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Domenic and I had picked up Italian food from one of his favorite restaurants to take back to his house, with him insisting on covering all of it. I even tried slipping my debit card to the girl at the counter, and he shot me a stern look that made me laugh out loud.
Back at his place, he had shown me, Evelyn, and my mother to his home theater. Which, for the record, is bigger than some theater rooms inactualtheaters. We’d eaten dinner in there with the dimmed lights and a family-friendly movie playing that captured Evie’s complete attention until she fell deeply asleep. I swear I got lucky because my daughter’s sleep schedule runs like clockwork.
It was all so strangely easy and casual. Domenic didn’t say much throughout the evening, but then he’s the stoic type. Observant, considerate, finding every small excuse to touch me…
And God, I wanted to let him touch me more. I was beyond tempted to pursue my little fantasy and slip out of the mother-in-law’s suite to his room. But apparently, my mother very much noticed our traded looks and stolen brushes of our hands, and the moment we got to the guest rooms, she had a full-on interrogation.
Am I sure we’re not dating? Have I been “doing the deed” with this man? Where does he get his money from? Is he dangerous? Is he a debt collector? Why haven’t I told her more about him?
I groan and rub my face as I sit at my desk. It’s after lunch the next day, and I’m struggling to stay awake in the security room. After the deep heart-to-heart Domenic and I had in here yesterday and the dreamlike little evening where he stepped away from the casino, and I let down my defenses, I’d seriously thought we would end up in bed.
Or on a table. Hell, a counter would have done fine.
I’d also thought I would tell him about Evelyn, maybe. I was going to feel it out and decide in the moment if I trusted him to that extent.
Instead, I answered a bajillion questions from my mom. No, we’re not dating, but we’ve done some…fooling around. He gets his money from working, like anyone else—although I left out justhowhe works or who his family really is. I said he was as dangerous as he needs to be, which clearly didn’t comfort her.
But the real kicker is that I told my mom the truth. She knows Domenic is Evelyn’s father. It had just popped right out of my mouth before I could stop it. I nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack, and I still can’t believe I lost control of my mouth like that.
It’s fine. She can know, and I’ll work my way up to telling him.
“We’re going to the break room. Want to join?” Vivian asks me.
I realize I’ve been zoned out and glance over the handful of security personnel who are ambling out of the room. “Oh. Uh—I’m good. Thanks.”
She shrugs and walks out, so now it’s just me in here with a couple of other people taking their breaks at different times. One looks ready to fall asleep like I was just about to, while the other is dutifully watching the security feed for the front of the casino.
I pull up more feedback and data from the main floor on my computer. I’m looking for more signs of the hacker I’ve been tracking messing with the casino’s systems when I notice a strange blip on my screen.
“Huh.”
I know there are security cameras in the electric room of the casino, where the mainframe computers are. We’re tapped into them this room. They’re extensive systems suitable for the setup of the massive amounts of computing necessary for the casino to run smoothly. But something just isn’t adding up right. I examine the blip on my screen and glance at the cameras that show that room is completely empty.
“Is anyone stationed at the mainframe?” I ask.
The guy about to doze off yawns and pretends to type on his computer. “The…? Do you mean the electrical room? It’s locked by some pretty intense security points. We have someone go in there once or twice a week to ensure everything in there is running smoothly and dusted. It’s not a place to be stationed.”
It contains a lot of important shit, though. Massive amounts of data are produced every day by the casino. My stomach clenches uneasily as I examine my computer. I can’t pinpoint precisely what doesn’t feel right. All I know is thatIcould probably hack my way into that room.
Could someone else?
“I’m going to check it out,” I tell the other two loudly.
They wave me off like I’m just going on a tour for fun. Whatever. I grab my purse, which has my old hacking device zipped up right alongside my lucky coins, and then I slip from the room and make my way through the back halls, down a couple staircases towards the electrical room.
I think about all the important-looking people who showed up here earlier. Men in suits as crisp as Domenic’s, women with no-bullshit stares, Caputos…including an older man in a suit who walked with a weighted cane. Domenic greeted him personally when he arrived, and I’d seen the resemblance. His father.
They’re all in a meeting with Domenic on the top floor of the casino. I watched them go up there on the security feed myself, although there are no cameras in the important conference room they’re currently in.
If something was wrong in the security feed, something to do with the electrical room, I could get to him pretty quickly. I think.
But maybe it’s just in my head. If anything, this gives me a little brain teaser as I practice getting into this locked-up room full of information storage.
I stop in front of the big door and examine the keypad lock and other security measures in place. It’s not unimpressive. No surprise—I’m sure Domenic prioritized this room, even if the other people in the security room seem unconcerned about it. After all, there are so many places to target in a casino, and this is not at the top of the list. Not normally, anyway.
But if someone wanted to mess with data or do some serious hacking…
The room looks sealed, but I can’t ignore the inkling in my head. After glancing over my shoulder at several cameras in the hall behind me, I give in and pull out my hacking device. I doubt the others have returned to the security room yet, and the other two won’t be looking at me here.
