Acquaintances (A Mafia Romance)

Twenty.

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."