CHAPTER SEVEN
ROME
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I stayed up for hours, staring at my computer screen, trying to piece together what I knew about Juliet. Only to end up going to bed feeling frustrated and foolish. Even while lying in bed, I stayed awake for a long time, replaying every conversation we'd had.
We'd been talking for months, and I was no closer to finding her than I had been the first time she hacked me. Yet somehow, she'd progressed from poking around my systems to accessing my microphone and camera.
She was getting bolder. And I was letting her. That had to end. I'd spent months reacting to her. Blocking her. Patching vulnerabilities she'd exploited. Playing defense while she did whatever the hell she wanted.
I took this as a game, a challenge. I created obstacles to test her skills, growing increasingly attracted to her as she found a way to overcome them. No more. I was done playing games with JulietWithCurves.
When I got back to the States, things were going to change. I would create a tracking script that was guaranteed to deliver the results I needed. But I couldn’t send it to her as a link. Juliet was too smart to click a random link or open some suspicious file.
She'd smell a trap immediately. No, if I wanted to find her, I had to entice her with something she couldn’t resist opening. She’d been testing my defenses, looking for weaknesses.
For months, she’d been trying to hack into my emails. Fine. I’d create an opening for her. Something classified. Something irresistible. But I had to make sure the script was ready before I added it to the file.
There could be no fuck ups. If Juliet suspected she'd triggered a tracker, she'd disappear before I had a chance to locate her. She'd abandon every account she'd used to contact me and wipe her devices clean.
That meant the script couldn't trigger an alert. It couldn't trip her antivirus. It couldn't give her a warning message or do anything else that would draw attention to itself. The moment her computer started behaving strangely, she'd know something was wrong.
Juliet wasn't the type of woman who ignored warning signs. She'd stop what she was doing and start digging. And if she started digging, she'd find it. If this was going to work, she'd have to open the file, look through it, and walk away believing she'd gotten exactly what she came for.
Meanwhile, the script would quietly do its job in the background, giving me the information I needed to finally find the woman hiding behind the mask. It should only take me a couple of days to build the script I wanted.
Then another few days to test it and tweak the code if it didn’t work properly. Within a week of returning home, I should be ready to add the script to a classified bait file. I’d lain awake all night, and that was the plan I finally came up with.
Return home and work on a tracker script.
I’d never had to work this hard to get a woman. But Juliet was worth it. If it worked, would it change things between us forever? Yes. Would she be shocked when I showed up on her doorstep with roses and chocolates? Yes.
But she’d left me no choice. I had to do this. And if there was some other man at her place when I arrived, if there was some other man in her life, I’d just kill him and have the cleaners dispose of his body.
If she’d wanted him to live, she never should’ve flirted with me. Sleep had eventually come, but my alarm went off soon after. Juliet had occupied most of my thoughts throughout the night, and unfortunately, she wasn't any easier to forget in the daylight.
On the way to work, I received an email from Julisa letting me know the new translator had arrived. Sienna was early. When I made it to the casino, I headed straight to the conference room.
I heard laughter before I even opened the door. I entered and found Julisa and Sienna seated at the table together, eating donuts and speaking rapid-fire Spanish. Whatever Julisa had just said had Sienna laughing hard enough that she snorted.
Well, at least someone was having a good morning. And it was good that Sienna and Julisa were getting along. Plus, Sienna seemed to understand her, thick accent and all, which was great. This would work.
"Good morning, ladies."
Both women looked up. Julisa greeted me warmly, which was a much-needed improvement from how she’d treated me yesterday.
"Rome!" Sienna shouted with a grin. “How are you?”
“I’m good. And you?”
“I’m great!” she told me. “Happy to be out of the house for a change.”
My attention shifted to the third person in the room. Stefano sat beside Sienna, scrolling through something on his phone. Unlike Sienna, he wasn't laughing. His expression was serious.
“Hello, Stefano,” I greeted.
Looking up, he rose from his chair and crossed the room.
"Rome,” he acknowledged, extending his hand.
I shook it.
“How many hours do you need Sienna’s help today?" he asked.
“Well,” I glanced at Julisa.
