CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BLOSSOM
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Rome Cattaneo was back in the United States.
That thought was on repeat in my mind. He was back. He was here, in Biloxi. Closer to me than he’d been in a very long time. And that was both scary and exciting. I stood near the front door with my hands buried deep in the pockets of my floral apron.
My fingers gripped my shears tightly as I retraced my digital steps, making sure I’d done everything needed to keep us off his radar. I could feel Ivy’s eyes on me as she stared at me from behind the register, waiting for me to say something.
Tina’s too, as she stood with her hip resting against the glass display case. They were both waiting for me to speak, while I stood there, tongue-tied, my mind repeating the same thing over and over again.
Rome Cattaneo was back in the United States.
Tina snapped her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.
“Now is not the time for daydreaming. How are you going to handle this, Blossom?” she asked.
“Oh, uh. I have a plan. It’s already in motion,” I told her.
I wasn’t lying. I really did have a plan. It was our backup plan in case Rome didn’t give up on searching for the intel provider. And it was a good one. But it would take time to see if it actually worked.
“Well?” Tina drawled. “You going to tell me this brilliant plan of yours, or are you going to stand there staring at the floor all day? Blossom, you do realize how serious this is, right?”
“I do. And I wasn’t staring at the floor. I was staring at your heels,” I lied. “I love them.”
Smiling, Tina lifted one foot. “Though I know you’re lying, you do have taste. Thank you.” Lowering her foot, her smile faded. “Spill it. What is your plan? I want to make sure it’s something that could work and keep you girls out of trouble.”
“Women?” Ivy corrected her.
“Little Ivy, I still smell breast milk on your breath,” Tina drawled, rolling her eyes.
“I’m pretty sure that’s cum. I was with my boy toy last night,” Ivy stated, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Tina burst out laughing. “You are shameless, and I love it. You’ll have to tell me all about him later.” Facing me, Tina’s smile faded again. “Spill it. What’s the plan?”
“I found someone to shift the blame onto,” I told her.
Ivy clapped her hands. “That’s my girl! Who is it?
Please tell me it’s them Timeless bitches.
I swear, they’re always getting upset with us when we’re investigating the same person they are.
Like they own all the bad guys or something.
We have a right to investigate and kill them just as much as they do. ”
The Timeless agents were our sisters in crime. But Ivy saw them as rivals. If I really were shifting the blame onto one of them, that would make her immensely happy. Unlike Ivy, Tina didn’t seem impressed or excited by my new plan.
“That’s... unexpected and unlike you,” Ms. Tina drawled. “Who are you wanting to take the fall?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to get an innocent person killed. I’m shifting the blame to a dead man,” I told her.
One of her eyebrows lifted. “That sounds more like you. Okay. Let’s hear more about this dead man.”
“One of our Petals came across a memorial board about a week ago for a hacker we all knew, well, knew of,” I started.
“A memorial board?” Ms. Tina drawled.
“Yeah. It's basically an online condolences site for hackers.”
“That's a thing?” Tina asked.
“Yeah. Most hackers live solitary lives. They stay to themselves and don’t really make friends because they don’t know who to trust. Many are incapable of trusting.
And some are afraid of others finding out what they do for a living.
So, sometimes, hackers who respect each other befriend each other online.
They chat, swap intel, and job requests.
Some become what they call a digital family.
Some even fall in love, but never truly meet face to face. ”
My thoughts drifted to Rome for a nanosecond before I reeled that shit in.
“Anyway. There are hackers who want their digital family to know if they die or something bad happens to them. So, they set up emails to go out after seven days or whatever set time they decide. If something happens to them and they can’t delete that email, the email will go out to their digital family, letting them know the hacker’s real name and telling them that if you received this email, I’m probably dead.
The group receiving the email can look up the hacker’s real name and verify if he or she passed.
That way, they get to know what happened to their friend and mourn them. ”
“Really?” Ms. Tina whispered. “That’s so... sad.”
I nodded. “The members of the digital family will then add the fallen hacker's name to the memorial site, and people can go online and offer their condolences. Anyway, one of our Petals let me know a hacker named EyeCeeYu passed away recently.”
