Page 19 of Forbidden Access

“Only a few key players know about the upgrade,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not everyone.”

“How’d the FBI find out?”

“They were monitoring the communications of some bigshot mafioso and intercepted a conversation about it. Didn’t take them long to connect the dots and knock on my door.”

“Protection is all they offered you?” She raised a brow, skepticism lacing her tone.

“I’m not a criminal,” Damian snapped, stepping closer, his irritation flaring. The harsh light of the safe room cast shadows on his sharp features, highlighting the tension between them.

“Maybe not anymore,” she replied, her voice dropping as her gaze flitted to his lips, the memory of their kiss from earlier still fresh. She quickly forced her attention back to his eyes. “But you were.”

His expression softened slightly, and for a moment, she wondered if he was recalling that kiss too. “How’d you know about all that?”

“I read your file.”

His brows shot up in surprise. “My file? I’ve got a file?”

She looked away, feeling a flush rise in her cheeks—not just from the conversation but from the way he was looking at her. “Of course. Where else are we going to keep the information about you?”

“Can I see it?”

“It’s confidential.”

He shook his head, clearly irritated. “You won’t let me see a file on myself? I assure you, there’s nothing in there I don’t already know.”

“Then you don’t need to see it.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

It was, but it was protocol. Thorn had seen the depths of Damian’s past—his ties to Aleksandar Markov, his hacking days, the shady businesses he’d been involved in. But the man standing in front of her now wasn’t the same person who’d made those decisions.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Damian said quietly, breaking the silence. “All that stuff I did when I was young… that’s not who I am.”

She wanted to look away but couldn’t. His eyes held hers, and she saw the vulnerability he was trying so hard to hide. “You’re saying you didn’t mean to sell people’s private data for a quick buck? Or provide a platform for illegal gambling?”

“It wasn’t like that.” He dropped onto one of the metal benches, resting his head in his hands. For the first time, she saw the weight he was carrying, the regret mixed with anger. “I grew up in the foster system, bouncing from one home to another. The only stable thing in my life was my computer, something I built from scratch with parts I found. At first, I used it to survive, to make a living any way I could.”

Thorn’s throat tightened. She’d read about his past, knew he’d lost his parents young, but hearing it from him was different. It didn’t excuse what he’d done, but it made it harder to hate him. “By hacking into websites?”

He nodded, his gaze still on the floor. “It was easier back then. Security wasn’t as tight as it is now.” He looked up, the intensity in his eyes making her heart skip a beat. “But I didn’t steal money, just so we’re clear. I sold contact lists to marketing companies. It’s how I bought my first apartment.”

She had to admit, part of her was impressed. He’d pulled himself up from nothing, made something of himself. Maybe she’d been too quick to judge.

“What about your relationship with Aleksandar Markov?”

Damian stiffened. “I formed a relationship with Alek’s daughter, Rebecca. Not with him. As it turned out, that was a mistake I lived to regret.”

Thorn’s eyes widened. “His daughter?” This was news to her. Pat hadn’t mentioned anything about a daughter. It hadn’t been in Clayton’s file, either.

“Yeah, I married his daughter. That’s how Alek got his claws into me. We were family.” A dark look came into his eyes, and Thorn caught a glimpse at how torn up he was.

“I didn’t know.”

“It’s not common knowledge. Anyway, it doesn’t matter since our marriage only lasted two days.” He gave a humorless snort. “It was shorter than this one’s going to be.”

He was still messed up about it, she could tell. “It didn’t work out between you, then?”

His hands clenched and unclenched. “You could say that.”

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