“Full time,” Julisa whispered, loud enough for Stefano to hear.
“Full-time,” I told him.
Stefano slipped his phone into his pocket. "She shouldn't be on her feet too long."
Sienna sighed. “Being on my feet is precisely what I need. I need to move around. I’m tired of being cooped up in the house. Ever since the attack at Tower D, I’ve been relaxing, taking it easy. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if I have to relax one more day.”
Instead of responding to her, Stefano asked me, “How stressful is this job?"
"Stressful?" I questioned.
"Yes,” he said.
“Um...” I guess it depended on how well she and Julisa got along. So far, they seemed to have hit it off nicely. “It shouldn’t be too stressful for her.”
“How many hours a day...” Stefano started, going silent when Sienna groaned.
"Oh my gosh, Beast!” Sienna exclaimed. “You promised not to interfere with my work if I let you come. Now look at you, interfering. You’re going to get me fired.”
Stefano continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I read that pregnant women shouldn't be exposed to unnecessary stress."
The room fell silent. Then Julisa said something in Spanish. Sienna immediately burst out laughing. Stefano narrowed his eyes.
"What did she say?" he whispered to me.
“I have no clue. But I’m sure it was about you,” I told him.
Julisa said something else. Sienna laughed harder. Julisa covered her mouth, clearly trying not to smile.
"What did she say?" Stefano repeated.
Still laughing, Sienna translated.
"She said at this rate you're going to wrap me in bubble wrap before the baby arrives."
Julisa nodded. "Sí."
Stefano looked completely unbothered. "That's not a terrible idea."
Both ladies erupted into laughter. Even I couldn't stop a chuckle.
Sienna shook her head. “He’s going to be even worse when the baby arrives,” she said, smiling at Stefano. “But I’m already getting into Mama Bear mode. So, I can’t blame Papa Bear for wanting to protect Baby Bear and me in his normal savage way.”
Stefano smiled at Sienna when she said that. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. This man was a goner for that woman. He’d go up against an entire army to protect her and their child. With the way she was staring at him, I knew she’d do the same.
Jealousy hit me like a bolt of lightning. I now understood why Terzo always complained about them. Enzo and Stefano. When I got home, I’d have to witness the same shit from Raz and Cas.
Seeing two people in love made you realize what you were missing out on. It revealed just how alone you were. Their love for each other was evident in everything they did. In the way they talked to each other, the way they looked at each other.
When you were in love, you couldn’t hide it. To be honest, that was a scary ass thought. Especially for someone like me, who prided himself on being able to hide what he was truly feeling.
At least Stefano didn’t have to wonder where his woman was. He was by her side, all day, every day. At least he got to see her smile and got to smile back at her. They had a life together. She was carrying his child. What did I have? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“Did you hear me, Rome?”
Damn. What had Stefano asked me?
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I said, “Sorry, what did you say again?”
“Will having me here be a problem? I’ll only be here today and tomorrow. Then I’ll have Sienna’s security team accompany her after I determine she’s safe here.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Julisa and Sienna waving their hands at me. I looked their way to find them mouthing, “Tell him it’s not okay. Tell him to go home.”
Were they trying to get my casino shut down?
“It’s fine,” I told him. “Stay as long as you like.”
I glanced at the ladies again to find them both glaring at me. Sienna placed her finger to her neck and slid it across her throat. Julisa placed her fingers to her head and pretended to pull the trigger. Even when they weren’t talking, they spoke the same language: crazy.
To Julisa, I asked, "Can you handle getting Sienna processed and set up?"
"Of course,” came Julisa’s clipped reply.
She was angry with me again.
"Show her around, get her badge, and make sure she knows where everything is,” I continued.
“I know how to do my job, Romaneo Cattaneo,” Julisa hissed.
“Is that his name, Romaneo?” Sienna asked.
Julisa nodded, smiling again and speaking in Spanish. Sienna burst out laughing. Women were cruel creatures. My attention shifted to Stefano.
"The bar is downstairs if you need a drink.”
"I'll stay with Sienna,” he replied.
Of course, he would. I glanced at Sienna, who had finally stopped laughing.
“Thanks for helping us out,” I told her.