“Like the intensive care unit?” Tina asked, frowning.
I chuckled before spelling out his name for her.
“Ohh. I get it,” she stated. “Cute. How did he die?”
“The post didn’t say. EyeCeeYu was known for taking spying jobs. He commented on job boards all the time. Bragged about his success rate. Bragged about jobs he'd completed. This guy was cocky as hell and had a large digital family.”
“He was annoying as hell, too,” Ivy muttered. “But he was good at what he did.”
“True,” I agreed. “After he died, people started sharing stories about him under his memorial post. Talking about old jobs he'd done. Talking about cases he'd worked.”
“Isn’t that snitching?” Ms. Tina asked.
“Not if he bragged about it already,” Ivy pointed out.
“Exactly!” I stated. “So, since there were so many people on the post, sharing his successes and saying he would be happy to see how much he was being complimented, I came up with the idea to add another success story to his resume.”
Ms. Tina grinned. “I see where this is going.”
“I had several of our Petals use their burner accounts to say that EyeCeeYu successfully provided intel to the Italians about a member of the Cattaneo crime family. One account posted, Wasn't he the hacker who took the job to spy on the Cattaneos in Mississippi?”
A grin spread across Ivy's face. “Oh, that's dirty. I like it.”
“Another account replied, I think I saw somewhere that he was. But I can't find the post anymore,” I told them.
Tina's smile grew.
“A third account jumped in and said, It's best not to talk about things like that. Even on sites like this.”
“Ooh,” Ivy cooed, leaning against the counter, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“That creates suspense, a hint of doubt, but enough believability that others will start spreading the rumor of his success against the Cattaneos. And those digital breadcrumbs will lead Rome away from us. I love it. That’s why I fucks with you, Blossom. ”
I shook my head at her nonsense but mentally patted myself on the back. However, I couldn’t accept all the credit.
“One of our Petals, Martina, came up with the idea,” I told them. “I just tweaked it to make it feel more believable.”
“Look at my Spanish sister, Martina, showing up and showing out,” Ivy drawled.
“So,” Tina started. “You created a trail for Rome to follow. And that trail leads to a dead end, literally.”
“Yes.”
Tina slowly nodded. “That could work. That could actually work.”
The knot in my chest loosened slightly as relief swept through me. Sure, Rome was still out there, still searching, still asking questions. I hoped once he found the answer we’d planted, he’d give up.
But if he ever found out the truth...
I shoved that thought away before it could take root. He would never learn the truth. Ever! Tina pushed away from the display case.
“Alright. I'll keep listening for news about Rome and Marcel. If I hear anything, I'll let you girls... I mean.... Women... know,” Tina told us, glaring at Ivy, who blew her a kiss.
“Thanks,” I told her.
“You’re welcome, dear.” She faced the register. “Ivy, ring me up a vase of roses.”
Ivy blinked. “A vase of roses?”
“Yes. If there’s somebody watching me or this shop, it'll look suspicious if I leave empty-handed.”
Ivy frowned. “Do you have someone spying on you?”
“Not that I know of.”
“If you want, I can kill them.”
Tina barked out a laugh. “Poison Ivy, I love the way you think. But I don't think anyone is currently watching me. Still, if they are, it'll seem suspicious if I leave with nothing.”
“Fair enough,” Ivy told her.
While Ivy prepared the arrangement, I remained by the door with my hands tucked into my apron pockets. One hand was clutching my shears as if they could protect me from my fears.
Rome Cattaneo was back in the States.
I know I should focus on all the reasons that should terrify me, but part of me kept wondering whether he'd noticed my absence. I hadn't tried to hack him in days. Hadn't tested his firewalls.
Hadn’t challenged him or been challenged by him. There had been no lunch games, no nightly sex chats. Nothing. I’d stopped my addiction cold turkey. How had that made him feel? Was he angry?
Or, had he moved on?
Did he even care?
I wanted him to care, but I also wanted him not to care. I wanted him to miss me, but I didn’t want him to be hurt because of me. These conflicting emotions had me feeling like a horrible person.
