My brother, unlike a lot of the families in our world, prepared me for the life I was going to grow up in and likely live in one day. As long as I have the Palermo last name, I’ll always be a target or tool that could be used against my brother. That’s why he made sure he trained me. I was taught how to handle guns and knives. I was shown what to do if someone tried to attack me.

He never wanted me to be defenseless. Other families didn’t do that for their daughters or sisters. They think it makes them rebellious, and I don’t think they’re wrong. Going to one of the best prep schools in the world I’m sure only added to that rebellion. I was taught to think for myself, but because of how my family treated and loved me, they have my devotion.

But there is one thing you can never let happen. Not when you’re small. You can only prepare so much for a fight. Especially with a man twice your size. The key is to never let them close. Not that Gilly and I are about to fight, but brute force always wins out if it gets close enough. At the moment, I’m utterly helpless. There is not one thing I could do to get myself out of this situation. All the control is in his hands.

As fast as the fear filled me, the second I realized it was Gilly something else took over. Heat rushes through my body at the idea of being completely under his control. I’ve never gotten the chance to explore what things I might be into, but my body at this moment is screaming for me to submit to this man. It doesn’t matter, though. I won’t give in. I can’t. Gilly is too late. My heart might be pounding and my panties getting wetter by the second, but my mind has already decided to stop this–whatever this is. So I do the only thing I can think to do at this moment.

Nothing.

I decide to wait for the next move. I lie utterly still. I don’t try to fight him. That would be pointless. It would only drain my energy, and it would be a battle I’d lose quickly. Still, it takes everything in me not to fight back. A whirlwind of emotions are rising up inside of me as each second ticks by, and it has nothing to do with being busted for my late-night sneak-out. It has everything to do with the fact that I’ve been in love with Gilly for as long as I can remember. He’s not here for me, I remind myself again. He’s here for my brother. To find out what I’ve been up to so he can report back to him.