“Anything for a friend. And thanks for what you did at Tower D.”
“No thanks needed.”
With that said, I left the conference room and headed to my office. Unbuttoning my jacket, I plopped down in my chair and leaned back in the seat, closing my eyes. I remained that way for about five minutes.
I didn’t move until my office phone rang. Without opening my eyes, I reached for it, answering on the third ring.
“Rome Cattaneo speaking.”
“Sir, you have a meeting in ten minutes.”
“How many meetings are on my schedule for today?” I asked.
“Three, sir.”
Three meetings. About a dozen emails to answer. That wasn’t too bad. Opening my eyes, my gaze drifted to the clock on the wall. It was time for me to get to work. For the next few hours, I buried myself in work, doing everything that was expected of me.
I replied to emails that needed answering. I attended meetings that required my attention. My day went according to schedule until lunchtime arrived. However, what was once the highlight of my day was now the worst part.
I sat at my desk, laptop open, hoping for an alert that an unauthorized user was trying to access my files. No such notification appeared. For the first time in a while, I didn’t spend my lunch with Juliet With Curves.
And it sucked. It really fucking sucked. I barely resisted the urge to slam my laptop shut and shove it off the desk. Instead, I rose and strode over to the window, looking out at the water.
“Where are you, Juliet?” I whispered. “What are you doing? Who are you doing it with?”
A chime sounded. I glanced back, hopeful, gaze landing on my laptop. Only for me to realize the sound had come from my pocket. My phone. Fuck! I pulled it out and checked the text message. It was from Terzo.
TERZO: Can you meet me this evening? I have some information about Marcel.
My eyes widened as I read the message again before texting back.
ROME: Yeah. I can meet you at my lab. What time?
TERZO: How about eight? I have a contact that’s supposed to reach out to me after seven. I’ll head to your lab of doom afterward.
I chuckled. Lab of doom? A few headache-inducing fumes, and suddenly, my lab was a lab of doom.
ROME: I’ll be there at eight.
Terzo worked fast. I’d thought it would take him days to find the intel I needed. But he’d found something in less than twenty-four hours. My gaze drifted to the clock again. I wasn’t hungry, so there was no point in trying to eat.
Instead, I sat down and went back to work. I worked through lunch, keeping busy so I wouldn’t think about people who apparently weren’t thinking about me. The rest of the afternoon passed in a flurry of busy work.
I welcomed the distraction. Work kept my mind occupied and stopped me from dwelling on things I couldn't yet control. The afternoon disappeared beneath contracts, reports, and phone calls.
Every time my mind tried to wander someplace it didn't belong, I forced it back to the task in front of me. By the time I finally left the casino, I was mentally exhausted. Good. Exhaustion was easier to deal with than disappointment.
When I got home, I headed upstairs and stripped out of my suit. A hot shower helped relieve some of the tension in my shoulders. After my shower, I slid on a pair of gray joggers before heading back downstairs.
I checked the time. Still too early to head to the lab. I could catch up on some reading. Just as I was about to head to my office, my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
Pulling out my phone, I ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant. When the food arrived, I opened the containers and got to work. Apparently, I was hungrier than I'd thought because I cleaned my plate in record time.
By the time I finished eating, it was almost eight. Perfect. Carrying my empty containers to the trash, I tossed them and headed upstairs. A few minutes later, I emerged from my bedroom dressed in dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and black tennis shoes.
I grabbed a baseball cap off the back of the couch and pulled it onto my head. My gaze landed on the gun on the table. I crossed the room and grabbed it, checking the clip to make sure it was loaded. It was.
The last things I grabbed were my keys and wallet. My phone was already in my pocket. I was all set. I left my place, got into my car, and began the drive to the lab. For months, I'd been trying to figure out who'd provided information to the Bianchi family.
I’d been trying to figure out who'd handed them the intel that led to my cousin's kidnapping and torture. Who was the reason Marcel was trapped in his home, afraid to go outside, afraid that someone was always watching him?
Tonight, I might actually find out who and where that fucker was. And then I could end him, and maybe that would free Marcel from the hell he was living in. I hoped it would. I prayed it would.