But what choice did I have? I had to protect myself and my Petals. Fingers snapped in front of my face. I blinked, looking forward. I found Ms. Tina staring at me.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
Forcing a smile, I said, “An order I need to be working on.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed, looking like she didn’t believe me. “By the way, how is Camelia?”
“She’s doing well.”
“I miss having your mother around here. This shop doesn’t feel the same without her,” Tina said, staring around the store.
“I know,” I agreed.
“I want to visit her,” Tina told me. “But right now, all she remembers is the time when we didn’t get along. She doesn’t remember us making up and becoming best friends again. Therefore, whenever I stop by, I get her riled up, and she threatens to kill me.”
I burst out laughing. My mother and Tina had only been at odds for like a month. And it was over a job Tina recommended for us that ended up paying less than she said it would pay. To salvage their friendship, Tina paid my mother the difference, and all was well.
“It’s crazy how she only remembers that argument when she sees you. But when you’re not around, and she and I are just talking randomly, she speaks of you fondly. Saying how much she misses you.”
“Does she really?” Tina whispered.
I nodded.
Blinking back tears, Tina said, “Good. That’s good.
I’m glad she doesn’t only remember the bad times.
” Tina sighed. “I swear, dementia is a bitch. I hate this for her. She doesn’t deserve it.
The people who do deserve shit like this never have it happen to them.
Like, my husband. I wish he would get it so he could forget me. ”
This woman! All I could do was laugh as Ivy handed Tina the vase of flowers.
While paying her, Tina said, “I’m going to take these to Tatianna and Bryceson’s place.
She needs fresh flowers in there. While I’m there, I’ll see if they reveal anything about what Rome is up to.
I’ll poke around to see if your little plan to blame things on the EyeCeeYu guy works.
I’m leaving now. Be safe, ladies. Call me if you run into any trouble and need a way out of the country. I’ll do the same.”
“Be safe out there,” Ivy called after her. “It’s dangerous in the streets for us pretty girls. Stalkers be stalking.”
“I know that’s right,” Tina stated, laughing.
I opened the door for Ms. Tina and gave her a slight hug before stepping aside so she could leave.
After she left, I immediately locked the door, leaving the sign on CLOSED.
I stood there for a few seconds, staring through the glass as she got into her car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Even after her vehicle disappeared, I kept staring.
“We’re staying closed for a few more minutes,” I told Ivy. “We need a break after that news.” I pulled my phone from my apron pocket. “I’m going to order us lunch from the sandwich shop around the corner. What do you want?”
When she didn’t reply, I looked her way to find her staring at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“What?” I asked.
“Girl, forget food. We need to discuss what we’re going to do about Rome Cattaneo.”
My fingers tightened around my phone.
“There’s nothing to discuss.” I shrugged. “We have a plan and a backup plan. We should be fine.”
“I don’t want to be fine. I want the threat eliminated. And the only non-threat is a dead threat.”
“Ivy...” I started.
“Look, Blossom. Your plan and backup plan are great. But this guy is a top hacker. And he’s a cold-blooded killer raised by a family of killers. Having someone like him investigate this makes me nervous. I’d feel more comfortable if he were dead. I’m willing to do it. Just say the word. And...”
“We are not killing Rome Cattaneo,” I told her, unable to even fathom the thought.
“If we kill Rome, we get rid of the problem. He’s the major threat right now, Blossom. You know the rules. All threats must be eliminated.”
“We will not kill Romeo!” I snapped.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I’d fucked up. I was letting my emotions show, letting my feelings for him be revealed by my actions. I’d been hiding how I truly felt for weeks.
Lying to my workers, my friends, telling them I was only hacking him and talking to him to get information. While the truth was, I had been slowly falling head over heels in love with the biggest threat to our organization.
I was doing the very thing we’d all been taught not to do. I was letting my heart override my brain. And I was too far gone to see things clearly, the way Ivy and the others saw things. I couldn’t see Rome for the threat he truly was because in my heart, he was my Romeo.
And I was his Juliet.