Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Kristine leaned in close, her breath whispering against Elnora’s ear as she placed her hand over Elnora’s on the mouse. “Such a hard worker,” she purred.

Elnora glanced sideways, taking in the flawless porcelain skin of the blonde fixer, her sleek ponytail impeccably in place. Even up close, Kristine’s complexion was perfect—almost unnervingly so, without a single visible pore.

“Cool your jets, Kristine.” She swivelled away from the intrusion, rising from her chair. Against her previous requests for space, Mason’s fixer continued to press her boundaries.

“Whatever you want, Elnora.” Kristine straightened to her full height, a subtle challenge in her posture as she folded her arms across her chest. “Is there anything else you need?”

~Mason.~

That name lingered on the edge of her thoughts, a constant echo. It had been a week since she’d last seen him in person, though she’d kept tabs on his movements through the house feeds she’d hacked into. He was there, somewhere, but avoiding her, only monitoring her through the cameras he’d strategically placed. Her irritation with Kristine was a small, simmering distraction compared to the confusion Mason’s absence stirred in her.

Kristine was undeniably beautiful, a vixen with an air of danger that was both intriguing and off-putting. Elnora wouldn’t mind getting entangled with her, but she couldn’t shake the suspicion that Kristine was another of Mason’s conquests. The idea unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

Mason had disappeared after their intense make-out session, vanishing as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t like her to obsess over a man, but something about Mason gnawed at her. Maybe he was avoiding her because he didn’t like how she made him feel—she could understand that. It’s exactly how she would have handled it, too.

“When can I speak with Mason?” she asked.

Kristine arched a perfectly groomed brow, letting out a slight sigh. “You talk to the boss when he asks for you or when you finish your project. Not before.”

“It’s important that I speak with him,” Elnora insisted, feeling the yearning knotting in her chest.

“What’s your fascination with M? Was the sex that mind-blowing? Do you want seconds?” Kristine’s tone was playful, but her glare was vicious.

Elnora let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m not obsessed. There’s something I need to discuss with him. It’s important.”

“The boss doesn’t do seconds, if at all, so you should get over it.” She emphasized the “if” with a condescension that made it clear she thought Elnora should consider herself lucky for even being on Mason’s radar. “If you weren’t obsessed, we’d be curled up in bed and satisfied right now.”

“So, you and Mason, then?” Elnora wondered.

She shook her head with a smirk. “I’ve got things to do, Elnora, and you’ve wasted both our time again.”

Yeah, and I’m one of them, Elnora thought as Kristine stormed off, leaving an icy chill in her wake.

Elnora dropped into her chair, her mind spinning. She swivelled around, facing the array of computers at her workstation, but she couldn’t focus. There were leads to follow, tasks to complete, but Mason’s absence gnawed at her, unsettling her more than she wanted to admit.

Her gaze fell on a folder Kristine had carelessly left behind on her desk. Without hesitation, Elnora grabbed it, the perfect excuse to search for Mason forming in her mind.

Hacking into the compound’s security cameras had been child’s play, making it easy to keep tabs on him. She noticed that Mason’s associates no longer entered the main building—they were directed to the back house. But with no cameras installed there, she was left in the dark about what was happening inside.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Elnora paused, adjusting her grey cropped hoodie and taking a deep breath. The house was quiet, empty, but the memory of her encounter with Antonio made her nervous. She hesitated before descending, every creak of the stairs echoing louder in her mind than it should.

When she finally made it downstairs, she curled up on the couch, looking around the empty house. The armed guards outside were a constant reminder that she was trapped here, with no real way out, not even for a breath of fresh air or to stretch her legs.

“Odd, you didn’t think to look in my bedroom.”

The voice sent a jolt through her. Elnora jumped to her feet, spinning around to find Mason standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms tucked in his pockets and looking so yummy. It was foolish of her not to have considered his bedroom, the one place she hadn’t checked.

“You’re milking those cameras in my study, Mason,” she said, trying to mask her surprise with a wry smile.

He took a step closer. “Wouldn’t you?” he asked. “What do you need?”

“To give you this,” she said, holding out the folder as she closed the distance between them.

A smile spread across his face as he took the folder from her, and Elnora felt that pang of longing again. Those green eyes sparkled with that familiar glint that had haunted her thoughts, and his smile, damn it, was disarming. She realized how much she missed seeing it.

