Page 20 of Reaper & Ruin
I hit ENTER and held my breath as the system processed the input.
ACCESS DENIED.
“Shit,” I muttered, my fingers freezing over the keyboard as my jaw tensed and I wondered if now was a good time to ask if I could just kill everyone involved again. Or if he would say no.
“Try my other hand,” Gio said tightly, and we did just that.
Once more, we were closed off.
He sat back in his chair, his expression hardening. “Of course he’d lock me out,” he muttered. “I reckon he’s cut off access to my money too. At least anything kept in family accounts. I think I am now poor…” he shuddered, then stopped, turning so he could wink at me. “You are rich, no? You could be my sugar daddy; I don’t mind. I’m happy to be spoiled and play sweet for you,fantasma.”
I glanced at him, studying the sharp line of his jaw, the flicker of anger in his dark eyes. I had the urge to play games with him, just as a distraction from the darkness I saw. But I was busy, and sometimes work was more important than sex.
Not often, just sometimes.
“If we can’t use you,” I said carefully, “then we’ll need someone else.” I paused, licking my lips. “We can return to the sugar daddy thing later.” He snorted at that.
It wasn’t like I wished any of his siblings dead. I just wasn’t opposed to using them to do what we needed to do. They’d been nothing but helpful so far whenever he’d passed along messages through Emilio the last few weeks since they got in contact. This seemed like yet another thing they could try, but I knew he would never go for it.
There was a difference between secret phone calls and shady business deals, and physically standing with us and giving me access to what I hoped would ruin Giorgio De Luca entirely.
Gio nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the screen. “Yeah. You’re right. I don’t know how to get us in.”
“This server could be everything,” I whispered, leaning forward. “If we can get in, we might finally have what we need to end this. Cleanly. Without hurting your family. But weneedaccess.” I pushed, hoping he would see reason and offer me what I wanted.
His version of what I wanted, anyway. I couldn’t stress enough that if it were just up to me, I would have murdered everyone who so much as looked his way funny. But alas, he was cursed with having emotions. Ones that made him far kinder than I had the time for with this plan.
Gio didn’t respond right away. He stared at the blinking cursor, his fingers tapping lightly against the arm of his chair.
Finally, he looked up, his expression shifting. “I think I know a way that won’t involve my siblings and has minimal risk,” he said.
I tilted my head, intrigued even if I was disappointed he didn’t just okay the murdering part of my plan. “I’m listening.”
He hesitated, then smirked faintly. “It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to play nice with a stranger.”
“You think I can’t be nice?” My brows rose in false offense.
He chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair. “I have a cousin. Caro. My father sold him off to a gang in England when he was a teenager.” His expression darkened, but he pushed on. “He’s the black sheep of the family. His father, Dante, disowned him years ago, but I know he still has some access to the systems to make things easier with the gang he is part of. Nobody would flag him using anything, and he would let us use his fingerprints.”
I frowned, old trauma rising to the surface of my thoughts. “Sold him off?”
“It’s a long story,” Gio said tightly. “But if we ask him, he might be able to get us in.”
I nodded, the plan already forming in my mind. “Okay. I can do that. Where is he now?”
“England still. So you know, somewhere entirely reasonable for us to get to.” Gio snorted. “I presume you have a plan already? You normally do,fantasma.”
He sat up as I stretched, pulling my laptop towards me again a moment later. My bones ached, and my back was sore. I really wanted to join our girl in bed and then take a nap. But someone had to be the adult in the household and ruin all our enemies, and that was me.
I could fuck and nap later. Or tomorrow. Then every day after that.
“You pack. I’ll sort the plane. We need to be there for only a day or so. Make sure Heaven’s sensible with her luggage. It’s going to be wet and cold.” I ordered as my mind raced with ideas. “I can get one in a few hours, so hold the fort whilst I’m gone. Make sure you eat our girl out and feed her whenever she wants it.”
He nodded with a laugh, getting to his feet as he headed into the bedroom to Heaven, leaving me to what I did best.
Taking the things I needed so I could make them mine.
Then use them to ruin someone’s life.
