Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Mason had a good sense for investments.

He wouldn’t be the head of the Castelli crime family without it, although everyone outside his lieutenants thought he was second in command. He kept his true position secret to protect himself from rival families and law enforcement scrutiny. By maintaining the illusion that he was second in command, he could operate more freely and strategically. This deception wasn’t entirely needed since his entire existence had been scrubbed from all databases, but it was necessary.

His lieutenants played their roles perfectly, always deflecting attention away from Mason and ensuring that all orders seemed to come from the supposed boss—Anton. They also managed communications and logistics, creating a complex web of misinformation that kept law enforcement and rival families guessing.

Even though he didn’t enjoy getting his hands dirty—who was he kidding? He reveled in the gore of his position. Everyone needed a refresher course now and then, and he dealt with it when it came time. He had no time for mercy, and even less for pity. His job was not to judge, only to punish.

He didn’t find the current events with Elnora surprising. He had a sixth sense about good investments, although one could argue he wasn’t thinking of investments when he bid for her. Still wasn’t thinking of it when he looked at her, but it worked out.

As they approached the guest room, he turned to Elnora, who bumped into him softly and regained her composure with a murmur of something he didn’t quite catch.

Those brown eyes flared at him, then she looked away. With her secured network, the family would be several paces ahead of Octavia and the other families.

He liked that.

What bothered him was Elnora’s shattered look. He had not threatened her or anything, so why was she so downcast?

“Walk by my side,” he said. “Not behind me.”

Gritting her teeth, she asked, “Why? Scared of knives and backs?”

As he laughed, Mason shoved his hands into his pockets and gestured for her to follow his orders—which she did.

“What rank do you hold within the Castelli family?” El asked.

His only response was a sly smile as he turned toward the closest guest room to his bedroom and opened the door for her. This was why he considered hackers a nuisance; her skills could both benefit and hinder him. Even without knowing who he was, she knew he was part of the Castelli family because of her RECONS on Antonio.

Elnora walked in, looking around slowly. He was in the business of information, and as it turned out, so was Elnora, and he wanted all of it for himself. Watching her take everything in, he wondered why she was so calm. It didn’t bother her to hear that he bought her. Most people would have panicked or protested, but Elnora seemed almost unfazed. Was it confidence in her own abilities, or did she know something he didn’t?

“Tell me what information you already have on Antonio, and what you need to get started on the network,” Mason said.

Elnora took her time looking around before turning to him with an arched brow. His eyes danced over her in his shirt hanging over her like an oversized jacket.

“I’ll need a new set of air-gapped gaming laptops,” Elnora said with a flair he liked. “And a couple of encrypted external hard drives to store the data,” she added. “Also, a reliable VPN service. Don’t forget a high-gain Wi-Fi antenna for better range.” She paused, as if waiting for his approval.

He had no idea about half of what she said, but Giorgio would, so he would delegate this to him. He gave her a nod and a smile. “Sure. I’ll get on it right away.” Then he gave her the benefit of the doubt to answer the question about Antonio, but she just stared at him. “And the info on Antonio?”

“It’s all been handed over to Octavia.” She shrugged, then gave him a mischievous smile.

“Bullshit.”

This was another reason he hated hackers—they were a bunch of lying, elusive miscreants. She maintained a calmness that was almost imperceptible at first. Was she really so stupid as to hand all of her data over to Octavia? Either she was the most incompetent hacker to have done that, or she thought he was too stupid to think otherwise—and he could bet the former wasn’t the case. Elnora was anything but stupid, and it irked him that she thought he was.

“Let’s try that again.” Mason stepped into the bedroom. “I need your name on the deep web and the intelligence you can provide.”

She laughed lightly and held her hand up to her mouth, her eyes sparkling with a realization. He couldn’t shake that ‘hell had a better chance of freezing over’ feeling he got from her laugh. He exhaled a sigh against the stubbornness in her stunning eyes.

“El, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Tell me, or I’ll get it out of you. What does Octavia have on Antonio?” He knew he wouldn’t get her to talk, couldn’t. That is, unless sexual torture somehow made the list. It was all he could think about when he looked at her.

She took a step back and crossed her arms defensively over her chest as if to shield herself. “As a white-hat hacker, I don’t have a presence on the deep web. I don’t have anything on Antonio either, not any more.”

He grunted gently and nodded slowly. “I guess I’ll have to get it out of you then.” His eyes flared at her, and he noticed her sharp intake of breath. When he started toward her, Elnora backed away. “El, don’t be like that.”

“Don’t call me that like you know me,” she said, her eyes darkening.

“It didn’t bother you before,” he reminded her.

Now she glared at him in a way he didn’t like. “Well, forgive me for thinking you were half as decent as you looked.”

Mason’s lips curled into a half-smile. “Yeah, that’s a two-edged sword, El.” She started to respond, but he held a finger up. “I think you may have me confused with those low-level patsies that work for the mafia.”

Her gaze darted from left to right like she was looking for something, or a way out, before focusing on him.

“I won’t speculate about how you know about the priest and how your paths crossed if you don’t have a deep web presence. Keep your lies to yourself. What I will not have you do is insult my intelligence, El.”

She clenched her fists at her sides. “Of course, you think the truth is a lie since that’s what you do, lie.”

If she was terrified, she wouldn’t say something like that. While he knew he scared her on occasion, she still roared without a care for what he might do or could do. That didn’t make sense to him. Her jaw tightened, and her eyes held a stubborn glare, but Mason could see the slight tremble in her hands. Watching him, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“You and I both know that the truth is always more complicated than it appears on the surface. You only see the lies that don’t suit your purpose.” He stepped closer to her, and she backed away. “I will know the truth when I hear it, and if you don’t tell me we might have problems.”