“Kristine usually delivers these, El,” he said, his voice softening as he said her name in that way that always got under her skin, like a caress she couldn’t shake off.

“She left in a hurry and forgot,” Elnora replied, tossing her hair back and placing her hands on her hips in a stance she hoped came off as more confident than she felt. “I’m going a little crazy here, Mason.” The confession slipped out before she could stop it.

Folding his arms across his chest, he stared so hard at her that she felt exposed. “Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”

“Yes, Mason. I’d like to take a walk outside for a bit.”

His gaze swept over her, and she could practically feel the heat from his scrutiny. There was something about his always looking impeccably put together, even without a jacket. The elegant blue shirt he wore brought out the green in his eyes. The brown leather of his shoulder holster accentuated the lines of his toned arms and torso. Her eyes lingered on the gun in his holster before flickering back to his face.

“Get dressed and meet me down here in twenty minutes,” he said. Then, with a pause, he added, “Put on something sexy; I’ve got the perfect activity for you.”

Elnora’s brows knitted together in suspicion. “You don’t plan on whoring me out, do you? Because that’s where I draw the line.”

He watched her silently, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned toward the stairs. “Go get ready,” he ordered.

“Mason,” she called out, surprising herself with the desperation in her tone. It made no sense—she would see him again in just a few minutes, but the thought of him walking away unsettled her more than she cared to admit. Maybe Kristine was right; maybe she was becoming obsessed. Mason stopped mid-step, turning back to face her, one eyebrow raised in question.

“El, what is it? I don’t have all day.”

“I have an idea for the network.” When he didn’t immediately respond, she pressed on, the words tumbling out in a rush. “What if we built our own hardware to run the private network? I could implement custom security measures that aren’t available on public systems. We’d have more control over encryption protocols, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited. Plus, with privately-owned hardware, we can physically secure everything, limiting unauthorized access. It would make your organization nearly unhackable. We could even set up a pilot program to test the security in a controlled environment—simulate attacks, monitor system responses, identify weaknesses, and adjust before a full rollout.”

His eyes narrowed as he considered her proposal. The silence stretched between them, taut and charged. Then, slowly, a smile curved his lips. “Alright, El,” he said finally. “You’ve got my attention.”

Her heart skipped a beat. What was she doing? If she committed to this project, it could take quite a while to complete. She would be making the mafia invincible—an accomplishment that could either solidify her reputation as a top-tier security expert or tie her fate irrevocably to Mason’s dangerous world. The professional risks were significant, but the personal risks were even higher. Every moment spent on this project would pull her deeper into a life she wasn’t sure she wanted. But she wanted Mason. That much was undeniable, and it seemed impossible to keep his attention any other way.

“Can you build the hardware?” His voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.

“I want more freedom, Mason,” she replied, her gaze briefly flickering to the silver barrel of the gun in his holster before meeting his eyes again.

His expression hardened, the smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He stepped closer, the air between them thick with tension. “Freedom isn’t free, El,” he said coldly, his hand resting ominously on the gun.

“Of course not,” she countered, her voice strong even with the anxiety tightening in her chest. “But this is tit-for-tat. I scratch your back, you give me more autonomy—freedom to work independently.”

He studied her for a long time. His gaze was both mesmerizing and intimidating at the same time. “That depends on whether you’re capable of doing it,” he replied.

Elnora exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay composed despite the mounting frustration. Of course, he wouldn’t make this easy. “I am,” she replied.

“Good.” His smile was more of a calculated curve of the lips, predatory and cold. “What do you need to get started?”

She hesitated, carefully considering her words. Mason was dangerous, and more than anything, smart and very perceptive. Any misstep could cost her dearly, especially if he figured up what she was up to. “Mason, I’m tired of being cooped up here. I’m an introvert by choice, but that’s different from being a prisoner. I need access to the outside world if you expect me to keep my sanity. We need to reach an agreement.”

His hand reached out, fingers threading through her hair with a deliberate slowness. The touch sent a welcome shiver down her spine, a blend of fear and desire that she couldn’t shake. “An agreement?” he repeated, a mocking lilt to his voice, the smirk on his lips both infuriating and terrifying.

