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“So much for having witnesses around in case things go wrong,” I mutter, swallowing my anxiety. “Pleasetell me you have access to the security cameras inside. I saw at least four of them on my way in.”
“I tried hacking into their feed, but it looks like they run off an encrypted CyberFort program. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Are you saying it’s unhackable?”
“No, but it’ll take me three hours, at least.”
“Can’t you call the tech agents?”
“I will, but they’re back logged like everyone else,” he told me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Frowning, I add, “Is he doing this on purpose?”
I sigh heavily. What am I even saying?Of coursehe’s doing this on purpose. Luka hasn’t managed to stay off our radars with luck alone. Everything he does is deliberate. Who he lets close, where he goes,whenhe does so.La Bella Nocheis a stellar example of his diligence and planning.
The restaurant is already an exclusive place to begin with, catering to New York’s elite. It only boasts twenty tables, but just looking at the exorbitant prices on the menu, I can tell this place has no trouble raking in a profit. Had Luka told me ahead of time where we were going for dinner, I would have been able to tell Gomez to look into the place. I need to know exits, escape routes, if there are any security cameras he can tap into.
I’ve shoved myself into the restaurant’s bathroom, phone pressed to my ear. I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all. This entire night has been by Luka’s design. I have no control over the situation. All I can do is play it by ear and hope to God Luka doesn’t realize who I am and what I’m after.
“You just have to gain access to his phone,” Gomez reminds me. “You’ve got the mirroring app on your device, right?”
“I’m not a total amateur,” I huff. “I just can’t figure out how to get it from him. He’s too cautious.”
“There must be something you can do to distract him.”
I lick my lips, frowning hard as I wrack my brain for possible solutions. Unfortunately, the memory of Luka grazing his thumb over my bottom lip is the only thing my mind wants to fixate on. I shouldn’t care that his hands were wonderfully rough against my skin. I shouldn’t focus on the fact that Luka not only looked like he wanted to kiss me, but he wanted to kiss me badly.
So why didn’t he?
An idea pops into my head.
“I’m going to try and…” I take a slow, deep breath. “I’m going to try and seduce him.”
“What?” Gomez snaps. And then, he breaks into a fit of laughter. “You can’t be serious, Harper.”
“I think he’s attracted to me. Why shouldn’t I use it as leverage?”
“You’re not obligated to,” he warns, suddenly serious again. “I’m saying this as your friend, not your colleague. There has to be another way.”
“Think about it, Gomez. I don’t know how long we’re going to need to watch him. The guy hasn’t told me a damn thing. It’s going to be hard to crack him. If I can keep him interested, dangle him along… maybe that’ll buy me enough time to get into not just his phone, but his home computer,everything.”
“You’re suggesting turning yourself into a damn honey trap. What happened to surveillance at a distance?”
“Right now, this is the only play we’ve got. Pritt fucked us over—surprise, surprise—when she almost blew her cover earlier today. That plan’s gone out the window. We need to think on our feet.”
“Or in your case, on your back.”
I roll my eyes. “Just keep eyes on the entrance and exit. Call me twice if you see anybody suspicious approaching and I’ll get the hell out of there.”
“Are you sure about this? We’re really not supposed to, uh, do that kind of stuff anymore.”
“This is an off-the-record operation, remember? Anything goes. The department doesn’t need to worry about me breaking codes of conduct.”
“There’s no going back, Dani. You have to be sure.”
“We’re talking about potentially crippling a foreign criminal organization here. I’ll do whatever I have to.”
Gomez sighs, clearly resigned. “Alright. Good luck, Harper. Be careful.”
