s fingers lift to her lips, and she nods. We walk out of the kitchen side by side, and she doesn’t say anything. Maybe Vin is right about this whole Stockholm thing. He just convinced Miss. Fuck and Duck to give him a goodbye kiss.
Now… how do I convince her to give me one, too?
10.Harper
After school, Nic and I are both exhausted with the day. Dr. Johnston always gives the longest, rambling lectures known to man. After I’ve yawned for the third time on the way to the car, Nic looks at me over his shoulder, “Want to stop and grab coffee on the way back?”
I frown. This is about the time he needed to pick Ava up the day we met, and it’s a new week, so Vin should have custody. “Do we need to pick up Ava?”
Nic grins, turning to walk backwards, “Nope. She has a student council meeting after school, so Vin will get her on his way home from work.”
I shrug. I could really use a cup of caffeine. “Let’s do it.”
Nic grabs my hand and drags me the rest of the way to the car. He opens the door and closes it softly behind me. While the gentle way he treats me has been irritating lately, I can’t help but feel a little touched at the notion. Nobody has ever been so… romantic with me before, even if it is to an unhealthy, obsessive level.
I roll my eyes at myself and look out the window. Men cannot be trusted. Men who put people into vats of acid definitely can’t be trusted. Moreover, brothers of admitted killers cannotbe trusted. Even if I ever did develop deeper feelings for these brothers, I have goals I can’t afford to put on the back burner. Falling in love and living happily ever after isn’t one of them.
School will get me a job, a job will get me more money, and that will let me afford somewhere better for my mom. There’s no way I can let anything distract me. No matter how sweet or attractive either of them are, they’re just a distraction.
Though being their hostage isn’t too bad. My grades have gone up since I have more time to study, since I’m not spending all my free time working.
By the time Nic pulls up to the cafe, I’ve re-shored up my defenses. I wait for him to open my child-locked door and don’t even fight him as he opens the door to the cafe for me. I can be cordial for the time being.
At the counter, Nic orders some kind of super sweet frappuccino monstrosity with extra shots of syrup, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle. When he’s finally done with his grocery list of an order, he looks to me, “Can I just get a toasted coconut white chocolate latte?”
Nic pays, and then we go wait off to the side for our order. After a moment, Nic starts bouncing where he’s standing. When he sees me looking at him with raised brows, he gives me a frustrated look. “If I go use the bathroom for a second, will you be okay by yourself?”
