Rebecca Caruso

Rafael raised his hands in mock surrender, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned back against the red vinyl booth. "Okay, 'hacked' might be a strong word," he admitted with a sly smile playing on his lips. "Let's just say I went the extra mile for this case."

I couldn't help but shake my head, torn between amusement and disbelief at my brother's audacity. "What case? I never even agreed to anything."

With a swift gesture, he brought the device closer, immersing me in the digital world he had unveiled. "You didn't need to, Marco just did it for us."

"You're unbelievable," I muttered, a wry smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "I Google people all the time...doesn't mean I'm into them. Hell, you had me searching up Angelo last night. It's doesn't mean I want to fuck him."

Oh god, the thought.

Rafael's laughter filled the air, mischief dancing in his eyes as he leaned back in the booth. "I'm telling you, the depths this guy delved into...he's smart," he continued, gesturing towards the screen of his iPad.

"See, look at those the temporal metadata on the URLs, and see those encrypted VPNs; he was actively probing during the live press conference this morning," Rafael elucidated, a fusion of awe and amusement resonating in his voice.

"He barely grazed the datasets of Chris and Robert, spending merely a handful of minutes on each. Then, this afternoon, our pretty-boy opted to pivot his entire digital reconnaissance toward you. Coincidence, I think not," he continued, a mischievous grin manifesting on his face.

I interjected a note of certainty in my voice. "I mean, Chris, he's practically an open book. And Robert, well, his history dates back decades. But me? You know I purposely keep a low footprint. The guy probably spent time searching because there was nothing to find."

"That's not the point," Rafael countered, gently setting the iPad down. "Chris and Robert are on his ass, but you? A girl he only knew for a few hours, a girl he asked to chauffeur home, a girl he remembered and thought about the very next day. That right there tells me you made an impression, sister. This data, these numbers, they don't lie."

I sank back into the booth, my mind grappling with the truth I was withholding from Rafael. Should I confess that I had met up with Marco again? Doubt and apprehension swirled within me, the weight of my unspoken actions pulling at my conscience.

My brother's mischievous grin broadened as he leaned closer, his eyes shining with determination. "This is our opportunity. This is our way in," he declared, his voice resonating with a newfound resolve.

"This isn't you," I questioned, searching his face for answers. "Undercover work, off-the-books shit, broken relationships, you're dangling me off a fishing line here."

Rafael's expression turned serious, his gaze meeting mine with sincerity. He took a deep breath before responding, his voice tinged with a mixture of vulnerability and determination.

"Here's the thing," he started. "I just don't buy into the whole 'Montanari's are the big bad wolves' narrative. Sure, they've had their fair share of shady stuff going on, but that container situation? Nah, it's just not their style. Something's off, and I need to find out what it is."

"Why don't the Feds—" I started.

"You're not listening; it's a bureaucratic nightmare. We're stuck in endless investigations, piles of paperwork, passing data to local authorities, and they haven't done a damn thing for months. I'm sick and tired of waiting."

"You're insane; this is crazy."

"I know, I know, it's a lot. I get it." His voice filled with sincerity. "But remember, we've been through worse. Even before Mom—I've always been there, and I don't ever intend to let you down, not now, not ever."

"No, Raffie. I'm not risking—"

The iPad immediately began emitting a series of unsettling beeps and screen glitches, capturing Rafael's and my attention in an instant. The screen abruptly turned black, displaying a prominent do-not-enter sign at its center without any accompanying text.

"Is that normal?" I asked, my voice tinged with unease.

"Fuck!" he replied, urgency lacing his voice. Rafael leaned in closer, scrutinizing the glitching iPad intently. His brow furrowed as he tapped on the screen, attempting to regain control. "Shit. No, no, this is not good."

"And you want to do a whole undercover operation," I scoffed.

"I'm handling it." As Rafael and I were caught up in the gripping moment, my phone rudely interrupted us with a buzz.

Unknown:
It looks like our systems got hacked.
You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?

I stared at the message, my stomach flipping with unease. Who was this? My pulse quickened as I hesitated, then quickly typed back: Who is this?

The reply came almost instantly.

Unknown:
Wow. Already forgot me? That hurts.

My brows furrowed in confusion before it clicked. Marco. How did he get my number? I glanced at Rafael, still engrossed in the beeping tablet, oblivious to the small storm brewing on my phone.

"Hey, Raffie, you don't think Marco could find out who hacked him, do you?" I murmured to my panicked brother.

"No one's managed to breach my proxy firewalls," Rafael shot back with a confident tone. "Not even the damn Russians."

"Oh, okay..." I looked downward, my doubts lingering, and quickly replied, my fingers trembling slightly as I typed out my response, "How did you get my number?"

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed again.

Unknown:
I have my ways.

I rolled my eyes at the vague response, tension creeping up my spine. "That's not an answer."

There was a pause before his next message.

Unknown:
You haven't answered my questions yet, either.

I exhaled slowly, unsure if I should be amused or irritated. My fingers hovered over the keys, and I found myself typing before I could stop: "Still feels a bit stalker-ish."

His reply came swiftly.

Unknown:
Only for you.

A small smile tugged at my lips despite myself, but I quickly shook it off. This wasn't the time for flirting. Rafael was right in front of me, and I couldn't afford any distractions. But I couldn't let Marco think he had the upper hand either. "We're playing this trust thing real close, aren't we?"

Unknown:
Close enough to see through smoke and mirrors?

The weight of his question hung in the air. Was he testing me? I glanced at Rafael, who was still oblivious to the conversation, his brow furrowed in frustration as he worked on the tablet. "I'm an open book."

I waited, the seconds dragging on before his next message arrived.

Unknown:
I'm pretty good at reading between the lines, Rebecca.

The subtle challenge in his words left me unsettled. My thumb hovered over the screen, but before I could think of a response, Rafael finally let out a triumphant huff.

"Got it," he announced, straightening up as the tablet flickered back to life. "Problem solved."

"Great," I muttered, still distracted by my conversation with Marco.

"You okay?" Rafael asked, noticing my far-off expression.

"Yeah, just—" I paused, glancing down at my phone. "Its nothing."

Rafael's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press. I glanced back at my phone, Marco's last message glaring back at me. There was no telling where this was going, but one thing was clear—I had to be careful. Marco wasn't someone I could outmaneuver easily, and I couldn't afford to let him get too close. Not now.

I looked down at my phone, Marco's messages still lingering on the screen. I couldn't let Marco get closer—not if it meant putting Rafael in danger. My mind raced, weighing the options. Rafael's determined gaze didn't waver, and despite my better judgment, I knew I couldn't turn him down.

"One month?" I finally said, my voice steady, though my heart was racing.

Rafael's eyes lit up with relief. "One month. That's it."

I sighed, nodding. "Fine. I'll help. But promise me—no more hacking. Not until I know more."

Rafael's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Rebecca Caruso, the queen of caution, finally gonna take a leap of faith." He chuckled, his voice filled with intrigue, "about damn time."

Tucking my phone away, a wry smile tugged at my lips as I quickly typed out a response to Marco's message: "I know nothing about you getting hacked, but I'll be sure to use a larger font so you can read me better."

As I hit send, a knot formed in my stomach. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just made a deal with the devil. One month—what could possibly go wrong?

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