The way he towered over her, close enough for his scent wrap around her like a vice, leaving her simultaneously rattled and wanting. She had to push past the intensity of her feelings; there was no way she could manoeuvrer past his armed guards otherwise.

She had pieced together how the Priest had managed to steal her program—how he’d sent that bugged text message. What gnawed at her was the realization that he could only have done it with direct access to Marcy’s phone. The implications were chilling, but she was close to untangling the web of connections between him and Marcy—but she couldn’t do any more while caged. She needed freedom, not just to breathe, but to finish what she started and to protect herself. The truth was within reach, but she was running out of time.

“This arrangement can benefit us both,” she said, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. “I’ll deliver what you need, but I need some leeway to avoid going stir-crazy. It’s a small concession for what I’m offering.”

Mason began to circle her, his movements slow and calculated, like a predator sizing up its prey. His presence was suffocating, each step closer tightening the invisible noose around her. “What did you learn about the priest?” he asked in a low, dangerously calm voice.

Elnora swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. He was sharper than she had anticipated, too smart for his own good—and definitely for hers. “What’s that got to do with this?” she deflected, though she knew it wouldn’t work.

“You uncovered something,” he continued, his tone unyielding. “And now you want space to dig deeper. You have access to mafia resources, but you want to jump head first into trouble on your own?”

Her silence was answer enough. She had underestimated him, a mistake she couldn’t afford to make again. Mason wasn’t just some thug with power—he was astute, intuitive, and incredibly perceptive. It was no wonder he was running the Castelli family right out in the open.

“Tell me what you learned about the priest,” he pressed, “and then we can discuss a deal.”

“I can handle the priest, Mason,” Elnora replied.

“In exchange for that information,” he offered in a deceptively casual tone, “I’ll tell you what I’ve learned about your friend Marcy.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Now you’re bargaining with me?” Why was he so interested in the priest when her real value was in building him an unbreakable network?

Mason smiled. “Information is a powerful currency, Elnora. We both know the advantage of keeping our cards close to our chests.”

“I want your guarantee that I’ll get what I want if I build the hardware for the network.”

“No,” he said flatly. “We can discuss the terms, but it’s just a negotiation. The outcome depends on you, ~tesoro~.”

Elnora felt her jaw tighten, her frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. Enough of the terrified act. Yes, the mafia terrified her, and Mason, with his so-called soldiers, terrified her even more. But she wasn’t helpless. She could get out of this situation easily enough—bring the bureau down on this entire operation or divert their attention elsewhere. The truth was, the only thing keeping her here was her inexplicable desire for him. It was infuriating, but she knew she had to play it smart. Pushing too hard could lead to a bloodbath, something she wanted to avoid—for now.

“Have I mentioned how easy you make it to hate you?” Elnora hissed through clenched teeth. Her eyes burned with anger as she stared at him, resisting the urge to say more. “I’ll see you in 20 minutes, Mason,” she spat, turning on her heels and storming up the stairs.

Once inside her bedroom, she slammed the door behind her, the sound echoing in the empty room. With a frustrated huff, she dropped onto the edge of the bed, her thoughts racing.

It was time to dig deeper into Mason Dimitri. She’d put it off, knowing whatever she uncovered wouldn’t be pleasant. Mason didn’t exist on paper for a reason, and finding out why could stir up trouble she wasn’t prepared to handle. But she no longer cared. Also, she really needed to know who scrubbed his footprint—she did the same thing for Enrico.

The only program she had that could do the job was Phantom. It was a sophisticated program, a masterpiece of code she developed to erase digital footprints with surgical precision. Phantom could obliterate financial records, social media activity, even government documentation, leaving someone virtually untraceable. Elnora had originally created it for personal use, a weapon designed to reverse-engineer digital erasure in her attempts to find her father. But now, she would use it to dismantle Mason’s carefully constructed anonymity.

Phantom was locked away in a Faraday cage, buried deep within layers of encryption, hidden from anyone who might think to look for it. The irony wasn’t lost on her—she would use her creation, designed to protect and hide, to expose one of the most dangerous men she had ever encountered.

She exhaled a deep sigh. If Mason truly was as untouchable as he seemed, this could be her only chance to gain the upper hand. But she needed to get out of here first.