Beautiful Beast (Perfectly Imperfect: Mafia Legacy #1)

As it happens, the owner of the swanky panic room must have been one of the laziest humans. His laptop password was only six digits, nothing more. My forwarded code breaker cracks it nearly instantly, allowing me to connect Rafael’s laptop with the dead guy’s in under a minute.

Finding the file we need, however, takes nearly a full hour. Generally, people tend to use the same word as their password in multiple applications. They vary it slightly with special characters, but the root remains unchanged. I first run a scan for the same keyword as the laptop login, then set up filters to search all files for documents that contain multiple repeated strings of letters. With narrowed-down options, I look through each flagged result manually, hoping that the next one I open will be the list of passwords. The fact that I’m simultaneously using the translator app in order to read each document, just to figure out if it’s what I’m after or a recipe for homemade miso soup, makes the whole thing more difficult. My eyes sting and my head is killing me from the constant strain by the time I finally find what I’m looking for.

“There.” I point at the number combination in the middle of the document, one that is right under the login credentials for a porn streaming site. “The panic room access code.”

A slight shiver runs down my spine when Rafael takes my chin and tilts my head to face him. His eyes bore into mine and, for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

“If you’re wrong, you’ve just signed my man’s death sentence.” His voice is low and slightly menacing, but the look in his eyes holds no threat. Just awe. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” I say, exhaling the pent-up breath.

Rafael nods and releases my chin, then turns and dictates the code to Allard. Bewildered, I stare at Rafael’s harsh profile. No further questions. He doesn’t ask me to confirm one more time. Does not demand an explanation of why I’m confident that my conclusion is correct, or has Mitch double-check it. He is simply ready to risk his man’s life on my word alone. He’s trusting me and my skills by doing so. Believes in me.

A sense of satisfaction and pride swells within me, invading every single cell of my being. All those times I’ve aced tests in college can’t compare to this feeling.

I look back to the screen where Allard is now facing the control panel at the door, his camera zoomed on the tiny narrow screen above the keypad. I suck air into my lungs and hold it, watching him input the numbers. When he enters the last digit, there’s a barely audible click, but it echoes like thunder through the line.

It worked.

Rafael reaches out to his phone and turns it off, then closes the lid of the laptop. In that instant, sitting on his lap completely still, I become hyperaware of every point of contact between our bodies and every sensation that each connection evokes. His thick, heavily muscled arm wrapped around my waist. The warmth that seeps from his chest as he presses it to my aching back. The faint tingling of my cheek where his stubble brushes my skin.

“I never would have thought of that.” Deep, smoky voice right next to my ear. “Have you found a list of my passwords, as well?”

“Yes,” I utter. “You really need something more creative than desanti1234 for your online banking app.”

A sultry rumble of a laugh vibrates through me. “Have you been tempted to send another donation to a church choir, perhaps?”

I can’t suppress the grin pulling at my lips. “Very much.”

Rafael lightly brushes my chin with his thumb. “Thank you for helping save my friend’s life.”

“A friend?” I raise an eyebrow. “And here I thought your employees are just that—employees. Would he have really killed himself to avoid being captured?”

“Undoubtedly. When I first met Allard, he was rotting away in a cell of a Chinese prison, convicted of political espionage on behalf of France. His less-than-gracious hosts had been ‘working’ him for weeks, and he kept insisting on his innocence and that he came to China as a student in a foreign exchange program. I busted him out of that hellhole.”

“So you saved an innocent man. That’s noble. But what were you doing in a Chinese prison?”

“Following through on the hit contract for the French government—eliminating their most praised, yet recently compromised asset.” A wicked smile pulls on Rafael’s lips. “Zacharie Allard.”

I snort. “So, not innocent after all?”

“Nope.”

“You dropped the job, then?”

“I called my contact in the French government and told them I had the kid. I also relayed to them that their man hadn’t broken his cover. They still insisted I proceed with neutralizing him anyway.” Rafael’s jaw hardens. “Allard withstood days of intense physical and mental torture, all without spilling a single secret. And his superiors still decided to reward his loyalty with a death sentence. So, yes, I dropped the contract.”

“And recruited Allard to work for you.”

“Of course. I offered him triple the pay he was getting from his treacherous agency. It was one of the best deals I’ve ever made.”

“Don’t you think that, maybe, you saving his life had something to do with him agreeing to work for you? Not the money.”

“Money is the ultimate force that makes the world go round. People may not like that truth, but it doesn’t make it less real.” His finger is on my lips now, tracing the shape of the lower one.

“You’re wrong,” I mutter, captivated by his eyes peering into mine.

“I didn’t peg you for naive, vespetta. But you’re young and still have much to learn.”