As Elnora raked her fingers through her hair with a visible swallow, his gaze danced over her again, and he smiled. She looked good in his shirt.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she snapped, trying to sound firm, but the quiver in her voice gave her away.

“Like what?” he asked, feigning innocence.

“Like I’m some kind of conquest,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

Mason chuckled, shaking his head. “If you were just a conquest, El, this would be much simpler.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And what am I then?”

“A puzzle,” he admitted, his eyes never leaving hers. “And I do love puzzles.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, good luck solving this one. I’m not that easy.”

“Good,” he replied smoothly. “I hate easy.”

He stepped towards her, and she held her hands up in a surrender stance, signaling him to stop. Mason bit down a laugh. Her reaction was both endearing and overdramatic. Despite his amusement, he respected her boundaries and paused, giving her a reassuring smile.

“I didn’t keep anything from the bureau. But I can get access to the Beamer, so you see what they see,” she told him, her voice steady but her eyes betraying a hint of nervousness.

Was she trying to reason with him? Mason reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her vibrant brown eyes grew larger when he pulled her against him. Why did she suddenly become wary when moments ago she was eager for him to ravish her?

“Do you have a problem with who I am?” he asked, knowing damn well she did.

Elnora frowned. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“I’ll bet you can’t wait to get on a computer to figure it out, ~sì~?” Mason quipped. She writhed against him, trying to escape his hold. “Don’t do that.”

“Stop telling me what to do.” The cute little frown between her eyebrows deepened, and he smiled as he watched her.

As far as he was concerned, she was his, and it was well within his rights to command her. But it’d been a difficult night for her. She was traumatized enough, although she was choosing not to show it, or was that just how she processed things?

“I’m curious, how exactly are you going to get me access to that Beamer if you didn’t create a back door?” he asked her. She licked her lips with a loud swallow, and his eyes lingered on her pink, beckoning lips. “Not to worry, El. I don’t intend to hurt you.” Mason paused. “Well, not in the way you think.”

She was far more valuable in one piece.

He brushed her hair from her face and couldn’t help but smile when she inhaled sharply. While his mind lingered on what he could do with her, he knew he had to get Antonio back here and get started on the series of matters they had to handle, including using that Beamer to their advantage and figuring out how the Priest got into the underground.

“You really think I’d leave a back door unsecured?” she retorted, her confidence resurfacing. “I built in a fail-safe, a way to regain access without anyone knowing. It’s a hacker’s prerogative.”

“Interesting,” Mason mused, his grip on her waist loosening slightly. “And what’s this fail-safe?”

“A little something I call the ‘ghost protocol’,” she said, her lips curving into a sly smile. “I can activate it remotely and slip in unnoticed.”

Besides being full of surprises, Mason noticed Elnora was more comfortable and confident talking about work. She wasn’t trying to get away from him anymore. It was at least good that she had admitted to being a hacker.

“Why are you so sure your friend Marcy isn’t the Priest?” he asked her, his curiosity piqued.

The only person he could think of with the means or motive was Marcy. He didn’t know her well enough to assume, but he was going with his gut. She’d own their company outright with El gone, and make millions from the network while El rotted in some drug lord’s dungeon.

“She’s my oldest friend,” she said, a little crack in her voice. “My only friend, and she wouldn’t do such a thing to me. I am sure of it.”

“Isn’t that why you can’t look at this objectively?” he asked her. “You can’t trust your own judgment. You have to look at the facts.”

Her bright, big eyes flickered, and she swallowed again. “True.” She shrugged. “But then I’d have to admit Mace played me, and that is just not possible.”

He understood the feeling and wouldn’t wish it on anyone he cared for. “Here’s a thought. Set aside your prejudices against me and let me help you.”

“You make it sound like I’ve got a choice.”

He replied, “I’m glad we have that established.” She laughed, and Mason stroked her chin with a smile. “I’ll get you what you need,” he said as he slipped his arm from her waist and started walking towards the door.

“What I need?” she asked with a tone that made Mason stop and turn around to face her.

What was the ~belle~ up to now? “The sooner you start working on that network, the sooner you’ll finish and be free of me. So I am off to make the arrangements.”

“That’s not what I need.” She placed her hands on her waist with a small smile. “I don’t get anything out of this arrangement because I don’t have a choice in the matter. You’ve made sure of that.”

Mason’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the direction of her thoughts. It seemed impossible that she was thinking about sex with him after all that had happened. He wasn’t sure if he was reading her wrong, or if she was just more difficult to figure out than he had hoped. “And what is it that you need, El?”

“You owe me something, Mason. It doesn’t matter whether you bought me or owe me now, or if you belong to the Italian mob—”

“Mafia. Don’t confuse the two, ~tesoro~.”

“Whatever,” Elnora said, stepping closer to him. “I came here to experience one wild night of savage, mind-blowing sex with you, and with all this madness around me, it is exactly what I need to calm my nerves.”

Her gaze lingered on him, and he felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. Her blunt admission caught him off guard. The offer was tempting, a perfect way to break into their new arrangement, but he wondered if this was really the right time for such a recklessness. As a rule, he never mixed business with pleasure, especially before the business began.

“Not now. There’s a lot to do,” he said, despite himself.

Elnora squinted at him, and he gave her a small smile before turning back to the door. She walked past him, closing the door with more force than necessary. With a small laugh, he gazed at El, noticing the glint of adamant stubbornness in her eyes.

“That, Mason, was not a request,” she said.