𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Nineteen.

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. It was a message from Marco, affectionately dubbed as M&M in my contacts, complete with the picture of the red candy.

Saturday, Sep 1, 8:45 PM
M&M:
It looks like our computer systems got hacked.  You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?

Panic surged through me like a lightning bolt as I glanced at Rafael, still immersed in fixing the glitching device. The stark realization hit hard—Marco must have traced it back. Shit. The immediacy of the threat gripped me, and a rapid stream of apprehension flooded my mind.

"Hey, Raffie, you don't think Marco can 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, "Sure, blame the suspended cop you just made friends with."

The seconds seemed to stretch on forever as I nervously waited for Marco's reply. The air got thick with tension, making my unease even more intense. It felt like Marco and Rafael were in a quiet digital showdown, playing some high-stakes game behind the scenes. I couldn't help but worry about how this might play out and what kind of mess it could create.

Then, Marco's response popped up on my screen:

M&M:
You're playing this trust thing really close to home.

I sighed inwardly, my disappointment settling like a heavy weight. My eyes nervously flickered between the glitching iPad and the screen of my phone. The uncertainty gnawed at me, a pit forming in my stomach, as I gathered the courage to respond, "It wasn't me."

M&M:
Okay, Shaggy.

"Damn," I muttered to myself, the weight of disappointment sinking in. Is this the end of it? Maybe it's better to just leave things be.

But then what? A sinking realization hit me; if I stepped back, Marco might redirect his attention towards Rafael. I couldn't let that happen. No, I can't have that. The dilemma echoed in my thoughts, a tangled web of conflicting emotions and responsibilities.

Rafael glanced up at me with a curious expression, a mix of concern and intrigue evident in his eyes. "You good?" he inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.

The seconds stretched as I wrestled with my inner turmoil. The idea of putting Rafael in harm's way gnawed at me. My only brother. My only ally. "Yeah, just this—" I took a deep breath, regaining my composure. "Look, Raffie," I finally said, a hint of determination lacing my voice. "I'll work with you."

"You're serious?"

"One month, that's it," I stated firmly, locking eyes with Rafael.  "Just promise me you'll lay off the hacking, at least until I get more info."

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."

"Yeah..." I couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh, feeling the weight of the situation sinking in.

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